Random Access

Thursday
Thor’s Day. The God of Thunder. Wielder of Mjolnir. Son of Odin.
And a good day it was.

Song of the Day
Palm Sunday Downpour, Mr. and Mrs. Hammer and Without Roses or Charms by Hat

Stray Toasters

• Today started and ended with me talking to the two youngest members of my sibko: Youngest sister and brother – Kris, this morning; Adam tonight. And, I got to play travel agent, again… couldn’t have Adam stranded in Oklahoma this summer. That just wouldn’t be “right.” Although, it might be funny.
• It’s amazing how far we, as a country, have come in the past 220-something years. And how many times the adage “One step up, two steps back” can be proven true. Why do I say this? Read here. Welcome to 2003.
• From salon.com:
  

  “K-Y Jelly, we hardly knew ye”
  http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2003/05/01/k_y/index.html
  The venerable lubricant with the kinky associations is getting a brand makeover. But will it be able to maintain market penetration?

  Oh, the joys of the double entendre.

• I don’t do this often, so you might want to mark your calendars…
  

  Disclaimer: The following point refers to something that many know only as an offensive symbol. I want to present a counterpoint to that. In the middle of the 20th Century, the symbol was adopted and perverted into a sign of hatred and oppression which represented a 180° shift from its original meaning.

  That having been said…

  brought this little nugget of joy to my attention. Is it unusual that my first reaction was,”What about the original meaning and connotation behind the swastika?” I empathize with Rabbi Kermaier’s discomfort with seeing it on the figurine, but by the same token he is in a country in which a great number of the people (read: “Pretty much ALL…”) are Buddhist; sects of that faith use the classic -reversed and non-rotated- symbol with a positive meaning. For a somewhat similar argument, one could look to the “Heritage vs. Hate” debate over the use of the Confederate flag as part of southern states’ flags.

  I also think that it was noteworthy that, according to the article: “…the figurines were ‘exact replicas’ of characters featured in the television series.” It would be interesting to find whether anyone gone to he executives at the television studio and/or the creators of Robocon to protest the offensive design?

  Here is something that I found on this part of the indiayogi.com site.

  Question: What does the Swastika Symbol mean?
  A very famous solar symbol that has been used for luck and auspiciousness in India for millennia – and then Hitler got hold of it, reversed it, rotated it off its central axis and made it a hated and feared emblem of evil. There could be no greater irony and it is time the swastika was rescued and restored to its true stature.

  The word is derived from ’su vasti’ and means ’the essence of everything good’, a far cry indeed from the appalling perversion to which Nazi idiots twisted it. The swastika is common to the Hindu, Buddhist and Jain traditions equally; it was an Indian cultural archetypal symbol, not a sectarian mark. Hence its power and hence the disastrous energies released when it was reversed. A reversed swastika is used only on special occasions when there is some necessary clearing of Psychic clutter to be done and even then it is dangerous to keep it active for too long. The Nazis not only reversed it they tilted it and then put it in Tantrik colors. They were guaranteeing their own demise with such monkeying around with archetypes. The swastika however is a very pure and auspicious symbol in essence, a bringer of luck and fortune and it should not get a bad reputation because of some historical distortions. -Rohit Arya

  Here is more about it, including some of the history behind it.

And with that, good night.

Namaste.

Wednesday
Wodensday. The day of Woden or Odin, as he’s known in modern languages. Father of Thor. Lord of Asgard.

Decent weather, a good day at work and every-other-Wednesday night coffee made for a good day.

Song of the Day
Tiny Toon Adventures theme.

Stray Toasters

• More interstate 7 Days-watching with the youngest member of my sibko¹.
• There was an article on Google News this morning. Rather than try to explain it, I’ll show you what it said:
  

  Traffic pollution damages men’s sperm
  New Scientist – 3 hours ago
  Traffic pollution damages sperm and may reduce fertility in young and middle-aged men, reveals an Italian study of motorway tollgate attendants.

  All that I want to know is: Who thought up this study? What made them think of it in the first place? Who agreed to fund it? How much drinking/smoking/injecting was involved in getting the approval vote to pass?

• This was another item on Google News. *sigh* Okay… let’s take it step by step:
  1. I’ll even start by saying that I enjoy(ed) Deee-Lite’s music.
  2. The original Space Channel 5 came out in 2000. Three (3) years ago.
  3. Sega offered a sum for the license. You would think that a multi-national company would be a little more savvy about things like changing the look/identity of their character if the license request was denied. But… Deee-Lite was big in the early 90s; as mentioned earlier, the game came out in 2000. I’ve heard of dragging your feet on a project (see: Lucas, George and the Star Wars saga), but this is ridiculous.
  4. Under what rock was she living for the past three years? Did she just wake up one morning, blink twice and think: “I think I’ll sue the bloody wankers.” *boggle*

  It should prove most interesting to see how this pans out.

• Waltzing for Venus
• “It’s time to play the music… It’s time to light the lights… It’s time to _____”
• Boyd. Rufus. Flipper. “Plausible deniability.”
• Toblerone white chocolate.

Quote of the Day
During tonight’s coffee chat, we somehow wound up referencing “The Ice Capades.” I don’t remember how, but we did.

Matt: What the Hell is a ‘capade,’ anyway?
Steve: It’s kind of like a ‘crusade,’ but not quite as bloody.

Namaste.

¹ – Sibko: A sibko consists of a group of children produced from the same male and female geneparents in the warrior caste eugenics program. The members of the sibko are raised together, then begin to undergo constant testing. As various members of the sibko fail at each test, they are transferred to the lower castes. A sibko consists of approximately 20 members, but usually only four or five remain at the time of the final test to become warriors, the Trial of Position. These tests and other adversities may bind the surviving “sibkin” together.
(taken from classicbattletech.com)

Tuesday
From sunny and (mostly) clear to cloudy with traces of sun, it was a good day. Nothing too out of the ordinary. No bad attitudes. “Nothing to get hung about…”

Song of the Day
Born to Run and Glory Days by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band

Stray Toasters

• I watched 7 Days again tonight. The difference was that tonight I watched it “with” Adam; apparently, OSU feeds basic cable to the dorm rooms. I had forgotten how much fun it is to watch a program with someone with whom you are talking online.
• Ginger snaps. If I have to explain… *shakes head*
• Groove. Boogie. Sway.
• ::: pounce :::
• : Yes, I do. I’ve known Monty for a couple of years and I worked with Thom at the USPS for a while. I hear that Monty will be filling in with your band this weekend; tell him I said “hello.”
• Boomerang (the network, not the aboriginal weapon/tool) can throw unexpected curves. Tonight, I was looking for something to watch and came upon Jonny Quest (the 60s series). Of course, I watched it. Then came the curve. Centurions. A toon that I used to watch after school in the mid 80s. As much as I enjoyed it then, I can see that it hasn’t stand up to the test of time very well. But, that didn’t stop me from watching it tonight. Like G.I. Joe, the end of each episode had a “learning moment” kind of epilogue/story; tonight’s was about the Space Shuttle.
• According to this post on Slashdot, it seems as though RIAA’s own Hilary Rosen will be helping to draft the new Intellectual Property laws in Iraq. May Allah have mercy upon them.
• Speaking of which, this article amused me. Click the “i” in “Mirror” to see the comic strip in question. I just noticed that Swing Out Sister’s version of “Am I the Same Girl” was playing while I was looking at that strip. Irony, thou art a mistress with a wicked sense of humor…

Namaste.

Monday
GRRR. Well, not really “GRRR,” but it was definitely a Monday.

It started when I went to bed. My knee was still a little achy and my stomach was… “upset.” That’s the best description. Not quite “queasy,” but not “fine,” either. I took a couple of Tums and tried to sleep. The operative word there was “tried.”

As I lay in bed, Morpheus mocked me. He would give me brief glimpses of the lands beyond the gates of The Dreaming, but all to abruptly, I was cast back into the Waking World. This went on for a couple hours. It was maddening. When my alarm went off at 8:30, I was not happy. Nor did I feel well. While the stomach uneasiness had subsided (for the most part), my head, knee and back had decided to join the protest. I called work and told them that I would be in later in the day… and went back to sleep.

This attempt was fairly successful. When I awakened a few hours later, I felt a good deal better. Well enough to take a stab at facing the day. And so, I did.

Work was. That’s about all that I can say about it. I still wasn’t feeling “tip top,” so my head wasn’t fully in the game. I stayed for about 5½ hours before I decided to pack it in. Everyone else seemed to be having “a Monday,” too, so they were ready to leave around the same time.

After work, I came home and rested for a bit. Then, went with Jess to have dinner at Guru’s. After that, it was off to see the Wizard… visit and Brad. Wookie and Spydr were there; we’re going to be victims players in a game the Brad will be GM’ing. *nod* It’s been… a few… years since I’ve done much gaming. This should be good.

Song of the Day
Ashes by Middle Fold

Stray Toasters

• It may be time for a bit of Spring Cleaning. Or, at the least, a time for me to consider applying judicious use of the “Delete Comment” feature on certain replies to my posts. Or replies to friends of mine who make comments on my posts. I find that a recurring… no, make that “an annoying and recurring” item that has appeared over the last few weeks. And, as the saying goes: “And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee…” (Matthew 18:9) I don’t just intend to “pluck it out,” I’m swinging for the fences.
• Has Darth Vader (Sith Lord and all-around galactic badass) finally renounced the Dark Side and found God?! He’s been spotted in the National Cathedral. o_O Truth stranger than (science) fiction. See for yourself.
• Reality Television. The term has been used ad infinitum. And, for the most part, it’s become an oxymoron. But, it seems as though PBS is going to try and change that… again. They are going to broadcast a series with people cast to portray (yes, the key word here is “portray”) the residents of a turn of the (20th) century Scottish manor, from the Lord and Lady of the Manor to the servants. Instead of being “Big Brother: The Early Years” or “The Real World: Generation 1900,” they are making it more like a history program with real-life demonstrations. THIS I could get into.
• This, however, I can – and will – not. “Reality Central?” *sigh* I won’t wait to look for an indicator that the drain is open, I’ll pull the plug myself.

Namaste.

Sunday
I don’t think that words can adequately explain how badly my knee ached this morning. Suffice if to say: A lot. Oh well. “That which does not kill me…” as the saying goes.

After a bit of puttering around the apartment, I headed to Borders. For some drawing and Cafe Mocha. I picked up a few new magazines. In a bookstore, who would have thought it possible?! Friend Angela showed up and we chatted for a bit. There was even a cameo appearance by .

Back home and then off for dinner (Desert Edge), coffee (Salt Lake Coffee Break) and a movie. We saw Identity. joined us for coffee and the movie (It was nice to finally meet you.) If I was to say anything other than “This was a very well-done film,” I’d be giving too much away. So, I’ll leave it at: “If you have the opportunity, see it.” I would even see it again, to see if I can pick up on things that I missed in the first viewing.

And, as far as a recap of yesterday, events went more or less in this order:

• I woke up feeling not quite 100%, so I stayed around the apartment for the early part of the day. I was firing on all cylinders towards early afternoon.
• I had a really good conversation with , while she was taking a study break.
• I decided to take a cue from Prince’s “Sign O the Times” and Play in the Sunshine and met and others for a few games of Ultimate. Which is where I did… something untoward… to my knee. I still don’t remember when “whatever” happened, but by the time we left it was achy. Not at all fun.
• Word of the Day: Nizlee!
• Home for a shower and then off to dinner at Sampan. There was a couple directly behind our table and, apparently, they knew the people at the next table over from them. It was a little odd to hear them talking about how good the food was at another Chinese restaurant (Asian Star, home of many a Mallday). Kind of like going to Car Dealership A and boasting about how smooth a ride you though a car from Dealership B. But, it was good for a laugh.
• Bowling. And on a less than jake (but better than ezra) knee, it was something of a challenge for the first couple of games. It was still a good night… even though I missed getting another 200 game by one pin! Verdammt.
• Post-bowling breakfast fare followed, with a second-reel appearance by and the Brad. And “The Singles” were there. One of them gave another one something that we are assuming was a face/scalp massage, but we could not swear that it wasn’t some Vulcan mating ritual or bizarre mind meld. Robert made an analogy to Mr. Burns’ brain massage from The Simpsons… and we couldn’t rule that out as a possibility, either.
• Nyx: Are you pondering what I’m pondering?

I just checked the clock and realized that it is much later than I had planned on being up. Damn those bright, shiny objects and their power to distract and mesmerize! *shakes fist* And with that, I am off to wander around The Dreaming.

Namaste.

Saturday
Woke up.
Did things.
Came home.
And now, I’m going to bed.

I will say this: Live was mistaken when they sang Pain Lies on the Riverside. I know this because pain is currently inhabiting my knees.

A recap of the day can, and will, wait for tomorrow.
Now, it is time to sleep.

Namaste.

Friday
I took the day off so that I could take care of a few things. But that still left the better part of the day to do whatever I wanted. And I did. One of those things was to pick up my comics from Hastur’s. I didn’t have time to wander leisurely, but I shall… soon.

After last night’s late-night editing session, I was zombie-like this afternoon. I took a nap. I intended it to last about 00:30, but it wound up being somewhere in the 01:30 range. I remember waking up after the allotted half-hour… and deciding that “a few more minutes” wouldn’t hurt. Apparently, I needed the rest. Post-nap, it was closing in on dinner time. Feeling carnivorous, The Outback was the most desirable option. Jess, Robert and I dined well.

Song of the Day
Hot Sausage Picasso by Jonni Lightfoot

Stray Toasters

• I don’t recall how or where I came across this.
• The 35th Anniversary Issue of Rolling Stone is out this week. The cover story is “American Icons.” I’m curious as to what archetypes they assert as iconic. However, I did read the article by Kevin Smith (yes, THAT Kevin Smith) on superheroes as icons. Imagine that. It was a spot-on assessment.
• – Two things: 1) According to the aforementioned Rolling Stone, Peaches is working on a new CD. It is scheduled for a fall release. 2) The Science of the Moist Towelette, from Slashdot.
• Fosters. Australian for “beer.”
• From the “You Can’t Be Serious” news files comes this item. Civilization. Drain. Circle.
• Slickdeals and Techdeals. Check ’em out.
• A few weeks ago, I made a comment about a live-action Pac-Man movie being in the works. According to this, it seems that the rumors were true. The article also talks about other game-to-film adaptations that are in the wings.

Namaste.

Thursday
Working 9 to 5
What a way to make a living.

Today was more like 10 to 8. And aside from about an hour-and-a-half of irritation/frustration with a couple of applications, it was a rather good day at work. It was a good day, overall. Blue skies. A light wind. And most likely, the last day of work for me this week; I may go in for a little while on Saturday, but I’ll have to see how things go. *shrug*

Song of the Day

• The Heat Is On by Glenn Frey
• All She Wants to Do Is Dance by Don Henley
• Life’s Been Good by Joe Walsh

Stray Toasters

• I have just spent the past hour and some change proofreading and editing a paper for Adam. It is due Friday (25 Apr 03) at 1:30 PM. *sigh* I love these last minute, last ditch battles… If I could figure out why his email program is stripping the attachment, I’d be batting 1.000. (Update: He wasn’t using Eudora, which I had set up for him. I don’t know what it is about whatever other program that he was using that would have automatically blocked/removed an attachment.)
• Tucks. (…your tail between your legs and run. Friar. Medicated pads. Nip and…)
• Excerpt from a conversation with :
  

  [13:05) : Tell me something funny.
  [13:05] : what’s a zebra?

  [13:05] : the largest size!!!!!

  I actually chuckled at that. I think that it even crossed over into a full-scale laugh.

• I talked to a friend of mine who was having “a day.” She needed an ear and some time to talk; I was able to offer both. And glad to do so.
• I chatted with this evening. Topics ranged from Jeeps and the Quebecois to camping, halflings and hair braiding. A little on the random side, but damned funny.
• 7 Days. A show that had so much potential, but got the short shrift.
• : Is it bad that I gave a certain someone special exemption/permission to pull Jon’s hair at/after Ultimate, if the urge came over her?

In the words of Barenaked Ladies: “This is where it ends.”

Namaste.

Wednesday
Work.
Blah blah blah.
Home.

There was actually a little more to the day than that. Including finally having lunch with Jonni (1, 2) along with Chris and Roger from work. It was the first time that I’ve seen him since he cut his hair. Big change, but same Jonni. Lunch was a little longer than usual. But it was good. And a lot of fun.

Song of the Day
Too Much Time on My Hands by Styx

Stray Toasters

• The day started with a phone call. From my father. He called to tell me that he had seen one of my best friends at a memorial service. That was the only reason that he called. It took me a couple of minutes to stop laughing about that after I hung up.
• At the close of some episodes of The Adventures of Superman, Clark Kent (portrayed by George Reeves) would sometimes make a tongue-in-cheek comment and then he would “break the fourth wall” and wink at the camera. I’m not sure if that was a nod towards the old series, but at the end of the Superman movies, Christopher Reeve (no relation) would smile at the camera as he flew around the world.

Super-Sized Stray Toaster
I had a very random… thought a couple of days ago. And it was inspired by, of all things, the toothpaste tube.

We’ve learned to define, and in many cases explain, the forces at work around us. We’ve used science to shape our world into a more comfortable place. That’s not necessarily a “bad” thing. For example, I doubt that many would argue against the convenience of using a pen/pencil and paper as opposed to using stone tablets and charcoal. A calculator handles number crunching faster (and in larger numbers) than using fingers and toes. I’ve heard that abacus users can be rather fleet of finger, too, but for the sake of argument, we’ll consider that a simple calculator. Cars convey us from place to place faster than walking; trains and planes do the same thing, but at an even more swift rate.

But it does seem that at some times we have let our quest for “Let’s make it easier to…” run amok (amok amok). And that brings us to toothpaste. No, that’s not really my point. Let’s try again… “And that brings us to the toothpaste tube.” Ah. That’s much better. But, I can narrow the focus even more: The toothpaste tube cap.

It’s amazing how “simple” we need/want things to be and the toothpaste tube cap exemplifies this: For years (read: “decades”), the screw-on top reigned supreme as the perfect way to keep the toothpaste in the tube. A couple of twists and it was off. Squeeze the tube, apply toothpaste to your toothbrush. A couple of twists and it was on the tube once more. Form and function were both served.

But, sometime in the past… five to ten years, someone figured out that a flip-top would be even easier to use: Flip up. Squeeze. Flip down. Simple! And, yes, this can be considered a step forward. But I can also see another side of the issue: Have we really become so enamored with “easy of use/easy access” that we have found making a couple of finger twists “too difficult?” The first answer that comes to mind is “Yes.” But, again, there is more to it: If you look at your flip-top cap, it still has a screw-on top! Is it a concession to “old school” tooth brushers? Is it nostalgia? Or could it simply be that they haven’t found a foolproof way to keep toothpaste from coagulating under the flip-top cap? We may never know. At least not until someone comes along with something new or better… or easier.

That’s all. For now.

Namaste.

Tuesday
Tonight was the Livejournal Meetup. We met at the Borders across from Fashion Place Mall. In all, there were 8½ of us… and the “half” was only because Young Miss Fiona is not (officially) a journaler, though she is regularly featured in ‘s LJ. It was an interesting (in a good way) gathering. And fun… it was fun, as well. And, as an added bonus, Fiona drew a wonderful picture of the Powerpuff Girls, Professor Utonium and Mojo Jojo in my sketchbook! Whether she knew that I was a PPG fan is beside the point. The point being: I have an original drawrin’ from her and you don’t. Let the jealously ensue.

Song of the Day

• Buttercup (I’m a Super Girl) by Shonen Knife
• Love Makes the World Go Round by The Powerpuff Girls

Stray Toasters
Nothing of note tonight; possibly there will be something of interest on the morrow.

Namaste.

It’s Earth Day.
…and it’s raining. There are even signs of snow across the UT/NV border. Who says that Mother Nature doesn’t have a sense of humor.

I also find it more than mildly amusing that the page for the official Earth Day site, to quote Internet Explorer, “…cannot be displayed.” Heavy traffic? Server(s) gone down? *shrug* Who knows…?

Monday
Today was a pretty decent day. Work wasn’t bad. Aside from a little rain, it the weather was decent. And I had a nice post-work evening.

Song of the Day
Willow Weep for Me by Nina Simone

She was one of my mother’s favorite, if not “the favorite,” artists; I grew up listening to her music. She passed away today at her home in France. She had a long career -spanning nearly 50 years- and a style that was definitely unique. Here is a list of the songs for which she was famous.

Goodbye.

Stray Toasters

• Bonus points to whomever can correctly identify the origin of my subject line, without having to look it up.
• If you haven’t visited Dude Studios, do so. Check out the Star Dudes “movies.” All of the fun of the Star Wars movies… in only five minutes (give or take), each.
• I have been waiting for someone to make a comment about one particular item since the whole “French” / “Freedom” tripe started; was the first person to say anything – at least, she is the first person whom I noticed said something. The item: The Statue of Liberty. People seem to “forget” that she was a gift from the government of France. *shrug*
• The Supreme Court is reviewing the Miranda Ruling. As in “You have the right to remain silent…” It seems that a case in Colorado has called into question the admissibility of evidence that was found because of something that a suspect said before he was fully advised of his rights. It will be most interesting to see how this plays out.
• I like Slashdot. I was wandering around it today and came across a link to this gem. Lego. LOTS of Lego. LOTS of time invested in this. “Too much time…?” Maybe, but I have to give points for creativity and effort.
• Late evening coffee… including more not-quite-obscene-but-sure-to-get-odd-looks fun with The Hand. It’s amazing how people will stare at a wooden hand wielding a ketchup-as-blood-tipped knife in a manner that was unquestionably full of ominous intent.
• “Murder is love.” That was the random quote that popped up during the coffee outing. I’ll spare you the digressions that we took from those three words. They did, however, make us laugh. Quite a bit, in fact. And, before someone gets their (fill in your favorite underwear/MMPP manufacturer and/or type) in a wad: That thread of the conversation was said in jest.
• It seems as though I can get my 7 Days fix on TNN. I’ll have to balance against my Voyager viewing, as it seems that they are on at the same time.

And with that, I bid you good night.

Namaste.

Sunday
Today was an excellent day. From the people that I got to see and/or talk with to the things that I did to the weather (70° and breezy), it was an all-round great day.

After a less-than-completely-sound sleep, I got up to face the day. I was surprised with an Easter basket. Complete with a stuffed rabbit and enough candy to make dentists’ eyes glaze over with glee. (Note to : There were even a couple of Cadbury Eggs in there.)

I talked with various members of my family today. Even the international sister-unit. Everyone seems to be doing well.

Being “holiday orphans,” we were invited to join some friends for a family afternoon at the park; this included lunch and an Easter egg hunt. I haven’t been part of an Easter egg in MANY years. I think since my sister Kristen was little (so, over 10 years…) The only word that comes to mind to describe the kids running around looking for eggs is: “Cute.” I also got in a bit of kite flying – it was the perfect day for it. I had at least 00:30 of actual flying time; the kite didn’t touch the ground until I was done flying. It was great.

After that, Jess, and I met at Borders for a little reading, talking and drawing. We were there for about an hour. I got a couple of sketches done; m3l critiqued and suggested things for me to practice.

Then it was off for coffee and tonight’s movie. While having coffee, I got another surprise call. This time, there was no bad news involved. It was from my Godmother (not a Fairy Godmother, but I wouldn’t trade her in for all the magic wands in Disney and/or all of the Grimm fairy tales combined). I haven’t talked to her in two years, give or take a month or two. We talked for almost :30… and it was good. Tonight’s movie selection was: Bulletproof Monk. It was fun. An Oscar-worthy movie? Probably not, but it was fun to watch. It wasn’t pretentious nor did it try to be a cinema magnum opus. It was a comic book on the big screen. I liked it. I think that I’ll be buying it when it comes out on DVD. The trailers that preceded the movie were all right… with the noted exception of the one for The Real Cancun. I heard multiple “What the Hell…” comments from all over the theatre. It’s good to know that I wasn’t alone in that assessment.

Like I said earlier: It was an excellent day.

Namaste.

Happy Easter.

I hope that everyone has a safe and enjoyable holiday.

Saturday
Today was an all-around good day… even though I had to work for a few hours. Even work wasn’t too bad. The day itself was good, too: blues skies and a decent temperature. As for the rest of the post-work day, it included: Ultimate (frisbee), bowling, and breakfast. And guest appearances by and

I also received a bit of a double-edged surprise today: My Godsister (daughter of my Godparents) called me. Out of the ordinary, yes, but always welcome. She called to relay a bit of bad news – A friend of ours (he was closer to being like a “cousin” in our extended family) died. My main reaction was a repeated, stunned “Wow;” she said that was pretty much all that she could say when she first found out. She didn’t know many details, but she wanted to make sure that I knew what had happened. She also asked that I get in touch with a couple of friends of ours and pass the news on to them. I did. Wow. I’m going to miss him.

Stray Toasters

• I played Ultimate this afternoon. I realized that there is something more than just the benefit of a good cardio workout; it was good on a more… primal… level. To simply run around the field – jumping, catching and throwing the frisbee – was good in helping to regain a bit of balance. Not spending time thinking about Situation X or Problem Y. Letting the world outside of the park stand still or even just “go away.” Just being in the moment. It was great. Another plus: came to hang out with us.
• Oreo milkshake. Very tasty.
• I followed a link on Backwash to a story on this site about Cadbury Easter Eggs. (Thanks to for pointing it out!) I then wandered around the site a bit. There were some rather amusing items on there; this includes, but is not limited to, a story about Santa Claus and Metroplex (a Transformers® robot) trying to pop Jiffy-Pop® popcorn.
• While looking at the X-Entertainment site, above, I ran across an ad for an upcoming movie called The Real Cancun. It is by the producers of the MTV series The Real World and Road Rules. It is a “reality-based” movie. Even “better,” it follows 16 college students (“cast members”) over the course of Spring Break in Cancun, Mexico. Do we really need this?

  As William Shakespeare wrote in As You Like It (Act ii, Sc. 7):

  All the world’s a stage,
  And all the men and women merely players.

  This is an apt analogy. But at what point did we become cast members in a global version of The Truman Show? I know that we have allowed our collective cultural voyeurism desires/tendencies to make us want to know/see more about what goes on in the “everyday” life of Person A, B and/or C, but into what have we let it evolve… or more aptly “devolve?” This, to me, is yet another drain-circling indicator.

• To a gamer (and many movie buffs), the term “Easter Egg” is fairly well-known. I had thought that the term was close to being common/general knowledge. Apparently, I was mistaken. In going from being a “superpower” to becoming a “hyperpower,” it seems that we have left other countries in our technological dust. This would seem to hold true for our cousins across The Pond. This article, from BBC News Online, explains the story behind Easter Eggs that are not dyed, candy-/money-filled, or hanging from trees (which is a concept that I never understood).
• A poseable, wooden hand “mannequin” is a good aid for drawing. It is also a dangerous thing to set on a dinner table… especially when people let their senses of humor take over when manipulating it.

That’s it for now. It’s time to hit the rack.

Namaste.