Random Access

Thursday – 07 June 2012
Not only is today NBN Thursday, it is also my mother’s birthday:

And, it is also the day that Diana turns 9-months-old:

To celebrate the day, the girls get to go for another visit to the pediatrician… which means: Shots! (Which also means “Cranky children this afternoon.”) Yay.

::: INTERLUDE :::

Well, as it turns out, the girls did not have to get shots today. But, they will be getting four at their one-year check-up. (Joy of joys.) On the plus side, we found out that their pediatrician’s office will be moving… to our neighborhood right before that visit. So, I guess that means the offices will still have that new car office smell.

Stray Toasters

• Dresden Codak’s X-Men Reboot
• Thanks to my friend, Sunny, for pointing out this story: From scrubbing floors to Ivy League: Homeless student to go to dream college
• And, on the other side of the spectrum: Ohio school withholds diplomas for excess cheering
• 
• MST3K robots in LEGO
• Cat Bowl-Sized Gardens
• The Gardens of Paspas

Yeah, that’s good for now.

Namaste.

Wednesday – 06 June 2012
Midweek.
New comics day.
Pasta and Movie Date Night… maybe.

Yesterday, the destruction of the grotto demolition of the gazebo was complete. There’s now just a slight depression (and a little debris) where the gazebo once stood. Pictures here. Now, we just need to decide what we want to do with the space.

Last night, Logan and Sanaz came over to watch the girls so that SaraRules! and I could have an actual, out-of-the-house date night. It was glorious. We went to see The Avengers – second time for me, first time for SaraRules… and it was just as much fun the second time around. While she enjoyed the movie, I had to ‘splain a few things about characters to SaraRules! after the movies. (Comics, go figure.) But, it was a great way to spend a Tuesday evening.

And, yesterday also saw a notable dip in temperatures around here.  It was in the upper 90s on Monday; yesterday barely made 60.  And last night, we actually had to turn on the furnace. Yeah. Welcome to June in Utah.

Stray Toasters

• Sci-fi legend Ray Bradbury dies
• The pros and cons of living with your significant other
• Are you a tabletop gamer? Do you use terrain for your miniature games? Would you like custom terrain? You should check out Children of Mercury.
• The New Internet Starts Now
• These two strips made me laugh:
  …and…
  
• High Blood Caffeine Levels in Older Adults Linked to Avoidance of Alzheimer’s Disease
• A Brief History of Video Games
• Cablox
• Army Scientists Build a Better Battery
• 
• Dull and Boring? Not anymore for Scottish village and US town
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Russian Millionaire Hurls Money Paper Airplanes from Office Window, Starts Riot
• These Incredible LEGO Beasts Liven Up Iowa State’s Reiman Gardens

Namaste.

Monday – 04 June 2012
A new week is here.

The weekend was good – and fairly busy – weekend. We started with a pancake breakfast/car show, supporting the local Boy Scout troop. Next, SaraRules! went to quilt club while I stayed home with Team DiVa. After she got back, I headed out to judge a ‘Clix tourney. And, if that wasn’t enough: We also attended a friend’s birthday party.

Saturday night has now unofficially become “Action Movie Saturday Date Night.” We didn’t know what we wanted to watch, so we left it up to the Fickle Finger of Fate method of “Hey, what does Netflix have to offer?” We wound up watching Trollhunter:

It was surprisingly fun. And funny. We went into it with no real expectations or assumptions, but were quite well entertained by the time the credits rolled. I also found that I liked what they did with some of the mythology of the creatures.

Sunday was a little more relaxed… although it did start early: We hit the Wasatch Front Farmers Market. The rest of the day was spent mostly hanging out with SaraRules! and Team DiVa. I wrapped up the evening upgrading my game box from Windows XP to Windows 7. Finally. And by “upgrading,” I mean “I did a clean install on a bigger hard drive.” Now, I just need to reinstall the games. And remember to copy my bookmarks over.

And, speaking of Team DiVa:

Diana (in her custom Batgirl onesie)

Vanessa (in her custom Flash onesie)

Stray Toasters

• Air Force’s First Female Combat Pilot Becomes Wing Commander
• That makes me find the timing of  this item about wage disparity from The White House rather amusing.
• Every Black Hole Contains a New Universe
• My mother-in-law was singing Froggy Went A-Courting to the girls the other day and I realized that the tune was somewhat familiar: It was the same as The Crawdad Song (You Get a Line, I’ll Get a Pole).
• The Sartorialist
• 
• The Horrifying Truth Behind Pixar’s Cars Universe
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Westlake: ‘Cleaning Fairy’ breaks into houses, leaves cleaning bill
• Does this sound at all familiar…?
  
• I am really enjoying this season of Young Justice. They have taken some unexpected – and well-plotted – turns.
• Railfest 2012 (UK)
• By way of Melissa: That Song Sounds Like
• Open-source human genomes

Namaste.

Friday – 01 June 2012
A new month is upon us. Among other things, this means that I need to get to the Hallmark store and pick up a couple of important birthday cards.

We haven’t done anything new/else with the decking of the gazebo. Yet. But, maybe I’ll be able to get to it sometime in the next few days.

Team DiVa, on the other hand, continue to be adorable and entertaining.

Diana (l) and Vanessa

I’m hoping to get a new video of them doing what they do posted soon.

SaraRules! and I watched Blade Runner: The Final Cut the other night. After catching the tail end of the movie on cable a couple of weeks ago, we both realized that neither of us had seen the full movie in years. So… watched it. And it was good.

Stray Toasters

• Straight out of the “When Worlds Collide” file: I was reading Avengers vs. X-Men #4 this morning while having my morning coffee. Some people read the newspaper, I read comics. Sue me. This issue includes some of Marvel’s “Augmented Reality” or “AR” technology, which basically means that you hold up a smartphone or tablet with the appropriate app to a panel with the AR logo and you get either additional content. One particular panel featured a brief talk by Dr. Michael Shara– Curator, Department of Astrophysics, Division of Physical Sciences at the American Museum of Natural History – on what it would take to destroy a planet.

  The name struck a familiar chord in my memory, but I was just unsure enough to have to verify what I was thinking. After a few rounds on Google I confirmed what I had suspected: Dr. Shara was my Astronomy professor at Johns Hopkins about 20 years ago.

• Noah’s Ark Is a Sustainable Floating City for the Post-Apocalyptic World
• The Accidental Asshole: Pinpoint How You’re Annoying People and Do Something About It
• 
• We now know which DC Comics character is being reintroduced as gay. James Robinson, author of Earth 2, not only has a solid track record for writing gay characters, it seems as though he was the first to actually script a gay kiss in mainstream comics, in 1988.
• The Discerning Man’s Guide to Summer Style
• Shopping Guide: The Ultimate Warm-Weather Blazer
• 
• Bottle Cap Blues
• The History of Pigeon Camera Photography
• 
• Japan’s Hidden Tropical Island: Aogashima

And with that, I’m off to save the world.
Or destroy it.
Or something in between…

Namaste.

Wednesday – 23 May 2012
Midweek is upon us again. That means new comics and Movie Date Night.

It rained this morning. I’m sure that my lawn appreciates that, especially since I’m having… issues… with the two zones in my back yard. Nothing insurmountable (I hope), but a little annoying nevertheless.

Last night, for the first time in five months (according to Foursquare), I went to the gym. Yeah, I know: Five months. This morning I was a little sore. But it was good and it was worth it:

• Elliptical: 15 minutes, 1.5 miles
• Lower Back Extensions: 3 sets/12 reps
• Bench Press: 3 sets/8 reps, 135 lbs
• Curls (dumbbell, seated): 3 sets/10 reps, 20 lbs
• Flys (dumbbell, bench): 3 sets/8 reps, 20 lbs
• Compound Row: 3 sets/10 reps, 100 lbs

Not surprisingly, my muscles were “a little” tired by the time I was done. But, I was glad that I went. And glad for a couple of ibuprofen this morning, too.

Stray Toasters

• My friend, Sunny, posted a link to these: Kitchen Power Grommet
  I think I covet these a little. Too bad I don’t current have a home improvement project for which I could justify them.
• Black Mormons and the Politics of Identity
• Air Force One airfare: $179,750 per hour
• Covet: Round 2 – The Command Center Workspace
• 
• Inspired by The Avengers:
• Avengers-Inspired Eye Makeup for Those With a Super Steady Hand
• Avengers-themed cocktails
• Seriously cute dresses inspired by costumes from The Avengers
• …and, in a related note: The Official Cinematic Avengers Timeline
• From The Big Picture: A wildfire that forced authorities to temporarily close a section of U.S. Highway 34 east of Yuma County, Colo. This wildfire caused at least a half-million dollars’ worth of damage on Colorado’s plains was sparked by a power line snapped by strong winds, according to a report on March 23. (Tony Rayl/Yuma Pioneer via Associated Press)
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file:
• Police: Group Staples Roommate’s Lips Shut, Tortures Him with Power Tool
• Bride who faked cancer ordered to repay donors
• Relive Your Childhood with These Nostalgic Wallpapers from Your Youth

Namaste.

Tuesday – 22 May 2012
Today’s another sunny day in the valley.
Tomorrow, however, there’s rain in the forecast, long with a nearly 15 degree drop in temperature. Yay.

There will (hopefully) be a new Adventure Babies: Team DiVa video short in the next few days… if I can catch them doing one of their new cute habits.

Stray Toasters

• Experts explain why PSA test is not worth risk
• There’s a rumour going around that I might actually go to the gym this evening. (I started it.)
• A ‘Leap’ forward in gesture-control interfaces?
• Tracking the Junk Food the World Eats After Dark
• Are Bananas Really as Bad For You as Cookies?
• 
• Lucasfilm Retreats in Battle with Wealthy Neighbors
  I’d read about this last week, but wanted to get a second verifying source.
• Miles Davis: his wardrobe, his wit, his way with a basketball…
• Stuff and things. Yadda Yadda Yadda.
  (Not to be confused with Boom De Yada or Boom De Yada.
• Engineering Infrastructures for Humans
• I skimmed over a new ad for DC Super Heroes: LEGO Batman 2 and thought that LEGiOn of Super-Heroes would make a great game. Hey, a guy can dream.
• Hitchhiking Director John Waters Picked Up in Ohio by Indie Rock Band
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Baby trapped in tumble dryer after ‘joke’ goes wrong.
  (Also, the child was in a washing machine, not a dryer. And, no, that doesn’t make it any better.)  I’m glad that the child in this story is reported to be fine, but I have nothing “good” to say/think about the father in this video. Seriously, what kind person puts his child in a washing machine?!  Even as a “joke.” As my father would say, “That doesn’t even make good crazy peoples’ sense.”
• Cake Wrecks. ‘Nuff said.
• The history of the U.S. electric grid

Namaste.

Tuesday – 15 May 2012
Huh.  It’s been a week since my last post. And there have been goings-on… which is to be somewhat expected, as seven days have gone by.

The biggest happening is: I resigned last week. And it was good. I’m going to miss the people. (And possibly the view from my window, but they are looking at moving fairly soon, so the view was going away anyway.)

The next biggest happening was that Sunday was Mother’s Day. More specifically, it was SaraRules!’ first chance to celebrate Mother’s Day as a mother.

We had a fairly quiet morning at home, and then dropped the girls off at the in-laws’ while SaraRules! and I went to the Utah Opera performance of Of Mice and Men. It was my third American opera; I was cautiously optimistic, as I was one-and-one on American opera to this point. My optimism was rewarded. I enjoyed the performance.

And, just in case you needed more Team DiVa cuteness:

Stray Toasters

• Diablo III has been released. I’m not playing it (yet), but I look forward to seeing my friends return when some of the “shiny” wears off.
• Sandwich celebrates 250th anniversary of the sandwich
• The Best Films You Never Want to See Again
• Why Nikola Tesla was the greatest geek who ever lived
• Combining one of my favorite literary works and LEGO: Mihai’s Inferno: The 9 circles of Hell made in LEGO
• Finnish court rules open WiFi network owner not liable for infringement
• 
• Boys Forfeit Baseball Game at Catholic School Because of Girl
• NASA trains astrounauts for asteroid mission
• Ask Chris #105: Batman, ‘Die Hard,’ and Super-Heroes’ Favorite Movies
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Moonshiners’ cow shoes
• How close to reality are the androids in Aliens and Prometheus?

Namaste.

Tuesday – 08 May 2012
It’s Tuesday.

Yesterday was Diana’s 8-month-birthday; today is Vanessa’s:

Vanessa (l) and Diana

Today is also my stepmother and brother’s birthday:

And, it’s also Teacher Appreciation Week.

This past weekend was a busy one. This isn’t to say that it wasn’t also fun, but it was definitely busy. I could have used another day to recuperate. Or something like that.

Friday, I had hoped to get a chance to nap while the girls were having their post-lunch siesta, but that didn’t come to pass… mostly because they didn’t take naps. So, when I went back to work, I was tired. After returning home from work, I was still tired. The evening was rather low-key, spent mostly Fringe and helping SaraRules! make superhero onesies for the twins:

She had already made the GL one, but has asked my help in getting the emblems for Batman, Wonder Woman and The Flash. I thought – briefly – about trying to hand-draw them. Then I had a minor epiphany: I could use my Silhouette to cut the shapes. I downloaded images of each emblem, imported them into Silhouette Studio and did a test cut. They came out better than I had expected. So, we were ready to do the cuts on the masking paper. The picture above shows how they turned out.

Saturday, SaraRules! had brunch with her friend, Sara(NotSaraRules!), so I got to spend a couple of solo hours with Team DiVa. After SaraRules! and Sara(NotSaraRules!) returned, I got ready to head to Dr. Volt’s for Free Comic Book Day. At The Avengers premiere, I made an agreement with Dave (the owner of Dr. Volt’s) that if he came to FCBD as Dr. Who – Matt Smith version, with fez! – that I would come as Green Lantern. So, when I showed up at the store like this:

Dave gave me a bit of flak. Until I turned down the collar of my shirt to reveal the GL costume underneath:

It was the first time that I’d gone to an FCBD event dressed in a costume… let alone two costumes… but it was made even more fun and worth it, because a few kids came up to me and asked if they could have pictures with me.

And remember those superhero onesies I mentioned? Well, the twins wore them to their first Free Comic Book Day:

Sunday, we met up with the Kelly clan for a picnic at Liberty Park.

The reason: Celebrating Logan’s graduation with his Doctorate in Pharmacy.  It was a little brisk if you weren’t in the sun, but it was an otherwise excellent day. And fun.

Monday was… Monday. (As Mondays are wont to be). It included quality time with SaraRules! and Team DiVa, which is never a bad thing. It also included a couple of changes to the status quo which should yield good things.  After the girls were asleep, SaraRules! and I wound down the evening with burgers that I cooked on the grill,  TopGear and Castle.

Stray Toasters

• ‘Where The Wild Things Are’ author Maurice Sendak dies
• Fresh Air Remembers Author Maurice Sendak
• RIP, Maurice Sendak
• Paralysed Claire Lomas completes London Marathon
• 
• Hilary Hahn and Hauschka: Bounce Bounce
• Simulating Mars in Austria
• Does suffering suggest the cause of all our little questions
  The answer was not coming soon she paused for reflection
• Legendary Steam Locomotive Celebrates Union Pacific’s 150th Anniversary
• 
• From the “Science!” file: Air is mightier than eight Frenchmen
• Fan Recreates ‘The Avengers’ Weapons Using LEGO Bricks
• Blueseed: Silicon Valley’s visa-free offshore startup community

Namaste.

Thursday – 03 May 2012
It’s another NBN Thursday in the valley.

This morning, Diana decided that 6:20 was a good time to wake up. She’d managed to roll herself onto her stomach again. I rolled her over and put her blanket back on her and hoped that she’d knock out for another half-hour to hour.

No go, Flight.

She played in her crib until I 6:50. (And, yes, she’d inverse-turtled herself a couple more times by then.) When I went in, Vanessa was also up; I decided to turn on their light, do their morning diaper change and start their day.

And then, I started mine.

Last night, SaraRules! and I watched Royal Wedding for our Date Night movie. I’d gotten the movie from Netflix “a while ago,” mostly because I wanted to see Astaire’s famous dance around a hotel room:

I wasn’t disappointed. For a 60-year-old effect, it was pulled off very well. And the movie itself was rather light-hearted and fun and a good way to spend the evening.

|| PAUSE ||

Mornings were always rough, not that Carl would admit it to anyone. Mornings always reminded him that she wasn’t there to share the new day with him. He looked at the other side of the bed and ran his hand over the spot where she used to lay. “Good morning, sweetheart,” he said. He swung his feet out of bed and sat up. He paused, hands on his knees, before standing up. A yawn – one that sounded more like a wild bear’s growl – forced its way to freedom.  He scratched his chin, stood and shuffled to the bathroom.

A few minutes later, Carl made his way downstairs. He stopped in front of the cluster of pictures at the bottom of the stairway. He reached up and touched the picture in the silver frame. Her picture. He smiled… and his heart ached a little. He stood there a moment before continuing on to the kitchen. He fixed a bowl of oatmeal while waiting for his coffee to brew. When breakfast was ready, he sat at the small table and ate. He looked out the window and watched as people headed to wherever they were going. Work? Home? Vacation? He shrugged. He didn’t really care. They were just going places.

After breakfast, he went back upstairs and got dressed. He didn’t have anywhere to go, but Carl had never been one to just sit around in his bedclothes all day. It just didn’t seem right. He came back downstairs and sat down in his comfy chair. He turned to look out the window, watching another little slice of the world passing by.

Adventure is out there, he thought. But not for me. Not today.

> PLAY >

Stray Toasters

• ‘The Scream’ Is Auctioned for a Record $119.9 Million
• Testing spacesuits beneath the Earth’s surface
• Cancer Patients Transformed By Gorgeous Henna Dome Designs
• 
• ‘Supermoon’ coming this Saturday
• Stompy Is Coming – Project Hexapod
• Former NFL star Junior Seau dead in apparent suicide
• From the “Whiksey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file:
• Woman buys tampons stuffed with cocaine at local store
• Tennessee man jailed for using old $50 bill
• Prosecutor rates ‘Law & Order: SVU’ episodes for technical accuracy
• Cybercrime as a Tragedy of the Commons

Namaste.

Wednesday – 02 May 2012
‘Tis midweek once more.

Last night after dinner SaraRules! went to her book club and I hung out at home with the sleeping Team DiVa. By the time that I’d finally finished cleaning baby bottles and putting dishes in the dishwasher – after mostly chatting with friends online – SaraRules! came home. We watched the second part of the Hawaii Five-O/NCIS: Los Angeles crossover and then I played a little MW3 with a coworker.  All-in-all, a low-key evening.

|| PAUSE ||

Waiting.

She didn’t like being kept waiting. Yet, here she was. And here she’d been for ten minutes longer than she’d told herself that she would wait. She glanced at her watch. Again. Typical, she thought. She reached for her glass, turning it slowly on the coaster before bringing it to her lips. Five more minutes…

She watched the other people in the r0om. There were a few couples, but mostly small groups. She also noted a few people obviously enjoying dinner at their company’s expense. None of her concern, really. It wasn’t her money, after all.

She glanced at the clock at the far end of the room. That’s it. She started pushing her chair back from the table as someone rushed past her in a flurry of arms, fabric and a hastily-spoken apology/excuse of some sort. She looked behind her, to see if the aisle was clear. Turning to her front, she saw that the chair across from her was no longer empty.

“Hi,” said the new arrival with a nonchalant grin. “Sorry I’m a little late.”

A little..?!  She stared back, impassive. “We agreed on 8:30.”

“True. True. But, you’re still here. And I’m here now.” He turned up the grin a little.

“Yes, you are. But, unfortunately, you are late. And I am leaving. Good night.” She stood and began to turn.

“But… Okay. Fine. I’m late.” He lowered his voice, “But, you still need someone… to get something… from somewhere.” He punctuated his statement with air quotes. A touch archaic – and definitely melodramatic – but he found himself in a playful mood. Sure this was business, but why shouldn’t he have a little fun, too?

She turned to face him. “I do. But you are no longer that someone. Once again, good night.” She walked towards the exit.

> PLAY >

Stray Toasters

• Somehow, I managed to forget that today was new comics day. It dawned on me just before lunch.
• John Constantine finally debuts as a HeroClix figure. And, yes, add it to The Covet List.
  
• Earth 2 Lets James Robinson Re-Invent DC Comics’ Biggest Superheroes
• By way of SaraRules!: Shaquille O’Neal Earns Ph.D. in Education
• Thank you, emmet swimming.
• How to Fix All of Your Biggest YouTube Annoyances
• The 8 Most Sexually Awkward Moments in Comic Book History
  This article is full of amusing comments, but these were near the top of the list:

  This terribly awkward adventure begins when Superman realizes that he and Batman are both pretty stressed from all that saving-the-world nonsense they do every day, so he invites Batman over for a goddamn sleepover at the Fortress of Solitude to discuss their feelings and have pillow fights and so forth. Batman accepts, because dealing with stressful situations in an emotionally healthy way has always been a trademark of Batman.

  …and…

  The main problem with this is that the Iron Man armor is one of the most powerful weapons on Earth and is now being controlled by a mind only a few hours old that, oh by the way, also shows signs of being hopelessly in love with Tony. It’s like an obsessed Twilight fan following Robert Pattinson around all day in a tank that could fly.

• More than meets the blue eye: You may all be related
• Birch beer!

Namaste.

Monday – 30 April 2012
A new work week begins as April ends.

This morning, Diana decided to wake up around 5:30. I thought it somewhat odd, as she took fairly short naps yesterday and fell asleep fairly easily last night. While she’s been “inchworming” herself backwards for the past few weeks, she’s recently started rolling over in her sleep, from her back to her stomach. When she wakes, this distresses her for some reason. Usually, we can turn her back over and she’ll nod off again. But, sometimes – like this morning – the nodding off takes a while. (Fortunately, she’s pretty good about playing somewhat quietly in her crib.) Still… 5:30.

Meanwhile, Vanessa slept. Until a little after 7:00.

Vanessa (l) and Diana

That aside, this was a good – and busy – weekend. SaraRules’ sister, Meliko, came into town Thursday for Steve’s birthday.

Friday, we went to Pat’s Barbecue for lunch. It was quite good. (Typing that, I just realized that I have leftovers that would have been perfect for lunch today…) Then, it was home for the girls’ nap. Later in the day, we headed over to Steve and Bonne’s for dinner.

Friday evening, I swung by SteamHead Cafe for their grand opening. They had a great turnout. Some of the Clitorati group were there, so there were familiar faces, too.

Saturday was another busy day. I was set to judge the April “Infinity Gauntlet” ‘Clix tournament for Dr. Volt’s Comic Connection. Or most of it, anyway. It turned out that I was double-booked: Red Butte Garden was having a Beginners Bonsai class that coincided with their Bonsai Show and competition (pictures) and I had signed up for the class. It was instructional and informative, but there was not a hands-on component.

By the time I got back to Dr. Volt’s they’d already finished the tournament. So, I headed home… just in time to watch Team DiVa, while SaraRules! fixed dinner.

Sunday, we got up and met the Kelly clan at Millcreek Cafe and Eggworks for breakfast before Meliko had to leave. After breakfast, SaraRules! and I had planned a pilgrimage to The Garden of Sweden, but we forgot that it didn’t open until noon. We got there just after 11 AM.

*shakes fist*

So, we took a leisurely drive around the valley and wound up at Pin-up Girl Espresso. We did make it to IKEA, after the girls’ lunch and all-too-brief naps. And then, up to the in-laws’ for dinner. I wound up the evening with episodes of Firefly, Young Justice and The Legend of Korra.

|| PAUSE ||

He stared at the twin vases on his desk. They were, generally speaking, rather non-descript. Glass. Round. Six inches tall. The only difference between them was that one was filled with glass beads, the other only had one.

“Twenty-nine,” he said to the empty room.

He’d been pondering this idea for a while, almost a month. He leaned forward, grabbing the nearly-empty vase, and turned it upside-down. The lone glass bead dropped to his desk. He watched as it wobbled and finally came to a rest. He reached forward, returning the empty vase to its home. He sat back in his chair, staring at the bead. Not surprisingly, the bead didn’t have much to say.

A lopsided grin crossed his lips. He batted the bead across the desktop a few times before picking it up. He stood and walked around to the front side of the desk. He dropped the bead into the full vase.

“Thirty.”

He inhaled deeply, turned and walked out the door.

> PLAY >

Stray Toasters

• Where Nations Debate, Harmony of a Jazzy Kind
• The Spring Suit Upgrade
• Ranking NFL teams’ drafts 1-32
• Holladay arcade brings back nostalgia of classic gaming
• Amid Rural Decay, Trees Take Root in Silos

Namaste.

Thursday – 26 April 2012
It’s another NBN Thursday Technical Friday.

It is also, apparently, National Pretzel Day.

After Tuesday night’s basketball-a-gogo, last night was a much lower-key Pasta and Movie Date Night. SaraRules! chose Midnight in Paris.

I didn’t know what to expect, as I’d only heard “It’s a good movie” from people, but not much else about the movie. It was, in fact, a good movie. It took a number of turns that I didn’t fully expect. Of an even greater surprise: I really enjoyed Owen Wilson’s performance. (He’s usually VERY hit-or-miss for me, much like Will Ferrell.)

I also commented to SaraRules! that this was not only our second consecutive movie that was set in Paris, but it was also a movie that captured two different qualities of the “magic” of Paris as envisioned by their protagonists. And both movies did it well.

Stray Toasters

• Before going to bed last night, I decided to read a few titles from this week’s comics haul. One of the titles was Battle Scars #6 (of 6), in which a new “Nick Fury” was introduced into the Marvel 616 Universe. Strangely, he looks like the Nick Fury from the Marvel Ultimate Universe… who was based (before the fact, actually) on the Nick Fury from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

  Coincidence? I think not.

  And, it also seems that new Nick brought a friend with him: An agent named Coulson. Phil Coulson.

• Black Man’s Killing in Georgia Eludes Spotlight
• I didn’t pay a lot of attention to The White Stripes when they came on the scene. At the beginning of the last football season, during the Ravens’ home opener, 70,000 fans started singing/chanting the hook from Seven Nation Army before the game. More recently, it’s been used as the backing theme on trailers for the upcoming G.I. Joe: Retaliation. Now, whenever I hear the song, it makes me smile. I might have to go back and check out some of their music and give them a fair shake.
• Artists “paint” on dirty car windows
• Is it a bad sign that I find this amusing?
  
• What is CISPA?
• For Galadriel (among others): Vintage 1960s Batman TV show photos
• Senate Passes Plan to Give Postal Service Fiscal Relief
• I was unaware that Cee-Lo covered Kung-Fu Fighting. I’m listening to a House remix of it. Not bad.
• Speaking of remixes, I heard a dubstep remix of Mr. Roboto on the way home from the Jazz game the other night. This morning, I tried to track it down. I wound up going through six (6) versions of the song, but I think I found the one I was looking for.
• NASA: Minivan-sized meteor over California weighed 75 tons

Namaste.

Wednesday – 25 April 2012
It’s the middle of the week… which means that it’s new comics day as well as Movie Date Night.

Last night, Matt, Dave, and I missed our usual Guys’ Night Out activities and, instead, went to see the Utah Jazz take on the Phoenix Suns in a game with major playoff implications: If the Jazz won, they would be in the playoffs. If they lost, Phoenix would have to lose their next game and the Jazz would have to win their next game.

Needless to say, there was a lot of anticipation about this game. What we didn’t know until we got to the Energy Solutions Arena was: Tip-off had been delayed from 7:00 to 8:30, for TNT’s broadcast coverage. On the other hand, this gave us plenty of time to get something to eat. We opted for Settebello Pizzeria Napoletana. And we finished it off with gelato from Capo Gelateria.

Meanwhile, back at the arena, we got to our seats and got ready for the game.

This was my first Jazz game in over 14 years; I haven’t been to one since before I moved out here. Seriously. And it was a great game to attend. The Jazz played well, except for late in the 3rd and early in the 4th quarters. But, they pulled it off with a 100-88 win, clinching a playoff berth.

It was a fun way to spend the evening and a great change of pace for Guys’ Night Out.

Stray Toasters

• Fees and Anger Rise in California Water War
• Give the Gift of Experience
• Number of interracial couples in U.S. reaches all-time high
• 
• Jessica Thom’s Tourette Syndrome Superhero Educates, Entertains and Inspires
• I still need to finish LEGO: Batman. Now, more than ever. Why?  Because they’ve just given me a reason to add LEGO: Batman 2 – DC Super Heroes to The Covet List. What is it?  This:
  
  Yeah, it’s Hal Jordan and not John Stewart, but I’m not going to complain.
• The GQ Guide to Shirting
• This sounds curiously interesting: Leviathan: graphic novel of a gigantic cruise ship lost at sea for 20 years

Namaste.

Friday – 20 April 2012
It’s my “on” Friday. And, it’s also “4/20.” (Insert your own jokes here.)

Last night was my night to fix dinner. After wracking my brain over what to fix, I decided to head up to the local Whole Foods and see what they had in their meat counter. I returned home with four good-sized Parmesan Chicken breasts. While they were in the oven, I prepared some rice in chicken broth (and a little lemon pepper, for flavor). I added a salad for our vegetables and we called it a meal.

We watched Castle while we ate; it was a fun episode, with Nathan Fillion’s Firefly costar, Adam Baldwin, as a guest star. After dinner, I joined a couple of coworkers online and played a little MW3. And had my virtual ass handed to me. Repeatedly. But, it was still fun… despite the ego-bruising.

Stray Toasters

• Girl born with no hands wins national penmanship award
• LEGO + guerilla art = Banksy
• Investigation: Two Years After the BP Spill, a Hidden Health Crisis Festers
• When I first read this strip…
  
  …I wasn’t sure what to say about it. Then I read the commentary that accompanied it:

  An annoying distraction in the gay marriage debate is the idea that it infringes on a parent’s right to leave their kids in the dark about homosexuality. Preserving a kid’s ignorance is a pretty weak argument, unless there’s a truly compelling reason to keep them ignorant… such as a giant bug monster issuing forth from their heads.

  And that’s really every kid’s dream anyway, so I still don’t see what the fuss is about.

  And that, I thought, summed things up nicely.

• By way of Dave: Trains have a long-time, little-known history at HAFB
• Fears Rise That Recovery May Falter in the Spring
• 
• Ultimate Shopping Guide for Men, Spring 2012
• By way of Matt: Facts, 360 B.C. – 2012 A.D.
• The art of Jessica Lynn Gonzalez
• 
• Trojan designed to take screenshot of hotel payment apps
• Breast cancer rules rewritten in ‘landmark’ study
• While I’m an O’s fan, I’m both happy and a little weirded-out by the fact that they are currently atop the AL East.
• Speaking of baseball: Fenway Park is celebrating it centennial season.
• 
• The World’s First Bionic Foot Mimics Flexion to Aid Gait
• The Candle Problem

Namaste.

Thursday – 19 April 2012
It’s a grey and intermittently drizzly NBN Thursday in the valley. Looking into the distance, it looks as though we’ll have clear(er) skies a little later.

Last night was my turn to give the girls their baths. Given how well they did in the hotel tub, we decided to remove the chair from the girls’ baby tub. Diana had a ball, discovering that she could splash in new ways:

Vanessa was more apprehensive at first, but warmed up to the concept after a few minutes:

The next few bath times should be interesting, to say the least.

After Team DiVa was abed, SaraRules! and I watched Hugo for our date night movie. We both knew next to nothing about the film, other than it won awards and that people we knew said that it was good. So, we took a chance…

…and it was totally worth it. It was a fantastic film. I’d heard it described it as “Scorsese’s love story about movies.” And, I’d have to agree – it was definitely a movie about a man’s love and passion for movies. And it was very well done.

Stray Toasters

• TV Emperor of Rock ‘n’ Roll and New Year’s Eve Dies at 82
• How Your Name May Cost You at the Mall
• Oregon Town Weighs a Future With an Old Energy Source: Coal
  The first thing that I thought of when I read this was The Energy Blues.
• 
• Vatican orders crackdown on American nuns
• Which Carriers Have the Fastest 3G and 4G Right Now?
• Anticipating Space Shuttle’s Arrival, Old Warplanes Ship Out

And, it looks as though the sun has finally put in an appearance.