Random Access

Saturday – 20 August 2011
I thought about listing this as “Friday – 19 August 2011,” since it’s still Friday in the Pacific time zone, but decided, “Eh… what the Hell.” So, maybe this will be the first of two (or more) posts today.  We’ll see.

Friday was a good day. I slept in a bit. Which was a good thing, considering that I started nodding off on the sofa Thursday night. I remember watching Yard Crashers… then Yard Crashers was watching me… I woke up to find the a different episode of Yard Crashers was on… nodded off again… and woke up to eventually drag my sorry butt to bed. I saw SaraRules! off to work and did a little straightening up around the house.

Next, I met SaraRules! at the hospital, as we were scheduled for another ultrasound and non-stress test (NST). Thanks to a comedy of timing errors on my part, I missed about 98% (all of the good stuff, really) of the ultrasound. I did get there in time to get the recap, though. Next, on to the NST. The nurse had barely wired SaraRules! for sound when the kids decided, “Hey! People are watching… Let’s put on a show!” And they did. There were plenty – at least three or four – accelerations in twenty minutes. The nurse was pleased and thus were we pleased, too. So the overall results:

• The kids are fine.
• They’re both roughly six (6) pounds each and within an ounce or two of each other, which means that Baby A has caught up to Baby B.
• We are about 2.5 weeks from delivery.
• (And, no, we still don’t know what gender/s the babies are.)

I came back home to do a little more prep work before heading to pick up Meliko and Jesse from the airport. One thing that I didn’t think to do beforehand was work out “where” to pick them up. Some people meet their party at the curb, while others meet them in the upstairs portion of the terminal, just outside the secure area before the gates. My usual M.O. is to go to baggage claim. And that’s where I went. I waited for about ten minutes, before wondering if I had passed them or should check outside (again). And then, I saw Meliko coming down the stairway. After meeting Jesse, we headed to SaraRules’ office for a quick visit. SaraRules! sent us on our way to lunch; we ate at Cafe Med (or “The Med” or whatever they are calling themselves this week). Good food, as always… but I completely neglected to get Akbar Mashti.

*grblsnrkx*

From there, we headed up to the in-laws’, so Meliko could visit with her folks – including a few members of the family who had just gotten to town – and everyone could meet Jesse. We sat around and gabbed for an hour or so before heading home. SaraRules! came home – with RubySnap cookies! – and we hung out for a bit before heading back to the in-laws’ for dinner. By this time, more of SaraRules! and Meliko’s cousins had arrived. Dinner was good. After dinner, we had a birthday party for one of the little cousins – she turned five today. (We also managed to make RubySnap converts out of a few members of the family, to boot!)

After everyone was dinnered and partied and peopled out, SaraRules!, Meliko, Jesse and I came back home. SaraRules! and Meliko quilted, while Jesse and I (and the ladies, intermittently) watched Batman: Under the Red Hood.

And now, everyone but me is asleep. In the words of Bjork: It’s Oh So Quiet… well, it is if you discount the sound of the swamp cooler.

All-in-all, it was a very good day.

And tomorrow will be even better, as Logan and Sanaz are jumping the broom!

And with that, good night.

Namaste.

Thursday – 18 August 2011
It’s another NBN Technical Friday here in the Land Behind the Zion Curtain.

Last night, SaraRules! and I went to the “non-rehearsal” dinner for Logan and Sanaz. As there wasn’t a pre-wedding rehearsal involved, it was more of a “get both sides of the family-to-be together” dinner. Either way, it was still good. I got to chat with Marie and Stan – SaraRules!’ aunt and uncle from California – whom I haven’t seen since our wedding (aside from a brief video chat at Easter). We also got to meet Sanaz’ grandmother, who’s in from London. Good company, good food, and good conversation made for a rather pleasant way to pass the evening.

Chew on This: Food for Thought
This was an interesting and thought-provoking article, by way of my friend, Crystal: How to Talk to Little Girls

Stray Toasters

• Stolen Rembrandt sketch found in church
• Pope reaches out to youths in Spain
• 
• Piers Morgan: Christine O’Donnell Walkout Was ‘Extraordinary’
• It turns out that she had also “walked out” on the hosts of a local (SLC) radio show earlier in the day.
• How to Use an Apostrophe
• Kilian Martin: A Skate Illustration, courtesy of
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: German ‘unfairly’ sacked for marrying Chinese woman
• Offering Funds, U.S. Agency Dreams of Sending Humans to the Stars
• AT&T sues two over scheme to steal customer data

Back to it…

Namaste.

Wednesday – 17 August 2011
Midweek and all’s pretty well…

…unless you’re this guy:

I’m talking about the car in the middle of the picture. It appears to have broken down in the median. It’s also been there for a few minutes. I watched as (at least) two patrol cars drove past it — in the left lane — without stopping. *shrug*

After about 40 minutes, another car pulled up behind it. People got out. They stood near the first car. A couple of minutes later, they both pulled off. I’m not sure, but it may have just been a case of running out of gas.  But, I’m still a little… concerned/bothered… that the two police officers just drove past it like nothing was wrong.

Yesterday, I was in the south office. One of my tasks for the day was to join peoples’ computers to the corporate network. In and of itself, not a terribly difficult assignment. Or so you’d think. After all, the computers spoke the same language – Windows – albeit different dialects (XP/Vista/7).

Theoretical Concept: Easy.
Practical Application: *grblsnrkx*

Let’s say that there was a lot of “hurry up and wait” along with the obligatory questions from the engineers of: “Which login do I use?” and “Should I try this?” and “Huh…?!” But, I got a few of the guys taken care of… without bloodshed.

Last night was game night with and crew. It was a good time. Especially as none of us died in the course of adventuring.

Groove. Boogie. Sway.
A couple of songs that helped to get this morning started were:

• Rush – YYZ
• Clivilles and Cole – Pride (in the Name of Love)

There were others, but these two were the prime movers of the day.  Oh, yeah, and this one:

It has gotten back into the public eye ear(?) as the background music for the Blackberry PlayBook commercial.

Stray Toasters

• I have chatted with my mother today. Twice. Online.
• Apple unleashes first OS X Lion update
• Tobacco giants suing FDA over warning labels mandate
• 
• By way of comes Danny MacAskill Industrial Revolutions
• A Proud Moment in a Discredited Era
• 
• One More Reason (Some) Americans Don’t Care About Kate Bush
• Hello Kitty + Ninja Gaiden = ???
• What Bandwidth Caps Would Mean for Internet Gluttons
• 
• A Village Person Test the Copyright Law
• Razorantium has returned to Lush!  Hallelujah!

Quote of the Day
It’s been a while since I’ve had a good story about my nieces. Fortunately, my brother-in-law posted one yesterday:

Lady, looking at Sophia, dressed in pink with a pink headband: “Oh how cute, is it a little girl?”
Me: No lady, “it” is a duck.
Lady: Well you’re rude.
Me: Well you’re not very bright.
Sophia: QUACK, Daddy! QUACK!

Sophia is just shy of her second birthday.

Namaste.

Monday – 15 August 2011
A new week greets us with sun and scattered clouds. This comes after a night of thunder, lightning and rain — I’m not really sure “who” did “what” to Thor, but he was really on one last night.

The weekend was good. And, as is often the case with weekends “too short.” This isn’t to say that we didn’t get a lot accomplished – we did – but I wouldn’t have argued with a little more downtime. Highlights of the weekend include:

• Hearing Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture – complete with cannon – at the Deer Valley Music Festival
• Judging a ‘Clix tournament for Dr. Volt’s Comic Connection
• Seeing Cowboys and Aliens with SaraRules! and
• Setting up/putting away more baby items
• Putting together a gallery of invitations from our baby showers
• FINALLY cleaning out the detritus left under our deck by our home’s previous owners!
• Dinner with the in-laws, including my first Charlie Chan movie

Cowboys and Aliens was fun. It was a decent western. It was also a decent alien movie. And, even better: It combined the two fairly well. Daniel Craig is almost always a pleasure to watch act. It was also fun to see Harrison Ford in a role as a… less-than-savory character again. (It’s been a long time since Han Solo was a true scoundrel…) And, the movie also had Thirteen Quorra Olivia Wilde, which is a “Win” in my book. Well done, Mr. Favreau.

Chew on This: Food for Thought
Stop Coddling the Super-Rich, from Warren Buffett (Yes… “THAT Warren Buffett“).

Stray Toasters

• Google to but Motorola Mobility for $12.8 billion
• The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan
• The Alpha Male
• The 16 longest gaps between Interstate exits
• 
• Astronaut Photographs Perseid Meteor… From Space
• Chinese space lab set to soar
• London Police Use Flickr to Identify Looters
• State Challenges Seen as Whittling Away Federal Education Law
• I’m hoping not to be – or turn into – this guy…

  

  …or this…

  

• Flight failure won’t stop ‘mad scientists’
• Resist
• As Networks Speed Up, Data Hits a Wall
• Star Wars icons join Queen Elizabeth on Pacific Island coin

Right on to the friction of the day…

Namaste.

Friday – 12 August 2011
Four down, one in the chamber. It’s the end of the week and all’s well.

This morning, we had another doctor’s appointment. This time, it was a “non-stress test.” The kids, though wriggly, were pretty cooperative. The nurse said that they were doing fine, based on the readings.

Last night was the first night of football in the 2011 preseason. *genuflect* ESPN had the Seattle vs. Sandy Eggo game. (Not my first choice, but it was football.) I found out, a little while later that NFL Network was rebroadcasting other games, including…

Baltimore Ravens at Philadephia Eagles
6 – 13
The Ravens, after a number of changes in the offseason, headed north to take on the Eagles. It was not a pretty game. In fact, it looked like something from a few seasons back. Fortunately, it was a preseason game, which means that “it doesn’t really count” in the long run. And, most importantly, the Ravens went home without any major injuries to players. What was wrong? QB Tyrod Taylor threw a couple INTs. One I’ll say was a bad call on his part; the other looked like the receiver should have caught it. And, generally speaking, the defense left far too many gaps and open spots in the field for Eagles’ players to pass/catch/run through. T Oneil Cousins got seriously owned on the left side of the line. They were breaking him down like fractions. Yeah… it was that bad. And, generally speaking, the O-line didn’t provide the QBs any protection. There were as many – if not more – white jerseys in the backfield as purple ones. Was there anything “good” about the game?  Yes. TE Dennis Pitta showed some great ball-tracking and handling skills, especially as seen in his opening drive catch over FS Kurt Coleman. LB Paul Kruger also showed off some speed and tackling skill. Tyrod Taylor, INTs aside, put on a decent performance. Next, the Ravens take on the Houston Texans. Let’s hope that they take the lessons learned from this game and apply them…

Stray Toasters

• In a Summer Heat Wave, Making Off With the Cool
• Marvel LOLcats
• Metaphor: The Tree of Utah
• Cameron Exploring Crack Down on Social Media After Riots
• By way of BoingBoing: Revised London Olympics logo, now with rioter

  

• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file:
• Church Brawl: Minister and Deacon Charged in Alabama Tasing and Stabbing
• Farming with Dynamite
• Captain Morgan, the Rum Pirate, Lends a Knee to Hip Dislocation
• Genetically tailored virus may cure leukemia
• Postal Service considers cutting 120,000 jobs

And tonight: Cannons in the canyon and the Perseid Meteor Shower!

Namaste.

Thursday – 11 August 2011
Day Four.  Fantastic.

Another NBN Thursday in the valley. The morning has started somewhat inauspiciously: I woke up with a headache at 0500. Two ibuprofen and a glass of water later, I was back in bed. But, by then, it seems the tone for the day had been set…

• First alarm went off.  I turned it off and rolled over to spend more time in The Dreaming.
• Second alarm went off. It took a few moments to realize what it was and why it was making noise. Feh.
• I got to work… only to realize that I had left my ID badge and phone at home.
• Susan beat me – for the second week in a row – to our ritual Thursday morning NBN greeting.

Oh, well.

Yesterday, during my lunch excursion, I stopped at The Train Shoppe. I am/was in the market for two things:

1. MTH 50-1033: DCS Remote Commander Set
2. MTH 30-4205-1: SD70ACe Diesel R-T-R Deluxe Freight Train Set (Norfolk-Southern)

They had Item 1, and would have to order Item 2… if they could find it. The RTR set was originally released last year (as 30-4205-1) and has been discontinued. That’s a pity as it’s hard to find eastern railroad names when you live in the west. “Hard,” but not “impossible.” It usually boils down to having to order what you’re looking for. There was an item in the most recent issue of Classic Toy Trains that noted the (re-)release of the set as 30-4205-1E. While there, I asked if they could order it.

UPDATE: I just got off the phone with Brad, from The Train Shoppe. It appears as though the item in CTT was a misprint. They are not putting out a new NS set, after all.  So, back to the drawing board…

Stray Toasters

• NFL Preseason kicks off tonight!

  

• The 2011 Perseid Meteor Shower begins tomorrow night.
• Gizmodo Cleared in Prototype iPhone Police Probe
• Tech blogger won’t be charged in Apple iPhone case
• I posted a link to K’s Choice Not An Addict on someone’s Facebook page earlier. They had no idea the song was about drug use.
• Five Myths About Mormonism
• Why do I get the feeling that this is something that I should expect…?

  

• This little nugget of joy comes by way of and Clients From Hell.
• The Action Movie Blog Post
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Artist Injects Herself With Horse Blood, Wears Hooves

  

• Foreclosures of expensive homes take longer
• For the Plugged-In, Too Many Choices

Back to the grind.

Namaste.

Wednesday – 10 August 2011
Two down, one in the chamber and two to go. It’s midweek and all’s well. It’s not a game night – and most likely, a non-sushi day – but there will be new things to read at Dr. Volt’s; that’s good enough for me.

This morning, I woke up with Europe’s The Final Countdown playing in my head. Why? No idea.

Last night was a fairly quiet and low-key night around the homestead. Highlights included a phone call with my mother, a very tasty dinner (chicken, couscous and corn — The ‘C’ Trifecta of Dinner!) that SaraRules! fixed, and SportsCenter. Speaking of SportsCenter, I heard this… odd… item on there. Although, it’s not so odd when you consider the source, actually:

Patriots receiver Chad Ochocinco is still settling into his new surroundings in New England, and he’s taking an unusual approach to his living situation.
“I’m going to do something different, I’m actually going to stay with a fan for the first two, three weeks of the season,” he said Tuesday. “That should be fun, until I get myself acclimated and learn my way around.”

Ochocinco hasn’t yet picked the fan.

“I’m not sure how it’s going to work, but they have to have internet and have to have Xbox,” he said. “That’s about it.”

Asked if he was serious, Ochocinco said, “Have I ever lied to you before?”

Told there were some “crazy” fans, Ochocinco said, “I rode a bull.”

Yeah. The man is the walking, talking embodiment of the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file.

Stray Toasters

• Londoners strike back with ‘Operation Riot Clean-up’
• Test Can Tell Fetal Sex at 7 Weeks, Study Says
• ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ vs. the Internet: How has a culture of leaks changed the moviegoing experience?
• QR Codes on Athletes’ Butts Is a Stupid, Sexist Idea
• 
• Heavy Trucks to be Subject to New Rules for Mileage
• Soldering Is Easy
• Ty Templeton simplifies comic fandom’s problem with the new Ultimate Spider-Man:

  

• Sillof’s Workshop: Serial Wars — Star Wars reimagined as a 1940’s serial
• Hacker to Demonstrate ‘Weak’ Mobile Internet Security
• 
• And in a somewhat related note: Oops! A Phone Number on a Toy Truck Turned Out to Be a Sex Line
• Giant water nymph causes a stir in Hamburg

Namaste.

Tuesday – 09 August 2011
If you’re old enough to remember that tagline, then… I don’t know. Fill in your own witticism here. For those of you for whom it does not ring a bell, it was from when NBC had a show on the air called Hill Street Blues. It was… dun dun DUNNNNN… a police procedural. As did many shows of the day, its theme song composed by Mike Post.

So far, it’s been a decent work day. Earlier, as I was working with one of our QA testers, there was some busy/”Why isn’t this working!?” time while trying to get a couple of his systems switched between a couple of networks. Part of the problem laid in the gap between “This is what we need to do for compliance” and “This is how he wanted it to work for convenience.” We came to terms. (And I didn’t even have to break out the orange hammer…)

Stray Toasters

• Stocks Suffer Sharpest Drop Since 2008
• Britain Burns: Riots Spread Through U.K. Cities
• London paralyzed by fear, shock as businesses smolder
• Black Hat: Insulin pumps can be hacked
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file:
• Michele Bachmann Supports View That Slavery Wasn’t So Bad After All
• Police urge use of holster after man shoots his own penis
• 
• The Apple Store at Fashion Place has an official opening date.
• Jazz’s Present Gets Its Chance at Newport
• 10 great places to eat like a local

That’s good for now.

Namaste.

Monday – 08 August 2011
Another work week begins… and I might just be in need of another weekend to recover from this past weekend. Suffice if to say that the weekend was good, but very full.

Friday afternoon, I did some running around.  While this included a trip to The Train Shoppe, I left empty-handed. I went to the U of U surplus, as well. I didn’t manage to leave without picking something up, though — I got a new-to-us receiver to replace the one that I’ve had since my sophomore year at Purdue. (It’s been a good unit, but has some issues…)

Friday evening, SaraRules! and I headed to ‘s place for the first of the weekend’s baby showers. It was a horror movie-themed shower, complete with:

• blood-spattered wall,
• chainsaw,
• machete (not Machete),
• meat cleaver, and a
• pitchfork.

It was quite possibly the most entertaining shower I have ever attended. Thanks to and for organizing it.

Saturday, while SaraRules! headed to Quilt Club, I mowed the lawn. After that, it was time to get ready for Shower #2, at the in-laws’ place.  This one was a more traditional shower… but, thankfully, without the horribly embarrassing games. And, it was also a lot of fun. Saturday evening found us at the home of our friends, Joe and Rebecca, for RibFest ’11. Death. By. Meat. I’d say “Holy cow,” but I’m worried that it would come off as me trying to be punny.  (Besides, they were pork ribs.) Regardless, they were unbelievably good.

Yesterday, we – along with my mother-in-law – went to Park City for the Park City Kimball Arts Festival. We got there around 9:30, at SaraRules!’ request, which turned out to be just perfect — it wasn’t crowded, nor was it very hot. We saw many nice pieces of art. I also went to Larry Stevenson‘s booth, as I would like something for the twins’ room… but decided that it would probably be better to see whether we have boys and/or girls before making a decision.

Stray Toasters

• My body was (still) a little achy from Friday’s workout when I woke up this morning. I will blame that for The Spin Doctors’ Shinbone Alley/Hard To Exist running through my head this morning.
• Baby’s Palate and Food Memories Shaped Before Birth
• Atlanta School Year Begins Amid a Testing Scandal
• Overriding a Key Education Law
• 

• For SaraRules!: Watching Skateboarding Fails at 1000 FPS Is Actually Quite Fun
• Can You Name the Famous Inventors?
  (I got 10 in the time limit.  Even after the answers were revealed, I only knew three others.)
• Ravens Agree to Deal With Ricky Williams
• Ricky Williams joins Baltimore Ravens’ backfield
  From this story comes another interesting item: Ronnie Brown is going to the Eagles. Michael Vick and Ronnie Brown… on the same team. Can you imagine what their Wildcat formations will be like?
• I just looked at the schedule. Guess who we get in our first Preseason game: The Eagles.
• 
• From Cuba to Florida: A 61-Year-Old Starts the 103-Mile Swim
• International Read Comics in Public Day is coming up.
• Is Technology Making Everyone You Work With a Dick?
• Mmm…. Chow Truck.

Namaste.

Friday – 05 August 2011
It’s my day off. So far, I’ve celebrated that by sleeping in, watching the Juno mission launch on NASA TV and then going to the gym. All things considered, I’d have to say that’s a good way to start the day. I’m trying to figure out how to spend the next few hours. “Housework” just does not hold an appeal, so I believe that I’ll go gallivanting around town.

Today is also my friend, Christine’s, birthday:

Last night, SaraRules! and I had dinner at the local Outback Steakhouse. And it was even her idea. Win-Win! Cheese Fries. Prime Rib. Delicious. After that, it was a lazy do-nothing kind of night, complete with Burn Notice and Suits and – for the first time in a long while – a whole episode of Le Late Late Show avec Craig Ferguson in Paris.

Workout
As I mentioned, I actually dragged myself to the gym today:

• Elliptical: 15 min, 1.45 mi
• Bench Press: 3 sets/8 reps — 2 sets @ 165 lbs, 1 set @ 175 lbs
• Sit-ups (incline): 3 sets/15 reps
• Flys (dumbbell, bench): 3 sets/10 reps, 20 lbs
• Curls (dumbbell, seated): 3 sets/10 reps, 25 lbs
• Shoulder Press (dumbbell, seated): 3 sets/10 reps, 40 lbs

It wasn’t the world’s longest workout, but it was more than enough to get the blood pumping.

Stray Toasters

• Guardians of Internet Security Are Targets
• Office equipment open to hacker attacks
• How Can You Dress Well at Every Age?
• Let’s Be Friends Again often pokes fun at the comics industry, but I particularly appreciated the commentary that accompanied this comic:
  
• Are Dolphins flirting with Brett Favre?
  I hope not…
• Atlas rockets could carry astronauts to space again
• Ford Is Purging CD Players From Their Cars
• From the Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Japanese company makes creepy dolls that look like their owners

Time to get “right on the to friction of the day…”

Namaste.

Thursday – 04 August 2011
It’s an early No Bad News Technical Friday for me. And, considering how I slept and that I have a project coming to a head today, I could really use that whole “No Bad News” factor.

I don’t often have dreams that continue after I’ve awakened and gone back to sleep, but I had one last night. And it was bizarre. It was (mostly) bizarre in its content – a zombie dream – but because of some of people in it, as well: Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa and Carl Weathers as Apollo Creed.

* blink blink*

I’m sure that there were others, but they were the two I immediately recognized and still remember.

The zombies moved faster than the shambling creatures from George A. Romero movies, but weren’t running at a flat-out sprint like the “rage-infested humans” from 28 Days Later/28 Weeks Later. They were somewhere in the middle — fast enough to be a concern, slow enough to be outrun. Of course, there’s always the prevailing thought that “You don’t have to be faster than the zombies, you just have to be faster than the slowest person in your group.”

The dream wasn’t your standard “Here come the dead” fare, either. It started off that way, and then turned into “behind the scenes in government response:” Lawyers and armed guards. Political leaders being ousted due to their lack of response. Black helicopters flying to “undisclosed destinations.”

Yeah.  It was that weird.

There was a point where it cut over to Rocky – working in some kind of storefront office – and Apollo Creed, training for an event. One of the other characters (Paulie, I believe) from the movies was there, as well. He was suffering from a form of amnesia or Alzheimer’s; Rocky and his guys were preparing to send him away – to Italy, I think – for some R&R. At that point, I was asked to go upstairs (to a living area) and keep watch on someone else. I could see people cautiously wandering the streets, trying to avoid encounters with the undead. I remember feeling a sense of dread, almost expecting this person to turn into a zombie, as he appeared near-death to begin with. I think that he was starting to die/turn as I woke up.

Let’s just say that it wasn’t exactly the most restful night’s sleep.

Stray Toasters

• Not that any/many of them will see it, but I’d like to extend a very heartfelt “Thank you” to SaraRules!’ coworkers for the baby gifts they gave us/the kids at an at-work baby shower yesterday. I’m nominating them, collectively, as yesterday’s “People of the Day.”
• Tuskegee Airmen Gather to Mark 70th Anniversary, and See an Old Friend
• For SaraRules! (and other film buffs): Lost Hitchcock feature recovered in New Zealand
• For Meliko: Showcasing the Viola in Updated Mozart
• Bubba Smith, former Colts star and actor, found dead in L.A. home
• Former NFL star, actor Bubba Smith dead at 66
• 
• Juno Spacecraft to Carry Three Figurines to Jupiter Orbit
  What that title fails to mention is that they are LEGO figurines.  Boldly going where no LEGO has gone before!
• Even Marked Up, Luxury Good Fly Off Shelves
• Yesterday, Warner Brothers announced Laurence Fishburne would portray Perry White in Zach Snyder’s upcoming Man of Steel film.
  Today, they released a picture of Henry Cavill as Superman.

  
  (click for larger image)

  Not bad. I’m looking forward to seeing how well he pulls off the Clark Kent look.

• Battlestar Galactica fans will understand why I find this so amusing:
  

  From The New York Times:  “Industry executives as well as regulators have said that fracking has never contaminated underground drinking water. But there is at least one documented case.”

• Matt Damon defends teachers, disses journalists
• Last night, I saw the video of this for the first time:

• Report: NSA to recruit from DEFCON attendee pool
• I was totally unaware that Daniel Stern played the JAFO in the theatrical verison of Blue Thunder until I was looking up information about Bubba Smith.
• The Horribly Dressed Men of Tech

The project I mentioned at the beginning of the post wrapped up this morning… and it went more smoothly than I had hoped. Selah.

Namaste.

Wednesday – 03 August 2011
It’s another midweek. Not only is it new comics day, but it’s also Sushi Wednesday… now I just have to decide whether or not I want to take the time out of the middle of my day to go. This decision is also weighted by the fact that I took the casual approach to coming in to the office this morning — I didn’t get here until nearly 0815. So, we’ll see how I play the lunch card.

Last night was supposed to be 3.5 game night at ‘ place. Only and I showed up, so it turned into a gab session… which was just fine. It also meant that I was able to head home a little early and hang out with SaraRules!, who hosted her book club meeting last night. In addition to their discussion book, the other ladies all brought presents — books for us to read to the kids.  It was a very kind and generous gesture.

Stray Toasters

• For some reason, I had the chorus from I Am a Rock playing in my head this morning.
• Interpreting, Observing Ramadan
• This item, by way of Cult of Mac, makes an interesting prediction: Apple Will Murder OS X and Replace It With iOS on All Macs Starting in 2012
• City Opera to Lose Music Director
• 
• The Best Super Power (Is Not What You Think)
• N.J. Dunkin Donuts worker caught in ‘extra sugar’ sex sting
  This puts an entirely different spin on the whole “Time to make the donuts…” tagline.
• One Ordinary Day in One Extraordinary Life
• Stalemate in Senate Leaves 4,000 Out of Work at F.A.A.
• Esquire Style Presents: The American Revolution
• 
• Teenager’s Path and a Killing Put Spotlight on Mental Care
• It’s been around for a while, but Brilliantly Sarcastic Responses to Completely Well-Meaning Signs still makes me smile.

Quote of the Day
Today’s quote comes from the “The Best Super Power” item:

Flying is a power you can only use to rub in other peoples’ faces…

I guess that’s somewhat true.

Namaste.

Tuesday – 02 August 2011
Day two of the work week. Day two of the month. Let’s see how it shapes up.

Last night, SaraRules! and I assembled the second crib. With this, the nursery is nearly complete, at least in terms of furniture. For now. I also did a rough count of diapers that we have preemptively picked up: We have somewhere between 900 and 1000 of them. That should get us through the first month or two… we hope.

Groove. Boogie. Sway.
If nothing else, the morning’s musical selections have been good:

• Garbage – The World Is Not Enough
• U2 – One
• Babyface – It’s No Crime
• Rush – Red Sector ‘A’
• Herbie Hancock – Rockit

Not a bad start to the morning.  Hopefully, the rest of the day will keep pace.

Stray Toasters

• I, once again, almost typed the above line as “Stray Taoists.”
• Space shuttle Columbia part found in East Texas
• Pooktre Tree Shapers
• 
• Arts Outposts Stung By Cuts in State Aid
• An Interview with Fabio and Isaiah Mustafa from the “New Old Spice Guy” Campaign
• I believe that I am amused enough by this mug to put it on The Covet List:

  

• HHS announces free birth control for women in the U.S.
• Space program’s environmental cleanup could take decades
• How to Drink Like a Gentleman
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: PBS revisits ‘Mister Rogers’ with new show

And that, as they say, is that.

Namaste.

Monday – 01 August 2011
It’s the beginning of the work week and the beginning of a new month. It’s been something of “a day.” Granted, as work days go, it could have been far worse, but suffice if to say that I’ll be glad when it’s quittin’ time.

The weekend was good, though. Busy. Productive. But, good. I ran a ‘Clix tournament for Dr. Volt’s on Saturday. It was a good event, with a good turn out. After that, and a little downtime at home, we headed to a birthday party for our friend, Melissa. It was themed as a pie party… and there were plenty of pies on-hand.

Sunday, after a very tasty breakfast at Millcreek Cafe and Eggworks, I set about dismantling a shelving unit that our home’s previous owner had built. It was functional… but it wasn’t very pretty. And, it had to come down, so that we could easily access the passenger door on SaraRules!’ car. (Which will be important when it’s time to add/remove kids and car seats). In the process of removing the shelves, I also cleaned out that side of the garage. I am Ivory Soap sure that it’s cleaner now than it was before the old owners put their house on the market. We wrapped up the evening with dinner at the in-laws’.

Stray Toasters
Check back tomorrow.

Namaste.

Friday – 29 July 2011
It’s my 9/80 “on” Friday…

…and I am beat. Yesterday was a long day – work, doctor’s appointment and childbirth class – that stretched into the later early hours of this morning, because SaraRules! (and the kids) and I had an unexpected trip to the hospital in the wee hours of the morning. Both SaraRules! and the kids are fine.

I repeat: “SaraRules! and the kids are fine.”

It turned out that she had a few sporadic contractions after a particularly long and busy day. Rather than ignore them or “hope they’d settle down on their own,” we called her doctor, who suggested that we go in to make sure that everything was alright. Our nurse, Karren, was great; she was attentive, responsive and explained all of the things that she was checking for.  She also made sure that we were as comfortable and at ease as could be. It’s just that the process – monitoring and observation – took four hours…

*headdesk*

After getting the “All clear,” we headed home. Sleep was not hard to find. And understanding that “the annoying bell-sounding-thing” was actually this morning’s alarm was, at first, a “slightly” difficult concept to grasp. But, I grabbed a frozen mocha on the way into the office, so that I could be at least nominally awake and coherent. Fortunately, the day hasn’t been to bad/busy/hectic.  And, I even got to have lunch with Tyranist and Cade.

There is most definitely a nap in my post-work future. (Or at least some time in the train room…)

Stray Toasters

• Today is System Administrator Day.

  
  
  

• 10 Reasons to Be (Really) Excited About Football
• Your complete guide to Google+
• Training Modules. Yay.
• Carmakers Back Strict New Rules for Gas Mileage
• A Father Who Creatively Captures His Kids
• 
• I’ve been browsing some of the pictures of the costumers and cosplayers from this year’s San Diego Comic-Con. I have also had an epiphany: The so-called “sexy” costumes – or, rather, the “sexy” variants of other characters’ costumes –  that have become so popular/prevalent…? Yeah, they do absolutely nothing for me. Yes, some of the women wearing them are good-looking, but the costumes don’t so much say “sexy” to me as “slutty.”  *shrug* Tyranist – who agreed with me – and I discussed this for a bit before lunch.
• House Committee passes bill requiring your ISP to spy on every click and keystroke you make online and retain for 12 months
• A Young Clown Follows in a Father’s Giant Footsteps
• Hubble Telescope’s successor could face budget ax

Namaste.