Random Access

Saturday: Coda
I had lunch with at Jitterbug. Then I headed down to hang out with Kate, Perry and the kids for a bit. I left with a few new (to me) ‘Clix – ones of which Perry had spares and I had none.

Around 7:00, I headed to Chris and Mary’s go talk about the new Dark Heresy game that Chris wants to run. We got the bare-bones basics of what our characters would know and then rolled up characters. Tomorrow evening, I’m heading back there to play ‘Clix with Chris and Mark. Hopefully, I will get some ideas about who I want to use in next Saturday’s tournament, too.

Breakfast with the usual suspects. There was some decent people-watching tonight. The conversations were good, too.

Tomorrow, assuming that I’m awake early enough, I intend to join for one of his Sunday morning meditational/inspirational treks. I also plan on getting in some drawing time – I’ve realized that it has been FAR too long since I’ve really done any drawing of note. It’s time to rectify that.

Stray Toasters

• I saw and Uriah while at Jitterbug today. That was a nice surprise.
• According to SaraRules: Aspen is ‘spensive.
• Steve Harvey, from The Original Kings of Comedy DVD:

  The part that always cracks me up about this starts about 2:45 into it… and the song that starts around 5:30 in.

• “Pubic Toupee” and “Black Hole of Misery”
• When I saw this article, it made me a bit sad. I realize that running for political office puts a candidate’s life under scrutiny, but come on… to drive a person out of their home church? That’s a bit too far.
• The upcoming “Secret Invasion” set of HeroClix will include a new Cloak and Dagger figure:



• According to this item, the new set will also see the debut of Power Pack in the game. Yes, Power Pack still holds a happy, warm spot in my comics-loving heart.
• Purple monkey dishwasher.

It’s early and I have to get up later.

Namaste.

In no particular order:

• and I walked over to Dask’s for lunch. When we got to the little shopping center where it is, he noticed that a new restaurant, Cafe Zupas, had opened. We decided to give it a go. It specializes in salads, sandwiches and soups. I had the Honey Bacon Club and it was good.
• is on a roll today. She sent me this:

• , having watched the above video, went on to watch this one… and send a link to me:

• I am looking for a new hard drive for Defiant. I guess that I should get an external HD, too, for use with Time Machine.
• , Mike and I discussed adding a new class to FRPGs/MMos: Barbarian Lush.
• Stormtroopers vs. London Cops

  

Back to it.

I came home with no idea what I wanted to do for dinner. So, rather than decide immediately, I read this week’s four-color haul and did something I haven’t done in a rather long time: I watched an episode of Smallville. I should find the collected seasons of the show.

I finally figured out what I wanted for dinner: A chicken sandwich… from Jitterbug.  It was closed.

Curses!  Foiled again!
*shakes fist*
*twirls moustache*

I drove back towards home, still not 100% sure of what I wanted.  I wound up with fast food.  Better’n nothing, I suppose.  I ate dinner while watching Justice League Unlimited; tonight’s episode was “Doomsday Sanction,” one of the show’s strongest second-season episodes.

I am still not in a mood to do much straightening… so I think I’ll spend some time in Paragon City.

Stray Toasters

• The Joss Whedon-John Cassady run on Astonishing X-Men has come to an end.  They wrapped up the story in a way I never expected.  This was Wizard.com’s Thursday Morning Quarterback take on the story – it’s full of spoilers, so I don’t read it if you have any intention of reading Giant-Sized AXM #1 for yourself.  Warren Ellis will be taking over the writing chores this summer.
• Former Carol Burnett co-star Harvey Korman died today; he also appeared in a few Mel Brooks movies.
• The Star Trek world suffered two blows recently: Joseph Pevney and Alexander Courage both passed away.  Pevney, who died 18 May, directed many fan favorite episodes of Star Trek: TOS.  Alexander Courage, who died on 15 May, composed the theme for the original series.

SaraRules sent me a link to the article Pearls Before Breakfast.

It’s a long article, but reading it kept reminding me of a recurring line from Way of the Peaceful Warrior: “There are no ordinary moments.”

…unfortunately, too many of us treat life as if all moments are all too ordinary.

Thursday – 29 May 2008
A couple of things that started the morning nicely:

1. I Am LEGO



2. Sent to me by CoworkerJG, who knows my proclivity for City of Heroes/Villains:

I think that these were good ways to kick of any NBN Thursday. And this morning’s coffee didn’t hurt, either. Nor did “The Boys in Brazil,” the behind-the-scenes movie from Disc Two of Rush in Rio, made during the Vapor Trails tour, playing on my port side monitor; it’s not only a cool look at what you might not otherwise see or know about putting together a concert and/or a tour, but it’s fun, too.

So, all together, I guess that it would be “No Bad News Sushi and Comic Book ‘Wednesday’,” too.

Stray Toasters

• I am “this close” to ordering a set of HeroClix Giants. It has Colossal Boy and Validus ‘Clix. Must have.
• Terminator Salvation: The Future begins principal photography
• principal != principle
• sent me a link to an article about Nepal abolishing it’s monarchy. In honor of that, I dedicate this Schoolhouse Rock! toon:

  No, it’s not entirely the same thing, but it’s as close as I could get.

• also (indirectly) had to deal with a monkey today:
  

  : there was a goddamn monkey in my yard today
  : O.o
  : while the movers were packing things up
  : Did it get packed into the truck?
  : you assume there was a moving truck
  : Oh.
  : the 9 crates are still in my yard
  : Right.
  Wait…. WHAT?!
  : they have to take them to the airport one by one in a tiny little jeep
  : …
  Wow.
  : yea
  so this little fucker is running around trying to bite the movers
  he climbed inside the crates while they were packing boxes into them
  i was laughing my ass off
  but admittedly
  i was laughing from behind the window inside
  those things are freaking mean

• NBC launches horror anthology series Fear Itself
• Does anyone else remember Tales of the Gold Monkey?
• Private Donor Saves Fermilab
• Update: I bought the ‘Clix Giants.
• Tyranist: James Bond Book Covers
• Ken Jennings, the man who holds the record for the longest winning streak on Jeopardy!, has written a blog post about Mike Allred’s Madman!, whose protagonist is apparently Mormon. I recall reading many rains past that The New Mutants’ Cypher was supposed to be Mormon, but the only other character that I knew was definitely LDS was Dr. Deseret (1, 2) from Will Shetterly’s Captain Confederacy.

/lunch

Namaste.

There are things that I could be doing around here:

• …cleaning up the dining room
• …finish sorting my ‘Clix (including the new ones I picked up last night)
• …cleaning my office and making room for a new desk
• …cooking dinner (although there are leftover Sloppy Joes in the fridge)

…instead, I’m doing none of the above.

were talking about comic books earlier. He’s been asking questions about different characters and even brought up the classic “Who would win if Character X fought Character Y?” question. One of the combos he asked about was Doomsday (the creature that killed Superman) versus Galactus, devourer of worlds. I said Galactus. Hands down. And a very short fight, at that.

Then I looked over at my Galactus ‘Clix.
And tried to remember where my Doomsday ‘Clix is.

versus

I stopped short of getting the figures to duel it out, though. Just barely.

Chew on This: Food for Thought
I have proof that God, in His infinite wisdom, knew what he was doing when he didn’t grant me infinite cosmic power:

Read this article

He must have known that when I read it, I would be compelled to use my power to give Michelle Malkin a telepathic lobotomy. Come ON, people… it’s a scarf. A SCARF!

Is the next thing that someone’s going to get outraged about jeans, if we happen to see a picture of someone we don’t like wearing a certain brand?! But, why stop there? Pants! ANY pants! Let’s get outraged because someone – somewhere – who may or may not be connected to… oh, Hell… ANY organization (not even a terrorist organization)… might be wearing pants!

Dammit, Ethel! Didn’t you see for yourself that (fill in a person/archetype) was wearin’ pants?! PANTS, I say! I’ll be damned and in my grave before I ever wear pants ag’in!

Now, George… don’t say such things. You know there’s nothing wrong with…

Nope! My mind’s made up! I’m never wearin’ the damned fool things ag’in! Ever! Do you think I want ever’body in town thinking that I associate with people like that! Pants-wearing people?! Hell no! My daddy didn’t raise me that way and I’m damn sure not goin’ along with all that foolishness! In fact, I’m goin’ upstairs right now and throwin’ all them pants right out!

That kind of thinking is utterly ridiculous and asinine.

Stray Toasters

• I’m (still) taking suggestions for new musicians/bands to put on my radar.
• Cat Saves Japanese Railway
• Galactus is a force of nature. Well, he’s a cosmic entity (like Phoenix… but not, by the same token.) This goes a long way to explaining normal beings’ perception of him. Sort of like Cthulhu… but without the insanity.
• And, since I brought up Phoenix, this provides a great answer to Jean Grey’s relationship to/with Phoenix:



• Ballmer and Gates Demo Windows 7
  I’m not hawking Windows; I was just amused by some of the mid-article comments/asides.
• Green Beret electrocuted in shower on Iraq base
• Fact: Galactus has been prevented from eating Earth… by Hostess Twinkies.
• MacBook Air sharp enough to slice bread, bone human flesh
• I don’t need a hand-held mixer, but I want one.
• Iron Man Rockets Into Space: For Real

Okay, time to heat up some Sloppy Joes and give some thought to hanging out in Paragon City.

Namaste.

Tuesday – 27 May 2008
The rain is gone.
The boxes are no longer in my car.
SaraRules is on her way to Colorado for summer camp The Aspen Music Festival.

Today’s going pretty well. For today’s workout, I wanted to do a few back-related exercises, as I feel like we’ve been ignoring that area. So, it went a little something like this:

• Leg raises: 3 sets/20 reps
• Bench press: 3 sets/12 reps, 185 lbs
• Reverse fly: 3 sets/10 reps, 82.5 lbs
• Decline press: 3 sets/12 reps – 135 lbs (first and third sets), 155 lbs (second set)
• Rows (standing, barbell, close grip handle): 3 sets/12 reps – 45 lbs (first set), 70 lbs (second and third sets)
• Leg raises: 3 sets/10 reps
• Back extensions: 2 sets/12 reps

All-in-all it was a good workout. Today’s weigh-in weight: 174.4 lbs.

Stray Toasters

• I’ve been trying to convince a coworker to buy a (at least one) MacBook. He’s considering it.
• Pain Lies on the Riverside
• Do whites need training before raising black children?
• Happy 5th Birthday to WordPress.
• Plants, for your health
• I may have to make a trip to Aspen to attend this.
• If Will Smith had one of these, I Am Legend might have been a (slightly) different movie.
  (Thanks to for pointing this out.)
• Adult balloon-twisters and gospel balloon-twisters battle
• SaraRules just called; she made it to camp Aspen safely and is getting settled in.

Quote of the Day
Just when I think that conversations with can’t get any better, he proves me wrong:

: bot/bit made it to US soil. not to DC yet tho
: Good deal.
They still have about 1:30 to go before they hit DCA, right?
: give or take. she said they were running late but not sure if it was them being late or the planes
: Gotcha.
: How are you this evening/early morning?
: eh…didn’t sleep last night. probably won’t sleep much tonight. frazzled. and in the middle of a packout. no pressure.
: Packout?
: yeah, movers came and started to pack and crate all our stuff
: ah.
: Dude. Condi… on the piano?
In Aspen?
: yeah she’s actually really good
: HAVE to see if SaraRules can score tix for that.
: wait…black person? in aspen?
: *ding*
: is that allowed?
: We’ll find out in 3 weeks.
I’ll send detailed reports.
But… Condi’s there in August. Performing, apparently.
http://www.aspenmusicfestival.com/index.cfm?&swf_plugin=0,9,0
: she going to take over any small countries full of brown people w/oil on her way over?
: No idea.
: there are brown people in texas. maybe we can make arrangements
: True enough.
And there are a FEW in Kansas.
: doubtful. it’s kansas.
: Seen ’em.
Been in a couple of rib joints.
: people see bigfoot too, rob
: But…
*sigh*
FINE.
: lol i think we have the makings of a really offensive comedy sketch
“crikey…i’m on the lookout for a negro…”
: By Jove! Kansas!
: i believe you. really i do
next thing you’ll tell me is that there are black people in utah.
: No.
There aren’t.
Just me.
And I tell people that I just had a really bad sunburn.
: damn. that’s some 4th degree shit
: You’d be amazed what people believe here.
*rimshot*
: dammit. now you have me thinking of ribs.
: 🙂
: http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflife/05/27/tranracial.adoption.ap/index.html?eref=rss_topstories
: so….moral of the story is that it’s better to leave the little black kids in orphanages/foster homes?
: Apparently.
: i noticed no mention of any white kids being adopted by non-white families
: What self-respecting “person of color” wants to adopt a white kid?
Hell…
Bruce Wayne didn’t even want to.
He just made Dick Grayson a “ward.”
: well if you’re looking for well adjusted, master wayne isn’t the way to go
: I’m just saying…
Mr. Drummond adopted two!
: yes but one of them was a sassy midget
who wouldn’t take that kid?
: Touche.
: he’s the rich man’s webster
: And there’s another case: Webster.
White folk.
Black kid.
Adopt a white kid?
No way, man.
: big fat greek guy.
: I see…
Greek guys want to have black kids.
Is that why you married Bot?
: lol yes, we’re all infected with the fever
: (I’ll allow you to decline to answer that)
: me? decline? please.

Tonight: ‘Clix and Scion.

Namaste.

Thursday – 22 May 2008
It’s a wet and rainy morning in the Land Behind the Zion Curtain.
After Tuesday’s 90° high and yesterday’s (possible) 60° high… today’s projected high is 50°.
Fifty. Five-zero.
Unglaublich!

Last night, SaraRules and I watched Poolhall Junkies. Christopher Walken. Rod Steiger. Chazz Palminteri. Lex Luthor Michael Rosenbaum. And where in the world has Carmen Sandiego Ernie Reyes, Jr. been?! Somehow, I had managed never to see this movie. That’s a shame – it’s a good movie. And, although they never overtly say it, it was filmed (and set) in Salt Lake City – you can even see the SLC LDS Temple in an exterior shot. (That, I did know before seeing the movie, though.) Being a film about a young hotshot pool player, it reminded me of The Color of Money. I even considered watching both of them for a better juxtaposition. And, if I do that, I am Ivory Soap sure that I will add The Hustler to the mix, just for good measure.

Not only is it NBN Thursday, it’s also “Sushi Wednesday.
And “Comic Book Day-After-Wednesday.”

Stray Toasters

• I’m not a fan of “reality TV,” generally speaking. I think I’ve made that fairly apparent over the years. However there are two things that have come to my attention this season that are somewhat noteworthy:
  • American Idol. I didn’t watch the show, but I caught a couple of episodes at Kate and Perry’s over the past couple of months. I mentioned David Cook back in March as having caught my attention. And, as of last night, he was chosen as American Idol’s champion for the 2007-2008 season.
  • Deion and Pilar: Prime Time Love. Kris (Sib-2) brought this show to SaraRules and my attention when we were in Florida. This show is… to call it “a trainwreck” doesn’t do it justice. You just can’t help but stare at, mouth agape. And laugh. Doubled-over on the floor, holding your sides laughing. And the opening theme? Comedy. Pure comedy. , I take back (just about) everything I ever said about your fascination with The Anna Nicole Smith Show after watching Deion & Pilar.
• Claire Beale interviews Apple’s Jonathan Ive
• I am looking for suggestions of new musical artists/bands.
• Pirate’s Booty: An ex-Jack Sparrow spills on life at the Magic Kingdom
• Getting ‘Nine back into shape is becoming… tedious. Certain things don’t seem to want to install properly. It’s getting a little annoying, in fact. And, it really is making me give more consideration to picking up a Mac Mini or an iMac this year, maybe as a second birthday present or Christmas present to myself.
• Sushi Jihad!
• The Secret History of Star Wars
• SaraRules left me a message: My friendly, neighborhood Spider-Man letter carrier brought me a package chock full of plastic crack. Selah.

Quote of the Day
Somehow, Christopher Walken always manages to get both some of the most random – and some of the most cool – lines in any movie he’s in:

Mike: You watch those nature documentaries on the cable? You see the one about lions? You got this lion. He’s the king of the jungle, huge mane out to here. He’s laying under a tree, in the middle of Africa. He’s so big, it’s so hot. He doesn’t want to move. Now the little lions come, they start messing with him. Biting his tail, biting his ears. He doesn’t do anything. The lioness, she starts messing with him. Coming over, making trouble. Still nothing. Now the other animals, they notice this. They start to move in. The jackals; hyenas. They’re barking at him, laughing at him. They nip his toes, and eat the food that’s in his domain. They do this, then they get closer and closer, bolder and bolder. Till one day, that lion gets up and tears the shit out of everybody. Runs like the wind, eats everything in his path. Cause every once in a while, the lion has to show the jackals, who he is.

/lunch

Namaste.

Wednesday: Coda
Today hasn’t been bad. I started the day (briefly) in SLC and then headed to AF. Not too much was going on there, but there were a couple of small… not even fires… to deal with. And the first workout in about two weeks. It was a decent workout, but having been out of the gym for so long, it was a definite challenge:

• Leg Raises: 3 sets/20 reps
• Bench Press: 3 sets/10 reps, 185 lbs.
• Upright Rows: 3 sets – 1 set/8 reps @ 70 lbs, 2 sets/10 reps @ 50 lbs (we think)
• Curls (dumbbell, concentration): 3 sets/10 reps, 25 lbs
• Rows: 3 sets/12 reps, 120 lbs.

I weighed in at 174.4 lbs. I don’t think that’s too bad.

I headed back up to SLC to round out the day. It was pretty quiet, so I was able to get a decent bit of Win 2K3 reading done.

Home to play around with ‘Nine. Installing a couple of the drivers was like going around my ass to scratch my nose. Yay for Windoze. Blah.

Stray Toasters

• City of Heroes/City of Villains new update, Issue 12: Midnight Hour, went live today.
• asked me if I had seen this article about PHP coding (all functions that begin with the letter “a”). I hadn’t. I asked him if he had heard A, by Barenaked Ladies. He hadn’t. He has now.
• On today’s Fresh Air, David Bianculli interviewed Mark Evanier, author of Kirby: King of Comics
• Five Gadgets That Will Make You a Super Hero
• …however, although I don’t think that injections of radioactive scorpion venom will turn Senator Kennedy into a superhero, it will hopefully slow the progress of his tumor.
• Spider-Bot!
  Spider-Bot!
  Does what Ted Kennedy cannot!
  (Climb walls, that is.)
• I bagged on Twitter a few of days ago. I still agree with ‘s comment – and I find this Penny Arcade toon to be fairly spot-on (and amusing) – but I think that Gizmodo found a good use for Twitter.
• 
• Refurbished iPhones Might Still Have Previous Owners’ Personal Data, No Way to Erase It

Namaste.

Wednesday – 21 May 2008
It’s raining.
It’s currently 49° outside.
Not only that, today’s projected high is 60°F.
Yesterday’s high, according to The Weather Channel, was 92°.

Last night, after dinner, I stretched out on the couch for a bit. What I had intended to be a few moments’ rest turned (almost immediately) into a nap. Go figure. After watching CSI: and L&O:SVU, SaraRules and I watched Kingdom of Heaven. I had not watched it since its theatrical release, but remembered it to be a solid movie; I did not misremember it.

Stray Toasters

• A few minutes ago, a kid getting ready to catch the bus was humming the theme from Super Mario Bros. If you have to pick a theme song for the day, I suppose that’s not a bad one to choose.
• Morpheus has led me into strange corners of The Dreaming lately.
• From CNN: Commentary: Make wearing a flag pin the 28th Amendment
• Does this offend you? Why or why not?
• At lunch yesterday, Naked Eyes’ (There’s) Always Something There to Remind Me played over the sound system. Code Monkey, Scott and I remembered the song… but couldn’t name the band. We mentioned it to and stumped him, too. Wikipedia to the rescue! What none of us knew was that the song was co-written by Burt Bachrach. In the ’60s. And the demo was recorded by Dionne Warwick.
• 
• Yes, the new iPhone will be on sale 09 June.

Time to finish getting ready and get on the way to work.

Namaste.

Friday – 16 May 2008
Another week draws to a close…

Last night’s (first) CSI: episode was, thankfully, much better than last week’s episode; I didn’t watch the season finale as SaraRules wanted to see The Office season finale. (And, thanks once again to On Demand, I’ll be able to watch the CSI: episode at my leisure.) While she watched The Office, I finished reading this week’s four-color shwag. I’ll come back to that in a few.

I believe that jet lag – and just general weariness – caught up with me last night, too. While watching an episode of L&O: SVU, I started getting tired. With twenty minutes left in the show, I realized that there was pretty much NO way that I was going to make it that long. We got up, got ready for bed and I was out within minutes of my head hitting the pillow…

…which must have been fairly hard, because I woke up with a lovely headache. *blah*

Four-Color Coverage
Part of this week’s comic haul included a couple of books that I didn’t get last week because of the trip to Florida. A few of the books included Secret Invasion tie-ins/crossovers. While I really hope that Marvel isn’t taking a cue from Staples and just pushing the “Easy” button…

…I have to admit that I am finding the storyline rather interesting. So far, we know that:

1. Some heroes are not who they appear to be.
2. The Skrulls have a SERIOUS mad on for Earth.
3. October 12th is important to Hawkeye.
4. Johnny Storm’s ex-wife has some… unresolved issues.
5. Tony Stark is still a jerk (at least in the comics).

I’m waiting to see how this storyline plays out and what it means for the Marvel Universe after the dust clears.

I also read the long overdue Action Comics Annual, which wrapped up the “Last Son” storyline which began over a year ago in Action Comics. Unfortunately, there have been so many problems in getting that story to print that DC had actually gone ahead and run stories that followed the “Last Son” story… which means that we already know how things wound up. Sure, we might not know all of the “hows” and “whys,” but we can connect the dots fairly easily.

I have a similar problem with Astonishing X-Men, by the way. Joss Whedon’s run was supposed to be 24 issues, but because of delays it ran to 25 issues… with the final issue still not on shelves yet. But, once again, we know how things wind up, to some degree; there are just a few loose ends to tie up.

Stray Toasters

• I have been greatly amused by some of the Lil ‘Formers cartoons, including this one:



• BET Struggles to Relate with Black Viewers
• From NPR Music: Esperanza Spalding – Voice of the Bass
• Cracking open the Atari 2600
• When it was introduced, the 2600 was known as the “Atari 2600 VCS.” Bonus points if you know what “VCS” stood for… without having to look it up, of course.
• Fullscreen Multitouch Mac OS X Is Here (but not from Apple)
• I think I’m going to have a go at making a character card for Phoenix.
• Upcoming Star Wars minifigs

Quote of the Day
Quote #1 comes from conversations with shockpuppet and :

Me: If you and shockpuppet ever get to this point, you HAVE to get it on video: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080515/ap_on_fe_st/odd_frying_pan_assault_3
: oh. we do that for fun every friday night.
shockpuppet: totally
shockpuppet: I prefer a panini maker though
Me: Huh.
shockpuppet: it’s a little harder to get swinging
shockpuppet: but

1. it’s heavier
2. it leaves a funny pattern on his face

Me: Best of all possible worlds, huh?
shockpuppet: Well, I’m a believer in efficiency and aesthetics.
Me: I see
: mmm. panini face.

Quote #2 comes from another conversation with :

Me: Did you tell loonybin88 that he’s on point for [project]?
: That’s what I’ve been trying to do.
Me: Is he trying not to hear you?
: Yeah, I think so, actually. But, I figured that I’d go ahead and volunteer him for it and just ask forgiveness later.
Me: What is this… “forgiveness?”
: You wouldn’t understand. It’s like a haircut.

Namaste.

Thursday – 15 May 2008
SaraRules and I had breakfast with her family at Ruth’s Diner this morning.

Sweet Mother Mary…

If you’re in the SLC metro area, go there. Their Sunday brunch is also very good… but be warned: Either get there early or be prepared for a lengthy wait to be seated.

Today has been good, so far. Warm, sunny, a few clouds in a blue sky. Not shabby at all. Work hasn’t been bad either.

Stray Toasters

• Thanks to the joy of Comcast On Demand, SaraRules and I were able to watch last week’s episode of CSI:. I’m not sure that I’m necessarily “better off,” so to speak, for having seen it. It was just… way too over-the-top. I mean, I enjoy a good pun, but you could have set a clock by how often the one-liners and zingers were coming. I hope that tonight’s episode is back to relative “normal” for the show.
• Senator John Edwards endorsed Senator Obama yesterday. Four of the delegates formerly pledged to Edwards have also swung to the Obama camp. The next week, running up to the Kentucky and Oregon primaries, should prove rather interesting.
• The Question of Leadership
• I believe that SaraRules and I are going to see Iron Man again in the next few days. (Must remember to look for Cap’s shield this time…)
• 7 Insane Conspiracies That Actually Happened
• For :



• TorsoPants, by way of …
• …speaking of whom: I saw the Wolverine/Kitty Pryde statue this weekend. If you can get to a comic shop in the area, see if they have a copy of it; pictures of it don’t do it justice.
• Marvel’s universal approach makes it a world apart from DC
• 

/lunch

Namaste.

Wednesday – 14 May 2008
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. Check.
Houston Hobby Airport. Check.
McCarran International Airport. Check.
In-N-Out Burger. Check.
Six-hour drive to Salt Lake City. Check.

In other words: We are back behind the Zion Curtain.

The vacation was great. We both had a good time. And, let’s face it: Getting a chance to get out of Utah – and head to the Right Coast – is always a bonus. The chance to hang with the family-unit added a few extra points to the score, too.

We had lunch with Kris at Cracker Barrel before heading to the airport; somehow, SaraRules had never eaten at Cracker Barrel before. Back to her place to pack up and get under way for the Great Western Migration.

The flights weren’t bad. On the FLL-HOU leg, we watched Road to Perdition. Wow. How is it that I have owned – OWNED – this movie for months but not watched it?! Unglaublich! I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect, but I thoroughly enjoyed this film. Since my old laptop was… old… I never watched movies on it. (No DVD player in that one.) So, watching movies on Defiant is a relatively “new” thing. Something brand-spanking new was the idea of watching the movie with the subtitles. This made understanding some of the more quiet parts of the movie much easier. While watching Road to Perdition, I think that the young lady sitting next to me was watching/reading the movie with us… but trying not to look like she was. Added bonus: We shared the flight with a polygamist family. (“It’s not a compound. It’s our home.”)

The HOU-LAS leg of the trip wasn’t hellish, even despite the baby that started screaming about halfway through the flight. Screaming. Banshee wailing. The flight was full and as people were boarding, there was an older Vietnamese (I’m Ivory Soap sure) couple that wound up having to sit apart from each other. The gentleman turned to ask if I would mind changing seats with him. I declined as:

1. I had boarded early enough to choose the seat I wanted.
2. I was sitting next to SaraRules
3. While she is willing fly, SaraRules isn’t overly fond of it.

So, I wasn’t about to abandon her. Tough noogies, Mister.

The drive from Vegas to Salt Lake wasn’t bad. We drove past a moderate-sized brush fire just north of St. George. There were a few minutes before we got to Cedar City when I thought that we might have to stop for the night, but after getting out to top off the tank and get something to drink, I was fine for the rest of the drive. And, other than those things, the drive was rather uneventful.

Stray Toasters

• I neglected to mention that we watched Memento a few days ago, a movie which I have only had a couple of weeks, but also had not seen. I also greatly enjoyed that film.
• Hilary Clinton pretty much swept the West-by-God Virginia primary. Who would have expected that?!
• Rotary iPhone Dial
• Darlin’, it’s better down where it’s wetter: Under the sea!
• passed this along to me the other day; it made me chuckle:



• Why I Started Punching Jerks Again
• Who needs (or “needed”) eHarmony when you could just use the 1939 marital rating scale for wives?
• Mormon Church Goes After WikiLeaks
• And another covet-inducing ‘Clix:

  

  

• Prince Ali!
  Mighty is he!
  Ali Ababwa
  Strong as ten regular men, definitely!
  He faced the galloping hordes
  A hundred bad guys with swords
  Who sent those goons to their lords?
  Why, Prince Ali!

/lunch

Namaste.

Tuesday – 13 May 2008
It’s been a good vacation, but it’s almost time to return to the Land Behind the Zion Curtain.  *blah*

Our flight leaves in a couple of hours. We had breakfast/lunch at Cracker Barrel with Kris. And now, we’re getting the last of our things together to get ready to roll out.

Next stop: The almost-Left Coast.

Namaste.

Monday – 12 May 2008
The ‘rents left this morning, on the way back to Tarheelia.

After Kris got back from the airport, she, SaraRules and I headed to Miami and South Beach.

(click image for gallery)

It was hot and humid. So, naturally, our first stop was a bar called Wet Willie’s. After loading up with frozen drinks, we took to the beach.  We walked along the beach and into the surf, which means that SaraRules and I have done coast-to-coast beaches in just under four months.  After we were done on the beach, we walked along the streets, ate at a restaurant called Puerto Sagua (1, 2) and checked out some shops, including the KidRobot store.

We headed back to Kris’ place… and took naps.  Two-and-a-half hours’ worth of naps.  Let’s see…

• Sun
• Alcoholic frozen drinks
• A good lunch

…yeah, we were FAR beyond “due” for naps.

SaraRules was kind enough to go gallivanting with me, in search of a local comic book shop.  I picked up a few ‘Clix.  At a GREAT bargain.  I got a few rare and super-rare pieces for $1.00 (USD), each.  Yeah… good haul.  We also went for dinner at the nearby Steak ‘n Shake.  Friends and I back home would make the local SnS a late-night dining and gabbing hang-out.

Back to Kris’ to hang out with her and watch the Celtics-Cavs game.  (Cavs won.)

Tomorrow, we chase the sun.

Namaste.