Random Access

Sunday – 19 December 2010
It’s a chilly, rainy/snowy day here in the valley.

On the “plus” side, today is my uncle’s birthday:

Yesterday, SaraRules!, and I did our best Smokey and the Bandit impression and headed to Cedar City to retrieve the last of SaraRules!’ things from storage. We were up at 0630 and on the road a little after 0700. The trip down was a little slow, thanks to new snowfall and poorly-plowed roads in Utah County. After that, it was pretty smooth sailing. After picking up the trailer, we headed to the storage unit, where Josh (SaraRules!’ former MFA classmate) met us and helped us load up. We stopped for a bite to eat that The Pizza Factory and then got back on the road. The whole process took a hair under 12 hours, from the time we left to the time we got home after returning the trailer. It was a good, productive and tiring day.

I’d also like to take a moment to thank for volunteering his time – and his Jeep – to help us get the things from southern Utah:

Today, we’re doing a little shopping and then heading over to Sanaz and Logan’s for dinner… and gingerbread tree making/decorating. Tonight, as there will be no new episodes of The Walking Dead (for ten months!), we’re most likely going to watch The Godfather.

Stray Toasters

• I neglected to mention this a few days ago: I’m an uncle again!
  My brother and sister-in-law had a little girl, whom they named “Corrine,” on Thursday.

• Jazz Composers Orchestra: Teaching the Symphony to Swing
• For the first time in… weeks, I think… I have an organized HeroClix collection.  Hallelujah!
• Guess who’s back!
  I actually have an original C64 in the storage room… this almost makes me want to break it out, boot it up and play a little Impossible Mission.
• A couple of days ago SaraRules told me that my father-in-law made a “trailer” of this year’s family vacation.  This morning, she showed me the video.
• Drug helps clear lung mucus in cystic fibrosis patients
• I just watched this video, Changing Education Paradigms, which was informative, interesting… and rather entertaining, as well:

• Thief’s Facebook Photo Robs Sense of Online Security
• Magnetic Yellow Card – cyclist intervention

And with that, it’s time to get ready to face to the day.

Namaste.

Sunday – 12 December 2010
So far, it’s been a good day.  Of course, I just woke up… so, there hasn’t been a lot going on. But, as the commercial says: “The best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup waking up,” so I seem to be batting 1.000 so far.

Yesterday was a shopping day. We got a fair portion of Christmas shopping done for members of the family. We also went to Abravanel Hall to see Holiday Celibration with Jerry .

The concert featured Angela Theis and Kate Tombaugh (the two of the Resident Artists from Utah Opera), Karen Brookens (Weber State University Asst. Professor of Music), Brent Reilly Turner (also from Utah Opera), the West Jordan High School Concert Choir and their choral director, Kelly DeHaan. It was a fun concert, with a nice mix of sacred and secular music; among the notable selections:

• Angela, Kate and Karen performed a lovely three-part lead to O Come, All Ye Faithful, backed by the choir;
• The ladies also sang Handel’s Come Unto Him, from Messiah and a swing version of Up on the Housetop, in the manner of the Andrews Sisters;
• Brent performed a sung/spoken rendition of The Polar Express, backed by the choir; and
• The soloists performed The Twelve Days After Christmas, which was… different and amusing.

It was a nice way to spend the evening.

Stray Toasters

• Thanks to , angstd and MarknTyme for making sure that I saw the LEGO Antikythera.
• I think I’m in a mood for some Bobby Darin…
• Hilary Clinton: Empower Girls and Women
• Scandal and a Schism Rattle Atlanta’s Schools
• Bobby Darin – Artificial Flowers
• Technology Outpaces Privacy (Yet Again)
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Killer Groupie Samantha Spiegel
• Just Breathe: Body Has a Built-in Stress Reliever
• Kids’ book/science fiction mash-ups
• Bobby Darin – Beyond the Sea
• After watching a few of bravosixxx’ videos, I’m trying to find a way to change up my rail yard. Unfortunately, it appears as though I would need to extend the length of that side of the layout by a couple of feet.
• Buried in Peru’s Desert, Fossils Draw Smugglers
  (I’m looking at you, Dr. Jones. The Hovitos are still a little ticked about that whole golden idol incident.)
• Heavy snow causes Metrodome roof to collapse in Minnesota
• Bobby Darin – Mack the Knife

just suggested making a trek to The Garden of Sweden. And with that, it’s time to start getting ready to face day.

Namaste.

Thursday – 02 December 2010
Three down.
One in the chamber.
One to go.

And that’s how another No Bad News Thursday kicks off.

Last night was D&D Encounters night with Melody, Jack, and company. We were a couple of party members short, so it was a bit of a grind. Seriously. Melody didn’t pull any punches and I think that the characters in the encounter all had brushes with near-death. But, it was still fun.

After I got home, SaraRules! and I watched Sunshine Cleaning. I’d heard about it last year and it has blipped on and off my radar since then. It was a good movie. No big special effects. A simple story. Good acting. All-in-all, a very solid presentation. The movie stars Amy Adams as Rose, a single mother trying to make ends meet. When her situation goes from “bearable, but not great” to “something’s got to give,” Rose decides to change her career path in a somewhat unexpected manner: She opens a crime scene clean-up company. It would be far from the truth to say “Hilarity ensues.” It would be more apt to say “Life goes on… for some.” SaraRules! and I agreed that this was a refreshing change of pace from the quick cut scene, always moving at fast forward, mega-blockbuster movies that are so prevalent today.

Stray Toasters

• It’s no secret that I’m a fan of Jonathan Coulton’s music. As a home owner, I’ve found new affinity and appreciation for his song, Shop Vac. Apparently, Jarrett Heather is a fan of the song, too… as evidenced by the following kinetic type video:
• Squiggly, Tangly and Angular
• A Mission to Transform Baltimore’s Beaten Schools
• You Only Dream of Driving Like This
• For some reason, this reminds me of the fight scene between Sistah Girl and White She-Devil in Undercover Brother:
  
• The Sweet Beet: 14 Food Shockers
• kidscomics.com – for the young reader in your family or circle of friends
• Amanda Vissell’s Posters for Girls
• F.T.C. Backs Plan to Honor Privacy of Online Users
• LEGO Death Star Christmas tree ornament
• 
• Retro Movie Posters Reimagined, courtesy of
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Man Killed Girlfriend Because She Answered Her Phone During Sex
• sfds

Monday – 29 November 2010
It’s Monday.

For some reason, it’s hard to work up excitement about being back at work after five days off. Go figure. Fortunately, there’s only three (maybe only two-and-a-half) weeks of work before I go on vacation for Christmas.

Yesterday was snowy. Big surprise. On the “plus” side, Chris came over and hung out for a bit. As he hadn’t seen it, I showed him the Young Justice premiere. He liked it. (I was fairly sure that he would.) After that, we played HALO: Reach and then watched the second half of the Dolphins-Raiders game. Later in the evening, we headed over to SaraRules!’ parents’ place for dinner and football. We left at halftime, at Mother Nature’s insistence. Back at home, we shoveled more snow. Yay. We wound up the evening with the new episode of The Walking Dead.

Instant Replay: Football

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Baltimore Ravens
10 – 17
The Ravens hosted the Bucs… and came away with a win.Sorry, Minion #2.

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Miami Dolphins at Oakland Raiders
33 – 17
The Dolphins headed west to take on the Raiders in Oakland. I missed the first half of the game, but it looked as though the Raiders decided to sleep through the second half. Sorry, SaraRules! and 1silver_seraph.

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Cincinnati Bengals at New York Jets
10 – 26
The Bengals dropped this one to the Jets. Sorry, carefreespirit and janietrain.

Stray Toasters

• My friend, MarknTyme, is the band director for a Rockingham County High School in NC.  The band had a write-up in the local paper: RCHS marching band eager to prove itself
• A business that recently moved in below us is having a sign mounted on the building… outside my window. The installation is “intermittently noisy.”
• Leslie Nielsen and Irvin Kershner passed away this weekend.
• These look like something that could use…
• 
• Tron‘s Jeff Bridges Ponders Retirement Thanks to Facial-Mapping Technology
• Beer With Kick Is Caught in F.D.A.’s Net
• Shape-shifting robot can grip differently-shaped items
• School retracts ban on pencils

It would be a nice change of pace to have temperatures above freezing.

Namaste.

Thursday – 11 November 2010
Today is Veteran’s Day:

It is also my NBN Technical Friday.

Last night, was D&D Encounters night with Melody, Jack and company. My character nearly had his butt handed to him at the beginning of the encounter. Not good. Fortunately, my companions kept me from dying and we went on to beat the holy living shit out of our enemies. Amen.

After that, I headed over to Chris and Mary’s to help Chris install a new hard drive in his PS3. Might I just add the following note to Sony: If you’re going to make it so ludicrously easy to change the hard drive in the game unit, you might think about making a few things in your backup and restore instructions a tad more clear and/or intuitive. Thank you. After about an hour – including some time to surf a few web forums – we figured out what the problem was.

Instant Replay: Football

Baltimore Ravens at Atlanta Falcons
8:20 PM (EDT)
The Ravens and the Falcons meet up in the season’s first Thursday night football game. Both teams are coming off very short weeks – they both played on Sunday – so it will be interesting to see how well they play with so little time between games. Atlanta has eight (8) players on their injury list, to Baltimore’s one: S Tom Zbikowski.

Stray Toasters

• It’s another suit day. I changed it up a bit though: Olive suit, with a khaki knit mock turtleneck. Boo-yah!
  • Speaking of suits: Jos. A. Bank is having a sale on suits – today only.  Guess who’s going suit shopping after work…
• For SaraRules! and : 2010 Zombie Safehouse Competition
• Karmaloop
• Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)

• There is no Dana. Only Zuul…
• ‘Frank’: The Man, The Voice, The Mafia Ties

• Mustang’s 2 keys change pony car’s performance settings
• WGBH American Experience: 2011 Student Freedom Ride
• Sparkles: The Soldering My Little Pony Unicorn
• Every once in a while, something pops up in my iTunes mix that makes me laugh.  This morning, it was the theme from Freakzoid!:

• Targeted, smarter attacks dominate 2010 threat landscape
• The Abandoned City Hall Subway Stop Now Visible to Tourists
• Drug Suits Raise Questions for Doctors, and Juries

It’s the suburb of the week…
Arlington

Namaste.

Friday – 05 November 2010
Today is the beginning of Diwali.

It is also Guy Fawkes Day.

It’s also my 9/80 “on” Friday.

Last night, SaraRules! and I attended the Ballet West performance of:

The performances were good. I was unfamiliar with The Four Temperaments (as a dance piece); it was interesting and a little odd. I was familiar with the music from Carmina Burana, but the performance was less of an interpretation of the the story and more of an expressionist piece of modern dance.

Stray Toasters

• Graphitti Designs is (FINALLY!) coming out with a new Legion t-shirt in January!  Covet!
• Secret Ohio Warplane Graveyard Unearthed
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: 10 Toys That Will Permanently Screw Up Your Kids
• How Fanboys, Fandroids and Crackberry Junkies See Each Other
• E.U. Says It Will Overhaul Privacy Regulations
• Comics Career Guide: What to Expect from a Career in the Arts
• 
• Cooking for Geeks
• Microsoft has a hit with Kinect Xbox 360 game controller
  • Of course… Kinect has problems following dark-skinned users
• Learning in Dorm, Because Class Is on the Web
• Qantas CEO: ‘Faulty design’ may be behind jet engine blowout

Our outgoing President/CEO bought a foosball table for the office as a parting gift. I just played foosball for the first time in… in… well, let’s just say “a very long time.” I must admit: It was fun.

Namaste.

Friday – 08 October 2010
It’s almost the weekend.
It is my 9/80 “on” Friday… and there’s some work that needs to get done before it’s Miller time.

Speaking of work: I’ve been part of a project that has been in various stages of development and progress for a year or so. A couple of months ago, a large part of it wound up falling into my lap. To be honest, a good portion of what needed to be done fell “a little” outside of my personal experience/knowledge base. But it was mine, so there no use crying over “But, I can’t…” or “I don’t…”  (Not that there haven’t been times that I’ve wanted to say those things and walk away.)

On more than one occasion, I’ve been reminded of a song, Discipline, by Bobby McFerrin:

for those who have been trained by it,
no discipline seems pleasant at the time but painful.

The lyrics are actually taken from Hebrews 12: 11 (NIV):

No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Very apt.
More to the point, I haven’t walked (or run) away from the project.
And, despite the learning curve – and some frustration/irritation from learning a good number of things on the fly – it’s been a great learning opportunity.

Stray Toasters

• LEGO Universe is live, as of this morning.
  Of course, I won’t get to play it until this evening or later tonight. *shakes fist*
• Flawed Foreclosure Documents Thwart Home Sales
• Tom Bancroft’s DCU Elementary
• 
• Rediscovering an Earthy Master
• Pirate Johnny Depp makes surprise school visit
• For : Batman: The Killing Joke Relived Via LEGO
• Spammers Using Soft Hyphen to Hide Malicious URLs
• There is a new anime-styled ‘Iron Man’ animated series coming to G4 this Spring. Not too surprisingly, someone’s found the opening title sequence and posted it on YouTube:
• Fringe Star Anna Torv Explores a New Reality
• If the future’s looking dark
  We’re the ones who have to shine
  If there’s no one in control
  We’re the ones who draw the line
  Though we live in trying times
  We’re the ones who have to try
  Though we know that time has wings
  We’re the ones who have to fly…
• Duke Winces as a Private Joke Slips Out of Control
• The Art of Steve Thomas
• From the “Everything’s Heavy Underground” files:
  • Underground: graphic novel thriller set in a cave
  • Luxury underground community: bomb-shelter meets gate-guarded community
• Ancient Roman helmet sells for ten times estimated amount
• Newspaper Publishers Still Hope Tablets Will Save Them

Back to the grind…

Namaste.

Thursday – 30 September 2010
Today’s NBN Thursday is brought to you by the letters “C” and “F” and the number “2.”

I got to work this morning…

…checked my email…
…fixed a bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats…

…and completely forgot that we were having a visit from our KVM over IP and power distribution reps.

The visit went well. We addressed a few issues and discovered that they might be able to help us (to a minor degree) with another problem that we’ve been having. Win-Win.

Last night, SaraRules and I watched a documentary called Babies. From the IMDB synopsis:

A look at one year in the life of four babies from around the world, from Mongolia to Namibia to San Francisco to Tokyo.

In it, director Thomas Balmes followed four babies, from just before they were born through their first steps. Unlike most documentaries, there was was no voiceover or commentary on what viewers see. You just saw the babies and their parents – and in a couple of cases, their families – in their day-to-day lives. It was an interesting look at the development  of the children – in similar and dissimilar ways – living in different cultures and under different mores.

It was good, but I’m not sure how to rate it, though.

Stray Toasters

• I think that I might start a new section of the blog and call it “The Legend of Chimpy.” In it, I will chronicle the… misadventures… of one of the monkeys at work. Today’s item:
  

  Yesterday afternoon, I received a call from corporate IT about a ticket that someone had opened. I went to look at it this morning… and also found a ticket from Chimpy.

  As of August, our office is part of the corporate network. This means that we can log directly into the network and access pretty much any information that exists on the corporate servers. Prior to August, we had to log in via a VPN. When the network changes were made, we sent out all manner of announcements noting the change in access.

  Taking a deep breath, I looked at Chimpy’s ticket.

  The issue: He was attempting to watch a training video, but was not getting anything on-screen. Then, I read the details of the issue. I had to refrain from running to his desk to pimp slap him on the spot.

  Why?  He was attempting to watch the video… over the VPN… while connected to the corporate network.

  *braincramp*

• In case you missed it, SaraRules posted an entry here last night.
• Hollywood Legend Tony Curtis Dies at 85
• Is the U.S. the weakest link when it comes to credit card security?
• 
• In Louisville, a new turn in school integration
• Will a new exhibit help the French finally embrace Monet?
• Cosmo Campaign Puts Viewers in the Photo Shoot
• Graphic biography of Anne Frank goes beyond her diary
• U.K. police arrest 19 in major Zeus bust

Namaste.

Tuesday – 28 September 2010
Work Week Day 2.

Here’s a little something to get your morning moving:

Tom Brown: Funkin’ for Jamaica

Moby (ft. Gwen Stefani): Southside

Instant Replay: Football
Last night, I had a few of the guys over to watch Monday Night Football…

Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears
17 – 24
The Green Bay Packers traveled to Chicago to take on the Bears at Soldier Field.It was a sloppy game for the Packers. Early on, it looked like they came to play, but their zeal seemed to wane a bit as the game went on.  On the other hand, Chicago looked kind of lax early on, but dialed up the effort in the second half… just enough to come away with a late game-winning field goal.

Stray Toasters

• SaraRules shared this video yesterday:

  I found this picture this morning:

  

• 4,100 Students Prove ‘Small Is Better’ Rule Wrong
• How to Survive When Your Elevator Plunges
• By way of the Council for Better Driving: Texting ban may add risk to roads
• Still Few Women in Management, Report Says
• 
• Philharmonic President to Depart, as Music World Changes
• By way of : Atheists, agnostics most knowledgeable about religion, survey says
• Skyy pushes the envelope with sexy ad campaign
• Former Marvel E-i-C Bob Harras Named DC Editor-in-Chief
• Websites suffer from 13 security flaws on average
• Ben & Jerry’s Take ‘All-Natural’ Claims Off Ice Cream Labels
• It would seem as though Raytheon isn’t the only one with a “death ray” these days: Vegas’ Vdara focuses sunshine into hair-singeing death ray

Namaste.

Friday – 24 September 2010
It’s almost the weekend.

Last night, DM’ed a Forgotten Realms game at Hastur Hobbies.

I didn’t go.  Instead, SaraRules and I cut down a couple of trees in the front yard and then ferried the remains to neighborhood clean-up dumpsters.  Mmm, chainsaw… There are still a couple of 3-to-4-foot tall stumps to be dealt with, but the major damage has been done.  Who knows…? Our house might actually have some decent curb appeal when we’re done.

After that – and a bit to eat – it was time for the season premiere of Fringe. I daresay that this is going to be an interesting season. Next, SaraRules watched the latest episode of Project: Runway, while I finished reading the last of Wednesday’s comic haul.

Human of the Day
I know that I often tout SaraRules as being the coolest/greatest/most awesome wife. Ever. Well, quite frankly: She is. On top of everything else she does to prove it, today she (once again) brought something to me, at work, that I was too addle-brained to remember to bring with me. And, I have to admit that getting to see her once more in the morning isn’t a bad thing, either.

Stray Toasters

• World Wide Day of Play – Saturday, 25 September 2010
• Report: Poor science education impairs U.S. economy
• Muslims Report Rising Discrimination at Work
• ’50s pop singer Eddie Fisher dies at age 82
• Recently released teaser trailer for the upcoming All-Star Superman:

• Cyberwar Chief Calls for Secure Computer Network
• All Songs Considered: Fall Music Preview
• The Transportation Department Gets Tough
• 
• I’m more of an action figure collector than a statue collector, but I am considering adding this statue to The Covet List.
• A Wave of Addiction and Crime, with the Medicine Cabinet to Blame
• I love it when you call a vendor, tell them “I’m having a problem with (fill in the item)” and they say “Let me see who we have that’s available to come look at it and I’ll call you right back…”

  …and “right back” expands to nearly an hour.  *sigh* It’s not like I have anything else that I need to get done today.  No, I’d much rather sit here and babysit the phone. Idiotsticks.

Namaste.

Monday – 20 September 2010
It’s definitely a “Monday” morning.
Following some changes to the office network on Friday, things are… a little wonky… this morning. Yay.

Today’s Musical Interlude: Living Colour – Cult of Personality:

Yesterday, SaraRules and I went to the Utah State Fair for a bit. It was a nice change of pace. A bit of oddness: As we walked past one of the bandstands, I noted that the band was playing – of all things possible – the theme from WKRP in Cincinnati. Odd. On the plus side, I picked up a package of cinnamon almonds.

Later in the evening, Logan and Swiz came over for dinner.  SaraRules fixed a chicken dish, with sides of rice pilaf and zucchini and carrots strips. Then we watched the Manning Bowl Sunday Night Football. SaraRules and I wrapped up the evening with an episode of Mad Men.

Instant Replay: Football

Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals
10 – 15
The Ravens traveled to Cincy to take on Batman, Robin and the rest of Marvin Lewis’ Bengals… ..and came away with a loss. Just like last season. Of course, having QB Joe Flacco throw four (4) interceptions didn’t help things, either. This game wasn’t televised here, and I think I’m kind of glad for that. Congrats, janietrain and carefreespirit.

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St. Louis Rams at Oakland Raiders
14 – 16
The Raiders took down the Rams Congrats, SaraRules and .

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Miami Dolphins at Minnesota Vikings
14 – 10
The ‘Fins took on the Vikings and came away with a win.

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Arizona Cardinals at Atlanta Falcons
7 – 41
In this battle of the birds, the Falcons came away with a BIG win. Sorry, Marr.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Carolina Panthers
20 – 7
The Bucs skinned the Cats.  ‘Nuff said.

Stray Toasters

• I don’t know what to say, the monkeys won’t do!
• Today’s look: Black suit, pink shirt, pink/grey/black tie and pink pocket square.
• Quadruple Amputee Swims Across English Channel
• Performers Discover the Downside of Twitter
• Just How It Sounds: Reading ‘Playboy’ to the Blind
• 
• Fired teacher fights to clear name after ‘hit’ allegation
• By way of SaraRules and the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Ky. man claims caffeine insanity in wife’s death
• Laura Jernegan: Girl on a Whaleship
• This Too Shall Pass: Avoid Kidney Stones Through Diet

…right on to the friction of the day.

Namaste.

Friday – 03 September 2010
It’s my 9/80 “off” Friday.
I consider that a good way to kick off a long weekend.

Last night was rather quiet and low-key. The highlights included: Mowing the yard and watching more of Mad Men, season 2. I’ve been trying to follow a tip I saw on DIY Network (I really watch that channel FAR too much…) and have been cutting the grass in different directions each time I mow. The landscaping in the front yard makes it… difficult… but I persevere. The back yard isn’t nearly as annoying to mow, fortunately. And, I also got the mower back behind the gazebo — there was a LOT of ivy/ground cover growth — to see what I was dealing with back there.  Uneven ground. A couple of stumps. A raised planter box.   Yeah, it needs a little attention.  We’ll see what we can do about that.

Stray Toasters

• I just finished chatting with my mother… on Facebook. She seems to be enjoying retirement… for the most part.
• USUO 2010 Fourth Annual Web Sale
• Cinnamon Chip Bread for breakfast!  WIN!
• The crap we put up with getting on and off an airplane
• 
• Preschoolers being radio-tagged
• The Ravens played the Rams last night… and lost. I didn’t see the game, as it wasn’t televised, but ESPN’s Game Center told the tale of the tape.  And these reporters’ comments clarified any further questions. Oh, well… at least the regular season starts soon.
• 
• August jobs report: Signs of life for employment
• Homeroom Security: book about the insanity of zero-tolerance classroom policies
• From the “WAY Too Much Free Time” file comes: Keith Goldman builds Logan’s Run

Time to see what kind(s) of trouble I can get into today…

Namaste.

Wednesday – 01 September 2010
A new month begins.

Today is Comics (and maybe Sushi) Wednesday.

Today also marks the 36th anniversary of the The SR-71 Blackbird setting the record for flying from New York to London in the time of 1 hour, 54 minutes and 56.4 seconds… a record it still holds.

Last night, most of the Clitorati crew met at Desert Edge Brewery for dinner with , Michael and Hannah. It was a nice to see her – and meet Michael and Hannah – even if only for a couple hours. I had the Paella-style Chicken and Sausage Pasta, which was very good.

This morning finds me in the south office. I had a meeting with the landlord and the sbuilding manager about some changes that we’d like to make in our server room. I mentioned two ideas that we had considered; they countered with a variation on one of those plans… that might be somewhat less expensive than we had originally thought. We’ll see how their quote looks when it comes in.

Stray Toasters

• I broke out my grey glen-plaid suit this morning. White shirt. Blue/black/white tie. White pocket square. I’ve been getting the usual “Are you bucking for a raise/promotion” questions. I’ve been countering with “No, I have a meeting with my bishop.” The quizzical looks – since pretty much everyone down here knows that I’m not LDS – have been totally worth it.
• knew that I’ll probably never be a Browns or Indians fan… but I can give their home city a warm nod, if for no other reason than this: Cleveland, the True Birthplace of Superman
• Lovecraft is missing, and all R’lyeh breaks loose
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: NFL player Troy Polamalu gets $1m hair insurance
• Chewbacca, Han Solo and R2D2 drawn as if part of A.A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh
• In New York Ballet Companies, Corps Is a Thrill
• I like how this garage-to-office conversion turned out.
• 
• Wesley Snipes Was Almost Geordi LaForge
• After Years of War, Few Iraqis Have a Clear View of the Future
• The Wilderness Downtown – this comes by way of . It is a very cool blending of technologies. Put in the real address that it asks for – it’s totally worth it. And don’t close any of the windows that pop up!
• 8 Surprising Household Deodorizers
• Method to Grade Teachers Provokes Battles

Namaste.

Friday – 27 August 2010
It’s (almost) the weekend!  Amen.

To kick it off, here’s a little Tony Toni Tone:

That’s what I’m talkin’ about.

Last night was D&D Game Night. We had to reschedule it from Wednesday because of ‘s birthday. The encounter was good… and no one died. After the game, it was back home for a late dinner (Pad Thai leftovers) and an episode of Burn Notice.

Stray Toasters

• forwarded a link to this picture, which I thought was pretty awesome.
• forwarded a link to this picture, which was also rather awesome
• For SaraRules: Rube Goldberg: The Man Behind the Machines
• Thanks to for sending me the link to AnyRail.
• Scott Pilgrim vs. The Last Airbender
• The Art of Gene Gonzales
• Happy 15th Birthday to Windows 95, the Ugly Duckling that Conquered Your Desktop
• 
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Tiger cub found inside suitcase
• Bananas are radioactive—But they aren’t a good way to explain radiation exposure
• 5 Things to Always Keep in Your Car
• LA Prisons to Use Burning Heat Ray on Unruly Inmates
• SC high school freshmen take junior ROTC
• Nine lives, ten rockets… You do the math.

Namaste.

Wednesday – 25 August 2010
It’s midweek, which means it’s Comics (and maybe Sushi) Day!
The “and maybe” is because the usual suspects all seemed to have punked out today. Oh, well.

Today is also ‘s birthday:

Last night, SaraRules and I had a lazy night about the house. I worked on a HeroClix mod, while she read. After a bit, we gathered to finish up Season one of Mad Men. (Sidebar: I think I may have just had an item from Season 2 or 3 item spoiled for me. Bah!) I went back to working on my figure, but somehow wound up starting to organize the past… year-and-a-half’s comics, which had neither rhyme nor reason to how they were being stored.

NOTE: About two years ago, SaraRules spent nearly a full week organizing my comics. There were something like 2,500 when she did. And that number doesn’t include the nearly… 3,500+… others still on the east coast. (Although, I think that some of those are in some semblance of “order.”) She did a bang-up job, too.

The problem with starting to organize the comics last night was: I started close to midnight and got sidetracked by reading a few. D’oh! And, after calling it quits for the night, I went back to working on my mod. Yeah, it made for a late night/early morning.

Stray Toasters

• I have just run out of my Honey Nut Cheerios stash at work. This must be rectified. But, I was at least able to get a full bowl of cereal before it ran out.
• Vienna Philharmonic’s Summer Night Concert 2010 is being broadcast tonight on PBS. (Check local listings for time)
• After Mozart’s Death, an Endless Coda
• I have found an event I can totally get behind: Saturday is Read Comics in Public Day.



• Here’s another event… but neither I nor my Green Lantern costume will be in L.A. on Friday.
• What your email address says about your computer skills
• The Term Life Insurance Blog has a number of informative – and highly amusing – infographics.
• Exhibit brings Hendrix, Handel together in London
• 
• Eastern States Dominate in Winning School Grants
• The Legacy of Hurricane Katrina
• Digital Devices Deprive Brain of Needed Downtime

Namaste.