Random Access

Tuesday
On the whole it’s been a decent day.
Cemented a few strategies at work, including scrapping some old ideas and paving the way for bringing some other ones into the light.

::: prays to St. Jude :::

Stray Toasters

• Things have been worse
  Since I lost your St. Christopher
  Even the roses have thorns…

• Once again, the latest episode of A Modest Destiny saves the day.
• I was going to put a link to a very cool drawing of San from Princess Mononoke here… but apparently, Renderosity has made gallery viewing “Members Only.” *shrug* Instead, I’ll present a picture of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman, from Comics2Film
• SturkWurk – the digital art of Doug Sturk
• This sounds like an interesting premise for a comic book:
  

  MY FLESH IS COOL, mini-series from Avatar Press, art by Juan Jose Ryp. To quote COMICS INTERNATIONAL, which gave it an 8 out of 10, “An experimental drug enables Evan Knox to work as a highly paid assassin and troublemaker who can take over other people’s bodies. He can get to anyone, anywhere, without detection. He does whatever he wants, and uses other people in a ruthlessly instrumental way. The catch is this: what if everyone could get their hands on the drug? Both script and art are adult and gritty. This comic is cool.”

• Fulp Piction
• I’ve seen a LOT of… unusual… auctions. This ranks right up there with them.
  ::: edit ::: It was a link to a 19-year-old young woman in the U.K. who was auctioning her virginity.

• “One-third of email now spam,” according to this article in The Register.
• Paris Hilton…. as The Riddler… *shrug* Click here to see.
• It looks as though Renderosity left something of a back door to the site for non-members, after all. Of course, it’s kind of like going around your ass to scratch your nose, but if it works… who am I to argue. (That was a rhetorical question.) Anyway, check out Juji’s gallery; the San pic is there (page 2).
• An irritated Martha Stewart Sue Storm.
• Knock knock…

Namaste.

Monday
…and all I can think is “Is it Friday yet?”
Not that it’s been a bad day. It’s been a good one, in fact.
I think that I just want it to be the weekend again.

Stray Toasters

• and I were talking about a friend of ours who is living a vegan lifestyle the other day. I remembered that an ex-gf of mine has a daughter who is vegetarian… but liked Rice Krispies® treats. The problem being: There’s gelatin in marshmallows. My ex told me that she made the treats with Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Creme. No gelatin, thus no problem. This got me to thinking about gummy bears/cola bottles/worms… So, I did what any net-addicted person would do: I looked it up. This (second paragraph) is one of the things that I found.
• Tuesday, 27 April 2004. Mark that date on your calendar(s).
  Why? You mean other than “Because I said so?”
  How about because it’s Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry’s.
  …and because I said so.

• I was checking out a few random journals and came across . Many of his entries made me laugh.
• 2003 Nebula Awards
• FROLIC!
• Shiny Shiny: A Girl’s Guide to Gadgets
  (Is it just me or does the name of this site sound “more than a little” patronizing?)

• As we are moving into Spring, and severe weather season in many parts of the country, FEMA has “…put together a site by and for kids that have lived through or observed such events.” The site is Disaster Connection: Kids to Kids.
• By way of comes Beatallica and The Trip Back
• I found a link to Beyond Black, White and Brown: A Forum on disinformation. It is an article from The Nation wherein a number of respondents discuss the legacy of Brown vs. Board of Education. Interesting reading.
• Also from disinformation: The Most Dangerous Vaccines
• Once again, A Modest Destiny has brought a smile to my face (1, 2, 3).

It’s Game Night and I should be getting ready to hit the road.

Namaste.

Today was a good day, even if the weather didn’t decide to cooperate until late in the afternoon.

and I had brunch at Rivers with and the lovely Mrs. . It the first time there for all of us; it was a nice place. The atmosphere was pleasant, food was excellent and the service was also top-notch.

After that, came home and hung out for a bit until it was time to head out to see Kill Bill Vol. 2. I enjoyed it quite a bit. The style was a different than the first movie, but that did not detract from the story. And Tarantino still has quite an ear for dialogue.

And the rest of the evening has been spent relaxing.

I hope that everyone had a good weekend and has a good start to the week at hand.

Namaste.

Last night was good: It started off with coffee time at Cheers North. I saw a couple of the ladies with whom I usually chat on Sunday afternoons. I sat and talked with them for a while. Dinner at Outback with , , , , and the as-yet-non-LJ’ed Christopher. Good food, good company and bad puns.

I’ve been up for hours and I still have no idea what I want to do today. That’s not a good thing. “Being lazy” is pretty high on the “things to do” list. The thought of playing a game is good… but I have no idea of what I want to play.

It’s windy enough for kite-flying, but I’m enjoying the warmth of being indoors.

If anyone has a few hours to kill and wants to do something, let me know.
I’m open to suggestions because I am actually giving serious thought to cleaning.
And that just isn’t right.

Namaste.

Friday
End. Of. The. Week.
Amen.

Stray Toasters

• Reason #536 of “Why We Love
  

  [09:49] (check my latest LJ entry)
  [11:11] *checks*
  [11:13] “Batman” and “masturbation” are two words that I never want to see in the same sentence again.
  [11:13] BWAHAHAHHA!

• Gummy worms. Mmmm.
• There’s an article on Slashdot about a study that Earthlink did claiming that the average user’s PC has 28 spyware programs on it. More information can be found on Earthlink’s spyware auditing page. I’ll take this opportunity to recommend AdAware, AVG and ZoneAlarm as defensive tools.
• It’s a great big universe and we’re all really puny…
• W.W.G.D. (What Would Godzilla Do?) And this tells you what it’s all about. For the most part.
• Alex Ross has done two drawings of Superman with Tom Welling (Clark Kent on the WB’s Smallville).

Time to go out and play for a while.

Namaste.

Thursday
All-in-all, today was a good day… even if it was mostly grey and drab outside.

I had dinner with , and ; we went to Olive Garden. We had hoped to see , but she wasn’t there. Maybe next time. After that, we headed to Cheers for dessert and shakes.

<sidebar>
Jon is sporting a new hairstyle. He looks like Benicio Del Toro.
</sidebar>

We had a good time catching up on the past couple of months since left Utah and has been busy with work and other things.

Stray Toasters

• I got to chat with the mother-unit today. Briefly. But it was good.
• : There’s some potential Futurama news in here in which you might be interested.
• It looks like Florida is, once again, looking to put a tax on LANs.
• I came across this on Backwash. The first thing that came to mind: “If Mighty Mormon Power Panties were swimwear…”
  Yep. Hell, meet Handbasket. Gasoline, meet Drawers.

• Tarnished Images – The Artwork of Ruth Thompson
• Does anyone have a suggestion or two for a good spam filter?
• Slim and the Seductress. I’m waiting to see where this goes…
• More amusement from A Modest Destiny

So, make it one for my baby… and one more for the road.

Namaste.

Wednesday
Typical start to the day.
Typical middle.
The end was a little different.

I had dinner at Sampan with and . Mmm, Chinese food. Strolled through the mall and saw some of the HALO action figures (Blue Master Chief and the Banshee… but I want Sargeant Johnson, too) and the “Battle Damaged” MechWarrior Mad Cat II and Jupiter die-cast figures. And the MW ones are on sale. Methinks that I will have ‘Mechs, after all.

And there was a Bank of America ATM in the mall!!!
A tiny vestige of civilization from back home!
I was so happy, I ran up to it and hugged it!

Came home and watched Adult Swim and putzed around on the computer. I had planned to do something productive on it. No go. “Laziness” was the operative word… and I went with it.

I got a call from home around 11:30 PM. It was my father. He handed the phone to my sister. She’s getting married. Ô_õ Congratulations to her and ! (More on this in the QotD, below.)

Stray Toasters

• Gummy bears.
• Sissy is chasing her tail on the other chair again.
• Utah drivers. *twitch*
• and I were having a discussion about the two versions of Ocean’s Eleven. I like both versions, but there is… something… about the older version that has a style to it that the new one doesn’t. Maybe it’s just a Rat Pack thing.
• Airtoons
• Sometimes, a short walk can be the perfect addition to your day.
• From Backwash: Chainsaw Chick, the chainsaw artwork of Cherie Currie, former vocalist for The Runaways.
• Also by way of Backwash: This. Irreverant, but funny… and 99.7% work safe.

Quotes of the Day

Item #1:

[00:03] : yea your dad sat to the side watching mrs. n and rana go back and forth
[00:03] : mrs. n kept going “my baby’s gettin’ married”
[00:04] : dad goes “young man…my sympathies.”
[00:04] : I [heart] my dad.
[00:05] : yea he was in rare form

Item #2

[15:37] : Oh… what was the word on the door?
[15:37] : Panes?
[15:37] : $108! 8/
[15:37] : Total?
[15:37] : they’re coming to fix it monday.
[15:37] : yeah.
[15:37] : That’s NOT bad.
[15:37] : for 2 stupid panes of tiny glass? : “)
[15:38] : Unless you’re going to blow it yourself…
[15:38] : i guess it’s some weird tempered glass they have to order in, that’s why monday.
[15:38] : yeah yeah. : “)
[15:38] : …said the Actress to the Bishop.
[15:38] : 😉
[15:38] : bwahahahahha!!

Namaste.

Tuesday
(But I’m not entirely sure that it wasn’t Monday 2.0)

I normally wake up around 8:30, unless I’m going to the gym; in that case, I wake up around 7:15-7:30. This morning, after sleeping excruciatingly poorly, I was awakened a few minutes before the alarm went off. By the phone. *braincramp* It was the auto shop – one of yesterday’s errands was to drop off my car. He was calling with the suggested items to be taken care of and the estimates. Oy vey.. This is not the way that one would/should choose to wake up. But, it needs to get done.

The rest of the day wasn’t bad, but I was a tad grumpy until later this evening. After dinner, and since 24 was pre-empted until Sunday night, I went for a drive. There’s something about getting out on the road that helps clear the mind. And the jazz (music, not team) on the radio didn’t hurt, either.

I got a call from asking if I wanted to hang out for a bit; I did. She, , Christopher and I went to Greenhouse Effect for coffee and chat. It was good. And, it helped to ease the last bit of tension/irritation in my mind.

Stray Toasters

• Peanut M&M’s.
• Internet Bumper Stickers
• While going through old posts again, I came across: The American Pantheon.
• A little something for : 1, 2, 3
• A little something for : Guess who…
• A little something for : 1
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file:Grow
• Sodaplay
• I’ve mentioned my affinity for Backwash and Adult Backwash, but I have neglected to mention yet another aspect: BackwashKIDS! (Parents: There aren’t any direct links from BWKids to the other parts of the Backwash domain.)
• I’m not sure if this is “the latest and greatest” or “the next big thing” in fashion, but…. here’s The No-Contact Jacket. (Think: “Taser in clothing form.”)

Now that I have overshot my intended bedtime by at least an hour, I’m calling it a night. Tomorrow is Wednesday – that makes everything just a little better.

Namaste.

Monday
It’s been a beautiful, blue-skied day here in the Land Behind the Zion Curtain.
Today was “Taking Care of Errands” Day.
And they were taken care of.

Tonight is Game Night.
<note to self>
Don’t forget to take the Adventure! sourcebook for Nyx.
</note to self>

Stray Toasters

• Even though I have it in my Favorites: Entertainment bookmarks folder, I “forget” that I have a link to Cinescape.com. Last night, I saw it and decided to rummage through. Good thing that I did or else I would have missed the link to Joyride Studios. And, thus, I would not have known about their figures for:
  

  

  

  I don’t think that the English language has the words to express just how wrong that would have been.

• and : Click here.
• : Click here, too.
• We saw this while driving around this afternoon.
• And, while on the topic of “mullets,” as much of a fan of Longshot as I was, there’s no denying that he has the mother of all mullets in comicdom.
• And, by way of : MulletJunky and The Doom Song.
• Can you say “Covet,” boys and girls? Look at this and then repeat after me: “Mmm. Covet.” (If anyone is wondering what to get for my birthday, this would be a welcome item. And, you’re even getting six (6) months’ advance warning!)
• Evil Pictograms
• By way of Backwash: Diary Quotes
• Also from Backwash: The Room
  (Even though it’s set up like a meme, this seems to be some sort of promotional ad-thing for Umbra. But they seem to have some cool items for sale.)

That’s all for now. Time to get ready for tonight.

Namaste.

Sunday
I hope that everyone is having a safe and peaceful day, whether you celebrate the holiday or not.

It’s been a lazy day around here.
I talked with the parental units and my uncle, I may try calling the sibko in a bit.

I have spent the past hour or so copying over the pictures from the White Trash Party at and ‘s house.
Many pictures.
They can be found here. (And for those of you who were caught here in compromising positions, remember: I have the original pictures and Photoshop. And, I’m not above blackmail.)

Time to get ready to head to ‘s parents’ house for Easter dinner.

Namaste.

Saturday
Today was a good day, the highlights of which include:

• Brunch with and
• White Trash Party at and ‘s house.

More details will follow sometime after I regain consciousness. How soon after, I have no idea.

Happy Easter to everyone.

Namaste.

Friday
Not too much to say.
The day was good, made better by the fact that it was “Friday.”
The evening was spent with the usual assortment of friends.

Stray Toasters

• Once again, A Modest Destiny brings a smile to my face.
• For those who haven’t yet seen it: Spider-Man 2 Trailer
• From PBS‘ Robert X. Cringely: The Only Way Microsoft Can Die Is by Suicide
• Build your own Steadycam… for only $14. (What a bargain!)

Quote of the Day

Dee: Mine is world domination… but I’ll settle for regional influence.
(Talking about things we want over coffee tonight)

I should probably make an attempt at getting some sleep.

Namaste.

Thursday
Weekend = One Day Away.
Now, the question is: Will it be a full day or a half day? Decisions, decisions…

NPR Stories
The big item in the news today was Dr. Condoleezza Rice’s appearance before the September 11th investigation commission.
And, in other news…
Talk of the Nation: Changing Minds
All Things Considered: Ford’s Mustang Turns 40
All Things Considered: Illinois Apologizes for 1844 Murder of Mormon Leader

Stray Toasters

• A Modest Destiny
  What’s love meatloaf got to do… got to do with it?

• http://www.the-underdogs.org/game.php?gameid=955
• I just saw the new Spider-Man 2 trailer. *jawdrop*
• From Grist Magazine: Control-Alt-Recycle
• Spontaneous Combustion?
• It’s time for another Slashdot Poll!
• Having posted a link to “Subservient Chicken” last night, I just saw a Burger King commercial with the chicken in it. *shiver*
• Is there a PC game that you used to play years ago that holds a special place in your memory? Do you think that it deserves another chance? Home of the Underdogs probably thinks so, too.
• Get to Sleep… Even When You’re Stressed.
• There’s an ad campaign here that deals with “how bad the sun is for you.” These commercials are almost as annoying as some of the anti-smoking ads or the Totally Awesome/PC Laptops commericals that I rant about. Almost. But, they are gaining ground.

“Mr. Toad, how many licks of you does it take to get to the center of a Rhode Island prison?”

It’s midnight-ish. That means it’s gymtime!

<Update>
1:23 am
Gym GOOOD!!!
:::gesture:::
That seems to have fit the bill. Now for a lite snack, a shower and then, off to The Dreaming.
</Update>

Namaste.

Wednesday
Today was a good day. I had a quiet day at work – I was able to work without any interruptions/distractions – and I got a few things done. This comes under the heading of “good.”

After work, I didn’t do much. Got on the nerd and chatted; I even managed to catch my uncle and have a brief conversation with him. I mentioned an article from Slashdot (Playing Video Games Makes For Better Surgeons) because, well… he’s a surgeon. His response:

[20:44] [Uncle]: so he confuses reality with the game…. Is it the appendix or al Queda???

He makes me laugh. I’ll have to give him a call tomorrow.

Popped down to Cheers for dinner… and watched as a customer left a picture of herself and her number for Jon. Then, she and her friends waited to see if he would notice it and pick it up. It was oddly amusing.

Stray Toasters

• I was going through some old posts, for a project that I’m working on and came across a couple that caught my attention as being worthy of an “encore presentation:” 1, 2 (mainly for ‘Toasters #2, 3 and 8).
• I also came across the link for Gridlock again.
• I really don’t know what to make of this, by way of . As he said, “Someone had a lot of time.”
• Marvels: 10th Anniversary Edition. Wow.
• I realize that it’s from a comic book, but in this picture, doesn’t Wolverine’s right calf look… disproportionate?
• Metroid. A Nintendo video game franchise.
  John Woo. Acclaimed action movie director.
  What do you get when you put them together? This.

• The Bitch Girls: Care Bears
• The Art of Luis Royo

“So Long, Farewell, Goodbye…” -Big Bad Voodoo Daddy

Namaste.

It was a good day.
Nothing too much out of the ordinary happened.

Stray Toasters

• A post-work stop at the library yielded Robert B. Parker’s Back Story (a Spenser novel) and Piers Anthony’s With a Tangled Skein, both on CD.
• In the words of Morris Day: “Whose drawers? MY drawers! (Slap me!)”
  (Big Headed)

• : I saw this and thought that you would appreciate it.
• : I apologize in advance for this, but it made me laugh.
• I reread Havok & Wolverine: Meltdown (1, 2, 3, 4) last week; I hadn’t read it in many years. It’s an unlikely buddy story featuring one of Marvel Comics’ most famous (and favored) characters and one who has lived in his more famous older brother’s (Cyclops) shadow. One of the neat things about this mini-series is that it was painted… by two artists: Jon J. Muth did the Havok art, Kent Williams did the Wolverine art. And this was years before Alex Ross became the de facto pinnacle of painted comicdom. The story is full of end-of-the Cold War themes, but it is not too over the top. Nor does it reek of superheroes and spandex – it has more of an espionage/thriller feel to it. It was worth reading again.
• Top 100 April Fool’s Day Hoaxes of All Time
• Back to comics-related stuff, for a sec. I came across Gay League somewhere during today’s surfing. As the site describes itself:
  

  The Gay League is an online community for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered, Transsexual, and just plain friendly comic fans, collectors and creators worldwide. The purpose of the Gay League is to have a safe, hate-free, fun environment to read about, discuss, review, discover, trade, buy, sell, and learn information about comics – and make some friends online along the way.

  And that seems pretty damned cool to me.

• sent me this. She’s my little sister and I love her dearly, but… *sigh* As it was playing, I had an even worse thought: If they ever did a live-action South Park movie, they should cast Mr. T as Chef.

Quote of the Day
“Yeah, I understand. As if.” – Spike Spiegel, Cowboy Bebop

Namaste.