Tuesday – 11 Nov 2008
Yet another in the work-a-day grind.
But, I hit the ground running and got a couple of items off of my task list, right after I got in.
Last night, I watched the 49ers – Cardinals game with SaraRules and her folks. I wasn’t expecting a lot out of the game, to be honest. I was pleasantly surprised that an actual football game broke out. Kurt Warner still looks fairly impressive – it was almost like he couldn’t throw a bad pass if he tried. The receivers and running backs did good jobs. And on the other side of the ball, Shaun Hill (SF’s 3rd string QB) did a good job of leading the team, including an impressive end-of-game drive that very nearly won the game for SF.
If you kids (or are just a big kid), you may be familiar with Marvel’s Super Hero Squad toys. Marvel Comics is now showing the (mis)adventures of the heroes and villains in daily strips (1, 2, 3) on their website:
Monday – 10 Nov 2008
It was… an interesting weekend, to say the least.
Saturday was a sleeping-in, lazy day… to a degree. SaraRules, her mother, her brother and I went to the Garden of Sweden to pick up a few things. Okay, okay… I (ostensibly) went as an observer, but wound up finding a few things that I couldn’t live without. Next on the docket was a couples massage at The Spa Club, that SaraRules had signed us up for. It was nice. Very nice, indeed.
The relaxation of the massage, however, was somewhat undone by some extended family drama. *grblsnrkx*
I spent a few pre-breakfast hours Saturday evening trying to be productive: I took pictures of and prepared some auctions for some of my extra HeroClix. I should be posting a few auctions this evening, God willing and the creek don’t rise.
Sunday was good: Another sleep-in morning, followed by football. SaraRules and I watched the Titans-Bears game, while I watched the “coverage” of the Ravens-Texans game on NFL.com. The Ravens wound up with another game in the “W” column, which makes me happy – and it means that they’ve already done better than last season’s record.
I headed over to Far West Comics to play dolls ‘Clix with Chris, Nano and Eric. We went with 800 points per player. We broke up into two-player teams: Eric and Nano vs. Chris and me. The teams broke down like this:
Chris
Batman
Doctor Destiny
Dr. Strange
Green Arrow (Oliver Queen)
Superman Prime
My team (themed: Sinestro Corps)
Arkillo
Batman (Sinestro Corps)
Parallax
Sinestro
Eric
Benjamin J. Grimm
Gamora
Hulk (Zombie, dual Hero-/HorrorClix figure)
Rampaging Hulk
Superman (Justice Legion A)
Nano
Emperor Joker
Green Arrow (Connor Hawke)
The Flash (Justice Legion A)
Living Lightning
Time Trapper
Trigon
Warskrull
And then, it was “Game on.” Chris came out of the gate like gangbusters. Eric had flown his Superman and Gamora to the mid-map area. Chris took Superman Prime, picked up an object and swatted her for 7 clicks of damage, right off the bat… insta-kill. I was really looking forward to using Arkillo, after hearing Chris talk up the figure last week. Unfortunately, Eric and Nano had other ideas: They put Rampaging Hulk, Ben Grimm and Trigon in close combat. And then, just for an added measure, had Eric’s Superman ping him from long range. *sigh* Oh, well… I guess I’ll have to use him another time.
Chris had good success in using Doctor Destiny to Mind Control Trigon and use his special power, Doppelganger, against the other team. So, we played a game of attrition: We got rid of Eric’s part of the force and the front half of Nano’s team. The we settled in to take on Green Arrow, Flash and… Trigon. Our team consisted of Batman (Sinestro Corps), Parallax, Doctor Destiny, Prime and Dr. Strange. The problem with Trigon – aside from Psychic Blast and Ranged Combat Expert – is his Mystics team ability:
When this character takes damage from an attack, it deals 1 damage to the attacker. This damage may not be evaded or reduced.
We beat up Green Arrow, Chris used Mind Control and Doppelganger to get rid of the Flash… and then it was just the big guy to deal with. Fortunately, Nano dealt Trigon a few clicks of damage by pushing him and we had a couple of figures who did 3, 4 or 5 clicks of damage when attacking him. So, taking a click here or there was worth it.
In the end, with the remnants of our teams, Chris and I came away with a win.
After the game, I headed over to SaraRules’ parents for dinner and football. Not a bad way to wind up the evening, I must say.
Stray Toasters
Whoa… I just found this on the WizKids site:
The Topps Company announced today that WizKids will immediately cease operations and discontinue its product lines. Scott Silverstein, CEO of Topps, said “This was an extremely difficult decision. While the company will still actively pursue gaming initiatives, we feel it is necessary to align our efforts more closely with Topps current sports and entertainment offerings which are being developed within our New York office.â€Upon notifying our partners, Topps will immediately pursue strategic alternatives so that viable brands and properties, including HeroClix, can continue without noticeable disruption. To that end, WizKids will continue supporting Buy it By the Brick redemptions for Arkham Asylum, and the December Organized Play events for HeroClix.
For consumer announcements, please refer to www.wizkidsgames.com over the coming days for further information.
Once again, no one made it to the game. That meant that I “won,” by default. On the other hand, I got to play a game against Keith. We used the tourney rules – sealed box draft and went from there. Both of us went with “Gotham City” theme teams. The team that I pulled consisted of:
This year’s costume marks the third time (in four years) that I’ve gone with a Samuel L. Jackson-inspired costume: Mace Windu (SW: The Phantom Menace), Neville Flynn (Snakes on a Plane) and this year…
Yep, Nick Fury (1, 2), from Marvel Comics’ Ultimate Universe and the verrrrry end of the Iron Man movie. And a tip of the hat and a wave of the cane to Mr. Jackson for making sure that I have at least one possible costume idea per year. I’ll have more pictures of the overall costume later tonight… to be posted probably tomorrow.
It’s “a little” busy around the office, as we’re prepping for an audit by our robot overlords. (Did I say “overlords?” I meant “protectors.”) Fortunately, our little “pre-audit” seems to be going fairly well.
SaraRules: I remember seeing an escaped gorilla drill a while back. Crazy Japanese. Me: Well, it’s hard to hold Godzilla drills, I guess… SaraRules: That would, however, be awesome.
Wednesday – 29 Oct 2008
I vaguely remember turning off the alarm this morning. I was a lovely combination of “tired” and “lazy.” There was a part of me that was having an “I don’t care” moment when I turned off the alarm… so, I turned over and decided to grab some more shut-eye.
So far, the morning has been good and even a little productive… despite the fact that I keep thinking that it’s Thursday.
We had great seats: lower level, 15th row, in one of the corners. It was on the visitor’s side, but there were PLENTY of purple (and black and white… and even a few red) jerseys in the stadium our area. On my right, was a couple (a man and his wife) of Raiders fans, so SaraRules wasn’t all alone in a sea of Ravens fans. The game was good. And it was a lot of fun. It was also SaraRules’ first live football game. Ever.
High school? Nope.
College? Nuh-uh.
NFL? Not until today.
The Ravens came out of the gate with their game faces on. And they went to work… although, they did manage to have a little fun, as evidenced by this play. Both teams played well, but the Oakland offense didn’t really come alive until the second half of the game.
After the game, we stepped into Geppi’s Entertainment Museum for a quick walkthrough. It was neat – there were manners of pop-culture memorabilia, past and present. In retrospect, I could/should have taken more pictures… but the ones I took can be seen here.
Next, we went to Harborplace. We ate dinner at Phillip’s Restaurant. (I know… who could have guessed?!) I had broiled crab cakes and calamari; SaraRules had a seafood combination dinner that included shrimp, a crab cake, mahi mahi and a couple of other items. Before leaving Harborplace, we picked up a chocolate mousse cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory.
Back home. Tammy (my Godsister) and her youngest daughter, Kayla, came by to visit for a bit. That was nice, as I haven’t seen Tammy in… I’d say a year to a year-and-a-half. I tried catching up with Bret, but our schedules just didn’t synch up. Oh, well… maybe next time. After Tammy left, SaraRules and I hung out with my ‘rents. We showed them some of our travel pictures while we all had cheesecake.
Thanks to all of the good tidings and well-wishes for my birthday. I am very fortunate and blessed in my collection of friends.
Tomorrow: The Return to the Land Behind the Zion Curtain.
Friday: Coda
I after work I met SaraRules at her place. I hung out with her and her folks for a bit…
…then I ran to Dr. Volt’s – I had neglected to get a couple of receipts for the Arkham Asylum “Buy It by the Brick” figure on Wednesday. And I picked up another brick. *shrug* It’s my birthday weekend; I’m allowed.
Back to SaraRules’ to pick her up and run a couple of errands before heading back to my place to do some cleaning.
At 7:30 we and a few friends, headed to the Outback Steakhouse for my birthday dinner. It was a good-sized group, 18 people in all. (A hearty and heart-felt “Thank you” to those of you who came out to help me celebrate!) After dinner, most of us came back to my place for cake – yellow cake with chocolate frosting with chocolate chips, made by Ms. SaraRules – and ice cream. It was a great way to spend the evening. SaraRules surprised me with an awesome present:
Mm-hmm, that’s right: A Ravens reversible jacket. As she put it: She “…wanted [me] to have something fun and cool to wear to the game.” I have a very cool girlfriend… even if she is a Raiders fan. Can I get an “Amen,” from the Amen Corner?
After company left, we finished packing for tomorrow’s trip to Charm City. This time tomorrow, we’ll be on the Right Coast… and, most likely, very much asleep.
I should probably wrap it up here. 6:30’s going to come around awfully early, I suspect.
Friday – 24 October 2008
Last night, I headed up to SaraRules’ for dinner and date night. Dinner was a damned fine meat loaf, with mashed potatoes, and carrots (with a little bit of brown sugar), all prepared by Ms. SaraRules. After dinner, we – including her family – watched Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I’d still have to say that it’s my third-favorite Indiana Jones movie, but it was fun. Towards the end of the movie, I was wondering how well other pulp fiction-type heroes would fare in the modern cinema. I remember that there was a rumor of a Doc Savage movie in the works a few years ago, but I haven’t read/heard anything about it in some time.
Stray Toasters
I just received this from a coworker, who found out that my birthday is this weekend and knows of my affinity for Star Trek:
A few years ago, there was a submarine (the one used in the movie K-19: The Widowmaker, in fact) that was for sale on eBay. I always thought that Bill Gates should have bought it… after all, he pretty much has one of everything else. But he didn’t. However, this morning, I found the following item on Slashdot: Google Founders Buy Fighter Jet. That’s close enough for me.
Make my funk the P-Funk
I want my funk uncut
Make my funk the P-Funk
I wants to get funked up.
I want the bomb,
I want the P-Funk
I want my funk stepped on
Make my funk the P-Funk
Before I take it home
Sib-4, , sent me a link to this Questionable Content ‘toon. The last panel made me laugh aloud:
Thursday – 23 October 2008
Waking up really is hard to do.
Okay, it’s not that hard to do. Usually. But, this morning I couldn’t seem to pry myself out of bed when the alarms went off. Granted, there is soemthing to be said for sleeping in.
Yesterday, I went to Dr. Volt’s while I was at lunch. I wanted my plastic crack fix. In the words of The Rolling Stones: “You can’t always get what you want…” Yesterday was one of those days, as the shipment hadn’t come in. So, I went back to the store after work. They were there… and had apparently arrived about 45 minutes to an hour after I had left earlier. After grabbing my ‘Clix and comics, I headed over to Perry’s to split half of one of the bricks with him. Out of the five boxes he got, he had no duplicate figures. (That’s rather impressive.) Of my haul, I wound up with:
(It would be nice if WizKids would update their site to show all of the new figures…)
Yes, I got more figures than this. (After all, I got fifteen boxes…) These were among the ones that I was most interested in getting. Don’t know if I’ll get another brick or not – the next few tourneys are “sealed box,” so I’ll have to buy boxes to play in them, anyway – but I’m pretty happy with my overall haul.
It’s been an interesting day.
Not “bad,” just… “interesting.”
I’ve been in and out of meetings for the better part of the day. The first meeting was for benefits open season. Straightforward and to the point. The second meeting is…was…has been… about our new console system; we have a couple of reps from the manufacturer here to help with training and setup. Too bad that some of our [expletive deleted] servers don’t want to play with the shiny new system.
Workout
Wes, Mark and I went for an abbreviated workout today. It was better than not going at all. Today’s workout included:
Fly (machine): 3 sets/10 reps, 100 lbs (10 sec hold on 10th rep)
Back Extensions (machine): 3 sets/12 reps, 120 lbs
Tricep Extensions (rope): 3 sets/10 reps, 60 lbs
Leg Raises (Roman Chair): 2 sets/20 reps
I tried another max bench press today. Just for grins, I tried 300 pounds. I was successful in getting the bar off my chest, but that was about it. I dropped back down to 250 pounds; no worries.
Today’s post-workout weight: 182.0 pounds. In thinking about it over the past few days, I think that staying between 175 and 185 will be good.
I was tooling around the Interweb earlier, looking for more pics of Arkham Asylum figures. I didn’t find them, but I did find a list of the dials for the figs on HCRealms. As if that wasn’t enough, I then found: Presidential Clix. That’s right, someone Photoshopped pictures of the candidates as HeroClix figures. From right to left, the figures are: Maverick, Captatin Cold, Black Lightning and Bizarro #1.
Monday – 20 October 2008
Sunday turned out even better than expected, in terms of football:
The Ravens won…
…although, that means that the Dolphins lost
The Panthers beat the Saints
The Raiders won… barely… which was good news for SaraRules (more on this below)
The Browns lost. (Sorry, )
The Bengals lost to the Steelers. (Sorry, and )
I was shocked – and pleasantly surprised – at the Ravens’ win, especially when you consider how well the Dolphins have looked over the past couple of weeks. But, like I said: It was a win-win situation… I’m just a little more glad that the Ravens won.
Next weekend, SaraRules and I are heading to Baltimore for my birthday. This year’s present to myself is the Raiders vs. Ravens game. We’re both looking forward to the game and we’re looking forward to some (relatively) good-natured ribbing over it. While we were out-and-about today, SaraRules told me that I should hope that the Raiders win. I raised an eyebrow over this. She went on to explain:
“If the Raiders win, you’ll have to hear about it for about a day… maybe two. If the Ravens win, I’m going to have to hear about it for the next 50 years: ‘Do you remember that time we went to Baltimore for that football game…?’ “
I can’t say that she isn’t right about that, either.
We had dinner and watched the late games at her parents’ place. Dinner was enchiladas (chicken and seafood, respectively) with sides of rice, beans, guacamole and mojitos. For dessert, we took a couple of pies: Chocolate Satin and apple. As to the late game, I don’t know what got into the Bucs, but they played a great game; on the flip side, I don’t know who that was in the Seahawks’ uniforms, but it wasn’t their “A” squad.
Stray Toasters
I made a coffee shake this morning. It’s not too bad; I’ll have to determine how efficient the caffeine delivery is…
A few weeks ago, Diane von Furstenberg was a guest judge on Project Runway. During that episode, American Express aired a commercial featuring Ms. von Furstenberg. In the commercial, there was a fleeting shot of the DvF studio with a Wonder Woman action figure or statue. I was amused by it, but didn’t think anything of it until I found these items last night:
Thursday – 16 Oct 2008
SaraRules came by after work yesterday. We hit the grocery store – it was my night to cook dinner – and headed home to get ready for an evening of debates and design. I cooked chicken breasts with sides of rice and green beans; we would have had wine with dinner… but I was out of white wine. Oh, well.
The debate was… a debate. I don’t know who (finally) lit a fire under Senator Palpatine McCain, but he was aggressive and assertive in ways that I haven’t really seen in the previous debates. Senator Obama, while rising to meet most of the challenges, maintained the same relative level of calm that we have come to expect from him. And, they mentioned ‘Joe the Plumber’ so much that I half expected him to walk out for a cameo. I would have to agree with most pundits: Senator McCain came out of the gate strong, but lost a bit of steam about halfway through; Senator Obama maintained a steady pace, once he got up to speed and seemed to do better than his opponent in the last two-thirds of the debate.
Project Runway brought another kind of surprise: They named this season’s winner. I didn’t agree with the choice – I felt that her designs were kind of “one trick pony.” The other two designers brought lines that were varied and well-executed. *shrug* I guess that’s just another reason why I’m not one of the judges.
I’m a little worried about the following… even though it does kind of fit under “the way I’m wired” category: A few minutes ago, on IRC, someone was trying to get ‘s attention. Then, with a “Hm,” apparently opened up Virtual Keyboard and tried that combination (D-G-A) as a chord. (I tried it too, but found D-G-B to be more appealing.) Then I saw the “Drum Beat 1” button. And I pressed it.
The first thing – FIRST THING – that came to mind was The Way It Is, by Bruce Hornsby and the Range.
The second thing that came to mind was to try and play it. I have a good ear for hearing pieces of music and figuring out how to play them. Without opening iTunes for cues and not having tried to play the song before… I started playing part of it. I was a little creeped out. *sigh*
Stray Toasters
It seems that there’s been a problem with commenting on my site. It has been fixed. Selah.
Sidenote: Someone asked “who” maintains the password info for registered users on Random Access: I do… well, it’s on my server. So, your info (however much or little you put into your profile) isn’t just out there floating in the æther.
Apparently, today is Dictionary Day. Thanks to for pointing this out.
Leanne!? *jawdrop* Unglaublich.
SaraRules pointed me in the direction of Dear Sarah, I Can Relate, an open letter from Project Runway 3rd season designer Laura Bennett to Vice Presidential candidate Sara Palin.
Victoria sent me this picture last night; it made me laugh:
pointed out this article from Craigslist.
I countered, saying that people who signed up for it needed to get this.
Coworker Tim just came over and mentioned that he saw the following bumper sticker on the way to work:
It started as “Supergirl Week,” but has grown into more and will apparently become “Supergirl Month,” when it resumes. She also, in the course of discussing Supergirl, takes a look at Superman that’s worthy of addition to the Superdickery site. As Tyranist put it: “Ah, Superman finally revealed to be what I’d always thought.” Lex Luthor couldn’t have put it better.
Do you think that the gamer in your life is… a little obsessive? Well, unless he’s running a rig like this, I don’t think you really need to worry that much.
Monday – 13 Oct 2008
It was a good – and busy – weekend. After Canadian Thanksgiving, SaraRules, Logan and I went to see Quarantine. There was apparently “an incident” in the showing before ours; we never found out “what” it was. The movie was good. And, to some degree, it finally did something that I have rarely seen in a horror/zombie movie: Contained the situation. Of course, there was still the “No one in a horror movie has ever seen a horror movie” factor, though. On the whole though, I’d give it a definite thumbs-up with an okay.
Sunday, I woke up and looked out the window and saw snow on the ground. Not a lot – it melted by noon or thereabouts – but it was snow, nevertheless. Then, it was time for football and breakfast. Breakfast was good; football, not so good:
The Ravens lost to the Colts, which I expected… I just didn’t expect the drubbing they took.
The Fish lost to the Texans.
The Panthers dropped their game to the Bucs.
After the first round of games were over, we headed over to SaraRules’ parents’ place. We hooked up with Logan and we went a’shopping. Back to the house for dinner and the late games. After the late game, SaraRules and I went back to my place to watch No Country for Old Men. Neither of us had seen it before… Wow. It was a good movie… but it was definitely not a “feel good” movie. I see why it received the acclaim that it did; I heartily recommend it.
Today, I have been in the American Fork office. The original intent was to help rack some server equipment and clear out my AF desk, since I’m never down here. We tagged the equipment, but couldn’t rack it… because the rack is the wrong height. I’ve only been able to gather some of my stuff in sporadic intervals, because of small fires. Actually, there’s been only one fire… but it’s spawned a couple of smaller ones.
at 
