Random Access

Saturday – 26 May 2007
I just finished watching today’s Legion of Super Heroes episode, a rebroadcast of “Chain of Command.” Having already seen this episode, I could get past the “Wow… it’s an LSH toon” factor (a bit) and more fully appreciate the episode and some of its more subtle points.

The big one was a comment that Lightning Lad makes to Ferro Lad about not being able to trust him because he wore a mask. That got me thinking: How many Legionnaires have worn masks? Three… although, you could make a possible, though weak, argument for four:

• Ferro Lad
• Wildfire
• Sensor Girl
• Quislet (arguably)

Ferro Lad wore a mask because of horrible disfiguration. Wildfire’s “mask” was part of his containment suit – he was a being composed of energy and, outside of the suit, had no humanoid form. Sensor Girl’s mask was actually used to conceal her identity… from other Legionnaires and from enemies; she later revealed her identity to her teammates. Quislet was also an energy being, but his “mask” was actually a small “exploration vehicle.” And, in an interesting note: Although Quislet could not exist outside of his exploration vehicle for extended periods of time, he was able to teach Wildfire how to shape his energy into a humanoid form, without the need for a containment suit.

The rest of the Legion went maskless. Their identities were, as far as I can tell, common knowledge. They were not only deputized members of the United Planets’ Science Police – they were also seen somewhat as celebrities. I recall some issues showing panels of Legionnaires “out on the town” and being approached for autographs or holographic pictures. Legionnaires were also points of pride for their homeworlds. There were issues when a Legionnaire would lead a team on a mission to his/her home… and the world would roll out the red carpet, much in the way that Smallville (in DC’s original continuity) had sign at the town limits announcing it as “the home of Superboy.”

Another interesting point was how determined Lightning Lad was to save his homeworld. He was very take-charge and headstrong in his quest to see to it that Winath was saved… even to the point of ignoring all of the obvious signs around him. I don’t think that I had really registered the resignation in his character when his family farm was destroyed… and the only thing that he was able to save was one family “photo.” (It’s the 31st Century, it was probably a holo or some other digital image, but why quibble?)

I also liked the exchange between Superman and Lightning Lad, after Superman discovers that Winath is a farm world:

Superman: *surprised* “You’re a farm boy?!”
Lightning Lad: *indignant look and tone* “An industrial agrarian technician.”

I thought that it was nice to see Superman try to find some common ground with a teammate, only to have his comment sneered at because being called “a farmer” was insulting. As I posted in my previous look at this episode, some of Lightning Lad’s characterization was a little off… but I thought this was a nice – and amusing – touch.

All-in-all, I think that this was a solid episode.

Friday – 25 May 2007
Aside from dropping my mocha – 23½ ounces of pure frozen mocha goodness – on the way into the building this morning, it’s been a good day. Quiet. Only a couple of very small fires to put out. And, I got a headstart by starting the day in the SLC office.

But there is still that whole “I dropped 23½ oz. of frozen mocha goodness” thing. *sigh*

Last night, some of the Clitorati got together for dinner at Olive Garden. I had one of the new featured dishes: Stuffed Chicken Marsala. It was rather good. I recommend it. After dinner, I went home, with the intent of checking my email and then spending some time on the mean streets of Paragon City. I made it as far as checking the email and starting the CoH loader. While waiting for a new patch to be applied, I went into the bedroom and stretched out on the bed, ostensibly “just for a minute.”

Three hours later…

Yeah, the only thing left to do at that point was turn off the lights and go to bed. And that’s what I did.

Stray Toasters

• I have spread the Gospel According to IKEA to and onlyaly. They have seen the light. *genuflect*
• knows of my… affinity… for IKEA. We were talking yesterday and this came up:

[15:23] asdf_cat: so i’ve realized something that might be a serious problem.
[15:23] shadorunr: ?
[15:23] asdf_cat: you.. drive by IKEA twice every day.
[15:23] shadorunr: Yeah.
[15:23] shadorunr: I know.
[15:24] asdf_cat: that just doesn’t seem safe for you or IKEA.
[15:29] shadorunr: http://www.applegeeks.com/comics/viewcomic.php?issue=165
[15:29] shadorunr: It’s kind of like that.
[15:30] shadorunr: http://www.applegeeks.com/comics/viewcomic.php?issue=166
[15:30] asdf_cat: yeah. a problem!
[15:31] shadorunr: Potentially.

• Shortly after this conversation, I remembered that my weekly Status Report was due. And, since it has to go to Mr. , I attached the following to my report. And it took almost NO time to come up with. Apologies to Misters Lee, Lifeson and Peart…

We’ve taken care of everything
From food to eat
To sheets you clean
And hooks on which
Your wet linen can dry

Poäng for all, Amon for one
Put together
Groove and tongue
Lack – tables or shelving
Hung up high…

We are the priests
Of the Temples of Sweden
Our great furniture
Fills the hallowed halls.
We are the Priests
Of the Temples of Sweden
Sofas, beds and lights
Are held with in our walls

• Derek sent me a link to this story, with the following commentary, which made me laugh:

[16:44] Derek: the title made me laugh more than anything
[16:44] shadorunr: Wow.
[16:45] Derek: now we know who let those mother freaking snakes on that mother freaking plane

• just sent me a link to following “news story” (link below) from Utah ABC4. Could they sensationalize this any more?! Or researched it any less?! Monkeys.

[14:54] janietrain: You should be so rpoud of your locals.
[14:54] shadorunr: Hiya.
[14:54] shadorunr: Um…
[14:54] janietrain: http://www.abc4.com/mediacenter/local.aspx?videoId=65333
[14:54] shadorunr: MD or NC locals?
[14:54] janietrain: Utah locals
[14:54] janietrain: Check out that video.
[14:54] janietrain: You shall laugh until you pee.
[14:55] shadorunr: Very little that they do makes me proud.
[14:55] shadorunr: 🙂
[14:55] shadorunr: *watches*
[14:55] janietrain: hehehe
[14:55] janietrain: This is possibly the most out of touch, reactionary thing I’ve ever seen in the history of TV news.

• J.A.F.O.
• Eric sent me a link to a story on NPR called ‘Rethinking Thin’ and the Myths, Realities of Dieting. It’s about a book by Gina Kolota. When I read her name, the first thing that came to mind was…

If you like Gina Kolota
Getting caught in the rain…

• Demented kids’ book photoshopping contest
• 
• Steampunk turntable

And I’m going to hit “Publish” before Firefox decides to firmly insert its head up its ass. Again.

Namaste.

Thursday – 24 May 2007
Another day at the desk, but yesterday’s excursion was a nice break to the middle of the week. This morning’s commute was relatively painless, and it was made better by the fact that Nomad seemed to be in a good mood:

• Billy Ocean – Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car (which reminded me of… this, again)
• The Wiseguys – Start the Commotion
• Snoop Dogg ft. Bootsy Collins – Undercova Funk
• Outkast vs. Modjo – The Way You Move
• Stevie Wonder – Superstition
• Atomic Kitten vs. Geri Halliwell – Ladies Night
• Red Hot Chili Peppers – Soul to Squeeze
• Girls Aloud vs. Madonna – Some Kind of Beautiful Stranger
• Rhythm Heritage – Theme from S.W.A.T.

Then, I got to work and found the following on my dry-erase board:

…which made me nearly double over laughing when I figured out what it was. For those who need a translation: “…just some oak and some pine and a handful of Norsemen.”  Now, I just need to figure out who put it there.

Namaste.

Wednesday – 23 May 2007
I have been to the new Temple of Sweden. Amen.
*genuflect*

I got up a bit earlier than I had planned this morning, thanks to a series of text messages. After deciding to forego any further sleep, I got up and started getting ready for my pilgrimage. With a few text messages and a little arm-twisting, I also managed to convince Liz that she wanted to go, too. And we did.

When we got there, the line wrapped around 3/4 of the building. Amazingly, it moved rather quickly. I think that we stood in line for a total of maybe thirty minutes, if that long. Lynn and Katarina, former coworkers from Shit Town the REC, in line. And there was… someone I recognized from asdf_cat‘s wedding and a party at everydave‘s, but his name eluded me.

Grand opening madness. Police. Monkeys. Newly-hired IKEAns clapping and shouting and waving. Did I mention “wall-to-wall monkeys?” *nod* Yeah. Monkeys, monkeys, everywhere. And, I discovered that many/most Utahns walk as poorly as they drive. Oh, well… at least they’re consistent.

When I got inside and upstairs, I figured out the guy-from-the wedding/party’s name: Christian. I confirmed it and then he, Tracy (his… wife, I think), Liz and I chatted for a few minutes while the Curious Georges milled around us. Then it was off to soak up the joy of contemporary Scandinavian design.

Given how crowded the top floor was, we opted not to eat in the restaurant. But, as crowded as the top floor was the ground floor – at least until you got to the checkout lines – was comparatively easy to navigate. I ran into Katarina and Lynn again, in the lighting section. They told me that Paul, another former coworker from the REC, was there… somewhere. I called to see if I could reach him; I did – he was in the restaurant. No go, Flight. I’d catch him another time.

I picked up a Poäng chair (with Almè natural cushion), to replace the one I gave away a few years ago; Liz picked up a lamp and some vases. And then… and then… and then… And then along came Jones. No. Wait. Wrong song. Sorry. And then came the standing and waiting in the checkout line. And then, I saw the cinnamon rolls. I had forgotten about them. *sigh* So, I grabbed a six-pack and added it to my items. Selah.

We checked out, walked out – that’s when I saw Paul, sitting at a window booth in the restaurant – and headed northward.

And that concluded my pilgrimage.
*genuflect*

From there, we headed to La Puente for lunch; Perry joined us. And the three of us made a quick jaunt across the street to the good Dr. Volt’s for some four-color goodness.

Namaste.

(And, yes, Jonathan Coulton’s IKEA was playing in the back of my head almost the entire time I was there.)

Tuesday: coda
The day ended quietly:  Dinner with and some time in Paragon City.  Selah.

Stray Toasters

• I have Ben & Jerry’s Vanilla Heath Bar Crunch Ice Cream.
• Into the Wind
• 52.   (not a DCU reference, this time)
• I’m running a Carnival of Shadows mission with my Supergroup.  In the back of my head, I’m hearing The Cruxshadows’ song Carnival.  It’s making me grin.
• A couple of Bruce Campbell Old Spice commercials:

1. Experience
2. Hungry Like the Wolf

• Canada.
• …which reminds me:  It’s fragilisticexpialidocious!
• 30 Days of Night: Vampires of the Arctic

And that’s a wrap for now.

G’night, Skeets!

< groove>

• David Bowie – Modern Love
• Prince – Starfish and Coffee
• Jonni Lightfoot – WindowSill

< /groove>

What’s on your playlist today…?

Monday: coda
And so, another day comes to an end.

…and at the end of that day, Jack Bauer [spoiler deleted] because the people involved with the [spoiler deleted] didn’t follow through with [spoiler deleted].
Stray Toasters

• For the past year or so, my camera has had a problem with the switch that controls the on/off and lens.  I fixed that today.  It was a mixed bag: I was happy that it was fairly easy to take care of and that I don’t have to rush out to get a new camera… but, I was a little torqued that it was such an easy fix and that I hadn’t thought of it before.
• Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Batmobile
• Sib-3 called this evening to inform me, and I quote, “Gears of War is the best game ever.”  I reminded him that he said the same thing about HALO and HALO2.  He said that they were good… for the time, but that this easily surpasses them.  And that he loved his 360.
• People are already camping out at the new IKEA.
• Passive-aggressive notes from roommates, neighbors, coworkers and strangers
• : Here’s a bunch of LSH-related items…
• Cover art to Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes #32
  
• Legends of Lost Legionnaires – including some Sims skins
• Gone But Not Forgotten: LSHv4
• Legion of Super-Heroes Customs
• There was a song/video that I wanted to look up, but damn if I can remember what it was.
• Hot Chicks with Douchebags (some of the images may be NSFW)
• Pre-orders for Weta Collectibles Rayguns will begin on Friday, 25 May 2007.
• Glass Rayguns by Joe Blow Glassworks
• By way of boingboing.net: Threadless spoiler tee
• For , and the other Wii owners: Can’t Wait for the Wiikend

And now, sleep…

Namaste.

Monday – 21 May 2007
Another week begins.   A short week, although I’m not sure how short it will be:  The Temple of Sweden opens on Wednesday and I think that I want to be one of the early morning teeming masses.  If that’s the case and I wind up taking the day off, I may work a full 8 – 10 on Friday.  We shall see.
Yesterday was very lax.  Uber lax.  Lax-tastic.  I went for a drive up through Parley’s and Emigration Canyons; I hadn’t done that in a while.  I capped it with a trip to Jitterbug.  I headed home and made an amazing discovery:

As a Green Lantern in training, I’m pretty familiar with the uses of willpower.  With proper focus, you can use it to create pretty much anything.  (Yeah, there’s a good reason that they call GL rings “the most powerful weapon in the universe.”)  For the past few months, I had taken it for granted that the items around my keyboard and monitors were being held up through force of willpower alone.

I was mistaken.

There was actually a desk under the accumulated debris.  The desk is still there; the debris is not.

The Scales of Justice
The Hand of Nefer-Tem spent some time in Paragon City.  The person leading the team decided to run one of my missions.  Great!  The more, the merrier.  Apparently, I should have said: “The more, the deadlier,” because we got our collective recta kicked.  A lot.  So much so that the team abandoned the mission and disbanded.  Oh, well.  I led a small group on the same mission a little later.  Yes, we died a few times… but we cleared the mission.  Now, I just need to clear that 13K of XP debt…

Stray Toasters

• I have Goldfish.  Both pretzel and cheddar.
• The Reverend Al Sharpton is in the Land Behind the Zion Curtain today, meeting with members of the LDS Church – trying to (re)build some bridges after a few… less-than-thoughtful… remarks he made over the past few weeks.

  I think that they should have him meet with members of the clergy and the laiety.  And my top pick for the secular member for him to talk with: Gladys Knight.

• I wasn’t sure if there would be one, but I was glad to see that Wikipedia does have an entry for “…said the Actress to the Bishop.“
• …and then, there’s always the Brian Bolland poster.
• galilieo’s head was on the block
  the crime was looking up the truth
  as the bombshells of my daily fears explode
  i try to trace them to my youth

  then you had to bring up reincarnation
  over a couple of beers the other night
  now i’m serving time for mistakes
  made by another in another lifetime

• Poang
• Duran Duran White Lines
• :  Thanks!  That made me smile.
• …which reminds me:  While having a comics-related conversation with Tyranist and Jason earlier, Tyranist said “Stop…” to which I replied “Hammertime!”  And then, a horrible image passed through my head:  Thor, swinging Mjolnir, doing Hammer’s “Chinese Typewriter” dance.
• 
• NOTE TO SELF: Northern Strike
• Topsy-turvy Bus

Back to it.

Namaste.

Sunday – 20 May 2007
So far, it’s been another quiet day in the valley.

I woke up this morning a little after 7:00. And again at 8:30-something. And finally decided to call it good around 9:45. I surfed for a bit before deciding to take a trip to Paragon City. I got in on a team and we ran a mission and a half before the team disbanded. I decided to leave Paragon City and have some lunch. I also read more of Specter of the Past while eating.

I’m not sure what I want to do, but it’s a great-looking day out there… and there’s wind. This might mean that I have to break out the kite.

Yesterday’s excursion to the zoo was fun. I managed to walk right past the new feature exhibit – a white alligator – without realizing it. And, it’s not like there wasn’t a banner hanging next to it, either. In fact, I read the banner, but didn’t put “2” and “2” together to realize that it was referencing the exhibit house next to the banner. Yep, I’m a genius!

Unfortunately, the camera on my phone was the only thing I had available – and reliable enough – with which I could get some pictures. But, it’s better than nothing.

Breakfast last night wasn’t bad. There’s a new manager at Cheers, but we don’t know if he’s the new regular weekend/night manager or not. We shall have to see about this one…

Football Update
and : You may want to take a look at NFL.com’s Fantasy Offseason Review: AFC North

And now, it’s time to go run some errands and play in the sunshine.

Namaste.

[16:21] chromeangel: [forwards a URL]
[16:21] shadorunr: Howdy.
[16:21] shadorunr: *click*
[16:21] chromeangel: its really sad
[16:21] shadorunr: I don’t have permission to access that, apparently.
[16:22] shadorunr: Protected entry
[16:22] chromeangel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-k98bRUOb4g
[16:24] shadorunr: What in the blue ottoman fuck….?!
[16:24] chromeangel: no shit
[16:24] chromeangel: ….and far off in the distance, through the hubbub of the rough and tumble of a city that sings itself to sleep every night, you can hear an ottoman,crying……
[16:25] shadorunr: I’m seriously torn about whether or not to ‘Toaster this.
[16:25] shadorunr: It’s… bad.
[16:25] shadorunr: REALLY, blow-your-brains-out bad.
[16:25] chromeangel: well you have ot add my comment
[16:25] chromeangel: if you do
[16:25] chromeangel: yeah
[16:25] shadorunr: Of course.
[16:25] chromeangel: weep for our species bad
[16:25] shadorunr: *genuflect*
[16:26] chromeangel: shudder
[16:26] shadorunr: Yeah.
[16:26] shadorunr: Okay, I’m going to go bleach my brain now.

Saturday – 19 May 2007
WHY was I awake at 8:06 AM?!  There’s no discernable reason that I’ve come up with, so far.  None.  But, there I was -  my time in The Dreaming at an end.  Although, given some of the dreams I’ve had lately, being awake isn’t such a bad thing.

Yesterday was a good day.  Because I didn’t sleep well/much Thursday night, I stopped for a triple-shot laden cup of frozen mocha goodness on the way to work.  I got to the office, put out a few small fires, did some reading and then the day was done: The IT department had “offsite training” – lunch at Cafè Trang and Spider-day Night Fever Spider-Man 3.   After the movie was over, a couple of guys asked what I thought of it; I repeated what I had said a couple of weeks ago: “It wasn’t Amazing.  It wasn’t Sensational.  It wasn’t Spectacular.  But, it was fun.”  A couple of them looked at me and asked: “You saw this already!?  Why did you see it again?”  My answer was simple: “Because I didn’t have to pay for it.  And I can spring for a bucket of popcorn for a free movie.”  (I did kick myself for not taking my refillable cup, though.)  After the movie, I stopped by to see Kate, Perry and the kids for a bit.  Then, I was off to dinner with Jenn at Yamato.  Teriyaki beef with sushi… which turned out to be pretty tasty California Rolls.  I also had a couple of pieces of Ika (squid) nigiri.  Then, back to ‘ders for Clitorati.  But, by the time I got there, the party had already moved to Applebee’s.  But, I ran into Gin and Roger, a couple I know from Jitterbug; I talked with them for a few minutes.  As I was getting ready to head out, showed up… so we headed to Cheers: North to hang with everyone else.

Did I mention that I still have no idea why I was up so early this morning?  I did?  Oh.  Alright.  Just checking.

The only thing on the day’s agenda was Tristan’s birthday party this afternoon.  Operative word: “Was.”  Seems as though I may be heading to the zoo shortly – Liz wants to go, I have an open schedule and I haven’t been in a while.  After all, it’s the zoo.  Speaking of which, I need to make a foray to the Living Planet Aquarium – I want to see how it stacks up against the National Aquarium in Baltimore. Hmm… since I’m going to the zoo, can I use “monkeys!” as a tag for this post…?  Oh, what the Hell.  Why not?  It’s my blog.  And, just like Bobby said: “It’s my prerogative.”

Stray Toasters

• I have coffee.  All is becoming right with the world once more.
• UTFO
• “Fuckmuppetry.”   (And, no, this is not an Avenue Q reference.)
• Tyranist and I were discussing this the other day: While we realize that flashy costumes are part and parcel of the four-color comics superhero world, why don’t more heroes wear costumes/outfits that are easily replaceable?  Something off-the-rack, for example.  Look at how often a hero’s costume gets torn to shreds in the heat of battle.  Wouldn’t it be much easier to pop into Kohl’s or The Gap or Dillard’s, pick up a new shirt (or jacket or pants) and get back on the job?  Instead, they either have to whip up a new costume or go see their tailor/costumer and wait.  (Of course, no one ever waits in comic-time, but you know what I mean…)
• : I don’t know if you’ve gotten into HeroClix, but has a new item about the upcoming Legion of Super-Heroes set, if you’re interested.
• There were a few videos I wanted to look for on YouTube, but I can’t remember what they were.  Frustrating.
• 

Zoom!

Namaste.

A few things that crossed my path in the past few hours:

• posted a link to the new Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix trailer.
• Four-year-old drummer
• A retcon of Of Mice & Men… with Superman and Bizarro.  (watch the entire clip, even after the credits)

And with that, I’m ghost.

Thursday (coda)
The work day ended.  Blah blah blah.

I came home, cooked, watched two… two… two! episodes of CSI:.   Yadda yadda yadda.

Four-Color Coverage
Wow.   I didn’t realize it had been so long since I’d done one of these.  Let’s get rolling:

• The Ultimates 2: Issue 13 – It’s been… months… since the last issue of The Ultimates came out – something on the order of four to six months, I think.  But, it came out.  And I bought it.  And… and… and… yeah.  So, let’s say, hypothetically, that you’re going to invade America.  Let’s say that you’re going to send in legions of troopers, some metahumans… and the Norse God of Lies, just for good measure.  It should be a piece of cake, right?  Roll in, snap ’em off a little something and…. voila!  New land acquisition!  Right?  Right?!  Wrong.  Oh, so very wrong.  Because, you apparently forgot about Captain America and his intrepid band of heroes.  Oh, and that Norse God of Thunder.  Six months in the making… and worth the wait.
• Ultimate Fantastic Four #41 – The UFF versus Diablo.  Time travel.  Alchemy.  Magic.  Science.  And a new look for The Thing.  The only thing (no pun intended) that would have made it better would have been if Ben had said, “What a revoltin’ development!”  Oh, well… can’t have it all, I guess.
• Ultimate X-Men #81 and #82 – Sentinels, Morlocks and Beast!  Oh, my!  Wait… Beast?!  Didn’t he die about 30 issues back?!  *blink blink*  Okay.  Fine.  Moving on… I’m not sure about this title.  It seems to have lost… something.  I know people who practically say that Robert Kirkman can do no wrong.  I’m not necessarily of that opinion.  Yes, he has shaken up the status quo.  He’s pulled rabbits out of hats.  He made the book interesting… for a while.  But, I fear that my time with this title may be approaching an end.
• The Mighty Avengers #2 and #3 – What happens when Tony Stark’s armor reshapes itself into the newest incarnation of Ultron… with Tony in it?  This.  Wait…  Isn’t…um… wasn’t…. Tony a… guy?!  And why does he… she… it… look like… The Wasp?!  Oh, boy.  So, you have Ultron, the Mole Man and a bunch of the Mole Man’s creatures duking it out with the newly-minted Mighty Avengers.  In midtown Manhattan.  This brings to mind two words: “Collateral damage.”  And, there was a lot of it.  But, this is what people pay for: A book with people in costumes beating on other people in costumes.  And, as an added bonus: We find out who’s a Level Ten Agent with S.H.I.E.L.D. and just how much power that person potentially wields.
• The New Avengers #30 – More backstory on how the team wound up in Japan and their encounter with The Hand, led by Elektra.  Readers also learn who the new face is behind Ronin’s mask.  On the down side: I’m sorry, but Leinil Yu’s artwork isn’t really doing anything for me; it’s almost enough to detract from my enjoyment of the story.
• Uncanny X-Men #486 – “The Rise and Fall of the Shi’ar Empire” comes to a close in this issue.  And it goes out with a bang.  The X-Men and the Starjammers fight against the Shi’ar Imperial Army and the Imperial Guard.  And, Vulcan lashes out and kills [spoiler deleted].
• Green Lantern #19 – What do we know about Star Sapphire?  Not enough, apparently.  This issue serves as a history lesson.  We learn a little more about the “emotional spectrum” of the DCU (Green for willpower, Yellow for fear): We see that Violet represents love… as (mis)understood by the Zamarons.  We are shown how the Star Sapphires – yes, plural – choose their hosts and discover their roles, relative to the Zamarons.  I’m still getting used to Daniel Acuna’s artwork.  It’s not bad… in fact, it reminds me of Stuart Immonen’s early work in Legion of Super-Heroes, which also took me a while to warm up to.
• Justice League of America #8 and #9 and Justice Society of America #5: “The Lightning Saga” – Wow.  Seriously, wow.  This storyline is supposed to cement the ties between the JLA and the JSA… and tie their legacies to the Legion, as well.  (So you know I was hooked from the get-go.)  Seven Legionnaires trapped in the 21st Century.  For an as-yet-unrevealed mission.  Long-time Legion readers will recognize certain items that appear in the third chapter  of the story.  Hint: The last time we saw these items, it involved a dead Legionnaire.  I think that my favorite exchange, so far, comes in Chapter Two, between Superman, Stargirl, Red Tornado and Cyclone:
  Stargirl: I’d never heard of the Legion of Super-Heroes before today.  Who are they?
  Red Tornado: The Legion is a team from the 31st Century made up of representatives from dozens of different alien worlds.  They stand as a symbol of unity in a universe plagued with separatism and xenophobia.
  Superman: They were my friends.
  Cyclone: Wow.  You had a lot of friends.
  
  (click image for larger picture)
  Superman: I didn’t for a long time.  When I was your age, there weren’t any other kids around that could fly.
  Stargirl: I can’t even imagine you as a kid.
  Superman: You two are lucky to have each other.
  Cyclone: Totally.
  Superman: My powers were hard to get under control when they were developing.  I broke a boy’s arm playing football when I was twelve.  For years, the only people I could be myself around were my parents.  Then one day, these three showed up.
  Stargirl: Saturn Girl?
  Superman: Cosmic Boy told me when I was older I’d become the inspiration that would help found the Legion.  They brought me to their future to make me an honorary member.  They had a clubhouse.  And “flight rings.”  Every single one of them could fly.
• Astonishing X-Men #21 – Joss Whedon is writing a book that lives up to its title: “Astonishing.”  The X-Men are on Breakworld to stop a prophecy from occuring: A prophecy that foretells of Colossus destroying Breakworld.  A world where almost every living creature wants Colossus dead.  On sight.  Bargains are made.  As are new discoveries.  And a couple of shocking revelations, too.  All-in-all, this was a solid issue with great art.  Whedon and Cassady will be a tough act to follow.
• Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes #29 – We finally learn the reason behind the Dominators’ attack on Earth.  Through a bit of a history lesson, it is tied in nicely with the mid-90s Invasion crossover/mini-series.  And there’s a major tie to 52.  And there’s a lot of fighting.  A lot.

Stray Toasters

• I should have been in bed hours ago.  Oh, well.
• Street lockdowns proposed for Baltimore  WHAT?!?
• By way of : Worst Movie Scenes Ever
• Dwim sent me a link to this.  Make of it what you will…
• Marvel Comic artist defends suggestive statueette of Spidey’s girlfriend
• 
• North Korean rollercoaster
• Chinese crime blotter reports recreated as art photos

Namaste.

Thursday – 17 May 2007
Post-work yesterday, I (finally) went to pick up my four-color crack… for the past two or three weeks. Yeah. I needed my fix. I didn’t get everything, just the important stuff. Okay, the really important stuff. And, Dave was kind enough to save the Free Comic Book Day items that I had requested… which is good, because he apparently ran out of stuff quickly. AND… I even got the limited edition FCBD plastic crack: Batman.

After that, back home for a bit and off to dinner and a movie with Liz. Tres Hombres. I need to remember to travel with Tums – the food was tasty, but it came back with a bit of a vengeance a few hours later.  *sigh* The movie was Disturbia. I enjoyed it. I would call it “a thriller,” but I fear that a certain Tyranist would pelt me with office supplies over the cube walls. The movie did a good job of building suspense and holding it. I even jumped a time or two because I didn’t see something coming. I give the movie a thumbs up with an okay. It might even make it into the collection someday… And, there was a life-sized, 3-D Silver Surfer… mannequin/standee in the lobby.  It’d make a great lawn ornament: “Oh, sure… anyone can get a cement statue; we decided to do something different!”
Three days and change down… one to go. This morning started, once again, in the SLC office. Followed by another trip to the caffeination dispensary. Selah.

Stray Toasters

• I’m craving crab cakes. From Phillips, of course.
• Woman survives internal decapitation
• Shucky Ducky quack quack!
• Quiz: Are You Smarter Than a 5^th Grader?
• Matt – who shall hereafter be occasionally referred to as “Dwim,” – pointed me in the direction of Chris Dimino’s Cuckoo Clock… based on The Shining.  Check out some of his other stuff, too.
• More scary old ads about Lysol: Nazi babies and Spider-Crotch
• 
• Microsoft to Dump 32-Bit After Vista
• 2 Legit 2 Quit (Hey! Heeeey!)
• Usenet is my friend.   It brought me more episodes of Legion of Super Heroes.  *genuflect*
• Guy who remodeled his flat to Star Trek specs finally sells it

Just getting back from the gym; it was good.  Very good: Three sets of 200.  Ten reps each set.  Hoo-AH!

And now, food.

Namaste.

Wednesday – 16 May 2007
Yesterday was good. It started early – and in the SLC office, at least for a few minutes. The workday was fairly quiet and monkey-free. Selah. Eric and I decided to do some heavy sets for the bench press portion of today’s workout. I did 225 lbs. (dropped to 185, to finish the set), 200, 200. I was rather pleased. (Yes, it’s three months past when I wanted to be able to do it… but I did reach the goal.) I want to get at least two sets of 200 lbs. in each workout… preferrably, starting from this point. We’ll see how that goes.

Last night was D&D night. We learned some important things pertaining to our current… quest… to prevent a new god from rising to power. Fun for us. And, most importantly, we neither died nor killed each other. That’s something positive!

Stray Toasters

• I finally got around to scanning my latest “lyric-to-pencil” drawing: Presto
• By way of : Hue & Cry (or what I like to call: “That sofa is WHAT color?!”)
• The Next Fad: Old Game Music on iTunes
• Tyranist pointed out Marvel’s site for the upcoming Doctor Strange video.
• 
• Heather Jansch: Life-size Driftwood Sculpture
• Women in Comics’ Special Outrage of the Week Edition – The issue: the upcoming Mary Jane Watson statue
• 
• Pictorial History of Vidgame Consoles
• Tyranist: Pan’s Labyrinth is back at the Broadway.
• Do we really need a Shrek “holiday TV show?”

And now to finish getting ready for – and on the way to – work.

Namaste.