Random Access

Sunday
This one’s going to be short because I’ve been going – and on my feet – for most of the day and have to get up in a little over three hours to take Adam to the airport. In D.C.

The wedding was beautiful. And, it went off without a hitch (at least, as far as I know). Rana looked beautiful in her dress, as did her bridesmaids. John and the groomsmen looked very dapper in their (our?) tuxedos. The ceremony was nice and the reception was fun. I saw A LOT of people whom I haven’t seen in a long time. I also met many people – including new family members.

All in all, it’s been a very good (and very tiring) day. Pictures will be posted when I get back to the other side of the Rockies.

But, for now… I’m catching a few zzz’s.

Namaste.

Friday
We didn’t do much during the early part of the day. Later in the afternoon, we headed to the airport to pick up a rental car, stopped by to see a few people and then came home. Then, it was off to pick up the tuxedos for Adam, Dad and me. I think that Jess was very amused by one of the sales associates there.

The rehearsal dinner was Friday night… but we didn’t rehearse before the dinner. Rehearsal will be Sunday afternoon. A couple of hours before the wedding. *shrug* Ours is not to reason why… The dinner was held at Sabatino’s, a restaurant in Little Italy. It was quite nice.

After we got home, Jess and I sat up and chatted with my father. Until 4 A.M.

Saturday
After an early morning phone call, I turned over and went back to sleep for a few hours. I’ve been having some rather unusual (and somewhat disturbing) dreams. I’m not sure what my subconscious is trying to tell me, but the oblique messages are more than a little disquieting.

Jess, Adam and I headed to D.C. this afternoon to visit Arlington National Cemetery. (Jess and I went there a couple of years ago, but weren’t able to visit the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We got close, but the area was closed… and the on-duty guard at the entrance basically said that it would be hazardous to our health to attempt to proceed any further.) Today, we not only got to see the tomb, we were there for the changing of the guard. I got a few pics of the Tomb and Amphitheater (to be posted when I get back). We were going to make an attempt to see the World War II Veterans’ Memorial, but time was running short and D.C. traffic was getting a bit hairy.

Sidebar: I have said that I would love to take a random assortment of Utah drivers and throw them in to the middle of D.C. rush hour traffic… and watch their heads explode. I still want to do this. However, Jess drove in today’s traffic (not as heavy as usual) and did admirably. Which, given her time in the Army, didn’t really surprise me. But, I would still love to see an average typical Utah driver’s reaction to it…

Back to B’more. We headed to the Inner Harbor for dinner at Phillip’s. Crab cakes. REAL seafood. I am appeased. And, Adam agrees with my assessment of why seafood in our current respective states doesn’t qualify as “real seafood.” We walked past the U.S.S. Constellation on the way back to the car. It still amuses me that LEGO® has a Collector’s Edition model of it (as opposed to the U.S.S. Constitution).

And now, we’re back at home.

Tomorrow: The Wedding.
(Pray for our safety and sanity.)

Namaste.

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Another morning of sleeping in followed by switching channels between football and poker. Adam got in this afternoon, a few hours before dinner. We had a nice family dinner… and broke in on a full family dining experience. He not only survived, but held his own. Admirably so, in fact.

Tonight, we’re meeting and going to see Ray.

I hope that your holiday has been enjoyable and that any family members from out of town arrived safely.

Namaste.

Wednesday
Today was a very lax and lazy day in Charm City. After getting up far too early yestermorn and flying all day, I slept until sometime around noon. Of course, if you factor in the time zone differences, it was only 10:00-ish MST. So, that makes it a little better. Of course, I’m on vacation… so that means that I’m not really on much of a schedule.

The day did include a pilgrimage to Mecca. I mean IKEA. I get them confused sometimes. Anywho, it was a fun excursion. I might even try to squeeze in another trip before we head west.

Now, I’m trying to find drivers for the modem in my laptop. Win2K doesn’t seem to like the modem much and since I’m usually connected to broadband at home, I don’t think about the modem issue. Until I come home for vacation. *sigh*

and (and anyone else in the greater BWI Metro area): and I are thinking of catching a movie tomorrow night as a way to ward off the post-dinner *blah* and to have something to do with the evening. If you’re interested in catching a flick with us, send me a text message or give me a call.

And that’s it. For now.

Namaste.

Tuesday
We are in Baltimore and made it with no incidents.

Despite the loudmouth in the seat behind me from Atlanta to Baltimore. That woman had NO volume control. Fortunately, the engines drowned out most of her conversation … or I actually managed to tune her out. I counted at least four occasions when I wanted to just turn around and slug her. *twitch* Otherwise, the flights -and short layover in Atlanta – were good.

John and Rana met us at the airport and brought us home. Dad had food waiting when we got here. Food after a long trip is always a good thing. After a little down time and catching up on what’s new, we helped Rana get some favors together for the reception.

I’m not sure what else is on tap for the evening, but that’s it so far.

Namaste.

Monday
Today was Errand and Pick-up-a-few-things-before-traveling Day. I did manage to sneak in a couple of hours at Borders, though. There wasn’t any poker tonight. Instead, I put off packing for most of the evening. But I’m done, except for a pair of jeans that wasn’t quite as dry as I would have liked.

Tomorrow morning at 7:40 AM (MST), our flight takes off for Atlanta. At 4:00 PM (EST), we’ll be back in Baltimore. Speaking of which: If any MD/DC-area LJers want to get together, leave me a comment here or catch me on AIM.

News
Morning Edition – Wine Tasting Takes a High-Tech Turn
Morning Edition – Charting the History of Hip
Day to Day – The ‘Ten Commandments for Diners’
All Things Considered – Woman Faces Charges for Locking Children in Shed
All Things Considered – Alternatives to Turkey on Thanksgiving

Security Focus – Judge Dismisses Keylogger Case

Stray Toasters

• It might be cheesy, but I’m looking forward to Blade: Trinity.
• Amanda Waller…. and…. Maxwell Lord… on JLU. Great Caesar’s snowboarding ghost! Given that J.M. DeMatteis, who wrote JLI, did the teleplay and Maxwell Lord is involved, we might even see a modified take on the JLI (“International”). Or The Conglomerate.
• They’re doing a sequel… to Mrs. Doubtfire? WHY?!? I enjoyed the movie, but it was a completely self-contained project. There’s no need to diminish its charm by hacking together a threadbare plot. Sometimes, I really hate Hollywood.
• Weycome back to Cerrebity Poker Shodowwwn. –
• B-b-b-Bennie and the Jets….
• Chris Doyle’s The Mini-Mizer: Picture Yourself in Plastic
  It started innocently enough. I made a figure of myself for use as a new icon. Then, I made one of Jess. And then, I don’t know what in the Hell happened, but then I decided to do minifigs of the captains from Star Trek: Kirk, Picard, Sisko and Janeway.

• “Wow, there are a lot of power cords… How many outlets are you using?”
  

• By way of Backwash: When Your Co-Worker Is Away
• “A Brief Guide for HALO 2 Online”
  

When next I post, I will be back on the Right Coast. Selah.

Namaste.

Sunday
I woke up sometime around 7:30 this morning because Presto and Lightning (most recent pics) decided to make lots of noise in the closet. I was not happy about that. I made a little noise of my own about it. That didn’t go over well with a very sleepy . I managed to find my way back to The Dreaming for a bit before it was time for football.

Kate, Max and Perry came over around 5:00. Kate helped to install a new toilet in the hall bathroom. That is to say: She installed it and I assisted a bit. Then I cooked some bratwurst, burgers and chicken on the grill. Max wanted to play all of the superhero games that I have for my XBox. Three-year-olds, go figure.

I should start getting things ready for the Baltimore trip. *sigh* But, there’s always tomorrow for that. Besides, I’m (still) not in the mood to do laundry.

Football

Dallas at Baltimore 10 – 30 Former Ravens QB Vinny Testaverde and the Dallas Cowboys came into M&T Bank Stadium looking to put their brand on the boys from Baltimore. Quoth the Ravens: Nevermore. The Cowboys hit the dusty trail with a loss. After holding the Ravens scoreless in the first half, the Cowboys gave up 30 (three-oh) unanswered points in the second half. The Cowboys got a touchdown late in the Fourth Quarter, but it was too late. They were twenty points down with less than a minute to play. The Ravens brought the total package to the game today. Offense. Defense. Special teams. Everything clicked. Kyle Boller, a little unsteady in the first half of the game, came back in the third quarter looking like a veteran NFL QB. And, Ed Reed had his third INT in three games.

Stray Toasters

• As promised: Pictures from the two most recent trips to Moab.
• I don’t know how or where found this, but I think that it’s pretty neat. In a gamer geek kind of way. 🙂
• The Ten Commandments for Net Newbies
• “If you had to choose between a pile of gold and saving the love of your life, which would you…”
  

• I haven’t heard anything new about the animated series from Mainframe Entertainment, but at least Alien Legion is coming back in paper form.
• “Quiet! I’m glaring at you!” –
• By way of Slashdot: 230 MPH Electric Car and Screw-in LED Floodlights
• Just in time for the holidays: 15 Worst Holiday Gift Ideas
• : Colossal Boy (v6)
• Trainspotting reference on Family Guy. *cracks up*

Quote of the Day
I watched part of the Ravens game “with” . Kind of. The game wasn’t being aired in her area, so I gave her a sporadic play-by-play:

[13:25] : Stover nails one from 50.
[13:25] : 17 – 3
[13:25] : wow theyre kickin ass!
[13:25] : Yeah they are.
[13:26] : The offense is looking like a real NFL offense.
[13:26] : Who knew?!
[13:26] : lol
[13:26] : you mean the defense isnt scoring all these points???
[13:26] : The D hasn’t scored at all.
[13:27] : wow
[13:27] : so theyre acting like a real nfl d then huh?
[13:27] : very odd
[13:27] : Yeah.
[13:29] : If I hadn’t seen the birds on the helmets, I would have thought that it was the Vikings.
[13:29] : lol

Namaste.

Thursday and Friday
I spent the past two days doing my best impression of the legendary John Henry. With a shovel, a hammer and a pick I dug through dirt and sand. And rocks. A lot of rocks. Unlike John Henry, I didn’t have to worry about beating a steam shovel; my only opponent was time. Fortunately, the weather was good. Not “middle-of-summer” hot, but it was warm enough to work in a t-shirt – and even without it – for a while. (Getting to work on my tan was an added and unexpected bonus.)

We got to Moab around 11:30 Thursday morning. After dropping off our bikes and personal gear, Rich and I headed to the job site. This job was installing sub-grade ductwork in a new single-family home. (Translation: We were digging trenches and laying 10″ and 14″ pipe.) We dug… and dug… and dug some more until the sun set. We were on-site with Ed and Bill, a couple of plumbers, so we had to be careful not to get in each others’ way. We packed up for the day and headed to Moab Brewery for dinner. Not only do they make good hot wings, they make a pretty mean burger, too. And beer. Tasty malt beverage. This time, I tried the Black Raven Oatmeal Stout. C’mon. It’s a beer with “raven” in its name, how could I pass that up?! It was good – it reminded me of Guiness. By the time we got to the house, we were both tired and ready for hot showers. I’m not kidding about the “tired” part, we were ready to hit the rack almost as soon as CSI went off the air.

Bright and early Friday morning, we were at it again. Ed was back and Steve, the concrete contractor, was there with his crew. More digging. And we laid the ducts. And dug. And laid ducts. And… well, you get the idea. Ten hours’ worth. We went to Smitty’s Golden Steak Restaurant for dinner. (I’m not 100% sure, but I’m willing to bet that the name is a play on the “Golden Stake” that united the Intercontinental Railroad at Promontory Point, UT in the 1860s.) Chicken fried steak never tasted so good. After a couple of much-needed showers, we watched a Monster Nation and a special on the history of the F-14 Tomcat (my second favorite modern aircraft). I channel-surfed for a short bit after that. And then, it was time to sleep.

Saturday
Back to the site for clean-up and to move the leftover pipe back to Coyote Run (the site where we were last time I was here) for a job in two weeks. We were going to go riding at Klondike Bluffs for some slickrock biking, but Mother Nature decided to have a bit of a laugh at our expense: It was raining this morning. So, we went hiking in Moonflower Canyon, instead. It was a box canyon next to the Colorado River. And I also touched quicksand for the first time. I’m almost done with the pictures from this – and the last – trip; I should have them up tomorrow night.

We came back home and I didn’t do much until it was time to go bowling. and Justin met us there. Tonight’s high score was a whopping 167. My other games ranged from 106 to 152, I believe. Post-bowling breakfast was good, too.

Tomorrow: Football

Dallas at Baltimore 1:00 PM (EST)

Stray Toasters

• I’m sure that it has something to do with the fact that we’re up at O’dark Thirty, but there seems to be something “different” about the way that time flows in Moab. After all, short being sick, drunk or seriously jetlagged, me being tired and ready for bed by 9:30 is unheard of.
• Friday night: I didn’t know who was upstairs, but they had at least one kid (although it sounds like they had a small herd of them). And this kid apparently had one setting: “Run with Stompy Doom.” *twitch* It was not conducive to sleeping. Or trying to sleep. Or even wanting to go to sleep.
• This time next week, I’ll be within twenty-four to thirty-six hours of the wedding. I’m pretty sure that the house will be full of angst. But, I’ll be at home.
• Wolverine versus The X-Men?
• On tonight’s Megas XLR, they did a take-off of the anime Captain Harlock character named… Captain Warlock. Funny.

I’m sure that there was more that I wanted to add to this, but I’ve been up since before 7:00 AM. I’m tapped.

Namaste.

Wednesday
Well, I was supposed to be in Moab at this point… but the site wasn’t ready and rather than spend the day down there twiddling our thumbs, we’re leaving tomorrow morning. On the up side, I was able to sleep in this morning. It was good.

and messaged me and asked if I had any plans for the day. Since I didn’t, they came over and we went to lunch. Souper Salad. I had not eaten there before; it reminded me of Sweet Tomatoes. But less expensive. And it was good. Then it was on to Nickel Mania, a new nickle arcade in Murray (a SLC suburb, for non-Utards… um…non-Utahns); in the former location of Brighton Appliances. We had a blast. We played video games, pinball and air hockey. For nickels per game. It was easily worth the $2.25 admission. I think that we’ll be visiting there again.

We came back here and hung out; Jess showed up shortly after we got in. We started watching a show on Discovery Health about radical plastic surgeries. Then, Nox and I played HALO while Nyx and Jess watched He’s a Lady. Bizarre show.

News
Morning Edition – Trading Rouge for Camouflage
Morning Edition – NASA Scramjet Sets a New Air-Speed Record
Morning Edition – Abercrombie & Fitch Settles Discrimination Suit

Stray Toasters

• I’m not sure that these were things that I ever needed to know, but I now know about: a) Nox thoughts on Jack Skellington underwear and b) “booty juice.” *shiver* I fear Nyx’ mix CDs.
• Broken Frontier has a good article about the return of the Black Panther to the Marvel Universe. And, it’s being written by Reginald Hudlin. I’m glad to see more ethnic characters – not just African-American characters, but that doesn’t hurt in my book – gaining more prominent roles in the media. I never considered how few heroes of color there were when I was growing up; I just enjoyed the fantasy of the genre. As I grew older, I came to appreciate the benefits – and even the “need” – for characters with whom kids could identify. “He (or she) looks like me!” I realize that the chances of a kid getting bitten by a radioactive/genetically-engineered spider (or getting caught in a cosmic storm or having Adamantium® grafted to her or his skeleton or being rocketed to Earth as a baby) are slim, at best, but kids need positive role models. Kudos to the media for getting them out there.
• The 86 Rules of Boozing
• K-Mart is buying Sears. The thing that I find the most interesting is that it was only a couple of years ago that K-Mart was bankrupt. And now, they’re buying Sears. Amazing how things change. (And might I add that my inner 8-year-old misses Sears’ Christmas catalog? It had the best holiday toy section of all catalogs.)
• By way of Backwash: What does the Chicago lyric “25 or 6 to 4” mean?
• coffeekid.com: a website for the appreciation of quality coffee and espresso in the home.
• The Black Widow is back.

Tomorrow: Moab.
Next week: Baltimore.
Those two things make me smile.

Namaste.

Tuesday
Today was a decent day.

Aside from a slight problem with the garage door, that is. When I returned home from a morning excursion, I clicked the remote to open the door and it did the mechanical equivalent of thumbing its nose at me. A few times. Undaunted, I got out of the car, came in the front door and headed to the tool drawer. I entered the garage from the house and introduced the garage door to my favorite hammer, Mjolnir II. Shortly thereafter, it seemed to comprehend the idea that I was serious about it opening and closing when it is supposed to do so.

Later in the day, I dropped in to see (I’m using her bike and Camelbak® this weekend) and (I had questions about the trail her father wants to ride this Saturday). The evening was spent having dinner and hanging-out with the recently returned from out-of-town and .

Wednesday afternoon, I’m heading back to Moab for another round of HVAC duct work with ‘s father. And another slickrock bike ride. And, hopefully, another round or two of Moab Brewery’s finest.

News
Morning Edition – Put Your Paws Up
Morning Edition – Janitor Had $2 Million Secret
Talk of the Nation – Video Games Grow Up
Talk of the Nation – Pianist Leon Fleisher
Day to Day – Annabelle Gurwitch: Revenge for Forwarded E-Mails
All Things Considered – Missouri Town Faces Disincorporation

BBC News – Science counts species on the brink

Yahoo! News – PETA Campaign Pitches Fish as Smart

Stray Toasters

• Out of the proverbial blue, I received an email from my Godmother this evening. It was a very pleasant surprise.
• The Lost and Forgotten Marbles of Brian Michael Bendis
• Kevin Spacey has been approached to play Lex Luthor in the upcoming Superman movie.
• By way of : Wallywood – “For all your movie mistakes.”
• Kudos to Cinescape’s “TV Wasteland” for their take on this:
  

  STAR TREK VI: THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY (9 PM CST, Spike)
  Kirk’s a bigot, Klingons quote Shakespeare, and Kim Cattrall sports a really bad haircut.

• : News about the reboot.
• I may watch Titan AE again this weekend.
• Craigslist has many an interesting item. I was perusing the Salt Lake City list and came across an “Items Wanted” posting for Dear John letters. As if that wasn’t odd enough, the requestor specifically wanted letters received by missionaries (while in the mission field, I presume). As Dr. Rosenblatt would say: “It’s so bizarre…”
• I have a few comics-related statues (Batman (mini), The Sandman (mini) and Gambit), but I’ve never really been a big fan of busts/mini-busts. Not even the various Cyclops busts that have been out. *shrug* Aesthetics, go figure. However, I’m willing to reconsider my opinion with the upcoming Kitty Pryde bust (details). It even has Lockheed – that’s a definite bonus.
• Disney is moving ahead with Toy Story 3. I wonder what it will be like now that Pixar and Disney’s working relationship is no more.

That’s it for the next few days… unless I get the modem on Defiant working and decide to eke out a quick post from the southern desert.

Namaste.

Monday
This morning, I woke up from the singularly most bizarre dream that I can remember in a very long time. I was in a Buffy-like setting (even more weird since I wasn’t a fan of the show) and running from… something. Apparently, someone had cast a curse and I was caught in the effect. It was Medusa-like spell. Except that instead of the snakes growing from my head, they kept coming out of my right arm, either from the inside of my wrist or the palm of my hand (similar to the way that Ron Weasley kept spitting up slugs in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets). And they kept coming. And coming. And coming. It was very disconcerting. What woke me up was when I tried to stop more snakes from exiting and one slithered up my arm, towards my face. I woke with a jump and a bit of a yell, I think. In the words of Dr. Henry Jones, Jr. (better known to his associates as “Indy”): Snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?

The rest of the day was mercifully less stressful. It included calls from Bret, Adam and my father. It will be good to see them next week.

And tonight: Poker!

::: fast- forward :::

, and came over for poker. had to bail early. brought electronic crack HALO 2. *covet* It’s another definite “buy” for me. Tonight’s poker rankings:

1. Me.

Stray Toasters

• Many of you are familiar with the Penny Arcade webcomic. Last year, the strip’s creators came up with the idea for Child’s Play, a charity that donated $250,000 in toys and money to Seattle Children’s Hospital. This year, they are expanding to Children’s Hospitals across the country. Check it out and pass it on.
• I was chatting with my brother-in-law-to-be, , this afternoon when he forwarded the URL to “MoveThemOn.org – Real Democracy in Action.” It made me laugh.
• From an IRC conversation: Rate My Network Diagram
• John Schneider was being interviewed about Smallville the changes in this season’s storyline following the death of Christopher Reeve. He was also asked if he had been approached for a role in the upcoming Superman movie. (He hasn’t.) Then, the interviewer asked if he would be appearing in the upcoming The Dukes of Hazzard movie. He laughed and responded: “I wouldn’t drive in that movie in your car.”
• Harry Lampert, co-creator of The Flash, died Saturday. Even though he retired in 1980, he still made appearances at comics conventions.
• Nat King Cole. Unforgettable. *nod*
• “Do you think that Sims feel pain?”
  
• : Guess who’s on the cover of the third issue of the new LSH. And, as an added bonus: This.
• By way of Slashdot: Atlantis found. Again.
• On Wookiees and nudity taboos…
• Firestorm vs… Firestorm? But, isn’t he supposed to be dead. Firestorm, I mean. Well, that Firestorm.
• Biz Markie’s Just a Friend just rolled around on the Winamp’s random play. The first thing that popped into my head was last year’s Pepsi commercial that used it.
• : For you
• “Hi! I’d like some meatloaf!”
  
• : Click here.

Namaste.

Sunday
I got to bed around 4 AM. I was sleeping pretty well until… sometime this morning… when one of the cats decided that things were too quiet and broke a glass in the bathroom. Kids. Even the four-legged, furry ones. Or maybe that should be “especially.” *shrug*

The bulk of the afternoon was spent watching football and being generally lazy. We hooked up with Mary, Matt, Staci and Pat for dinner… and then we saw The Incredibles. Again. It was just as much fun the second time. It’s definitely on my “must buy when it comes to DVD” list.

Football

Baltimore at NY Jets 20 – 17 The Ravens made the trip up I-95 to Giants Stadium to face the Jets. Their opening drive had 15 plays and went 95 yards… only to get stopped at the goal line. The Jets went on to score 14 unanswered points and lined up to tack on another TD before the end of the first half. But, they didn’t count on Ed Reed. Ed picked off a pass in the end zone and ran it back – 103 yards – for a touchdown. But, there was an offensive blocking foul called, so it was called back and became a 78 yard interception. But, the Ravens were able to capitalize on it and scored on the following series. The Ravens went on to score 17 unanswered points. The Jets tied it up and threw the game into OT with a very late field goal. But, Matt Stover nailed a 42 yard field goal for the win.

Stray Toasters

• I remember a lot of talk when Harley Quinn made the transition from Batman: The Animated Series to the four-color DCU. I had thought that she wasn’t the first character to make such a move… but couldn’t remember who came before her. Then it dawned on me: Firestar. First seen on NBC’s Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends in 1982, she was next seen in the Marvel Universe in 1986. Predating Ms. Quinzel by a decade.
• Manga: Reasons to Like It, by Megan B. Moore. This article took a different tack than I expected. I was expecting a gung-ho, over-the-top “You should like them because…” article. I was pleasantly surprised to find that she started with reasons that most American audiences don’t like manga. It’s a good read.
• I just watched the trailer for Elektra. Not bad. It looks as though Marvel is following the path they took with the Blade series and moving away from the “superhero” aspects of the character and moving into thriller/action. Speaking of which, you can check out the trailer for Blade: Trinity here, under “Surveillance.”
• : Cosmic Boy, from the new reboot.
• From Popular Science: The Worst Jobs in Science – The Sequel

Namaste.

Saturday
The day started with a long, relaxing soak.

Well, that’s not entirely true. My day started about an hour-and-a-half before that, but nothing much happened before said soak. So, that’s why the story starts there. If you can’t handle it, maybe you should just go ahead and skip to the dragonslaying part in the third chapter. Or just cut to the chase and head for the “…happily ever after” at the end. (And, so you can ruin it for your friends: The butler did it.)

I watched most of the Purdue – Ohio State game. It started off slowly, each team only scored a field goal in the First Quarter… but it picked up a bit in the second. Purdue went on to win 24 – 17.

I called my mother for the first time in a couple of weeks… and got the commensurate “Why haven’t I heard from you…” comments. But, all seems well there. And she’s coming to Rana’s wedding, so I’ll see her there. Yes, “coming to Rana’s wedding” is the appropriate phrase: Rana’s my sister, but not my mother’s daughter (that would be Kris, who should also be at the wedding).

Bowling wasn’t bad: 153 – 147 – 150 – 147 – 160 – 127 – 167 – 124 – 182. We had a rather boisterous group to our right. They were… interesting. Breakfast was good, too. I got to show and the Dry Erase Board of Doom and the original “Whose Jealous” list.

News
All Things Considered – A Talk Between Two Veterans

Reporter Julie Rose of member station KPCW sends an audio portrait of two veterans: Dylan Daniels, a Marine who served in Iraq during the current war, and Harry Bernard Miller, a former infrantryman who served in Normandy during World War II.

All Things Considered – Smoosh: A Musical Sister Act
Weekend Edition – Saturday – The Smithsonian’s ‘Price of Freedom’

CNN.com – Rapper O.D.B. dies at recording studio

silicon.com – Spyware charge levelled at Lexmark

Stray Toasters

• S-Force, the Gatchaman parody team, was on tonight’s episode of Megas XLR. It was a funny episode.
• Banned Books Week
• Censored 2005: The Top 25 Censored Media Stories of 2003-2004
• By way of an IRC conversation: Unusual eBay discussion…
• Yahoo Movies has some new information about the upcoming Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy movie.
• …and also from the movie front: Lauren Shuler Donner Auctions Superhero Movie Items
• “Thanks, Green Lantern!”
  “I’m not Green Lantern! I’m Booster Gold. If I was Green Lantern, my costume would be… GREEN!”

• As if I needed something else to covet: Casio comes out with these. Necessary? No. Geekily cool? Yep.
• “Uh… yeah. I’ve got these coupons here for free beer.”
  

Namaste.

Friday
The day started off grey and wet… but fortunately the sun broke through most of the clouds for a decent-looking day.

I ran some errands and stopped in to see and for a few. After a quick trip to get Jess and then head home, it was off to coffee. Perry and Max were there when we got there. I disappeared for a few minutes; I had to go across the street to get measured for my tux for John and Rana’s wedding. Shortly after I got back, , and showed up.

News
Morning Edition – Kinsey: Conventional Film, Unconventional Subject
Day to Day – U.S. Bowling’s ‘League of Ordinary Gentlemen’
All Things Considered – Peterson Found Guilty of Murder

Stray Toasters

• Kismet can be a patient – and cruel – mistress. Someone with whom I worked many seasons past may soon learn how bitter her kiss can be. And it couldn’t happen to a more deserving person.
• There are six posters (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) that Fox is considering using as the theatrical poster the upcoming Elektra movie. I think that posters 2 and 3 come closest to capturing the style of Greg Horn‘s Elektra comic book covers.
• How It Works… The Computer (from 1971)
• Generally speaking, I haven’t been bowled over with a comics-related toy line since the Justice League toys came out. There have been a couple of releases from the Marvel Legends line that I wouldn’t mind having but on the whole, it’s been hit or miss. Another good example: The toys for Cartoon Network’s Teen Titans. Mostly miss. Although, these two Cyborg figures, due next spring, give me a little hope.   
• Make holograms… at home. (1, 2)
• By way of Backwash: Is Halo 2 “Liberal Propaganda?”
• and I had a conversation about Saturday morning cartoons of the 80s. We couldn’t come up with the name of a particular cartoon, so I consulted Google for a bit of help. One of the things that it pointed me to was this.
• Get Out of Hell Free Cards

Quote of the Day
While at the bookstore, I read through the latest issue of Daredevil. Matt Murdock’s life has been… harried… of late. He’s been publicly outed as Daredevil. And, in this issue, a villain named Jigsaw came to pay Mr. Murdock a visit. At his home. He was met by Natasha Romanov, better known in the Marvel Universe as the Black Widow. Natasha mopped the floor with Jigsaw and his men. While she and Murdock are cleaning up, her pager goes off… it only displays the name “Howard.”

Natasha: Crap.
Matt: What does it say?
Natasha: Howard.
Matt: Who’s Howard?
Natasha: It’s from Fury.
Matt: That’s his code name?
Natasha: No. It means Howard the Duck.
Matt: I don’t get it.
Natasha: Howard the Duck. Sitting duck. He wants us to play sitting duck. Means he’s on it. Means he’s close. But he sorta kinda needs us to–
Matt: Sit here and get shot at.
Natasha: Only a little.

Namaste.

Thursday
Happy Veterans Day.

I got back from southern Utah this evening. I helped ‘s father with an HVAC project down there. I haven’t done any construction-related work since my freshman year in college. It was… oddly… fun. After we left the site, we headed to Moab Brewery and indulged in 10¢ hot wings, spicy fries and beer. Mmm, beer. Scorpion Pale Ale. Go figure. I was so tired, from the work and the lack of sleep from the night before, that I was dragging by 10:30. I crawled into bed with the intention of reading. That didn’t go over so well – I remember reading the same line about four times before fading out. I woke up around 1:30 and finally made “going to bed” official.

We got up this morning, headed back to the site and checked on a couple of other lots that he had worked on/will be working on. And then… slickrock biking on the Monitor/Merrimac Trail (a click or two down). Before getting to the slickrock, we went to the Mill Canyon Dinosaur Trail and looked at dinosaur bones. It was pretty cool. Then, back to the ride. I realized how out of shape my legs are. But, it was fun. And, I got in some kite-flying time. On the way back to the van, we rode through a herd of cattle; that was a little odd.

News
Morning Edition – Pennsylvania v. Nutkin
Morning Edition – Veterans Recall Service at Nation’s War Memorials
Morning Edition – Voices of War: Veterans History Project
Day to Day – 56-Year-Old Gives Birth to Twins
All Things Considered – Kings of Convenience May Put Norway Back on Musical Map

CNN.com – Student suspended for handstands, cartwheels

Stray Toasters

• On the way through Wellington, we passed a church with the following on the roadside sign: Have you prayed for our President today? O_o ?!
• It seems that G4TechTV has pulled the plug on Unscrewed. Thank God.
• “Every time I try to go get a game, it’s always sold out…”
  

• Grant Morrison’s Transmetropolitan: A Closer Look
• The Seven Levels of Pun Hell
  

• At one point on the way back from Moab, we drifted towards the center of the road… and ran over the rumble strip. A little later, we hit the strip on the right side of the lane. Rich noted that the two had different tones. I told him that it was a driving aid for the blind – one tone for center, one for too far right. We got a good laugh out of it.
• Beer.com has apparently taken a page from Burger King’s “Subservient Chicken” ad campaign and come up with… Virtual Bartender.

Poll of the Day

Namaste.