Random Access

Sunday – 25 December 2011

(Photograph by Jenny Porter of Serendipity Photography)

Saturday – 24 December 2011
It’s Christmas Eve. Over the past few days, I’ve taken some pictures of the way that our Christmas decorating has shaped up… and I thought I’d share:

Click here to see the rest of the pictures.

I hope that everyone has a safe and merry Christmas!

Thursday – 15 December 2011
It’s a grey and foggy NBN Thursday in the valley. (Thanks, inversion!)

Last night, the girls were winding down by the time I got home.  Actually, they had pretty much wound down… just in time to be awakened to eat. They ate and returned to sleepy mode, by way of “I can’t get comfortable” mode. They finally settled down and dozed for a bit before it was time to get them all set for bed. That went fairly painlessly. The “going to sleep” part was a little more difficult, at least for Vanessa — she had gone past “sleepy” and straight into “too tired to do anything but cry A LOT.” Not fun. SaraRules! sat with her and got her calmed down enough to nod off. She still took a while to fully go to sleep, but she did. Eventually.

Chris came over just after Vanessa started her meltdown. We were, ostensibly, going to play dolls. Neither of us had assembled teams for the scenario that I’d come up with, so we wound up sitting around and hashing out more details for the scenario. We may give it a go Saturday afternoon, if time permits.

Stray Toasters

• Who’s the new owner of Mattel’s 12-figure Legion of Super-Heroes set?  This guy.
• Like Ivies, Berkeley Adds Aid to Draw Middle-Class Students
• Yeah, I’m just waiting for this to happen…

  

• LEGO’s new line of toys for girls
  I’m not sure that this was really necessary. I’ve known many girls – including my niece, Grace – who play with LEGO toys. But, I have to give LEGO some credit for trying to fill a gap, whether it’s a real one or not.
• Joe Simon, Captain America Co-Creator, R.I.P. 2011

  

• Correlation or Causation?
• This is the dawning of the
  Age of Aquarius Apocalypse
  Age of Apocalypse
  Apocalypse!
  Apocalypse!
  
• A Christmastime Price War — Over a Toy Ray Gun

And now, to the office holiday lunch/party/extravaganza/thingamabob…

Namaste

Wednesday – 07 December 2011
Today is Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.

• Remembering Pearl Harbor, 70 years later
• Pearl Harbor Still a Day for the Ages, but a Memory Almost Gone

Today is also Diana’s 1/4-birthday. That’s right, our oldest little lady is three-months-old today.

Last night, SaraRules! took the girls to her book club, leaving me to my own devices for a couple of hours. I decided to be a little productive. For my first amazing feat: I put up the downstairs Christmas tree (more on this later). I also gave my brother a call, to help him suss out why his Xbox wouldn’t connect to Xbox Live after they changed ISPs. After that, I felt that I had earned a trip to Best Buy. Oddly enough, I didn’t find anything that I just couldn’t live without.

I made it home a few minutes before the ladies got home. That gave me time to prep blankets and bottles for the girls. (Hey, I try to be a good father.) We got the girls to bed without too much ado. After getting something to eat, we headed downstairs to watch a little pre-bed TV. SaraRules! asked what I’d done with my evening, so I recounted the events of the night. When I got to the part about “I put up the Christmas tree,” she blinked a couple of times, looked over at the tree and said,”Whoa… you did put up the tree!” That’s right: She totally missed it – all six feet of it – when she went downstairs… despite looking dead at it at one point. (In her defense: She’d had a long day…)

Stray Toasters

• Modern Drummer‘s interview with Neil Peart
• The Death of Philip K. Dick and the Birth of Cyberpunk
• Leather Armor for Stormtroopers Who Prefer Harleys Over Speederbikes
• 
• Too promiscuous to donate an organ? Maybe, CDC says
• The Art of Francis Tsai, by way of my friend, Kim
• Five Travel Apps You Should Be Using (and One Website, Too)
• Green Bay Packers sell stock, first time since ’97
• 
• Game play: A case study in security
• Japan Split on Hope for Vast Radiation Cleanup

Namaste.

Monday – 05 December 2011
Another work week sets upon us. And the day has been fairly busy, so far. I guess that’s a good thing. “Idle hands…” and whatnot.

The weekend was good. And, as weekends tend to be, too short. Highlights of the weekend included:

• Spending time with the girls, while SaraRules! went to her quilt club.
• Getting to judge a ‘Clix tourney for Dr. Volt’s Comic Connection.
• Sunday morning breakfast at Millcreek Cafe with SaraRules! and the girls
• Added bonus: Christy, one of our former Pin-up Girl Espresso baristas, was there!
• A trip to The Garden of Sweden.
• The Ravens won.

All those – and a few other – things combined for a good weekend.

Another thing from the weekend: Sunday was National Cookie Day. As readers may (or may not) have noticed, I’ve become “something” of a fan of RubySnap cookies. They’re pretty amazing cookies. ‘Nuff said. SaraRules! took the girls there on Saturday and picked up a couple of this month’s cookie, Noelle: a sweet potato maple with milk chocolate & pecans, topped with a dallop of maple cream and a pecan half.

Wow…

SaraRules! and I both agreed: It was a seriously fantastic cookie. If you haven’t tried RubySnap cookies, I’m strongly suggesting – pretty much near insisting – that you do yourself a favor and stop in. Get a Noelle and see for yourself. You can thank me later.

Stray Toasters

• Kennedy Center honors five in performing arts
• Xbox Live Challenges Cable Box
• The New Xbox 360 Software: It’s Not About the Games
• 
• From Knee-to-Knee-to-CD: The Evolution of Oral Tradition in Mountain Ballads
• By way of my friend, Melissa: The Power of a Wink
• Plunging Deep (in Pockets) to See Titanic at 100
• 
• LEGO Christmas Tree, by way of
• By way of my MiL: Filling the Void: Looking for the Next Denzel, Sam, Morgan and Will
• How Music Affects the Brain and How You Can Use It to Your Advantage

Namaste.

Wednesday – 30 November 2011
Not only is it the middle of the week… or new comics day… or the date that Michael Jackson’s Thriller album was released… it’s also the last day of the month. A month that seemed like it just started a few days ago. How the time flies.

Last night, SaraRules! and I attended the opening night auction for the 2011 Festival of Trees. We were looking for something – not a tree – to add to our holiday decorations; we settled on looking for a centerpiece for the living room table. We found – and bid on and won – one that will go nicely with the tree we got last year:

We also saw a number of really nice trees and gingerbread houses. More pictures can be seen here. If you have a chance to visit the Festival of Trees, do so. It runs through Saturday, 03 December 2011; admission is:

• $5.00/adults
• $3.00/children age 2 to 11
• $4.00/senior citizens.
• Children under age 2 are free

All proceeds benefit Primary Children’s Medical Center, so it’s a very worthwhile cause.

After the Festival, we picked up the girls, took them home and put them to bed. Then SaraRules! kicked me out of the house… to go to Guys’ Night Out.  (Have I mentioned: “Coolest wife ever” recently? She is.) It was nice to hang out with the guys over beer (Black and Pumpkin!) and food. It was a good way to wrap up a rather good day.

Stray Toasters

• Today was (another) suit day: Black suit, white shirt, black/pink/grey tie, pink pocket square, black shoes.
• A Christmas Card from The Middleman (Part One)
• Improv Everywhere has unleashed a new bit of mayhem:

• I received an amusing spam this morning from the INTERNATIONAL POLICE AUTHORITY. Here’s the first bit of it:
  

  We, office of the international police authority (IPA) hereby write to inform you that we stopped a diplomatic lady by the name Mrs. Vernon Wallace here in  (John F Kennedy International Airport) New York with a consignment box filled with United States Dollars.

  In the course of interrogating her, she said that the consignment box belongs to you and that she was sent by one Edward Somto to come deliver the consignment box to you not knowing that the content of the box is money.

  Now, the diplomat is under detention in the office of (INTERPOL) security, and we cannot release her until we carry out our proper investigation on how this huge amount of money managed to be yours. So, in this regards you are to reassure and prove to us that the money you are about to receive is legal by sending us the Award Ownership Certificate showing that the money is not illegal.

  Boy howdy! INTERPOL “rescued” free money for me?! Where do I sign?

• The Ormes Society Supports African-American Women in Comics
• By way of my friend, Janie, and the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Pike church takes stand against interracial couples
• The Math That Saved Apollo 13
• The Answerphone Of Cthulhu is hard to resist:

  

• A Timeline of the Best-Selling Christmas Gifts…Ever
• Line Grows Long for Free Meals in U.S. Schools
• Cyber warfare developing into larger threat for U.S., its allies
• 
• Let’s put this Civil War Steampunk musical on Broadway
• The Fall Checklist for Men

And, that should be good for now.

Namaste.

Tuesday – 29 November 2011
Day Two of the work week and all’s well. So far. Hopefully, it will stay that way.

Tonight, SaraRules! and I are attending the Opening Night Auction of The Festival of Trees:

Since we got our tree from there last year, we’re going to look for some other decoration. And, it’s for a good cause: Proceeds benefit Primary Children’s Medical Center.

Stray Toasters

• Javier Grillo-Marxuach has done a Middleman/Dr. Who crossover fan-fiction for Christmas. (Thanks, Phi!)
• As Public Sector Sheds Jobs, Blacks Are Hit Hardest
• From the “Resistance is futile.” file: Your Baby Needs This New Star Trek Book
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Mysterious Man Bursts Into Flames at Swedish Train Station
• A Shopping Day Invented for the Web Comes of Age
• Buyers click away as Cyber Monday sales jump 18%
• Cyber Monday scam emails hit inboxes
• 
• South Korea Rolls Out Robotic Prison Wardens
• Märklin. Like I needed another distraction…
• Of Leather Wasps and the Inevitable Sex Component: Cyberpunk Heroines in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and Other Fiction
• Jags fire coach Del Rio after eight-plus seasons

And that’s a wrap.

Namaste.

Saturday – 26 November 2011
This morning, SaraRules!, the girls and I went on an early-morning family adventure. We went to the UTA Intermodal Hub to see Union Pacific #844, part of the UP: Steam exhibition.

We met Dave, Angy and Angy’s niece, Sierra, there. Pictures were taken. It was a good start to the morning.  And this, after last night, when Monica (SaraRules!’ coworker) and Alessandro came over… and brought me an old Marklin HO train set. All I can say is that the weekend (so far) has been chock full of train goodness.

After that, there was some errand-running and lunch (Pawit’s!) and now we’re home again, home again. Jiggety-jig.

Namaste.

Thursday – 24 November 2011
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone who celebrates it!

I think that I’m most thankful for my family and friends. After that comes the usual things like: Health. Happiness. Having a job (especially in this economy!).  Home.  (And the fact that the pipes didn’t freeze this year!)

This morning, SaraRules!, the girls and I did the Cottonwood Heights Thanksgiving 5K. We were a little late getting to the start (Kids + Concept of Planning = Yeah, right…), so I’m not sure that our chips made the official timekeeping start. So, I used my phone’s stopwatch to track our time. We came in at roughly 55:30. Not bad for not running AND for pushing a stroller up and down hills.

And, speaking of the girls (and to paraphrase A Few Good Men):

Col. Jessep: You want answers?
Kaffee: I think I’m entitled to.
Col. Jessep: *You want answers?*
Kaffee: I want the cuteness!
Col. Jessep: You can’t handle the cute!

Diana (left) and Vanessa

So much sugary-sweet cuteness. I tried to warn you.
(Bear suits courtesy of Jessica and Corey Shuman)

Today, there shall be family, food, and football. All of these are good things.

Workout
Before I neglect to post it (yet again): I actually made it to the gym on Tuesday night:

• Elliptical: 10 minutes, 0.9 miles
• Bench Press: 3 sets/8 reps, 155 lbs — I think I’m going to have to drop back to 135 lbs, until I get back in shape…
• Curls (dumbbell, seated): 3 sets/10 reps, 25 lbs
• Flys: 3 sets/10 reps, 80 lbs
• Compound Row: 3 sets/10 reps, 100 lbs
• Calf Raises: 3 sets/10 reps, 80 lbs

Stray Toasters
Closed for the Holiday.  Please check back tomorrow.

Namaste.

Tuesday – 22 November 2011
It’s Technical Friday. And I’m ready for it to be Quit o’Clock. (Just being honest.)

Last night, Dave and Angy came over to watch football and to visit the girls.

Vanessa (left) and Gene Simmons Diana

The game wasn’t all that compelling, but it was football. And we watched. Somewhere in the second half, Dave and I started talking model railroad ideas. Yeah, I know… real stretch there. I think that I have a rudimentary plan for at least half of my layout-to-be, incorprating the new turntable. Now, I just need to determine how best to add a small rail yard… and what I want to do for the city portion of the layout.  I’d still like to be able to use the SuperStreets, as well.

And, of course, I just came up with yet another idea.  *sigh*

Stray Toasters

• As I noted earlier, on Facebook: There are ads everywhere – online, radio, TV – about “Black Friday” sales. I find it amusing that retailers don’t take into account that for 12.6% of the U.S. population, every Friday is “Black Friday.”
• 48th anniversary of JFK’s assassination
• Both the Darkwing Duck and the Doctor Who fan in me thought this was hilarious:

  
  (c) Erica Henderson

  For those who don’t quite grok why this is funny, watch the following:

• Beyond Planet Earth: The Future of Space Exploration
• Jane, divided
  But I can’t decide
  Which side I’m on…
• 
• Pull of Family Reshapes U.S.-Cuban Relations
• New Xbox Dashboard Launches on December 6
• Fifteen Really, Really, Really Hard Games
• 
• Water utilities in Illinois, Houston reportedly hacked

Thursday – 17 November 2011
Three down, one in the chamber and one to go. Hallelujah. While this hasn’t been a “bad” week, I was irritable/edgy from Sunday through yesterday. The best part: There was no reason to which I could attribute it. Just… bad mood. Period. *shrug* So far, today’s been good and I don’t feel as angst-ridden as the past few days. I consider that a good thing, especially as it’s No Bad News Thursday.

And, there’s football tonight!

Last night, and came by to visit. They caught us up on the latest goings-on. It was a nice way to spend the pre-putting-the-girls-to-bed part of the evening. After the girls were down for the night, I read most of last night’s four-color haul and then joined SaraRules! for an episode of TopGear.

Stray Toasters

• Tomorrow (Friday) is Take a Model Train to Work Day!
  I’m not sure if I’m going to bring in a new/different train, as my LEGO train is still here from last year.
• Imagining Housing for Today
• 4th Annual Machinima Expo
• Oregon Tests iPads as Aid to Disabled Voters
• Cookie-stuffed Cookies
  I think that this must be the “turducken” of desserts.
• Chief Sponsor Wavers on Web Censorship Bill in Charged Hearing
• 
• As New Graduates Return to Nest, Economy Also Feels the Pain
• Prime viewing ahead for Leonid meteor shower
• Congressional report slams TSA as bloated, ineffective

I believe that’s a wrap.

Namaste.

Monday – 14 November 2011
Today is definitely trying to be what most people would define as a “typical Monday.” Fortunately, I started the day feeding the girls, so I’d already chalked the day up to being a good one. And, speaking of the little ladies, I snapped this picture yesterday:

Vanessa (top) and Diana

When I got to work, I was asked to generate a document for a project… and base it on one that another coworker had created for a similar project. That’s fine. Except for one (not-so-minor) detail: There are part and serial numbers involved. And, it’s “a little” difficult, based on the information provided, to tell which numbers are specifically required in what places.

*grblsnrkx*

So, I grabbed the proverbial “low-hanging fruit” first and input the items whose information was easiest to get. From there, I just mirrored what my coworker did in his documentation. (So if mine is wrong, his is as well.) And then, it was done. Amen.

This past weekend was good. Quite good, in fact. Friday was my day off and it was my first full day alone with the girls. And, I think it went pretty well. We met Nyx, Carrie, Tim and Leo for coffee at Jitterbug. From there, we stopped off to say “Hi” to SaraRules! for a few minutes. And, I was compelled to stop at RubySnap. Compelled, I tell you. Then we headed home to wait for SaraRules! to get off work.

Saturday, after the girls had breakfast, SaraRules! and I took them to their first train show. I wasn’t as enamored with this year’s show as with last year’s, but there were still some neat things to see. I also didn’t come home empty-handed: I found a seller who had an Atlas O turntable – an item that I’ve been coveting for the past year – for a price that I couldn’t ignore. I also picked up a print from an artist that I first saw at a train show in Ogden last year. From there, I headed up to Dr. Volt’s to judge a ‘Clix tournament. (There were an even number of players, so I didn’t get a chance to play. Oh, well.)  Then, back home to help SaraRules! take care of the girls. Once they were asleep, SaraRules! and I resumed watching 13 Assassins… but didn’t quite make it to the end of the movie, as she had a raging headache. So, I finished up the night with a bit of Gears of War 3.

Yesterday, we decided to venture forth for breakfast. This time, we went to Millcreek Cafe and Eggworks. Unfortunately, they were out of coffee cake.

KHAAAAAAAAAAAAN!

The rest of breakfast was good, though. And the girls, as usual, got a lot of attention. After breakfast, we took the long way home, by way of Parley’s and Emigration Canyons. The rest of the day was pretty lax, though some chores were done along the way.

Instant Replay: Football
The Ravens gave up a win to the Seahawks. That is all that shall be said about that.

Stray Toasters

• Sweet Christmas! The Greatest Luke Cage Stories Ever Told
• Google’s Lab of Wildest Dreams
• Ex-porn star reading to LA students causes stir
• The CLAD Report: Winter 2011
• What Are the Odds?

Namaste.

Friday – 11 November 2011
Today is Veteran’s Day:

It is also my 9/80 day off… which means that it’s “DVD Day”: Diana-Vanessa-Daddy Day. I’m not sure what adventures we’ll have, but they just might include a trip to the NMRA Train Show at the Utah State Fairpark.

Guess we should get moving and see what the day holds in store…

Namaste.

Monday – 07 November 2011
Another week begins. Fortunately, it’s my 9/80 short week.

And, today, Ms. Diana turns two-months-old:

The weekend was a good one.  Highlights included, but were not limited to:

• SaraRules!’ birthday (yesterday)
• Spending time with the girls
• The Ravens beating the Steelers in the closing seconds of their game last night (!)
• A trip to The Garden of Sweden
• Picking up Gears of War 3

And then some.

Instant Replay: Football

Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers

23 – 20

The Ravens traveled to the Steel City to take on Big Ben, Troy Polamalu and the rest of the Steelers at Heinz Field.It was a slow, mostly defensive game – which fans pretty much expect from these two teams – with all of the scores in the first half coming from field goals. The Ravens went into halftime with a 9-6 lead. After the half, Baltimore scored a TD in the third quarter to open up a 16-6 lead. And then,Pittsburgh went to work. They scored 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter… …until, with 0:08 left in the game, QB Joe Flacco hit rookie WR Torrey Smith in the back of the end zone for the game-winning 26-yard touchdown — just five plays after dropping what would have been an even longer game-winning reception for touchdown. Or, to put this in movie terms, I’ll take a line from Nick Fury in Iron Man 2: Nick Fury: Whoa, whoa, whoa. He took it? You’re Iron Man and he just took it? The little brother walked in there, kicked your ass and took your suit? Is that possible? Yeah, it was just. Like. That. And this may be the best post-game quote that I’ve seen so far: “Heinz Field emptied faster than a runny ketchup bottle.” – John Eisenberg With this win, Baltimore has swept the Steelers for the season.

Stray Toasters

• Just got back from the girls’ two-month check-up: According to their doctor, they’re doing just great.
  (We thought so, but it’s always good to get a professional opinion.)
• LEGO army invades Chalkfestival to “Free” Ego Leonard
• I Wish More Streets Had LEGO Minifigs Painted on Them
• NASA prepares for moon tourism
• SaraRules! is reading a book called Conquistadora, by Esmerelda Santiago
  Every time I see it, I reparse it in my head as “Conquista Dora the Explorer.”
• Paul Krugman: Our Oligarchy
• What They’re Saying About Flacco… Now
• Disney and YouTube Make a Video Deal
• Even Adobe May Believe Flash Is on Its Deathbed

Namaste.

Saturday – 05 November 2011
It’s Guy Fawkes Day. You remember… the day (well, night) that V blew up Parliament in that movie by the Wachowski brothers.

Last night, SaraRules! gave me a hall pass to go to coffee for a bit. There wasn’t a huge turnout, but it was nice to be there – I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed it in the past couple of months. Of course, it made sense: It’s been a part of my weekly routine for over ten (10) years now. Naturally, I’d miss it.  So, thanks to the World’s Greatest Comic Magazine Wife for the opportunity to hang out with friends!

After coffee, I came back home and we watched Fringe before calling it a night.

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

Stray Toasters

• It snowed this morning.
• greeted me online earlier. I responded “Hola” in response (I ain’t no hollaback girl…) and then this wound up stuck in my head:

• The artwork of Malika Favre
• Your Commute Is Slowly Killing You
• 
• The 8 Worst Fonts in the World
• A Janitor Accidentally Scrubbed Away a Million Dollar Art Piece
• 
• LEGO Universe is shutting down at on 31 January 2012. That’s unfortunate, because I think that the game had a lot of potential as an MMO for kids (and kids-at-heart) without getting bogged down in the character development/grind that many MMOs are known for.  And it’s digital LEGO!  Really, can it get much better than that?!

And now, off to the Garden of Sweden!

Namaste.