Random Access

Saturday – 02 May 2009
It’s 9:30, grey and rainy… and I’ve already been up for two hours.

SaraRules and I are heading down to Cedar City this morning. We’re going to the CPVA Commencement for the (now) second-years in her program/department, including Rachel and Tyler. We got up a little early because:

1. She has Quilt Club this morning and
2. We wanted to grab a bite to eat at Paradise Bakery and Cafe.

We haven’t been to Paradise for… close to, if not more than, a year. It was a nice change of pace our respective breakfasts were tasty.

Stray Toasters

• Today is Free Comic Book Day. Go get free stuff!
• Prelate Derek found a LEGO Super Mario and forwarded the link.
• Battle Looms Over Souter Successor
• Ryan Reynolds, who portrays Deadpool in the new X-Men Origins: Wolverine movie, was a guest on The Late Late Show last night. It was a fun – and funny – interview. While I’m not a huge Deadpool fan, I found his portrayal to be fairly well in line with what I remember of the character.
• For and shockpuppet: When the Engineer Gardens
• Models As Muses

Time to get ready to pull up stakes.

Namaste.

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

Happy Hatching Day, Bret.

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

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

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

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

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

…and, last, but far from least…

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

Stray Toasters

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

  

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

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

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

Namaste.

Thursday – 30 April 2009
It’s another NBN Thursday and this one kicks off a four-day weekend. Selah.

Last night was a lazy evening in, which was nice.  SaraRules and I watched Tuesday night’s episode of NCIS, “Legend,” the first of two parts which introduces the “Office of Special Projects.” (It looks as though NCIS is about to spin-off a new series in the same manner in which it was spun-off from from JAG.) The new group features LL Cool J, Chris O’Donnell and Louise Lombard, late of CSI:. SaraRules made the observation that Lombard’s character, Lara Macy, was virtually no different than her CSI: character, Sofia Curtis – her hair, clothing and overall disposition was exactly the same.  (We also had an apparent age discrepancy issue… but that’s a story for another time.)

The episode took Gibbs and McGee to L.A., to work on a joint investigation with OSP, while Tony and Ziva remained in D.C. There were a couple of references to “Judgment Day,” the episodes in which then-NCIS Director Jeny Shepard took Tony and Ziva to L.A. and wound up getting killed; those scenes created a couple of tense moments, which I thought played well to character development. On the whole, the episode was good and it will be interesting to see how the new series does, if it gets off the ground.

Stray Toasters

• SaraRules started setting up wedding registries last night.
• referenced an interesting comment on MetaTalk this morning:
  

  My favorite thought-piece about Ferris Bueller is the “Fight Club” theory, in which Ferris Bueller, the person, is just a figment of Cameron’s imagination, like Tyler Durden, and Sloane is the girl Cameron secretly loves.

  One day while he’s lying sick in bed, Cameron lets “Ferris” steal his father’s car and take the day off, and as Cameron wanders around the city, all of his interactions with Ferris and Sloane, and all the impossible hijinks, are all just played out in his head. This is part of the reason why the “three” characters can see so much of Chicago in less than one day — Cameron is alone, just imagining it all.

  It isn’t until he destroys the front of the car in a fugue state does he finally get a grip and decide to confront his father, after which he imagines a final, impossible escape for Ferris and a storybook happy ending for Sloane (“He’s gonna marry me!”), the girl that Cameron knows he can never have.

• Lose the Fish and Justice LEGO of America
• Obama “Pleased” But Says Much Work Remains
• For Free Comic Book Day, DC Comics is releasing Corps 101: The Sinestro Corps
• 
• Raising Katie: What adopting a white girl taught a black family about race in the Obama era
• For the fashionable gamer in your life: Wiimote Cufflinks
• Windows 7 Will Be Free for a Year
  • Microsoft To Disable Autorun
• Virgin America Now Serves Absinthe
• One Nation, Seven Sins

…right on to the friction of the day

Namaste.

Wednesday – 29 April 2009
Last night, I went over to Chris’ to play the second half of our Brotherhood vs. X-Men match. (Pictures can be seen here.) This time, he fielded the Brotherhood and I had the X-Men. The game, again, was rather balanced… mostly because I decided not to use my biggest gun, Phoenix, although I did take her. I wound up losing the game, in no small due to the fact that I completely forgot something that would have been a huge game-changer during my first turn. *grblsnrkx* On the whole though, it was a good match.

This morning, it took a few moments for my brain to process that the alarm was going off. Once I did, however, things fell into place.  Now, if only the last of the network issues would resolve themselves, as well…

No comics or sushi today. But tomorrow, oh tomorrow, there shall be blood raw fishes and four-color goodness.

Stray Toasters

• Coffee and homemade blueberry muffins.
• Past Chiefs of Staff Analyze Obama
• Metropolitan Opera cuts back on live park performances
• 
• Sean just informed me that the Cardinals cut Edgerrin James. O,o ?!?
• ‘Camina Burana,’ Music of Monks and Drunks
• Cirque du Soliel, in New York (Mostly) to Stay
  
• From Comic Book Resources: Sample Pages from Was Superman a Spy?

I turn my back to wind
To catch my breath
Before I start off again…

Namaste.

Tuesday – 28 April 2009
First off, let me start by saying Happy (Belated/Early) Birthday to the following people:

• and

I didn’t want to forget (again) to do that. And now that it’s taken care of, we now return you to your regularly-scheduled post…

After work, I went home and took a brief nap while SaraRules did some errand-running. It was good enough to get em through the rest of the evening.

When she got back, SaraRules and I went with her family down to Red Rock Brewing Company for dinner, to celebrate her father’s birthday. I had a very tasty cream stout along with a French Onion Steak Sandwich (on sourdough bread), which was very good. After dinner, we headed back to her parents’ place for cake (which was a very good homemade coffee cake) and coffee.

We left there and headed home. I changed into comfy clothes and plopped down on the couch. We watched The Late Show and The Late Late Show, which featured a rather amusing take on the swine flu coverage in the news:

By the way, : Dolly Parton will be on The Late Show (Letterman) tonight.

And, most importantly: I got a good amount of sleep last night. I even slept in this morning and when I got up, I decided that I wasn’t really in a rush to get to work. It felt pretty nice, actually. Although, when I got to the office, one of the managers of the development team came over and congratulated/thanked me (for the IT Team) for getting everything done and back online without horribly impacting their productivity. That was a good way to kick off the morning.

Stray Toasters

• The wedding website is getting more content. I might even get the go-ahead to post its link later.
• Game Changers: Brainteasers for Hardcore Videogame Fans
• , you’ll want to take a look at this: Full of Pryde
• Mormon Crickets Dislike Led Zeppelin
• The Words in the Mental Cabinet
• HOWTO make edible circuit diagrams out of candy
• 
• Kevin Smith Explains What Happened to His Superman Movie
• Cool Tools: New Editor, Same Deal
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: Michael Jackson’s weirdest detritus, a photoset

Namaste.

Monday – 27 April 2009
It’s almost 7:30 (at least it was when I started writing this)… and I’ve already been at work for over thirty minutes. And I spent most of my weekend here, as well. But, for the most part, the server room upgrade is done. Thank God… because we’re all beat. Dog tired. Worn out. We are the walking dead today. We’re expecting a few minor issues, but hopefully, no one will expect lightning response times. (Now, if I can just remember where the cots are stored…)

Stray Toasters

• This morning, I am thankful for a large frozen mocha with a triple-shot of espresso.
  (Whether they know it or not, so are my coworkers…)
• I have caught up with yet another schoolmate – and one of my favorite people from school – on Facebook.
• JoS A. Bank is having another sale.
• Apple and Verizon consider iPhone deal
• The NFL Draft is over.  USAToday has graded the teams’ draft picks as:
  • Baltimore Ravens: B-
  • Carolina Panthers: C
  • Cincinnati Bengals: B
  • Cleveland Browns: B
  • Miami Dolphins: C
  • Minnesota Vikings: C+
  • Oakland Raiders: F
  • Tampa Bay Bucanneers: D+
• G.E.’s Breakthrough Can Put 100 DVDs on a Disc
• 
• So you think you’re having a bad day?  Check out FMyLife.com… then reconsider.
• Chrysler and Union Agree to Deal Before Federal Deadline
• Enter Theatergoers, Gently Welcomed

Namaste.

Sunday – 26 April 2009
Day Three of the Great Server Room Upgrade Saga is going to begin soon.

<sarcasm>
WHEEEE!
</sarcasm>

Things are proceeding apace, but we still have “a few” hours’ work ahead of us. On the plus side, we made some serious progress yesterday and the server room – aside from being a bit cluttered and messy – looks like… well… a server room. However, that doesn’t mean that I won’t be happy to see this project in the rear view mirror.

To say that I was “tired” last night, would be something of an understatement. I came in and just collapsed on the floor. After a hot soak and bath (complete with a little bit of Queen & Country), dinner (Rumbi Grill) and dessert (Red Mango), I felt pretty close to “human” again.

Stray Toasters

• The Ravens picked up OT Michael Oher and DE Paul Kruger (thanks, !) in the first two rounds of the NFL Draft.
• Drug Company Merck Drew Up Doctor “Hit List”
• Maude and Golden Girls actress Bea Arthur died at 86
• 
• 4 Things to Consider Before You Try to Join the Amish
• The Making of the PlayStation

“Time to make the donuts…”

Namaste.

Saturday – 25 April 2009
It’s 7:00 and I’m already at work. Day Two of Server Room Weekend begins.  We’ll see how this goes…

Stray Toasters

• NFL Draft 2009
• Man, 84, fends off attackers
  It should pretty much go without saying that he’s my Human of the Day
• , this one’s for you: Your Day Can’t Possibly Be as Bad as Richard Simmons’
• Improving the Abilities of Bionic Arm Patients
• GM Ready to Scrap Pontiac Brand

And here we go…

Namaste.

Today was “Sushi Wednesday.” We took Chad (yet another coworker) with us; he’s been wanting to try sushi for a while, but the timing was never good for him.  Until today. He liked it, for the most part – there were a few things that he wasnt crazy over. That happens.

After lunch, loonybin88 and I took a field trip to pick up some supplies for this weekend’s server room work. If there’s a “plus” to working on Saturday (aside from getting paid), it’s that the weather is supposed to take a dive again. “Supposed to” being the key words in that phrase.

Stray Toasters

• While discussing lunch plans today, I posted “Red Five, standing by…” as a response. That led to Jeff posting a link to this. We all got a good laugh from it.
• Caution Signs Endangered Movie Characters Really Need
• I think I might take a post-work nap when I get home.
• Robert Rodriguez Confirms Predator Series Reboot
• Google Calendar + Calaboration + iCal = WIN!
• Woman thanks her lucky bra as it saves her from a bullet

Namaste.

Thursday – 23 April 2009
Another NBN Thursday begins. It’s not quite as bright and sunny as the past couple of days have been, but it’s supposed to get into the 80s. And, this morning’s commute started with Limelight… so, that can’t be all bad.

I picked up yesterday’s four-color haul after dinner last night; I haven’t read anything yet. I might get to that this evening, post-CSI:.

Last night, SaraRules finished a new quilt and I finished up both the Mayhem Rail platform and the WildWood Grove chapel. I stuck them both on the masterboard… and I took pictures. (Big surprise, I know. But, I did.) I still need to do some of the interior props for the chapel, but I’m happy with the way the exterior turned out. And, there’s something about having an 18 square foot play area that amuses me.

Stray Toasters

• SaraRules made banana bread. (You can be jealous now.)
• Queen Rania: The World Cannot Afford to be Cynical
• The NFL Draft begins tomorrow.
• Could YOU Be Batman? Here’s How You’d Do It.
• Historic St. Louis Schools Face Uncertain Future
• 
• A Eulogy for the Boombox
• From the “Paging Mr. Cobblepot…” file: Bionic penguins take to the water – and the skies
• Pentagon Cyber-Command in the Works
• Star Wars cupcakes

Namaste.

Wednesday – 22 April 2009
It’s Earth Day.

It’s also Administrative Professionals’ Day.

Last night, SaraRules had Book Club, so I spent a fair portion of the evening finishing up the chapel for Wildwood Grove and assembling a train stop for Mayhem Rail. I like the way that the chapel turned out; I still need to do a little work on the rail station, but it’s coming along nicely. Pictures will follow… eventually.

Stray Toasters

• ‘Deeper’ recession ahead says IMF
• Opening Skinner’s Box: ten psych experiments that remade the world
• The Geeks’ Guide to World Domination
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: Gummy Bacon
• 
• Mission Impossible: The Code Even the CIA Can’t Crack, by way of
• 747 converted to a restaurant, then abandoned
• From NPR Music: Puccini’s ‘La Boheme’ At Its Best
• Star Trek’s Beast Master Reveals How to Create a Monster

Namaste.

Tuesday – 21 April 2009
Another sunny and warm day in the valley. It was even warm enough for me to leave home without a jacket! (Of course, I had an extra jacket already in the car. Just in case…)

Last night, came over for dinner. SaraRules fixed chicken and dumplings… and they were delicious, as usual. We sat, ate and chatted away the better part of the evening. ‘Twas good.

Stray Toasters

• Holocaust Remembrance Day marked
• LEGO Rock Band unveiled, slated for ’09 release
• Prelate Derek sent me a link to a tongue-in-cheek look at the appeal of Twilight‘s Edward called Midnight Sun: Edward Undone
• First Look: New Robin Hood on point with ‘Gladiator’
• UN puts global treasures online
• Inevitable Betrayal t-shirt
• sent a link: Cassini’s continuing mission – The Big Picture
• J.J. Abrams on the Magic of Mystery

Namaste.

Monday – 20 April 2009
Another work week begins.  Today, they are putting new cooling units for our server room on the roof. There’s a crane out in the parking lot and they are getting it set to move the coolers and their frame. Pictures to follow at some point today.

Last night, SaraRules and I had Logan over for dinner. SaraRules fixed a tasty chicken mole. We watched Infernal Affairs as we ate. It was the movie upon which Martin Scorsese’s The Departed was based. This version left a few more things “open for interpretation” than The Departed. I’m not sure which version I prefer; both of them stand on their own merits.

I also started assembling the chapel from Wildwood Grove. I decided to put it on a foamcore board, which meant that I had to figure out where I wanted it to go on its base before I could begin the main assembly job. I left a little space behind the chapel for figures to walk around (or, more to the point: “hide behind”). Next up is to finish the roof and steeple. I should be done with it later tonight. Then, I’ll work on the rail station.

Stray Toasters

• I have a new tuxedo… and two new suits. Having retired my old tux (and given it to The Salvation Army), I have been looking for one for a few months. Joseph A. Bank had a “Buy One Suit, Get Two Suits Free” sale this weekend; I jumped all over it. Now I just need to get the pants hemmed.
• Garden impossible
• Apple aired four new Get A Mac ads over the weekend. Thanks to for pointing them out.
• Cold War Bunker Becomes Modern Mansion
• ‘How to Talk to Girls’ author, 10, juggles life, school, more
• US marks 10 years since Columbine
• I hit some weird key combination and wound up publishing this before I was ready.  ::: EDIT :::
• Reaching out, lifting up: Prison ministry now Dungy’s priority
• Gaiman’s “Blueberry Girl”: A benediction for a girl’s happy life
  When Neil Gaiman came to SLC a few years ago, he read this. He asked that people who were recording the event to please turn off all recording devices, as it was something that had a special sentiment and he didn’t want it showing up “everywhere.”
• Brazil cracks down on sat-hackers who bounce ham signals off US military satellites

Now: Back to work.
Tonight: Dinner with SaraRules and .

Namaste.

Friday – 17 April 2009
Another 9/80 “off” Friday has begun. I managed to sleep in until a little after 9:00 this morning. That was nice. After a quick bite to eat, SaraRules and I headed to the gym to get in a workout. Today’s routine included:

• Leg Press: 3 sets/10 reps, 140 lbs
• Kick-backs: 3 sets/10 reps, 60 lbs
• Calf Raises: 3 sets/10 reps, 100 lbs
• Bench Press: 3 sets/10 reps
  • 2½ sets @ 205 lbs
  • ½ set @ 185 lbs
• Fly: 3 sets/10 reps, 110 lbs
• Curl w/ Shoulder Press: 3 sets/10 reps, 20 lbs
• Bent-over Row: 3 sets/10 reps, 35 lbs
• Tricep Extension (rope): 3 sets/10 reps, 45 lbs

Post-workout weight: 182.5 lbs.

We also ran into Josh, a former coworker, while in the free weight room. That was a pleasant and unexpected surprise.

Stray Toasters

• I wound up getting the Mayhem Rail and Wildwood Grove sets for my masterboard. With the other corners that I have, I can fully populate two city blocks… and then some.
• SaraRules showed me LEGO Chocolate Wedding Favors.  (If only I could find some LEGO  ice trays…)
• forwared a link to Uncomfortable Plot Summaries
• For those of you in the SLC metro area:

  
  (click image for details)

• Obama Proposes High-Speed Rail System for the US
• Motorized LEGO Mech
• CIA Officials Won’t Face Charges for Waterboarding
• Green Lantern to film in Australia in November
• 
• How did Batman’s alter ego, Bruce Wayne, get his name? Find out here (about halfway down the page).
• Trendsetters on the Streets of New York: Then and Now
• Faster Than a Speeding Bullwhip: Superman Creator’s Kinktastic Art
• 

  (click image to read the Brothers Brick article)

• From NPR Music:
  • Bringing Up Baby, As Music Lovers Might
  • How Do You Get to Carnegie Hall? YouTube, YouTube, YouTube
• Device Keeps Lungs Breathing Outside Body

Next up: Errand-running and miscellaneous stuff.
Later: Clitorati

Namaste.

Thursday – 16 April 2009
After the rain and snow that we received yesterday, it’s sunny (with high clouds) today. There’s a rumor that it’s actually supposed to be “nice” this weekend. We shall see…

Last night was a relatively lazy, low-key night. I started cutting a second masterboard for a new ‘Clix city block. Mmm, 6’x3′ playing area… I think that this one will include a railroad. Just because. I should also figure out what else I want on the block, building-wise. I have… 6 corners available; I am considering picking up the Mayhem Rail and either Wildwood Grove or the Mayhem Police Department sets.

Stray Toasters

• John Madden (yes, THAT “John Madden”) is retiring. (1, 2)
• I am connected to yet another high school classmate on Facebook. I’m finding it both weird and good to catch up with folks I haven’t seen/talked with in many years.
• Commentary: April 15 is patriots’ day.
  This use for “Patriots’ Day” is one that I can get behind.
• Sexy Star Trek Dossier Gives Your Enterprise Crew Run Down
• As part of the server room upgrades, they are doing some electrical work. There’s a worker not too far from my desk who is cutting conduit with a hacksaw. (“You can do a lot with a hacksaw…”) He was using very short and rapid movements to cut the conduit; my first thought went immediately to Charlie Daniels’ playing at the opening and chorus of The Devil Went Down to Georgia.
• Is Your Mood a Result of Where You Live?
• Showing that there’s more to Sweden than just IKEA and Volvo: Swedish church unveils LEGO statue of Jesus Christ
• Thanks to Rachel for pointing this out:

  

• Strip search review tests limits of school drug policy
• By way of MarknTyme: Homemade Wall of Death (video)
• Emerald Night (And, for the record, it has nothing to do with Green Lanterns)
• Florida to Build Solar-Powered City

Madden… retiring…
Wow.

Namaste.