Union Pacific's Great Excursion Adventure

Two things

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Monday – 18 June 2012
This will be a brief post, but there are two important things that bear noting:

  1. Today is my sister-in-law, Melissa’s, birthday.

    (c) 2011 – Amanda Nelson Photography

    This is particularly important because for the past two years, I neglected to mention it… leading to two instances of “Melissa Kelly Week.”

  2. The debris from the gazebo tear-down has been removed, courtesy of the SL County dumpster that was placed just across the street from the house… and some very welcome help from my father-in-law. I’m qualifying it as today’s workout.

Stray Toasters
Okay, okay… we’ll throw a couple of these in, too:

And done.

Namaste.

Nope, still not Belgium. (But, at least the weather’s nice.)

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Tuesday – 12 June 2012
According to a trusted source, today is apparently National Peanut Butter Cookie Day.

I’m feeling a little remiss as a Rush fan: Clockwork Angels was released today… and I completely forgot about it until I saw something on Facebook.

On the “plus” side of today’s tally sheet:

  1. The lawn is mowed.
  2. A couple of trees have been trimmed, getting rid of branches over the sidewalk.
  3. I figured out what was going on with Sprinkler Zone #5 (Translation: “The back yard will actually get watered!”)
  4. Steve and I determined how to get drywall into the basement, without having to cut the sheets or trying to finagle them down the stairs.

Stray Toasters

And… done.

Namaste.

Thursday (or something quite like it)

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Thursday – 07 June 2012
Not only is today NBN Thursday, it is also my mother’s birthday:

And, it is also the day that Diana turns 9-months-old:

To celebrate the day, the girls get to go for another visit to the pediatrician… which means: Shots! (Which also means “Cranky children this afternoon.”) Yay.

::: INTERLUDE :::

Well, as it turns out, the girls did not have to get shots today. But, they will be getting four at their one-year check-up. (Joy of joys.) On the plus side, we found out that their pediatrician’s office will be moving… to our neighborhood right before that visit. So, I guess that means the offices will still have that new car office smell.

Stray Toasters

Yeah, that’s good for now.

Namaste.

Wednesday and all’s well…

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Wednesday – 06 June 2012
Midweek.
New comics day.
Pasta and Movie Date Night… maybe.

Yesterday, the destruction of the grotto demolition of the gazebo was complete. There’s now just a slight depression (and a little debris) where the gazebo once stood. Pictures here. Now, we just need to decide what we want to do with the space.

Last night, Logan and Sanaz came over to watch the girls so that SaraRules! and I could have an actual, out-of-the-house date night. It was glorious. We went to see The Avengers – second time for me, first time for SaraRules… and it was just as much fun the second time around. While she enjoyed the movie, I had to ‘splain a few things about characters to SaraRules! after the movies. (Comics, go figure.) But, it was a great way to spend a Tuesday evening.

And, yesterday also saw a notable dip in temperatures around here.  It was in the upper 90s on Monday; yesterday barely made 60.  And last night, we actually had to turn on the furnace. Yeah. Welcome to June in Utah.

Stray Toasters

Namaste.

A pre-summer Monday…

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Monday – 04 June 2012
A new week is here.

The weekend was good – and fairly busy – weekend. We started with a pancake breakfast/car show, supporting the local Boy Scout troop. Next, SaraRules! went to quilt club while I stayed home with Team DiVa. After she got back, I headed out to judge a ‘Clix tourney. And, if that wasn’t enough: We also attended a friend’s birthday party.

Saturday night has now unofficially become “Action Movie Saturday Date Night.” We didn’t know what we wanted to watch, so we left it up to the Fickle Finger of Fate method of “Hey, what does Netflix have to offer?” We wound up watching Trollhunter:

It was surprisingly fun. And funny. We went into it with no real expectations or assumptions, but were quite well entertained by the time the credits rolled. I also found that I liked what they did with some of the mythology of the creatures.

Sunday was a little more relaxed… although it did start early: We hit the Wasatch Front Farmers Market. The rest of the day was spent mostly hanging out with SaraRules! and Team DiVa. I wrapped up the evening upgrading my game box from Windows XP to Windows 7. Finally. And by “upgrading,” I mean “I did a clean install on a bigger hard drive.” Now, I just need to reinstall the games. And remember to copy my bookmarks over.

And, speaking of Team DiVa:

Diana (in her custom Batgirl onesie)

Vanessa (in her custom Flash onesie)

Stray Toasters

Namaste.

Friday free-for-all…

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Friday – 01 June 2012
A new month is upon us. Among other things, this means that I need to get to the Hallmark store and pick up a couple of important birthday cards.

We haven’t done anything new/else with the decking of the gazebo. Yet. But, maybe I’ll be able to get to it sometime in the next few days.

Team DiVa, on the other hand, continue to be adorable and entertaining.

Diana (l) and Vanessa

I’m hoping to get a new video of them doing what they do posted soon.

SaraRules! and I watched Blade Runner: The Final Cut the other night. After catching the tail end of the movie on cable a couple of weeks ago, we both realized that neither of us had seen the full movie in years. So… watched it. And it was good.

Stray Toasters

And with that, I’m off to save the world.
Or destroy it.
Or something in between…

Namaste.

Memorial Day 2012

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Monday – 28 May 2012
It is Memorial Day.

Please remember that the day is about more than sales and barbecues… or just a day off of work. Take a few moments to recall and thank the servicemen and women who fought – and have fallen – to preserve our freedom.

Namaste.

“Long live the…” Oh, I totally misread that.

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Tuesday – 22 May 2012
Today’s another sunny day in the valley.
Tomorrow, however, there’s rain in the forecast, long with a nearly 15 degree drop in temperature. Yay.

There will (hopefully) be a new Adventure Babies: Team DiVa video short in the next few days… if I can catch them doing one of their new cute habits.

Stray Toasters

Namaste.

“It’s already here.”

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Thursday – 17 May 2012
It’s another NBN Thursday in the valley. This one even came equipped with sun (with a slight chance of rain). So far, it’s been a good day… and there’s still a lot of day to go.

Last night, SaraRules! and I watched Where the Wild Things Are for Movie Date Night.

I thought that it was pretty good. I was a bit surprised in that I was expecting something… a little closer to the book, at least in some respects, but the differences didn’t diminish my enjoyment of the movie.  It was also helpful to watch one of the special feature short pieces which highlighted the collaboration of author Maurice Sendak and director Spike Jonze.

The movie is rated “PG,” but there are a few scenes that might be scary for younger children. Nevertheless, I recommend it.

Stray Toasters

That’s good for now.

Namaste.

“…and miles to go before I sleep.”

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Friday – 04 May 2012
“May the 4th be with you.

Today’s my working Friday.
It’s also the day that my brother-in-law, Logan, graduates with his Doctorate in Pharmacy.
It’s also the day that I got to go home and spend a couple of hours in the middle of the day with Team Diva…

Vanessa (l) and Diana

…so that Bonne and Steve could attend the graduation. Getting to take a little time off work to spend with my girls? Yeah, I have absolutely no problem with that.

Around 9:00 last night, I got a call from my friend, Jeremiah, asking if I wanted to go with the Dr Volt’s staff to see

It didn’t take much convincing, though I did check with SaraRules! to see if she’d mind me being gone until the wee hours of the morning. She didn’t. (Best. Wife. Ever.) I even broke out the Nick Fury eyepatch and black trenchcoat for the occasion. (Hey… comic book movie. Seen with comic shop guys. Do the math.)

It was a great movie. Joss Whedon did a fantastic job of bringing all the characters together and weaving a coherent and cohesive reason for them to work together. There was a LOT of action. A fair bit of wit. (Even a little smarm thrown in, for good measure.) All-in-all, it was pretty much a fanboy/fangirl’s dream team-up movie. If you enjoyed the movies that led up to this, you’ll have a blast.

Of course, I didn’t get home until after 3:30… and the girls started waking up around 7:00. So, I’ve been working to thin out the blood in my caffeinestream for most of the day. So far, so good.

|| PAUSE ||

Blackberry cobbler.

That was the second thought that crossed Jones’ mind when he saw the sign for Dalton. Sure, his first thought was an amalgamation of  “Home/Bed/Emma,” but he knew that there’d be cobbler, too. Emma always had one cooling on the kitchen counter when he came home from long trips. This one was a west coast turnaround, had him gone for a week. He swore that he could smell it already; his mouth watered.

Just a few more miles and we’re there, he thought, patting the dashboard through the steering wheel. He didn’t mind the miles. The rig had a smooth ride. The bunk in the sleeper was comfortable enough. And the people he met on the road were generally pretty decent.

Jones eased onto the off-ramp, letting of the gas. He stopped at the top of the ramp and then turned right onto Freeway Drive. Just ahead on the right was Cal’s Diner. There was almost no one on the road at this time of night, but there were still a few cars in front of Cal’s. He’d catch up with the boys tomorrow or Sunday and they could sit around, drink a few beers, and tell lies about their past week. He stopped for the flashing light at Rolling Road. He eased through the intersection. Jefferson… Barnes… McCutcheon. Almost home.

As he turned onto Clarksville Pike, the weariness of the trip started to weigh on him. By the time he got to Lake Avenue, he was ready for a shower, a slice of cobbler and bed – maybe even in that order. He parked on the street. He shut off the engine, turned off the lights and sighed heavily. He sat there for a few moments before reaching into the back to get his gear. As he got ready to climb down, he remembered to grab the gift bag sitting on the floor of the passenger seat. He climbed down, closed the door and walked around the front of the truck.

He walked across the lawn and up the sidewalk to the side porch. He fumbled through keys until he found the one for the door. He put his bag down and opened the screen door; the spring groaned a little. He’d have to look at that. Tomorrow. It would wait.

He put the key in the lock and turned the knob. He opened the door, inhaling deeply.

Blackberry cobbler. Home.

> PLAY >

Stray Toasters

Namaste.

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to get through this thing called ‘Life.'”

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Wednesday – 25 April 2012
It’s the middle of the week… which means that it’s new comics day as well as Movie Date Night.

Last night, Matt, Dave, and I missed our usual Guys’ Night Out activities and, instead, went to see the Utah Jazz take on the Phoenix Suns in a game with major playoff implications: If the Jazz won, they would be in the playoffs. If they lost, Phoenix would have to lose their next game and the Jazz would have to win their next game.

Needless to say, there was a lot of anticipation about this game. What we didn’t know until we got to the Energy Solutions Arena was: Tip-off had been delayed from 7:00 to 8:30, for TNT’s broadcast coverage. On the other hand, this gave us plenty of time to get something to eat. We opted for Settebello Pizzeria Napoletana. And we finished it off with gelato from Capo Gelateria.

Meanwhile, back at the arena, we got to our seats and got ready for the game.

This was my first Jazz game in over 14 years; I haven’t been to one since before I moved out here. Seriously. And it was a great game to attend. The Jazz played well, except for late in the 3rd and early in the 4th quarters. But, they pulled it off with a 100-88 win, clinching a playoff berth.

It was a fun way to spend the evening and a great change of pace for Guys’ Night Out.

Stray Toasters

Namaste.

Almost done…

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Friday – 20 April 2012
It’s my “on” Friday. And, it’s also “4/20.” (Insert your own jokes here.)

Last night was my night to fix dinner. After wracking my brain over what to fix, I decided to head up to the local Whole Foods and see what they had in their meat counter. I returned home with four good-sized Parmesan Chicken breasts. While they were in the oven, I prepared some rice in chicken broth (and a little lemon pepper, for flavor). I added a salad for our vegetables and we called it a meal.

We watched Castle while we ate; it was a fun episode, with Nathan Fillion’s Firefly costar, Adam Baldwin, as a guest star. After dinner, I joined a couple of coworkers online and played a little MW3. And had my virtual ass handed to me. Repeatedly. But, it was still fun… despite the ego-bruising.

Stray Toasters

Namaste.

…and back again.

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Tuesday – 17 April 2012
Day One of the work week. It started off rainy, but skies have cleared a bit.

TeamDiVa’s first road trip was a success.  The basic breakdowns were:

  • Five days.
  • Four states.
  • Three hotel rooms.
  • Two little ladies who traveled incredibly well, all things considered.
  • One honest-to-goodness zebra.

It would be something of an understatement to say we’re “a little” tired. That was a lot of driving. But, it was a good trip. And, I wasn’t kidding about the zebra:

“Sure, there’s a zebra and some llama, Daddy… but there are cars and trucks right over there!”

There’s a petting zoo at the Flying J Truck Stop in Scipio, UT. We’d heard – and forgotten – about it, since we don’t go through there much anymore. But, we needed to stop so that the girls could have lunch. Thus, zebra.

And, while I don’t say this very often: I’d like to commend UDoT for the five (5) 80 MPH zones between Provo and the Arizona state line. They made a few of the long, boring stretches much more tolerable.

Stray Toasters

Namaste.

Something… Something… Something…

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Wednesday – 11 April 2012
Midweek, once more, is upon us.

Last night, because of their Uncle Logan’s birthday, Team DiVa stayed up a little past their normal dinner and bedtimes.

Vanessa (l) and Diana

They did nap a little on the way home; after a bite to eat, bottles and pre-bed wash-ups, they were still calm enough for a quick bedtime story. (Or, maybe they were just punchy.) But, they were out pretty quickly once they were in bed.

After they were down, SaraRules! and I split a piece of birthday cake (Raspberry Marzipan) and watched a little NCIS before calling it a night.

Stray Toasters

Namaste.

“Tuesday afternoon…”

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Tuesday – 10 April 2012
Another day in the valley. And it’s a rather nice day, at that. A bit breezy and few high clouds, but nothing horrible.

And, today is also my brother-in-law, Logan’s birthday:

Last night, SaraRules! had a Justice League meeting. My father-in-law came over to help me get Team DiVa ready for bed and to do some duct work in the basement. Both jobs were successful. When SaraRules! got home, we relaxed and watched a bit of House Crashers and Yard Crashers to wind out the evening.

Stray Toasters

Namaste.