Union Pacific's Great Excursion Adventure

“Sometimes it’s a bitch, sometimes it’s a breeze…”

everyday glory No Comments »

Saturday : 08 October 05
It was a cold, wet day in the valley, but it was a good day, nonetheless. The notable points include:

  • I slept in; that was nice.
  • , and Chris came by for a while so the Nox and Chris could get the proper fitting for their Hallowe’en costumes.
  • I went to the office for a bit. There were a couple of loose ends that needed tying up before I head out of town and I didn’t feel as though I had handled them properly before leaving work yesterday. So… into the office I went.
  • I had dinner with and at Macaroni Grill.
  • We left dinner to find that someone had smashed out the rear passenger window of ‘s car. (Details can be found here.)
  • Breakfast at Cheers with the usual suspects. Tonight’s people-watching was… a little better than average.

The High-Flying Adventures of Indigo Bolt   
I decided to go on patrol in Paragon City this afternoon, while waiting for Nox and company to arrive. Shortly after logging in, I was invited to join a team for a mission. I accepted. The team was rather well-balanced. We fought members of The Council; I think that we all died at least once. But the experience was good and I we successfully completed the mission.

I also hit Security Level 24 while on the mission. For my new power, I chose Super Speed. Now, I can almost keep up with Nox’ character, Akrael, when we are running.

Coda
That’s a wrap.

Namaste.

“I’m going on a big vacation, ’cause I deserve some fun…”

everyday glory No Comments »

Friday : 07 October 05
Today was a good end to the week.

Work was mostly painless. I started packing up things for our office move; there’s a very good chance that the move will happen while I’m gone. I may go in tomorrow to pack/repack a few more things and to label some stuff, just in case. Whether I do or not, I’m already mentally in vacation mode.

An acquaintance thinks that I don’t like them. That’s not entirely true. It’s not that I don’t like the person, it’s that they have done some things to a good friend of mine that I consider “un-friendly” or proven their character to be less worthy than I had originally thought. *shrug* I haven’t lost any sleep over it; I don’t see that changing in the near future, either.

After writing and reading that last paragraph, I just realized that it could apply to more than one person.

Tonight’s Clitorati group topped out at nine people. That was more than enough to ensure that the conversations were random, but amusing and interesting.

The High-Flying Adventures of Indigo Bolt
This evening, post-work and pre-coffee, I headed to Paragon City to see what trouble was to be found. Instead, I ran into a former team member; she needed help leveling her character. So, I exemplared with her and we took on some groups of the Tsoo.

Post-coffee, I hooked up with a couple of members in my supergroup and took on (yet) another mission on Striga Island. It started off all right, but there were moments when my brain decided to undertake random inner-eyelid studies. Not good. But, we made it through the mission.

…and I’m now 3,000 points from Security Level 24.

Stray Toasters

  • I had Doll On A Music Box/Truly Scrumptious running through my head tonight from roughly 6:00 PM until 12:30 AM.
  • “Filter!”
  • By way of : The Music Memoirs

That’s it for now.

Namaste.

“Just take me to that great place with wonders and wishes…”

everyday glory No Comments »

<post-lunch dance break>

  • Rugrats Soundtrack – Blackstreet and Mya – Take Me There
  • Aladdin [Original Soundtrack] – 03 – One Jump Ahead
  • The Little Mermaid [Original Soundtrack] – 06 – Under the Sea
  • Theme from Men in Black – The Series

     
</post-lunch dance break>

What’s in your ‘break today?

“You can go out, you can take a drive…”

everyday glory No Comments »

Thursday : 06 October 05
The day started off with a call to my father to wish him a “Happy Birthday.” I wound up having to call him another… three times, I think… to get some information that I needed about 2/3 of the sibko. He was well and in good spirits.

I also talked with an aunt with whom I haven’t spoken in a few months. I surprised her with the call – a good surprise. It was good to talk with her.

The work day was decent enough. Lunch, rather “gymtime,” was good, too. I decided to try and push myself a little: I benched my body weight. It’s been a long time (“…been a long time, been a long lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely time“) since I’ve done that. I only did three reps, but… I did three reps. I consider that something of an accomplishment.

Post-work, I came home, took a side trip to Paragon City and saved the world (or at least a couple of parts of Striga Island). I watched the new episode of CSI… and I have a question for anyone else who might have seen it: When they exhumed the corpse, did it seem as though the coroner took an… “unhealthy interest” in it? Maybe it was just me, but he seemed to give a whole new dimension to the term “morbid curiosity.” Headed to ‘s to take a look at her furnace. Nothing too major. So, we sat and chatted for a bit.

Then, I did something that I haven’t done in a while: I went for a drive. For some reason, I wanted to see stars. Instead of my usual northward trek, I decided to loop south along Bangerter Highway. It was a smooth, easy drive, to the accompaniment of light jazz on the radio. I was shocked at some of the new development in the Riverton/Herriman area. I shouldn’t have been, but I was.

And I may save the world (again) before bedtime. Just like the Powerpuff Girls.

Stray Toasters

Quote of the Day

(15:52:35) : John [co-worker] was talking about Joseph Smith going to…. [a] group… and teaching them something, using their own texts to change their paradigm about…. something or other.
(15:52:40) : However….
(15:52:52) : In my head, it got reparsed as:
(15:53:21) : Joseph Smith went to them and said: “Alright, stop what you’re doing, ’cause I’m about to ruin the image and the style that you’re used to…”
(15:53:34) : I am going to Hell.
(15:53:50) : heh
(15:53:57) : yes. you are. but you will be in good company.

Namaste.

“…they be like ‘He the Man,’ when I’m really a Thundercat!”

everyday glory No Comments »

<afternoon dance break>

  • Nelly, P. Diddy and Murphy Lee – Shake Your Tailfeather
  • George Michael – Killer/Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone
  • Janet Jackson – Throb

</afternoon dance break>

“You can be the president, I’d rather be the Pope. You can be the side effect, I’d rather be the dope.”

everyday glory No Comments »

Wednesday : 05 October 05
Midweek and all is well.

Highlights for the day include:

  • Dropping in to see and company for a few minutes.
  • Lunch with
  • Dinner with and
  • Talking with my uncle.
  • Saving the world.

The High-Flying Adventures of Indigo Bolt
Shortly after I made the trip to Paragon City, I was contacted by two friends who are also in the supergroup to which I belong. They wanted to take on a series of missions against The Council on Striga Island. We met on Talos Island and made the journey to Striga. From that point, it was Council-whoopin’ time. A couple of us died once. No big deal – our debt was worked off by the end of the first mission.

When all of the adventuring was said and done, I had not only reached Security Level 23, but I had also banged out 14,000 points towards Security Level 24.

Stray Toasters

  • Over dinner, Nox asked me what name I would choose if I were elected Pope. That was easy: “Groovalicious the Chocolate.”
    But, since I don’t think that go over very well, I would most likely choose “Augustine.”

  • : Since you’re my “Go-to” person for all things Bat-related, I need you to comment on the veracity of this statement: “Batman Would Envy This Utility Belt” (Possible non-work safe images behind that link)
  • I started watching Kiki’s Delivery Service this afternoon. It’s a cute movie. I only got halfway through it, but I can see why it is one of ‘s favorites.
  • From the “What’chu talkin’ about, Willis?!” file: Proposed Indiana law would make the Virgin Mary and the Holy Spirit criminals
  • LDS DVD, Porn Movie Mix-up
  • In less than one week, I will be in the…. fourth1 happiest place on Earth: Disneyland, for four days of vacation goodness.

Quote of the Day
On the way to dinner, The Bangles’ Eternal Flame came on the radio:

[Radio]: Is this burning an eternal… flaaaaaaame?
: It is if it’s herpes!

And with that, good night.

Namaste.

1 – Ranking fourth behind: IKEA, Best Buy and Toys ‘R’ Us.

“Rollercoaster… of love! Say WHAT?!”

everyday glory No Comments »

<afternoon funk break>
     Ohio Players – Love Rollercoaster
</afternoon funk break>

“How can I put this in a way so as not to offend or unnerve…?”

everyday glory No Comments »

<dance break>
     
</dance break>

What’s in your ‘break today?

“…and the sky is a hazy shade of winter.”

everyday glory No Comments »

Tuesday : 04 October 05
I had to call my father this evening.

I had to continue my tradition of calling him when it snows here. Well, it fell on the mountains. *sigh* I really don’t mind Utah, for the most part, but I still just don’t grok this “snow before December” thing… let alone the fact that it isn’t even November yet. Hell, it isn’t even my birthday. Yet there’s snow. (The weather reminds me of this Two Lumps strip.)

As usual, Dad laughed when I told him about the snow. He also said that we were welcome to keep it here and not send any towards Baltimore. That, as usual, made me laugh.

and I stopped at one of the local Arctic Circles to grab a bite to eat tonight. Fast food should be simple. Tonight, the stars must have been out of alignment or something because I had a problem with my order that I don’t think I’ve ever encountered:

I am a rather finicky eater. *shrug* It’s something in the way I’m wired. We pulled up to the drive-thru and ordered the following for me: “Number 1 combo meal, with cheese, lettuce, tomato and bacon ONLY on the burger” (like I said: I’m finicky) along with an Oreo shake (which I just realized is still in the freezer). Really, that’s rather simple.

The person with the headset read back the order. It was fifty-leven different kids of wrong. So, repeated the order. Again, the cashier read it back incorrectly.*braincramp* Just for shits and giggles, she tried to place the order again.

No go, Flight.

So, we wound up going in. A cashier at the front counter had our ticket and was attempting to put the order in through his terminal when we walked up: “Oh, are you the people from the drive-thru?” No, smart boy, I’m Isaac, the bartender from The Love Boat! YES, we’re the people from the drive-thru! Moron. He called Aaron, one of the cooks, to the front. We placed the order. We apologized to Aaron for the trouble; he just looked at and pointed to the… (y’know, I don’t really know if the drive-up person was male or female. S/He had a very It’s Pat thing going on.) …drive-up person and rolled his eyes, as he walked back to the make line. When my order came out, it was just as I had originally – and repeatedly – ordered.

Aside from this little slice of life, it was a good day.

The High-Flying Adventures of Indigo Bolt
After a too-long hiatus, it was time to patrol the streets of Paragon City. I flew around Talos Island for a while before I remembered that I had a mission to complete on Striga Isle.

Veni, Vidi, Bolti.
“I came, I saw, I snapped off a few lightning bolts up their asses.”

I soloed the mission, without dying, and reported back to my contact. She tried to give me another mission, but it was a timed one… and I want some backup for that.

I headed back to Talos Island. I was flying around the bay when I saw a ferry. I thought that I’d see if I could just fly through it, on the car carrier level. I couldn’t. The ferry was the zone portal to Peregrine Island. I flew around for a few minutes. Nice place. WAY above my level. I basically pulled an Interplanet Janet and “…didn’t even stop to say hello.” But, I’ll go back there someday. Oh, yes… I will.

Stray Toasters

Namaste.

“No sweet perfume ever tortured me more than this…”

everyday glory No Comments »

<post-gym dance break>
     Sting and Cheb Mami – Desert Rose (Victor Calderone Mix)
</post-gym dance break>

What’s on your ‘break playlist today?

“I am, I am, I am Superman and I can do anything”

everyday glory No Comments »

Monday : 03 October 05
Someone turned Utah’s thermostat down. Way down. And for those of us for whom anything under 80° is “cold,” it wasn’t fun. Add to that the fact that the sky couldn’t decide whether or not it wanted to rain and you have the makings for a crappy day.

My day, however, was anything but crappy. In fact, it was pretty damned good. The work day sped along nicely. After work, Land came over for me to review his resume. The resume that he left at his office. So instead, he, and I sat around and chatted most of the evening away. And watched football. And moved the furniture (loveseat, chair and ottoman) from the… hm… I guess I’ll have to start calling it the “den” into the living room. They go well with the new paint job. I shudder to think just how atrocious it would have been had we stayed with the other shade of green.

Stray Toasters

  • Cinnamon rolls and ice cream are tasty. Not as tasty as the Captain and Coke that I was going to have, but that just means that I will have more fine beverage available for morrownight’s game session. (MENTAL NOTE: Don’t forget to pick up some orange juice for Pirate’s Tea.)
  • So what do you have to do to find happiness?
  • Both my inner former postal worker and my inner anarchist find this amusing.
  • Interview with Amy Crehore from The Drama Magazine
  • I have (finally) updated the LJ card that I created for my “User Info” page. Well… maybe not “updated,” exactly. Using the MtG Editor that’s become so popular, I redid the card in that format. Here’s what it looks like now:

    My ever-cherubic little sister, , confirmed that the text was, in her words, “…all terribly suitable.” I enjoyed making that card, so I completely gave in to my inner geek and made a card for Indigo Bolt, too.

  • I like this cover for JSA Classified #2. It’s simple and understated… yet it conveys a sense of the underlying emotion involved in the storyline.
  • Target has season collections of various series on sale for $18.88 (USD). Click here to see what’s on the list. (Psst! , Two words: “Gilmore Girls.”)
  • If you want the fruit to fall
    You have to give the tree a shake
    But if you shake the tree too hard,
    The bough is gonna break

    And if I can’t reach the top of the tree
    Mary you can hold me up there
    What I wouldn’t give to be
    When I was Mary’s prayer

  • I think that I may have confounded my friend, Don, with the fact that I like Day By Day, as it is a comic with a conservative bent. *shrug* What can I say? Entertainment is entertainment, regardless of political lines.
  • Yet another sterling example of Home Depot saving the day:

Quote of the Day

(13:03:41) : Hoi.
(13:03:42) : http://www.nbc5.com/entertainment/5050524/detail.html
(13:03:49) : See? EVERYONE wants to be a superhero.
(13:04:33) : oh. my. god.
(13:14:56) : damn. it’s not just Kal-El Cage, it’s Kal-el Coppola Cage.
(13:15:01) : Yeah.
(13:15:06) : No escaping that one.
(13:15:19) : That’s not a name. That’s a zone in a Nintendo Game.
(13:15:32) : “Mario! Don’t fall into the Kal-el Coppola Cage! Nooooooo!”

Namaste.

“The world is spinning so fast, I’m buyin’ lead Nike shoes…”

everyday glory No Comments »

< rainy morning dance break>
     
</rainy morning dance break>

What’s in your dance break today?
(And , I ‘spect to see one from you, too.)

“There’ll be blue skies over Dundalk when I break your heart.”

everyday glory No Comments »

Sunday : 02 October 05
Today was a rather lazy day… which was just perfect for a weekend.

I slept in this morning. Way in. 11:00 in. And then I just laid in bed for another… thirty or forty minutes. Yeah, when I said “lazy,” I wasn’t kidding. I got up and came down to the HCC to watch some of the early games. They weren’t bad, but they weren’t what I was looking for. I lost interest and started to do some light cleaning. (Okay, so I wasn’t completely lazy…) A short while later, came over – we were going to watch the Ravens game together. (More football coverage to follow.) After the game, we had dinner at Mimi’s Cafe. It was a good meal, even though our waiter apparently did not hear me order an entree. Yeah.. all I wanted was a small salad. *blink blink* When he came around to see if we “had saved some room for dessert,” I told him that I was still awaiting my entree. He looked stunned. But, he hurried off to get the order in. I didn’t get upset; this kind of thing happens.

After dinner, I came back home and watched the late game while I tried to reduce some of the paper waste (old papers and magazines) from my office. After that, I watched Double Jeopardy with and Heather. It wasn’t a bad movie, despite a couple of plot holes.

Football

New York Jets at Baltimore
3 – 13
The Ravens looked like an honest-to-goodness NFL football team this week. The offense, led by Anthony Wright, moved the ball. The defense, led by Ray Lewis, held their ground against the Jets’ offense. And Matt Stover proved that he is still capable of putting the ball between the uprights.
vs.
Sorry, , but I still can’t get behind this win for the Bengals. According to every sportscaster that I’ve heard this evening, the refs botched a call – a reviewed call, at that – that would have actually given the Texans a chance to tie, if not win, the game.
vs.
Sweet Mother Mary… What got into the Bolts?! They went into Foxboro and whooped up on the Pats. 41 – 17. Damn, Gina!
vs.
Donovan McNabb and the boys from the City of Brotherly Love came back from a 13 – 24 halftime deficit to beat the Chiefs – who have now lost back-to-back games at home – by a score of 37 – 31.
vs.
What has become of the Niners?! They lost to… the Cards? The CARDS!? 14 – 31?!? I think that has to be another sign of the coming apocalypse.

Stray Toasters

Namaste.

“I see a red door and I want to paint it black. No color anymore, I want them to turn black….”

everyday glory No Comments »

Saturday : 01 October 05
First off, “Happy Birthday” to my fellow October LJers:

Today’s been pretty good, despite the fact that I kept waking up during the wee hours of the morning.

After spending the time getting the living room prepped and painted, I made a grand discovery this week: The color was horrible. Period. It looked bad. And I don’t mean “Bad” as in “good.” I mean “bad” as in “bad.” As in Huey Lewis and the News’ Sometimes Bad Is Bad. Yeah. Like that. If you’re familiar with the green color of an Andes chocolate mint candy, you have an idea of the shade I’m talking about. While that color’s great for confectionery, it’s not so keen for walls. It looked so promising on the paint sample card…

I went to Big Kids’ Toys ‘R’ Us… I mean, “Home Depot,” in search of something that would look better. I was in search of something a little more muted. I got a paint card with the old color on it and compared it to other cards in the green family. Unlike Bono and The Edge, I found what I was looking for. I took the paint card, got a can of base paint and took them to the counter to have an associate mix the color into it. A few minutes later, it was ready. I will admit that when I saw the final product, I was still a little leery – it still looked a bit light. But, I had taken the plunge, might as well see what was in store.

I came home, stirred the paint, got the roller and went to work. The difference was immediately apparent, even while the new coat of paint was still wet. It looked good. Very good. $5000 shopping spree in IKEA good. It was more in line with what I had expected the previous color would look like. I was so jazzed at the effect that I finished the bulk of the job in roughly an hour. I still need to do the corners and some edging, but by and large: It’s done. Selah.

A shower and change of clothes later, I was off to Red Lobster (not my choice, but I could deal with it) for dinner with , , Heather, Staci, Matt and Pat. I arrived first and put my name on the list for a table. “The wait will be about forty minutes.” *sigh* So, I sat… and waited. A short while later, I saw a couple of familiar – but unexpected faces: Monica and Brian. They told me that and Jen were on their way as well. We wound up commandeering another table and all sat together. It was a fun dinner… even if it was at Red Lobster.

Next on the agenda: Breakfast.

::: intermission :::

Breakfast was good, but again, there was a small turn-out.

Stray Toasters

  • I actually remembered to tune into Wait Wait, Don’t Tell Me this morning. And, as an added bonus, I even listened to A Prairie Home Companion while I was painting this afternoon.
  • Once again, I neglected to tape Justice League Unlimited. I’m about this far from breaking down and getting a DVR receiver for DirecTV.
  • From boingboing.net: Laundry: 416-page “How To” for clothes-washing fetishists
  • Also from boingboing: Black bumwad
    I really don’t think that I could say anything more about this one.

  • I was listening to Me Ol’ Bam-Boo while driving today. Damn and a half if it isn’t just a fun song to sing along with!
  • From (with a nod to a quiz that Nyx shared with us):

  • For some reason, Peter Gunn is running through my head. Not the original version. Not even the Art of Noise version. But, the midi version from the old Spy Hunter game.
  • From the L.A. Times: This just in: Flops Caused Box Office Slump
  • Vintage Skivvies: Archives

I’m tired. That’s plenty for now.

Namaste.

“Why do stars suddenly appear…”

everyday glory No Comments »

Friday : 30 September 05
Five in the “Out” box and we call that a week.

Today was another good day. A highlight of the day was going out to lunch – we (Eric, Nathan and I) went to Pho Hoa for Vietnamese noodle soup. We met some of Eric and Nathan’s former co-woerksI had Pho Chín, Nam, Ga`u, Gân, Vè Dòn (Noodle soup with brisket, flank, tendon, fatty, and crunchy flank [steak] ). It was very good.

Tonight’s Clitorati was small. Very small. Five people “small.” And, y’know what? That was fine; we had a great time. While we were out, I picked up the Mirrormask soundtrack!


This makes for a very happy Rob. I now know who the vocalist for Close to You is: Josefine Cronholm. She performed all eight of the vocal tracks on the song. And, naturally, that was the first song that I played when I got in.

Stray Toasters

Quote of the Day

[22:36] : <sigh>
[22:36] : can i have a “What the fuck?!” brothers and sisters?!
[22:37] : Ni hao
[22:37] : What the fuck, reverend?!
[22:37] : Preach!
[22:37] : Preach!
[22:37] : AMEN thank you brother rob
[22:37] : jesus
[22:38] : ??
[22:38] : don’t people freaking stop to think before they talk
[22:38] : http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9535204/

[22:38] : mind you
[22:38] : this is the same guy who wrote “book of virtues” and is also a confessed problem gambler
[22:38] : Yeah. Read that this morning.
[22:38] : i love hypocracy and stupidity all wrapped up into one
[22:40] : what i also don’t undersatnd
[22:40] : well…among the many things i don’t understand
[22:40] : this guy is obviously a republican
[22:40] : *nod*
[22:40] : mostly because repubs hate black people
[22:40] : and dems hate white people
[22:40] : so it’s easy to discern
[22:41] : so why don’t the dems just stop being weenies and asking for apologies and simply focus on this bullshit as the “other party”
[22:41] : the repubs do it all the time
[22:41] : screw apologies, mock them!
[22:41] : Can I quote you on that?
[22:42] : these are the moments i’m happy to be a registered independent. i hate everybody
[22:42] : Ditto.
[22:42] : hell why not, i’m a very wise person at times
[22:42] : usually when drunk
[22:42] : but not today
[22:42] : i just don’t get it
[22:42] : one dude says the country would be better off if strom thurmond won the presidency
[22:42] : and he’s still a senator
[22:42] : Apparently, neither does he.
[22:43] : robertson says 9-11 was god’s revenge, wants to kill foreign leaders, and so on
[22:43] : still has millions of followers
[22:43] : douchebags are now saying new orleans was demolished b/c of the 5 abortion clinics
[22:43] : again i ask
[22:43] : WHAT THE FUCK?!

[22:44] : i think my political x-rated dream is mccain telling the repubs to fuck themselves and declaring as an independent
[22:44] : taking bill bradley as his VP
[22:44] : and kicking ass
[22:44] : Hm. Interesting ticket.
[22:44] : ya. poor bill was probably the smartest guy out there
[22:44] : but the personality of a flea
[22:45] : if he made gore look animated, there’s a problem
[22:45] : heh
[22:46] : still praying for colin to get revenge for being trotted out by bush and run for prez
[22:46] : but i have little faith in the people of america to be smart enough to vote for him

And with that, I’m done.

Namaste.