Random Access

Sunday – 09 August 09
We’re back.

We got in last night around 2230. We cut the trip short a day, because it rained most of the day on Friday, which played hob with fishing and made sitting around camp kind of… dull and boring. That’s not to say that we didn’t have a good time, though. The breakdown goes a little something like this:

Thursday (Pictures from Day 1)
We got up at 0510 to head to SaraRules’ parents’. For some reason, I didn’t get to bed until after 0200, so waking up was definitely hard to do. After a shower, I felt a little closer to human. We got to the house and waited for Logan, whose building had a power outage and screwed up his alarm.  We hit the road at 0730, bound for Idaho.

Given that I was “a little” tired from the previous night’s lack of sleep, I was out of it for most of the way to Pocatello. I woke up as we were turning off the highway to get breakfast. We ate and got back on the road. We made a quick stop in Blackfoot and then headed up to EBR-1. Again. Although, this time, it was open for touring. we spent about 45 minutes or so walking around (and taking pictures). On to Challis – we had to load up on spud-nuts (doughnuts, made with potato flour). And from there, on to Stanley and Redfish Lake.

Part of our job as the first car to leave was to find and secure a campsite. We did that. SaraRules and Logan were of the opinion that it was the same site they had two years ago. The main difference from last year’s site was that the toilets were much more basic than the ones in Glacierview: Pit toilets vs. flush toilets and sinks. *shrug* We set up the tents and generally got the campsite ready for the weekend. A little after Car 2 (with the Meliko and the ‘rents) showed up, it started raining. Steve set up “Alaska rigs” (tarps suspended in by ropes, draped over the tents and picnic bench); lo and behold, we stayed dry. For the most part. There was a small pool of water that collected at the corner of SaraRules and my tent. Meliko, Logan and I dug a small trench to divert the water – it worked fairly well.

Friday (Pictures from Day 2)
We woke up to intermittent rain. As that bode ill for fishing, we went to the Yankee Fork Gold Dredge again. It, too, was open for a tour. Looking at it last year, just from the exterior, it seemed rather amazing that the whole thing was run by just three (3) men. Seeing it from the inside made it seem all the more amazing. And, of course, I took a plethora of pictures. After that, we headed up to Custer and then SaraRules, Logan and Steve tried their hands at fishing… to no avail. We headed back to camp.

A while later, Logan and Steve decided to try again; SaraRules wanted to go to the hot springs. So we packed into the cars and off we went. Meliko went hiking around the area where Steve and Logan were fishing; Bonne came to the hot springs with SaraRules and me. I wasn’t entirely sure about this whole “sitting in a hot spring while it’s not terribly warm out” thing, as I’ve long looked askance at people who sit in hot tubs in the middle of winter. It just seemed… odd… to me. But, I did it. Trying to find the right mix of hot spring water and cold river water was a bit of a challenge, but we managed to do it. And it was fun.

Saturday (Pictures from Day 3)
Intermittent rain beset us again. We decided to break camp and head home. SaraRules, Logan and Steve decided to hit a couple of fishing spots before making the trek back to Utah. First stop, Indian Riffles. And, just before we got there, the sun came out. Go figure. The trio changed into fishin’ gear and hit the river. No dice. From there, we went back to the Yankee Fork. Once more into the fray… and this time, the fish came out to play – everyone caught something. Their fishing appetites sated, we started back to Salt Lake.

Instead of heading back through Arco and Pocatello, we came back via Sun Valley. This included a trip to the summit of Galena Summit. (Fortunately, Idaho believes in guard rails, unlike many areas of Utah…) We descended into Ketchum. We had lunch/dinner at Smoky Mountain Pizza and Pasta. The food was good and so was dessert – I had their Chocolate Ganache Cake and ice cream. A quick stop at Starbucks and we were on the road again.

We traveled through a couple of small – REALLY SMALL – towns and along some back-country two-lane roads before winding up in Paul, ID (a few miles from I-84, southeast of Twin Falls). Then, it was highway cruising. We were making good time until we got to Ogden, where there is construction. Lots of lane-constricting construction.

On the whole, I’d have to rate this year’s camping trip:

And that’s how I spent my summer vacation.

Today kicked off with sleeping in. Later, we headed over to SaraRules’ parents’ for brunch. After eating, we watched Black Sheep. It’s basically an Australian zombie sheep movie. And, yes, I know exactly how that sounded. This movie is definitely on the CW/LKG Scale.

(at least)

Tonight, I think we’ll have a quick trip down to the Garden of Sweden and then back home to watch some football. That’s right: Football. It’s the Hall of Fame Week game that kicks off four weeks of glorious preseason football.  Selah.

Stray Toasters

• Ray Charles covers Johnny Cash: Ring of Fire

• Gap founder’s amazing art collection may leave San Francisco
• I watched The Big Hit earlier. I haven’t seen this in a long time… but it’s fun. It’s on the CW/LKG Scale, but I’d rate it on the higher end of it.

  

• In a related note and comic trivia: Actress Lainie Kazan (who was in The Big Hit) was the visual inspiration for Big Barda.
• Eugene Roddenberry and the legacy of ‘Star Trek’
• 

• The Happiest Cartoonists of All Time
• Filmmaker John Hughes has died.

Namaste.

I just stumbled across this ad on IKEA Hacker:

More than “…just some oak and some pine
And a handful of Norsemen,” indeed.

Namaste.

Tuesday – 21 July 2009
Apparently, the seventeenth fourth time is the charm. The water pump is in and things seem to be as expected.

After getting the car, SaraRules and I went out to Hobby Lobby and IKEA. Our trip to the Garden of Sweden came after learning that a sofa we were considering, Varnamo,  had been discontinued; we went in search of a suitable alternative. We think that we found it in the KARLSTAD series.

Back at home, I finished up the first floor of my ‘Clix house… only to discover that the plan we’d come up with for the second floor wasn’t going to work. *sigh* Back to the literal drawing board. After moving a staircase here and a wall there, I think that things will pan out pretty well.

Stray Toasters

• The Park City Kimball Arts Festival is a week-and-a-half away.  Who’s up for a Sunday excursion?
• Rachel’s coming to town Friday and has requested that I make S’mores Brownies.
• Magazine Writes New Rules for Polite Digital Society
• The 10 Worst Evolutionary Designs
• Barnes and Noble to Create an E-book Megacenter
• From last night’s The Late Late Show: Fireball XL-5

• Deal reached to close California’s $26B Budget Gap
• I just had an apostrophe epiphany. Julie and I were discussing shows we watched while growing up and (for whatever reason) Gilligan’s Island came up. We were talking about it for a minute or two when I realized: Gilligan’s Island was the Lost of the 1960s.
• …and, somehow, remembering that reminded me of Gilligan’s Planet. *shiver*
• sent me a link to: Palin’s Resignation: The Edited Version
• My name is Prince
  And I am funky
  When it comes to funk
  I am a junkie
• Glasgow steampunk fair at the world’s oldest music hall, the Panopticon

Namaste.

Tuesday – 30 June 2009
It’s the last day of June. I’m sure that this is important – or at least “notable” – for many reasons, but prime among them is the fact that the new IKEA bible catalog will be out soon.

Last night, we had a tasty dinner with SaraRules’ family. After dinner, and some errand-running, we headed home for some downtime. I started putting together walls for my new ‘Clix building. Of the eight main walls, I have five complete; the last three should go much faster. Then I can start in on the “lobby” section, which should go quite quickly. I’m looking forward to getting it completed.

This morning, I was at work at 0700. One of our teams has a couple of days’ worth of meetings and we had to get some networking ready for it. So, loonybin88 and I were in here – neither bright-eyed nor bushy-tailed – to get it taken care of.  Naturally, while we were wrapping up the setup, there was a pushy monkey who wanted to have something done his way; little did he know that he was mere moments away from having the closest live power cord plugged into a place neither God, Mother Nature nor Darwin ever intended for it to go. *sigh* Monkeys, go figure.

Stray Tourists Toasters

• June 30, 1953: Corvette Adds Some Fiber, Flair to American Road
• I have frozen mocha goodness!  And a bagel!
• L.A.’s vegan restaurants are full of egg
• Tourist Remover photoshops stray tourists out of your snaps
• Great Geek Debates: Kirk vs. Picard
• Did I mention “monkeys?”
• Jackson’s Death Puts Lucrative Beatles Copyrights In Play
  The man may have been… “odd,” to say the least, but he was a great entertainer. I had forgotten that he had a major share of the rights to many/most of the Beatles’ music catalog. I was also unaware of this performance of Come Together until yesterday:

• U.S. ‘concerned’ over cyber threat
• Force of Nature: Artist Puts Petal to the Metal for Electrifying Images
• Lord of the Rings considered as a D&D game (webcomic)
• Super Small, Super Powerful Quantum Processor Can Solve Multiple Problems at Once
  (Repeat after me: “SkyNet is now online…”)

Right on to the friction of the day…

Namaste.

Sunday – 21 June 2009
Happy Father’s Day… and Summer Solstice/First Day of Summer!

Yesterday, SaraRules and I went to the Utah Foster Care Chalk Art Festival. We saw , Jack and Turtle… and their art piece. We also saw ‘s parents, as well as and while we were there. There were a lot of good pieces, but it was also raining, so many of them were under plastic and/or tents?

We headed up to SaraRules’ parents’, met Logan and formulated our gameplan for the afternoon. Between the three of us, we came up with going to a movie. We decided on The Taking of Pelham 123. It was a good movie and had definitely been updated to take advantage of the changes in technology in the past 35 years. Some of the specifics of the movie also changed, but not in ways that detracted from the overall story. One noticeable difference: Where the original movie was more of a “heist” movie, with a lot of chess-like, cat-and-mouse moves and feints, this movie was more… direct with its interaction between the characters of Denzel Washington and John Travolta.

After the movie, we headed back home for a while before we decided to make a pilgrimage to The Garden of Sweden. They are having their Summer Sale and one of the items listed was an office chair. After getting to the store, however, we opted on a different chair than we had originally gone to pick up. Since we were already in the south part of the valley, we met up with , and (new)Chris for dinner at V.I.

Today, Chris came over and played HeroClix. We did a “Soldiers vs. Soldiers” match. Chris took an early lead, then I evened things up. From there, we traded punches and shots until he wound up wearing down my team.

Next, I headed over to SaraRules’ parents’ for dinner and a movie. Tonight’s fare: The Devil’s Backbone.

Tomorrow, a new work week begins. Yay.

Sunday – 24 May 2009
For reasons that I have yet to fathom, I slept semi-poorly last night. It took me a while to nod off, despite feeling tired when I decided to call it a night. *shrug* By my best count, I woke up at least four (4) times between 0100 and 0900.

After the alarm went off, SaraRules and I got up, started coffee and set about preparing for a morning outing to the Garden of Sweden with . It seems as though they have changed their Sunday opening time… again – the last time we went for an early Sunday trip, we thought they opened at 1000. Nope. They didn’t open until 1100, with the restaurant opening at 1030. Today, we discovered that they opened at 1000. *grblsnrkx* We were there in search of two 2×4-cube EXPEDIT bookcases. We found them… all lined up, with a few already on large carts. We paid for them and then headed up to the restaurant for breakfast. Unfortunately, they stopped serving breakfast at 1100 and it was 1120 when we got around to eating. BAH. Nevertheless, I enjoyed my plate of meatballs. brought us home and helped me unload the bookcases from his Jeep. I then headed over to his place to return the favor.

Now, we’re just enjoying a lazy and rainy Sunday afternoon. I’m headed out to meet Perry for coffee in a bit, but the rest of the day/evening looks pretty wide open.

All-in-all, not a bad Sunday.

Namaste.

Monday – 18 May 2009
Today is apparently International Museum Day.

It’s also a day that I’ve taken off from work. I’m not sure what we’ll be doing today… possibly a museum visit will be added to the non-existant agenda.

We didn’t wind up watching a movie last night, but we did manage to catch up on episodes of NCIS, CSI:, and Batman: The Brave and the Bold that we’d missed. While watching B:TBTB, I picked out Michael Dorn‘s voice as the main antagonist. (SaraRules looked at me a little askance, I told her that I watched a lot of Star Trek: TNG and DS9 and that Michael Dorn had done a lot of voiceover work.) I checked when the credits came on; I was right. Something that I wasn’t as sure of was the voices for Booster Gold and Skeets – they sounded like the actors who filled the roles on Justice League Unlimited. A couple of IMDb searches later and I had the answer. The roles were done by the same actors, Tom Everett Scott and Billy West, respectively.

Stray Toasters

• Sims Trek – A… trailer… of J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek, done with The Sims 3
• Handed Keys to Kingdom, Gamers Race to Bottom
• From the “Monkeys!” and “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” files: Robber uses banana as gun
• In search of Europe: Sweden (or “What can Europe’s politicians learn from Ikea?”)
• Christopher Walken: What I’ve Learned
• Mens Suit Buying Tips and Hidden Details to Find When You Shop for Clothes

Time to find some trouble to get into…

Namaste.

Monday – 11 May 2009
The alarm went off at 0620 this morning and I promptly turned it off, turned over and went back to sleep. My phone rang at 0650 (!), but it took a few moments to register that it was, in fact, the phone and not another alarm. Once that sank in, I looked at who it was (loonybin88) and answered it – it could have been a work-related “get into the office ASAP” issue, after all. It wasn’t. He was just calling to see if I’d be interested in going to the driving range at lunch… which does interest me. And that’s when I decided to go ahead and start the day.

Yesterday, SaraRules and I headed to the Garden of Sweden. We didn’t necessarily need anything, but it had been a while since our last trip, so we decided to head over and see what they had to offer. We wound up leaving empty-handed. Last night, after spending time with SaraRules’ family for Mother’s Day, we went home and watched Bullitt, starring the late Steve McQueen. It was good. It turned in a few directions that neither of us saw and thus kept us engaged. Good action. Decent acting. And a good high-speed car chase through San Francisco. I may have to pick up a copy of this movie for my collection. I give it… seven-and-a-half bricks.

Stray Toasters

• Don’t forget that US postage rates for First Class Mail goes up 2¢ today.
• ‘Star Trek’ maps out new frontier at box office
• The Truth Is Out There, and the Nation’s Maddest Scientists Are After It
• What would you have gotten if SimCity had been done in comic book style: Simsville
• How LEGO Bricks Are Made: The 80s Version

Namaste.

Sunday – 10 May 2009
Happy Mother’s Day

Seeing Star Trek a second time was every bit as enjoyable as seeing it the first time.  (And I still want to see it in IMAX…) And, this time, I caught the reference to Captain Admiral Archer and Porthos. And, thanks to for posting a link to this, which I would have otherwise missed:

After the excursion, SaraRules and I had lunch/dinner at Porcupine Pub and Grill. As usual, the food (Cajun Chicken Alfredo) was quite good, as was the chocolate stout I had to wash it down.

Back at home, we lounged the early evening away, then decided to go for a walk around the complex. That wound up getting expanded to include a trip to Red Mango for dessert. We got back and I felt the yen to watch a few episodes of Justice League… and we did:

• Hereafter (Parts I & II)
• The Terror Beyond (Parts I & II) and
• Comfort & Joy

It was fun to see the original – and longer – episodes. SaraRules commented that she wasn’t aware that Hawkgirl was such a bad-ass.

This morning has been lazy. So far we’ve had breakfast, watched the tail end of the History Channel’s coverage of a Star Trek auction held by Christie’s Auction House and Thursday’s episode of CSI:.

Next on the docket: A trip to The Garden of SwEden.  Selah.

Namaste.

Friday – 01 May 2009
It’s May Day, but more importantly (to me, at least) it’s my friend’s birthday.

Happy Hatching Day, Bret.

Last night, SaraRules and I had dinner at the local Olive Garden. We both had the Chicken & Gnocci Veronese; we also both had the same opinion of it: It was good, but the dumplings left a little something to be desired. They felt/tasted “too doughy,” as though another few minutes of cooking would have firmed them up just a little more. Otherwise, dinner was good. Our waitress, Kyrsten, was good and rather attentive, which is always a plus.

We came home and had a laid-back evening, including reading this week’s comic book haul and watching CSI: and a good portion of Hellboy. I also built a bus, from the Bits of Mayhem set, for my city. We also watched The Late Show (Dave’s laryngitis was much better) and The Late Late Show, on which Craig’s monologue included an amusing bit about Olive Garden.

This morning has been quite lazy. Despite turning off my alarms, I was awake at 7:08 this morning. Fortunately, I was able to turn over and fall asleep again. After all, getting up that early is no way to kick off a long weekend, now is it? I’m not sure what’s on tap for the rest of the morning and afternoon, but I’m good with the idea of just being lazy.

Four-Color Coverage
This week’s haul was a bit of a mixed bag. But, by the numbers, the “good” outweighed the “bad,” fortunately.

• Green Lantern #40 – This was another “Prelude to Blackest Night” issue. We start with a look at Yrra Cynril, the Star Sapphire formerly known as the Green Lantern-killer, Fatality. From there, we move to Oa and witness the creation of the Fourth Law of the Book of Oa. And that leads to a run-in with the Orange Lanterns.
• Justice Society of America # 26 – This issue was a great example of what the JSA stands for: Family and legacies. We get to see this, in a unique way, through the vantage point of Stargirl. Though she’s one of the younger members of the team, we see the affect she’s had on her peers – older and younger.
• Uncanny X-Men #509 – Just when it looked like things were going (relatively) well for the X-Men and they were settling into their home in San Francisco, it seems as though someone wants to pass (yet another) new legislation limiting mutants’ rights. On top of all of this, Madelyne Pryor’s master plan is brought to light… and, she decides to pay the X-Men a visit.
• Wonder Woman # 31 – Former head of the Queen’s Guard, Alkyone, made a deal with [SPOILER DELETED]. Achilles paid a visit to the United Nations. Diana got a visit from [SPOILER DELETED] and learned a few interesting facts about Genocide’s origins. None of these came under the heading of “good things.”

…and, last, but far from least…

• Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds #4 – I have been enjoying this series and will be sad to see it end. This issue bounced between the 21st and 31st Centuries… and the end of time. [SPOILER DELETED] is back and Superboy-Prime is not happy to see him; nor is he thrilled about seeing Sodam Yat, for that matter. The Time Trapper makes his move. Starman’s mission in the 21st Century is revealed. [SPOILER DELETED] joins the fight. And, in one of the best origin revisions I think that I’ve ever read, the true identity of [SPOILER DELETED] is revealed.

Stray Toasters

• I’ve been given the green light to post a link to robandsara.org
• Daily LEGO: Exterminate!
• Someone has created a papercraft Defiant…
• ArtWerk’s map of his “beloved Europe

  

• sent me the following: IKEA lover or hater? You’ll know soon enough
• Apple not paying iPhone developers, reports of lawsuits brewing
• Have you ever wondered “What if Cthulhu was a furniture-maker?” Wonder no more.
• The Mind-blowing World of Human Chimeras
• Can’t get enough of William Shatner? Shatnerquake might be up your alley.

Quote of the Day
From this week’s issue of Legion of 3 Worlds:

Brainiac 5 (Legion 1): Have you ever read Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein?
Brainiac 5 (Threeboot Legion): Frankenstein? That book is for children.
Brainiac 5 (Zero Hour Legion): And incomplete. I followed it step-by-step with little success.
Brainiac 5 (Legion 1): You’re both missing the point.
Gates: What is the point?
Brainiac 5 (Legion 1): “The point is, with the right amount of genius and a touch of perceived insanity, science can conquer anything.”

Namaste.

Tuesday – 14 April 2009
It’s 51F and raining. Tomorrow, there’s a high percentage chance of snow. Welcome to Spring in Utah.

Last night, at SaraRules’ request, I cooked dinner. She wanted spaghetti. And that’s what she got. After dinner we headed to “the land where the furniture folds to a much smaller size.” While we didn’t find anything that completely wowed us, I did remember to pick up a few light bulbs for the display cases. On the way home, we stopped in Pier 1 Imports. Occasionally, I can find something in there that I find interesting, but for the most part…. *shrug* Last night, however, I noticed that they (finally) are carrying the double papasan chairs again. Of course, it’s long after I stopped looking for one. Oh, well. Before heading in, we stopped at Red Mango and picked up a couple of frozen yogurts for dessert.

Stray Toasters

• Friday, Stephanie finished my GL pony.

  
  (click image for gallery of pictures)

  She did a fantastic job; this definitely comes under the heading of “far exceeds my expectations.” However, I appear to have come up against a conundrum: What should I name her? Suggestions are welcome.

• In a follow-up to a story I posted yesterday: Girl chooses Japan over parents
• Analyst: Apple placed chip order for 32GB iPhones
• Two new Star Trek clips
• Sean is an avid football fan. (I won’t bag on his team, The Tampa Bay Buccaneers.) He came in and handed me a package yesterday: It was a Ravens 2009 Draft Day t-shirt. Very unexpected and very nice of him.
• Speaking of football:

  

• Ronald Reagan was a secret FBI anti-Commie snitch
• Issue #5 of Steampunk Magazine is out
• Anatomical drawing on a cast

Namaste.

Monday – 23 March 2009
After a weekend in the upper 60s – and I think I even saw the thermometer hit 71°F on Saturday – it’s snowing. Or, at least it was snowing this morning. Right now, it would be better to say “flurries,” but you get the idea.

Yesterday, I got up and met and Bird at the Garden of Sweden. Yes, that was two trips in two days – they had a sale with “one day only” items. Yesterday’s item was an 11-quart stockpot. I didn’t think that it would be as popular an item as it was. I stood in line to get mine and then wandered back through the store to find Nyx and Bird. By the time we got back to the kitchenware section, ten to fifteen minutes later, all of the pots had sold out. Unglaublich! I left Nyx and Bird to finish their shopping and headed to the checkout, where I got in line between two ladies – either sisters or long-time friends – who had also come in search of the stockpot. Listening to them banter back and forth was amusing. As I was leaving, one of them stopped me:

Lady: I saw that you got one of those pots and just have to know what you’re going to use it for. I’m using mine to make gumbo.
Me: I’m mainly going to use it for cooking Cornish hens.
Lady: How’re you going to do that?
Me: I parboil them before baking them.
Lady: I see. Well, you should try putting a little bit of orange marmalade on them before you put them in the oven.
Me: I’ll have to try that. Thanks!

It was cute and unexpected.

I made another stop and then popped in to say “Hi,” to and to drop off a couple of things.  I couldn’t stay long because Chris was heading over… and had, in fact, already been to my place.

I got home, met Chris and we headed to Five Guys to pick up some lunch. Then, it was back to my place for a game of HeroClix. We chose a “Monsters vs. Monsters” theme. 600 points limit. I went with:

• Cassandra Nova
• Devil Dinosaur and Moon Boy
• Giant Man (zombie)
• Johnny Sorrow and
• Joker (Arkham Asylum)

Chris brought:

• Giant-Man (zombie)
• Iron Man (zombie)
• Maestro
• Spider-Man (zombie) and
• Wolverine (zombie)

Then it was game on. After a couple of opening feints, we started in on the battle royale. We wound up wearing each other’s teams down, but Chris finally got me to a point where my last two figures (Cassandra Nova and Giant Man) couldn’t do anything to damage his remaining figures (Iron Man and Maestro), so I conceded the game. A little while later, while we were hanging out, SaraRules got home; she’d been in AZ visiting her grandparents. After Chris left, she recounted her vacation and I told her about my week. It’s good to have her back home.

Stray Toasters

• Derek, my acolyte from AF, and a friend have just written an iPhone/iPod Touch app: Microkart. If you’re a iPhone/iPod Touch user, check it out and leave ’em some feedback.
• Best Buy Staff Paid Bonuses to Deny Legit Guaranteed Price Matches, by way of Nyx
• From BBC News: Quest to legalize polygamy in Utah
• Wine casks turned into hotel rooms
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: Company puts bounty on porta-potty arsonist
• 
• Flammable Water
• Why are Kit Kat bars so good?!
• The Science Behind Tesla Coil Music
• NFL Shop.com is offering 30% off on apparel again.

  

• Gamehouse – download a new free game, every day.

And that’s that.

Namaste.

Saturday – 21 March 2009
Yesterday was a pretty decent day. I met with Stephanie to choose the type of paint I want used on the GL pony she’s doing for me. After that, I picked up for a late lunch at Jitterbug. Then, we headed out to see .

Next on the agenda: Clitorati.  Tyler, one of the MFAs from SaraRules’ program, was in town and showed up for a while, as did . After dropping Nyx at home, I headed home to watch a little TV before calling it a night. I also started in on Greg Rucka’s Queen & Country, which MarknTyme had recommended to me many moons past.  It was a good pre-bed read.  I’m looking forward to getting back to the story.

This morning, I stopped at Beans & Brews for the first time in… at least three months. When I walked up to the counter, Ellie asked me,”Your usual…?” as if I had just been in a few days ago. That was a bit amusing and surprising, but pleasantly so. Then I came up to ‘s, to hang out for a bit.

Stray Toasters

• While I’ve squeaked by with some of my NCAA picks, a lot of the “easy” games got shot to Hell, blowing a lot of my first round picks.
• I spaced off recording Batman: The Brave and the Bold last night. BAH!!! Fortunately, I remembered to set the DVR for this morning’s rebroadcast.
• Giz Explains: How Cell Towers Work
• 
• Twins commit perfect heist?
• I’ve been toying with the idea of trading out SaraRules’ and my G3 iMacs for a new iMac and/or Mac Mini for a while.  This news has me considering a new option.
• Pac-Man Calls the Ghostbusters, Again
• Want a Science Degree in Creationism?

At some point, I need to head down to The Garden of Sweden today… and tomorrow… to take advantage of their kitchen sale.

Namaste.

Thursday – 06 March 2009
It’s another NBN Thursday and there’s new snow on the ground. In the past 24 hours we’ve gone from nearly 70°F to nearly half that temperature.

Last night was a relatively quiet night. I got to play with my new Dremel, which I believe is my new second-favorite tool… after a Sawz-All. Law & Order did an interesting episode about teenagers who had escaped and/or been exiled from a polygamist community. I was surprised that they went there and was also a little shocked with how the episode ended. (I was, however, amused that they actually used the term “magic underwear.”)

Chew On This: Food for Thought
I have often mentioned that I enjoy watching The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. For me, it’s a light way to cap the day… much in the way that watching Late Night with David Letterman (back when he was on NBC) used to be when I was in high school. Last night’s episode was a very good – and atypically serious – show; the guest was Archbishop Desmond Tutu. At the top of the show, Craig gave an abbreviated history of South Africa, which was probably one of the best (and most humorous) histories I have ever heard. After a commercial break, he introduced Archbishop Tutu; they talked for the better part of forty minutes. Among other things that he recounted, the Archbishop talked about “good and evil” and how he has been able to keep his faith – and his faith in humanity. Here’s an excerpt:

All-in-all, it was an excellent interview. Other clips are available here.

Four-Color Coverage
Yesterday was a light day at Dr. Volt’s – I only picked up five books:

• Black Lightning: Year One #5 – The next-to-last issue of this series shows Jefferson Pierce continuing his fight to bring something to the Southside community of Metropolis, not-so-affectionately referred to as “Suicide Slum,” that it had been missing: Hope.  I’ve been surprised by this title – I picked it up on a lark, but have been pleasantly surprised with the story that has unfolded.
• Dark Reign: Fantastic Four #1 – Reed Richards has a problem: He’s been bothered by the fact that despite all of his calculations, he was wrong in how he set about solving the problems that led to his role in Marvel’s Civil War.  But, he has an idea.  And when Reed Richards has an idea, there is little that can stop him from following up on it. Not repairing damage from the “Secret Invasion.” Not his wife… well, maybe she can. Not even an attack from Norman Osborn and his H.A.M.M.E.R. agents.
• Dark Reign: New Avengers – The Reunion #1 – Bobbi Morse, ex-Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. and (ex-)wife of the Avenger known as Ronin, is trying to re-establish her place in the post-Secret Invasion world. As she sets out to find them, she also finds that she has a partner – and unwanted one, at that: Ronin.
• Superman: World of Krypton #1 – Superman journeys to New Krypton to live among the Kryptonians from the newly-liberated (and restored to normal size) Kandor. He’s still not sure how he’ll fit in, but attempts to make a go of it. But, how will his aunt, Alura, and one of his worst enemies, General Zod, feel about him being there?
• X-Men: First Class – Finals #2 – The X-Men go up against a mutant who’s out for a little revenge against a certain “one-eyed” X-Man who dropped him down a mine shaft.  To say that he’s “a little mad” would be something of an understatement. And, someone shows up to lend the X-Men a much needed helping hand… but who is it? And where’d they come from?

As it was a light day, I also picked up Fables (Vol. 8) – Wolves and JLA: Earth 2 to supplement my haul.

Stray Toasters

• Let’s start with the big announcement: Ray Lewis will be staying with the Ravens. Amen.
• In related news: The Cowboys released Terrell Owens.
• Man camouflaged as paper in IKEA
  I think that this man has just earned a special nod as my Human of the Day.
• U2 is the week-long special guest on The Late Show with David Letterman.  Last night, they presented the Top Ten List: Top Ten Things U2 Has Learned Over the Years.
• I want to get these for my minions employees:

  

• Fans of Bloom County might want to pay attention to this: IDW Publishing will release The Bloom County Library in October 2009.
• By way of : Emergency (MC) Hammer
• By way of and the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: Star Trek Fragrances.
• Fort Pierce woman calls 911 three times when McNuggets run out

Namaste.

Tuesday – 17 February 2009

After work yesterday, I came home to find a new addition to the decor: SaraRules had gone to the Garden of Sweden and picked up two BESTA wall shelves for our DVDs. She set them under the bar between the dining room and kitchen; they look quite good there. I also discovered that she’d hung a new set of sheer curtains in the bedroom, too.  Also, a nice touch.

There were flurries when I left home this morning, but it’s clear now… “for now,” rather. We’ll see what the rest of the day brings.

Stray Toasters

• Lincoln wins: Honest Abe tops new presidential survey
• Gibbs’ Rules
• Scientology TV show blames psychiatry for turning Osama Bin Laden into a terrorist
• Should George Lucas Be Condemned for Crimes Against Our Childhood?
• Given my latest adventures in papercraft, I found this amusing.
• Let’s explore what defines the American car
• Best Dysfunctional Relationships in Genre Films
• 
• School that uses game-based learning opens in NYC

And, tonight… Avengers vs. JLA: Round 2.

Namaste.