Random Access

George Michael: Killer/Papa Was a Rolling Stone

…and, for : Animaniacs – The Monkey Song

Groove. Boogie. Sway.

Wednesday – 17 December 2008
The roads are/were much less treacherous this morning than yesterday. This is a good thing. After yesterday morning’s traffic snafu, you would think that UDoT would have made sure that the roads were well-salted. It just makes sense. Apparently, no one got the memo at UDoT, though. We saw a few slides and even a 360 around 3:30 PM, long after the morning lack-of-rush hour.

As a corollary, by way of : “Cars Sliding Down Icy Hill”

Last night, Chris came over to play ‘Clix. We decided to play a 600 point game, but I neglected to put a team together until a few minutes before game time. I wound up using:

• Bronze Tiger
• Captain America (Ultimates)
• Deathstroke
• Lex Luthor
• Marvel Girl
• Moon Knight and
• Nightshade

…against his X-Men themed team of:

• Bishop
• Magneto (Ultimates)
• Professor X
• Psylocke, with three Feats (which I don’t recall) and
• Wolverine, with Vault

Through attrition, I wound up winning. He said that I “…built a team to be mean,” (since I had two characters with Outwit) which wasn’t what I was trying to do at all – I just built a 600-point team. So, he said that he’s going to build Batman into whatever team he plays from now on… which I usually expect him to do. *shrug* I’ll just have to deal with (or get beat down by) The Bat when he shows up.

Stray Toasters

• By way of SaraRules: Laurence Fishburne’s Starring Role on CSI: Could Be a Boon for Black Actors
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: Cake request for Adolf Hitler, 3, denied
• Steve Jobs Skips MacWorld; Apple Denies Health Rumors
• 
  
• By way of NPR Music:
  • NPR Listeners Pick the Year’s Best Music
  • The 10th Annual CD, er, MP3 Gift Guide
  • The Best African Music of 2008
  • Living Your Life with 2008’s Best in Jazz
  • Invoking Improv: Best Classical CDs of 2008
• Also by way of SaraRules: RuPaul: The Obamas Are a Drag
• FBI: Drunk flier forces diversion of JetBlue flight
• , I don’t know if you read Newsarama, but they have a Legion Blogpost

Namaste.

Wes, Marci and I hit the gym at lunch today:

• Leg Raises: 3 sets/20 reps
• Bench Press: 3 sets/10 reps, 185 lbs
• Incline Press (Icarian): 3 sets/10 reps, 140 lbs
• Rows (machine): 3 sets/10 reps – 1 set @ 120 lbs, 2 sets @ 100 lbs
• Curls (dumbbell, hammer): 3 sets/10 reps, 30 lbs
• Shrugs (dumbbell): 3 sets/10 reps, 30 lbs
• Lower Back Extensions (aerobics room): 3 sets/10 reps
• Push-ups: 3 sets/10 reps

All-in-all it was a good workout… especially for a day when I was somewhat ambivalent about going to the gym.

Post-workout weight: 180.8 lbs

Tuesday – 16 December 2008
Happy birthday to

It was snowing when I woke up this morning. However, since I didn’t look out the window, I didn’t know it until I opened the door and walked outside. The morning commute roughly doubled in duration thanks to the still-falling snow. When I got in, a few of us looked out the window at the shenanigans on 215.

(click images for larger versions)

We didn’t see any accidents or injuries.

The Council for Better Driving: Utah would like to remind every to drive cautiously in the inclement weather.

Stray Toasters

• I like this picture of Dawnstar; it’s from the upcoming Legion of 3 Worlds #5
• By way of : Rare Snow in U.S. Deep South
• Pentagon Researcher Conjures Warcraft Terror Plot
• For those who haven’t seen it yet, here’s the trailer for X-Men Origins: Wolverine

• Kenneth Brannagh Talks Thor: Directing and Casting
• Marking a Milestone: McDuffie on Milestone Characters’ Return

Namaste.

As Winter approaches, the Council for Better Driving: Utah would like to remind everyone that using your cruise control in wet/snowy conditions is dangerous and could cause you to lose control of your vehicle.

For further information about cruise control and the danger of hydroplaning, see the following items:

• Snopes.com: Wild When Wet
• WikiAnswers
• HoaxSlayer

Please keep these in mind when you’re out on the roads during the holiday season… and the rest of the year!

Monday – 15 December 2008
Yep… it’s definitely “a Monday.” While nothing has exactly blown up, there have been a few issues to deal with around the office this morning. YAY! I’ve already had to make an executive decision on one thing (so far, so good), and deferred a couple of others; hopefully things will calm down a bit around lunch time. If not, it may be Monday Night Drinking – rather than Monday Night Football – tonight.

Football Update
Last night, the Ravens hosted the Steelers in a game with big implications for a playoff berth.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens
13 – 9
As is the case with every Steelers-Ravens game, there was no love lost on the field between these teams. When it was gametime, it was 60 minutes of no holds barred football. This was a decidedly defensive battle, with neither side’s offense able to get a good foothold. Matt Stover scored all nine of the Ravens’ points – it was eerily reminiscent of many Ravens games of the past… Pittsburgh scored the game’s only “touchdown” late in the Fourth Quarter, on a controversial call: Santonio Holmes made a goal line catch that was ruled “not a touchdown” on the field. Since it was inside of two minutes, the review was sent to the official’s booth upstairs. They overturned the call and ruled it a touchdown. Even SaraRules’ mom – who was rooting for the Steelers – and her brother agreed that they flubbed the call by overturning the decision on the field… as did most of the post-game commentary that we heard. Oh, well… the Ravens are still in the hunt for a Wild Card spot. We’ll have to see how the last couple of games shake out.

Stray Toasters
Maybe I’ll get some posted this afternoon.

Back to the grind.
<sarcasm>YAY!!!</sarcasm>

Namaste.

Sunday – 14 December 2008
Quiet, lazy morning following a quiet, lazy evening. Ain’t nothin’ wrong with that.

After running a few Christmas shopping errands in the snow yesterday, SaraRules and I came back to my place, put our feet up and vegged in front of the TV. We watched an episode of NCIS from a couple of weeks back; it was good… and it ended a little differently than I was expecting. That was followed by the middle third of The Year Without a Santa Claus – I switched over just as they were starting the Snow Miser song. WIN! After that, we flipped back and forth between Superman: The Animated Series (The Last Son of Krypton, Pt 3, A Little Piece of Home and Feeding Time) and Justice League Unlimited (The Balance). I am very lucky that SaraRules doesn’t mind me being a big kid sometimes often.

We also decided to skip heading back out for breakfast last night. (Something about being in… and warm… and comfortable vs. heading back out in the cold – kind of a no-brainer there.)

This morning, we’ve watched the CBS and Fox pre-game shows. And the early games have just started. But, what I’m waiting for is the middle game: Pittsburgh at Baltimore.

Stray Toasters

• Yesterday afternoon, a couple pieces of plastic crack arrived on my doorstep in my mailbox:
  • Clown Prince of Crime (1, 2, 3, 4)

    
    (Just for size reference, that’s a 4″ base that he’s standing on)

  • Wonder Woman (Justice Legion A)

    

• The Year 2008 in Lists: The 12 Biggest Douchebags of the Year
• From Comic Book Resources’ “Comics Should Be Good” column: Bloody Saturday – a look at why Punisher movies haven’t been so good.
• No Limit Texas Dreidel
• By way of Evil, Inc.‘s Brad Guigar: Sweetcheeks
• 30 Ways to Die of Electrocution
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” and Politics files: McCain-Palin campaign dumps Blackberries loaded with personal numbers, internal email

On with the show…

Namaste.

Saturday – 13 December 2008
Yep, it’s snowy. I’m not sure when it started snowing, but it dropped a few inches here in the valley and on the mountains.

This morning, I had a ‘Clix tourney: 900 points, unrestricted rules and no single figure under 150 points – although, you could add feats to characters to get them up to 150. I went with:

• Batman (Sinestro Corps)
• Crispus Allen LE (The Spectre)
• Dr. Strange
• Ms. Marvel (Skrull) and
• Sinestro

My first match was against Shane, who fielded three (3) Superman variants:

• Earth-2 Superman
• Kingdom Come Superman and
• Superman Prime.

Just looking at the table, I knew that was a loss waiting to happen. It was.

Next, I played against Ryan, who fielded four versions of Dr. Doom:

• Doom (2099)
• Doom (Secret Invasion)
• Doom (Supernova) and
• Victor Von Doom

I was able to take out both 2099 Doom and the Victor Von Doom… but lost on points in this one.

Last round was against Duane, who fielded a non-themed team:

• Batman (Sinestro Corps)
• Grodd (Sinestro Corps)
• Ms. Marvel (Skrull)
• Superman Prime

I lost this one on points, again, but it was a good fight. So, I wound up going 0-3, but I had fun. It seems that since I’ve changed my game strategy to “playing to have fun,” rather than “going to try to pummel someone into submission,” I’ve been enjoying the tournaments more… even when I lose.

Next up: Christmas shopping with SaraRules.

Later: Aside from trying to stay warm, who knows?

Namaste.

Juxtapose

Main Entry: jux·ta·pose
Pronunciation: \ˈjək-stə-ˌpōz\
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Form(s): jux·ta·posed; jux·ta·pos·ing
Etymology: probably back-formation from juxtaposition
Date: 1851

: to place side by side <juxtapose unexpected combinations of colors, shapes and ideas — J. F. T. Bugental>

I like this word. I first learned it in.. 8th grade, if I recall correctly. I just used it in an IM with .

Friday – 12 December 2008
I was up at Far-Too-Early O’Clock again today because I had to be in at 7:00. Yay. But, I’m done at noon, so I shouldn’t kvetch too much. And the office moves/changes are coming along at a decent pace.

Last night, SaraRules came over and made a very tasty sauteed shrimp, mushroom and potato dish – served with rice pilaf and salad – that was very tasty. While we ate, we watched last week’s episode of CSI:, which had a solid bit of storytelling to it – not over the top, nothing “jump the shark” worthy, just a good story. And, as an added bonus (at least to me): Robert Guillaume was in the episode. We followed that with this week’s episode, which was also good… and was the first episode that included/featured Laurence Fishburne. After that, we caught the tail end of The Year Without a Santa Claus – Snow Miser and Heat Miser!!!

Next, we watched an episode of Justice League Unlimited, “Doomsday Sanction,” and The Herculoids.

Chew on This – Food for Thought
For those of you who didn’t catch it in yesterday’s post: I’m still taking suggestions for this year’s charitable donation. So far, I’ve had the following suggestions:

• : Primary Children’s Medical Center
• : Kiva
• : Utah Food Bank

If you have a good suggestion, please post it in a comment (or email or IM).  Thanks!

Stray Toasters

• By way of SaraRules: ‘Chicago’ model train has $2 million price tag… and is now on The Covet List.
• From : Santa to the Rescue (I like the reworking of the Alex Ross painting) and How to Know When It Is Time to Leave the Bar
• MarknTyme pointed this out to me last night: 40 Inspirational Speeches in 2 Minutes
  See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.
• Bettie Page dies at 85
• I’ve discovered another webcomic: Sunday at Ten.
  This comic, from early in its run, amused me.
• MPAA to Obama: Censor the Internet…
• Also from :



• Mixtapes move from Beat Street to Main Street
• From Boing Boing: Steampunk Second Life machinima

Namaste.

Thursday – 11 December 2008
Welcome to another NBN Thursday.

Last night was a low-key stay-at-home night. And that was fine with me. I fixed a little dinner, watched some TV, enjoyed a visit from SaraRules, and read yesterday’s four-color haul. Not a bad way to spend a Wednesday evening, if I do say so myself.

Chew on This: Food for Thought – Charitable Donations
Since I no longer work for the USPS, I don’t have Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) charitable contributions coming out of my check. That’s a shame, because I enjoyed being able to donate to charities that resonated with me.

Last year, I made something of a Christmas resolution: Select a charity and make a donation to it. After a bit of investigation, via Charity Navigator, I decided to donate to the Children’s Defense Fund. With Christmas rolling around again, I’m starting to think about this year’s giving. I may still give to CDF, but I’m weighing other options, as well.

To that end, I thought I’d solicit opinions of others to see what organizations they donate to or think of as worthwhile entities for donations. So, if you have an organization to whom you make charitable donations, I’d be interested in what it is and, if you’d care to do so, why you find it worthwhile.  Thanks!

Four-Color Coverage
There were a couple of noteworthy items in yesterday’s books:

• Justice League of America #27 – This issue featured the (long overdue) “integration” of the heroes of the Milestone Universe into the Mainstream DCU. It also featured the return of Doctor Light – the heroine, not the villain that the Teen Titans used to smack around back in the day. This issue had the return of Icon and the Shadow Cabinet… and setup the traditional “We’re here to save the day/world/universe/creation, and we’ll do it even if we have to go through you first” battle between the Shadow Cabinet and the JLA.
• Legion of Super-Heroes: The More Things Change

  

  When I saw this TPB in the store, it wasn’t a question of “Am I going to buy this,” it was more a question of “Am I going to be able to wait until I read everything else before reading it?” I was… and the journey to the 31st Century DCU was well worth the wait. The book reprints a number of Legion stories from the late 80s; some of the stories I had read, some I had not – this was during the time when there were two Legion books: The Legion of Super-Heroes (available at specialty shops only) and Tales of the Legion of Super-Heroes (which was available at newstands, 7-11s and just about anywhere comics were sold). LSH was printed on high-quality Baxter paper; TotLSH was printed on newsprint and ran a one-year-long story… before reprinting the stories from LSH. (Oh, DC, you greedy double-dipping bastards…) If you’re a long-time Legion fan, this would make an excellent addition to your collection.

• Secret Invasion: Dark Reign #1 – The invasion is over and the aftermath is being dealt with. [SPOILER DELETED] has been charged with picking up the pieces of S.H.I.E.L.D. and putting things back in order. Their first order of business: Putting together an eerily Illuminati-like group to delegate authority… and responsibility. It’s an interesting premise, but I found myself distracted – not in a good way – by the artwork at some points, especially in panels involving Namor.

Stray Toasters

• I have wanted a Gamora HeroClix figure ever since Chris first used it to kick my butt. (And every time that it’s been used against me since then, too…) I’ve been watching eBay to see if one pops up at a reasonable price, but haven’t bid on one. Yesterday, while at Dr. Volt’s, I picked up a couple of boosters of Secret Invasion ‘Clix. There was a Gamora in one of them.
• Missing inflatable breast mystery — solved!
• From ThinkGeek: DNA Portrait
• Actor cuts throat on Vienna stage
• From the home to the arcade: Guitar Hero enters the arcade
• Everybody Wang Chung tonight…
• At home with avant-garde Syrian artist

I’m skipping the gym today. I tweaked something in my shoulder on Tuesday, it seems. So, I’ll just go on Saturday, before the ‘Clix tourney.

Namaste.

Wednesday – 10 December 2008
Last night, SaraRules and I met her parents for dinner at Hoppers. Repeat after me: “Madame X Stout.” I had the Steak Sandwich – every time I’ve had it, it’s had a section that’s been very tough/gristle-laden… last night was no exception, but the sandwich was still very good. They’ve added salmon to their winter menu; SaraRules’ folks both had salmon dishes and said that it was quite good.

SaraRules and I headed back to my place and started to watch There Will Be Blood. Just for the record:

Movie that starts slowly + Tired-from-waking-up-early Rob = Rob who nods off

We had to put the movie on hold until a later date… and I was in bed – and knocked out – a little after 11:00. I slept fine… but woke up at 4:30. Realizing that it was Ridiculous O’Clock, I went back to sleep until 6:00, when my upstairs neighbors’ dog decided to go on a barking jag. I could deal with it, but it sounded like someone else had a BIG issue with it – there was much (LOUD) knocking on the door upstairs after about 20 minutes of barking. It was oddly amusing.

So far, the work day has been good. Hopefully, that trend will continue.

Stray Toasters

• I called my friend, William, whom I haven’t spoken with in [far too long], this morning. We did a bit of catching up and agreed to try and get together when I go home for Christmas.
• I just upgraded to WordPress 2.7 (Release Candidate 2). I like it. A lot.
• By way of SaraRules and the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: Man Lives with Female Robot
• IKEA hacker
• The Council for Better Driving: Utah would like to remind Salt Lake and Utah County drivers about the rules for using the express/HOV lanes.
• Hacking Knowledge: 77 Ways to Learn Faster, Deeper and Better
• I love this image from BoingBoing:

  
  (click image for accompanying article)

• Obama Wants Broadband, Computers Part of Stimulus
• This Is the Way the World Ends
• Also from SaraRules: Detroit Homeless Men Adopt Local Families for Christmas
• Student Faces Suspension for Spamming Profs

Sushi and Comics Wednesday was a success.

As I’ve mentioned before, we’re having some work done to/around the office. This includes some electrical work (which is why I was in early yesterday) and some wall/office moves. We were expecting the latter to start either tomorrow, Friday or next week. They showed up today. So, we’ve spent the past hour or so moving things to get them access/room to move. YAY!

Back to the grind.

Namaste.

Wes and I hit the gym at lunch. We decided to try max presses first: He’s just shy of 225 lbs. and I couldn’t do anything with 300, but I was good with 250. We’re going to try again in a couple of weeks. With that out of the way, we got on to the rest of the workout:

• Leg Raises: 50 reps
• Bench Press: 3 sets/10 reps, 185 lbs
• Flys (dumbbell, flat bench): 3 sets/10 reps, 30 lbs
• Curls (dumbbell, hammer grip): 3 sets/10 reps, 30 lbs
• Tricep Extension (dumbbell, overhead): 3 sets/10 reps, 40 lbs
• Curls (dumbbell, middle block): 3 sets/10 reps, 15 lbs
• Flys (machine): 3 sets/10 reps – 1 set @ 100 lbs, 2 sets @ 110 lbs
• Back Extensions (machine): 3 sets/10 reps, 140 lbs
• Push-ups: 3 sets/15 reps

Post-workout weight: 181.2 lbs.

Stray Toasters

• The Council for Better Driving: Utah would like to note that UDoT has updated the Commuterlink site.
• I’m tired.
  I’m also pretty much done for the day.
  I may just go home and take a nap before heading out for dinner.
  (Or I may play City. Or Ultimate Alliance. Or something.)
• Thanks to for pointing out Beware of the Doghouse
• Meetings. YAY! *ack-phbbbpt*
• has convinced me that some people “…should never ever have clones.”
• USPS Server Meltdown – “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds…” but a busted server? Yeah, that’ll do it.

Namaste.

Tuesday – 09 December 2008
Happy Birthday to MarknTyme:

It’s a little after 7:00 (or it was when I started this), and I’m already at work. We have some work being done around the office and we needed to be sure that someone would be here to let the electricians in. I volunteered. On the plus side, I’ll be done at 3:00 or 4:00, depending on whether Wes and/or Marci and I hit the gym.

Football Update

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Carolina Panthers
23 – 38
This game was the battle of two 9-3 NFC South teams, as the Bucs rolled into Charlotte to take on the Panthers before a capacity crowd and the Monday Night Armchair Quarterback Football crowd. The game showcased a lot of defensive talent on both teams, but the game pretty much belonged to the Panthers from the get-go. They didn’t put many balls in the air – Jake DelHomme threw two INTs, although he did throw for 178 yards and one TD – but the running game was stellar: RBs De’Angelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, who both ran in two TDs, ran for a combined 301 yards. The Buccaneers looked…unbalanced. They would have a couple of good series, but couldn’t seal the deal when it came down to it. There were also times when veteran QB Jeff Garcia just looked lost in the pocket. Literally. More than once, as the pocket started to collapse, he just looked scared and unsure of what to do. With this win, the Panthers go to 10-3, atop the NFC South. As the commentators said last night, Carolina has its season and playoff picture in its own hands – their next three games are against the Broncos, Giants and the Saints. But, if they continue to play the way they did last night, they could be a serious contender for the playoffs… and maybe, just maybe, even the Super Bowl.

Stray Toasters

• I’m a fairly unabashed fan of both The Late Show with David Letterman and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. Last night, The Late Late Show returned from hiatus; it turns out that Craig Ferguson’s mother passed away last week. Rather than his usual joke-laden opening, he began the show with a very personal monologue, in which he talked about his mother – not so much about her death, but about her life. I’ve heard that his monologue following his father’s death was similarly personal.
• By way of (whom I had originally thought was) SaraRules (but wasn’t): Our Daily Bleg: Holy Comic Quotations, Batman!
• The mouse hits 40-year milestone and 40 Years of Mighty Mice
• 
• Inside a US sex addiction clinic
• By way of : “Is this for real?”
  (, you need to share this with Mrs. .)
• Sony to cut plants and 8,000 jobs

Back to it.

Namaste.