Random Access

Thursday – 15 July 2010
It’s another sunny NBN Thursday here in the Land Behind the Zion Curtain. It’s going to be a hot one, too — temps are supposed to be in the mid-90s. (At least it’s a “dry” heat.)

This morning’s musical break: ABC by the Jackson Five

Yesterday, pinged me to see if I was interested in playing in a D&D game that Jack is running at Hastur Games and Comics. As it was SaraRules’ book club night – and I was going to be relegated to the basement anyway – I said “Sure.” And off I went to nerd! This was new and different for me for two reasons:

1. It’s a 4th Edition game (I had previously played v2.0 through 3.5)
2. It’s a Dark Sun setting, which is a world that I’ve not played in before.

We ran two encounters; there are two more left in this chapter, I believe. (Nyx: I’m running a half-tiefling.) It was fun and a bit different, as this was more of a miniatures game than the role-playing style of 3rd Edition and earlier.

Back at home, SaraRules and I watched a short movie, Vampire Hunter Hank, that her friend Jerry made. It was pretty funny.  And entertaining, to boot.

Workout
Yesterday’s step count: 3,940

And… my sides still hurt from the other night’s workout.

Stray Toasters

• I already posted this directly to Facebook, but: This Week’s Cover: ‘Green Lantern’ Heats Up Comic Con
• David Garrett’s goal: Pull rock fans into the classical world
• SaraRules bought some Old Spice body wash for me. It made me chuckle. I think that I might have even rolled my eyes, too.
• CNET Prizefight: Apple iPhone 4 vs. HTC Evo 4G
• Five Great Cover Songs from 2010 (So Far)
• Guess who has cookies from My Dough Girl, courtesy of the coolest wife ever…
• 
• By way of the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file:
  • Utah mom pregnant with two babies who aren’t twins, courtesy of
  • Why I Stalk a Sexy Black Woman on Twitter (And Why You Should, Too)
• Afghans to Form Local Forces to Fight Taliban
• I’m so into you
  But I’m way too smart for you.
  Even my henchmen think I’m crazy
  I’m not surprised that you’d agree.
• ‘Immigrant’ List Sets Off Fears
• Iroquois Lacrosse Team Denied Visas by UK
• 
• For : Penn Jillette on artistic satisfaction and magic
• Man decorates walls with beautiful Sharpie illustrations

Namaste.

Monday – 28 June 2010
Another work week begins. I’m trying to decide if it’s going to be a full 40-hour week or if it’s trending towards 36 or less. At this point, I’m feeling like the “36-” idea sounds pretty damned good.

I also feel like I really want to be over this sinus congestion. I’m not sure if it’s due to something that SaraRules brought back with her from California or due to the weather rollercoaster (of love! Say what?!) that we had here a week or so ago. Either way, hopefully Sudafed can keep me from looking like a Garbage Pail Kids throwback.

For some reason, I woke up this morning with Shawn Colvin’s Steady On running through my head. Good thing I like the song.

Yesterday, , and Matt came by for brunch… and to help me figure out what was wrong with the sprinkler system. It basically came down to the lawn care equivalent of a PEBCAK — As I never adjusted the solenoids on the valves for the system at the Taylorsville house, I never knew that they could be opened to help drain the system. Fortunately, and Matt knew this. A few twists of the screwdriver an not only did the waters flow, but there was actual, honest-to-goodness water pressure that went along with it! (The head in front of the sitting room windows looked more like a riot water cannon than lawn sprinkler… but at least it worked.) Thus, I’m making and Matt co-Humans of the Day for yesterday.

Later in the day, SaraRules and I went to see Knight and Day. Yes, I know… a lot of people think that Tom Cruise is Tom Cruise Crazy, but I don’t have a beef with the guy. In fact, despite my theory that many Tom Cruise movies were actually the same movie:

Young hotshot (fill-in-the-job title) is known for not playing by the rules.
He gets a reputation for being arrogant and/or reckless.
He is given (fill-in-the-task) and muffs it ~or~ he crosses the wrong person.
He struggles to make a comeback (Don’t call it a comeback, he’s been here for years…).
He saves the day by the end of the movie.

…I found Knight and Day to be fun and entertaining; it was like a mix of “Mission: Impossible meets True Lies.”

And, just how many movies does the above formula work for?  Let’s see:

• Top Gun — young hotshot pilot
• The Color of Money — young hotshot pool hustler
• Cocktail — young hotshot bartender
• Days of Thunder — young hotshot race car driver
• A Few Good Men — young hotshot lawyer
• The Firm — young hotshot lawyer (again!)
• Mission: Impossible — young hotshot spy
• Jerry McGuire — young hotshot sports agent

Just saying.

Anyway… the movie was fun and made for good lazy afternoon fare.

We wrapped up the day with dinner at the in-laws’ place and a movie, Shutter Island, which holds up as a solid film even on subsequent viewings.

Workout
Yesterday’s step count: 4,653

Stray Toasters

• Senate stalwart Robert Byrd dies at 92
• For SaraRules, by way of MarknTyme: The Roots (on Yo Gabba Gabba)
• I watched the first half of the Germany vs. England World Cup match last night, before bed. It was good.
• 14 Warm-Weather Style Tips
• A Neuroscientist Uncovers a Dark Secret
• For Mark D.: SyFy brings us Tiffany vs. Debbie Gibson. How much 80s-nostalgia camp can you handle?
• 
• Steampunk Art Show and Sale
• 30 post-apocalyptic visions of the 21st Century
  I have seen twelve (12) of these films.
• World Leaders Agree on Timeline for Cutting Deficits
• Nervous About Alzheimer’s? Coffee May Help

And that’s good for now.

Namaste.

Thursday – 24 June 2010
And, I am sure that today is, in fact, Thursday.
Which makes it “NBN Technical Friday,” this week.

It is also Day Four of “Missa K. Week.”
Happy Belated Birthday, Missa.

(Seen here giving a preview of her stand-up routine from her upcoming Vegas show)

It’s also my friend, Danette’s, birthday.

And, according to Wikipedia, it is also The National Holiday of Quebec.

Last night, SaraRules and I met up with and her sister-in-law, Mauri, and attended the Cake Wrecks World Tour event at The King’s English and 15^th Street Gallery.

Jen Yates, along with her husband, John, gave a 40-ish minute presentation about how the Cake Wrecks site came about and some of their processes for bringing the site to life. You could tell that there was some… if not “scripted” material, at least some talking points that have come up before… but they were also very candid and ad-libbed a bit, as well. Jen and John held a Q&A session following the presentation and also did a cupcake “Wreck-lication” judging contest. All-in-all, it was quite fun and entertaining.

Workout
SaraRules and I hit the gym last night:

• Elliptical: 30 min/ ~5 MPH (avg.)
• Leg Press: 3 sets/10 reps, 100 lbs
• Calf Raises: 3 sets/10 reps, 100 lbs
• Leg Raises (Roman Chair, full extension): 3 sets/15 reps
• Upright Rows (barbell): 3 sets/10 reps, 50 lbs
• Curls (barbell): 3 sets/10 reps, 50 lbs
• Tricep Extensions (rope): 3 sets/15 reps, 50 lbs
• Plank: 3 sets/30 seconds

Yesterday’s step count: 8,903 steps

Post-workout weight: 181.3 lbs

Stray Toasters

• The swamp cooler now works.
  (Of course, I now have two small holes in the wall to patch…)
• Here’s a little something for your Thursday morning: Hanginaround, by Counting Crows
• Shakespearean Juggling in the Park
• The Ravens have signed a one-year deal with QB Mark Bulger. This will make for a three-way fight for the Number 2 slot, between Bulger, Troy Smith and John Beck. It will be interesting to see how things shake out.
• India’s Diverse Faiths, as Told Through ‘Nine Lives’
• Promise Seen for Detection of Alzheimer’s
• 
• John Isner beats Nicolas Mahut in epic
• Meetings!  Yay.
• iPhone 4 vs. Evo 4G: Total Cost of Ownership
  (…and “Good Luck” to those standing in line to get a new iPhone 4 today.)
• The McChrystal Saga
  • The Runaway General
  • Before and after McChrystal’s removal, a flurry of White House activity
• He’s a superhero. She’s a supervillain. They’re married.
  Complications?  That’s the fun part.
• Three iconic places to see an opera in Italy
• Unlocking New York, One Date at a Time
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Man Arrested for Photographing Cop Who Followed Him into His Home

…and I blame for the title/subject line of this post.

Namaste.

Monday – 07 June 2010
It’s my mother’s birthday.

As my friend, Melody M., noted about it being a Monday: “Here we go…”
Which, in turn, reminded me of Here It Goes Again:

OK Go – Here It Goes Again from OK Go on Vimeo.

Yesterday afternoon, SaraRules and I headed up to Park City… okay, “Kimball Junction”… to do a little shopping at the outlets. It was a beautiful day, with lots of sun and blue sky. The shopping wasn’t so bad, either. On the way home, we detoured through Emigration Canyon. After some down time at home, we went back to the in-laws’ place for cake presents, as the second part of ‘s pre-birthday:

After we got home for the evening, SaraRules put Doomsday in the 360 and we watched that before calling it a night.

Stray Toasters

• Once again proving that too much free time on my hands is not necessarily a “good” thing, I took this picture because it made me laugh:



• 3 Campaign Ads That Aren’t True; 1 That’s Amazing
• Apollo 12 art caper: Does the moon harbor a tiny museum?
• Thanks to SaraRules for pointing this out: Cake Wrecks author coming to Utah
• Apple and Google square off over smartphone supremacy
• 
• Historic Route 66 bowling alley shuts down
• I just pre-ordered LEGO Universe.
• Adobe acknowledges critical security flaw in software
• 
  Of course, this comic doesn’t help with the indecision I’ve been feeling over starting a new Shadowrun campaign…
• How Times Have Changed, Ex-Playboy Bunnies Say
• Obamas attend Ford’s Theatre gala

Namaste.

Saturday – 05 June 2010
So far, it’s been a good day… and it’s not even half-over yet.

SaraRules and I got up and walked down to the local Ward House for a pancake breakfast, put on by that Ward’s Boy Scout troop. Hey, money that goes to help kids or a youth activity…? I’m down. The food was pretty good. There were also some classic and exotic cars there, too. Win-Win.

Back home, so that SaraRules could get ready for Quilt Club and so I could prep for today’s HeroClix tournament. (I still need to come up with a team, in case I have to play a bye round.) Also, it looks as though I’ll be running a ‘Clix tournament at next month’s GEEX, at the South Town Expo Center.

Workout
Yesterday’s step count: 2937

Stray Toasters

• Wooden stood as man of constancy
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file:
  • Hallmark recalls “Black Holes” birthday card after racism claim
  • South Carolina Totally Loses Its Mind
• By way of my mother:
  



• Don’t Call the Guatemala Sinkhole a Sinkhole
• What do you get when you mix Snoop Dogg, David Beckham, Han Solo, Obi-Wan Kenobi and a couple of droids? Something like this:

• Beachcomber stumbles upon historical shipwreck
• Stormtroopers 365
• Hints of Life Found on Saturn’s Moon Titan
  Well, duh!  Where do they think that all/most 31st Century telepaths are from?
• Get Rich Slowly
• Tetris Tetris Everywhere

Time to finish getting ready.

Namaste.

Wednesday – 26 May 2010
From snow to sun to… drab and overcast… in 48 hours.
Welcome to the Land Behind the Zion Curtain!

But at least it’s (Sushi and) Comics Wednesday.
Comics are guaranteed; sushi, not so much… but we shall see what the day brings.

Getting back into the swing of things yesterday was slow. After work, SaraRules and I met at her folks’ place – they were kind enough to check on the house and get our mail while we were out of town. Next, home for dinner and some post-vacation relaxing. We finished watching Disc 1 of Mad Men, which we had started watching on the plane ride from IAH to SLC.  Good show. Other discs will be added to the Netflix queue, I believe.

I woke up with my internal radio set to “Random Play.” A lot of odd things filtered through, but the most unusual – and by far the most random – thing was the theme from Dr. Shrinker, a show I used to watch when I was a kid. As Dr. Rosenblatt would say, “It’s so bizarre…”

Stray Toasters

• By way of Nyx: How to Get Your Camera Back When You Lose It
• Things to thinks about on the long wait to Fringe Season 3
• Salt Lake County to get its first openly gay councilman?
• Igor Stravinsky, arrested for “tampering” with The Star Spangled Banner, 1940
• I have been amused by some of the offerings on ROFLrazzi:
  • 
  • 
  • 
• 20 Worst Drinks in America 2010
• What anime can teach you about ending a story
• Little Women and Werewolves
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia
• 19 fictional islands you can visit now that LOST is over

Namaste.

Saturday – 22 May 2010
Greetings from the Right Coast.

After spending eight-plus hours in airports and planes, SaraRules and I made it into RDU.  Kris (Sib-2) picked us up and brought us to my parents’ house. Everyone is doing well. Hanging out with the family was quiet and relatively low-key, which was nice.

This morning involved sleeping in, relatively speaking. Granted, there was a two-hour offset, but sleeping in is sleeping in. It’s a little grey/overcast, but that’s okay — there’s a lot of green around. That’s one of the things that I miss out west. (Yes, there are trees, but the “green” part of the (very short) Spring season soon gives way to more brown tones as the heat of Summer sets in.)

I’m not sure what the afternoon and evening hold.  I’m going to try and get hold of a couple of the usual suspects and see about getting together for lunch or dinner… or something.

Stray Toasters

• After Explaining a Provocative Remark, Paul Makes Another
• Play Pac-Man on Google Homepage
  • Q&A: Pac-Man Creator Reflects on 30 Years of Dot-Eating
• Street pianos come to NYC
• Vatican calls synthetic cell creation ‘interesting’
• AT&T to increase early termination fees to $325
• The 22-megapixel MacBook Pro

And that’s a wrap.
Time to find some trouble to get into…

Namaste.

Wednesday – 12 May 2010
Midweek and all’s (relatively speaking) well.
It’s Comics and Sushi Wednesday.

Today also marks one year since I lost my friend, Jessica, to a battle with pulmonary hypertension.

It doesn’t have to be dark for you to reach for the stars — they are always out there waiting to be touched

…and sometimes, if we’re lucky, a star reaches out for us, too.

My thoughts and prayers go out to her and her family – my adopted family – today. She was a great person; I still miss having her around, but I’m glad for the time that we had to spend together.

Stray Toasters

• Here is the latest chapter in The Great Comcast Saga:
  

  Yesterday, I got home from work and saw a Comcast technician, John, working around the corner from the house.  I asked if he was working on our seemingly never-ending quest for service. He said that he wasn’t… but he then asked if I had just moved into the neighborhood. I told him that I had and that I was waiting for service to be restored to the house. He said that he had done service work for [our] house for the past few years.

  And then he hit me with a bombshell: The service node in which he was working – NOT the one in our front yard – was the one that contained the line that goes to our house.

  *blink blink*

  Yeah. Not only does that mean that Steve, the first Comcast tech to attempt reconnection, went to the wrong box, but that NO OTHER Comcast representative figured out that Box A != Box B…. which means that we could should have had service two weeks ago.

  *grblsnrkx*

  As it stands, John, cancelled the dig/burial work order and put us in for reconnection. Our new reconnection appointment is scheduled for “early Friday morning.”  (Good thing it’s my Friday off…)

• U.S. to Split Up Agency Policing the Oil Industry
• Get ready to pay: 18 NFL teams raising ticket prices for 2010
• 
• Strange Signs from Abroad
• …said the Bishop to the Actress
• A Simple Photo of a Plane Taking Off…. From Head-on
• Novel-Ts – I have (at least) two new items for The Covet List:
  1. Poe (Raven)
  2. Poe (Heart)
• High-Tech Underwear for Adventurous Geeks
• Home prices could sink without tax credit
• Keep holding on so long
  ‘Cause there’s a chance
  that we might not be so wrong
  We could be down and gone
  But we hold on
• Trigger Green Traffic Lights

Meetings and things and stuff.

Namaste.

Monday – 10 May 2010
Happy Birthday, Justin:

Last night, SaraRules’ mom came over for Mother’s Day dinner and a movie. She wanted pizza, so we picked up a couple of pies from Whole Foods — and they were pretty good. SaraRules also made a chocolate cream pie, which was also very tasty. For the evening’s entertainment, we watched Pandorum. It was… interesting… and not what I had gathered from the theatrical release trailers. And there were even a couple of pleasant twists. On the whole, it wasn’t an “awesome” movie, but it didn’t completely blow chunks, either.

After Bonne left, SaraRules and I spent an hour (roughly) applying primer to a wall-and-a-half in my office. You wouldn’t believe how much of a difference it made. Seriously. It was practically a day-and-night difference.

Stray Toasters

• This st00pid sore throat has ventured into the realm of full-blown head cold. BAH.
• Today is grey and rainy.
• Today is also the day that Comcast is supposed to drop our new cable line.
  1. We’ll see if the weather delays that.
  2. The service window they gave me was 8AM-8PM.
  3. *grblsnrkx*
• Lena Horne dies at 92
  • Legendary singer Lena Horne dies at 92 (USA Today coverage)
  • Legendary singer, actress Lena Horne dead at 92 (CNN coverage)
  • Stormy Weather
• Hobby Lobby’s newest – and closest to the house – location opens today. I should be more excited. I blame Comcast.
• Guest-Teaching Chinese, and Learning America
• Exploring Mortality with Clothes and a Claw
• Obama to Nominate Kagan as Justice
• 
• Annnnd, just just got off the phone from yet another Comcast collections call about the receiver and modem. I think that someone wants me to pull an Atom and come through the phone line and hand them a beat down. Idiotsticks.

Okay, I’m going to try to accomplish a few things before I have to leave…

Namaste.

Thursday – 06 May 2010
This NBN Thursday finds me feeling much better than I was feeling yesterday. By the time I left work, my sore throat had invited its friends “aching,” “lethargy” and “weakness” to come over for a visit. When I got home – after a rather abbreviated trip to Dr. Volt’s – I was only too happy to soak in a tub of hot water and read a few items from the day’s four-color haul. After dinner, I spent the better part of the evening in bed. I slept for a couple of hours. I read more comics. I medicated. I hydrated.

This morning, I feel about 90-95% of baseline normal. This is a good thing.

Stray Toasters

• Dressed for Success, the Frugal Way
• Cutting Libraries in a Recession…
• Women under 50 ‘face work stress risk’
• 
• Facebook Glitch Brings New Privacy Worries
• The Little Bang: Small, simple drawing show offers big rewards
• Ms. Amy, you might (just *might*) want to click here.
• Profile in Style: Kelly Wearstler
• 
• Gay Couples Challenge Defense of Marriage Act
• Nigeria swears in new president
• My Demotivators (Cluelessness, Indecision and Insight)arrived a couple of days ago. I forgot to bring them to work… which just means that I have more time to figure out where I want them to go.
• A little something for your Thursday: The Brian Setzer Orchestra – Jump Jive and Wail:
• Editorial: Video Games and Free Speech
• I, Zombie: A Jug of Wine, A Lobe of Brain and Thou
• Mayan Plumbing Found in Ancient City

Namaste.

Wednesday – 05 May 2010
It’s Cinco de Mayo.

Even WizKids has jumped on the bandwagon.

It’s also Comics (and possibly Sushi) Wednesday.

Last night, SaraRules had Book Club… which meant that I was “Bachelor for an Evening.” I headed up to the local B&N to do some drawing. I started coloring on a pic that I’ve been working on (well, “off-and-on”) for a few weeks. Mixed results. I had done a lot of graphite pencil-work on it and the colored pencils weren’t exactly dealing with all of it well. I may reconsider my tack and start the picture anew. We’ll see.

After that, I went home and started playing HALO 3: ODST. (What? You think a little something like “no Internet” is going to stop me from getting my game on?! Hah!) I picked the game up a couple of days ago, but hadn’t cracked it open until last night. It’s got the classic HALO feel, but with a few twists. I like it. (I haven’t found the sniper’s rifle… yet… but, I’m getting good at the headshots with the pistol.)

Stray Toasters

• Sore throat != fun
• New (and as-yet unmet) neighbor deciding to wait until 0610 this morning to move his empty trash can from the curb to its resting place between our houses != fun.
  • On the other hand, it gave me an early start on the morning.
• Day of Prayer Becomes Culture War Skirmish
• Homes can be lost by mistake when banks miscommunicate
• Obama’s plea for civility is exactly right
• This image…

  

  …is available as a t-shirt from SPLITREASON.

• DJ Spooky and Chuck D remix “By the Time I Get to Arizona” in honor of anti-immigrant law
• Google moves into online travel business
• Do Not Look at These Dirty, Filthy State Seals
• By way of BoingBoing (and ): A small announcement – as told through Science Fiction

• …and, with that in mind: Stop-Motion LEGO Star Wars Trilogy in Just Two Minutes

Namaste.

Thursday – 29 April 2010
It’s another NBN Thursday morning.

Happy Birthday to Beckley, Joe and Lars:

It was snowing when I woke up this morning.
Yes, I know it’s almost May.
Apparently, Mother Nature cares naught for such petty human concerns.

Stray Toasters

• Alvin Ailey Company Names a New Leader
• New Rule Offers Trapped Travelers an Exit Door
• A couple of cellphone-related tech items:
  • Cellphone Payments Offer Alternatives to Cash
  • Linking Customer Loyalty with Social Networking
• 
• Congratulations Comcast; You’re the Worst Company in America!
  • Monkeys!
  • I got a call from Comcast collections on Tuesday, asking when I planned to return the receiver and cable modem. I explained that I was awaiting reconnection at the house. She took down the information and apologized for the call.
  • Yesterday, I got another call from Comcast collections. I wasn’t as pleasant – though I tried to be nominally polite – to that agent.
  • I’m waiting to see if I get yet another call from them.
• When I lived in Indiana, I saw a lot of commercials for a place called Don’s Guns. Don had some of the best (i.e.: funniest) commercials, because of the tagline he used at the end of each spiel: “Folks, I don’t want to make money. I just love to sell guns!”  And, he’d make a finger gun while saying the last bit.  Classic! I was talking with Tom and Sean about it this morning and decided to see if I could find a commercial from the store online. I did:
• Rush is on to claim first-time home buyers tax credit
• I’ve been a fan of Love and Capes for a couple of years. It’s a light and fun read.  Check it out.
• This makes me laugh:



“Chocolate Negro.” Comedy.

• Anne Frank’s full diary on display for the first time in Amsterdam
• Big Wind Farm off Cape Cod Gets Approval
• Three of my favorite planes have been modeled in LEGO:
  • SR-71 Blackbird
  • P-51D Mustang
  • F4U Corsair
• Carl Johnson, NFL’s new chief official, ready for major scrutiny
• Welcome to Arizona, Outpost of Contradictions

It’s almost meeting time. Again.

Namaste.

Tuesday – 27 April 2010
Another day in the valley kicks off with sun and mild temperatures…

…too bad we’re supposed to take a thirty-plus degree dive over the next couple of days. Yep, we’re going from upper-60s/low-70s to… mid-40s. Lucky us.

Last night, we spent the evening with the in-laws, celebrating Steve’s birthday. There was bocce (the game, not the language), lots of good food:

• Tasty grilled ribs
• Rice pilaf
• Salad
• As well as potato salad and carrot salad for those who like them…

…marzipan cake and ice cream. And, boozy beverages. All-around win.

After SaraRules and I got back home, we decided to put the family room together. Somewhat. We moved furniture into its more or less permanent locations. We didn’t, however, put media away… as we are going to have to primer/paint the walls — they are in need of a little help, shall we say.

And the walls in my office? They don’t need help, they need a hero. I don’t know what color they were going for, but the walls just look… dingy. I was looking at how bright SaraRules’ office – next door to mine – looked at the same time of day with the same size window in it. It wasn’t quite a “day and night” difference, but it was definitely “day and dusk.” A fresh coat of white paint will do wonders for that room.

Stray Toasters

• Yay for waiting for return calls from corporate!
• Best of Craigslist
• The Sandy Hobby Lobby opens sometime in May.
  (This is both a “good” and a “bad” thing… )
• Modern dance inspired by science
• This comic…

  

  …reminded me of playing Indigo Bolt in City of Heroes – I used one of the available costume slots to create a “formal dress” costume for him. Yep, I’m just that geeky.

• By way of Nyx:
  • Rebekah & Shayne’s Hospital Wedding — This was a cute story.
  • Nick, Bryan & Otto’s Milwaukee Studio
• A bumpy economic recovery, with hope in Midwest, South
• The Family Stand: Ghetto Heaven
• Running down a dream: Leg amputee makes U.S. Track team
• Just for the record: If you have a Comcast cable box/DVR with programs on the hard drive, you can’t watch them if there’s no signal from Comcast.  So much for catching up on 24…
• Eggs flying in Parliament, Ukraine approves deal for closer Russia ties
• Canadiens stymie Capitals to force series-deciding Game 7 (Go, Caps!)
• Good times and riches
  And son of a bitches
  I’ve seen more than I can recall…
• Ben Heine’s pencil drawing-photo hybrids

Namaste.

Tuesday – 20 April 2010
It’s another warm, sunny day in the valley. It’s supposed to get into the mid 70s this afternoon.  I tell you, a guy could get used to this…

Last night, I ferried some boxes to the house. And, in prep for moving more boxes, I cleaned out the trunk of my car. It needed it. Desperately. On the plus side, I found a CD that I’d thought had gone AWOL. I count that as a “Win.”

Back at home, I tried to make some sense of the chaos that has become the living room. I’ve become painfully aware of how… difficult… packing can be with out a large area – like a garage – in which you can stage things. My best solution was to clear out a section in the office and use that to store boxes that have been packed. That helped a bit. We packed ten more boxes, mainly of books and things from the office bookcases. (That makes for heavy boxes, but them’s the breaks…)

Stray Toasters

• Dorothy I. Height, founding matriarch of civil rights movement, dies at 98
• I like the way that the remodel of this basement-turned-office turned out.
• For them, Earth Day was late in coming
• Toyota and Top Gear Tackle Icelandic Volcano
• Nat King Cole: An Incandescent Voice
• I have two items that went on The Covet List as soon as I saw them:
  • Atari Games Shot Glass 6-Pack
  • Atari Arcade Pint 4-Pack
• 
• Raquel Welch Bares All
• Make Compound Butter for Easy Sauces and Appetizers
• 100 years after his death, Mark Twain’s work still wields power
• Apple’s iPad could revolutionize video games
• California Senate again okays breach notification law update
• Latest James Bond film on hold

Namaste.

Monday – 19 April 2010
Goodbye, weekend.
Hello, work day grind.
At least the weather is nice. I might even have to go for a constitutional later today.

Yesterday saw a little more work around the house. And… (yet) another trip to Home Depot. At this rate, I’m beginning to wonder how long it will be before employees there know us on a first name basis. This time, we needed to get a lawnmower… and a few other items. We got what we needed and went to put them to work.

SIDENOTE: I’m… not the biggest fan of the former owners’ landscaping in the front yard. I understand the concept, but find the execution to be poor. (Sort of an ” ‘A’ for effort…” kind of thing.) It’s a little disjointed — there are three distinct areas in the landscaped bit, with no real cohesion between them. And, I find it annoying to mow around. I have some ideas of how I’d like to redo that area, but they will have to wait.  But, you better believe that I was mentally cursing whomever thought that curved lines were the way to go there.

Logan and Swiz came over just after I finished the yard work. (It was almost as if they were waiting around the corner until it was done…) They came to see the new floor. They liked it. They hung out and chatted for a little while, before heading out to The Garden of Sweden.

We cleaned up and headed back to the apartment to get cleaned up and ready for dinner. We headed up to SaraRules’ parents’. Dinner included bratwurst and mojitos. Selah. After dinner, we took the in-laws over to the house, so that they could see things post-paint/post-floor. Then, it was back to their house for dessert and then, it was back to the apartment for us. More packing! YAY! And, I managed to catch up on an hour of 24 while packing. Win-Win.

Stray Toasters

• Airlines condemn ‘European mess’
• Poll: 4 out of 5 Americans don’t trust Washington
  • Here is a corollary article, including graphs, from The Atlantic
• Something that shockpuppet found makes me smile:



• From the “Is it live… or is it Memorex?” file: This Is Apple’s Next iPhone
• Olympics track contributes to Kumaritashvili death
• 

• Despite New Law, Salary Gender Gap Persists
• Meetings!

And that’s a wrap!

Namaste.