Random Access

Wednesday – 20 May 2009
Last night, Chris came over to play HeroClix. We decided to just play a 1000-point free-for-all brawl. (Pictures here.)  Chris brought a five-man team, with a bunch of heavy-hitters; I fielded a ten-figure team, with a decent assortment of abilities. My entire game plan (can’t really call it a “strategy,” as it was based on accomplishing one goal) was based on something I’ve been wanting to try for a few weeks: Using two figures to telekinetically move a third figure into position to beat someone down. Badly. That’s exactly what I did:

• Turn 1: Green Lantern TK’ed Marvel Girl ahead of the main group.
  A few other figures advanced across the map.
• Turn 2: Green Lantern TK’ed KC Superman next to Marvel Girl.
  Superman picked up a heavy object.
  Marvel Girl TK’ed Superman further across the board.
  Superman picked up a second object and charged Proteus.
  Superman used Flurry (make 2 attacks) – missed the first one, hit the second one.

The look on Chris’ face when he realized what I was about to do was priceless… and, it was pretty much exactly the reaction I expected. I went on to have a few more really good dice rolls – while Chris’ dice were cold – before the tables turned. I wound up losing on points (by about 300 points), but percentage-wise, we did about the same damage to each others’ teams. We’ll be playing again on next Tuesday; I should start considering team options.

Stray Toasters

• For no reason that I can find, I’ve had Erasure’s A Little Respect running through my head at random moments. Again, I blame .
• posted a link to: 12 illegal immigrants found hiding in chemical tanker
• A century of most popular baby names
• Superhero cakes and more superhero cakes, although I don’t really consider Tom & Jerry “superheroes,” but there is a pretty cool-looking old school Legion cake in the group:

  

• …which leads into The Revenge of Young Darkseid very nicely, as well as these other Silver Age Elseworlds stories
• Microsoft downplays IIS Bug Threat
• Beyond the Fringe: From Purdey to the Rachel – 50 years of iconic hairstyles
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: Country doctor uses household drill on patient’s skull
• Star Trek: What it teaches film makers about special effects
• By way of Dwim: President Obama Vetoes the Mutant Registration Act

Namaste.

Tuesday – 19 May 2009
Yesterday was a lazy day. And, after the past few days, a day to just… relax and hang out… was just what the doctor ordered. The highlights of the day included: a visit to see , a trip to Far West Comics, a trip to Lollicup (SaraRules wanted boba tea) and going to look at bad dresses at a local store. Oddly enough, we actually liked most of the dresses in their window displays; I don’t think that’s happened before. We came home and watched a couple of episodes of NCIS as well as another episode of Planet Earth, “Mountains.” By the way, if you haven’t watched Planet Earth, I heartily recommend it.

Later this morning, SaraRules and I are heading down to Camp Williams for Jess’ interment. She’s being buried with full military honors.

This afternoon, the IT team is going to lunch at Tucano’s. This is our reward for finishing the server room upgrade before the end of the month… and making sure that it all works the way it’s supposed to.

Tonight, Chris is coming over to play ‘Clix. I should probably finalize the team that I want to use. Details, details…

Stray Toasters

• It is National Backyard Games Week.
• sent me a link to Lawyers: To Save Newspapers, Let’s Pretty Much Destroy Everythings Else Good
• Also by way of Nyx: Meet the Incredible Hulk of Hounds
• Drew pointed me in the direction of LEGO USB Hubs
• …and, since we’re on the subject of LEGO:
  • Space Marine Light Assault Vehicle (that’s right, it’s a Warthog… made of LEGO!)
  • Mini UNSC Pelican dropship and Warthog
  • New LEGO Architecture Sets
  • For – Danger Mouse, the greatest secret agent in the world!
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: Camera Misses the Mark on Racial Sensitivity
• Do You Trust Elevators? Maybe You Shouldn’t
• I saw this commercial and it made me laugh: Intel Star

• What’s Inside WD-40? Superlube’s Secret Sauce
• Atomic Disruptor Raygun: steampunk gun made from radios and cameras
• 
• Asimov’s Laws of Robotics Are Total BS
• Obama Speeds Up Fuel Economy Standards, Sets First Carbon Limit

As it’s my first day back since Thursday, I should probably take a look around and see what’s what.

Namaste.

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

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

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

Stray Toasters

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

Time to find some trouble to get into…

Namaste.

Friday: Coda
Earth was good. It runs for ninety minutes and follows the journeys of three animal families: Polar bears, elephants and whales. The imagery is stunning and deserving to be seen on the big screen.

On the ride home, SaraRules and I decided to (finally) break open the Planet Earth DVDs that she got me a few months back. We started with the first DVD, first episode: “Pole to Pole.” We were a little stunned to see footage that looked incredibly similar to some that we had just seen at the theatre. After that happened a couple more times, I consulted IMDb and discovered something: Planet Earth and Earth are, more or less, the same thing, with a couple of differences.  Basically, Disneynature is simply distributing Earth in the U.S., as it has been released in other countries as long as two years ago, by other local distributors. Other things I learned:

• Richard Attenborough narrated the original BBC version of Planet Earth, which is the version we own).
• Sigourney Weaver narrated the version which aired on The Discovery Channel, which is what we originally saw.
• There are (at least) three narrators for Disneynature’s Earth:
  • James Earl Jones, in the U.S.
  • Patrick Stewart, in the U.K.
  • Ulrich Tukur, in the German version
• The narration for Earth uses much/most of the text from Planet Earth.
• Earth “changes”/creates some of the story of the animal family seen in Planet Earth. Specifically, when discussing the polar bears – there are references to a father and his journey in Earth… that aren’t seen in Planet Earth…. or, at least not in the part we’ve seen.
• Earth simplifies some of the narration, making it a little more accessible to families and children, whereas Planet Earth takes a more scientific, “here is why/how this happens” approach.

On the whole, am I upset that we spent money to see Earth? No. As I said in the opening paragraph: It deserves to be seen on the big screen. And, I enjoyed it enough to recommend others to see it in the theatre as well. If it helps, think of Earth as a prelude or teaser to the more in-depth coverage provided on the Planet Earth DVDs.

After the movie, SaraRules and I headed to coffee. We hung out with some of the usual suspects, but were surprised, pleasantly so, to see Victoria and Jim (her father/Jess’ stepfather) come in a little while later. Coffee was good. Following that, some of us went to Applebee’s for dinner. Shannon, our normal waitress, had prepared something for us: A framed copy of Jess’ obituary. It was very sweet of her. After giving it to us, she asked what had happened and how — all she had known was that Jess was “sick,” but not to what degree; we gave her a rundown of the past few months. The company of friends was good, very good indeed.

Stray Toasters

• There is a new addition – or four – to The Covet List.
• Airman Spots Jetliner Fuel Leak at 35,000 Feet
• Girl Scouts have a Comics badge!
• Open Letter to J.J. Abrams About the Star Trek Sequel

Time to call it a night.

Namaste.

Friday – 15 May 2009
Another 9/80 Friday off begins. I seem to have slept well last night – that’s always a “good” thing.

After work, SaraRules and I went to Chris and Mary’s to celebrate Mary’s birthday. and , and and their kids were their, as well as Chris’ brother, Ryan, whom we hadn’t met before. It was a nice get-together… and, before all was said and done, we hammered out some rough details for another bad horror movie night. And… AND… Chris and I are playing dolls ‘Clix on Tuesday. Win-Win!

Stray Toasters

• My copy of Battlefield 2142 (for Mac) showed up yesterday. I’m REALLY rusty at that game.
• ‘Exiled for life’ in Somali camp
• Lauren Montgomery talks Green Lantern: First Flight and Victor Garber talks Green Lantern: First Flight
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: Scouts training to fight immigrants and terrorists
• Texts From Last Night, by way of
• Personal Freedom, by State
• 
• …along the same lines, SaraRules has taken to watching Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?
• Adding Incompetence to Insult
• Was 1971 the best year to be born a geek? (I think they’re off by a year, personally)
• Texas Is Under Seige From Zombies!
• The Metropolitan Museum brings out American art again
• The All-Time Top 10 List of Best – and Worst – Mothers in Comics
• Ten Beautiful Computers

So far on the afternoon’s agenda: A trip to the gym and we’re going to see Disney’s Earth.

Namaste.

Thursday – 14 May 2009
Last night, SaraRules and I stopped by to see Jess’ (‘s)  parents for a while. It was nice to be able to visit with them. Jess’ obituary can be read here. Jenny and Julie, Jess’ sisters, have put together a memorial blog for her at: Jessie’s Memories. The family has asked that, in lieu of sending flowers, people make a donation to the Pulmonary Hypertension Association.

After we got back home, came over. She had dinner (chicken and dumplings) with us and we watched The Darjeeling Limited. It was… an odd movie. I don’t think that I’ve seen a Wes Anderson film before, but I’ve heard that The Royal Tennenbaums is possibly his best work, so I’ll give that one a try at some point.

Stray Toasters

• Star Trek-related geekery
  • Is the new Star Trek movie scientifically sound?
  • Can Young Kirk Really Survive the Car Jump in the new Star Trek?
  • Star Trek conventions in the 1970s (Thanks to )
• Pope preaches against prejudice
• Ben Franklin Death Ray
• Lunar Junk
• 
• What grown men do with their G.I. Joe action figures
• “Something” just went wrong around here. No answers as to “what” or “why” yet.
• Steampunk preschool TV show from Weta
• For those of you in the SLC metro area: Ruth’s Diner reopens on Friday, 15 May 2009
• Real Life Spy Gadgets

Back to it.

Namaste.

Wednesday – 13 May 2009
Thank you to everyone who extended thoughts, prayers and well-wishes. I appreciate your thoughtfulness and concern and I am grateful for your friendship.

Last night, SaraRules and I met , and Mr. and Mrs. for dinner/dessert at The Cheesecake Factory. It was nice to hang out with them. As I have said many times before: I have been blessed with many very good friends. I don’t think that it’s a bad thing to remember/rediscover that fact. (I also rediscovered the inherent problems of having cups of coffee shortly before going to bed, too… but that’s another story altogether. *sigh*)

Stray Toasters

• Exotic Star Trek Locales Are All Over the California Map (contains a few possible spoilers)
• EU slaps record fine on Intel
• From NPR Music:
  • Lady Sovereign: The ‘Biggest Midget’ Returns
  • Mozart’s Turbulent Final Symphonies
  • John Coltrane’s ‘A Love Supreme’ Live, with Strings
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: Jesse Ventura: I could make Chickenhawk Cheney confess to the Sharon Tate murders with a waterboard
• Lite Brite Cubed
• Slain Lawyer’s YouTube Video Plunges Guatemala into Crisis, Protests Form on Facebook
• Greece Halts Google’s Street View
• City of Heroes Is Going Rogue
• 220MPH Solar-Powered Bullet Train on Arizona Horizon

…and back to it.

Namaste.

Tuesday – 12 May 2009
Today is apparently Limerick Day.

Yesterday, loonybin88, Sean and I headed over to the driving range at Old Mill for lunch. I had a few good  drives, but it was apparent that it has been “a while” since I’ve teed off. I foresee more trips to the range in the next few weeks.

Last night, SaraRules and I played Trivial Pursuit. She kicked my trash, eight ways from Sunday. Seriously. In about twenty-five minutes. We both started off slowly… then, next thing I knew, she had four wedges. I managed to get four by the time she got her sixth wedge, but then she headed for the center space and wrapped things up.

Stray Toasters

• In Turnabout, Iran Releases U.S. Journalist
• Before yesterday, it had been a while since I’d been to Broken Frontier; they’ve had a facelift.
• Mountain Game: Craig Adams’ Kurosawa-inspired Artsy designed, Alpinist
  (I actually own the movie that this was based on.)
• Their Name Is Legion
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: 747 sucks a baggage container into its engine at LAX
• Dear Spike, by way of
• Rachel sent me a couple of amusing items:
  • A quote from QDB and
  • A Shortpacked comic strip
• Thanks to Dana, from Galaxy of Comics, for pointing this out: Fathers’ Day: 2 Legendary Comic Creators Proud of WOLVERINE
• For , a couple of New Mutants-related articles:
  • New Mutants: Birth of the X-Babies
  • Mighty Week of Marvel #29
• One shot: Harvard College founder, UNSC soldier, HALO destroyer
• By way of : Vitamins Found to Curb Exercise Benefits

Quote of the Day
From an IRC conversation:

[23:23]  : blizzcon 2009 noncombat pet reward : grunty, the space marine murloc.
[23:24]  :

[08:26]  : nah, not going to blizzcon.  i was planning on buying the PPV broadcast on directv anyway though – grunty is an excellent bonus to go along with that. 🙂
[08:30]  Ahpuc: “grunty” ?
[08:30]  : The 8th Dwarf
[08:30]  : He was sick on the main day of filming, so they cut him out of Snow White altogether.
[08:31]  Ahpuc: Huh. I always thought the 8th dwarf was Sodomy, and they had to censor him out.
[08:32]  : Sodomy, or “Dom” as he was known in some circles, was replaced by Dopey… in an effort to make the movie more “family-friendly.”
[08:33]  Ahpuc: Family-friendly, because sodomy == contraception?
[08:33]  : Family-friendly as in “less therapy-inducing for small children”

Attack the day
Like birds of prey

Namaste.

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

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

Stray Toasters

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

Namaste.

Saturday – 09 May 2009
It’s been a quiet and lazy morning, so far. I’ve been surfing the Interwebs and relaxing. Later today, I’m going to see Star Trek (again) with some of the usual suspects.  And after that… who knows?

Stray Toasters

• 10 Things Parents Should Know About the New Star Trek
• Man who wouldn’t walk again finishes marathon
• Apple Buying EA?
• 
• Germany to ban paintball in wake of high school shooting

And now, it’s breakfast time.

Namaste.

Friday – 08 May 2009
Today is my stepmother and younger brother’s birthday(s):

…and…

I slept poorly last night. I attribute it to the fact that I had to be up early this morning – earlier than usual – to get into the office early. The first few hours of sleep were alright, but from about 0430 on, it was rather touch-and-go. And that was annoying. But, here I am… with a large, triple-shot-laden frozen mocha to help me not rip peoples’ throats out make it through the day.

Nathan was also in early. We spent a good bit of time talking about the Star Trek movie, our likes and dislikes. As a bigger fan of Star Wars, there were a few things that he didn’t grok in fullness, but he thought it was a very good movie – enough so that he’s planning on seeing it again.  *nod* I approve of that.

Stray Toasters

• By way of comes: Ada Lovelace – The Origin
• National Guard to cut forces after recruiting creates surplus
• Minority youngsters dying weekly on Chicago streets
• Pope begins Mid-East pilgrimage
• Real supervillains don’t use CraigsList
• 
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: Chinese provincial government orders local officials to smoke more
• Zombie Snack Bib
• Disney stokes publicity engine with ‘Christmas Carol’ train
• Lady Liberty’s crown to reopen
• Rubik’s Cube Salt and Pepper Mills

Unintentional Porn Overheard at Work
They are still wiring in a few new electrical connections to finalize our server room upgrade. I just heard the following, between Mike (lead electrician) and Aaron (his assistant), while running new wire:

Aaron: Give me more, Mike…
Mike: Six inches more?
Aaron: Yeah, that’s good… whoa!  Whoa!  Stop!  That’s enough!

And, yes, it made my inner teenager grin like a fiend.

Have a great day!

Namaste.

Thursday – 07 May 2009
Happy Anniversary to Adam and Chelsea:

After work yesterday, SaraRules and I met Bill Byrnes – Dean of the College of Performing and Visual Arts at SUU – for dinner. We went to Desert Edge at Trolley Squre. I had a rather tasty roast beef/French Dip sandwich, that had a little “kick” to it. Both the food and the company were good.

After dinner, we stopped in to say “H’llo” to SaraRules’ parents before heading home. Once at home, we watched The Dark Knight. It’s still a rather watchable – and enjoyable – movie. I still have some reservations about whether or not Harvey Dent/Two-Face is actually supposed to be dead (or just very broken) at the end of the movie.  Yes, there was a memorial… but they never showed a body or even a casket. Just sayin’.  (And, after all, it is based on a comic book – people in those come back from the dead all the time.) And, as I have said before: The late Heath Ledger provided the right Joker for that Batman.

Stray Toasters

• SaraRules made brownies last night.
• NASA mission aims to revive Hubble telescope
• The Awesomer – Awesome Stuff
• Pullman Porters Helped Build Black Middle Class
• Duke Nukem Developer Shuts Down
• 
• Best worst Star Trek parodies
• The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite
• FDA is failing to meet its food safety inspection audit goals
• 100 Years, 100 Novels, One List

And, tonight: Star Trek.
Win!

Namaste.

Wednesday – 06 May 2009
Last night, SaraRules and I went to see Simply Ballroom, an exhibition put on by the Southern Utah University Ballroom Dance Company.

(Part of the reason we went is that the company’s director, Mark Baker, was in SaraRules’ MFA class.) It was a fun show – we’d seen some of the routines before, but there was enough new material to make it fresh. And, it was good to see Mark before the company sets off on tour.

Stray Toasters

• Apple Racks Up Gaming Patents
• For those of you who haven’t looked at “the fine print” in the “Legal Copy” Mac ad, here it is.
• Japanese mother seeks boxing record
• By way of comes: UK publishes list of ‘least wanted’ people
• Ginsburg: Court Needs Another Woman
• By way of NPR Music:
  • Mother’s Mix: It’s The Least We Could Do
  • Hard Up: Jazz For Empty Pockets
• From Trek to Terminator – Actor Anton Yelchin’s Big Month
• 
• Apple Snags Former XBox Exec
• I think that this is a pretty damned good review of Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds
• Tesla’s New York Laboratory Up For Sale
• A Conductor Arrives, With a Nymph Who Flees
• A History of Rogue

…right on to the friction of the day.

Namaste.

Monday – 04 May 2009
I slept in this morning. I was surprised to find out by how much I slept in, actually. But, it both felt good and I apparently needed the rest.

As I noted yesterday, we – and a few of the usual suspects – saw X-Men Origins: Wolverine. It was a good summer popcorn movie. Yes, they played a little fast and loose with some continuity, but not so much that it was disturbing to me; I found it a nice blend of comic continutity with (some of) the previously established continuity of the first two X-Men movies. I give it a definite thumbs up with an okay.

We then headed over to SaraRules’ parents’ for dinner and the start of a movie. Dinner was a very tasty beef stew; the movie was Catalina Caper. More specifically: The Mystery Science Theater 3000 version of Catalina Caper. While I realize that virtually any movie that wound up on MST3K was “bad,” this movie set the bar to an all-time… low, I guess. The most entertaining thing about the twenty or thirty minutes that we made it through was Little Richard, and he wasn’t even “all there,” it seemed.

Back home for a rather lazy evening: I played a little City of Heroes and worked on some props for my Heroclix City; SaraRules did some reading.

Stray Toasters

• Art student’s car vanishing act
• Supermen!: The First Wave of Comic Book Heroes 1939-41
  ::: adds to The Covet List :::
• LEGO Torture Scenes Protest Media Censorship
• 
• Photoshop Contest: Cartoon Ren 3
• NASA to begin layoffs as shuttle retirement nears
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” files: Warner Music to Warner Music: You are pirates!
• Free Range Kids author says: Raise kids without fear!
• Photos of food and their sugar cube equivalent
• Five years (FIVE YEARS!) after the “wardrobe malfunction” incident, it seems as though CBS is still under the gun and may still be fined for it.

And, as I’m taking the day off, there’s nothing officially on tap. I like that.

Namaste.

Sunday – 03 May 2009
Yesterday was a long day on the road. SaraRules and I drove down to Cedar City for the CPVA Commencement at Southern Utah University. Rachel and Tyler were graduating from the MFA program; Tom’s younger brother, Scott, was graduating from the BA program… and I had completely spaced off the fact that Vince was graduating from the BA program, as well.  It was good to be able to make it down and see everyone. We also saw Mark, who was in  SaraRules’ class and who will be choreographing our first dance. Pictures here.

After the ceremony, we had a late lunch/early dinner at Cafe Orleans with Anne and Dominic, rising second years students in the MFA program. Chicken and Sausage Gumbo and Shrimp Etouffe. Delicious. After eating, we picked up a few things that SaraRules had in storage, got ice cream at the local Dairy Queen and then got on the road back to SLC.

Once we got home, the evening involved a lot of sitting on the sofa. I played a little CoH before calling it a night, too. And, I finally figured out where the Mac client stores screenshots. Thus, I present my new Peacebringer, Khnurn:

…and…

Today has been lazy. We watched a special on The History Channel called Comic Book Superheroes Unmasked, which covered the history of comic books. It was rather good. Next were a couple of rounds of a nine-ball pool tournament. And now, the Miami-Atlanta NBA playoffs.

…and in a few minutes, we’re heading out to see X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

Yeah, I’d say it’s a good weekend.