Friday – 05 October 2007
The morning started off about an hour after I had planned on it starting. And even then, I only woke up because the phone rang. *sigh* The rest of the morning has gone well, though. And there was frozen mocha goodness to help speed the day along.

Last night was quiet. I made it to The Garden of Sweden. And I was in and out of there in about 15 minutes. That almost never happens. I guess that’s the way it goes when you go in with a mission to get one specific thing. Only. (Of course, I walked out with two, but why quibble?) When I got home, I had a few grand designs on actually being productive and getting some cleaning done. Instead, I paved a little more of my road to Hell. And I’m okay with that. Besides, there’s always tonight or morrowmorn.

Stray Toasters

• Schoolhouse Rock! is providing the soundtrack – and some video – for the workday, so far.
• goofydopey
• 34-minus
• Someone turned Utah’s thermostat down again.  Yesterday, it was nearly 80°… it’s a hair above 60°.
• Carpe diem!
• After hearing part of this segment of Talk of the Nation yesterday, this comic was even more amusing:

  

• We the people, in order to form a more perfect union…
  (Admit it, you just started singing that.)
• Zero Punctuation review of Halo 3.  (Check out the review of Peggle, too.)

*voop*

Namaste.

Stray Toasters

• For (and/or anyone else who’s interested): Someone made a set of custom New Mutants figures.
• 68
• *cackle*
• Today’s workout was good. My flat bench was okay for the first two sets, but I had to break up the third set into: 9 – 1 (reverse) – 1 – 1. But, on the plus side, my pull-ups are getting better: I can do two sets, unassisted, without much problem. And today, I fought my way through the third set of ten, unassisted. It was closer to: 8 – 1 – 1, but I didn’t have to use the machine assist.
• After I got back from the gym, Acolyte Derek asked me to come join a push-up “contest” with some of the developers. (Why they keep deciding to do these challenges on the days when I work out is beyond me.) Oh, well. Mine “is not to reason why…” So, I went to that side of the office and joined in. I did 57, topping the then-leader by two.

Quote of the Day
I have the following picture set as my desktop (this size, centered) in the Salt Lake office:

I received the following message from Dave, who sits next to me, when I’m in SLC:

(10:48:00 AM) Dave: hey man
(10:48:12 AM) Dave: I got my 5yo here and I was wondering if he could use your desk to do some coloring?
(10:48:23 AM) Dave: and by coloring, of course, I mean cracking into your computers…
(10:48:25 AM) Me: Sure!
(10:48:30 AM) Dave: chewing on your stuff…
(10:48:37 AM) Dave: no, that’s the 3yo, sorry, he doesn’t chew anymore
(10:48:39 AM) Me: Well, that’s a given with a 5y0 isn’t it?
(10:52:23 AM) Dave: thanks alot, man.
(10:52:29 AM) Me: Anytime
(10:52:38 AM) Dave: btw, he saw your ‘cute little picture’ on your monitor and I think it left a lasting impression…
(10:52:50 AM) Me: Oh, dear…
(10:52:56 AM) Dave: 🙂
(10:53:03 AM) Dave: I’ll tell you about the nightmares later
(10:53:07 AM) Me: Please. 😀

.eof

Wednesday: Coda
Today was apparently “Have a Meal with a Cop” Day – Perry joined us for lunch and I had dinner with Pat.

I remembered to pick up birthday cards for my father; and I took them out to the AMF to get them in the mailstream tonight.

Four-Color Coverage

• Astonishing X-Men #22 – The X-Men face Danger, Kruun and a missile the size of a small moon. Think they’re getting out of this one without a scratch? Think again (spoiler warning). From the looks of things, it’s going to take a giant Band-Aid^® to make this better. The dialogue is solid. The situation is – in typical X-Men fashion – dire. Once again, Whedon and Cassaday bring an excellent story to the table.
• Countdown: 36, 35, 34, 33, 32 and 31 – Mary Marvel, spoiled brat. Eclipso, wearing a lovely Jean Loring skin. Karate Kid and Una, still in search of answers as to what’s killing the ‘Kid. All this, plus Klarion, Monarch and the return of the new – and expanded – Crime Syndicate Society of America. Some of the storylines are beginning to wear a bit thin for me; and I’m also starting to get… distracted… by the inconsistency of the artwork: Granted they are doing a weekly series, so they are distributing the art duties to different teams, but the artwork runs the gamut from “good” to “tolerable” to “I paid good money for this?!”
• Green Lantern Corps #15 and Green Lantern #23: The Sinestro Corps War – Parts 5 and 6
  

  War.
  What is it good for?
  Absolutely nothing.”
  

  Getting Lanterns dead, that’s what it’s good for. Readers are given a rather blunt example of what happens when an irresistable force (The Sinestro Corps) meets an immovable object (The GLC).

  In this issue, the battlefront has moved from Oa to Mogo, the planet-sized Green Lantern. Leading the charge is the SC’s answer to Mogo: Ranx, the sentient city. And what will Green Lantern Hal Jordan do when his power ring loses its charge? Oh… this.

  Sinestro: This is amusing. Hal Jordan struggling to access the power of fear.
  Jordan: I can thank you and Parallax for showing me how, Sinestro.
  Sinestro: Showing you how? You are only capable of opening the ring and releasing its energy. You have no idea how to manipulate fear.

  How bad do things get? Bad enough for the Guardians to rewrite the Book of Oa, including ten new laws:

  Guardian: Officers. We have all suffered a great loss during this horrific incursion of fear. Many are dead and wounded. Many more are missing-in-action. The Sinestro Corps fight without mercy. They torture those they capture. They revel in the pain they cause. And now they approach.We understand the limitations both our code of conduct and the power rings themselves have.

  It is for these reasons we have rewritten the Book of Oa. Rewritten it to include ten new laws effective immediately.

  The First Law of Ten within the Book of Oa…

  …the power rings are now authorized to used lethal force against the Sinestro Corps.

  And, it looks like the battlefront is moving. Again. The new front line: Earth.

• Justice League of America: Wedding Special #1 – Black Canary and Green Arrow are tying the knot. Fun, happy times and joy for everyone, right? Tell that to Firestorm, who’s getting the holy bejeezus kicked out of him. After a fight with Killer Frost, Firestorm hears the hum of a teleporter:
  

  Good evening, Firestorm. My associates are The Joker and Cheetah. And of course you know me, I’m Lex Luthor. Did you just wet your pants? I can’t say I’d blame you. We’re really quite terrifying.
  Firestorm: I’m supposed to be impressed? I was hoping you were Darkseid, so I could bust your skull.
  Luthor: You should perhaps consider working your way up to that. *blasts Firestorm*
  Firestorm: Uhnnn…. Okay. Caught me by surprise. But you can’t hurt me with that stuff…
  The Joker: You’re ruining the gag. You’re supposed to think it’s a regular flower. Or at the very least, just a gag flower with a squirt gun inside. *sprays Firestorm*
  Firestorm: AH!
  The Joker: But here’s the twist. It’s not harmless water. It’s my specially prepared venom.
  Firestorm: HA-HA-HA-HA… I can’t neutralize it… HA-HA-HA… but my powers…
  The Joker: See? Funny.
  Cheetah: *slashes Firestorm* You mean the same powers that should protect you from my claws? ‘Cause I don’t think they’re working.
  Firestorm: HA-HA-HA-HA-HA! HA-HA! Please, DON’T! HA! AHHH! HA-HA-HA!
  *off-panel slashing effects*
  The Joker: Life is all about perspective. If I get a hangnail, it’s tragedy. If you fall into an open manhole and die, it’s comedy.
  Firestorm: *screams*
  The Joker: Nobody gets me.
  Luthor: *to Cheetah* That’s enough.
  Cheetah: Matter of opinion.
  Luthor: *to Firestorm* You were helpless from my first shot. If you don’t want your enemies to neutralize your powers, refrain from publishing scientific papers explaining them.

  And where’s Wonder Woman? And Hawkgirl? And Geo-Force? (And Where’s Waldo, while we’re at it?!) And what happens when the rest of the League finds out what happens to Firestorm? Let’s just say that the phrase “Break one off…” comes to mind. To be continued in…

• Justice League of America #13 – Picking up where JLA: Wedding Special #1 left off, the JLA goes on the offensive. The teams split up, with Black Lightning monitoring the action from the Hall of Justice:
  

  Green Lantern (John Stewart): Team Two, checking in.
  Black Lightning: Roger that — I’m reading you loud and clear.
  Green Lantern: Have I mentioned that it’s good to be working with you again? Although, I do miss your afro.
  Black Lightning: Ho. Ho.
  Green Lantern: I’m serious. Why’d you cut your hair off?
  Black Lightning: I’m trying to be more contemporary.
  Green Lantern: Good move. Welcome to the Nineties. I know why you did it. It’s a negative combover.
  Black Lightning: A what?
  Green Lantern: You’re going bald and you’re hiding it by shaving your head.
  Black Lightning: I am not going bald. I happen to look good this way.
  Green Lantern: No, you don’t. I would, though. Maybe grow a little goatee to add a little funk…

  And more of the JLA fall to the Injustice League. And the hits keep coming as Luthor, in his battlesuit, teleports in to bat clean-up.

  What I love most about the Lantern/Lightning scene is that Dwayne McDuffie (1, 2) seems to be having fun with Green Lantern, a character for whom he wrote many episodes on Justice League, Justice League Unlimited and Static Shock. But, it doesn’t stop there: He seems to have a good handle on all of the characters – both in the JLA and the Injustice League – featured in these two books (Wedding Special and Issue #13).

• Justice Society of America #9 – Power Girl’s having bad dreams. The JSA helps out at a pancake breakfast/charity fund-raiser. And help put out a fire. And… who is the “strange visitor from another planet dimension” that just showed up? More importantly: Why is he here now?!
• The New Avengers #34 – After what seems like eleventy-seven issues of “Are you or are you not a Skrull,” Dr. Strange, Master of the Mystic arts that he is, finally pulls a rabbit out of his hat (apparently that trick does work when not being performed by a moose) and proves to himself and the rest of the New Avengers that none of them are Skrulls… just in time for the team to go up against [message redacted].
• Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes #33 and #34 – The search for Cosmic Boy continues… and concludes. Brainiac 5 proves, once again, that he is the most intelligent sentient in the room. Tenzil Kem proves that Bismollians can – and will – eat just about anything. Atom Girl is on the hunt for a man. And we get a retconned origin story for a very pissed-off Wildfire.
• Tales of the Sinestro Corps #1 – Parallax: The Fall of Kyle Rayner – In the Ion mini-series, readers were introduced to a painting of a young boy in a field that used to hang in the home of a then-young Kyle Rayner. He and his mother would make up stories about the boy.That is where this story starts. Sort of.
  The painting is in a room.
  In Kyle’s mother’s house.In Kyle’s mind.YeahbuhWHAT?!Kyle is “riding shotgun,” as the Parallax entity uses his body, tearing its way through the Green Lantern Corps. An aspect of the entity pays Kyle a visit. And that’s where the fun starts.

Stray Toasters

• I like traffic lights, but not for the same reasons as Terry Jones.
  
• Asteroid renamed for George Takei
• 83 or 71
• I asked about sheets of comic book stamps while at the AMF. They were out, but should have some after the weekend.
• Richard Garriott owns a Sputnik
• Four tabs, not three.
• Learning about The War
• For – World’s worst Hallowe’en costume: “Poopie Shorts”
• By way of Applegeeks: Adam West as Batman, with dialogue from Frank Miller’s Dark Knight Returns.
• Toys ‘R’ Us 2007 Hot Toy List
• Sopapillas.

.eof

Tuesday – 02 October 2007
Road monkeys. Fast lane, slow car. Days like this make me (somewhat) glad that I wasn’t granted infinite cosmic power at birth (or by being visited by a fiery cosmic force as I piloted a space shuttle from a space station). Although, the idea of displacing the driver in question to midtown Manhattan at rush hour does hold more than “a little” appeal.

Reeling by on Celluoid: The Punisher
Last night, I watched the 2003 version of The Punisher, starring Thomas Jane and John Travolta. It was definitely “an adaptation” of the origin of the Marvel Comics character.

This isn’t to say that the movie was entirely “bad,” but let’s just say that there was room for some improvement. The characterizations were good – you understood what drove Frank Castle (Jane) to pursue his brand of justice, just as you understand what drove Howard Saint (Travolta). Yes, there was some over-acting. And the fight scene with The Russian…? Um, let’s just say that it was more over-the-top than it needed to be, but c’mon… you’re talking about a scene with a WWF/WWE wrestler – over-the-top is par for the course.

I might it on the Cool World–Long Kiss Goodnight Scale, but all things considered, it was a decent distraction. I might even call it “mindless fun.”

Four-Color Coverage
I started in on some of my four-color haul from the weekend. I’m up-to-date on Countdown and “The Sinestro Corps War,” as well as a few other titles, but there are still things in my hold box at the shop.

Stray Toasters

• I should reread Inferno, the one by Dante Aligheri, not the 80s Marvel X-book crossover.
• Coworker John “The Flash” Fox (hero to millions) pointed me in the direction of this video: Amazing Grace – Wintley Phipps. Not only does he sing the song; first, he gives an interesting background lesson in the song’s history and a little music theory, as well. I knew the story of John Newton, so that didn’t surprise me. What I didn’t know was that most Negro spirituals were written in the pentatonic scale. And, I like his rendition; I might even have to add this to “The Best” list.
• Don’t use the magical
  Mysterious, intoxicating, joy fantastic
  Fascinating word called love
  Unless u love me 2 the 9s
• Herbie Hancock Talks Math, Music and Mastering the Tech Toolbox
• From Computerworld: Five free Web apps we can’t live without
• I need to finish Season 2 of Coupling.
• Charlie Stross’ Halting State: Heist novel about an MMORPG
• 
• 7 Deadly Sins,7 Heavenly Virtues
• Said Superman had come to town to see who he could rock
  He blew away every crew he faced until he reached our block
  His speakers were three stories high with woofers made of steel
  And when we brought our set outside, he said “Ha! Be for real!”
  He said, “I’m faster than a speedin’ bullet when I’m on the set,
  I don’t need no fans to cool my amps, I just use my super breath.
  I could fly three times around the world without missin’ a beat
  I socialize with X-ray eyes, and ladies think it’s sweet.”
  And then he turned his power on and the ground began to move
  And all the buildings for miles around were swayin’ to the groove
  And just when he had pulled a crowd and swore he won the fight…
  We rocked his boat with a 12 inch cut called Disco Kryptonite
• Things you shouldn’t do in science fiction/fantasy fiction writing
• Do you have any idea how amusing it is to have people stop to look at comics I posted (start with that link and read the next nine or ten) on one of the cube walls… about starting a new religion? In Utah? And the new “religion” is based on video games? Hint: It makes me grin like a fiend.
• Russinovich finds his place at Microsoft

/lunch

Namaste.

Sunday – 30 September 2007
Yesterday’s move went well. And quickly. I believe that the “official” time was three (3) hours, start to finish. That doesn’t include unpack and organize time, but still… that’s pretty damned impressive. (And, it covered any “need” for a weekend workout, too.) After the move, we went out for brunch.

And it started to snow. Yes, snow. Not even in October. *grblsnrkx*

Came back home for a much-needed nap.

Sara and I went to see Across the Universe; more on this below. After the movie, we headed to Cheers: South for breakfast. The restaurant was rather busy, which made for some rather “interesting” people-watching.

Today started off lazily. When we finally got in gear, Sara and I met Perry for lunch at Jitterbug. Post-lunch, the three of us headed to Dr. Volt’s to pick up my four-color shwag and a half-brick of plastic crack… and a box of Stikfas that I had forgotten thatI had ordered. Next, a quick stop at REI to make sure that hadn’t fallen off the face of the planet. (He hadn’t.) And then, a trip through Parley’s and Emigration Canyons to see the fall colors. The foliage was making progress towards the red end of the spectrum… but it wasn’t as prevalent nor as vibrant as I had expected. Oh, well.

Reeling by on Celluloid: Across the Universe
Is there anybody going to listen to my story
All about the girl who came to stay?

There’s a saying that goes “Parallel lines meet at infinity.”
There’s a variation of it that says “Parallel lives meet at infinity.”

This movie is about those parallel lives, their meetings and is told through the use of the music of The Beatles. I was pleasantly surprised at how it all came together. I was, likewise, pleased to see that there was more to the movie than the simple “boy meets girl” love story implied by the trailer.

The music, as I mentioned, was by The Beatles, but the songs were deftly re-arranged by Elliot Goldenthal and sung by the characters/actors. Not only that, but the songs also tied-in to the events of the movie, similarly to the way that Orpheus in the Underworld (Can-Can) and Die Another Day, were used in Stardust and Die Another Day, respectively. I believe that my two favorite pieces were Let It Be and Come Together… so much so, that I might have to reconsider my choice for “The Best” from a few weeks ago.

At two hours and twenty-one minutes, the movie is long… without feeling long. The casting was good. The plots/subplots were good. And with one exception, the stories didn’t feel forced or contrived.

I give the movie an enthusiastic “thumbs-up with and okay.” And it has renewed my interest in seeing Cirque de Soliel’s Love.

Football Update
Just a quick hit here: Congrats to on his Browns 2.0’s win over the Ravens today. Operative words: “Beat down.”

Stray Toasters

• I still have three bags of cotton candy. I shall put a dent in that tonight, while I am saving the world.
• “Greenie Weenies”
• Sara’s Deviataion vs. Rob’s Deviation.
• Monkey of the Day: While in Dr. Volt’s, Perry and I were talking about our plastic crack purchase (part of which is supposed to be Kate’s Christmas present to him). We were tossing jibes back and forth when another customer decided to chime in with: “Wow, I can’t believe all the testosterone and posturing being tossed around over here…” I had my back to him, but Perry said that he looked at me and straightened up a bit when I saw my build; then he looked at Perry, who was wearing a his badge and his holster. The guy then said “But, since I don’t know either of you, I think I’ll just keep my mouth shut.” And he walked to another aisle.
• I’m thinking of rearranging the office. I might put my eight-foot table up in there… and possibly throw my LEGO train and the Rokenbok Monorail up on it.
• 

And that’s a wrap.

Namaste.

Thursday: Coda
After staying at work far too late in the day, I escaped Happy Valley to run a few errands. Then… home. While I was mulling over what to pick up while grocery shopping, I had an epiphany: I had a few bratwurst left over from last weekend. That would make an exemplary dinner. And it did… along with some fries and one of the last Samuel Adams Summer Ales that lj user=”jennae” bequeathed to me.

While eating dinner, I watched the season premieres of Legion of Super Heroes and The Batman.

I was duly impressed.

Where Season 1 of LoSH was fairly light in tone, this one captured the dark mood of war against Imperiex, seen for the first time in the DCAU; he was last seen in the mainstream DCU a few years back, as a would-be galaxy conqueror in the “Our Worlds at War” crossover maxi-series. In the LoSH toon, he is standing in for Darkseid as the new threat the survival of Earth and the human race. Enter… Superman? But, not the Superman we have come to know. This Superman, cloned from the DNA of the original, comes from the war-torn 41st Century, a time ravaged by Imperiex and his forces. From what I’ve read, this season will span the 31st and 41st Centuries with the Legion and two Supermen leading the fight against Imperiex.

Next up: The Batman. This episode introduced Superman, Lex Luthor, Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen to this version of the Batman mythos. Metallo, the man with the Kryptonite heart, even put in an appearance. It was interesting to watch this episode as I mentally juxtaposed it with 1986’s The Man of Steel #3, in which the post-Crisis Superman first met Batman. There was a lack of trust between the two, even though they were working the same case. And I still think that the model that they are using for Clark Kent was based, even loosely, on Brandon Routh.

And, both episodes were “Part 1 of 2,” so we’ll see how the stories conclude.

Stray Toasters

• I may polish off another bag o’ spun sugar confection tonight.
• Hand Soap
• 
• Preschoolers’ Feelings – a Flickr photoset.
• Salt Lick Art
• The Defuser, winner of the second season of Who Wants to be a Superhero, is a City of Heroes player. Go figure. The folks at CoH/CoV even congratulated him on his win. 🙂
  

And that will do it for tonight.

Namaste.

Wednesday: Coda / Thursday – 27 September 2007
Three down, two to go.

I cleared – or at least did some damage to – a few items on my task list today. Productivity = good. I had lunch with Jason (coworker) and Perry at Tres Hombres. It was a little more than I had planned on spending for lunch… especially since I had taken a lunch with me today, but it was good.

As I was winding up the day, Land called and asked if I was free this evening. I was, and told him to swing by the apartment and we could go in search of food-type items. We wound up at Cafe Rio. Dinner and a good conversation later, I wandered over to Office Depot to replace my broken architect’s scale. And then, on to Barnes & Noble, to introduce Land to Way of the Peaceful Warrior. He had heard of, but not seen, the movie; I told him that it was worth the price to purchase the book. He did. Mission: Accomplished.

When I checked the mail, there was a package from my father. Ô.õ I opened it to find sections from The Baltimore Sun about Cal Ripken, Jr.’s induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. There was also a letter in the package. An old letter. 30+ years-old old. And some note card-sized sketches. I didn’t quite get the gist of what they were for… so I called home. Dad said that they were ideas that he and a former coworker of my mother’s had come up with as a proposal for a set of stationery/seals with patriotic themes. They never really did anything with them, but he thought that I might be able to find a use for them. How cool is that?

Stray Toasters

• I still have four bags of cotton candy.
• A word and a movie
• 50 Years of ‘West Side Story’
• 26
• Titan missile silo for sale
• Wizard First Look: Millar and Hitch’s Fantastic Four
  
• 
• Why women read more than men
• A year of following all the rules in The Bible
• From the “Things We Don’t Need” file: NBC Revs Up New Knight
• Kurt Busiek on “The Third Kryptonian” and more
• …and, since we’re on the topic of Superman: Incoming: All-Star DC figures

And, with that… bed.

Namaste.

Wednesday – 26 September 2007
Yesterday was pretty good, all the way around. No real problems. I had to demonstrate my technopathic abilities to a new coworker. And, I had cotton candy. How can you beat a combination like that? You can’t.

Yesterday’s workout was good, too. My sets of 215 (10 – 10 – 9 and a reverse) were decent. My pull-ups (the exercise, not the training pants) are getting better, too: I did two-and-a-half sets (10 pull-ups, each) with no assistance. That’s a nice – and noticeable – improvement. And then, there were the side bends. *urk* Good for the obliques… in theory. I woke up this morning to pain, which is pretty normal the day after doing side bends. I keep trying to convince myself “It’s good training” and “It builds character.”

Last night was zombie-killin’ game night. We came. We saw. We dropped grenades and retreated made a hasty advance to the rear. We lived, which is a good thing… but we returned to base tas it was about to be overrun by the Chaos-infused armies of the damned. Yeah, we are screwed. Who wants to live forever?

Stray Toasters

• I talked with Adam yesterday. He pre-ordered the limited edition of Halo 3. *genuflect* And, as with almost all of the limited edition copies, his was scratched beyond the ability to be played.
• Thirty-eight degrees. That ain’t right.
• Back to the Future: Shooter talks Legion of Super-Heroes
• I’m nearly done reading V for Vendetta. I like the graphic novel, but I can appreciate the cuts that were made in the screenplay. They were necessary, to fit time constraints, and didn’t detract (too much) from the overall story.
• List of the “World’s Weirdest/Stupidest Conspiracy Theories”
• 
• Oliver Sacks explains how your brain does music
• Okay… you’re the Master of the Mystic Arts, do you really need to peep in on women in tanning booths to get your jollies?

Time to go “politely explain” why my someone needs to come take a look at/fix my furnace -  today – to the lovely ladies in the leasing office.  *sigh*  No rest for the wicked, I tell ya.

Namaste.

Monday – 24 September 2007
You know that the week can only get better when you nearly launch yourself out of bed as the morning alarm goes off. And, yes, I do mean “launch.” I don’t usually have a problem with simply reaching over and turning it off. This morning…? I have no idea.

Other than that, the morning prep went fairly easily. I had the forethought of checking weather.com to get an idea of what to wear. It was in the mid 40s. Mid. Forties. *sigh* It’s too damn early in the year.

City of Heroes/Villains: Dhoruba
That’s right, … I took a trip to the Rogue Isles with the gay Mr. T. 😛

had Giroux and his mob o’ zombies running around Sharkhead Island and took me on as a lackey. We ran a mayhem/bank heist mission. I remembered how much I hate rent-a-cops and Longbow (at least on this side of the CoH/V line…) I also remembered how badly I need to get Mr. Dhoruba to level 14 so that I can get a decent travel power. Fortunately, I’m about halfway there… minus some debt.

Stray Toasters

• My left eye (not to be confused with My Left Foot) is being… bothersome… today. So much so that I’m actually wearing my glasses.
• One bedside table down, one to go.
• Superman: Doomsday review, from Comic2Film’s SuperNaut (chock full of spoilers)
• Taxicabs and the ‘bot.
• Copyright and tattoos: Who owns your skin?
• Simpsons scenes and their movie references
• Take a look at this picture of Clark Kent from this weekend’s episode of The Batman. Is it just me or does it look like they tried to make him look a bit like Brandon Routh’s Clark, from Superman Returns? (more stills from the episode)
• Poster of recommended and forbidden words for Chinese store clerks
• 
• Ass-kicking, watercooled steampunk PC

/lunch

Namaste.

Saturday – 22 September 2007
The day’s been good… and nominally productive.

I started the day off over coffee with and Perry and his kids. From there, it was off to run a few errands – including a trip to the Garden of Sweden. *genuflect* I went with the intention of getting a couple of bedside tables and wound up picking up frames for a couple of my railroad pictures.

And that’s when a problem reared its ugly head: I had originally thought that I’d just get black frames for the pictures; when I got to the store, I saw some pretty snazzy metal frames. I liked the metal frames because they might add to the retro look of the railroad pics – the pics are of trains from the early to mid-20th Century.

Conundrum.

I compromised: I got one of each. I will see which looks better with the pictures and proceed from there.

And now, it’s time to deal with the ugly beast known as “cleaning” so that I can chill for the rest of the day and weekend.

…and I even remembered (although, just barely) to record the season premiere of Legion of Super Heroes. Go, me!

Namaste.

Stray Toasters

• I checked my mail this morning, on a whim. (Mostly because I couldn’t remember whether I checked it yesterday…) I’m glad that I did – there was a letter waiting in there that made for a great start to the morning.
• Sara posed an interesting – and somewhat unusual – question last night: “What is your favorite texture?”
  My counter was “Tactile or other, such as ‘food texture,’ for example?”
  “Tactile.”
  So, I started thinking about it. The one that I’ve come up with so far is: Skin. It is common and similar… yet it can also be so varied: rough, smooth, calloused, pitted, wrinkled.
• Last night, I continued my reading of the graphic novel V for Vendetta, on which the movie was based. I had the iPod playing in the living room. I was reading the scene where Evey is being tortured in “prison” and Madonna’s Die Another Day started playing. It reminded me of the opening scenes of Die Another Day (the movie), where Bond is being tortured in time with the song.
• Along those same lines, I had forgotten that the fight between the pirates and Prince Septimus’ guard in Stardust had been choreographed against Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld (“Can-Can”), until seeing the movie again this past weekend.
• By way of CNet: Blocking memorable scenes with LEGOs
• The drive-time commute included Van Halen’s Dreams. I like the video for the song, it features the Navy’s Blue Angels. The song started playing just as I was coming to the summit of I-15 on Traverse Mountain. When I looked to my left, there were paragliders floating around the ridge. Sure, they aren’t F/A-18 Hornets, but the overall effect was good enough for me.
• , Comics2Film has a few stills from the upcoming season of Legion of Super Heroes.
• If you haven’t heard about Warner Brothers upcoming adaptation of New Frontier (1, 2), a graphic novel by Darwyn Cooke, check out this teaser/preview.
• Tonight, God willing and the creek don’t rise, I’m going to a preview of Resident Evil: Extinction. Zombies!!!

Quote of the Day
I responded to a department email with lyrics from Working in a Coal Mine, by Lee Dorsey:

Working in the coal mine
Going down down down
Working in the coal mine
Whoop about to slip down

This was the IM response I received from :

(10:38:03 AM) : Oh LORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRD.
(10:38:12 AM) : I am SO TIRED.
(10:38:20 AM) : 🙂
(10:38:21 AM) : How long can this GO ON?
(10:38:41 AM) : Good morning, Mr. B.
(10:38:53 AM) : (ps- damn you for getting that song stuck in my head this early.)
(10:39:07 AM) : Could have been worse.
(10:39:13 AM) : I could have gone with Sixteen Tons.
(10:39:15 AM) : …or…
(10:39:20 AM) : The Pina Colada Song.
(10:39:21 AM) : 😀
(10:39:24 AM) : eh, sixteen tons wouldn’t have been…. FUCK YOU

Back to it.

Thursday: 20 September 2007
After work and after picking up the car, I decided to treat myself to a trip to Best Buy to acquire a copy of Superman: Doomsday. Not only was I successful in getting that, but I also picked up Scent of a Woman and S.W.A.T.

Last night, I slept pretty well. That, to some degree, makes up for Tuesday night’s poor sleep.

Four-Color Coverage: Animated Edition
I watched Superman: Doomsday knowing that it was adapted from the “Death of Superman” storyline from the early 90s. I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect from it, but I knew that they couldn’t do the whole story as it was presented in comic format. I remember being impressed with how well Batman: Mask of the Phantasm was executed; likewise, I was stunned with the job that Marvel and Lionsgate did with Doctor Strange… but, I still have a bad aftertaste from the abomination that was Superman: Brainiac Attacks. So, I was curious to see what they could/would do.

I wasn’t disappointed.

In fact, I was rather surprised at how well they told the story. In fact, this version exceeded my expectations quite a bit. While this movie isn’t canon, it draws on things from both the comics as well as something that I took as a nod to the “Legacy” (1, 2) of Superman: The Animated Series. And it blends them together nicely. They didn’t pull any punches (no pun intended) in telling stories revolving around:

• Superman and Lois’ relationships, personal and professional
• Lex Luthor’s genius…
• …and his desire to be the man at the top of the food chain – at any cost
• … and his ruthlessness
• Superman’s devotion to protect the people of Metropolis

The movie isn’t “dumbed down” to make it more palatable for younger audiences; it is rated PG-13. In my opinion, it earned that rating. It seems as though the writers, directors and producers came together to tell a story and, rather than churn out 70 minutes of pablum, went the opposite direction and brought their A-game to the table.

My one gripe – and it’s not a big one – is that the characters’ faces seem a little “too” angular, at least when compared to S:TAS and Justice League/Unlimited. The voice actors did a good job of bringing the characters to animated life. Adam Baldwin did a good job as Clark Kent/Superman, Anne Heche did well as Lois Lane and James Marsters turned in a nice performance as Lex Luthor.

I’m sure that I’ll be watching this again, looking for the little details that I may have missed in the first viewing. I recommend it to fans of the comic, the animated series and the Superman mythos in general.

Stray Toasters

• I had a cold glass of chocolate milk before bed.
• “I’d say, “Bunnies,” Raist…”
• Hmm… Doomsday vs. The Juggernaut.
• Preview of Justice League of America #13 – , you might want to check it out.
• “Thanks” to Acolyte Derek for pointing out this Playstation 2… made of LEGO
• posted a quiz. I took it. This was my result:
  

  Your home is a Philanthropic Gamer’s Mansion Your kitchen is stocked with chips, dips, and assorted caffeinated beverages. There’s a pantry with emergency backup caffeinated beverages. You also have some breakfast cereals in there, but you haven’t had breakfast since last Spring. Your master bedroom has blankets printed with images of Mario and Link. Your study includes unread copies of various gamer magazines, each purchased for the free demo CDs. One of your garages holds your collection of ferraris, and is measured in acreage.Your home also includes a guest wing and private quarters for your servants. Your guests enjoy your collection of every console and associated game ever made. Except the Intellivision — those controllers drive them NUTS. Outside is your hedge maze and gardens, meticulously tended by a team of world-class botanists. Below is a snippet of the blueprints:

  Find YOUR Dream Home!

This is probably the point where I should finish getting ready for work…

Namaste.

Just a few quick hits:

• I was checking out boingboing and found this item for the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file… (potentially NSFW)
• Then, there was an article for this music video, by a group called Familjen, out of Sweden… made from vintage religious event footage.
• After showing it to a couple of coworkers, I then turned around and showed them Hurra Torpedo’s version of Total Eclipse of the Heart. After all, why pass up a perfectly good opportunity to break coworkers?!
• Nebraska Senator Sues God to Stop Terror Threats
• Thanks to for pointing out the Simuring feature on Vonage.
• Thanks to Tyranist for pointing me in the direction of the Marvel Database Project. I’ll need to check out how it compares to Marvel’s site/database.
• Brain surgery changes boy’s accent

And now… gym time.

Monday: Coda / Tuesday – 18 September 2007
Tonight, I got to play “Favorite Uncle” to the kids while Kate and Perry took care of a couple of things. The kids were finishing dinner when I got there, so they were ready for a little play time before bed. Aside from using my lap as an occasional playspace, they pretty much entertained themselves.

About an hour before bed, I sat them down for some quiet time while they watched cartoons. Then, the boys decided they wanted to watch Doctor Strange before bed… so I let them watch it, with the understanding that when it was time for bed, they’d have to turn it off and go to bed. So, popcorn was popped and they sat down and watched the movie. If someone had been watching through a window, it would have looked as though the two youngest had tried to attach themselves to my hip: The baby was on my left, feeding herself and handing me kernels of popcorn when I was taking too long to get them myself; the middle child was on my right, half-watching the movie, half-trying to feed me popcorn, too. And now that I think about it, the oldest was hovering pretty close, too.

When it was time for bed, they went to their respective rooms and got into bed. No fuss. Even the baby – She ran into her room, made a bee-line for the crib, asked for one of her dolls and laid down. Just like that. I tucked them in, closed their doors and didn’t hear a peep from them for the rest of the evening.

When Kate and Perry got home, Kate asked if I “…survived the kids alright?” I told her that as far as babysitting gigs went, this was cake. The kids took care of themselves (with the exception of one pre-bed diaper change, for the baby) and were great all night long.

The Best: Killing Me Softly (prompted by post from )
Roberta Flack vs. The Fugees

While I like the up-tempo groove of The Fugees’ cover, for my money, this song is best as done by Roberta Flack. No contest.

The Best: I Can’t Make You Love Me
Bonnie Raitt vs. Prince vs. George Michael

This one was pretty close. Sara and I were listening to Prince’s Emancipation this weekend and his cover of the song started playing. I asked if she had heard the George Michael version of it; she hadn’t. Fortunately, I had Nomad with me (A road trip without my trusty iPod?! Unheard of!) and played it.

Both covers are good… but for me, this round goes to Bonnie Raitt. There’s something that sounds more emotionally charged in her version, although I’d say that the Prince version runs a not-too-distant second.

Stray Toasters

• I posted the pictures from this weekend’s Cedar Breaks hike. (Apologies to those on dial-up connections…)
• , what’s this about Maoists quitting the Nepalese government?
• For some reason, I just had the thought of a wheelbarrow race pop into my head.
• Jamie McKelvie talks Suburban Glamor
• By way of : LOLthulu
• This sounds like an interesting idea, but “Lemon-squeezin’ Jesus” just doesn’t have the same ring to it. I think I’ll stick with monkey-squeezin’ Jesus, thank ya kindly.
• Hmm… Monkey-squeezin’ Jesus vs. Micro-Jesus. That could be interesting.
• Rare Timothy Leary document on eBay
• …speaking of which: I was in a chat/conference/speech with Timothy Leary waaaay back in the days of Quantum Link – the service that eventually became the AOHell behemoth.

I should try that “sleep” thing.

Namaste.

Thursday – 13 September 2007
A new NBN Thursday begins.

Last night was a lazy, do-a-lot-of-nothing kind of night. And you’ll hear no complaints from me about that. I got home, figured out what to do about dinner and just… hung out. And, I talked (actual vox) with . Twas fun. The conversation ranged from silly to serious, with quite a few stops everywhere in between.

This morning, I actually did something that I haven’t done in a very long time: I wrote a letter. A real-life, honest-to-God, pen-and-paper letter. Not an email. Not a few lines on a greeting card. A letter. Granted, it was a bit short, but that’s not the point here. The point is: I wrote a letter. Not only that, I folded it, put it into an envelope, sealed, stamped and addressed it and put it in the mailbox.

City of Heroes/Villains: The Hand of Nefer-Tem
Since it had been a few days, I decided to do some crime-fighting in Paragon City. I logged in right as a Rikti invasion fleet was attacking the zone where I usually park my characters. So, I joined the fray. I was invited to join an invasion team and we started beating on things. After that portion of the invasion was repulsed, we went to another part of town to fight. After the invasions broke off, the team broke up.

A short while later, a member of my supergroup messaged me and asked if I wanted to join a team and run a few missions… some of my missions, at that. Hm… let me think about that… I joined. I had a few Devouring Earth missions to run. The first one kicked our collective asses eight ways from Sunday. After numerous deaths and some team restructuring, we muddled our way through it. We ran another D.E. mission, after that; it wasn’t nearly as disastrous.

Stray Toasters

• Aside from a little congestion – and a little frog in my throat – I am pretty much done with this whole cold thing.
• How to Survive a Horror Movie
• Have I mentioned how much I like this whole “Save and Continue Editing” feature? Lots.
• And, in continuing coverage from our “Tony Stark Is a Dick” file comes this gem, by way of Wizard:
  

  TONY’S TOY COLLECTION
  Unimpressed by G.W. Bridge’s houseboat, Stark feels the need to run down the inventory of his garage, which includes a boat, some planes, a spaceship and a flying submarine. Arrogant as always, he does, to his credit, segue very awkwardly from his brag session into his real business with Bridge. It’s hard to understand where Bridge’s reluctance comes from with a proposal that begins like this.

  

• By way of contrast: From the “Before Tony Stark was a complete dick” file: the Iron Man movie trailer.
• And, from the trailer: Would the Iron Man (Mark I) suit qualify as “steampunk?”
• By way of : IKEA room planners
• For the Bruce Campbell fans out there, Comics 2 Film is having a The Man with the Screaming Brain giveaway.
• For : Morris Day and The Time – 777-9311 and Color of Success
• From NPR: John Ridley’s Visible Man – Life After the NF-Hell
• 
• Apple, AT&T: Bosom buddies or odd couple?
• Jake, a coworker and workout partner, came over to ask a question about work and noticed that I have a Green Lantern figure on my desk. He asked if that was my inspiration/goal for working out. I looked at it and told him, “No, but I would have filled out my Hallowe’en costume a lot better if it had been!”

And, that’s a wrap.

Namaste.