Random Access

Tuesday
It may not be winter yet, but it’s rather cold. And there were scattered flurries in the area. Again. Yay.

Work wasn’t too bad today.
It’s a little odd being the only person in the office this week.

Post-work was good. Spent a quiet evening in and watched 24 and Law & Order: SVU. And anime. And chatted with a few folks whom I haven’t had the chance to talk to in a while.

Stray Toasters

• In talking with Jonni, he told me that there’s an email campaign under way to get his band (Air Supply) on the Ellen Degeneres Show. He asked if I would send them my 2¢. And I did. If you’d like to drop them a line, here’s the link.
• Comics Continuum had a good interview with Bryan Singer, David Hayter and Michael Dougherty (director and writers, respectively).
• I was listening to something on Winamp today that had a nice string section in it and wondered how difficult it would be to adapt to the guitar. Now, I can’t remember what song it was.
• Drum Corps International.
• Jonathan Frakes (Star Trek: TNG, Gargoyles) has signed to direct a live-action movie version of Thunderbirds.
• Because someone got this stuck in my head this afternoon…
  

  Daring duck of mystery
  Champion of right…

  Okay. I feel better now.

Namaste.

…and this song came on.

Hope that you’re having a great time.

Monday
Today started off slowly, but wasn’t a bad day.
Tonight, was game night… and gave us a swift kick in the plot line. And, it wasn’t very pretty. Fun, yes. Pretty, no.

It’s late and I’m a bit tired, so that’s it for now.

Namaste.

Saturday Recap
Bowling was pretty good. I didn’t have any exceptional games, but I managed to beat for the week.

Post-bowling breakfast wasn’t bad. We met the newest manager… without most of the usual crew being there. They decided to take the night/weekend off because they don’t care too much for her. *sigh* We didn’t have any real problems with her – she mostly avoided us. It was almost as if she wasn’t sure how to take us or thought that we might cause problems. *shrug* In fact, she didn’t say anything to us until she absolutely had to do so. Whatever.

I came home and watched another episode of Justice League: “A Better World,” a parallel universe episode; I’m not sure, but I think that it was loosely based on DC’s Earth-3 (Pre-Crisis) or Earth-2 (Post-Crisis) Universe, where the Justice League was a group of criminals. In this episode, the “Justice Lords,” as this parallel universe version was known, decided to come to the League’s Earth and “help out.” This is to be read as: “They came to ‘Earth-1’ to do the things that the League wouldn’t cross the line to do.” And, it was a damned fine episode. And, in a nod to the DC Universe, Luthor expressed an interest in politics.

Sunday Recap
Today was another relaxing day. And that’s a good thing. I spent the early part of the day watching football (details below). I talked with members of the family unit.

Jess and I met and for coffee and chat. For a change of pace, we went to the newest Barnes & Noble in the valley. From there, we went to dinner at Mimi’s Cafe and then on to IHoP for post-dinner coffee. And a lot of comics-related conversation. It was a good night.

Football Wrap-Up
I was 2 out of 3 again today. The Ravens and Dolphins won, while the Panthers dropped one to the Cowboys. The Ravens are still tied with the Bengals for the Division lead. But we’re still ahead of the Browns and the Steelers, in that order.

Seattle at Baltimore
Final Score 41 – 44 (Overtime)
Have I mentioned just how much I dislike nail-biting games recently? No? Okay. To put it simply: I abhor them. Today’s game was no exception. And, by all rights, Baltimore should have lost the game. Both teams were highly ineffective in the first half of the game. Baltimore was plagued with tons of mistakes. And penalties. The score was 3-3 with three-and-a-half minutes left in the half. And then, Hell came to Baltimore. Seattle drove the ball down the field and scored a TD. On the next series, a botched run play resulted in another Seattle TD. With 00:00:08 on the clock. 10-3 (advantage Seahawks) going into the half. The second half, however, was a football game! Both teams came out like they intended to play ball. And they did. And they did it well.And, Baltimore engineered their biggest come-from-behind comeback in franchise history. And sent the game into overtime. The Seahawks won the toss and elected to receive the ball, but the Ravens defense not only held them… they pushed them back. The offense came on the field, moved into field goal range and Matt Stover (once again) put the nails in the coffin.

Carolina at Dallas
Final Score 20 – 24

Washington at Miami
Final Score 23 – 24

And… as an added bonus:

Pittsburgh at Cleveland
Final Score 13 – 6
I know that this will come as something of a shock to , but I wanted the Browns would win this one. Not that I’m a big fan of the Browns, but it would have cemented Pitt in the bottom of the division. Now, they are both tied for second/third.

Namaste.

I should sleep well tonight.

After getting to bed FAR too late… umm, make that “early this morning”… I woke up around 8:45 to get ready to take to the airport. Did that, dropped Jess off at work and came back home… and fell asleep on the futon. I napped for two hours, intermittently.

invited me to join her and for lunch at Grecian Gardens. And so… I got ready to leave. Unfortunately, I didn’t count on the fact that it had snowed. And was continuing to snow.

I got to the restaurant, but Nyx and Nox were no where to be seen. I really must have looked a little lost, because the owner of the restaurant, Mr. Maroudas, waved me over to sit down with him… and brought me a glass of Pepsi. I’m still not really a soda fan, but one does not turn down a host’s hospitality. We talked for a while. He was a nice man. I got a call from on behalf of Nyx and Nox – there car wouldn’t start and so they wouldn’t be joining me after all. So, I went ahead and ordered lunch. I wasn’t feeling incredibly adventurous (my knowledge of Greek cuisine is extremely limited), so I copped out and had spaghetti.

When I left the restaurant, I headed to and ‘s house. I hung out with them and their cats for a while. told me about the book that she’s reading: Under the Banner of Heaven. Wow. Those were some… interesting… stories. I countered with Them: Adventures with Extremists. I think that she found the things that I told her about it equally interesting and curious.

Off to pick up Jess and then back home.

Tonight’s episode of Justice League was once again very satisfying. They even brought in a few villains from Batman: The Animated Series and Superman: The Animated Series. Again, the writing was top notch. And while the story wound up with the League victorious, it wasn’t a “happy” ending. Not quite a “pyrrhic victory,” but the wounds that they had gathered in battle were not all physical ones.

It’s almost time for 2-D physics, so I’d best get a move on.

Namaste.

Friday
…and my, didn’t the day just zip by.

Ladies and gentlemen: Welcome to the weekend.

The post-work evening was spent in good company: , , and Gabe, and and I did the traditional Friday night coffee at Borders.

It’s official: Gabe is my new favorite 2-and-a-half year old. I went around the store with him a couple of times. This is not to be confused with “keeping him out of trouble.” There wasn’t any “trouble” to keep him out of. He walked around looking at the books and identifying the pictures of animals and items on the covers; his favorites seemed to be a couple of books (one on trucks, one on buses) in the children’s area. While we were touring the store, he walked up to a couple of people and started conversations. A guy that he stopped to talked to in the computer section asked him if he was getting started early on the hard books.

had to leave early as she is leaving (on a jet plane…. don’t know when she’ll be back again) tomorrow for her Thanksgiving vacation. She came right back in – one of her tires had decided to pick up a nail. leapt to the rescue to help her changer her tire.

, and I headed to Applebee’s for a bite to eat. Vivi, our former favorite server, is no longer a server; she’s gone into the management program. Our new favorite server is Karen. We like her. She’s funny and personable.

And now, I’m unwinding.

NPR Stories
Talk of the Nation – Science Friday: Diabetes Update

Researchers have reversed diabetes in mice. What does that mean for people with the disease?
They raised some interesting points about possibly being able to use some of the techniques that they discovered in combating other ailments.

All Things Considered: Commentary – Missing the Old Drive-In
Fresh Air: Interview with Steven King
Marketplace: Stories for 21 Nov 03

Stray Toasters

• I almost feel guilty because everytime I hear “Istanbul” in the news, in light of the recent attacks there, a voice in the back of my head adds “…not Constantinople.” Almost guilty, but not quite.
• Megatokyo
• The Gravity and Chaos Club at Western Washington University. (Be warned, it loads slowly due to heavy traffic.)
• First there was “hijacked.” Then “carjacked.” Now, “iPod-jacked.”

That looks like a good stopping point.

Namaste.

Thursday
The workday wasn’t too bad. In fact, it wasn’t bad at all.

Came home, made sure that the cats hadn’t set anything on fire (they hadn’t) and then Jess suggested that we go to Cheers for dinner. We ran into and one of his brothers. And showed up for a spot of coffee and some pie.

And now… I think that I’m just going to relax and unwind.

And kick the Hell out of the new computer for telling me that I’m giving it an “Illegal instruction” on the OS install.

*shrug*

NPR Stories
All Things Considered: ‘The Day After:’ 20 Years Later
All Things Considered: Medicare Plan Would Ban Canadian Drugs
All Things Considered: Americans Seek Cheaper, Reimported Drugs

Stray Toasters

• Tech Support for the Mob
• RIAA Threatens 15-Year-Old
• Roadside Assistance System Used for Eavesdropping
• What should I Do if the Internet Goes Down?
• What Could You Do With 120 Laser Pointers? Some of these actually make the scrolling worthwhile.

Namaste.

Wednesday
Another day in the Land Behind the Zion Curtain. And it wasn’t bad. There were a couple of slow spots, but on the whole, was fairly painless. (…and brings on many changes. And I can take or leave it, as I please.)

It was a quiet night on the homefront. I watched The West Wing and Law & Order; both shows were good. And there was pizza for dinner.

NPR Stories
All Things Considered: Nurse Takes Plunge in Ebola Test
All Things Considered: Soccer Prodigy Stays Home (He’s 14 years old… and will be playing for the MLS’ D.C. United!)
The Connection: Dick Gordon – Back from Baghdad

Stray Toasters

• Why, yes, I did get this at IKEA… Thanks to for passing this along.
• Driver’s License…. Porn. Driver’s License…. Porn. Hmm. Another wave of the cane and tip of the hat to for this one, too.
• Do you need a swift kick in the motivation department? (And let’s face it: Who doesn’t need one at some point or another?) See what others have done by the time they were your age. Check it out here.
• Thanks to for the link to “A Modest Destiny.” In the course of a few hours, I have read the entire run of the strip… and I’m waiting for the updates.
  

  Hecter: Being evil is not all glamour. Sometimes it means guarding the alley that smells like pee.
  Gilbert: They didn’t put that part in the brochures.
  Hecter: They never do…

• New British Science Center Opens… for Adults Only
• Will The Scarecrow make an appearance in the new Batman movie? Possibly so.
• Samuel L. Jackson may gearing up to portray S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury in an upcoming movie. No, not the old Marvel Universe Nick Fury (as campily played by David Hasselhoff), the Marvel Ultimate Universe Nick Fury. The one that they made look almost just like Mr. Jackson. Younger and more modern, but just as much of a hard-ass as the classic Fury.

There’s a tall, cold glass of milk calling my name. And, I’m powerless to resist the call.

Namaste.

What are the odds that with a playlist of over 1500 songs that this song would start playing just before our Internet connection decided to take a brief siesta?

I would say that it’s rather slim.
Even if the connection has been having these hiccups for a few days.

But that’s what just happened.

Tuesday
One day closer to the weekend.

Work was… work. All things considered, it wasn’t as bad a day as yesterday. There were things that were annoying and irritating, but such is life.

On a whim, I decided to watch some of The Late Show with David Letterman. Dave was interviewing Dakota Fanning, who is in the new feature film, The Cat in the Hat. She talked about wanting a couple of stuffed dogs (dolls, not taxidermy) for Christmas and how she was looking forward to turning 12 (when she will be allowed to have real dogs). Dave gave her a stuffed squirrel. She said that she was going to name it “Chloe.” She was delightful. Almost infectiously happy. It did good things for my mood. Ah, youth…

NPR Stories
Talk of the Nation: Massachusetts Gay Marriage
All Things Considered: Massachusetts High Court Strikes Down Gay Marriage Ban
All Things Considered: Gay Marriage Ruling Prompts Constitution Debate

Stray Toasters

• Members of the cast from Wicked was on The Late Show. Interesting concept.
• More from Maddox. Tonight’s diatribe: Oops! You’re racist. In the past two hours, this page has had over 13,000 hits. Unglaublich!
• Mainframe Entertainment, the company behind Reboot, Weird-Ohs!, and Scary Godmother (among others) is working on the animated version of Alien Legion. This looks promising.

That’s about it for now.

Namaste.

Monday
Suffice if to say that the chorus of emmet swimming‘s Turnstile seemed to sum up the day fairly well:

As he passes his reflection
He considers his direction
If everything’s fine
Why do I feel stuck in the turnstile
Very nice afternoon we’re having
So what if I try
The world’s just full of tryers
Very nice afternoon and then it’s
The job, the wife, the house, the pension check

I’ll attribute the uneasiness of the day to the fact that it was Monday and let it go at that.

&lt Fast Forward&gt

I came home with more than a “slight” headache. Rest, food and watching the first half of the Steelers-49ers game seemed to quell the pounding.

Jess and I visited and for a few hours this evening; it was a good end to a not-so-good day. The line “Lonely things, like nights, I find end finer with a friend” from Anagram (for Mongo) by Rush aptly suited the evening. The time there was made even more amusing as we watched Nyx play Zoo Tycoon: She added two Tyrannosaurus Rexes to the zoo… and named them “Jess” and “Rob.” Jess2 was cranky. A lot. And she didn’t like rubble in her exhibit/pen. (We won’t mention the fact that she created said rubble.) Rob2 seemed to find great pleasure in trying to bite/run into the electrified fence. More mayhem ensued when Nyx removed panels from the fences and let the animals and dinosaurs run free. Who said that you shouldn’t play with your food before you eat it?

Stray Toasters

• I didn’t know that Dwight Schultz (from The A-Team, Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Voyager) was originally from Baltimore. Go figure.
• On the way home, we passed a man in a rather small car who reminded me of an older version of the actor who portrays Draco Malfoy in the Tim Hunter and the Books of Magic Harry Potter movies.
• From Slashdot: “The New York Times reports that Salt Lake City and other Utah cities are going to install an ultrahigh-speed optical network as a public utility project starting next year.” Details here.
• From the Washington Post: NASA Debates How and When to End the Hubble Telescope Program. While the HST has been plagued with problems, if find this a little weird to think that it might come to an end. My astronomy professor at Johns Hopkins worked with that program and one of my aunts did… something… with the inner mechanics or programs of the telescope for Allied-Bendix.
• – Four words: “Legion Flight Ring Replicas.” Apparently some guy in Mexico saw the ones that DC Direct made a few years ago and decided to make his own.

And with that, good night and good morrow.

Namaste.

Gotta love the random MST3K references.

Jess and I went to Borders for a while. We talked with Amber, Heather and Charlie for a bit. I drew. We had beverages. It was good. met us there and the three of us sallied forth to meet the rest of our group for tonight’s movie fare: Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. I enjoyed it. And, for a yet-as-undetermined reason, I kept drawing comparisons between it and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. The really odd thing is that the parallels were rather uncanny.

After that, we went to Cheers for post-movie snackage.

Now, I’m working on the new computer again. I figured that I should format the HD and put something that resembles an OS on it. has been trying to convince me to install FreeBSD on it, but I don’t have a copy of it and I’m not quite comfortable enough to attempt to download and compile it. So… I’m sticking Gentoo on it, at least for now. If I change my mind later, I can always make the switch later.

And tomorrow is Monday. No gaming tomorrow night, but we may go and hang out with and on general principle.

Namaste.

So far, it’s been a lazy day. The most productive things that I have done are: showering and putting the power supply into the new computer. And making a pot of coffee.

Football Wrap-Up
I’m 2 out of 3 today. It was something of a mixed-feeling day: Baltimore lost to the Dolphins. As a fan of both teams (Ravens fan first, but I’ve liked the Dolphins since the early 90s), it was more or less a “no loss” game for me. But, I would have preferred a Ravens win. Add to this the fact that the Bengals beat the KC Chiefs, we are now tied with them for the Division lead. But we’re still ahead of the Steelers and the Browns.

Baltimore at Miami
Final Score 6 – 9 (Overtime)
Miami has won 4 of the last 5 regular season games that they have played. There’s always the post-season. As if the score wasn’t proof enough, this was a defensive game. Both teams played well, although both teams made mistakes… and many of the Ravens’ mistakes turned into costly penalties.

Washington at Carolina
Final Score 17 – 20

And now, it’s off to do some pre-movie drawing.

Namaste.

Today was a good day off. Nothing pressing. No emergencies. And, I spent time with friends. Not a bad way to spend the day.

I was up around 10:00 A.M. I watched some cartoons and slowly prepared for this afternoon’s HALO LAN. I met and around 2:30 and we were off to see the Wizard to shoot, pistol-whip and commit other random acts of mayhem. After the gaming, they followed me home; we, and Jess (who came in from work shortly thereafter), went to T.G.I.Fridays for dinner. Our waitress was… perky. At first, I thought that she was a little too happy, but I came to see that it was just the way that she was wired. And, she was a good server.

I was in rare form at bowling. I bowled seven (7) games: 203, 162, 122, 158, 189, 130 and 149. I haven’t bowled a 200+ game in a long time. I told Jess and Mary that since my first game was that high, I could coast for the rest of the evening. I also officially met a young lady whom we saw at the bowling alley last week; she was on the lane next to us then. Tonight, she was two lanes away; we had a minor competition.

At the V.I., I actually had people ask me to make them shakes. Thus, I learned to make two new shakes:

1. A coffee shake for
2. A caramel shake for Mary

, who arrived later, asked me to make a Cookies and Cream shake (my usual concoction). And, as an added bonus: “The Singles” showed up. “Dungeon Master, Jr.” kept staring at us through the window. I’m not sure why. At one point, he stared directly at me. So, I stared back. I’m not sure if he saw my V.I. name tag – which I was wearing – and wondered why I wasn’t working. I didn’t really care. *shrug* Breakfast, the conversation and the company were good.

And now… sleep. For tomorning, there is football. Selah.

Namaste.

Friday
Work.

Borders. One of the larger gatherings that we’ve had in a while. Coffee. Chat. Good time.
Applebee’s. New waitress. Interesting Patrons.

Home. Tired.

More tomorrow.

Namaste.