Random Access

Monday – 08 December 2008
Belated Happy Birthday to and :

Football Update
Last night, the Ravens hosted the Redskins for “The Battle of the Beltway,” as it was called. It was the first time the Redskins have played in Baltimore in close to 30 years (if I heard the stat correctly).

Washington Redskins at Baltimore Ravens
10 – 24
Last night, the Ravens hosted the Redskins for “The Battle of the Beltway,” as it was called. It was the first time the Redskins have played in Baltimore in close to 30 years (if I heard the stat correctly).Joe Flacco had a very slow start… that lasted the entire first half – he was 2/7 for passing in the half. That’s okay, because Ed Reed was on the other side of the ball. He had an amazing shoestring interception catch, less than a minute into the game that the offense was able to turn into a touchdown. Baltimore blanked Washington 14 – 0, going into halftime, thanks to an Ed Reed fumble recovery less than three minutes after his interception. The second half was a mostly defensive battle, with neither side gaining a decisive advantage. A couple of trick plays helpd the Redskins drive deep into Ravens’ territory, but the best that they could come up with was a field goal, early in the fourth quarter. They added another touchdown, after Willis McGahee fumbled the ball a couple minutes later. Joe Flacco and Derrick Mason put the final nail in the coffin, with a Ravens’ touchdown at 3:44. Washington put up a fight and was starting to march down the field… when Ed Reed intercepted another Jason Campbell pass, just after the fourth quarter two-minute warning. With this win, the Ravens go to 9-4, one game behind the Steelers… who they face, in Baltimore, next week. And, they are very much in the race for a wild card spot in the AFC.

After the game – and after hanging out with SaraRules – I finally got around to checking out last week’s comic haul. There were a number of mediocre reads, but among the standouts were:

• Justice Society of America #21 – This issue marked the next-to-last chapter of the Gog storyline. What happens when a seemingly omnipotent being – who claims to be here to help – decides that he will only continue to help if people start to worship him… and they refuse? Well, we get a pretty good look at the answer in this issue.
• X-Men: Noir #1 – This was a/ yet another take on the X-Men. No powers, but in a noir setting. And there is an interesting bit of role-reversal, too. I have heard that they are looking at adding a couple of other titles to this line – and I’m not sure that I’ll read any of the others – but this one was a refreshing change of pace.

It’s snowing; it has been for the past few hours.

(click images for larger sizes)

Today has been fairly busy, as we’re doing some remodeling around the office and we had a new person start in IT.

Stray Toasters

• I am wearing my new kofia that SaraRules got for me.



• For lunch, we went to Orchid, a Thai restaurant in the Union Park shopping center. The food was good and the lunch prices were rather reasonable.
• HOWTO pay for America’s health insurance
• SaraRules pointed out Jonathan Jones on the parallels between ancient and modern superheroes.
  I countered with An American Pantheon.
• Music: Murphy’s law coming to an end
• By way of : Fifty Years of Popular Songs, Condensed into Single Sentences
• Pinup Bettie Page Hospitalized after Heart Attack
• Home Inspection Nightmares XV

All this… and I get to be in the office at 7:00 AM tomorning.  Woot!

Namaste.

Sunday – 07 December 2008
Today is Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day:

This morning, SaraRules and I met Logan and the three of us went up to Park City for brunch at Cisero’s. The weather in Park City wasn’t as cold as I had expected; that was a nice surprise. The food, as always, it was very good. We didn’t stay in Park City very long, as Logan had a study group this afternoon.

Football Update

• The Raiders lost to the Chargers on Thursday night.
• The Colts trampled the Bengals, 35 – 3.
• The Titans are beating up the Browns, 28 – 9.
• The Dolphins will play Buffalo in about thirty minutes.
• The Ravens take on the Redskins tonight.
• The Panthers take on Tampa Bay tomorrow night.

Stray Toasters

• Yesterday, after the ‘Clix tournament, I traded figures with a couple of guys. I got a Black Manta (that’s right, the shark has frickin’ lasers on its head!) and a Despero, both of which are Super-Rare figures. When I left, I was one figure – Batgirl – from completing my set of Arkham Asylum ‘Clix.
• Last night, I found a Batgirl figure on eBay for a really good price. I bought it.

Namaste.

So… I went to the tournament. I discovered that it was “restricted” after I got there, which meant that all of the older figures I had gone to the trouble of locating were unusable for this event. Great. Fortunately, I still had plenty of options from the recent releases to use. I went with:

• Black Canary
• Captain Gordon
• Marvel Girl
• Moon Knight
• Nightshade and
• Spider-Man

I wound up going 0-3, but I got the “Fellowship” prize: Crispus Allen. Besides the Grodd LE, this was one I’d really hoped to get. Mission: Accomplished.

I met up with SaraRules and Logan and we headed off to see Punisher: War Zone.

We knew beforehand that it was going to be bad. We just didn’t know “how” bad.
Holy.
Cow.
This was a horrible movie.
The low end of the “Cool World-Long Kiss Goodnight” Scale bad:

• Cinematography: BAD.
• Direction (such as it was): BAD
• Acting: Three guesses, first two don’t count. (Hint: BAD)
• Dialogue: Laughably BAD

The action scenes were… *consults with SaraRules*… good, but VERY over-the-top in a hyper-realized comic book way.

We wound up MST3K-ing this movie about halfway through it. And that didn’t even help. I think that the only thing that might – and even this may be a stretch – help this movie would be either:

1. Making a drinking game out of the movie
2. Being drunk before seeing the movie

We took a bullet for you guys by seeing this. You should be thanking us. Profusely.

After the movie, SaraRules and I went to Cafe Med for dinner. As usual, the food was delicious. There was a young lady on the far side of the restaurant who apparently found a great many things in her dinner conversation amusing, as she laughed a lot. A whole lot. Loudly. No… “boisterously” would be a much better way of putting it.

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

Saturday – 06 December 2008
Last night, SaraRules and I went over to Logan’s to play Left4Dead. Holy crap. Valve has done an excellent job of capturing the feel of putting players in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. It was fun… and rather intense. I also found it amusing that the characters in the game (somewhat) mirrored those of us playing: Two white males, a white female… and a bald black guy. If you like zombies and first-person shooters (and have an XBox 360), this is a game that you’ll want to take a look at.

After zombie killin’, SaraRules and I headed to meet up with the Clitorati gang for coffee… or, in my case, hot chocolate. And then, we headed over to Cheers: North for a bite to eat.

I have a ‘Clix tourney this afternoon: 300 points, no single figure over 50 points.
This should be interesting, to say the least.

Stray Toasters

• Man sees water tower, man wants to reside in water tower, man turns water tower into fly crib
• The 6 most problematic Barbie situations in history
• …aside from the Bratz lawsuit
• 5 Lame Things in Star Wars Canon

Up out.

Friday – 05 December 2008
Happy Hatching Day to Derek:

Another work week draws to a close; hopefully, the day won’t be too bad.

Last night, I headed over to play ‘Clix with Perry. I asked him how many points he wanted to go with – he opted for 300. We picked our teams and had at it. I went with Ms. Marvel (Skrull) and Susan Richards (Skrull), while he brought Invisible Woman, Human Torch and The Thing. Then it was on…

• Both of my figures had Outwit.
• Since my figures were Skrulls, I got to roll to see if he could hit me before each attack.
• Ms. Marvel has the Indomitable trait – meaning she can act on two successive rounds without taking pushing damage.
• Ms. Marvel’s first movement power, Exfiltrate, allows her to use Stealth, thus she couldn’t be attacked using ranged combat, as long as she was in hindering terrain… which I pretty much made sure that she stayed in.

It was a (fairly) short game.
And a little one-sided.
I told him that the next time we played, I would try to play a more balanced team against him.

SaraRules showed up while Perry and I were playing. After the game, she and I headed to the Festival of Trees, at South Towne Expo Center. TONS of trees. And wreaths. And gingerbread houses. And people. Some of the trees were amazingly well-decorated… but there were also (more than) a few duds. And all proceeds go to benefit Primary Children’s Medical Center. So, it’s a win-win situation. If you’re in the SLC Metro area and looking for something to do – and something that benefits a good cause – go check it out.

Stray Toasters

• I have a new holiday-themed icon.
• How to Survive the 17 worst Mac Disasters
• From NPR: Little Support for Trafficked Women in Russia
  
• 
• First International Body Music Festival
• “It’s true!”
• Bill Cosby + Cowboy Bebop = Cosby Bebop (Thanks to for the link.)
• Sucked into the Tunnels Beneath Las Vegas

Attack the day…

Namaste.

Wes and I hit the gym again at lunch. We did a variation of Tuesday’s workout:

• Dips: 3 sets/10 reps
• Bench press: 3 sets/15 reps, 155 lbs
• Curls (dumbell, concentration): 3 sets/10 reps, 30 lbs
• Bent-over Rows: 3 sets/12 reps, 30 lbs
• Lateral raises (with forward rotation): 3 sets/10 reps, 10 lbs
• Reverse Punches: 3 sets/10 reps, 10 lbs
• Tricep Extensions (dumbbell, overhead): 3 sets/10 reps, 30 lbs

Post-workout weight: 180.9 lbs.

Not a bad workout, overall.  The extra reps on bench, even at the lower weight, made my arms quite tired. And, from the way that I was dragging on lateral raises, I can tell I need to do them more often, too.

Stray Toasters

• From BBC News: Congresswoman hangs up on Obama
• Santa hat pasties
• Edible Electronics Monitor Drugs in Your Body
• I have a ‘Clix tourney on Saturday. This one’s going to be interesting: 300 points, but no single figure can be more than 50 points. I’ve been looking at who that leaves as eligible. Part of me is thinking of doing a team and calling it “Prisoner Transfer” and filling it with S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and/or police officers and thugs/henchmen – no one with superpowers.  I do have a couple of other ideas that I’m mulling over, but the “Prisoner Transfer” idea just makes me laugh.
• Prince rewards spendy fans with DRM-crippled downloads

Namaste.

Thursday – 04 December 2008
Last night, because of a comment Logan made earlier in the day, I craved pizza for dinner. The solution: Get a pie from Papa Murphy’s. And it was good. Very good, indeed. I took it to SaraRules’, where we – and her family – watched Hancock. I didn’t watch any of the bonus material, so I still don’t know what was behind the recurring eagle motif.

I headed home after the movie, ostensibly to tackle the train table project. That turned into me doing a crossword puzzle and otherwise meandering around the apartment. SaraRules came over a little later; she offered to help with taking down the Rokenbok. I wasn’t about to pass up that opportunity, so just like Big Daddy Kane, we got the job done. It’s amazing how much faster it was to disassemble than it was to put together. I also took apart and boxed up the LEGO train set.

I don’t know what was going on, but this morning, the radio in my head was on “Super Mondo Mega Random Shuffle.” Seriously. I had snippets of songs from The Crying Game to Missing to Iko Iko running through my head while I was getting ready for work. Since I have no other explanation for it, I will blame , as usual.

Stray Toasters

• New addition to The Covet List: LEGO Silver Rings
• By way of SaraRules: Michelle Obama: What Should She Wear?
• Cinderella, Super-Spy: Roberson on the Fables Spin-off
• From BBC News: The Box
• Word Up
  Cameo |MTV Music

• Super Human Resources
• It was snowing here a few minutes ago. Nothing major, but there’s a light dusting o’ white on the mountains. I messaged my father to tell him that it was snowing – I didn’t want to call, as he and my stepmother are visiting Adam, Chelsea and Caden. He messaged me back: “Do you want HIGH/COLD winds to go with that snow?” I replied that I’d pass on it.
• The Sartorialist

And that’s a good place to hang it for now.

Namaste.

Wednesday – 03 December 2008
Mid-week. And stuff.

«REWIND«
Wes and I hit the gym yesterday at lunch:

• Dips: 3 sets/10 reps
• Bench press: 3 sets/10 reps – 1 set @ 200 lbs; 2 sets @ 185 lb
• Curls (dumbell, concentration): 3 sets/10 reps, 30 lbs
• Side bends: 3 sets/10 reps, 25 lbs
• Lateral raises: 3 sets/10 reps, 15 lbs
• Push-ups (elevated): 3 sets, 10 reps

I think that was everything. And I neglected to throw in Friday’s workout, too… but it was basically the same as last Tuesday’s, but with lighter weight, as I was working out with SaraRules.

Post-workout weight: 180.1 lbs.

›PLAY›
Last night, I had some grand delusions/designs of possibly breaking down my Rokenbok/LEGO train table. But, by the time I got home, I realized that it was almost time for the new episode of NCIS… so I sat on the couch to watch it.

I should have worked on the table, because about 15 minutes into the episode, the TV was watching me.

I faded in and out during the episode, but woke up for the very end of it. At that point, I figured that I should eat something… and it was time for Fringe. So I ate and watched Fringe. No falling asleep this time. I considered working on the table after it went off, but I got involved in surfing the Interwebs. So, the table remains a task for another day.

Today, I’ve already had an impromptu, albeit brief, meeting and put out a couple of minor fires. I call that a decent start to the day. And I get to hand off The Leash today, after two weeks of being on-call; I opted to do the two weeks on so that I can have two weeks off while I’m on vacation. Win-win.

Stray Toasters

• There’s a chance of snow in the forecast. I’m somewhat surprised – though not upset – that we haven’t seen very much so far this year.
• American folk music legend Odetta dies at 77
• From NPR Music: Best CDs of 2008
• Why the love affair with man-eating plants?
  
• By way of ThinkGeek:

  
  (click image for details)

• Some people stop at nothing
  If you’re searching for something
  Lay down the law
  Shout out for more
  Breakout and shout, day in day out
  Breakout
• First Look: Static in the DC Universe
  I really want to make a joke/pun about the Milestone Universe being “integrated” into the DC Universe… but it’s a little too easy. Suffice if to say that I’m glad that it’s being done and it’s a bit overdue. In fact, the 2003 season opener of Static Shock, “Hard as Nails“, that made a sideways nod (second quote) to the issue of a shared universe.
• Will Iron Man 2 feel the Black Widow’s sting?
• 
• How comics can save us from scientific ignorance

I’m not sure if today is a sushi day or not, but comics won’t be in until tomorrow.

Namaste.

Tuesday – 02 December 2008
Another day, another dollar seventy cents (or something like that, after taxes).

Stray Toasters

• I talked with Adam again last night. All’s (still) well in the northern hinterlands. Our parents are headed out there tomorrow; Chelsea’s folks are already there. I can’t wait for the stories.
• Grace has learned a new word: “Bobo,” a character from one of the books that Bot and read to her. Still no “Mama,” yet, though… much to Bot’s chagrin.
• By way of SaraRules and the “Welcome to the Land Behind the Zion Curtain” file: Buttars takes aim at stores waging ‘war on Christmas’
• Rachel sent me an item that I hadn’t seen before: Physics doesn’t exist, it’s all about Gnomes
• I don’t mean to downplay this, but doesn’t this come under the heading of “Duh…” – Chances of WMD attack in big city greater: report
• Every time I drive past an Arby’s or especially when I see one of their commercials with this logo…

  

  …I laugh. Not because “I’m thinking Arby’s” is funny. Rather, the image looks more like “I’m thinking giant penis.” (Someone pulled a fast one over on the guys in the marketing department.) Seriously… look at the young lady and the guy on the right and the looks on their faces – they aren’t thinking about curly fries or a “Five for $5” roast beef sandwich combo.

• Disgruntled 8-year-old boy crashes teacher’s car
  …which, after I shared the link, was followed by:

  : Next article: German churches find ‘chocolate Jesus’ tasteless”
  : Clearly someone used poor quality chocolate in their chocolate jesei

• With the apparent demise – or at least long-term coma – of WizKids and HeroClix, I decided to scrape the site for as many of the character cards from the last eleven sets as I could get.
• Steampunk sewing machine

…right on to the friction of the day.

Namaste.

Monday – 01 December 2008
And so, another work week – and another month – begin.

I was lucky enough to get to spend a portion of my morning on the phone with HP Tech Support explaining why they needed to ship me a replacement for a replacement part they sent last week. Short answer: They sent the wrong part. *sigh* This time, I sent to an email to the rep, so that he could see the differences bewteen Part A (the part I need to have replaced) and Part B (the part they sent). I should have the new – and hopefully correct – replacement part tomorrow.

Stray Toasters

• As I mentioned last week, there’s a new member of the family – now complete with pictures.
• By way of SaraRules:
  • As Taboos Ease, Saudi Girl Group Dares to Rock
  • Atlantic Records Says Digital Sales Surpass CDs
  • Kanab Orchestra Thrives Under Long-Time Maestro
    
• By way of comes an interesting read about comic book cancellations and why the Big Two keep churning out mega-crossovers: “Why you feelin’ sorry for him? He asked for it…”
• How Dan Kaminsky broke and fixed DNS
• I just discovered that a coworker used to play Star Fleet Battles, many moons ago.
• I read a news article title from Wired.com – Genetically Modified Peanuts Could Save Lives – and my first thought was of Charles Schulz’ comic strip… new and improved! Finally, Charlie Brown can kick that football! lj user=”everydave” pointed out the following:
  

  “sure..but the mutation would be across the board…so while CB might be able to finally kick the ball..the ball, now sentient, is going to come back and reign down hell on ol’ chuck in retaliation…”

• Best Book Covers of 2008
• Yiddish in Jazz
• Meetings. YAY!

Namaste.

Sunday – 30 November 2008
Today is the last day of November. It’s odd to think that we’re almost in December already.

It’s been a lazy day. It started off with sleeping in – which is a pretty good way to kick off a Sunday, I must say. Next up was football and breakfast. And coffee. Tasty, hot coffee.

After the first games, SaraRules and I headed to her parents’ place… for more football and hanging out. We also worked on this year’s Christmas card. *nod* Later this evening, we might watch Hancock. We’ll see.

Football
What do and NY Giants’ WR Plaxico Burress have in common?

Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens
3 – 34
The Bengals took on the Ravens in Baltimore today. The game wasn’t televised here, but I followed the game on NFL Game Center.Joe Flacco threw for 280 yards, 2 TDs and 0 interceptions. Mark Clayton even got in on it, with a 32 yard TD pass to Derrick Mason. Clayton also had a touchdown, as did Todd Heap.On the other side of the ball, Ryan Fitzpatrick couldn’t seem to pull his offense together into a fully-cohesive unit. He did put together a good drive near the end of second half… but he couldn’t turn it into six points. Sorry, and .

—

Carolina Panthers at Green Bay Packers
35 – 31
The Panthers took on the Packers at Lambeau Field. Jake Delhomme passed for 177 yards, with 0 INT. He also ran for one touchdown and DeAngelo Williams ran for four more. The game came down to a Jon Beason interception of an Aaron Rodgers pass, with 1:09 left in the 4th Quarter.

—

Miami Dolphins at St. Louis Rams
16 – 12
The fish took on Marc Bulger and the Rams in St. Louis. After a 1-15 run last season, the Dolphins had pieced together a 6-5 season coming into this game. It wasn’t a powerhouse game. Chad Pennington threw for 166 yards, 0 INT. RB Ronnie Brown ran for Miami’s only touchdown. The game came down to the last forty-two seconds (00:41), when Andre Goodman picked off a Marc Bulger pass.

Stray Toasters

• I talked to Adam for a bit, earlier. Chelsea and Caden are home, both are doing well. He hasn’t sent or posted any pictures yet, but there should be some forthcoming.
• Trains on the Brain
• I have a taste for sushi.
• Vintage space age illustrations
• From Slashdot: Diet of Fast Food and Candy May Cause Alzheimer’s
• From Irregular Webcomic:



• Mile-long secret tunnel in central London for sale
• From the “Spreading Christmas Cheer” file: Large Candy Cane Used to Beat Threatening Neighbor
• Top 10 Comic Book-Based Movies of All Time

Dinner time!

Namaste.

Saturday – 29 November 2008
Today’s been action-packed. SaraRules, Rachel and I got up and had coffee/tea before we hit the ground running. Our first stop was Rich’s Bagels for a bit of breakfast. It was SaraRules’ recommendation, as Rachel had said that she wanted “real” bagels for breakfast.  It was the first time that I’d been there, but it was a nice place.

Next stop: The Garden of Sweden. Objective: EXPEDIT (birch finish), for the office closet. And a few more NYTTJA frames. And a couple other miscellaneous items.

Back to the apartment. Rachel headed back for the southern reaches a little after we got back. Logan called and asked if we wanted to go with him to see Transporter 3; we said “sure.” He came over and we headed to the theatre. The movie wasn’t what I’d call “cinema verite,” but it was entertaining. And fun. I had something of a revelation about 30 minutes into the movie: It was an odd amalgamation of Smokey and the Bandit and the old kung-fu movies of the 70s and early 80s. That made me smile.

Back home and then over to SaraRules’ parents for dinner. Thanksgiving leftovers. And they were just as tasty today as they were on Thursday. We watched The Fast and the Furious while we ate.

Home again, home again, jiggety-jig. SaraRules and I set about putting together the new bookcase – we finished it in about 45 minutes… including time for me to put a bid in on a Superman Prime ‘Clix. And now, I’m deciding on whether or not I want to go to breakfast. (Decisions, decisions…)

Namaste.

Friday: Coda
Dad called a few hours ago to let me know that Adam (Sib-3) and Chelsea have a new addition to the family. That’s right, I’m an uncle… again. Both mother and baby are fine. Details and pictures to follow, as they become available.

Rachel came up from Cedar City and joined us for coffee. SaraRules’ brother, Logan, came and hung out with us, too.

Tomorrow: The Garden of Sweden. Amen.

Friday – 28 November 2008
Today is Black Friday – not in the stock market sense, but in the shopping sense. I try to make it a point to avoid most shopping venues before lunchtime (if I go at all) on this day. Good luck, godspeed and may The Force be with you, to those who decide to brave the masses.

This morning, after sleeping in, I decided to do some cleaning: I put a load of dishes in the dishwasher and, while that was going, I tackled the mess that existed in one of my closet – there will be a shelving unit/bookcase going in there this weekend and it wouldn’t fit with everything else that’s found its way in there. It was a long overdue project, but it went pretty well. I even found a lot of clothing items that shall be going to the local donation center. I should take on another closet… but I know me better than that.

SaraRules is supposed to call me in a bit, to see if I want to go to the gym with her. I’ll most likely go as:

1. I don’t really have anything on the agenda until time for Clitorati
2. I should get in a workout since I spent the better part of yesterday eating in front of the TV
3. It’s good for me.

I need to get to Office Max or Office Depot or some such place today and pick up some boxes for the ‘Clix auctions I need to get in the mail.

I should get take some more auction pictures, too.

Okay… that’s enough for now.

Namaste.

Steve (SaraRules’ Dad): I used to fall asleep inside Helen¹ all the time.
I think that I laughed for a good two to three minutes over this.

SaraRules (to Logan): I’ll pay you 50¢ to suck on that².

¹ – Helen was the name of an old comfy chair he used to have.
(Why he named it Helen, the world may never know…)

² – Logan had just picked up the turkey neckbone (to throw it away) and held it up like he was going to take a bite of it.