Random Access

Saturday – 07 May 2011
It’s the weekend. Amen.

Last night, SaraRules! and I – along with a few friends and family – went to see Thor. Kenneth Branagh did a great job of tackling 40+ years of comics history, adapting it and making it accessible to fans and non-fans alike. Chris Hemsworth was good in the title role, and Natalie Portman was a fun Jane Foster — who made the transition from nurse (in the 60s comics) to scientist. Clark Gregg also had a nice turn, reprising his role as S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Colson. I managed to catch all five of the Easter Eggs, as noted in this MTV article… and saw – and completely glossed over – this one, until a friend noted it after the movie. It was a fun movie and a good start to the summer movie season.

This morning, I was up early-ish, to take SaraRules! to the airport. She’s got a conference on Beantown next week, meaning that I’m a bachelor for the next four-and-a-half days. After that, I met Nyx and Jeff at the Wasatch Community Gardens Plant Sale — SaraRules! wanted some plants, but that whole “leaving on a jet plane” thing kind of precluded her from going. I picked up the plants, brought them home and got them in the ground.

I’m trying to figure out the day’s next evil plot. I need to run up to Dr. Volt’s for Free Comic Book Day. Then probably lunch… or a trip to a train shop… or both. Then, it’s back to Dr. Volt’s this evening to run a tournament. No rest for the wicked, I guess.

Stray Toasters

• Today is also National Train Day.
  
• Yesterday came with two bits of news for HeroClix fans:
  • WizKids previewed two figuresfrom their upcoming Green Lantern movie tie-in set.
  • HeroClix World sneaked a look at this Autumn’s Superman set… including new Legion of Super-Heroes figures!
• From the “Sometimes, people suck…” file: Muslim group: Two imams pulled from plane bound for North Carolina

Yeah, I’m sure there’s more that I could add, but I’m going to go play in the sunshine!

Namaste.

Thursday – 05 May 2011
It’s not only a NBN Thursday, but it’s also Cinco de Mayo.

…and the “obscure Mexican battle” was the Battle of Puebla.

Last night saw something of an exercise in futility in trying to accomplish the very simple goal of finding something to eat. SaraRules! was going out for dinner with a couple of friends from the Justice League Junior League, so I was on my own for dinner. Ordinarily, this would have meant grabbing a burger before heading to play D&D… but was still under the weather, so our game was cancelled. Thus, my options for dinner opened up a bit…

…and thus began my dilemma.

I finally figured out – about 8:00 PM – that I wanted Greek food for dinner. This would be easy to fulfill as City Creek Grill was close by!

Or so I thought.

They closed at 8:00. *sigh*

Okay. Fine. No problem. Dask’s wasn’t too far away. So, off I went…

…only to find that they had closed at 8:00, as well.

*grblsnrkx*

Leaving Dask’s, I tried to figure out what I had a taste for.

• Burgers? No.
• Rumbi Grill? No, I’d had that for dinner Tuesday night.
• Outback…? Maybe, but I would have preferred having a dining companion.

I wound up going to Barbacoa. I had a steak burrito. It was a good call. I got back home and started to catch up on Fringe, when SaraRules! got back home. All-in-all, it was a good evening.

Chew on This: Food for Thought
Jill Pantozzi, self-professed Geek Girl and blogger, wrote a good article about what it means to be a woman and to be a geek: I’m a Geek, Girl (& You Can Too!) In her article, she also extends her to comments to talk about peoples’ senses of identity, in general:

“…people, female or male, should be free to identify themselves however they like without being persecuted or looked down upon. Someone being proud of who they are or what they enjoy should be applauded.”

It’s a good read and one that I recommend to all.

Stray Toasters

• Mr. Lucas, the 4th is not to be trifled with
• Superman Actor Jackie Cooper Passes Away at Age 88
  • Jackie Cooper Dies at 88
• Mind-Controlled Artificial Arm Begins First Human Testing
• 
• Amazon cloud failure highlights customer responsibility
• The Limits of Nostalgia
• A Diamond in the Roughage
• With the movie opening tomorrow, I thought that this might be a (semi-)helpful primer on the God of Thunder: Comics, Everybody: The History of Thor Explained

  

• Last known World War I combatant dies at 110
• Sony breach prompts House data theft hearing
• Department of Justice asks NCAA why it does not have football playoff
• Intel Increases Transistor Speed by Building Upward

And that’s a wrap.

Namaste.

Wednesday – 04 May 2011
It’s the middle of the week.
It’s also new comics day.
It’s also game night.

Today is also Star Wars Day.

I also found this picture…

…but it’s this one that actually echoed exactly what was going on in my head:

Last night was D&D night with and company. We…

1. Got into a fight.
2. Ran into a situation that we weren’t expecting (read: “A priest trying to bind a goddess to our plane”).
3. Played the D&D equivalent of Ghostbusters.
4. Survived the adventure.
5. All of the above.

Yeah, we were about as surprised as anyone. But, we lived to adventure on another day. And that was a good thing.

Stray Toasters

• Freedom Rides Turn 50
• I found the following on Facebook; I like the assertions that it presents: While You Are Entitled to Your Own Opinion, You Are Not Entitled to Your Own Facts
• Robots Now Catch Balls; World Domination Imminent
• Minnesota politician blasts Neil Gaiman as “pencil-necked little weasel”
• Thanks to MarknTyme for pointing me in the direction of the newest Green Lantern trailer:

• Happiness != Discovering that you have to completely redo a spreadsheet that you worked on two days ago because it did not save.
• Zoot Shooters Bring Gangster Style to the Gun Range
• From the “Add to The Covet List” file: “Young Justice” Arrives on DVD in July
• 
• Sony to restore PSN services, compensate customers

Yeah.  I think that’s good.

Namaste.

Tuesday – 03 May 2011
After the spectacular day we had yesterday, Tuesday greets us with dull, grey clouds. The forecast says nothing about rain, but we’ll have to see what Mother Nature has planned.

Perhaps I typed too soon. Looking across the valley, I see sunlight on the tops of the Oquirrh Mountains.

Last night, SaraRules! fixed a magnificent pan-fried steak – along with a broccoli/potato/cheese dish and salad – for dinner. After dinner, we decided to do some walking. We took a stroll through the local Babies ‘R’ Us. I hadn’t been to a BRU in years; and the last time was to pick up a gift for friends who either were having or just had a new kid. The experience is “a little” different when you’re shopping for own household. It’s literally amazing how many things there are for your baby (to toddler) there.

Back at home, I surfed the Interwebs for a bit. I stopped for a while when I hit Marvel.com’s coverage of the U.S. premiere of Thor, hosted by Isaiah Mustafa. It. Was. HILARIOUS. It was him and a cameraman interviewing the cast and Kenneth Branagh as they walked down the red carpet. While I’ve seen the What The–?! with Mr. Mustafa as Luke Cage…

…I didn’t know just how much of a comic book fan he was. (Apparently, he’s quite the fan.) It was fun to watch/listen to him geek out on different comics-related items between – and during – the interviews. It’s two hours long, but it’s worth it for his interview with Jaimie Alexander (Sif) alone. (That’s roughly 1:45:00 into the stream.) The part where Josh Dallas (Fandral) riffs on Mustafa’s Old Spice Guy is also worth a watch.

After that, we watched a bit of Top Gear before calling it a night. It was a rerun of the episode in which James May drove up the side of a volcano.

Stray Toasters

• I apparently neglected to note that this week is Teacher Appreciation Week.
• Superman made his first appearance on May 3, 1938.

• Moss, Black Hat founder, named CSO of ICANN
• Army Corps Blows Up Missouri Levee
• By way of Nyx: Vintage bombers in air and on display in Salt Lake City
• Other upcoming events include:
  • Free Comic Book Day – 07 May 2011
  • National Train Day – 07 May 2011
    • There will be an event for this at Ogden Union Station, from 10 – 5
• 20 Insanely Creative Bookshelves
• 
• Is the Southwest-Air Tran merger a good deal for fliers?
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Mummified body of former Playboy playmate Yvette Vickers found in her Benedict Canyon home
• Bam! Healing war wounds through comic books
  • At this point, I’ll take a moment to mention Untold Stories from Iraq & Afghanistan, once again.
• Free Speech Zone Runs Afoul of SLC Sign Ordinance
• Also from Nyx: Mouse Study Suggests Why Addictions Are Hard to Forget
• Tradition vs. Progress: The Art of the American Fire Helmet

Namaste.

Monday – 02 May 2011
Not only is it the beginning of a new work week, but we’re in a new month, as well.

The weekend was a good one.  It had just the right mix of family and friends and things to do… and nothing to do, as well. While parts of it could be classified as “busy,” it wasn’t the “all-go, all-the-time.” And that was good.

Yesterday, SaraRules! and I went to see The Accelerated and the Irate: Part V Fast Five. Sure, you needed to check your brain at the door, but let’s face it: We don’t go to these movies for esoteric pursuits. We go because they are over-the-top action movies that are just… “fun.” (And, there was even a bit of a plot, too.)

Stray Toasters

• Let’s get the day’s top news item out of the way first:
  • Bin Laden Is Dead, Obama Says
  • Osama bin Laden, the face of terror, killed in Pakistan
  • OSAMA BIN LADEN IS DEAD; President Tells Nation ‘Justice Has Been Done’
  • Osama bin Laden is killed by U.S. forces in Pakistan
  • And, in a related note: Bin Laden death could boost markets in short term
• Faithful give thanks for John Paul beatification
• When Oprah Was Ours
• 
• 20 Random Thoughts About Action Comics #900
  • #16, #17, #18, and #20
• A Go-to Site for Tracking Music Acts
• NFL draft grades: How your favorite team fared with picks
  • NFL Lockout: Why Pro-Footballers Keep Showing Up to Off-Season Workouts
• Today’s addition to The Covet List
• 
  For those who need a further explanation, click here.
• Kevin Keller — Archie’s Openly Gay Army Brat
  And just who is it that says that comics are just “funny books for kids?”
• Beneath the Atlantic, remains of Air France 447 finally found

The show must go on…

Namaste.

Friday – 29 April 2011
It’s my 9/80 Friday off.

It’s also 7:30 (well, it was when I started this…) in the morning. So, why am I up so early on my day off, especially if “early morning feedings” don’t start for another four or so months? (Sleep Can Wait. The Birds Are Angry) No… the real reason is: I took Logan and Swiz to the airport this morning; they’re winging their way to the California coast. I figured that I’m used to being up this early and I could easily deal with getting up and getting them to the airport. Ain’t nothin’ but a thang. Besides, I don’t have a whole lot on tap today, so if I need to catch a mid-afternoon nap… I can.

Last night, SaraRules! went to visit a friend whom she hadn’t seen in close to ten years. I got to stay home and be a bachelor for a few hours. This translated to: “Rob sitting on the couch, eating pizza and drinking Guinness, while watching the 2011 NFL Draft.” And it was good. Selah.

• Carolina Panthers select Cam Newton with No. 1 pick in NFL draft
• Ravens pick Jimmy Smith No. 27
• Welcome to Miami, Mike Pouncey

Good picks all the way around. And a good way to spend the evening.

Stray Toasters

• Congratulations to Prince William and Princess Catherine.
  And that pretty much concludes my royal wedding chat…

  …except to say that I caught a couple of minutes of George Michael on Piers Morgan Tonight while flipping channels last night. That was rather unexpected. 

  • I should see if Netflix has Royal Wedding — I’ve long admired the scene in which Fred Astaire dances on the walls and ceiling of his room, but never seen the movie. That scene was also… “somewhat replicated”… in the video for Lionel Richie’s Dancing on the Ceiling.
• South Assesses the Toll After a Deadly Barrage of Tornadoes
  • Tornadoes kill over 200
  • The complicated science of tornadoes and climate
• Endeavour’s Launch on Target for 3:47 PM EDT
• For SaraRules! (and other fishers): States start to ban felt-soled waders
• 
• Whenever I read a comic from this story arc (start at this comic and keep going through April) in Real Life Comics, I always think, “This sounds almost exactly like something that Justin would do…” and it makes me laugh.
• A Family’s Legacy, Afro-Cuban Jazz
• It’s sad, really. I watched the new trailer for Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon… and I liked it. It looks like a movie that has my three of my top requirements for a Transformers movie:
  1. Giant Robots. Check.
  2. Shit blowing up. Check.
  3. Megan Fox. Check.
  4. Optimus Prime being the heroic leader – and kicking ass – even in the face of oppressive/overwhelming odds. Check.

  In fact, it looks like a movie that I might even want to see.  But… and this is a big “but” (and I cannot lie): I still feel burned by the last movie with the name “Transformers” and that had Michael Bay’s name attached to it. Feh.

• George Michael – Flawless

  What… did you seriously think that I’d make a reference to George Michael in this post and not throw in a video?  Really?! Have you met me!? Besides, what were you expecting?  Something like this?

• U.S. Economic Growth Slows to 1.8% Rate in Quarter
• 
• Most hackable Android phones
• Star Wars Funnies by Kevin Bolk
• What in the Nine Hells is this…?!

Thursday – 28 April 2011
It’s “No Bad News Technical Friday.”  Hallelujah!

It’s kind of hard to believe that we’re only two days away from the end of April. It feels like it just started. I wonder how quickly the rest of Spring and Summer are going to fly by – or at least feel like they are flying by – now that we have the twins to look forward to as Summer approaches Autumn.

Twins. Most of the shock has worn off. Now, we’re trying to figure out just how many… adjustments… we’re going to have to make to our baby-prep plans. The grandparents all seem to be rather happy with the news. And, I think that this pretty much cements the idea that we’re staying at home again this Christmas. (I’m good with that.) Time to start looking at 529 Plans…

Last night, we celebrated my father-in-law’s birthday. We went up to the in-laws’ for dinner, dessert and general hanging out. For dinner, there was a homemade chicken pot pie. Correction: There were two (2) of them. And they were good. For dessert, we had homemade doughnuts, with an orange frosting. They, too, were good. It was a very nice way to spend the evening.

Back at home, SaraRules! and I watched the second half of Real Salt Lake‘s match against Monterrey in the CONCACAF Champions League Final. They seemed to play better than in last week’s match, but couldn’t get the ball into the net. This isn’t to say that they didn’t have the opportunities, but they couldn’t get the ball past Monterrey’s goalkeeper. And, since the final score was based on the cumulative score from both matches, Monterrey came away with a 3-2 total against RSL. I also believe that this makes Monterrey the first visiting team in… two years, I think… to win at Rio Tinto Stadium.

Stray Toasters

• Today marks City of Heroes‘ 7th Anniversary.
• MarknTyme pointed this out to me last night: Robert B. Parker’s ‘Spenser’ to Continue Solving Mysteries
  I’m not sure how I feel about this.
• The Case for Cursive
• Designer Makes LEGO-style Helmet That Reads Comics to Kids
  Wait, wait, wait… LEGO + Comics?!  Why do I not have one of these already?!
  • And if we’re already talking about The Covet List, add one (or more) of these to the list, too!
• Judge Denies N.F.L. Petition as Injunction Stays, for Now

• 
• Judge Denies N.F.L. Petition as Injunction Stays, for Now
• Bleeding Cool.com has a link to the newest international trailer for X-Men: First Class
• Spraypaint can cocktail shaker
• Union Pacific’s Great Excursion Adventure
• Superman Renounces [SPOILER] in Action Comics #900

  

  It would seem as though this has stirred up quite the debate in the comics-reading community.

• We Say Gay: Tennessee kids fight bill that would prohibit discussing homosexuality in school
• India Puts Tight Leash on Internet Free Speech
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Hooker Steals Macbook After Client Steals Sex

Namaste.

Wednesday – 27 April 2011
Midweek.
New comics day.
D&D game night. Father-in-law’s birthday dinner.

And, it’s a bright, sunshiny day.

I’d call that an all-around good day.

Now that (most of) the shock of the whole “You’re having twins” surprise has worn off, we’re looking at the things we’re going to need two of. (I’m also trying NOT to think of things like “two cars… two college funds… two of everything…”) This is going to be something of an adventure.  And, of course, this twins-related story showed up on Big Shiny Robot yesterday.  (Although, it does make me wonder whether the twins will have superpowers and what powers they might wind up with…)

Last night, I had to go to the local Home Depot and Lowe’s. (Yeah, I know… rough life…) A couple of sections of our back fence blew over on Monday night, so they need to get replaced. I don’t know if this fence was the handiwork of the house’s previous owners or the ones before them, but the back fence has always looked kind of sad and we had talked about replacing it. This just advances the time table a bit. It turns out that the replacement fencing we’re looking at doesn’t all that expensive. (Fortunately.)

Other than that, it was a rather uneventful night, as I called it an early evening on account of being completely tuckered out.

Stray Toasters

• I have a monkey!  made it for me!
  
• The First Zombie-Proof House
• Senator: Lack of details on Playstation Network outage ‘troubling’
  • Sony Says Playstation Hacker Got Personal Data
• …and, in a related note: Borders investigates whether customers’ personal information was revealed on website
• WWII airplane factory camouflaged as a residential neighborhood
• 
• Atheists Seek Chaplain Role in the Military
• ‘Disturbing’ revelations in probe of possible gas price manipulation
• Alex Lifeson Interview: His Complete Gear Setup for “Time Machine Tour 2011” (video)
  • Just in case you’re interested in purchasing one of Alex’ guitars, click here.
• Fans of Mad Men and Portal/Portal 2 should appreciate this:

• A State Manager Takes Over and Cuts What a City Can’t
• Viktor Hertz: Pictogram Movie Posters
• ThinkGeek just referred to Mother’s Day as “…your most favorite spawn point.”  It made me laugh.
• 
• Thanks to for pointing this out to me. I may just need it…
• Traditional incandescent bulbs on their way out starting Jan. 1

Namaste.

Tuesday – 26 April 2011
Day Two of the work week finds me in the south office again. In the words of Lita Ford, “It ain’t no big thing.” So far, it’s been fairly quiet, which has been something of a boon.

Yesterday, I left work early for a doctor’s appointment. More specifically, I left for an appointment that SaraRules! had. For those who don’t know: She’s expecting. (Which I guess really could be said: “We’re expecting.”) A couple of weeks ago, she had a check-up, which included taking blood for a few tests. She got a call from her doctor, this past Thursday, saying that one of tests came back with “abnormal” results and that they wanted her to come in for an ultrasound.

NOTE: The test that came back abnormal was a test that checks the protein levels in the womb. This protein – when registered in elevated levels – is an indicator of a neural tube defect, which can be a sign of spina bifida (1, 2) or other spinal cord diseases/defects. SaraRules!’ protein levels were high enough to merit further study. The ultrasound was needed to check the spine’s development and see if there was, in fact, a problem.

As you can imagine, our weekend had “a few” moments of preoccupation.

Yesterday, we went to the hospital to get the ultrasound. We were met by the ultrasound tech and a genetics specialist. They gave us a brief overview of what they would be looking for and went to work. A few moments later, the genetics doctor looked at the screen and then looked at us and said that her work was done…

…and that the baby was fine:

HUGE RELIEF!!!

.

.

.

.

.

…and so was the OTHER baby.

Wait…
What…?!

Twins.

That’s right: We’re having twins.

Oh, boy…

The elevated protein levels that were noted in the blood test were due to the fact that the test was looking for a certain range/level – the amount which one baby would produce. Since there are two babies in there, the test was thrown off, because they are both producing the protein. And, when that’s factored in, both babies – and SaraRules! – are fine.

So, I guess this means that I should get ALL the sleep I can in the next four-and-a-half months, because after that, I doubt that I’m going to get a full night’s sleep for a L-O-N-G time… if ever again.

Stray Toasters

• NFL lockout ends, for now
  • Judge sides with players, tells NFL to end lockout
  • To players, Judge Susan Nelson is now the NFL’s offseason MVP
  • NFL in Limbo as Owners Try to Preserve Lockout
• 
• Multitaskers Better at Spotting ‘Invisible Gorilla’
• 500-year-old book surfaces in Utah
• Rivet Manufacturing Flaw Suspected in Jet’s Roof
• 
• Security education: We’re doing it wrong
• Bill Nye Boo’d in Texas for Saying the Moon Reflects the Sun
  Really…?  Really?!  Are people seriously this dense?
• The Rise of the Corporate Superhero

Yeah… twins.  Wow.

Namaste.

Monday – 25 April 2011
A new work week begins. Is it a “bad” thing that I’m happy that it’s my short week?

The weekend was a good one. I talked with most of the family unit yesterday, everyone is doing well.

After Mass yesterday, I went out for a bit and wound up at West Valley Hobbies. (Shocking, I know.) They didn’t really have anything that I couldn’t live without, so I left empty-handed. Since I was on that side of town, I headed up to Black Water Coffee Company (Pin-up Girl Espresso’s shop on the west side of the valley). I chatted with Jim for a few, while getting a mocha to go. Next stop: Toys ‘R’ Us. I saw a few things there that registered as minor blips on The Covet List, but still managed to leave without parting with any money.  I headed back home and hung out before we headed to dinner at the in-laws’.

Dinner was a small affair this week, just SaraRules!’ parents and the two of us. We had lamb, broccoli and rice pilaf. Everything was very good.  Post-dinner, we watched Defiance. It wasn’t quite the movie that I’d expected. It was, however, quite good. From the IMDb synopsis:

Jewish brothers in Nazi-occupied Eastern Europe escape into the Belarussian forests, where they join Russian resistance fighters and endeavor to build a village in order to protect themselves and about 1,000 Jewish non-combatants.

We all enjoyed it.

On the way home, SaraRules! and I noted that despite the fact that neither of us is Jewish that – between A Child of Our Time on Saturday and Defiance tonight – we had a fairly Pass0ver-related weekend.

Stray Toasters

• The Curious World of Zombie Science
• Beyond Imagination: a LEGO exhibit in Hong Kong
• Slutwalks Sweep the Nation
• Ravens safety Zbikowski improves to 4-0 after knockout
• 
• Thousands of devotees rush to pay homage to Sathya Sai
• Norio Ohga, former Sony president, dies at 81
  • Rest In Peace, Former Sony Chairman Norio Ohga
• 
• Pokemon’s Ten Most Disturbing Pokedex Entries
• One Size Fits No One: Seeking a Steady 4 or a 10
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Concierges confess hotel guests’ most memorable requests

And, with that… on to the day!

Namaste.

Friday – 22 April 2011
It’s my 9/80 “on” Friday. S’okay… it’s the quiet, low-number-of-employees day. That’s a good thing.

Today is also Good Friday…

…and it’s Earth Day, too.

But, it’s still a Friday, and that means that the weekend is mere hours away…

Last night, after I got home from work, I went to the basement and ran my train around the layout for a bit. To those who don’t get “how” people can derive enjoyment from “…just watching a train go in a (modified) circle,” I don’t think that I can sufficiently explain it. But I do. And it was good. And fun.

After a failed trip to the Village Christmas Shoppe at Gardner Village (it’s closed… as in permanently) SaraRules! and I picked up dinner from the Papas – John and Murphy – and went home to watch The Godfather: Part III, which I’d never seen before. It was good. (Man, it was LONG, too…) I enjoyed seeing continuation and conclusion of Michael Corleone’s rise to power and how he wielded it.

Stray Toasters

• I’m playing phone-tag with two different service companies, while avoiding… umm, “delaying”… calling two others. Yay.
• Well, $#!* Swearing is good for you, sort of
  Really?! It took them 2 years to figure this out? I could have told them that in about 2 seconds.
• SLC church distributes free copies of the Quran
• 
• All Your Base Are Belong to Us: How 50 Years of Videogames Conquered Pop Culture
• Georgia nuclear reactor shuts down; investigation under way
  • Speaking of Georgia and nuclear power, I need to correct something that I posted (at least once) before: It turns out that former U.S. President Jimmy Carter was not a nuclear engineer, as I had previously been told. He did work in the field of nuclear energy, but wasn’t a physicist or nuclear engineer. (Source)
  • Fukushima Plant Is (Officially) Dead Forever
• There’s a new Green Lantern trailer…
• At Ebenezer Baptist Church, a Glorious Rebirth
• 
• Zombie comic tutorial for using the college library
• Inquiries Grow Over Apple’s Data Collection Practices

Namaste.

Thursday – 21 April 2011
It’s another NBN Thursday in the valley. It’s partly sunny, but at least it’s not raining. For the time being, anyway…

Last night was Game Night 2, with and the gang. Actually, it was an abbreviated gang, as a couple of our group weren’t able to make it. But, we persevered and adventured on without them. And we lived to tell the tale.

Back at home, I joined SaraRules! in watching Real Salt Lake take on Monterrey in the Concacaf Champions League Final match. RSL looked a bit tired by the time I started watching (second half), but they held their own against… and the refs. I – along with a couple of the announcers – thought that the refs yellow carded a couple of plays that shouldn’t have drawn penalties AND they completely missed/ignored a red card offense against Monterrey. *shrug* RSL came out of the game with a 2-2 tie and the second leg of the match will be held at Rio Tinto Stadium next Wednesday.

Stray Toasters

• In a follow-up to yesterday’s post: Weird Al posts Lady Gaga parody song (incl. link to song)
  It turns out that her manager never forwarded the song/request to Lady Gaga in the first place.
• Mail Rail: London’s long lost underground postal railroad
• 
• For SaraRules!: Behold: The world’s most complicated Rube Goldberg machine
• In Online Games, a Path to Young Consumers
• 2011 World’s Ugliest Couch Contest
• 
• I wonder of SaraRules! would let me build one of these…
• Despite threats, security not enough of priority at utilities
• FDA warns Delta over rodent droppings ‘too numerous to count’
• Burning Question: Is Wi-Fi Squatting Illegal?
• 
• The Man’s Guide to Marriage: A Timeline
• Stumbling Into Bad Behavior
• Utah attorney general says he will file antitrust lawsuit against BCS
• Engineering a real-life ‘Star Wars’ AT-AT

Namaste.

Wednesday – 20 April 2011
It’s the middle of the week, once more. That means new comics and Game Night 2.

Last night, SaraRules! and I had dinner – at one of the local Mimi’s Cafes – with my friends Peggy and Adrian. I haven’t seen Peggy in nearly ten years, I don’t think; Adrian and I last got together about a year or so ago. It was good to see and catch up with them. And, both the food and the company were good.

After dinner, I headed over to ‘ place for a bit of Tuesday night gaming. Our group had to figure out a couple of goings-on in the city… while not getting killed by a bunch of cultists… AND figure out to whom we could talk about said cultists without getting ourselves killed. Precarious. We seemed to find an interested – and quite possibly helpful – group. We’ll see if it comes back to bite us in our collective recta.

Chew on This: Food for Thought
Tina Fey’s Prayer for a Daughter, excerpted from her book, Bossypants

Stray Toasters

• Is it possible to rickroll yourself?  If so, I think I did while shaving this morning.
  • What Defines a Meme?
• Dangerous Arts
• Grete Waitz, Marathon Champion, Dies at 57
• Interview: Melissa Bianco, City of Heroes Lead Designer
• The Ravens have released their schedule for next season, assuming that there’s a 2011-2012 season…
• 
• iPhone keeps records of everywhere you go
• Sound Matrix
• From the “Um…No, you idiotstick.” file: Man tried to rob store with game remote
• Cuba Lays Foundation for a New Leader
• A Rabbi Armed With a Blowtorch Keeps Things Kosher
• In the digital era, free is easy, so how do you persuade people to pay?
• U.S. Orders Airlines to State Fees More Clearly

Namaste.

Tuesday – 19 April 2011
It’s a kind of grey-ish day. It’s currently not raining; it would be nice if that holds up for the rest of the day.

Last night was a very casual night around the house. SaraRules! and I had dinner in front of the TV. Our viewing choice for the night: Big Trouble in Little China, a movie that I had somehow managed to go twenty-five years without seeing. To her credit, SaraRules! warned me – before the movie started – that it was a “Cool World-Long Kiss Goodnight” Scale kind of film. She was right. (But, it was fun. Silly, but fun.) We also caught an episode of Top Gear.

Stray Toasters

• William Donald Schaefer, governor and mayor, dies
  • Remember Baltimore’s Champion, William Donald Schaefer

  

• Figure Out Where Your Tax Dollars Went
• Lucasfilm Animation’s New Building Is a Sandcrawler
• What Makes Music Expressive?
• BrikWars!
• 
• Parents, don’t dress your girls like tramps
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: UK gets Viagra-laced beer
• Adrianne Palicki, Chris Hemsworth and other superhero actors Simpson-ized
• Is Sitting a Lethal Activity?
• Here comes the sun (do-do-do-doooo)
  Here comes the sun
  And I say: It’s all right…
• How big an explosion could you realistically survive?
• 2nd teen survives leap from Golden Gate Bridge
• Malls Across America

Namaste.

Monday – 18 April 2011
It’s Tax Day here in the States. Coincidentally (or not so much so), it’s a grey and rainy day. For those of you who are eleventh hour filers: Good luck.

And I’ll go ahead and dedicate today’s Groove Break to the IRS:

• The O’Jays – For the Love of Money

• Pink Floyd – Money

• Tony Toni Tone – If I Had No Loot

Yesterday was an all-around good day. SaraRules! and I attended Palm Sunday Mass, after which we dropped in and said “Hello” to the in-laws. Then we headed home and did a little yard work. I did the first lawn mowing of the season. Unlike ‘s “One and Done” lawnmower start, my mower started on the third pull. (But, it started, and that was the key thing.) Post-lawn care, I plopped down on the sofa and watched some DVR fare: A pre-Christmas episode of Human Target and – along with SaraRules! – an episode of Lopez Tonight from last week, on which Prince performed. We both noted how young and fit he looks at 52. Seriously, the man looks like he’s still in his mid-30s. (Two words: “Dorian. Gray.”) Next we headed back to the in-laws’ for dinner… and we watched Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe, which was a fun tide-me-over until the new season of Burn Notice kicks off in June.

Stray Toasters

• The Trebuchette project hit their funding goal… with four days to spare!
  If you haven’t yet donated, consider doing so.  After all, you can get a trebuchet out of the deal!
• The MTH 2011 Volume 2 Catalog is now available. Helloooo, Covet List!
• By way of MarknTyme: Sleep, performed by Eric Whitacre’s “Virtual Choir 2.0”

• Retailers Retool Sites to Ease Mobile Shopping
• Chrysler vows new Dodge Viper supercar due next year

  

• TSA security looks at people who complain about… TSA security
• Monopoly Redesign: Do Not Pass Go!
• New Gaga song shocks religious leaders
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Belly dance scuppers ‘disabled’ ex-wife’s divorce deal
• Lionel LLC unveils ‘Lindbergh Engine’ model at Railroad Museum
• 
• Scrutiny Lags as Jetliners Show the Effects of Age
• Choco-Thulhu is real!
• Repelling Bugs With the Essence of Grapefruit
• Things That Earn Their Keep

Right on to the friction of the day…

Namaste.