Random Access

Saturday – 31 March 2007
Today was nice. Sunny. Warm-ish. Blue skies with a few high clouds.

I woke up… and proceeded to find a comfy spot on the couch. I watched today’s episode of Legion of Super-Heroes. After that, I headed out to meet nyx hemsut for coffee, chat and drawing. I got more done on the latest drawing… but it still needs some work. However, I’m pleased with the progress. I’m not sure how detailed it’s going to wind up being, because one of the things I thought of would make part of the picture as (relatively) detailed as the brickwork and balustrade on this drawing. After a couple of quick stops, I came home to get a change of clothes and then headed to everydave‘s house to get ready for…

…asdf_cat‘s bachelor party shindig. Which included paintball. It was the first time that I’ve played paintball. It was more fun than should be allowed. During one of the games, I got tagged in the back of the head – thankfully, I was wearing a cap, but it still stung a bit – and in the lower back. That one still stings a little. Post-paintball, we headed back to everydave‘s for food, drinks, Wii gaming and poker. We played two games of poker: A free-for-all game and a “tournament.” I was the second or third person out of the free-for-all, but I hung in for third place in the tourny.

All-in-all, it was a rather good day.

Four-Color Coverage
As I’ve mentioned before: I am enjoying the Legion cartoon. Today’s episode, “The Substitutes,” introduced the Legion of Substitute Heroes. And the villain du jour was Starfinger, although I didn’t care for the spin they put on him; he came off as… much more of a buffon than he was in the comics. But, there was still a lot to like about the episode.

However, I was reminded of something that has bothered me about the cartoon since I started watching it: The show is called “Legion of Super-Heroes.” This is the logo for the show:

The “problem” I have is with the S-shield in the logo. That’s Superman’s logo/insignia, not the Legion’s. The Legion insignia is this (slightly stylized, but you get the idea):

I am fairly certain that I understand “why” they did it: Superman has greater name recognition in the general public than the Legion does. And as he, as Superboy, was a member of the Legion, they are hoping to use said public awareness to draw Superman fans to the Legion. It makes sense. But, the Legion is a team. A big team. It’s not “Team Superman,” however. Nor do I think that it should be treated as such. But, Superman – as he’s called in the series, due to a legal conflict over the rights to the name “Superboy” – features rather prominently in each of the three episodes that I’ve seen. He’s not the team leader, which is good, in my opinion… but he’s pretty much always there/around.

On the positive side: They are doing a good job of blending different versions of the Legion in the show. Case in point: Today’s episode featured the results of the Legion tryouts. The new inductees were Star Boy and Matter-Eater Lad (hey, I didn’t name them). The Star Boy they are using is the one from the v5 Legion, as opposed to the Bronze/Silver Age Star Boy. The episode also featured Blok, Sun Boy and Tyroc, who hasn’t been seen in costume since the 80s, if I remember correctly.

All-in-all, I shouldn’t complain too much. After all, there finally is a Legion cartoon. And, it’s not bad.

Namaste.

Tuesday – 27 March 2007
One down, one in the chamber and three to go.

So far, the day’s been decent.  The road monkeys weren’t unbearable this morning, as they swung from branch to branch… I mean “lane to lane.”  For the most part, traffic flowed nicely.  I have coffee.  And there was apparently an IT task that was assigned that neither I nor our office director knew nothing about.  Greeeat.  Fortunately, it’s not a huge deal, but when I asked him about it, he had the same deer in headlights look that I had when I was originally asked about it; that made me feel a little better.  Oh, well.

Last night, we were supposed to shoehorn in a D&D session.  But, we didn’t.  So, I watched a few episodes of Justice League – including one from the second season that I had somehow neglected to watch! – and played some online poker…. until it was time for 24.  While not as amusing as 24: ATHF, it was still good.  Then, some online poker.  I also watched The Guardian – it wasn’t a horrible movie.  Near its end, I half-expected Whitney Houston to show up and sing I Will Always Love You.  Of course, when I first heard about the movie, I had the not-so-serious urge to photoshop her into a copy of the movie poster and retitle it The BodyGuardian.  Go figure.
Stray Toasters

• I have a slice of frosted carrot cake.
• I like Gwen Stefani’s new song, The Sweet Escape.  It’s bouncy and catchy.
• Ever have one of “those” days?  I get the feeling he has.  In fact, I’d say that he’s having one now…
  
  (click image for preview of Green Lantern #18)
• loves me.  How do I know?  Because she sent me a link (no pun intended) to this.
• Super Mario Brothers… done with LEGO bricks and figures.
• …and while on the subject: LEGO Batman Videogame in 2008
• Square Peg.  *sigh*
• The Pursuit of Happyness (not misspelled, thank you) is out on DVD today.  If you haven’t seen this movie, now is your chance to do so.  It’s a great story.
• Create a mascot for a Woot sports team
• This sounds suspiciously like a certain (non-IT) job I had not too long ago…
  
• It’s more than “a little” geeky, but I like this doormat.

Quote of the Day

[09:00] : eh!
[09:00] Scott: sup
[09:01] : Thought that this might amuse you:
[09:01] : ‘The Transformers’ appear on the internet’s worst website
[09:01] Scott: eh?
[09:01] : http://www.comics2film.com/
[09:01] : second item in “The Latest News”
[09:02] Scott: hahahahahahah oh god.
[09:02] Scott: Do we get Optimus Prime’s blog?
[09:03] : bwahahahaha
[09:04] : “Dear Diary:  Today, I got my oil changed.    There was a very cute Nissan Xterra there.  Red.  With racing stripes.   She was hawt!”

Namaste.

Tuesday – 20 March 2007
Another day in the valleys.

Speaking of valleys, does anyone else remember Valley of the Dinosaurs? It was a Hanna-Barbera ‘toon from the 70s; Boomerang airs – or it used to air – episodes on Saturdays and Sundays. I liked it. But, I digress…

Last night was D&D night. But, we didn’t play. Instead, there was Lunch Money and Guitar Hero 2. I did “okay” at lunch money; I still equate my GH2 (lack of) skill to the first time I tried DDR: It was bad. Fun… but bad. After that, I went home and tried my hand at PokerStars, no pun intended. I didn’t do too badly. And, before bed, I read more of Specter of the Past.

We’ll be heading to the gym in a few minutes. Picking up and putting down heavy things. Mm-hmm, that’s right.

Stray Toasters

• I can only think of this as a “career-limiting move.”
• Houses cheaper than cars in Detroit.
• Grape juice. I have some. You do not.
• Do not injustice to another
  Defend the weak and innocent
  Let truth and honor always guide you
  Let courage find the light within

  Stand up when no one else is willing
  Act not in hatred or in spite
  Be to this world as a perfect knight
  Even if it means your life

• Code Monkey (because it’s been a while since I’ve linked to it)
• I was going to ask: “Why are you wearing an NWA t-shirt?”
• Tony Bedard on Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes #31
  
• Don’t you worry about sleeping on the vent so often?”
  

*voop*

Namaste.

Friday – 16 March 2007
And so, another work week comes to an end. The day wasn’t bad… of course, it started off with frozen mocha goodness, so how bad could it be? Things were fairly quiet in the southern compound. I made up for missing yesterday’s workout at lunch this afternoon. Back and triceps again. It was a good workout – my arms were tight and the muscles burned by the time I was done. Back on the ranch, I handled a couple of projects and called it a day.

On the way home, Dad called to tell me that it was snowing in Baltimore. Turnabout is fair play, I guess. I made it home and he called again. He had forgotten to tell me something the past couple of times that we’ve talked: One of the teachers at my high school died last week. I didn’t have him for any academic classes, but he was one of the faculty members who supervised – and played in – my phys ed basketball class a few trimesters. His obituary says that he “…could be intimidating at first.” They’re right. But, once you got to know him, he really was a great guy. He will be missed.

Then… Clitorati. Small turnout, but fun group. I started work on another drawing tonight:

Source:

Drawing (unfinished):

A gentleman in the cafè came over and asked if I drew professionally; I told him that it was just a hobby. He complimented me on the work and detail. That made me smile.

Four-Color Coverage
It’s been a while since I’ve done it, but let’s take a look at some of the things that have been distracting me for the past couple of days:

• 52: Weeks Forty-Four and Forty-Five – At the end of Week Forty-Three, Osiris gave up his power and was eaten by his “companion,” Sobek. Turns out that Sobek was actually one of the Four Horsemen of Apokolips, specifically: Famine. When Black Adam and Isis discover this, they confront Sobek. But, he isn’t fighting alone – the other Horsemen show up and it’s “Game On.” Adam and Isis take down Famine, War and Pestilence, but not before Pestilence and Death deal a fatal blow to Isis… and Death escapes. The one thing that you do not want to do is piss off Black Adam. And just what effect do you think that killing his family will have? You got it. Things go from “Game On” to “Game Over” just like that. After burying his wife and brother-in-law (and a brief conversation with Renee Montoya, doing her best Carmen Sandiego impression), Adam heads to Bialya – where Death has gone to ground – and does his level best to turn it into a smoking crater. He does a good job of it, too. The estimated death toll was in the millions. But, here’s the rub: What happens when you kill that many people in the presence of Death? Yep, you guessed it: Death gets stronger. Too bad it wasn’t strong enough. Adam methodically – and very painfully – destroys death. The last panel of Week Forty-Five shows Adam in flight, on the trail of those who created and unleashed the Horsemen. And he didn’t look very happy.
• Superman #660 – This was a Prankster issue. And, while it was a nominally interesting story, it could have served better as a back-up feature. Yes, Superman was in the issue, but not very much. There was a bit of character development to The Prankster, but I don’t feel that it was necessarily Kurt Busiek’s best work.
• Superman-Batman #32 – This issue is part five of a six-part “alien invasion” storyline. Superman has been corrupted by the approaching alien fleet and has turned his back on humanity. What chance does Batman have of stopping him? Come on… we’re talking about Batman. He’s got Alfred. He’s got the wealth of Wayne Enterprises at his disposal. He’s got a utility belt. I’d say his chances are pretty good. Or are they…?
• Green Lantern Corps #10 – Guy Gardner gets in trouble with the brass. Kilowog sets up two new Lanterns – who aren’t exactly fond of each other – as partners. And, Mogo puts in an appearance. This issue was pretty much a return to the norm for this title.
• Dynamo 5 #1 – What happens when a deceased superhero’s widow tracks down and brings together his five illegitimate children – none of whom were aware of the others and each of whom has one of their father’s powers – to fight crime? You can find out here. It was an interesting and auspicious start for this title. It makes me want to check back next month and see how this dysfunctional “family” deals with each other and the challenges of being a hero team.
• Fantastic Four #543 – This is a Civil Bore War epilogue issue. Johnny and Ben babysit Franklin and Valeria while Reed and Sue try to figure out how to heal the emotional bruises they gained in Civil War. The solution: Take a leave of absence and try to work things out. But “Fantastic Two” doesn’t have the same ring to it. Reed, being the highly-intelligent man that he is, has a plan: He has a couple of people lined up to take his and Sue’s place. The King and Queen of Wakanda – The Black Panther and Storm. There are a couple of back-up stories in this issue, too: A Human Torch – Spider-Man story (*mediocre*) and a Stan Lee-written story (*weak*).
• newuniversal #4 – Starbrand. Nightmask. Justice. And… a character who’s being called “a Cipher,” but I suspect will be known as “Spitfire,” before all is said and done. I am still enjoying this reinvention of Marvel’s New Universe. Warren Ellis has done a good job of creating a comic book world/universe that is close enough to be “the real world” in most ways… but introducing a healthy dose of science fiction and turning things just enough off-center to be set apart.
• The New Avengers #28 – This is the first post-Civil War issue of TNA. The team is still underground because they refuse to register, per Civil War’s Superhuman Registration Act. Then, they get wind that the supposedly-dead Captain America is still (barely) alive and being held on The Raft. When they go to get him, they instead find themselves face-to-face with Tony Stark – in full Iron Man armor – along with a newly-formed, government-sanctioned Avengers team. Another part of the story takes place in Japan, with appearances by the Silver Samurai, Echo/Ronin… and Elektra. This issue jumped around a bit much for my taste and I found Leinil Yu’s art to be a bit distracting.
• The Mighty Avengers #1 – Newly minted Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., Tony Stark, sets up Ms. Marvel as the team leader and together they set out to “…pick the greatest roster ever.” New team. New direction. Lots of action. This book seems to be the classic motif of brightly-garbed heroes beating the snot out of brightly-garbed (and even drearily-garbed) villains. I’ll hold off judgment and bear out this title for a few issues, to see if I can determine where it’s headed.
• Uncanny X-Men #484 – Yet another chapter in the twelve-issue-long soap opera in space. This issue had lots of action. A dash of political intrigue. A dangerous romance. A possible rekindled romance. And the Starjammers – every Marvel fan’s favorite space pirates!
• Justice League of America #6 – This is the one we’ve been waiting for: The conclusion to “Tornado’s Path,” the Red Tornado’s quest to become human. The arc started off slowly, but this issue made it worthwhile. There was triumph and loss. The JLA acted the way longtime fans expect them to act – like a team (for a change). The Red Tornado showed what it meant to act heroically… and selflessly. The whole is best summed up nicely by the Tornado’s last captions:
  

  This is a story about history and destiny. And love. And passion. And friendship. And coming-of-age.

  This is the story of my life. And my death.

  But this isn’t the story of my defeat.

  My face is so swollen, she can barely get the mask off.

  The worst part isn’t her expression when she sees me…

  …or the snag in her voice as she tries to look strong…

  …or even the clear disappointment as she realizes that everything we gained is now lost.

  The worst part is that I tasted it. I felt it. Even if it was never meant to work… for those precious days, I was truly alive. And now, for the rest of my life, I know what I missed.

  All-in-all, despite my bemoaning the slow, dragging start to the arc, this was a good opening volley for what will hopefully be a long and successful run for this title.

Stray Toasters

• I posted a link to the typography demo that used the “What does Marcellus Wallace look like?” scene a few days ago. Here’s a video clip of that scene from the movie.
• Fly away, sweet bird of prey…
• Is there anything that George Lucas can’t get his hands on? Case in point: R2-D2 Replaces Mail Collection Boxes
• and Carmen apparently have… dopplegangers. Bizarre.
• From Slate: The genius of film noir.
• 336 – 410 – 317
• When I see this picture, I want to replace it with an image of Famke Jenssen from X-Men III: The Last Stand and put “Jean Grey” underneath it:
  
  …although, given the name that’s already there, you could put a picture of Patrick Stewart there and call it good.
• Spider-Man 3 Minimates

And… that’s good for now.

Namaste.

Thursday – 15 March 2007
The Ides of March are upon us.

I haven’t slept incredibly well the past few nights, so I slept in this morning. It was nice. I got out of bed, dealt with the necessary hygiene obesiences, dressed and headed out. I wore my Mickey Mouse tie today. Just because. I even got a few compliments on it.

I stopped at B&B for a cup of frozen mocha goodness. Selah. Next stop, the SLC office and then I was on the way south. The road monkeys were fairly well-behaved and the drive was leisurely. Work was okay… it wasn’t enough to knock it out of NBN territory, which was good. I dealt with a few issues, right out of the gate. Wound up having to do a workaround on one of them… but it sufficed. And it will do until tomorrow. Or Monday. However, dealing with that issue made me miss today’s workout; I’ll make it up tomorrow.
Post work, I picked up my four-color shwag. I also treated myself to four pieces of plastic crack from the new Origins set:

• Animal Man
• Cyborg Superman and Steel, from DC’s Reign of the Supermen storyline
• Mon-El, from the Legion (Yes, my little plastic LSH continues to grow.)

Then, I came home. I had planned on watching CSI:, but that was supplanted by the Xavier – BYU game… in which I had less than “no” interest. So, I read this week’s haul.

Stray Toasters

• I talked with the ‘rents today. Both are well.
• This is pretty cool: Toys ‘R’ Us: Autism Awareness Month
• Human Beatboxes. Check out the link for the French Idol show – that one was rather impressive.
• 
• Cap’s been dead a week. Or is he (1, 2)? Wizard posits the question: What would it be like if Captain America existed in the real world?
• …speaking of which, John Mayer and matchbox 20 seem to have differing opinions on “the real world.”
• 301 – 919 – 910
• I’m craving cotton candy. But, only slightly.
• 
• I came across an ad for Sumo Urban Lounge Gear yesterday. I think it looks pretty neat; I wouldn’t mind having a couple pieces.
• 
• It seems that HALO 3 should be out in September. *genuflect*
• Pierre Matter’s biomech-steampunk sculptures
• Your Baby Is a Level 1 Nerd, by way of Matt

Namaste.

Tuesday – 13 March 2007
Two down, three to go.

The day started in the SLC office.  I needed to pick up some items to take to the southern outpost.  Unfortunately, those items weren’t there.  I waited a little bit, to see if they would show up.  They didn’t.  So… I left.  The rest of the workday was decent.  Even “good.”  The lunchtime workout was good, too.  I went back to an old routine: Back and triceps.  It was a very nice change of pace; and I could definitely feel it when I was done.  That’s a good thing.  Back to the ranch to finish out the day.

I remembered to call this afternoon.  I’ve been meaning to do it for about five days now, but something has always wound up rearing its ugly head.  I went for an afternoon constitutional – the weather was sunny, clear and low 70s – and called her.  We talked for about :20 minutes.  She sounds like she’s in good spirits, despite having been cooped up for the past 5½ weeks.  We talked about this, that and the other.  Bouquets and brickbats.  The whole nine yards.  By the way: , she said that she just finished the last of the books that you sent her.  It was good to talk with her.
Stray Toasters

• Friday, I get the tickets for my trip home in May.  There are even good rates into Greensboro!  *shocked*
• Zaz!
• I need to pick up a copy of Casino Royale.
• I can’t find my tape (yes, “tape”) of Hat, a band that some friends of mine were in.  That’s a shame, because I’m really in a mood to listen to Palm Sunday Downpour and She Builds Monsoons.
• Be yourself, that’s fine
  Find yourself, there’s time
  Lose yourself, well I’m right here beside you
• Is this the new Captain America?
• 
• Bananas.
• 200+ MPG car
• “I don’t get it.  The label says this is an ‘easy open’ can.”
  
• The new Ninja Turtles movie opens in a week and a half.  I’m… not sure, but I think I want to see it.
• “S.S. Botany Bay…  S.S. Botany Bay…  Damn!   Damn!  We have to get out of here!”
• The Big Fig – Marvel Legends’ Build-A-Figures prove that bigger is always better.   Sentinel.  *nod*  Although, I wouldn’t have minded getting my hands on an Apocalypse or Galactus figure, either.

Quote of the Day
While gaming tonight, we were talking about Star Trek: TOS.  Somewhere in the conversation, we wound up mixing Star Trek with, of all possible things, Pulp Fiction.  Shortly thereafter, derived from the “What does Marcellus Wallace look like?” interrogation (NSFW), I came up with the following:

“Does Mr. Spock look like a bitch?”

…which became the running joke of the night.  And it only went downhill from there.  But it made us laugh.
Namaste.

Marvel has just released 7½ minutes of footage from the upcoming Spider-Man 3.

You can watch it here.

Enjoy!

Monday – 12 March 2007
And so, another week begins. It wasn’t a bad day in the southern compound. I got to work on the report that I’ve been putting off to the side for a while. There were a couple of other issues that came up, including dealing with the “new and improved” Daylight Saving Time, but nothing insurmountable.

And, speaking of the new DST, I realized something that I didn’t consider until this morning: Where in the Nine Hells were the scientists planning on magically coming up with the “extra daylight” for the energy savings?

I get up between 6:15 and 6:30 AM, during the week. This morning, because I hadn’t put the necessary brainpower behind the logistics, I expected there to be a little more sun around the time I woke up. So, you can imagine my short-lived surprise when I found that wasn’t the case. When the synapses finally fired, I thought about the fact that it was technically only 5:30 AM (in Standard Time)… and that it is still dark at that time. Once I got my head around that, I was okay. Sure, it means that we’ll have a little more sun at the end of the day – which I can’t say is a “bad” thing – but, did the big heads that said “this will save LOTS of money and energy” not consider the fact that we’d still need to use lights/power in the morning? I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m not a big fan of stumbling around in the dark, morning or night. If I can’t see, I’m turning on the light. Maybe even a couple of them, depending on what room/rooms I’m in.

Even The Register noted Y2K7 bug fails to bite.

< /soapbox>

24 was good tonight. And there was more watching of The West Wing; in one episode, “20 Hours in L.A.,” the audience was introduced to Zoe Bartlett’s new Secret Service bodyguard, played by Jorja Fox – probably best known in her role as Sarah Sidle on CSI:. The episode was chock full of cameos, including David Hasselhoff… which was amusing in itself.
In other news: I called Dad the other night… just to ask him to send Butterscotch Krimpets. They’re as good as on the way.

Stray Toasters

• One of my neighbors asked if they could use the outlet on my porch for their car charger. About 10:45 PM. It was a little… odd.
• You define what you believe…
• Wednesday is Pi Day
• Thanks to for pointing out the typo… in my typo post.
• The 51 Best* Magazines Ever
• From the “Tune In, Turn On, Drop Dead” file: Northern Ireland Mortuary Begins Funeral
• “What, pray tell, is that?”
  “It’s my new invention.”
  
• From CBR: Doom Patrol Creator Arnold Drake Dies
• 
• Matt: Warren Ellis’ NEXTWAVE – subverting the underwear perverts
• When I finish reading Specter of the Past, I think that I’ll re-read the DragonLance Chronicles trilogy.

Time to finish off my tasty beverage and contemplate the idea of getting into bed.

Namaste.

Saturday – 10 March 2007
I finally did it.

I finally watched KidsWB’s Legion of Super-Heroes cartoon.

And, I liked it.

I’ve been a Legion fan for nearly 30 years. It may have been one of the – if not the – first comics that I collected regularly; I’m a little dodgy on the details, it was either LSH or reprints of 60s X-Men. But, it’s probably the one series that I’ve been the most diligent about collecting.  When I first read about the show, I was curious, but dubious – there had been rumours and whispers about trying an LSH show in the… late 80s or early 90s, I think.  So, I waited… and when I saw that his show had been greenlighted, I was expectant.  Then I saw the character shots and was a little disappointed.
The animation style  isn’t exactly what I would have chosen; I would have preferred a style closer to Bruce Timm’s, as seen in Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series and Justice League/Justice League Unlimited. I will say that it is similarly “distracting” as the animation style used for Teen Titans was… but not as much. I think that this is mainly because LSH doesn’t try to go for the “cheap laugh” by breaking into chibi animation to lighten up some moments. Actually, I just noticed that the style seems like a blending of the Timm style and the style used on Batman Beyond.

Today’s episode was “Lightning Storm,” featuring a team known as the Light Speed Vanguard, whom canny Legion readers will recognize as a thinly-veiled Legion of Super-Villains. One of the members of the LSV was Lightning Lord, Mekt Ranzz… older brother of Legionnaire Lightning Lad. They did a brief “how they got their powers” flashback and showed the sibling rivalry that has been portrayed many times over in the LSH print titles. In an interesting side story, the Legion was holding tryouts back on Earth – something that hasn’t been seen in the print titles in a long time. Astute viewers could see members of the Legion of Substitute Heroes as well as Jacques Foccart, the second Invisible Kid.

The writing was good. The dialogue was pretty snappy. The characterizations were good. And, well… it was just fun. I’ll have to pay more attention to this in… the… future. Wow, I didn’t think about the pun in that until after I had typed it. But, I’m sticking with it anyway.

And, , There is an Interlac TrueType font available for Windows and MacOS.

Monday
It was cold and rather dreary. It was also Errand Day. and I had lunch with at Noodles & Co. On the way out of that complex, we stopped in the Thomasville Furniture store. It was something of a compulsion: I grew up about 25 miles from their headquarters. One of the sales associates approached us and asked if we, and I quote: “…had a project.” I told her that we did, inasmuch as we have a house. Then I informed her that I had lived in NC and she looked at me and said: “You don’t sound like you’re from North Carolina.” That made me happy; not picking up a southern accent was one of the things that I worked hard at when we moved to NC. Nice to know that all the effort paid off.

I made another few changes in the HCC. I moved my DSS receiver to the top of my monitor. I figured that when I watch TV, it’s usually on the PC, so it made sense to move the receiver and not have to do all manner of inhuman contortions when I wanted to change the channel. Logic, who knew!? Thanks to a couple of PS/2 extension cables, I was able to move Enterprise. I think that it was a printer cable constraint that kept me from moving DS9, but now that we have the new printer, it may be relocated as well.

>> fast forward >>

Poker night. There were only five of us: , , Matt, Dave and me. Tonight’s standings:

2. me
3. Dave

To say that she kicked our asses would be a horrible understatement. Even saying that she mopped the floor with us wouldn’t be enough. She was the modern-day Spanish Inquisition (Nooo one expects the Spanish Inquisition!!!) And I do mean “no one.” She just eliminated us one-by-one and her chip stack kept growing.

Venit. Vidit. Vicit.
“She came. She saw. She royally kicked our asses… and laughed.”

News
Morning Edition: Agribuisness Boom Brings Change to the Amazon
Morning Edition: Web Site Publisher Prepares to Defend Against Apple Suit
Morning Edition: San Francisco Fights Paper and Plastic
Day to Day: The ‘Spiral Jetty’ Re-Emerges from Great Salt Lake
All Things Considered: Ohio Universities Continue Domestic Partner Benefits, Despite Referendum
All Things Considered: Supreme Court Declines to Intervene in Schiavo Case

BBC News: World ‘must learn from Holocaust’
BBC News: Why didn’t the Allies bomb Auschwitz?

Stray Toasters

• It turns out that I will not be going to Moab on Wednesday, after all.
• I’m glad to be able to use Semagic again, rather than the web interface. ‘Nine is up and running again. I haven’t installed everything yet, but that will come over the next couple of days. One change that I did make: I switched from the Mozilla suite to just Firefox and I have gone back to using Eudora for my mail client. Now I need to remember how to use Eudora again…
• Just when everything in the world seems topsy-turvy, something comes along that restores my faith that there is a God.
• The next two Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers DVDs will be released in April. *covet*
• By way of comes this: Screen Clean
• For writers: 50 Strategies for Making Yourself Work
• and I often send each other… “odd” links. I sent her this video clip; in return, she sent this one. We probably shouldn’t be allowed to play on the Interweb without supervision.
• “So how does making crop circles help with invading Earth?” –
• Let Them Sing It for You
  Insert the lyrics to your favorite song and enjoy. And laugh. A lot.
• I have a few friends in the food service industry. One of their common complaints is that people often don’t consider how much they leave for a tip… IF they leave one. In light of that, I present: How Tipping Works. When talking with a friend’s father-in-law, I found out that tipping isn’t “expected” in Australia. One major difference is that wait staff is paid a “maximum wage,” I believe he called it. In other words, waiters in Oz are making something on the order of $8.00 (AUS) an hour, instead of the $2.13/hr that their U.S. counterparts make.
• “Bobby, so help me, if you don’t knock this crap off right now, I’m going to string you up the flagpole by your weiner and play pinata!”
  
• Real-snow versions of Calvin and Hobbes’ gory snowmen

Namaste.

Monday
This morning, I woke up from the singularly most bizarre dream that I can remember in a very long time. I was in a Buffy-like setting (even more weird since I wasn’t a fan of the show) and running from… something. Apparently, someone had cast a curse and I was caught in the effect. It was Medusa-like spell. Except that instead of the snakes growing from my head, they kept coming out of my right arm, either from the inside of my wrist or the palm of my hand (similar to the way that Ron Weasley kept spitting up slugs in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets). And they kept coming. And coming. And coming. It was very disconcerting. What woke me up was when I tried to stop more snakes from exiting and one slithered up my arm, towards my face. I woke with a jump and a bit of a yell, I think. In the words of Dr. Henry Jones, Jr. (better known to his associates as “Indy”): Snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?

The rest of the day was mercifully less stressful. It included calls from Bret, Adam and my father. It will be good to see them next week.

And tonight: Poker!

::: fast- forward :::

, and came over for poker. had to bail early. brought electronic crack HALO 2. *covet* It’s another definite “buy” for me. Tonight’s poker rankings:

1. Me.

Stray Toasters

• Many of you are familiar with the Penny Arcade webcomic. Last year, the strip’s creators came up with the idea for Child’s Play, a charity that donated $250,000 in toys and money to Seattle Children’s Hospital. This year, they are expanding to Children’s Hospitals across the country. Check it out and pass it on.
• I was chatting with my brother-in-law-to-be, , this afternoon when he forwarded the URL to “MoveThemOn.org – Real Democracy in Action.” It made me laugh.
• From an IRC conversation: Rate My Network Diagram
• John Schneider was being interviewed about Smallville the changes in this season’s storyline following the death of Christopher Reeve. He was also asked if he had been approached for a role in the upcoming Superman movie. (He hasn’t.) Then, the interviewer asked if he would be appearing in the upcoming The Dukes of Hazzard movie. He laughed and responded: “I wouldn’t drive in that movie in your car.”
• Harry Lampert, co-creator of The Flash, died Saturday. Even though he retired in 1980, he still made appearances at comics conventions.
• Nat King Cole. Unforgettable. *nod*
• “Do you think that Sims feel pain?”
  
• : Guess who’s on the cover of the third issue of the new LSH. And, as an added bonus: This.
• By way of Slashdot: Atlantis found. Again.
• On Wookiees and nudity taboos…
• Firestorm vs… Firestorm? But, isn’t he supposed to be dead. Firestorm, I mean. Well, that Firestorm.
• Biz Markie’s Just a Friend just rolled around on the Winamp’s random play. The first thing that popped into my head was last year’s Pepsi commercial that used it.
• : For you
• “Hi! I’d like some meatloaf!”
  
• : Click here.

Namaste.