Random Access

Tuesday – 27 January 2009
It’s cold (18°F), but we’re actually going to see the sun today. Hallelujah!

Last night was a lazy night of 24 and assorted TV watching and putting together some neighborhood tiles for a World Works Games model. Pre-24, I watched a couple episodes of NCIS – I remembered that I neglected to note something the other day: David McCallum, who plays Dr. Mallard on NCIS was also Lt. Cmdr. Eric Ashley-Pitt in The Great Escape… AND was Napoleon Solo’s right hand man, Ilya Kuryakin, in The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

As I mentioned, I spent a good part of the evening building WWG models. I found a tutorial that suggested an incredibly simple – and very modular – method for creating miniature gaming environments. The most time-comsuming part, so far, has been cutting the pieces out, so that I can mount them on the foamcore bases. That and being distracted by the TV.

Chew on This – Food for Thought: US Airways passengers get $5,000; Is it enough?
This was almost a ‘Toaster.
Then I realized that I was more irritated about it than I had originally thought.

Maybe I’m a bit jaded, but I fall back on the “any landing you can walk away from” adage here. Is $5,000 enough? How about the fact that you’re still alive!? I’m sorry, but I can’t agree with the “It’s not enough compensation for what we went through” argument. You know what? You got to go home to your families. How many people never got that option?

I’m not saying that this wasn’t a stressful – and potentially mentally damaging – event, because it most definitely was… but YOU LIVED. Period. End of argument.

Stray Toasters

• is back home, safe and sound… and somewhat jet-lagged.
• Afghan Prison Poses Problem in Overhaul of Detainee Policy
• By way of come pictures of The Inauguration of President Barack Obama, by way of Boston.com’s “The Big Picture”



• Layoffs Spread to More Sectors of the Economy
• By way of SaraRules: Dick Van Dyke tells Mary Poppins stories
• What Life Asks of Us
• Disagree with a flight attendant? You’re a terrorist
• Monkeys… MDK. MDK. MDK.

And, I’m apparently sitting in on an interview this morning.

No rest for the wicked, I guess.

Namaste.

Monday – 26 January 2009
There’s a new blanket of snow in the valley. It started yesterday – mostly flurries in the valley, slightly heavier on the benches.

I got into the office this morning to find an email requesting that we move some equipment… by close of business today. That’s all well and good. The problem that I had was that it wasn’t sent until almost 7:00 PM Friday night – long after I had left. *grblsnrkx* We got most of it done before lunch. We’ll finish the minor stuff later.

Stray Toasters

• The Council for Better Driving: Utah would like to remind motorists to take care when driving in this week’s inclement weather.
• Obama pushing stronger fuel-efficiency standard
• The case against Candy Land
• 
• The Great Escape + Benny Hill = Something Like This
• How to Become a Bounty Hunter
• Quick rebound? Success of young NFL coaches gives hope
• 
• Pope welcomes Facebook, but cautions
• The MST3K Crew Reunites for Live Webcast

Lunch beckons.

Namaste.

Friday – 23 January 2009
The week draws to a close… with fog and haze in the valley. It’s dense enough that I can barely see the freeway. Then it rolls out. And back in. Even Otis Redding didn’t see this much action.

Last night, OnlyAly and came over for dinner.  SaraRules cooked a maple chicken, with carrots and roasted potatoes, which was delicious. During and after dinner, the four of us discussed wedding-related items: Things that SaraRules and I have talked/thought about and things to consider, reminiscences of their wedding and the lead-up to it, and the like. It was a great way to spend the evening.

Later in the night, I watched an NCIS rerun and the new episode of CSI:. I am liking Laurence Fishburne’s character, Dr. Ray Langston. He portrays him with an interesting sense of curiosity and wonder… balanced with a desire to prove that he can hold his own on the established team. I didn’t get to watch the season premiere of Burn Notice, but it’s on the DVR.

Stray Toasters

• By way of SaraRules: 10 Stories behind Dr. Seuss stories
• Apple’s first Macintosh turns 25
• My feelings about Hover, as a superpower, are pretty well-known. It seems as though there is now a site dedicated to Super-useless Superpowers.
• The Art of Phil Noto
• From Newsarama’s Blog: Craig McCracken – PPG, Foster’s and Comics?
• President Obama Still Has His Blackberry in White House
• Obama’s Outfits: ‘A real departure for first ladies’
• Lawsuit may stop impeachment trial
• Green light for US stem cell work
• By way of and Best of Craigslist: This bitter little pill.
• Zombie Fluxx Card Game

Namaste.

Thursday – 22 January 2009
Last night, SaraRules and I went downtown to see Utah Opera’s performance of Regina. I was looking forward to it, as it is not only a modern (1949) American opera, but it is performed in English – I wanted to see if it was easier to follow without having to divert my attention to the supertitles.

It was… well… let’s just say that I now have a “least favorite opera.” I was truly underwhelmed by the overall performance, as was SaraRules. I asked her to rate it, she gave it a 5.8; she asked me to do the same – I gave it a 4.0… possibly a 5.0… out of ten.  Why? My reasons include:

• In the first act, there were two or three portions where the cast broke the fourth wall… that seemed rather contrived, almost as if they didn’t expect the audience to be able to piece together something that had just occurred onstage,
• The breaks between accompanied and a capella parts – both spoken and sung – were harsh and jarring to me,
• The casting of Deanne Meek as Regina Giddens – mostly her voice didn’t seem to lend itself to the performance; she often seemed overwhelmed by the orchestration,
• The costuming seemed out of place for the period, and
• The production quality – sound, use of microphones(!?) – didn’t seem up to Utah Opera’s normal standards.

There were some redeeming qualities, however:

• The casting of Lisa Vroman as Birdie Hubbard
• The casting of Kristopher Irmiter as Horace Giddens
• The casting of Tracey Luck as Addie
• The set design – I really liked how the set transformed from indoors to outdoors and back

And, to be honest, the redeeming items added at least two points to my rating. To be fair, I would be willing to see this again, if performed by another company, to juxtapose the performances before completely writing off this opera.

Stray Toasters

• Not many men wear hats these days. Not baseball caps, hats. I’ve started wearing them more often. While I have “more than a few” baseball caps in my collection, I also have a fedora, a kofia and a couple of newsboy-style hats. Along with wearing a hat comes etiquette for wearing one.
• Obama sworn in for second time
• ‘Queen of Soul’ not pleased with performance at inauguration
• The not-so-super team: Best players never to reach the final
• First look: Star Trek toys go boldly nouveau
• Another item for men’s style and fasion: A Salesman’s Guide to Men’s Shopping with Success
• The 2009 Oscar nominations are out…
• …as are the 2009 Razzie nominations.
• The Obama Administration brings back the Freedom of Information Act and transparency in government

Namaste.

Tuesday – 20 January 2009
And with these words:

I, Barack Hussein Obama, do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. So help me, God.

Barack Obama has become the 44th President of the United States of America.

Monday – 19 January 2009
First, I’d like to wish everyone a good Martin Luther King Day.

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As I wasn’t sure what we’d be doing or where we would be today, I didn’t make plans to volunteer anywhere. But, SaraRules and I did decide to do something: We have collected clothing and household items that we no longer need – or have too many of – and will be taking those to the local Salvation Army in a little while. Hopefully, someone will be able to benefit from them.

Tomorrow, another piece of Dr. King’s dream will come to fruition as Barack Obama is inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States of America.

Some have claimed that he is the realization of Dr. King’s dream. Some have ascribed nigh-superhuman powers to him, expecting him to stride into office and make everything alright by the sheer magnitude of his presence. Others say that the fight for equality is merely one step closer to being won rather than being something in our past:

• Most blacks say MLK’s vision fulfilled, poll finds
• Civil rights vets: Fight not over because Obama reaches top

The truth lies somewhere in the middle, I think.

The best way to respond is to say this: Barack Hussein Obama is a man. One man. A man with a vision of what he would like to see America and her citizens become. He is a man who came from a background that, not long ago, people would have easily dismissed as not being viable or suitable for becoming President of the United States of America.

But, there is where people would be wrong.

The promise of the American Dream is that anyone can aspire to – and achieve – that lofty goal, if they are willing to reach for it. Dr. King pointed it out over forty years ago. It just took time for many of us to realize it:

I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.”

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day the state of Alabama, whose governor’s lips are presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith with which I return to the South. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with a new meaning, “My country, ’tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim’s pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring.”

And if America is to be a great nation this must become true.

Namaste.

just posted a link to this: Pro-Life Group up in Arms over Krispy Kreme’s Abortion Doughnuts

YeahbuhWHAT?!

Seriously… do people really have nothing better to do than nitpick every little thing someone says just to try and come up with new ways of being offended?!

Political correctness is one thing, but this is just plain ridiculous.

Friday – 16 January 2009
Seven more hours and not only is the workweek toast, but I am also taking a three-day weekend, in honor of National Black Peoples’ Day Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.  And, starting next week, we also start 9/80 weeks, which will give us a day off – a Friday off, at that – every other week. Win-Win.

Tomorrow, SaraRules, her parents and I are going to pull off a Smokey and the Bandit-like Cedar City run: There’s an exhibit at the Braithwaite Fine Arts Gallery that we want to see… and we have to be back in SLC in time for SaraRules’ company party tomorrow night. Hopefully, we’ll manage to see Rachel and a couple of the other MFAs while there.

Stray Toasters

• Airplane crash-lands into Hudson River; all aboard reported safe
  This is nothing short of amazing – the worst injuries that I have heard of were broken bones. Considering how much worse this could have been, that’s incredible.
• Julie, our company’s Property Manager, came up to me a little while ago and said: “You’ve had a busy week. Have some cookies,” and gave me three Tollhouse Cookies.
• I’m thinking of changing my office computer desktop to one of these for the weekend.
• Speaking of which: My jersey shipped this morning.
• Granddaughter of slave: I was ‘afraid’ for Obama
• 
• Yesterday, just before I got ready to leave work, someone from the exec end of the office came to the IT area and noted that she had “a problem” with her system. I went to check it out… yeah, there were issues. But it led to a good bit of amusement.
• I don’t know if the flight rings that they used in last night’s episode of Smallville were these rings, but it reminded me that I had looked for one a few years ago… unsuccessfully.
• Bike-light that paints a laser-lit bike lane on the road around you
• 
• HOWTO make a tailfin retro media center PC

Bippidy boppidy boo.

Wednesday – 14 January 2009
Midweek and all’s pretty much ship-shape.

Last night, SaraRules and I watched Hellboy. I’d only seen bits and pieces of the movie over the past few years, so it was nice to see it all the way through. And, it was fun.

Stray Toasters

• I talked with Rana for a bit last night; that was a pleasant surprise.
• 
• “Hold it… I ain’t pushin’ no ‘Moon’ button.”
• There will be a train show at Thanksgiving Point on 23-24 January 2009.
• If Barack Obama was a Green Lantern, would this be his emblem?

  

  (Thanks to for pointing out this pic!)

• Aretha Franklin lends her voice to history at inauguration
• Commentary: Bush still doesn’t get it
• Harper’s Index: the Bush years
• I’m (still) liking CoH on the Mac client.
• Shoot the baddies
• 
  (Click image for details)
• Zelda map in cross-stitch form
• In today’s “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?!” news: RC helicopter used to smuggle contraband into prison
• US ‘fake death businessman’ found

And tonight: We’re having SaraRules’ parents over for dinner. On the menu: Jambalaya.

Namaste.

Thursday – 08 January 2009
I don’t think that I have ever been so glad to see the end of a workday as I was yesterday. Getting home, I flopped down on the couch for a couple hours of downtime – and dinner – before taking on more of the living room/dining room cleanup.

Four-Color Coverage
I read yesterday’s comic haul, which was laughably light: Four books. I picked up the Hellblazer: Dangerous Habits TPB, too. This week’s books included:

• Black Lightning: Year One #1 – The character Black Lightning debuted in April of 1977, DC Comics is now going back to look at his origin/history. This issue shows Jefferson Pierce returning to his hometown, a neighborhood of Metropolis… only to find that it has become less the place of his childhood – and the “City of Tomorrow” – and fallen prey to crime, gangs and an apathetic populace. What can one man do to take back his community? Here’s where we find out.
• Incognito #1 – Meet Zach Andersen, a criminal in witness protection who just met his new handler. To say that there is “friction” between them is a gross understatement.  We see what happens when Zach tries to “escape” the drudgery of his day-to-day life… and the possibilities it opens up for him.
• Superman/Supergirl: Maelstrom #5 – This issue wrapped up the mini-series, with the final showdown between Superman and Supergirl vs. Maelstrom and the Female Furies. It also showed some growth in Supergirl’s development from frustrated (though super-powered) teen to someone who wants to do more to protect her new home… even if she can’t save everyone.
• X-Men Noir #2 – I’m enjoying this take on the X-mythos, seeing the Brotherhood as a “secret society” within the NYPD and the X-Men as hoods and thugs. There were nods to a lot of names in the X-universe, even if the characters themselves didn’t appear.

Stray Toasters

• The American Gallery of Juror Art
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: US porn industry seeks multi-billion dollar bailout
• Obama, Bush and ex-presidents have ‘historic moment’
  
• Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators… or, as lj user=”m2ke” put it: Russian. Nuclear. Lighthouses.
• 
• Jan 8, 1790: Father Knows Best — Embrace Science
• America limps along after Bush, by the numbers
• FTC wants to hear from you about DRM
• HOWTO: Make an electrified steampunk Monopoly

NBN Thursday. Selah.

Namaste.

Tuesday – 06 January 2009
Another cold and snowy day in the Land Behind the Zion Curtain. “Snowy” may be a little bit of an exaggeration; there are flurries, though.

Getting back into the swing of things around the office.  And it seems that we’ve acquired a new team member, too.

Stray Toasters

• I’ve started watching – and enjoying – Planet Earth on the Discovery Channel. It looks amazing in HD.
• Understanding Islam Through Virtual Worlds launch in NYC, Jan 29
• MacWorld 2009 Keynote
  • ArsTechnica
  • Engadget
  • Gizmodo
• Atheist bus ads roll in London
• In “What’s Happening with LiveJournal?” news: The Russian Bear Slashes a Social Network
• Shanghai recreated in dice and poker chips
• Golf can be bad for hearing
• By way of – GOP senator wants to tighten alcohol rules

Namaste.

Sunday – 04 January 2008
It’s been a good – and busy – weekend… with a good bit of traveling thrown in, for good measure.

Yesterday, SaraRules went to her quilt club; I slept in a little. Then I remembered that I wanted to take the car in for an oil change and to finally replace the center cap on the front driver’s side wheel. So, off I went. They changed the oil. They replaced a burned-out tail light. They replaced the center cap… the $103 center cap. *blink blink* Wow. Knew it wasn’t going to be cheap, just didn’t expect it to be quite that much.

Back home to pack – we were heading to Cedar City for the wedding reception for Skott (brother of Tom Chandler) and Shannon (fiance of brother of Tom Chandler). It was a small affair, but nice. It was good to see Tom and Jo – the only people I knew there, although I met other members of the family. We also picked up a few more things from SaraRules’ storage unit, before the reception. In the dark. In the COLD. Oh so bitter cold. Something in the neighborhood of 6°F. Yeah…. That cold. We drove back last night.

This morning, we got up and headed to IKEA to pick up a MALM 6-drawer chest (medium brown). We got there about 9:50, thinking that the restaurant opened at 9:30 and the store at 10:00. WRONG. On Sundays, they open at 10:30 and 11:00, respectively. Verdammt!  I wanted to be home for kickoff. *sigh* So, we sat in the car for :40, while waiting for the store to open. We went in, had breakfast and shopped. On the way through the store, I decided to look for a yellow/amber MÄKTA sphere… and found one! That’s right, I’m going to have a Sinestro Corps shelf – as well as the GLC shelf – in one of the display cases. I needed another light, so I got a set of NON lights. They come in a two-pack, but that turns out to be good, as both lights are wired to a single switch – saving the need for another cord/plug. We picked up the chest of drawers and a few other items and headed home for…

Football! The Ravens-Dolphins Wild Card game. We got home about halfway through the second quarter. (Fortunately, Kris was watching the game and was texting me info about it.) The game was amazing:

Baltimore Ravens at Miami Dolphins
27 – 9
The Ravens went on the road to take on the Miami Dolphins in Dolphin Stadium. The last time they played each other this season, the Ravens came away with a 20-3 win. The first quarter was apparently a defensive struggle – both teams only scored one field goal. The second quarter saw a little more action. With 6:56 left in the quarter, FS Ed Reed picked off a Chad Pennington pass and ran it back for a 64-yard TD. Matt Stover kicked another FG, with 21 seconds left in the quarter, to give the Ravens a 13-3 lead going into the half. After a couple of fruitless drives by both teams early in the third quarter, Ravens’ DE Marques Douglas forced a fumble, which was recovered by Terrell Suggs. This wound up leading to RB Le’Ron McLain rushing TD. On Miami’s next drive, Ed Reed picked off another pass. Baltimore wasn’t able to capitalize on this, however. In the fourth, Pennington connected with Ronnie Brown for a spectacular one-handed TD catch. This seemed to put a little more wind in the Dolphins’ sails. Both teams had a couple of three-and-out drives, but Baltimore was able to seal the win when QB Joe Flacco ran in a 5-yd touchdown. With this win, the Ravens move into the fourth AFC playoff spot. Saturday, they take on the Tennessee Titans in Adelphia Stadium.

After the game, we went to the Utah Museam of Fine Arts to see Wrapped in Pride: Kente Cloth. It was a fascinating exhibit.

We went to visit SaraRule’s parents. We watched the end of the Philadelphia-Minnesota game. And then watched Day of the Dead, which I haven’t seen in many moons. SIDENOTE: The music at the beginning of the movie sounded familiar, but I couldn’t really place it… until Miguel started yelling “Hello…?!  Is anybody there?!” Then it clicked for me. Immediately. It is used at the start of Gorillaz’ M1A1, from their debut CD. It had never occured to me to see where it had come from and I hadn’t previously put two and two together.

Four-Color Coverage
Friday, I was chatting with Markyn Time, who recommended that I stop what I was doing, pick up my copy of Justice Society of America #22 and read it. Immediately. Because, in his opinion, it was one of the best JSA arcs he’s read.

I didn’t. Instead, I went to coffee.
I did read it after I got back, though. And he was right.

This issue tied up both the Gog storyline and the Earth-22 Superman storyline. And it did both wonderfully. And… AND… it also had not only a great tie-in to Kingdom Come, but also to what I think was the v2 (“Rebooted“) Legion. All of this… and an amazing last page, too.

I was glad that I saved this book for my last read from this week’s haul.
It was just that good.

Stray Toasters

• Obama Moves to Counter China with Pentagon-NASA Link
• Facebook’s War on Nipples
• The Exact Cause of the Zune Meltdown
• From Wizard: Best of ’08 – Best Hero: Captain America
• Opening titles of B-Movies
• Apple IIe Emulator Released for the Wii

Tomorrow, the grind begins again… but, I still have a few hours of vacation to enjoy.

Namaste.

Tuesday – 30 December 2008
We’re back. Actually, we’ve been back since 4:00 PM yesterday. The flights were uneventful, as was the layover in Atlanta. It was a little warmer here than I expected. Granted, it’s still colder than in NC, but what can you do about that?

On the flight from ATL to SLC, we watched The Air I Breathe, loaned to me by a coworker. Neither SaraRules nor I had heard of the film, but we decided to give it a go. It was good. It basically deals with stories/lives of four characters and how they intertwine. It was interesting to see Brendan Frasier in another serious turn… and, again, another one in which he does a good job. If you get a chance to check it out, I recommend seeing this movie.

After coming home and unpacking, I headed over to SaraRules’ parents’ for a bit. We recounted a couple of stories of the trip to her mother. I also picked up the new TV and brought it home.

Setting up the TV also meant rearranging things in the entertainent center. I’m mostly done with that, but still have to figure out where to put a couple of things.

Four-Color Coverage
Over the last few trips to Dr. Volt’s, I picked up Fables Volume 2: Animal Farm, Fables Volume 3: Storybook Love and Hellblazer: Original Sins, along with The Sandman: The Doll’s House. Of those titles, I’ve read both Fables books and have started in on Hellblazer, which I haven’t really read in… probably six or seven years, at least.

Animal Farm dealt with the non-human-looking members of the Fables community and their… well…. Orwellian uprising against their human-looking brethren. When Snow White and Rose Red journey to “The Farm,” to discover why communications with between The Farm and Fabletown have broken down, they stumble into a vast right-wing conspiracy, led by none other than [spoiler deleted].

Storybook Love focuses on Snow White and Bigby Wolf, their search for a couple of rogue members of The Farm community and… could that be… a budding romance?

I’ve been enjoying the stories of Fables and recommend the series quite highly.

Hellblazer. How does one really talk about John Constantine? And, I don’t mean the version of the character as portrayed by Keanu Reeves in the (decent) movie that fortunately didn’t carry the Hellblazer name.) Possibly, the best way to do it is to take a few lines from “Hunger,” the first story:

He has been variously described as:

“The Aleister Crowley of his era, but more insidious.” (Guardians of Youth, media-watch group)
“A man of great courage, principle and humanity.” (The Archbishop of York)
“A cheap, flashy little crook.” (his father)
“Dangerous to know” and “A thorough bastard.” (Ted ‘Gold’ Digger, unconvicted acolyte of the Manson Family)
“A good mate of mine.” (John ‘Pearly’ Grey, Eastend autocrat of crime’ reputedly the only man feared by the notoroius Kray Twins)

Got him yet? No? A few more clues then.

Lead singer with the short-lived but brilliantly vitriolic MUCOUS MEMBRANE back in ’78.
Notorious occultist who spent two years in the bin after failing to pull off, in real life, as successfully as William Friedkin did on film.

No? You disappoint me. I thought you were street people.

For as long as this hack has been on the scene, people who know people have been talking about John Constantine.

He’s all of those things. Or none. Or some odd amalgamation of some of them. Hellblazer: Original Sins leads us – first, by the hand… before pushing us face-first – into the world of John Constantine. Sometimes, it’s the world we know. Other times, it’s the world we glimpse out of the corner of our eyes, in the dark. But, you can be assured, that when John Constantine is involved, it is sure to be interesting. And dangerous. But it definitely makes for a good read.

Stray Toasters

• I like this icon of :



• Flap Over ‘Magic Negro’ Song Roils RNC
• 12 Good Gadgets for Hard Times
• 
• 1970 video about collecting comic books
• Chemistry student wrongly busted for meth and bombs
• The new season of Burn Notice starts in three weeks.

Time to find some (more) trouble to get into.

Namaste.

Wednesday – 24 December 2008
Christmas Eve.

For those of you who didn’t receive one in the mail, here is this year’s Christmas card:

(click image to see the inside of the card)

Last night, after she got off work, SaraRules came over and we set up the Christmas tree. (Thanks, again, to OnlyAly and !) We even took a few pictures of it.

Later in the evening, SaraRules’ sister, Meliko, flew into town. We went over to the parents’ to hang out with her for a bit, as she will be gone by the time we get back. While SaraRules and her folks went to the airport, , Logan and I hung out at the house and watched Time Warp. It was nice to hang out with the family, if only for a couple hours, before I had to come home and pack.

In a few hours, SaraRules and I will begin our trek eastward for the long holiday weekend. We should arrive on the Right Coast about 8:30 PM, just in time to get home to hang out with the family-unit for some “holiday cheer” before the arrival of St. Nick.

Stray Toasters

• Since it’s almost Christmas, that means it’s time for my favorite Christmas song: Bing Crosby and David Bowie – Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy
  David Bowie |MTV Music
• Both Bret and made the same “short end of the stick” comment. Hm…
• Will Obama Bolster Captain America?
• Zimbabwe: Tutu ‘Ashamed’ of South Africa over Mugabe
• Attack of the Fan Videos – WormyT’s homemade trailer for a Thundercats movie.
  (There’s a lot of work that went into this; it looks pretty good.)
• …and since we already have a flashback to one cartoon, why not throw in another, for good measure?
• 5×10-foot Hoth base diorama includes teeny tiny minifig footprints
• THREE CAMERAS!
• Remember when getting one of these was the sign of “a good Christmas?”  (With a nod to Lexus…)
• Joysticks as coat hooks
• ‘Wall of Water’ Traps Motorists on Maryland Road

That’s about it for now; time to take care of a few last-minute items.

Although I’ll probably touch base again before tomorrow, I’d like to wish everyone a “Merry Christmas,” I hope that it is both safe and fun for you and your families.

Namaste.

Thursday – 18 December 2008
It’s snowing. So far, I haven’t seen any driving issues that compare with the ones from Tuesday; let’s hope that it stays that way.

Last night, I went home and started reading some of yesterday’s four-color haul; more on that below. SaraRules came over a little later. She quilted; I read. It was a nice, quiet evening. Logan came over around 9:00 to hang out. We watched a show called Time Warp – which featured Cirque de Soliel – and MythBusters, which aired their Top 10 Viewer Favorite Myths.

Four-Color Coverage
I somehow neglected to grab a copy of Tiny Titans when I picked up yesterday’s haul. *shakes fist* Otherwise, the comics were something of a mixed bag. Among the standouts were:

• DC Universe Holiday Special 2008 – I don’t often pick up holiday special issues, but I was curious about this one. I’m glad that I picked it up. It contained eight or nine (maybe even 10, but I forget the actual number) stories, ranging from 4 to 8 pages. Among them were “the super secret origin of Santa Claus,” an Aquaman (yes, THAT Aquaman) story that reflected the nativity, an excellent Gotham City story, featuring Commissioner Gordon, a Nightwing and Robin story that touched on their family tie, and one of the better stories I’ve read featuring Dr. Light II.



• Justice League of America: The Nail – This is an Elseworlds title from 1998, yet I had never read it until last night. Its premise was simple: What would the DCU have been like without Superman.

  

  It was a good read – I found myself juxtaposing it with Marvel’s Civil War and Secret Invasion, as The Nail dealt with issues of fear and isolationism in a not too dissimilar manner than the Marvel series. There is a sequel, JLA: Another Nail, that I will have to look for.

Stray Toasters

• Maddox is expanding his empire: The Best SHOW in the Universe.
• ‘Nanny’ state: Fran Drescher seeks Clinton’s Senate seat
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• Timecrimes director Masters Creepy Sci-Fi on a Shoestring
• I was wrong – shortly after I typed the “no driving issues” comment above, the “fun” started. (Pictures) It took the black car almost a half-hour to get from the first picture to the fourteenth one.
• Want a retired space shuttle? They’re up for grabs
• Gingerbread Revolution, by way of

Meeting time!

Namaste.