Random Access

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.

Tuesday
So far, so good.

I just christened the new coffee maker.
Bean squeezin’s. Mmmm.

Last night’s game was fun. In a quirky way. See ‘s post for details.

While there, I finally finished the picture that I’ve been sporadically working on for the past week.

   

Time to hit the road.

Namaste.

As received from …
I’m not usually given to taking – let alone passing along – quizzes, but this one seemed interesting.

Subject: Re: Get to know your friends better, Make sure you read the instructions at the bottom and have fun.

1. What time is it? 12:21 P.M.
2. Name: Robert Neal
3. Name on birth certificate: Robert Alonzo Neal, Jr.
4. Nickname: Rob
5. Number of candles on your last birthday cake: None, as I recall.
6. Tattoos: None, but considering one or two.
7. Pets: Two cats
8. Natural hair color: Black
9. What friend will have the most entertaining answers: Melissa
10. Eye Color: Brown
11. How much do you love your job on a scale of 1-10? Overall: 8-9, but random problems can drop it to a 3 or 4
12. Where were you born? Baltimore, MD
13. Current residence: West Jordan, UT (or Salt Lake City, for those on the other side of the Zion Curtain)
14. Somewhere you would like to visit? Japan
15. Been to Africa? No
16. Been toilet papering? No
17. Love someone so much it made you cry? Yes.
18. Been in a car accident? Yes
19. Croutons or bacon bits? Yes
20. Favorite day of the week? Any that end in “-day,” with favor leaning towards Saturday
21. Favorite word or phrase? “Nine Hells,” usually used in the phrase “What in the Nine Hells?!?”
22. Favorite Restaurant? Phillip’s Restaurant (Baltimore), Grady’s American Grill (Greensboro, NC)
23. Favorite flower? I don’t think that I have a “favorite.”
24. Favorite sport to play? Basketball
25. Favorite drink? Coffee, tea, or Slurpees!
26. Favorite Ice Cream? Jamocha Almond Fudge or Rocky Road (depending on mood)
27. Favorite fast food restaurant? Umm… how hungry am I and what’s the closest?
28. What color is your bedroom carpet? Beige
29. How many times did you fail your drivers test? None
30. Besides this one, from whom did you get your last email? A magazine
31. Which store would you choose to Max out your credit card? IKEA (anyone who knows me could have answered this one)
32. What do you do most often when you are bored? Play computer games, play guitar, draw
33. Most annoying thing people ask/tell me? Varies, depending on my mood
34. Bedtime: Varies (way too much), though I try to hit the rack by 2:00 A.M.
35. Who will respond to this email the quickest? Dunno
36. Who is the person that is least likely to respond? Dunno this one either.
37. Favorite TV shows: 24, the Law & Order shows, Justice League, Witch Hunter Robin, CSI.
38. Favorite meal to cook? Baked chicken or steak with stir-fry vegetables
39. Favorite automobile? MG Midget
40. Time you finished this e-mail: 12:34 P.M.

Copy or forward this entire email or copy and paste it into a new email that you will send. Copy answers into a reply to this post and then make an entry in your own journal. Change all of the answers so that they apply to you. THEN send this to a whole bunch of people you know, INCLUDING THE PERSON WHO SENT IT TO YOU. The theory is that you will learn a lot of little known facts about those who know you. Remember to send it back.

Happy Birthday to:

• (belated)

I’ve been meaning to post this in an entry for the past few days, but I’ve forgotten it each time. So, you get a stand-alone entry.

I hope that the new year is good for you all.

Sunday (coda)
The “rest of the day,” as referenced in my previous post, was good.

We braved the masses at Ye Olde Marte of Walton SuperCentre and bought groceries. We had figured that there wouldn’t be too many people there today as it is LDS Church Conference weekend. We were wrong. Oh, so wrong. Every other non-LDS person in the tri-state area (okay, that’s an exaggeration, but you get the idea) also decided to go shopping this afternoon, too. We picked up four (4) 73-quart storage containers; they were on clearance for $1.75 a piece. In the words of Eddie Murphy: “What a bargain! What a bargain for me!” We also picked up a new 12-cup coffee maker for a shade under $8.00. Maybe now I’ll be more apt to brew coffee in the morning now that I have a coffee maker that brews more than 4 (small) cups at a time.

Later, we headed over to Mary’s and cooked out. It was a great afternoon for it. There was meat, meat, meat, meat, meat and more meat on the grill. It is safe to say that there were a fair number of carnivores/omnivores present. And there were tasty malt beverages, too.

An odd thing happened around 8:00. I got tired. VERY tired. Droopy-eyed, almost-ready-to-fall-asleep tired. I am currently attributing this to the combination of: Daylight Savings Time, the bike ride, and gorging myself on food and beer. Whatever it was, it came down on me fast and hard. We left Mary’s around 8:30 and came home. I don’t remember most of the ride home. I barely remember that Jess stopped to get gas on the way home. I came in, put my things down and crashed on the bed. I slept for a half-hour, but it seemed more like I had hardly closed my eyes when Jess came in to wake me up. I killed an hour “on the nerd¹” (as our friend Bill would say) when I realized that I was getting stiff/sore from the ride. A hot soak and shower were in order! And they were good.

And that’s how I spent my summer vacation Sunday afternoon and evening.

Stray Toasters

• I was surfing around Backwash and came across a link for Movie Posters that Don’t Exist on Dribbleglass.com. After I looked at the posters, I looked at other parts of the site. It was rather amusing.
• Frank Cho is the author of Liberty Meadows, a daily strip that can also be found in collected volumes at a bookstore/comic shop near you. I’ve heard of the strip/books for years, but hadn’t given them a look. Until today. Thanks to for pointing out the uncensored gallery to me. (And, looking at the FAQ on the site, I just discovered that Mr. Cho lives in Columbia, MD… where I grew up before I moved to North Scare-o-lina.)
• 777-9311
• I need a new printer. Any suggestions?

I should call it a night. I think that I shall… after a tall, cold glass of cow squeezin’s.

Namaste.

¹ – “on the computer”

Sunday
Daylight Savings Time. It is a concept that eludes most cats. Or, maybe they just don’t care. Either way, Sissy was urging me to “rise and shine” sometime around 9:30 this morning. Given the fact that I didn’t get to bed until somewhere around 5:00 this morning, I wasn’t having any part of that. I woke up long enough to pet her a few times and then faded back into the quiet darkness of sleep until after 11:00.

I took the bike out for a 5.5-mile ride. I need to ride more often. And get back into the gym on a regular basis. Around 1.25 miles, my legs were feeling a bit tired/stiff; by the time I hit 2.5 miles, I seemed to “hit my stride” and get my second wind.

Bowling last night was good. Very good… as long as you don’t count my warm-up game: 91-162-118-156-134-222-133. I was rather happy. Breakfast was good. Cheers was packed; it was rather dead when we got there, but within :30 minutes of our arrival, people started pouring in. Among them were a plethora of fashion violations. It wasn’t pretty.

Stray Toasters

• You got your chocolate in my peanut butter!
  You got your peanut butter on my chocolate!
  *taste*
  Two great tastes that taste great together: Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
  Many of you may remember that from the old Reese’s ads. In a similar (but completely twisted) vein, there is a site that combines Lego® and death: Block Death.

• This site reminds me of Think Geek-lite.
• Diesel Sweeties (Thanks, Nyx)
• Wild, chaotic
  Peak of my erotic
  There’s a riot going on…

• In the “Just in time for Easter” file: What happens when good people do bad things to marshmallow confections? Find out at Peep Research.

Time to get ready for the rest of the day.

Namaste.

I didn’t sleep very well last night, but I can deal with that. If push comes to shove, there’s always caffeine. Sweet, sweet caffeine…

I spent the early part of the day hanging out with . Her sister and niece showed up a little later. While there, I climbed my first tree of the year – I was helping to clear some fallen branches.

I had planned on getting a bike ride in, but I think that I’ll hold off on that until tomorrow. Not quite sure what I’m doing with the rest of the day, but I am under the suspicion that it might (finally) include kite-flying. The only question is “Where…?”

Stray Toasters

• Looking at last night’s poll, it seems as though there are a lot of skim milk drinkers out there.
• Batman: Dark Justice. The latest short from Bat in the Sun Productions.
• I should probably do a load or two of laundry…
• …and straighten up the HCC, too.
• Rollercoaster Tycoon 2 = Fun.
• I got real bored on a Friday night
  Couldn’t find a damn thing to do
  So I pulled out a suit
  About the same color as my BMW

• : Click here.
• : Click here and here.
• If you’re a fan of The Simpsons, next season seems to be a little up-in-the-air. Why? Salary disputes. More info here.

Time to find some trouble to get into.

Namaste.

Friday
Today was a good day. It started off with Outkast’s The Way You Move. It’s hard not to start out on a good foot with that in the background. And, it was Friday. In fact, not even the losing 4 hours’ worth of work due to a system lockup killed the mood. It was that good of a day. To wrap up it up, we got together with the usual suspects and (and his nephew) for coffee, chat, people-watching and the putting of pencil to paper.

As an added bonus, I called Bret this afternoon and we talked for thirty minutes or so. Things seem to be well in his corner of the cosmos. It was good to catch up with him. I need to make a few more calls to other friends with whom I haven’t spoken in a while.

Stray Toasters

• A hearty “Welcome back” to the long-silent .
• “You can rent clothes there!?!”
  (Yes, this still amazes me.)

• I just started Winamp. I’m shuffling through the playlist and these songs came up, back-to-back: Berlin’s Take My Breath Away and an a cappella version of Every Breath You Take. (I’d make a joke about Synchronicity, but that would be bad.)
• Congrats to Maddox for getting a nod on the Phil Hendrie Show.
• Ob La Di, Ob La Da
• Drowning Pool -best known for the song Bodies– is back, with a new lead singer. “Let the bodies hit the floor,” indeed. (Story here)
• By way of , I give you this
• On the way home from work, I saw a few planes lining up in their approach pattern. There’s something… “fun”… in watching planes taking off and landing. It appeals to my inner kid; I remember watching planes take off from the observation gallery at BWI, many rains ago. And, there’s the fact that I like watching trains, too. And they don’t even take off or land.
• They bear the cross of Coeur de Leon
  Salvation for the mirror blind

• : Click here and scroll down.
• I don’t know if anyone else will remember The Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers, but if you do, check out Beta Mountain. Oh, what the Hell… even if you don’t remember it, take a look.
• In case you hadn’t heard: As of 09 April 04, Gateway will be closing their Gateway Country retail outlets. If you’re looking for a new laptop, now might be the time to wander in to the store nearest you; they are having a clearance sale.

Poll of the Day

Namaste.

Thursday
Today was a good day. It was grey, cool/cold, overcast and rainy. And it was a good day. Could it be because I started the day listening to MC Hammer’s Greatest Hits? Yes, I admit that freely; I don’t really have any music in my library that I’m ashamed of. Not even the Barry Manilow (Copacabana) or Culture Club (various things from Colour by Numbers) mp3s.

But, I digress…

Nothing like starting the day with a little You Can’t Touch This, 2 Legit 2 Quit with a side serving of Turn This Mutha Out… and a little Addams Groove , on the side. Mm-hmm! That’s right!

As I said: It was a good day. I even got to see the rare and elusive .

Stray Toasters

• Hullo and welcome to .
• Thanks to for forwarding along this origami site…
• …although I began to worry about her sanity after she sent a link this site (not worksafe). Amusing… in a geeky/disturbing kind of way.
• I need to “reassemble” my software binder. My necessary/critical CDs are in too many places.
• Bratstreet. ‘Nuff said.
• By way of Campbell’s Condensed Newspaper: Spy Letters of the American Revolution
• Batman: The Animated Series paved the way for a number of highly-successful cartoons that are on the air today. The animation quality was top-notch. The voice casting was good. And the writing was excellent; take a look at some of the quotes, gleaned from IMDb. (And yes, Nizlee, that was Ron Perlman.)
• What I Do on Saturday (video)
• The NicoDerm smoking patch.
  The Ortho Evra contraception patch.
  And now… CaffeDerm® Patch

• Nerve.com
• I haven’t mentioned it in a while, but Maddox usually manages to put a smile on my face. Today was no exception.
• H to the izz-O, V to the izz-A

…and to all, a good night!

Namaste.

Wednesday
It’s been a beautiful day outside.
And my mood has been rather good, as well.
Coincidence? Most likely, but I’ll take it.

I was about ready to kick SprintPCS squarely in their virtual ‘nads this morning, but a quick call (actually two calls, since the first one “dropped”) rectified matters and kept me from making a trip to Kansas City with murderous deeds in mind.

Once you have decided on a killing
First you make a stone of your heart
If you find that your hands are still willing
Then you can turn a murder into art…
-“Murder By Numbers” – The Police

I spent the evening in the company of , and at what is steadily becoming “Cheers North.” Social interaction is good. Especially when drawing and/or people-watching is involved. And caffeinated beverages. Can’t forget the caffeine. Selah.

Stray Toasters

• I haven’t said anything about it in a while, but A Whiter Shade of Pale is a great song.
• E-file = GOOOD!!! ::: gesture :::
• It’s amazing that when you are looking for something, no matter how long you search, you always find it in the last place you look. Of course, if you kept looking for it after you found it, people would wonder about your sanity. (Unless Chthulu was involved. In that case, everyone would just nod and smile knowingly…)
• Moustaches and glasses “drawn” on the WHR characters. Just another sign that it’s April Fool’s Day at Adult Swim.
• The Batman Begins Batmobile
• In your satin tight,fighting for your rights and the old Red, White and Blue!
  I’m a little worried that I didn’t even have to look up those lyrics.

• Sissy (whom we have jokingly given the middle name “Piddler”) seems to be pretty much back to normal. Whatever bladder/UTI infection that she had seems to be gone. Thankfully.
• Have you ever wanted to make origami versions of classic Japanese monsters? Come on, you know that it’s crossed your mind at least once. Well, now you can, thanks to Origami Kaiju.
• Musicology, from Prince. Yes, “that” Prince.

Namaste.

Tuesday
Not a whole lot to say about the day.
It started poorly, but ended on a much better note.

Stray Toasters

• Thinking of migrating from Windows to Linux? Tom’s Hardware Guide has a guide to help you do it.
• How’d you like to swing on a star?
  Carry moonbeams home in a jar?

• Paper Toys
• As if I needed another comics-related site: Newsarama
• Scott and Emma are a couple. And Rachel’s back. Who knew?!
• : You can thank for this item:
  

• Remember Tamagotchi virtual pets? The next generation is out. Literally. The new “Tamagotchi Plus” can befriend each other… and mate. Is this the new way of explaining the (digital) birds and the bees to little Johnny and Susie? Read more about it here.
• 1-0-0-1-0-0-1

Namaste.

…but, I’m not. And since I’m not, I’m going to post some of the other drawings/sketches that I’ve done over the past few weeks. Feel free to comment.

I got a call from Adam, the youngest member of the sibko, a couple of hours ago. I was more than a little surprised to get a call so late, but it was good to talk with him. He ended the conversation with:

And I leave you with these words: Incoming shrapnel always has the right of way, tracers work both ways, and five second fuses always burn three seconds fast.

My brother. He makes me smile.

Namaste.

I’m working from home today. If I play my cards right, I’ll be more than “a little” productive on both the work front and the “getting a few things straightened up” front.

I had a good time in the company of friends (and my two favorite LJ-related kids) yesterday afternoon and evening. I even got a new drawing from one of the kids out of the deal.

<interlude>
A breeze is blowing through.
This makes me want to get the kite and fly it.
This is not good for productivity.
But, it would be fun.
I’ll keep this in mind for an afternoon indulgence…
</interlude>

I have been looking through a few older posts.

• I just (re)discovered a link to ldraw.org. Two words: “Virtual Lego.” As if I needed yet another distraction.
• I had this to say about free speech and the Pledge of Allegiance. Nearly two years later, we’re dealing with more issues (even though it’s basically the same issue) that center around religion and the Constitution.
• …and I STILL haven’t figured out what I want to do here
• As noted in August of 2002: “I’m a digital kid. I have analog parents.”
  This is still true, but they’re better at using tech now. Thank God.

• Ladies and gentlemen: I give you Coed Ninja!
• Need an armored car?

Lee: Do you understand the words that are a-coming out of my mouth?
James Carter: Don’t nobody understand the words that are comin’ out of your mouth.
Speech and accent data (1, 2), by way of
…and now, more Rush Hour 2 quotes.

Okay, back to it.

Namaste.

Sunday.
In March.
And there was FOOTBALL on TV!

HALLELUJAH!!!

Okay. It wasn’t really a game, per se. It was the Quarterback Challenge on NFL Network. But it’s still “football.” *taps vein* And it was enough to get me through to pre-season.

Bowling wasn’t bad: 198 (opening game, no less!) – 158 – 164 – 172 – 146

joined us for breakfast. We had a good time. Overall conversation was blue enough that there should have been a “Mature Audiences” disclaimer on it. At least, that’s probably what “The Singles” (next table over) probably thought about it. And we care so much about their opinions…

I woke up to find that my web/email host has taken a shit. Again. This is the second time in a moth. Granted, these are the only times in the past two years or so that it’s happened. Also, it’s happening on a day when I don’t have a lot of email traffic. Of course, needed to send out an email about our Sunday afternoon plans, but I think that I can find a couple of ways around that… So, all things considered, it’s not a reason to have an aneurysm. I’ll probably call the company’s owner and make sure that he’s aware of the issue, just to be on the safe side.

::: intermission :::
My uncle called.
::: end intermission :::

I just looked at some of the pictures that I took yesterday.

• I met a group of ladies who were members of The Red Hat Society. I couldn’t resist asking about them (there were 10-12 of them walking around) and taking a picture of them; one of them asked me to take a picture of them with her camera. They were very nice about it.
• : I took pics of the architecture (and a model), so that you can see why I rave about the building. Unfortunately, access to the roof was closed, so pics of the garden will have to wait for another trip downtown.
• The pics of the Cathedral of the Madeleine turned out better than I expected, too! The framing that I tried to set up seemed to work well.

It looks like a nice day outside. Despite the fact that The Weather Channel’s website says that it’s (only) 49°. It might be a good time to explore the other side of the front door.

Quotes of the Day
Bill Cosby: “Dad is great! Give us the chocolate cake!”

Will Smith: Me you and your girlfriend on the dance floor: menage-a-boogie.
(This always cracks me up when I hear it.)

Namaste.