Random Access

Friday – 18 November 2011
It’s my working Friday. At least it’s the “quiet” Friday in the office.

Last night was “Baby Bath Night” and it went pretty well. Vanessa went first. She was a little dodgy when I put her into the tub, but she settled in nicely once I started talking to her and splashing her a bit. She actually held up rather well, until it was time to towel her off. Then the sad face – and a little crying – made an appearance. All in all, though: Success. Diana was pretty much smiles throughout the process… although, I did get a couple of quizzical looks from her. Both girls went to sleep (fairly) easily, too.

After the girls were abed, SaraRules! and I decided to watch some television. As I was about to head downstairs, I had a revelation:

I wanted a snack.

Ice cream…? No.
A RubySnap cookie…? No.
Triscuits and string cheese…? No.

Then it dawned on me. I wanted popcorn. But… the girls were asleep. And the popcorn popping on the apricot tree would possibly wake them up. I found a suitable workaround to abate the noise and tasty popped corns were mine!

Stray Toasters

• I think that I may have just tracked down a school mate that I’ve been trying to find for a very long time.
• so much win
• Rules of concertgoing, and why it matters
• Nude Blogger Riles Egyptians of All Stripes
• By way of Xeni Jardin at BoingBoing.net:

  

• Pilot gets stuck in bathroom, sparks terror scare
• Steampunk LEGO inventions
• Stuck Up!: 100 Objects Inserted and Ingested in Places They Shouldn’t Be
• 
• From the “Whoops!” file: An Entire MMO Was Accidentally Erased From the Internet
• 2011 Celebrity Style Hall of Shame
• Medieval Foes With Whimsy

Namaste.

Wednesday – 16 November 2011
I realized this morning just how glad I am that it’s midweek and that only two more days separate me from the weekend. Not that it’s been a bad or particularly long week; I’m just ready for the weekend.  (Cue: Loverboy)

Last night, while Wonder Woman SaraRules! was off saving the world with the Justice League at a Junior League meeting, Sanaz came over to help me watch the girls and get them ready for bed. The “care and feeding” part isn’t so bad when solo, but trying to get both girls to bed by oneself would be “a bit” much. And the help was greatly appreciated. Diana knocked out fairly easily; Vanessa, however, got a bit of a second wind after her bedtime feeding and fought sleep for a solid 20 minutes before finally following Morpheus into The Dreaming.

On the plus side of SaraRules! not being home for dinner: It was a veritable “Feed Yourself Free-for-All” night for rounding up victuals. Thus, I had Beef Lo Mein. Selah.

Stray Toasters

• Internet giants place full-page anti-SOPA ad in NYT
• SOPA infographic
• A Special Day at the Office as Krzyzewski Sets a Record
• Incredible LEGO Daily Planet Pits Superman and Young Justice Against Brainiac
• For :

  

• Middle Class Areas Shrink as Income Gap Grows, New Report Shows
• Thanks to for pointing out this SMBC comic.
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: The problem with fecal transplants
  Yes, you read that correctly: “Fecal transplants.”
• A better astronaut recruitment video
• Yeah, add this to The Covet List: Ford’s new Mustang Shelby GT is first 200 MPH muscle car
• 
• Ergonomics training. Yay.
  It’s mildly amusing to be taking training after having taught it (at the USPS)…
• Apple Appoints New Chairman and Elects Disney’s Chief to Board

And it’s new comics day!

Namaste.

Monday – 07 November 2011
Another week begins. Fortunately, it’s my 9/80 short week.

And, today, Ms. Diana turns two-months-old:

The weekend was a good one.  Highlights included, but were not limited to:

• SaraRules!’ birthday (yesterday)
• Spending time with the girls
• The Ravens beating the Steelers in the closing seconds of their game last night (!)
• A trip to The Garden of Sweden
• Picking up Gears of War 3

And then some.

Instant Replay: Football

Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers

23 – 20

The Ravens traveled to the Steel City to take on Big Ben, Troy Polamalu and the rest of the Steelers at Heinz Field.It was a slow, mostly defensive game – which fans pretty much expect from these two teams – with all of the scores in the first half coming from field goals. The Ravens went into halftime with a 9-6 lead. After the half, Baltimore scored a TD in the third quarter to open up a 16-6 lead. And then,Pittsburgh went to work. They scored 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter… …until, with 0:08 left in the game, QB Joe Flacco hit rookie WR Torrey Smith in the back of the end zone for the game-winning 26-yard touchdown — just five plays after dropping what would have been an even longer game-winning reception for touchdown. Or, to put this in movie terms, I’ll take a line from Nick Fury in Iron Man 2: Nick Fury: Whoa, whoa, whoa. He took it? You’re Iron Man and he just took it? The little brother walked in there, kicked your ass and took your suit? Is that possible? Yeah, it was just. Like. That. And this may be the best post-game quote that I’ve seen so far: “Heinz Field emptied faster than a runny ketchup bottle.” – John Eisenberg With this win, Baltimore has swept the Steelers for the season.

Stray Toasters

• Just got back from the girls’ two-month check-up: According to their doctor, they’re doing just great.
  (We thought so, but it’s always good to get a professional opinion.)
• LEGO army invades Chalkfestival to “Free” Ego Leonard
• I Wish More Streets Had LEGO Minifigs Painted on Them
• NASA prepares for moon tourism
• SaraRules! is reading a book called Conquistadora, by Esmerelda Santiago
  Every time I see it, I reparse it in my head as “Conquista Dora the Explorer.”
• Paul Krugman: Our Oligarchy
• What They’re Saying About Flacco… Now
• Disney and YouTube Make a Video Deal
• Even Adobe May Believe Flash Is on Its Deathbed

Namaste.

Saturday – 05 November 2011
It’s Guy Fawkes Day. You remember… the day (well, night) that V blew up Parliament in that movie by the Wachowski brothers.

Last night, SaraRules! gave me a hall pass to go to coffee for a bit. There wasn’t a huge turnout, but it was nice to be there – I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed it in the past couple of months. Of course, it made sense: It’s been a part of my weekly routine for over ten (10) years now. Naturally, I’d miss it.  So, thanks to the World’s Greatest Comic Magazine Wife for the opportunity to hang out with friends!

After coffee, I came back home and we watched Fringe before calling it a night.

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

Stray Toasters

• It snowed this morning.
• greeted me online earlier. I responded “Hola” in response (I ain’t no hollaback girl…) and then this wound up stuck in my head:

• The artwork of Malika Favre
• Your Commute Is Slowly Killing You
• 
• The 8 Worst Fonts in the World
• A Janitor Accidentally Scrubbed Away a Million Dollar Art Piece
• 
• LEGO Universe is shutting down at on 31 January 2012. That’s unfortunate, because I think that the game had a lot of potential as an MMO for kids (and kids-at-heart) without getting bogged down in the character development/grind that many MMOs are known for.  And it’s digital LEGO!  Really, can it get much better than that?!

And now, off to the Garden of Sweden!

Namaste.

Thursday – 03 November 2011
Another NBN Thursday in the valley.

That’s right: Don’t Nobody Bring Me No Bad News.

Last night, I came home to find SaraRules! taking pictures of the girls. Thus, you get a fresh dose of cuetness:

Vanessa (left) and Diana

It was a fairly quiet night around the house. The girls were in good moods. Diana went to bed without much ado; Vanessa fought it a little longer. But, they were out in time for SaraRules! to get some quilting done and for me to not only read yesterday’s four-color haul, but also to watch the second half of the Real Salt Lake vs. Seattle Sounders game. (RSL won.) This morning, the girls were up slightly before my alarm clock went off, so I was home for a pre-work feeding, complete with Vanessa cuddles. Great way to kick off the day.

Stray Toasters

• How Technology Is Eliminating Higher-Skilled Jobs
• ApocaLEGO: Building end-times with plastic bricks
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Couple’s nude photo shoot inside their dead horse
  This was also “Boner of the Day” candidate on X96’s Radio from Hell show this morning.
• 5 Tech Gadgets That Improved My Sleep
• Fed Lowers Its Forecast for Growth, but Takes No Steps
• New Fringe tomorrow night!
• William Gibson, The Art of Fiction No. 211
• Thousands of WordPress sites sucked into BlackHole
• Google “Do a barrel roll”

Namaste.

Tuesday – 01 November 2011
November is upon us. Mother Nature, who presented us with rather decent weather for All Hallow’s Eve, has decided to grace us with snow fluffy rain on this All Saints’ Day, not to be confused with All Saints:

Last night, SaraRules!, the girls  and I waited at home, with a bowl full of candy for trick-or-treaters who never came.

So, we have a giant bowl full of candy that we’re going to have to eat. All by ourselves. (Good thing we bought candy that we like!)

Stray Toasters

• Halloween costume sparks controversy
• In a semi-related note, we had coworkers’ kids come through the office for trick-or-treating yesterday. Among the costumes seen were one family who came as a tribe of Indians Native Americans and one coworker’s daughter who came as Off The Wall-era Michael Jackson.  What ties this in to the link above – and amuses me to some degree – was that all of the people were as… “pigmentationally challenged” as the fluffy rain falling outside. There was, however, no blackface or red face paint involved.
• Recreating reality in LEGO
• Time Warner Trims Its Excesses
• Now You Can See Why a Google Ad Targeted You
• 
• 8 Completely Embarrassing Music Videos
  This almost makes me want to watch the literal version video for Separate Ways. Almost.
• Two more banks drop monthly debit card fees
• And another one bites the dust: BofA Calls Off Debit-Fee Plan
• Reinventing Post Offices in a Digital World

Namaste.

Tuesday – 25 October 2011
Work week: Day 2.

Of course, it is my first Technical Friday of the week – I’m taking tomorrow off and then back on Thursday – so, I’m okay with being anxious about being out of here.

Today is also my last day as a 40-year-old. It’s been a pretty fantastic year. I have a great family – which just got a couple of fantastic new additions. I have some pretty amazing friends. I’ve been able to see and do a lot of fun things. I’m looking forward to seeing what forty-one brings…

Last night, , and Angy came over to watch the Ravens-Jaguars game. It would have been good had the Ravens not sent their practice squad to Florida. It was a defensive game. And it was one that the Jags played every bit as well as – if not a little better than – the guys from Charm City. Ravens receivers couldn’t get separation from their cover guys. The run was effectively shut down. And it wasn’t until almost the end of the game until the Ravens put points on the board. But, they did. (Barely.) And, to be honest, I have to say:

I’m glad that the Ravens lost.

There. I said it.  And I meant it.

Wait, wait, wait… I know that sounds completely “wrong” of me to say, but I am. Why? It’s simple, really: We play Pittsburgh in two weeks. Baltimore needed a good ass-kicking/wake-up call before that game in order to… do whatever it is they need to figure out… before that game. And I’d much rather have them work out the kinks in a game against the Cardinals than go heads-up against the Steelers after such a poor showing against the Jags.

Stray Toasters

• Deal of the Century: The Check That DC Comics Used to Buy Superman
• The Woman Who Kept Time
• Outside Cleveland, Snapshots of Poverty’s Surge in the Suburbs
• Giant LEGO Man washes ashore in Florida
  Why doesn’t one ever wash ashore here in Utah…?  Oh, right. “Landlocked.” Verdammt.
• 
• STARS: Student Group Takes a Stand Against Racist Costumes
• Anti-racism awareness poster campaign inadvertently spawns meme
• New rules would help underwater homeowners refinance
• How Stealth Works
• This could either be awesome… or awesomely bad:

  

• How Netflix Lost 800,000 Customers, and Good Will
• Anonymous targets law enforcement in latest data leak

Namaste.

Tuesday – 18 October 2011
Documentation. WHEEEEE! Yeah, maybe if I keep trying to convince myself that I’m having fun, it will either come to pass or I’ll actually start believing it.  (cue: Journey)  That aside, it hasn’t been a bad day.

Last night, I got home to find SaraRules! carrying Vanessa, who had apparently decided that she needed to be held/cuddled for most of the day… while Diana was just taking it easy in her crib. The girls were good, if a little restless, for most of the evening. In fact, they were quiet and calm enough that SaraRules! and I were able to watch a little of the second half of the Dolphins-Jets game. Hey, “some football” is better than “no football.” It would have been nice, however, if the Dolphins had bothered to show up for the game. *sigh*

Stray Toasters

• Turns out that President Obama is in North Carolina today… and had lunch about 10 minutes from my mother’s house. Huh. Never would have seen that one coming.
• Amazon Signs Up Authors, Writing Publishers Out of the Deal
• Lowe’s to close 20 stores
• Superman Fan Mike Meyer Shares Donated Comics & Collectibles with Children’s Hospital
  Human of the Day?  You bet.
• Excellent model railroad storage shelf
• By way of :

  

• Feds Shy Away From Raiding Email Without Warrant
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Noses
• Massachusetts Tries to Rein in Its Health Costs
• The Future of LEGO (Or How to Use an iPhone to Play with LEGO)

Namaste.

Monday – 17 October 2011
For a day that started with rain and clouds, it’s mighty sunny and bright out there now. And I’m good with that.

This past weekend was a good one. I got to spend it with my three favorite ladies. The younger two even let me sleep in a bit on Friday, which was quite nice. We ran a few errands on Friday, as well, including a trip to RubySnap – for cookies and to make a donation for their “Save the Suzies” breast cancer campaign:

That’s right: We’re all in pink. Just. Like. That.

Friday evening, I actually got a chance to play ‘Clix with the guys! (Thank you, SaraRules!) Chris, Andy and Harley came over and helped me test out a scenario that I’m planning for the next tournament… which I actually get to go and judge  (Thank you again, SaraRules!): I’m “recreating” the DC Comics “War of the Supermen” event from last year’s comics. We play-tested it and it seems as though everything works out pretty well.

Saturday, I kicked off the day with a hot soak and reading magazines. And it was good. In the afternoon, we took the girls to Downtown Philly Cheesesteaks. Oddly, they didn’t eat anything. But, they did get to meet Paul (former boss) and his wife, Mary. We had a nice visit and the girls were incredibly well-behaved the entire time. On the ride home, they got a little angsty, but by that time, they’d been in their car seats for a couple of hours. Saturday evening, Kenneth, Akiba and their kids came over to visit and meet the girls. We hadn’t seen them since… the Horror Movie Baby Shower, so it was nice to get a chance to spend some time hanging out with them.

Yesterday was a lazy, stay-at-home kind of day. And it was good… because the girls couldn’t decide whose turn it was to nap or be awake. So, we were attending to one and/or both all afternoon. (Good thing they’re adorable…) In the evening, Logan came over and had dinner with us and hung out for a bit.

So, all-in-all… it was a good and somewhat relaxed weekend.

Instant Replay: Football
Yesterday had a lot of good – and surprising – games:

Houston Texans at Baltimore Ravens
14 – 29
The Ravens hosted the Texans……and came away with a win, keeping sole possession of the lead in the AFC North.

Ray Lewis… Hey… Hey, Ray!  Yeah!  You just became the first player in NFL history to notch 40 sacks and 30 interceptions!  How does that make you feel?

Yeah, I can dig it!

Cleveland Browns at Oakland Raiders
17 – 24
The Raiders took on the Browns and did some work.Congratulations, SaraRules! and 1silver_seraph.

Stray Toasters

• A Dedication to King, and the Work Yet to Do
• Dedication of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
• Large crowd honors King’s dream at memorial dedication
• Ariz. school objects to cheerleaders’ breast cancer shirts
• 
• 100-Year-Old Man Finishes Toronto Marathon
• Jon Gruden Agrees to Five-Year ESPN Extension
• National Opera Week: October 28 – November 6, 2011
• LEGOland brings bricks and more to Florida
• 
• By way of comes this story: Stevey’s Google Platforms Rant
• Wireless Users Will Get Alerts on Excess Use
• Virgin Galactic opens world’s first commercial spaceport

Back to it.

Namaste.

Tuesday – 20 September 2011
120 minutes.  Two hours. 7,200 seconds. It both “does” and “doesn’t” seem like a lot of time. When you’re rushing to get that last-minute assignment complete, it’s too little time. When it’s a movie – that’s been done well and is entertaining – it’s just enough.

When you’re trying to compress all of the things on your “to do” list into 120 minute increments, it seems far too fleet.

But, it’s totally worth it.

The girls are now just shy of two-weeks-old. “Schedule” is still not part of their vocabulary. And that’s fine. We’ve started trying to get them used to the concepts of day (bright and somewhat noisy) and night (darker/low-light and much more quiet), in the hopes that we get them adjusted to the idea that being awake during the day is good and sleeping at night – and letting Mom and Dad sleep a little, too – is a “good” thing.  We’ll see how this goes.

They are still very cute – awake and/or asleep:

Last week, when my mother was in town

Last week, with SaraRules!’ Parents…

Modeling their Wonder Woman and Flash onesies that SaraRules! made…

It’s been a challenging couple of weeks in some respects, but it’s also been fun getting to know the newest members of the family.

Stray Toasters

• Fatherhood, Not Testosterone, Makes the Man
• This LEGO Robot Helped Beta Test a New iOS App
• 
• Rick Perry’s made-up ‘facts’ about climate change
• What we SHOULD have been taught our senior year of high school
• 10 Words You Need to Stop Misspelling
• Scott Beatty on “Six Stories That Changed How I Read (and Write) Comics”

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.

Thursday – 21 July 2011
This NBN Technical Friday is a bright, sunny day with blue skies and no clouds.

Last night, SaraRules! and I went to a screening of Captain America: The First Avenger, thanks to Jeff and Jimmy at Big Movie Mouth-Off and about 20 of my friends, who helped me win tickets.

Where some directors might have a problem making a solid comic book adaptation or a period piece, Joe Johnston has successfully crafted a movie that works not only as a big-screen comic book movie AND a period piece, but also as a lighter World War II fare. The only thing that our screening didn’t have was the post-movie teaser clip for The Avengers. (Thank God for YouTube…)

Sidenote: I just noted that Mr. Johnston also directed a few other movies of which I am fond:

• October Sky,
• Hidalgo, and
• The Rocketeer (which I’ve only seen in bits and pieces, but is also a comic book adaptation and period piece)

I also find it somewhat amusing that it’s been 20 years between his forays into comics-related fare.

Chris Evans did a fine job as Steve Rogers, a young man looking for a chance to serve his country, but unable to do so because of his frail constitution. When given a chance to join the military, he finds that it’s not the role he wanted or expected… but that doesn’t stop him. Nor does it keep him from becoming the soldier — not just “super-soldier” — that he hoped to be.  Stanley Tucci‘s turn as Dr. Erskine – who developed the super-soldier formula – was also quite good. He came across as a man who, like Steve Rogers, understood the difference between doing something because you can and doing something because it’s right. Hayley Atwell was a good choice for Agent Peggy Carter, the romantic interest. Most importantly, she wasn’t relegated to a “damsel in distress” role; Agent Carter was as much in the thick of things as any of her male counterparts. In a bit of a surprise to me, Tommy Lee Jones‘ Colonel Phillips was in more of the film than I expected. And I enjoyed every bit of screen time that he had. And Hugo Weaving was an excellent choice as Johann Schmidt/The Red Skull. He made a believable adversary, mixing the right amounts of ego and megalomania.

This is a fun bit of summer cinema, with a little something for everyone. The movie apparently earned its PG-13 rating for one scene —  an action/violence issue, rather than a language or nudity issue. With this movie, Marvel Entertainment – and Disney, by extension – has hit the proverbial trifecta, with respect to comic book movies this summer, in the releases of Thor, X-Men: First Class and Captain America.

(Yeah, I could have used LEGO bricks for this, but… I liked this better.)

See Also: Captain America’s cinematic comeback, from USA Today and Comics, Everybody: The History of Captain America Explained, from Comics Alliance.

Groove. Boogie. Sway.
Today’s musical oleo has included:

• US3 – Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)
• Annie Lennox- Walking on Broken Glass
• Santana (ft. Rob Thomas) – Smooth
• Led Zeppelin – Heartbreaker
• LL Cool J – Mama Said Knock You Out

Stray Toasters

• Marvel Entertainment and the LEGO Group announce strategic relationship in construction toy category
• Tax Bill Imperils Slavery Museum
• Apple does away with the MacBook
• Apple Tops Nokia to Become Worlds’ Top Smartphone Vendor
• 
• Space shuttle Atlantis lands, ending NASA’s shuttle program
• Last Space Shuttle Lands, Ending 30 Year Era
• Spaceflight Is Getting Cheaper. But It’s Still Not Cheap Enough.
• To Nullify Lead, Add a Bunch of Fish Bones
• MarknTyme sent me a link to a trailer for the upcoming Conan the Barbarian. I’ve been somewhat ambivalent about the movie, but the trailer has piqued my curiosity…

• Computer theft impacts 400K South Carolina patients
• Social Media History Becomes a New Job Hurdle

Namaste.

Tuesday – 12 July 2011
Yesterday was the world’s longest Monday ever. Okay, that might be a slight exaggeration, but it was long. I think that was mostly due partially to the fact that I split my day to go to a doctor’s appointment with SaraRules! (She and both kids are doing well, by the way.) While I was out, I made a few stops:

• The Train Shoppe (What?!  I was downtown already.  Don’t judge me!)
• 7-Eleven, to partake in 7-11 Free Slurpee Day, and
• RubySnap, to pick up a few cookies.  Tami, RubySnap’s owner and Director of Appetites, also introduced me to Nina, their Coffee Toffee cookie, topped with chocolate and a brazil nut:

  

I also made a quick stop at home before making it back to the office, where the clock taunted me for the next… six… hours…

After work, SaraRules! and I went to dinner at Pawit’s Royale Thai Cuisine. We ran a couple of errands – including failed stops at local 7-Elevens to partake of more free Slurpee goodness – before heading home for a lazy night watching Top Gear.

Before bed, I decided to do some sit-ups. My abs still hurt from Friday’s workout. Feh.

Today is also the birthday of my friends: Jake, Natalie and Paul:

This morning’s iTunes musical oleo included:

• Barenaked Ladies – Brian Wilson
• Orgy – Opticon
• Parliament – Testify
• Jonathan Coulton – Shop Vac

I consider that another good musical start to the day.

Stray Toasters

• Space station crew prepares for spacewalk
• Why you want to go to college: In 140 characters or less
• Example of Augmented Reality in Mobile Apps, courtesy of the folks at Sawaya Consulting
• Thanks to for pointing this out: Holy Batman and His Bloody Amazing 9,000-Brick LEGO Batcave!
• 
• Immigrants May Be Fed False Stories to Bolster Asylum Please
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Feds: Man created ‘nonexistent airline’ as front for prostitution
• …And She’s Funny, Too: A GQ&A with Mila Kunis
• By way of comes How to Migrate from Facebook to Google+
• 
• Traveler flies high with 10 million miles
• Free Slurpees come with a twist: They may cost you
• Morgan Stanley client data goes missing

Namaste.

Thursday – 30 June 2011
This NBN Thursday comes to us with some high clouds over the mountains. But, it’s still a Thursday… which means only one more day in the work week. And, then my schedule does something lovely:

• Three-day weekend, followed by…
• Three-day work week, followed by…
• Another three-day weekend.

That comes under the heading of:

Last night was D&D 4.0 night with m3lodywise and company. It was also the last encounter of our current campaign, which – in video game terms – meant: End Boss Fight! We fought a mage and some of his minions. Things didn’t start out auspiciously for us. We didn’t take it as an ill omen, fortunately. A couple of rounds later, things started to turn our way.

And that’s when the lich showed up.

Bugger.

So, we changed tactics: Melee fighters went to tackle the mage and his cohorts, while the ranged attackers and our handy-dandy NPCs took on the lich. A couple of NPCs took one for the team, while fighting the lich. (The greater good…) We managed to take down the mage and the lich, as well as destroy the lich’ phylactery (think: “horcrux”).

Good guys: Eleventy billion
Bad guys: Two.

The game ran a little later than planned, but it was fun. And, all the players’ characters lived. Both of those – separately or together – are good things.

Stray Toasters

• Citing failed studies, FDA rejects breast cancer drug
• Milwaukee schools to lay off 354 teachers
• Wyoming’s Government Switches to Google Apps
• This LEGO Robot Makes Programmable Pancakes
• 
• Smartphones safer than desktops, but not without risks
• Wallace Schools “Mister Terrific”
• Od tireh od tireh.
  Kama tov yiheyeh.
  Bashana bashana haba’ah
  (Thanks for getting that song stuck in my head, Mom…)
• 
• Fed Halves Debit Card Bank Fees
• At 75, ‘Gone With the Wind’ Marks Yet ‘Another Day’

And that’s that.

Namaste.

Tuesday – 07 June 2011
It’s my mother’s birthday!

It’s also Prince’s birthday. Under normal circumstances, I’d post a link to a video by Prince here, but he’s pretty tight about rights management – as is his prerogative – so, you’ll just have to hum something to yourself.

On a less-light note, I’m in the south office today. I can’t really complain, though; it’s a nice change of pace.

Last night, I attended the Justice League Junior League Annual Dinner with SaraRules! As an added bonus, I got to be the proxy date for three other ladies. (Yeah, I know… rough life.) We sat at a table with two other members and one provisional. And a lovely time was had by all.

I was struck, once again, by the fact that of ALL the ladies there, I only saw three (3) other men… and one (pre-)teenager. It seemed odd to me that wives/families are almost expected to attend festivities related to their husbands’ jobs or activities, but when it’s time to support the wives’ activitites…? You can watch the vapor trails form as the men fly out of sight.

Personally, I’m happy to support and attend SaraRules!’ events:

• Opera? Check.
• Symphony? Check.
• Junior League dinners and events?  Check.

Why? Because they’re important to her (and in the case of the symphony and opera, job-related). And, as she’s important to me, so are the things she’s interested in. Besides, I get to go to great symphonic concerts and opera and I get to meet interesting people… and, in the case of last night, I get to dress up and escort a number of lovely ladies to an event. How can that be a bad thing?!

Stray Toasters

• One of my three-year-old niece’s favorite songs – if not her favorite – is Folsom Prison Blues, which she is fond of singing. Loudly and enthusiastically… much to the consternation of my sister.
• Parents, not government, should decide on circumcision
• By way of :

  

• Brilliant Idea for a Wall: LEGO It, courtesy of
  This not only goes down as a great idea, but now I have to find a way to convince SaraRules! that we should keep this in mind for the nursery or, at least, the kids’ playroom in a few years.
• Gmail users targeted by Adobe Flash exploit
  • Google breaks up Gmail spying campaign
• 
• Heroes*
• Batman Relaunch: New #1s for ‘Batgirl,’ ‘Batman,’ ‘Detective,’ ‘Catwoman,’ ‘Birds of Prey’
  • Oracle Is Stronger than Batgirl Will Ever Be
  • Batgirl Triumphant: The Price of DC Comics’ Disabled Heroine
• I need to pick up Green Lantern: Emerald Knights today…

  

• The Truth About Paul Revere’s Ride
• I may actually have a newfound respect for one of my coworkers.
• In State Parks, the Sharpest Ax Is the Budget’s
• BCS strips Southern California of 2004 national championship

And now… lunch!

Namaste.