Random Access

Wednesday – 28 November 2007
Midweek is upon us.
Snow is on the ground.

That’s right. Snow. It started last night. And, following tradition, I called my father to share the wonderful news with him. (He already knew – he watches The Weather Channel. A lot.) By the time I got to ‘ for gaming, there wasn’t much on the ground, but the streets were wet and starting to get slushy. By the time I left, there was slush and ice – the temperature had fallen – on the streets. This morning, there was more snow (and slush), but the streets had been decently salted. That didn’t stop some of the monkeys from driving a little more crazily than good sense would have deemed appropriate.

With this in mind, I reiterate the Council for Better Driving Rule #1:

Don’t be a fucker.

Given the way that some people were driving, I think that I will consider making Rule #2:

You might be immortal, but the rest of us on the road aren’t:
Slow down and let us get where we’re going in one piece.

Last night was game night. We started our new game – Scion: Hero. Our characters are the offspring of gods. Rather than try a build based on Hand of Nefer-Tem, I went with a character whose pantheon are the Loa. That’s right: Voodoo. The game was interesting – and fun – and would have been even more fun had I not left my character sheet… somewhere. I had thought that it was in my backpack (which I had), but it wasn’t. *sigh* I was able to wing it for some things, but others… no clue. Oh, well. I found the sheet when I got home. I shall be importing the data into a pdf character sheet.

Last night, I tried installing City of Crack Heroes on Defiant, under Parallels. When the installer finished, I tried to log in. I had forgotten one thing. One kind of critical thing: Patches. There were 1.7 gigabytes worth of patches. I wasn’t going to sit there, just to watch the bar crawl across the screen, so I left it and went to bed. When I woke up this morning, it was done. I tried logging into my usual server. No go. Server maintenance. *BAH*

Later, I was finally able to connect… but the graphics were not 100%. (Parallels doesn’t support DirectX 9 yet, so I’m not getting the full 3-D acceleration.) Basically, if I tried to play CoX on Defiant, it would look roughly the same as things would to Superman walking/flying around all day with his X-ray vision on: He could see shapes, forms and structures, but no details. Oh, well… I may look into setting up a Win partition in Boot Camp.

Stray Toasters

• I am trying to decide what I want for dinner. I do know that it’s not sushi, I fed that craving last night. Maybe I’ll hit up Jitterbug.
• Jitterati. *amused*
• Joysticks to the World: A Video Game Gift Guide
• G.I. Joe may have dominated the boy’s toy market of the 80s, but in the 70’s it was all about Fisher-Price “The Adventure People.” I couldn’t get enough of those. Or Micronauts.
• By way of : Precocious Kids Mess with Tracks of an Oncoming Train
• The entire run of Southern Knights is available at DriveThruComics, for 99 cents an issue. Hm…
• I’ve Got Billions, but I Don’t Like to Spend It
• There is a key chain on this page that I should get. (Go to the page and search for “Gordon” It should be easy to see why it amuses me so much.) This site also sells The Adventure People!
• Apple iMac Display Problems Reported and Some MacBook hard drives contain fatal defect
• Grape juice.
• Rock Band Leads to Eviction: Know Your Rocking Limitations
• “The Uncanny Valley”
• The Known World(s) – The List of DC Universes (definitive) and Wikipedia’s List of DC Multiverse Worlds

Quote of the Day
Today’s nugget of pure golden joy came from last night’s gaming session. One of the first things that I had my character do when he arrived in town was to acquire accommodations at a local hotel. After our group had gathered and we had finished the first of our tasks, we (meaning “they”) were deciding where to bunk up for the night. John chimed in with, “We can all sleep with you.”

I should note here that our group, at this point, consists of , , John and myself; a couple of other players were absent. Nyx looked at John and, in character, said: “What do you mean ‘we?’ I just met you three… and I’m not sleeping with any of you.”

John, after a moment’s thought, quipped back with:

“I party with the lotion.”

And much laughter ensued.

Namaste.

Tuesday – 27 November 2007
Before leaving work yesterday, I checked the FedEx site to track the status of Defiant‘s memory upgrade. According to the site, it was delivered a little after noon. And left on my doorstep. O.o Oookay. I was more than “a little” leery about something just being left out in the open, but what could I do from work? I got home and there was nothing on the doorstep. Alright. I called the leasing office to see if it was there. No go, Flight. I even checked the mailbox, in case the FedEx driver got here at/around the same time as the mailman. Nope. Then, on a whim, I decided to look on my patio. Lo and behold, there it was. Mischief managed. However, when I attempted to install the new memory, I discovered that I didn’t have a screwdriver at home whose head is small enough to fit the screws. *GAH* But, I have such tools at work. And, this morning, they were duly employed.

FOUR GIGABYTES!!!!
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!
*raises hands to the heavens in triumphant, gleeful ecstacy*

The rest of the post-work night was quite a bit of fun. , and met me at my place and – after I gave the nickel tour of the place – we headed up to Fiddler’s Elbow for dinner and drinks… and something that was supposed to be a football game. We were met at Fiddler’s by: and OnlyAly, , and . The food and company were great; the service… not so much, which is unusual for Fiddler’s.

The game, however, was a farce: The Pittsburgh Steelers, the #2 team in the AFC, versus the Miami Dolphins, who came into this game with an 0-10 record. NO wins this season. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Zero. The score was 0-0 until twenty seconds before the end of the game, when Pittsburgh scored a field goal. Miami, after the final kickoff, tried a hook-and-ladder to try and get someone free enough to run the ball downfield. It didn’t work. Final score: 0-3. According to one of the announcers, it was the new record-setter for lowest-scoring game on Monday Night Football. And, what about the Steelers? How much joy can you take in the fact that it took you 59:40 to score… on the worst team in the league? Not just the division. Not just the conference. The entire National Football League. That’s gotta be a feather in your cap.

After the group broke up, and came back to my place so that I could try to suss out a couple of problems with ‘s laptop. While working on it, I logged into Gmail and saw that Josh, one of the students in SaraRules’ MFA program, was online. He, Steve and SaraRules were polishing up presentations that they have to give Tuesday afternoon. Josh and I chatted for a minute and then I decided to try something: iChat video chat. We did that for a few minutes before I got back to work on ‘s machine and they got back to their projects. But, it was fun… in a geeky way.

Today started with me sleeping in. Far more “in” than I had planned, but given that I had been up for something approaching 21 hours, I was okay with sleeping in. I stopped in the SLC office to drydock and upgrade Defiant – and to take care of an item or two on my task list – and then it was off to the southern compound. The commute wasn’t bad AND it started off with Conjunction Junction on the iPod. Win-win. Today’s workout was good, too:

• Leg Raises: 1 set / 20 reps
• Bench Press: 3 sets / 8 reps at 225 lbs.
• Nautilus Fly: 3 sets / 10 reps at 95 lbs, with a ten-second hold on the last rep of each set
• Dips: 3 sets / 10 reps
• Decline Dumbbell Press: 1 set / 12 reps at 35 lbs.; 2 sets / 15 reps at 40 lbs.
• Bench Dips: 2 sets / 20 reps; 1 set / 15 reps – all sets with a 35 lb plate on our laps
• Leg Raises: 2 sets / 20 reps

It was a good – and somewhat tiring – workout… but I’ll attribute a portion of that to the holiday weekend. That’s my story and I’m sticking with it.
Stray Toasters

• I should be far more tired than I feel at the moment. I’m pretty sure that once I fall into bed, sleep will come quickly. (written last night… and yes, I was more tired than I thought: I nodded off part way through the post and finished it post-lunch)
• Bionic cat x-ray (come on… with a title like “Better, stronger, faster…” how could I possibly pass up a bionic cat story?!)
• I spoke with my mother for a bit yesterday afternoon. It was a good – if not odd – conversation. And we still don’t know where we’re spending Christmas this year. *sigh*
• NFL star dies from bullet wound
• may have been onto something when she said that we need to get OnlyAly on LJ.
• Voice of the London Underground canned for blogging funny fake announcement audio
• 
• The Webby Awards’ 12 Most Influential Online Videos of All Time
• From Savage Love: Can a Penis Atrophy from Lack of Use
• …and because the above story reminded me of them: Dear Penis and Hey There, Vagina
• Rusty Animal Sculptures

Namaste.

Monday – 26 November 2007
And so, the long weekend has ended. But, it was a good – and restful – weekend. This morning came early, though: Rather than drive all night (like Cyndi Lauper), SaraRules rolled out this morning. The alarm went off at far-too-early o’clock (known to some as 5:00 AM). After she left, I found that sleep was elusive, so my day started shortly thereafter. It was nice to be in the office early; I will be able to start my post-work day early. And, so far, the work day hasn’t been bad, at all.

Stray Toasters

• I have done something untoward to the middle joint on the middle finger of my left hand. I didn’t think that I had given that many road monkeys the bird. (In fact, I don’t typically flip off motorists… I just curse at them in various languages.)
• The Misadventures of Hello Cthulhu
• Scotty Doesn’t Know (Damn you, Tyranist! *shakes fist*)
• 100 hours / 2000 furlongs.
• Powerful Babies
• Twix.
• Jason and I were discussing how there are no wireless guitars for the XBox 360 versions of Guitar Hero or Rock Band. I posit the following: Shortly after the first of the year, there will be wireless controllers. My rationale: Micro$oft is a marketing company that happens to sell software… and some gaming hardware, too. Given that Rock Band and Guitar Hero III are hot items on peoples’ Christmas lists, I’m sure that M$ will wait until the holiday copies are sold before saying something along the lines of:
  

  “Okay, game developers and third-party accessory makers, what do you think about putting out a wireless guitar? Good idea? Really? So let’s get to it! Oh, and don’t forget to include our generous cut in the pricing. Have a nice day!”

• I haven’t powered up Intrepid in… close to a week now? Defiant has assumed its duties and responsibilities most admirably.
• Sheila E.
• Ark of the Covenant in Ethiopia?
• I believe that 16 and/or 20 ounce curls at Fiddlers’ Elbow this evening.
• Chicken butt. Childish, sure… but it makes me laugh.

Quote of the Day
Today’s selection comes from Hogfather:

Susan: [Susan is reading the fairy tale “Jack and the beanstalk” to children] And then Jack chopped down what was the world’s last beanstalk, adding murder and ecological terrorism to the theft, enticement and trespass charges already mentioned and all the giant’s children didn’t have a daddy any more. But he got away with it and lived happily ever after without so much as a guilty twinge about what he had done. Which proves that you can be excused just about anything if you’re a hero, because no one asks inconvenient questions.

/lunch

Namaste.

Sunday – 25 November 2007
Another Salt Lake Valley Sunda-a-ay…

With the exception of the Ravens’ loss to the Chargers, today’s been a good day. Slept in. Went to SaraRules’ parents for football, dinner, Mojitos and Hogfather. No, that was not a typo. And, no, it’s not a porcine remake of The Godfather. It was a movie based on a Terry Prachett book (set in/on the Discworld) of the same name. It wasn’t your typical holiday movie… but in a way it was. Yeah, it was like that. It was a British production and, according to SaraRules’ father, was fairly faithful to the book. A tip of the hat and a wave of the cane to for making a note of this broadcast.

Football Update
As I mentioned above, the Ravens took one on the chin, thanks to the Chargers. Go team.

Congrats to and for the Bengals’ win.
Congrats to for the Browns’ win
Congrats to for the Vikings’ win

Commiserations to and on the Eagles’ and Panthers’ losses, respectively.

Stray Toasters

• I used iPhoto to make a web gallery of photos that have been sitting on my hard drive for months. MANY months. Once I got the hang of “what goes where,” it was a VERY fast and easy process. I still want to play around with the settings, to see what customization – if any – is available, as I don’t have a .mac account to upload it to and it seems set for .mac integration. But, I was pretty happy with the results.
• Last night, after tracking down a copy of it, SaraRules and I watched The Lady Eve, starring Henry Fonda and Barbara Stanwyck. It was fun and a nice change of pace.
• Absinthe, a Potent Potable Makes a Comeback
• 
• I learned today, by way of SaraRules, that Shel Silverstein wrote the Johnny Cash song, A Boy Named Sue
• Related sidenote: I need to acquire a copy of the Uncle Shelby’s ABZ Book
• Defiant‘s new memory should be here Monday… sometime, according to the FedEx site.
• Anatomical heart made from candy hearts

And that, as they say, is a wrap.Namaste.

Wednesday – 21 November 2007
Sweet Big Butter Jesus… it was 19°F when I woke up this morning. NINETEEN! (N-n-n-nineteen! Nineteen!) But, at least it is Sushi Wednesday; at least, it is according to shockpuppet.

I am in the SLC office and just met a new coworker. He looked at me and recognized me… from the gym. But, it was the gym in American Fork. We used to workout at roughly the same time. “Curiouser and curiouser,” said little Alice…

Stray Toasters

• I opted to go with a Cafe Mocha, rather than a frozen mocha, this morning.
• Sneakiest Uses for Everyday Objects
• I like this LEGO ad:

  

• Because of (who should click here), I am craving Krispy Kreme doughnuts.
• I need Dream Girl, Supergirl (this one, because I already have this one), Triplicate Girl and Colossal Boy (Micro Lad!) to complete my plastic crack Legion of Super-Heroes. I think that I already have a Shvaughn Erin… otherwise, I need one’a her, too.
• The art of Adam Koford.
• Girl to have arm taken off back
• Is Brian Michael Bendis just writing everything for Marvel now?
• Speaking of Marvel, here’s another look at the new Captain America

  

For those who will be traveling today/this weekend: Good luck against the masses and may you arrive safely at your destination.

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Namaste.

Tuesday – 20 November 2007
It’s been a good day. And, considering that it’s this week’s “Wednesday,” I can’t complain about that.I

I tried something a little different last night: After my shower, I shaved. Nothing earth-shattering or ground-breaking, but still something out of the norm for my pre-bed routine. After all, I’m sure that there are those who would question the sanity of dragging sharp steel blades across your face and head first thing in the morning. It turned out pretty well. I have a few hours’ more stubble than I’m used to at this point in the day, but it’s not hellish.

The work day has been pretty decent as well: I was actually elbow-up in parts, putting some machines together. (How long has it been since that happened…?) It was a rather pleasant change-of-pace from reading.

Today’s workout:

• Dips: 3 sets of 10
• Pull-ups: 2 sets / 10 reps (unassisted); 1 set / 6 (unassisted), 5 (assisted / 80 lbs.)
• Leg Raises: 3 sets of 20
• Incline Bench Press: 3 sets / 12 reps, 135 lbs.
• Cable Row: 3 sets / 12 reps, 120 lbs.
• Curls: 3 sets / 10 reps, 25 lbs.
• Standing Reverse Curls: 1 set / 10 reps, 12 lbs.
• Side Bends: 2 sets / 15 reps, 30 lbs.
• Core: 3 sets / 1 minute, 45 seconds, 45 seconds
• Push-ups: 15

Nothing horribly strenuous, but it was definitely a good mix of exercises.

Stray Toasters

• I am running out of Twix bars. This must be corrected.
• Piracy helps stop global warming
• iPhoto – and possibly iLife Print Products – may be employed in the making of the Christmas cards.
• Mutations & Monsters, the new set of HeroClix hits store shelves tomorrow.
• ::: time delay :::
• Twix have been purchased. Disaster: AVERTED.
• By way of SaraRules: Mortal Kombat
• US polygamy sect leader sentenced
• 
• Plexiglass furniture cover
• 

SaraRules, in town for the holiday, has just informed me that dinner’s ready.  Ghost.

Namaste.

Monday – 19 November 2007
Another work week begins… but it’s a short week. I like to shake it, shake it short weeks. They’re nice. And this one has the added bonus of: SaraRules will be in town tomorrow.

Yesterday was full of football and general laziness. SaraRules and I watched the Browns-Ravens game… until it went to overtime – I was Ivory Soap-sure that I knew what the outcome would be. (I was right, by the way. Congratulations, .) After the game, we headed to St. George. I stopped in Old Navy, intent on picking up a few turtlenecks or mock turtlenecks, as the weather is starting to turn a bit chilly. No go, Flight. The only sizes they had were for toddlers. I’m short, but not quite that short. Guess that I’ll have to check Eddie Bauer. Next stop: ColdStone. We tried the Mud Pie Mojo, a coffee ice cream-based flavor. It was very good. Next: Best Buy. I’ve been mulling over an Xbox 360 for a while, and decided that if they had the right package, I’d probably go ahead and pick one up. When I looked around, all I saw was the “Arcade” package. Definitely not what I wanted. SaraRules tapped me on the shoulder and pointed me in the direction of a stack of Xboxes about 20 feet away. VARIETY!!! Yes!!! For those who don’t know, Micro$oft has multiple “versions” of the Xbox:

• Arcade: This is the base model. No frills, no bells, no whistles.
• Core System: Includes a 20 GB hard drive and two games.
• Halo 3 Special Edition: Basically a Core System that, for an extra $50, has been painted green and orange, just like everyone’s favorite Spartan. (No, not these Spartans… this Spartan.) And, did I mention that this does NOT include a copy of Halo 3? It doesn’t.
• Elite: If Microsoft was going to have “sexy black hotness,” this would be it. Where the other Xboxes are white with grey accents – or Halo 3 green – and plastic, the Elite is shiny black metal. Or, at least the original limited edition ones were. It comes with a 120 GB hard drive and two games. And all for only $100 more than the Core System.

I went with the Core System. And I’m good with that.

The end of the evening held a trip to the grocery store, me cooking dinner (with an assist from Steve, who did the garlic bread), wine, football and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Fun movie. Quirky, even. I went into it expecting something else, so I was a little thrown-off… but I enjoyed it. I found out afterward that SaraRules is a big Robert Downey, Jr. fan, so I showed her the trailer for Iron Man. Her reaction: “We are so there.”

This morning’s drive wasn’t bad. I played intermittent leap-frog with an SUV from Beaver up to Spanish Fork. It reminded me of Smokey and the Bandit in a way: One vehicle would lead (and make sure that the path was clear, the other would drive “a little” faster than the posted limit. To my knowledge, though, neither of us had a trunk full of Coors. (At least, I didn’t.) There wasn’t any construction on the northbound side of I-15; there was a little… something… going on that forced the southbound side to one lane, just north of Cove Fort, though. And, of course, there was general monkey-rifficness almost as soon as I crossed into Utah County. Go figure.

I thought about something this morning – that I first thought about Friday night, on the way to Cedar City: I have an eclectic mix of music on my iPod. No news there. From The Powerpuff Girls theme to Nine Inch Nails’ The Perfect Drug. I also have a tendency to sing along with whatever song strikes my fancy while driving. My car is equipped with the OnStar service; I don’t subscribe to it, but it’s there. I remember hearing about cases where the FBI used OnStar to eavesdrop on suspects. It made me wonder if a bored OnStar advisor ever listened while I was singing away… and what they thought of the rather odd assortment of songs to which I listened and/or sang.

Work hasn’t been bad. I’ve had a couple of issues to forward to other people and a few small equipment needs to fill, but otherwise the natives have been quiet. Which means that I was actually able to get some reading done.

Stray Toasters

• I think that Chris is coming over to play a little Marvel Ultimate Alliance later.
• What about the teachers? (An op-ed commentary from Marketplace.)
• Marketing. *snicker*

  

• Do Not Open: An Encyclopedia of the World’s Best-Kept Secrets
• , you might want to check this out.
• The Dangers of World of Warcraft
• By way of : Steampunk iPod Skin
• Update: Chris did come over. And we did play MUA… after I figured out how to connect the #*@&^@! second wireless controller to the #*@&^@! Xbox.
• Food Banks: Less supply, more demand

I should start thinking about prepping my things for tomorning.

Namaste.

Saturday – 17 November 2007
As Bobby Darin sang, “What a difference a day makes…”

Last night’s drive to Cedar City was relatively uneventful, although long. I left SLC a little later than I had planned, thanks to some office monkeydom. Nature of the beast, I guess. Leaving late meant that I got caught in the Great I-15/I-215 Southbound Exodus crunch. It’s great when it takes you 20 minutes to go four miles. Once I got past 106th South, traffic wasn’t bad… until I got to Orem. At UVSC, I-15 turned into a parking lot again. A monkey-filled parking lot. And, that had barely cleared up when there was another clot around Center Street in Provo. Not so amazingly, when I got out of Utah County, traffic was (for the most part) fine. Although, there seemed to be more southbound traffic than I am used to seeing. *shrug*

When I got here, aside from seeing SaraRules, I was also reunited with my work ID badge, which had decided to stay here on holiday. SaraRules, Roommate Kim and I ate take-out from Wendy’s and watched Batman Begins, which made for a good way to end the day/week.

So far, today has been quiet and lazy. In true Saturday fashion, the morning started with breakfast and coffee and cartoons – a new episode of Legion; a rerun of The Batman. Now, SaraRules is knocking out some homework and I’m playing around on the Interweb. And deciding if I want to play around with Parallels. Tonight, I’m either going to a basketball game – which will get me back on track for my “Year of Sports” goal – or going to a Gershwin… opera-type-thingamabob.

Stray Toasters

• I have a taste for something sweet, but I haven’t pegged “what” yet.
• posted a link to this: Elise Hendrick’s piece Fuck Euphemisms. Go read it.
• LEGO Master Working on 100,000-piec, 21 foot long Battleship Yamato model
• I was showing a coworker the video for Weapon of Choice (which he had never seen) yesterday. That led me to look up Christopher Walken’s IMDb page. I noted that he had also appeared in Madonna’s Bad Girl video, which I had never seen.
• iStat menus
• 
• Automata for Sale – papercraft, DIY and wooden
• Typing of the Dead shall be played today (or tonight)!
• Best book covers of 2007
• Does anyone remember the game Marble Madness? Of course you do. You know that you spent quarter after quarter trying to get the damned marble to the bottom of the track/maze without getting eaten or crushed by the Steelie or just running it off the edge. But, I digress… check this out.

Time to find some trouble to get into…

Namaste.

Thursday: Coda
The rest of the day – and so far, the evening – has been quiet.

I neglected to mention a late birthday present from Chris and Mary: Star Fleet Battles: Captain’s Edition Basic Set. I had mentioned that I used to play it in college and, being set in the Star Trek universe, it piqued Chris’ gamer’s curiosity. I don’t know how or where Chris dug it up, but it put a rather large smile on my face. Mary, apparently unaware of what it was, asked,”So… what did he get you?” My response: “Wood… in a box.”

Four-Color Coverage
Of this week’s haul, only four titles really seemed to stand out:

• All-Star Superman #9 – It’s a shame that this title has gone to bimonthly release. Of course, if it means that we continue to get the great stories that Morrison has been pulling out of his hat, then the wait is worth it. The story picks up as Superman returns to Earth from Htrae (Bizarro World) to find that he’s been… replaced… by two Kryptonian astronauts who escaped the planet’s cataclysm.
• Madame Mirage #1 – This series from Paul Dini is a noir take on the superhero genre. When laws were passed to ban vigilantism, the heroes submitted (and some were jailed), while the villains went underground to consolidate their power and – using the law to their advantage – formed corporations and syndicates, through which they could “offer their services.” Someone is unwilling to turn a blind eye and let the “former” villains run amok. That someone is the elusive Madame Mirage.
• The New Avengers #36 – I’m still having a hard time with the art in this book. And I will be quite glad when they “shit or get off the pot” with the Skrull invasion storyline… which won’t happen until the “Secret Invasion” crossover is over. But… this story intrigued me because two-thirds of it is told by Luke Cage to his wife, Jessica Jones, while they’re lying in bed. The Venom “invasion” of New York. The aftermath. The meeting with the officially-sanctioned Avengers team. And, to his credit, Bendis makes the retelling sound like two people lying in bed talking.
• Thor #1-3 (collected) – The Odinson has returned. And he’s choosing to set up shop in… Oklahoma?! Yep, you got it. Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweepin’ down the plain! And Asgard? It’s back, too… hovering a few yards above the ground. In Oklahoma. Now all that remains is to locate the lost gods. And, Tony Stark (futurist, Director of SHIELD and Iron Man) drops in for a visit. Let’s stop and look at this situation: When you’re THE guy who said, “Hey… see that dead God of Thunder over there? Go get me some DNA so I can clone him,” and the dead Thunder God comes back, how happy do you think he’ll be to see you? Hint: “Not very.” And Thor proceeds to beat on the armor-plated Avenger like nobody’s business. (To be honest, I bought the issue because I had seen a preview of that fight a few weeks ago.) J. Michael Straczynski – yes, the Babylon 5 guy – is writing this one. I’d dare say that the book is in capable hands.

Stray Toasters

• I’m slowing coming to a realization: Defiant may be replacing Intrepid. It was never really an issue with Valiant (the laptop formerly known as “Defiant”), because it was an old system and there was no way that it could replace one of my desktops. Not so with the new hotness. Time will tell.
• Moonbeam.
• The first Leopard update (10.5.1) is available now.
• Transfer Songs from Your iPod to Any Mac with Sentui
• Chocolate milk.
• The Wizard List: DC’s Grisliest Moments – I actually own the issues in which 13 of those moments occur.
• shockpuppet, wife of , amuses me.
• , click here and here.
• Steampunk Virtuoso Datamance, aka Rich Nagy, Shows Us His ‘Tesla Cane’
• Fight Thieving Restaurant Servers with Checksum Tips
• , check this out: Apocalyptic Manhattan 50-building Terrain for Warhammer 40K

Namaste.

Thursday – 15 November 2007
Three down, one in the chamber and one to go.

Today has been pretty good. There were a couple of small fires (tiny things, really) to put out when I got in. Other than that, it’s been pretty quiet here in the south forty. Today’s workout was a bit painful – I apparently tweaked my shoulder in the past day or two:

• Bench Press: 225 lbs / 2 sets, 8 reps; 205 lbs / 1 set, 12 reps
• Standing Curls (dumbbell, hammer grip): 25 lbs / 3 sets, 10 reps
• Decline Press: 155 lbs / 1 set, 12 reps; 165 lbs / 2 sets, reps
• Cable Fly (Nautilus): 95 lbs / 3 sets, 10 reps
• Reclined Curls (dumbbell): 20 lbs / 1 sets, 10 reps; 25 lbs / 2 sets, 10 reps; 20 lbs / 1 sets, 10 reps
• Bench Dips: 3 sets / 15 reps

Eric and I tried to do a rep at 300 lbs today – neither of us made it – and we noted something about Tuesday’s workout: We left two (2) ten-pound weights off the bar, so we only did 280 lbs. I also neglected to list the Decline Press in Tuesday’s workout. We did three sets of 12 reps at 135 lbs.

Stray Toasters

• I found out that a coworker was worried – for weeks – that I would be horribly offended by something he said. I remember the situation, total case of “no blood, no foul.”
• Of course, that didn’t stop me from toying with him this morning.
• Drew Barrymore as Edie Beale
• I brought in Nigger: The Strange Career of a Troublesome Word for Eric. I’ve had two other people ask if they can read it when he’s done.
• To err on the side of caution, I told the mangers about it… so that if someone saw the book and came to one of them, freaking out about it, they would already know the score.
• This happened at the V.I. where we usually go for late-night breakfast.
• By way of : The Real Voice of Darth Vader
• A coworker asked if I had a version of The Girl from Ipanema in my mp3 collection. I told him that I had three. He browsed my mp3s and found them. He told me, a little later, that he wasn’t aware that Sammy Davis, Jr. had been anything other than a comedian. *jawdrop* He had never heard of The Rat Pack, either. *FLOOR*
• Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, one of my all-time favorite movies.
• I want to drive this.

Namaste.

Monday: Coda
The post-work day has been relaxing. I stopped by to say “Hi” to Kate, Perry and the kids on the way home.

Stray Toasters

• Ou.
• called me out on something: I keep congratulating/mocking on Bengals’ win/losses… but never give a shout out/raspberry to her, even though she lives in Cincy. Rest assured, it won’t happen again. Bank.
• LEGO steampunk creations:
  • Behold, the SteamWalker!
  • Steam-powered Flamethrower
  • Steam Tractor
• Lung-on-a-Chip Replicates the Tiny Explosions Inside Diseased Lungs
• Onion rings.
• Framed: A Heretic’s Guide to Suiting Up
• If you need me
  I’ll be downstairs
  With the shop vac
  You can call but I probably won’t hear you
  Because it’s loud with the shop vac on
• She kicked Batman’s ass (and Superman’s on at least two or three occasions), so this should be a walk in the park…

  

• By way of Eric: Renault F1 “plays” God Save the Queen (yes, a car playing a song… kind of. Just watch it.)
• Internet Porn: Worse than Crack?
• Defiant now contains all of the mp3s that I’ve ripped at work.
  Ripped from my CD collection. (That’s right… up yours, RIAA!)
• Speaking of “Up yours, RIAA” – and breaking my “No Christmas songs before Thanksgiving” rule – AND invoking Jonathan Coulton (again): Podsafe Christmas Song
• Atari 2600 enters Strong National Museum of Play’s Hall of Fame

Hm. Maybe I’ll take a little trip to Paragon City…

Namaste.

Monday – 12 November 2007
Another week begins.

The commute wasn’t bad. Not even when I got to Utah County. I was shocked. Wait… I take that back. Just remembered one monkey who apparently didn’t grok the concept of “fast lane” as we were heading into Scipio. Downhill. While we both drove alongside a semi. *sigh* Some peoples’ children…

Yesterday was a lax and lazy day. Highlights included watching football (more on this below) and watching The Boondock Saints, which I had somehow never gotten around to watching before. I liked it. Quite a bit, in fact. This week was my week to cook dinner. I took a page from my mother’s book and made a pineapple bowl mixed fruit appetizer, followed with baked chicken breasts, rice (cooked in cream of mushroom soup) and asparagus. All-around, quick and easy.

Football Update
The Ravens lost to the Bengals yesterday. Again. Congrats, .

I can deal with losses; they’re part of competition. What I don’t get – and here comes the Monday morning quarterbacking – is: Why in the Nine Hells Brian Billick doesn’t do something… ANYTHING… when he sees that the on-field squad isn’t working effectively and/or efficiently!? Steve McNair was the Ravens’ starting QB for the past two games. This followed a multi-game absence due to a groin and back injury, I think. Last week, he didn’t do anything. Yesterday, he didn’t do anything either. In fact, it was so bad that the Ravens were about five minutes away from getting blanked, before Billick rubbed a couple of brian cells together and came up with something that approximated “a clue.”

That clue: Put Kyle Boller in the game.

As ever, it was a case of “too little, too late. BUT… Kyle was effective. Far more so than Steve:

• McNair: 17/26 for 128 yards
• Boller: 6/8 for 89 yards

One-third the number of attempts, with a 10% better completion rate. And with his first five (5) completions, Boller had already gained more than half of the total yards that McNair had… in three-and-a-half quarters. Yes, they both had one interception – and McNair did rush for six yards – but come on. He had over three-fourths of the game to do something.

Yes, I’ve been vocal about Kyle as a QB in the past, but I’ve also noted that he has made definite strides in becoming a good, solid and effective quarterback over the past four years. Look at game footage over the past two years and you can see the difference. He’s gone from taking two (or three) quarters to settle into the game to getting right down to brass tacks.

And, didn’t we draft a new Heismann Trophy-winning QB this year, too? We did? I thought so.

But, anyway, congrats to and Cincinnati’s co-MVPs: Brian Billick and Steve McNair.

/rant

Stray Toasters

• I have fresh pineapple for a post-lunch snack.
• There are still four Butterscotch Krimpets lurking in my snack drawer.
• By way of Eric: Things People Say vs. What They Mean to Say
• I have just been informed that an item I need for this year’s Christmas card has been acquired.
• 
• Vinegar as Wonder Substance
• Asparagus.
• 39 never-reprinted Kirby monster comics

/lunch

Namaste.

Friday – 09 November 2007
Going to bed at 3:30 isn’t terribly unusual for me.
Getting up at 6:40… and staying awake, that’s a little more rare.

But, that’s how the day started. When I got up and started moving, I had the “Get your sexy on….” line from Sexy Back running through my head on what seemed like an endless loop. It was almost as annoying as when I had the Pina Colada Song stuck in my head. Almost. Fortunately, it didn’t last very long. Up, ready, out.

Work has been good. Answered a few questions. Put out a few small fires. All-in-all, not a bad way to wind up the week.

Today’s workout was decent, as well. I tried doing a rep or two at 300 pounds today, despite the fact that I had done sets of dips just before attempting my bench press. My triceps were shot; I couldn’t get my upper arms much past parallel to the ground. Oh, well… another day. The rest of the workout was good, though:

• Leg Raises: 3 sets / 20 reps
• Dip: 3 sets / 20 reps
• Bench Press: 3 sets – 1 set: 225 lbs / 5 reps and 155 lbs / 8 reps; 2 sets / 12 reps, 155 lbs.
• Dumbbell Pull-overs: 3 sets / 15 reps, 45 lbs.
• Row: 3 sets / 12 reps, 120 lbs.

Tyranist brought in Infernal Contraption. While looking at it, I was reminded of the online CCG, Chron-X… which I hadn’t thought of in many, many moons. I apparently still have the old version of the game on ‘Nine.

Stray Toasters

• I have a slice of Turtle Cheesecake.
• In an after-story item from yesterday’s Human of the Day section: I now have the name of the “unknown Apple Store worker!” It is Lisa. I am drafting a thank you/commendation letter to the store for the associates’ help in what turned out to be a precarious matter; it would not do to simply refer to her as “unknown Apple Store worker” in the letter.
• One of the Coworker Marks told me about Steamtown.
• Mark also asked if I knew the origin of “The Real McCoy.” I didn’t. He, making a tie-in to Steamtown, pointed me in the direction of Elijah McCoy.
• Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials
• For the first time in a while, I had the opportunity to chat with lj user=”janietrain”. Along the way, we had the following exchange:
  

  [11:25] : So, I demand info.
  [11:25] : heh
  [11:25] : Who is SaraRules?
  [11:25] : Is this a new chick of interest?
  [11:25] : “Lord Praetor, on my ship, you don’t demand. You ask.”
  [11:26] : hahaha
  [11:26] : Ahh, dorky and evasive.

  I could remember where I got the “Lord Praetor” line – an issue of Uncanny X-Men – but I couldn’t recall the specific issue, nor the exact quote. A short search later, I found it: Uncanny X-Men #167:

  Cyclops and Corsair, having recently reunited for the first time in nearly 20 years, are having a talk… which is soon interrupted.
  Raza: Corsair! *arrives on the observation deck on a hoversled with Hepzibah and a member of the Imperial Guard*
  Corsair: So much for tender moments. What’s up, Raza?
  Raza: We have a guest, Christopher.
  Cyclops: That’s Gladiator, head of Lilandra’s Imperial Guard! What’s he doing here?
  Corsair: *to Cyclops* Good question, considering he swore never to walk these decks until he’d seen the Starjammers dead or enslaved. He isn’t a man to lightly break an oath.
  *calling down to Gladiator* You’re a long way from home. Is this a social call, or business?
  Gladiator: Pirate, I demand to see the Majestrix — Empress Lilandra — at once!
  Corsair: On my ship, Lord Praetor, you do not “demand” of me… you ask.
  Raza: Thou hast been ill-mannered, cousin.
  Gladiator: Have a care, renegade.
  Hepzibah: We like you, too, Imperial. Care to argue point?
  Gladiator: Another time, Lady Hepzibah, with pleasure. Corsair, I crave an audience with my empress.

• Is Apple Cashing in on iPod’s Missing Feature?
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: Toilet sign in Korea warns to be on the lookout for sickos

Gone, baby… gone.

Namaste.

Wednesday: Coda
I am tired. Not completely worn out and run down exactly, but I can tell that I should sleep well tonight.

On the way home, I stopped in to see Kate, Perry and the new baby. Cute. And tiny (but not toony). Both he and Kate are doing well, with no complications. Kate and Perry are now referring to me as the kids’ “bluncle.” That amuses me. I can live with that.

Human of the Day
Yep, this is another new item. Sometimes, you come across a person who is the polar opposite of a “monkey.” Since I so frequently mention (rant/rage/bitch about) monkeys, why shouldn’t I give equal time to people who actually are good and decent? Don’t they deserve a shout out, too? Of course they do. And thus, we have the “Human of the Day.”

Today’s (and the first) Human of the Day: .

I got the new sexy black hotness that is Defiant on 26 October. Leopard, the latest version of OS X, also came out that day. It wasn’t pre-loaded, but came packaged with the laptop. Win-win.

On 31 October, MacRumors.com began posting items about upgrades to the MacBook.

YeahbuhWHAT?!

• Faster processor
• New mainboard chipset
• Faster front-side bus
• Upgraded video card
• Added memory capacity

Yeah. All of that… at the same price point. *grblsnrkx*

For the past few days, has been asking me whether I had considered contacting Apple and asking a few pointed questions. Today was no exception. And, while I had planned on calling sometime this evening, I figured, “What the Hell…” and decided to call while still chatting with .

I called and after a little dealing with an IVR, got through to an associate in the store. I explained that I had just bought my MacBook and that I had even waited until Leopard was released so that I could have the new OS for the new machine… and that the new, updated hardware was released six days later. “So… what are my options to return or exchange my notebook for the newer hardware.” The associate said that he wasn’t sure, but that he would talk with a manager and find out.

He was gone for a few minutes. I listened to hold music – it was reggae. He came back to the phone and explained that there was a fourteen day grace/return period and that situations like mine were covered under that. All that I had to do was bring the notebook, box and all of the included accoutrements to the store… and I could exchange it for one of the new MacBooks.

Just. Like. That.

So, by this time tomorrow, I will have even newer, sexier black hotness.

So, once again, a shout out and a big thanks to for his persistence.

Stray Toasters

• Kate can sing the theme from The Snorks; I’m not sure whether to be impressed… or scared.
• Tossed-Out Electronics Are Reincarnated as Stop-Mo Animal Bots
• 
• The Ultimate Guide to Freezing Food

.eof

Wednesday – 07 November 2007
*WHEW* That’s really the best way to describe the past 36 or so hours, they’ve been something of a whirlwind.

Monday night, after football, I stopped to borrow a cooler from , more on the “why” below. I got to see and play with the cats for a bit. Lightning and Presto were moderate attention whores, go figure; Sissy was a little more low-key.

Tuesday was a quiet day in Cubeville. I didn’t have anything new in my task list, so I plowed through some more reading. Yay, reading! Actually, I really can’t complain: I am learning a lot (as dry as some of it may be…) and improving my skill set.

After work, the fun began…

I headed to Scandia, to pick up the cake that I had ordered for SaraRules’ birthday. A raspberry marzipan cake. A cake that needed to be kept cool/cold, hence the need for the cooler. I had ice. I had gel packs. As far as I knew, I was ready to rcok. Unfortunately, the cake box was significantly larger than the cooler. *grblsnrkx* This meant that some creative adaptation was in order. I wound up adding a half-gallon of ice cream to help with the cooling process. Grabbed a bag o’ clothes and headed out. Next, a stop to pick up to pick up some decorations and fill up the tank… then it was time to burn the breeze. Until I went to get onto I-15 South. Drive-time gridlock. yay (lower case intentional). I got through that and made it to Provo… only to hit two more pockets of resistance. >.< But, once I got down to Springville, things moved at a steady pace. Next stop: Cedar City.

One thing about the drive between SLC/AF and Cedar City, you have time to kill. A LOT of time. Last night and this morning, I listened to the (abridged) audiobook version of John Hodgman’s The Areas of My Expertise (iTunes Music Store link). It’s a fun read. Um, “listen.” Whatever. And, it features Jonathan Coulton, as well. Win-win! (All that and you learn about the 51st U.S. state!)

I made it to Cedar without any problems. And the cake survived the trip intact. Sara wasn’t in, which I was counting on – she was in a rehearsal for an upcoming production at the school. Perfect. I had conspired with her roommates to keep this trip a secret and so far, it was working out well.

That’s when I remembered that I had neglected to pick up birthday cards before I hit the road. Greeeat.

We put up the decorations and I made a mad dash to the store for cards. I got back to the apartment and signed the cards with plenty of time to spare – the rehearsal started late. Fortunately. So, I hung out with the roommates. Sara got in, saw the decorations and was met/accosted by her roommates; I was reading a couple of articles in GQ, in her bedroom (i.e.: “hiding”). The look on her face when she got to her door was well worth the trip. (And, of course, none of us thought to take any pictures.) We all went back into the kitchen. We sang “Happy Birthday.” We ate cake (which was quite good, I must say). And everyone went to bed.

This morning, back on the road and on to work. There have been a few questions/problems to deal with, but it’s been pretty quiet, overall. (Translation: “More reading!”) Today’s workout was short, but painful (in a more-or-less good way):

• Leg Raises: 3 sets / 20 reps
• Dip: 3 sets / 20 reps
• Bench Press: 3 sets / 15 reps, 155 lbs.
• Lat Pull-downs: 3 sets / 15 reps (sets 1 and 3 at 120 lbs., set 2 at 100 lbs.)
• Incline Press: 3 sets / 15 reps, 95 lbs.

Stray Toasters

• I had somehow managed to forget that I had Butterscotch Krimpets in my desk drawer.
• Dastardly pounce!
• William Gibson: The Rolling Stone interview
• Tyranist recently acquired Infernal Contraption. It seems like a “Rube Goldberg meets Munchkin” kind of game, from the information.
• That reminded me of – and I decided to show Tyranist – Sim City: The Card Game. I went to the Mayfair site, but didn’t find a link to it. I tried Google. Bingo. First result. And it was on… the… Mayfair site. *blink blink* Apparently, they didn’t remove it, they just buried it. Bizarre.
• Top Marathoner Collapses and Dies in Olympic Trials
• Wow. From BBC News: Girl separation surgery a success
• Georgia under state of emergency (The country, not the state)
• SaraRules and : Prince fan sites face legal threats
• Rune Olsen’s Twisting Sculptures
• Spooler. Processor. Monitor.
• Jason is buying an iMac… ostensibly, for his wife. (One of us… One of us…)
• City of Heroes “Thank You” goodies.

Like I said: *WHEW*

Namaste.