Random Access

Monday – 19 March 2007
A new week begins.  And it began with caffeination.  Large.  Triple-shot.  Selah.

All-in-all, the weekend was good.  Lazy, but good.  Saturday, I spent the early part of the day doing… a lot of nothing.  Went to lunch.  Went to Best Buy and reveled in consumerism.  Maybe “reveled in” is a bit of an overstatement, but I bought a few things that I’ve had my eye on:

• Casino Royale
• Thunderball – discounted because of the Casino Royale purchase
• Pulp Fiction – because I realized that I’d never bought it on DVD
• The Road to Perdition

After a quick stop at Hoppers for a couple of growlers of Madame X Stout – to help celebrate Green Lantern Day – it was off to ‘ for a World of Darkness game.  That’s right… I got to dust off an old character sheet.  And, as an added bonus, wound up playing her character from that same setting.  And hilarity (and mayhem) ensued.Yesterday, I wound up heading to Borders and doing a little drawing.  And I mean “a little.”  Only did two:  One with my wood mannequin and Stikfas figure; another with a Rocket Red HeroClix.  was there and Mr. and Mrs. put in an appearance as well.  Then came the shopping for groceries.  And then, hometime; I watched Superman Returns.  I like that movie… and its adaptation of the original John Williams score.  I’m probably in the minority, but I like Can You Read My Mind as the “love song/poem/thingamabob;”  I know that there are some fans of the first movie who absolutely abhor it.  *shrug*  Oh, well.
Tonight, there are D&D goings-on.  Hopefully, we won’t have our collective recta handed to us on silver-plated trays… but the possibility exists.

Stray Toasters

• I found this to be amusing… and somewhat true:
  
• found a link to a video for one of my favorite Dire Straits songs: Romeo & Juliet.  Good song, I’m a little torn, though, about whether I prefer the Dire Straits version or the Indigo Girls version of the song.
• There is no love untouched by hate.
  No unity without discord.
  There is no courage without fear.
  There is no peace without a war.
  There is no wisdom without regret.
  No admiration without scorn.
  There is strife within the tempest.
  There is calm in the eye of the storm.
  
• Here’s a combination that can lead to no good: We are Stewie…
• Extreme Magic Makeover
• Remote Desktop is my friend.
• List of U.S. Army acronyms and expressions

Whoosh!

Namaste.

Sunday – 18 March 2007
This had the potential to be a serious post.

The potential.

Instead, it’s going to be an “I found some of these to be amusing” post. Deal with it. You’re big kids.

MMORPG Motivational Posters

• City of Motivation – There are some decent ones in the comments, too.
• World of Warcraft Motivational Posters
  
• LLBBL.com – 272 posters of game-related geekery
• Aggro Me Forums
• Relic Entertainment Forums

And… because it amuses me:

It looks like a nice day out. Time to go play.

Namaste.

Saturday – 17 March 2007
Happy Green Lantern Day!
I mean “St. Patrick’s Day!”
Or something like that.

This morning has been laid back. So far, the highlights have been watching Legion of Super-Heroes and The Batman, talking with Mom and Kris.  All of which were good.
It’s 70° F.  Sunny.  I should go play in the sunshine.  I don’t think that the wind is kicking up quite enough for kite-flying, though.  *shrug*  It’s not supposed to rain until midweek; maybe I’ll wash the car.

Off to find some trouble to get into…

Namaste.

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

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

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

Source:

Drawing (unfinished):

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

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

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

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

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

  But this isn’t the story of my defeat.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stray Toasters

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

And… that’s good for now.

Namaste.

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

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

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

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

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

Stray Toasters

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

Namaste.

Kris (Sib3) makes me smile.  And it’s usually just “little things,” but they’re always enough to put a stupid grin on my face.  Today, it was comment.  Nothing major, just a little something.
I’m pretty damned lucky to have her for a little kid sister¹.

I wish everyone could meet her.

¹: I can’t call her my “little” sister, she’s been taller than me since she was about… 11 or 12.

Wednesday – 14 March 2007
Today was a good day. And, for the second day, it started with a trip to the SLC office. And, guess what: I get to go back again tomorning. Of course, that means that I could sleep in a little… and still be in the office early. Win. Win. Gotta love that.

Post work, I stopped at Borders and did some drawing. It was a nice way to wind down the day.

On a whim, I just did a Google search for “she builds monsoons.” And, I got a few hits. All but one of which was for a band in Greensboro called The Moe Greens. I checked out their MySpace page… and saw an audio link for She Builds Monsoons. It was the right song… but a little different; the original version wasn’t as “heavy” sounding and was a little more uptempo. I looked at the member info. And then I saw it: My friend Rob, formerly of Hat and author of the song, is the guitarist/vocalist.

Stray Toasters

• Tasty popped corns.
• Cafè Corner… from the fine folks at LEGO
• Dance, Soterios Johnson, Dance
• – Iranians outraged by 300 movie
  Did they miss Paragraph 3 altogether? Especially the “…is based on a comic-book fantasy version of the battle of Thermopylae…” part? Comic book. Fantasy. Version.
• pointed out this news item: The girl whose hair was too big for her mugshot
• “So how’s it look, Doc?”
  
• Second Life. Interesting.
• From Newsarama – The Q: Does Death Matter?

“Beware the Ides of March…”

Namaste.

As if the last Star Wars-related post wasn’t enough… what happens when you add a liberal amount of Sesame Street into the mix? Probably something like this:

[12:02] : do you think wookiees eat cookiees instead of cookies?
[12:03] : You.
[12:03] : Fired.
[12:03] : Out of a cannon.
[12:03] : *G*
[12:03] : sorry
[12:03] : Into the angry sun.
[12:03] : i just wrote cookiee on accident
[12:03] : too much writing wookiee 😛
[12:03] : Which leads to things like:
[12:03] : “If Cookie Monster was a Wookiee, would he be Cookiee Monster?”
[12:05] : Wookiee Monster!
[12:05] : Sesame Street Wars
[12:06] : Wait..
[12:06] : That might actually work…
[12:07] : Because we could then put Jar Jar Binks in the Mr. Snuffleupagas role…. and then he’d be imaginary and only…. hm…. Threepio, I guess…. could see him.
[12:07] : hahhaha
[12:07] : oh god
[12:08] : the count would dig c3p0 and r2d2 😛
[12:08] : er yeah
[12:08] : m00
[12:08] : AH AH AH AH AAHHHHHHH!

Hell. Handbasket. That’s all I’m sayin’…

I don’t want to get into a Star Trek vs. Star Wars debate here, but there are a couple of items that have popped up recently that caught my eye and made me chuckle:

1. – Trekkie Recreates Awesome Set of Star Trek: Voyager in a Studio Apartment

…and…

2. – Awesome TIE Fighter Speakers Flew Out of Star Wars and Into Your Living Room

Thanks to for the link to the speakers.

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

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

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

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

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

“Does Mr. Spock look like a bitch?”

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

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

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

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

Even The Register noted Y2K7 bug fails to bite.

< /soapbox>

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

Stray Toasters

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

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

Namaste.

I was chatting with and we were talking about typos. I mentioned my randomly occurring typo of choice: Typing “Stray Taoists” rather than “Stray Toasters.”

[16:25] : That’s okay, I intermittently have the…. habit (? ) of typing “Stray Taoists” when I mean to type “Stray Toasters.”
[16:25] : And they’re nothing alike.
[16:26] : I like Taoists, but I don’t think that they like being sugared and cinnamoned.

Then, I had a horrible image pop into my head: A group of robed monks singing Def Leppard’s Pour Some Sugar on Me.

Yeah, I don’t think I’ll be sleeping tonight.

Sunday – 11 March 2007
So far, it’s been a fairly lax day. I slept until 9:40 10:40, got up, observed the hygiene rituals… and then sat around for a bit. I decided that I wanted to get out and do something… but wasn’t sure exactly “what.” Then, I decided that I wanted to draw; I haven’t really done any of that in a while. I could go to the library or Borders and just hang out. Cool, there was the tentative plan, all that remained was to set it in motion.

Which means: I sat around for a bit longer.

messaged me a short while later and said that she was thinking of heading to Borders herself. I told her that I was thinking of heading there and so, we decided to meet up there and hang out for a while. Which we did. And… AND… I managed to actually get some drawing done. It was just a couple of headshots… okay, one-and-a-half, but that’s not the point. The point is: I drew.

And that’s a good thing.

Stray Toasters

• I’m (more than) “a little” irritated: I talked with Mom yesterday.  That wasn’t the irritating point.  Quite the contrary, in fact… it was a very good thing to talk with her.  The irritating point was a bit of news that she shared:  Someone broke into my great-grandmother’s house.

  The house has been empty for a number of years, but it was still fully-furnished and had lots of momentos and memorabilia in it.  The house had been under the care/watch of a trusted friend of the family, in our absence.  This person, however, passed away not too long ago.  Apparently, the people who broke in knew this… and took advantage of the fact.  *sigh*  There’s a chance – a slim one, but a chance, nonetheless – that they might be able to recover some of the stolen property – it seems as though the  identity of the perpetrators may be known.  We’ll have to see.

  So, now Mom has to go there this week to file all of the necessary reports… and then she and my uncle are going back next weekend to figure out what to do with the rest of the property.  Yay.

• The Luckiest Man in the World
• I hadn’t heard of a Fire Rainbow before this, but it looks pretty cool.  And, according to Snopes.com, they really do occur.
• For (and tyranist, if he should happen to see this…): 15 Best Bond Gadgets of All Time
• 20 Must-Have Firefox Extensions
• I was checking out popurls.com a little earlier and found a link to: A Web Developer’s Cheat Sheet List
• I’ve heard of theme hotels before; there are at least three or four here in the greater SLC-Ogden area… but I think that this hotel in Berlin takes the cake.  or , have either of you heard of this place?
• Top 12 Weird Japanese Inventions
• Toy Story 3.  Right.

Off to find out what kind of trouble I can get into.

Namaste.

Just got in from breakfast…

…where I just met Ed Mulitalo.