Union Pacific's Great Excursion Adventure

“Like a million little doorways…”

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Monday – 17 September 2007
And so, another week begins.

Friday, I spent the early part of the day elbow-up in servers, wires and DDR RAM. Yay. The first few racks I checked weren’t too bad; but the last one…? Not nearly as fun as it could have been. When I finished, I called it a day… and a week.

I ran a couple of errands and hit the road.

Destination: Cedar City
Objective: Visit Sara.

As with any good road trip, there were plenty of road monkeys with which I had to deal. Natch. Fortunately, by the time I got out of Payson, they had pretty much disappeared. The trip was rather uneventful, with the notable exception of a 15-mile stretch heading into Scipio… where the road is narrowed to one lane, in each direction. And did I mention the 55 (at best) MPH speed limit through there? Yeah. Icing on the cake. Monkeys and construction aside, I made decent time.

Friday night, Sara threw a potluck dinner party/get-together. Aside from a lack of the usual Friday-night people-watching, it could have easily been a Clitorati-esque gathering. Oh… and substitute wine for the usual caffeinated beverages, too. And there was Guitar Hero II, at which I proved once again that I either need never play it again or play it a lot and master it.

Saturday was a relaxed day that included:

  • …a trip to Cedar Breaks National Monument. We hiked the Alpine Lake trail, which divides into an “upper trail” and a “lower trail,” which meet at the aforementioned lake.
  • …kite-flying. Well, “some” kite-flying – the kite kept wanting to nose-dive into the ground. It looks like a couple of the lines on the parafoil are twisted, so I’ll need to see what I can do about correcting that.
  • …dinner at Casa de Don Miguel’s, a small Mexican restaurant in town. I had an enchilada and burrito combination plate that was pretty good.
  • …a trip to the local Dairy Queen, where I sated my craving for a chocolate-dipped ice cream cone. A craving that I keep neglecting to appease in Salt Lake.
  • EuroTrip. (Damn you, Tyranist.)

Sunday was an equally-if-not-moreso relaxed day. Sara and I hung out, headed to Chili’s for lunch and then to see Stardust. Having seen it before, I wasn’t as shocked by Robert DeNiro’s performance, although I was just as entertained by it as the first time I saw it. I paid a little more attention to Michelle Pfeiffer’s performance this time; I feel like I slighted it in my first review. She did an excellent turn as Lamia, a witch in search of Claire Dane’s Yvaine. I remember thinking at one point,”Lamia… Catwoman… Lamia… Catwoman…” I had forgotten how well she portrays villains/antagonists. After the movie was homework (for Sara) and geekery (for me) followed by dinner. And an episode of Coupling. (Damn you, Tyranist. Again!)

This morning’s commute wasn’t bad. Fortunately, the monkeys weren’t out en masse. And the fifteen-mile crawl wasn’t unbearable. And I made it to the office in good time. Of course, I realized, a tad too late that I didn’t caffeinate myself before leaving, so I will have to tread lightly when dealing with the monkeys, as the blood content in my caffeinestream is higher than usual. I should check the break room to see if there is anything brewable in there.

Football Update
I missed the game, but I did see that the Ravens shot down the Jets. Two down, thirteen to go…

Additionally, Congratulations (and “Thank you”) to for the beatdown his beloved Browns gave to ‘s Bengals.

Stray Toasters

Namaste.

“I radiate more heat than light…”

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Sunday: Coda
Today was a good day.

Post-errand running and spending time at the driving range, I acquired a cup of frozen mocha goodness, picked up Sara and headed to the Hogle Zoo.


Click for pictures (and they’re great-huge, sorry to those of you on dial-up).

The weather was perfect: Sunny with a light breeze. After seeing the animals (and some prime people-watching), we headed up Emigration Canyon to see if the foliage had started to change. It had… but not much.

From there, it was back down to Parley’s Canyon… and on to Park City. For ice cream. Look, if Burt Reynolds and Jerry Reed could go to Texarkana for beer, we could go to Park City for ice cream. And we did. So there.

Westbound and down to SLC for dinner (and a little football) with Sara’s family. I met her brothers a few years ago – and, in a case of “small world gets even smaller,” I discovered/realized that one of them is a DJ at one of the local clubs – but hadn’t met her parents. Dinner was good. Football was football… but the game I’m concerned about is the Monday night game: The Ravens vs. Cincy. (That’s right, Ms. , it’s on!)

Then, home to load up on orange juice and Sudafed. Again. And work on the pics from the day.

posted this meme. I liked it. I’m copping it:

Copy this list. Leave in the bands you’ve seen perform live. Delete the ones you haven’t and add new ones that you have seen until you reach 25. An asterisk means the previous person had it on their list. Two asterisks means the last two people who did this before you had that band on their list. Three asterisks etc…

  1. Nine Inch Nails*****
  2. Aerosmith
  3. Babyface
  4. Barenaked Ladies
  5. Ben Folds Five
  6. Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
  7. Boyz II Men
  8. Cake
  9. The Cruxshadows
  10. David Bowie
  11. emmet swimming
  12. India.Arie
  13. Information Society
  14. Jonni Lightfoot (pre-Air Supply)
  15. Luscious Jackson
  16. New Edition
  17. Poe
  18. Preservation Hall Jazz Band
  19. Rockapella
  20. Rush
  21. Sister Hazel
  22. Shawn Colvin
  23. Squirrel Nut Zippers
  24. Sting
  25. The Who

Stray Toasters

  • Just in case I haven’t mentioned it enough or there was some lingering question about it: I’m sick of being sick.
  • Toll the bell
    Pay the private eye
    All’s well
    20th century dies
  • Zaz!
  • I think that I have a plan for the dining room: Railroad motif. I have some old railroad pictures that I think would look good, once framed. And then, although I’m still a little indecisive on this part, I may get some free-hanging shelves and put my HO and N-scale trains on them.
  • How do I swear in foreign languages?
  • I need to buy a new architect scale. *sigh*
  • Going back through some old posts, I came across this one. It made me laugh.
  • Y’know what…?
    The Candy Man can.
    Even after all these years.
  • needs some attention.
  • O-E-O-E-O!
  • RFID implants linked to animal tumors
  • VIKA Blecket

And, that’s a wrap.

Namaste.

“It’s not how fast you can go…”

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Back.

And, because of some delay, I even beat the family-unit home.

It was a good trip. Though short, it was well worth it on all accounts.

Stray Toasters

  • Thanks to Rana, I am now (once again) in possession of one of the last items I wanted from my grandmother’s house; I believe that there is only one more thing that I want.
  • I found out a couple of things that are going to require some deliberation.
  • “Not a star,” along the same lines as a “not-sheep.”
  • I caught a couple of commercials/previews for the upcoming seasons of Legion of Super-Heroes and The Batman. They both look interesting.
  • I had sushi last night. Naturally, I ordered Ika. This recipe was a bit different than others: It had a bit of lettuce between the squid and the rice… and a bit of wasabi.
  • Great. As soon as I typed “wasabi”, this popped into my head:

    Hot like wasabi when I bust rhymes
    Big like LeAnn Rimes
    Because I’m all about value

  • I decided to hang with the sibko rather than see Big Bad Voodoo Daddy last night. It’s a lot easier – and generally far less expensive – to see BBVD on tour than it is to fly to Nepal. And I had fun.
  • Heading out of St. George, I passed a Highway Patrol officer who had stopped to assist a motorist. As he was waiting for traffic to pass, so that he could get out of his vehicle, he rolled down his window and flicked ashes off his cigarette. Seeing that, a line popped into my head:

    He reached out the window and flicked ashes off the end of his cigarette. The motion looked almost angry or disdainful, as if the mere presence of the ashes somehow offended him.

  • Last year, Rana developed an… affinity… for I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas, by Shirley Temple. If I remember correctly, and I derived a bit of amusement from that.

    A week or so ago, I found a small toy hippo.

    2 + 2 = evil

    I gave it to Rana, before they left this afternoon. , when he saw what it was and as I explained why I was giving it to her, turned away to grin/laugh without being seen and possibly hit for it. Fortunately (for both of us), Rana laughed, too. Although, it may have been more of a smirk. But, I’ll take what I can get.

  • People-watching is fun, as borne out by this image from Indexed:

    People-watching at the MGM and pretty much anywhere in Vegas probably falls somewhere between “airport” and “shopping mall” AND it adds new dimensions and twists to things.
    People-watching with Rana and : Priceless.
  • By way of : Who watches wears the Watchmen?
  • The Knight Shift. This is in the same system in which my mother and ‘s husband work. I have to ask one of them if they’ve heard any of the hullaballoo about it and/or the outcome of the election.

And I believe that’s that.

Namaste.

“On a desert highway, straight to the heart of the sun…”

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Saturday – 01 September 2007
Wake up.  Check.
Hygiene rituals.  Check.
Dressed and ready to go. Check.

Time to check out, find the sibko and family unit and figure out what we’re doing before they leave.

And then, back on the road.

Zoom.

“Fortune is random, Fate shoots from the hip…”

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Friday – 31 August 2007
Day Two of the Great Vegas Road trip.

I put the SL and Utah Valleys in the rear view mirror and headed south on I-15. I stopped over in Cedar City to visit the fabulous Ms. Sara. We had dinner – at a restaurant… that served Louisiana-themed cuisine (very tasty) … in southern Utah (*blink blink*) – and then went to see Twelfth Night at the Utah Shakespearean Festival. After that, we chatted away a good portion of the night.

This morning: Drive a-go-go. Part two.

Most of the drive was good… then I got into Vegas… and traffic came to a crawl. On the freeway. *sigh* Oh, well, I finally made it to my hotel and contacted the family-unit to see where they were. We met up at the ESPN Zone in New York New York. We wandered around for a bit, after lunch. And… there was some roulette involved. Down $15. I can live with that.

And I’m still on the fence about BBVD tonight. I’ll let Fate decide.

Stray Toasters

  • And I’m still on the fence about BBVD tonight. I’ll let Fate decide.
  • “What are you…?! 12?!?”

Quote of the Day
I love my stepmom for a number of reasons. Among them, was the gem she spouted off while we were in the Coca-Cola store on The Strip:

“I’m going to get you some squirrel nuts.”

The looks around the table – and the silence, then broken by lots of laughter – were priceless.

Namaste.

“Off on your way, hit the open road…”

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Thursday – 30 August 2007
This morning, getting up wasn’t a problem. Deciding what to do was. For about five minutes.

I was on the fence about taking a partial day or the whole day, as I am heading in the general direction of Las Vegas in a few hours.

I decided that I’m taking the day off.

City of Heroes/Villains
As I’ve been playing this game for a little over two years now, it’s pretty safe to say that I enjoy the game. I think that would refer to it as one of my “warm, happy places.”

What I don’t enjoy is racking up over 60,000 points of XP debt in one mission, because the team’s Tanker (built like a brick house – OW!) and one of the Blasters (long-range damage-dealer) were a bit… “overzealous”… in their play. The Blaster would run into rooms with multiple villains, get them riled up and then lead them back to the group. And the Tanker, according to another team member, “…leaks aggro like a sieve.” In other words, his job was to basically stand around and look pretty… and to take abuse from the bad guys while we mopped them up. Unfortunately, this became a case of “practical theory vs. real-world application.” In fact, he even had an ability to hold the villains’ attention, just for that purpose. Did he use it? Not that any of us saw. *sigh*

I was asked to join another team later. That one went much better. Not only did I manage to get rid of my accrued debt, but I am probably…. 7/10 to 8/10 of the way to Security Level 35.

Stray Toasters

  • I’m not sure if I’m going to see BBVD tomorrow night; it depends on whether or not Sib-1 and want to go.
  • With a write-up like this, I may have to see if I can get a copy of 5.

    This comic will give you pet tigers, chained artists, lizard eggs, space ships, mutated dogs and kung fu blaxploitation sci fi craziness. It will give you joy. It will make you want to create your own comics. And that is the highest praise I can give it. Highly recommended, if you can find it.

  • : Three words – “Sunday. Night. Football.” Oh, add a fourth: “Beer!”
    Think about it.
  • I had a couple of blasts from the past last night.
  • Tires are not inexpensive.
  • FLCL (because the pillows are playing on the iPod).

Up out.

Namaste.

“Beep-beep! Beep-beep! Yeah!”

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Tuesday – 21 August 2007
Waking up this morning was something of a chore. And one that I didn’t really want to do. But, who really enjoys chores? But, I mustered up some go-get-’em and did it anyway.

I don’t know what happened, but about 2/3 of the way through the commute, it seems as though a couple of road monkeys decided to have a meeting. Physics was involved. And I’m sure that there was a measure of deceleration trauma involved as well. There had to be…

…because that’s the only rational explanation that I can devise for the two-mile backup on I-15. Rather than try to navigate an alternate route, I rolled down the windows, fired up the iPod and crept down the road.

The rest of the day went well, comparatively. Including the lunch workout. I’m getting more comfortable with my sets of 205; I was able to do all three sets without having to break up the third set or having to decrease the weight.

On the way home, there was another accident on I-15.  Northbound.  Around 80th South.  There was a notification of the accident around the time that I crossed the county line, which was around… 150th South.  Traffic stopped around 120th South.  And it took about :20 minutes to go five miles.  Good thing I had the iPod.  Again.

Tonight is D&D Night.   The highlight of the game: We had to figure out how to get into the lower levels of a fortified pyramid.   Which was a bit of a problem since the hunger god’s follower’s had set spiked walls of doom at the bottom of the “chimney” that we were planning to use as an entrance.

Our solution was to pour pitch and Greek fire into the hole… and send a dragon down to light it on fire.

…and hilarity ensued.

City of Heroes/Villains: View from the Aerie
Last night, for the first time in a while, I took Corvus Nox to Paragon City. I was invited to join a team shortly after logging on. Unfortunately, they grabbed me because I am a Defender. Defenders are most often the class of healers. I’m more of a…. field medic. At best. And, I warned them of this right off the bat. The invitation stood. But, they apparently didn’t take me seriously. For which a few of us died. A few times. But, we did manage to make it through that mission. And, eventually, we found another healer… with roughly the same Health set as mine, but working in tandem seemed to work well for us. And there were a lot fewer deaths.

By the end of the evening, I had tacked two-and-a-half levels on to Nox.

Stray Toasters
No Toasters, especially since I:

  • …have been working on this post (thank God for “Save” and “continue editing”) for hours.
  • …am in the middle of figuring out what to do now that our characters have made it into the hunger god’s pyramid… and we don’t want to die.

Namaste.

    Life, in a nutshell

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    Sunday – 05 August 2007
    Another weekend comes to a close and this one has been something of a mixed bag:

    The Good

    • Rita Coolidge concert
    • Kimball Arts Festival

    The Bad

    • The sunroof in the car imploding… while I was driving on 215. I don’t know what caused it, so I’m not going to speculate about “what if…?” scenarios. I’m blessed/fortunate that I didn’t get hurt in the process and that no one else on the road was affected.

    The Ugly

    • Nothing yet, although I’m not looking forward to getting estimates on replacing the sunroof.

    Last night’s concert was a nice distraction from the angst induced by the sunroof issue. Not only did Kate do me a good turn by getting me a ticket… but that ticket was seventh row, center. I was, maybe, thirty feet from the stage… if that far. Ms. Coolidge performed with a four-piece band (keyboard, guitar, bass and percussion) and they sounded good. Very good. “We don’t have to do a lot of overdubbing and tweaking in the studio” good. The band members were all very capable, if not downright talented. I realized part of the way through the show that I was comparing her band either to people I know or to other instrumentalists. Not exactly “fair” comparisons, but what’re ya gonna do? Near the end of her show, Ms. Coolidge gave a brief history lesson about the Trail of Tears and how there was a song, written by a Scotsman, that was/is the most often sung in both White and Native American churches in the south and the Bible Belt: Amazing Grace. She performed it in Cherokee. It was a very nice – and moving – rendition.

    Since I was already out, I headed directly to Cheers. I was early, so I took my sketchbook inside and did some more work on She Talks to Angels at the table. I got a couple of nice compliments from passers-by.

    Today was the annual Park City Arts Festival excursion. There were seventeen of us, I believe, in all. Unfortunately, Cisero’s was not doing their brunch, so we ate from the lunch menu. And they had coffee. Sweet, sweet nectar of the gods. The exhibits were, as usual, good. And, for the first time in… three years, I think… I didn’t run into anyone that I knew. We ate, strolled around the artists’ booths… and then stopped in Zona Rosa for a late lunch/early dinner and drinks.

    Then, home again, home again. Jiggety-jig.

    Stray Toasters

    Off to storm a castle or something…

    Namaste.

    “I don’t think I can handle this… another day in Metropolis.”

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    Saturday – 28 July 2007
    Up. Down. Up. Down. Up. Down.

    That’s what my sleeping hours were like last night/this morning. It wasn’t horrible – and I didn’t feel exhausted when I finally got up this morning – but it was a little annoying. After dealing with the necessary hygiene rituals I met Perry and Max for coffee this morning.

    I tried to work on my new lyric-to-drawing piece today, but didn’t get very far today. I did, however get a good bit done last night. The new piece is based on The Black Crowes’ She Talks to Angels. I finished most of the angel last night: Upper body and wings. Wings. Take. Forever. To. Fill. In. (But, I think that they look good.) I still need to figure out how the positioning for her arms. After I finish that, I have to add the other figure into the piece and that’s going to be a little more involved: I want the other figure to look like my grandmother. Yeah… like I’m not going to be picky/meticulous about how that looks. More so than usual, anyway.

    The piece that I interrupted to do this one is based on emmet swimming‘s Ed’s Song. But, I’m putting a small twist on the point of view. More on that later. Maybe. Or maybe it will just be a surprise – at least to those of you who haven’t seen me working on it.

    Four-Color Coverage

    • Countdown: 40 – Donna Troy, Jason Todd, “Bob,” and Ryan Choi (The new Atom) meet some of the denizens of the subatomic universe. Some rather unfriendly denizens. Hostile and unfriendly, at that. Mary Marvel takes a cruise… kind of. Darkseid masses an army. And is that Ms. Renee Montoya, the new Question, lurking on rooftops?
    • Elephantmen #010 – I really can’t say enough good things about this title. The method/manner of storytelling is reminiscent of Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman in many ways. This issue, titled “Unicorn,” featured rhinoceros- based Elephantman, Obidiah Horn. It tells his story in two parts/perspectives: One, harsh and grim, from Obidiah’s… and the other, comparing him to the mythological unicorn.
    • Green Lantern Corps #14 – This issue continues the Sinestro Corps War. GL Soranik Natu returns to her home planet, Korugar, to try and bring stability and balance to her people. Unfortunately, Korugarans are leery of Green Lanterns, following their treatment under renegade GL Sinestro’s “leadership.” So, they are a little “less than happy” about Natu’s attempts to help……until Sinestro shows up. But what is he after?
    • Love and Capes #5 – I first discovered this title last year… and I like it. Quite a bit, in fact. This issue finds Mark and Abby dealing with… Mark’s parents. I think that one of my favorite exchanges in the issue is between Abby and her sister Charlotte (who knows that Mark is The Crusader):

      Charlotte: Don’t worry, I’ve got something that will wake you up.
      Abby: Please tell me it’s something with two creams and three sugars.
      Charlotte: Here you go. *hands Abby a cup of coffee*
      Abby: Thank you. You’re now my favorite little sister.
      Charlotte: Oh, hey– Mark called just before you got here.
      Abby: *to her coffee mug* Come to me, oh sweet, sweet elixir of life that men call “Joe.”
      *to Charlotte* What did Mark say?
      Charlotte: He wanted me to let you know that his mother is coming into town next week.
      Abby: *sputter* What? Mark’s MOM?
      Charlotte: See? I told you I had something to wake you up.
      Abby: You don’t understand, Charlotte. Mrs. Spencer hates me.
      Charlotte: Any particular reason or just general principle?
      Abby: More like multiple choice. Worse yet, she doesn’t say anything outright, she just kind of hints around it. It’s like she has some insidious plan to drive me away, and– –just what is so darned funny?
      Charlotte: *snicker* When you said “insidious” it just clicked– Mark’s mother is your arch-nemesis.

      …although, this post-visit exchange was pretty good, too:

      Mark: Hi, honey!
      Abby: Hey, Mark. How was the airport?
      Mark: Not too crowded. My parents got on with no problems. They told me to tell you “good-bye” for them.
      Abby: I’m sorry I couldn’t go with you. Charlotte couldn’t cover for me today. It’s pretty late though. Was their flight delayed?
      Mark: No, I just wanted to make sure they got home okay, so I followed their airplane to the Ohio border.
      Abby: You do know that planes are statistically speaking the safest way to travel, right?
      Mark: You wouldn’t say that if you’d caught as many of them as I have.

    • The Mighty Avengers #4 – Ultron takes on the world… and plans to remake it in its own image. And, as an added caveat, it plans on using Tony Stark’s own technology to help! All while (still) looking like The Wasp. But, the real Ms. VanDyne hasn’t lost any of her spark – While the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. are looking for ways to take down Ultron, they bring in cyberneticist/biophyicisit (and former Avenger AND Wasp’s ex-husband) Hank Pym:

      Black Widow (acting as head of S.H.I.E.L.D.): Where is Reed Richards? Can’t he look outside his window and see the world is coming to an end? Carol, go knock on the Baxter Building and see if anyone is home.
      Hank Pym: Actually, although clearly Reed Richards is the biggest brain of all time, in this particular field, I am the world expert.
      Wasp: Sweetie– when the world is about to come to an end because of something you created and lost control of… bragging about how smart you are… not cool.

    • Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes #32 – Mekt Ranzz, Star Boy and Sun Boy. On Winath. With U.P. Special Prosecutor Tenzil Kem. Still on the hunt for Cosmic Boy.

      Tenzil Kem: Let the record show that Thom Kallor, alias “Star Boy,” confirms incriminating statements made by the fugitive Rokk Krinn, alias “Cosmic Boy.”
      Mekt Ranzz: What record? This is a farm, not a courtroom.
      Tenzil Kem: As an officer of the Adjudication Bureau, I am authorized to conduct field depositions. Everything I lens is part of the official transcript, Mister Ranzz, so you might want to mind your manners. I’ll be arresting Cosmic Boy when we find him. Try to stop me and you jeopardize the Legion’s partnership with the United Planets.
      Sun Boy: Like I care. I quit the Legion, Mister Kim.
      Tenzil Kem: That’s Kem. Tenzil Kem. And I know all about you… Dirk Morgna — alias “Sun Boy” — current leader of a noted meta-terrorist cell.
      Sun Boy: They aren’t terrorists. Not anymore.
      Tenzil Kem: Don’t worry, I’m only after the guy who blew up the Dominators.
      Mekt Ranzz: And what if we don’t let you have him?
      Tenzil Kem: Mekt Ranzz. Lightning Lad’s big brother. I know all about you, too.
      Mekt Ranzz: If you did, you’d get as far from me as possible.
      Star Boy: We’re wasting time here. Bottom line, Mister Prosecutor — We’d all be dead if not for Cosmic Boy. If we find Cos and you lay a hand on him, I will drop you where you stand.
      *breep breep*
      Star Boy: What’s that?
      Tenzil Kem: My glasses have a built-in lie detector. Don’t make empty threats, Star Boy. Not to me.
      Mekt Ranzz: Tell me if this is a lie– You stay out of my way, or I’ll poke my finger in your eye and cook your sprokkin’ brain. *lightning arcs from his fingertip*
      *Mekt and Kem stare at each other*
      Mekt Ranzz: Whaddaya know… it works.

      And… what is the Cult of Validus?

    • Superman #665 – This issue was a bit of a two-for-one filler issue: It serves as a bit of a bridge to Jimmy’s current goings-on in Countdown and it gives background into “When Jimmy met Superman” and how Jimmy came to be known as “Superman’s Pal.” Not an entirely bad retcon of young Mr. Olsen’s origins.
    • Ultimate Fantastic Four #44 – The FF versus the Silver Surfer… again. Still. Or something like that. Although, in this case, the Surfer doesn’t seem to be the herald of Galactus (or however they spell it in the Ultimate universe).

    Stray Toasters

    • I talked with the Matriarch for a bit this morning. All is well.
    • I talked to Kris. She’s (still) packing for her pending move; aside from things being a bit hectic, she’s doing well. On top of that, she will be living minutes from Pro Player Stadium… where the Dolphins play. Not that she’s a ‘fins fan, but… she is a Ravens fan. And guess who’s playing the Dolphins in December? Mm-hmm, that’s right! She’s looking into getting us tickets for that game.
    • I also chatted with the too-infrequently seen/heard from <lj user=”yerac”> this afternoon.
    • WTF!?: The 8 Strangest Communities on the Web
    • By way of comes Unfortunate Placement of Yahoo! Ad

    Time to go play in the sunshine some more.

    “We travel on the road to adventure, on a desert highway, straight to the heart of the sun…”

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    Thursday – 19 July 2007
    So far, it’s been a fairly decent day. The worst thing, so far, was the collection of monkeys on the road during the morning commute. Slow-in-the-fast-lane monkeys, truck-driving monkeys, monkeys who didn’t know how to merge when an opening was presented. Monkeys. But, I managed to make it down to AF without having to unload the disruptor cannons.

    I had another good – and tiring – day at the gym. Today’s bench presses were:

    • Set 1: 205 pounds/10 reps
    • Set 2: 205 pounds/10 reps
    • Set 3: 200 pounds/8 reps and 3 (slow and painful) reverse reps – instead of pushing the bar up, I had to allow it to/make it slowly descend

    So, I’m pretty jazzed about that. Now, it’s just a matter of continuing to move that weight… and eventually see how much I can increase beyond 200 pounds.

    The Best
    I’ve been a fan of the song Tempted, by Squeeze, for many moons.
    I’m also a fan of the Rockapella cover.

    I’m a bit torn over which version is “The Best,” but I think that the Rockapella version edges out the original, ever so slightly… because of the harmonies that the group added.

    Stray Toasters

    • I’m not sure why continues to try to kill me… but she does. Although, today’s attempt was far less painful than last week’s. In fact, I even found this one entertaining and amusing.
    • Seems as though Carmen and (and a few other family-types) may be in the area next month. If the timing is right, I may be able to kill multiple avians with a single piece of silicate.
    • By way of : Messner ‘in God’s hands’
    • Moab Brewery. (Damn you, !)
    • That’s it. I’m moving to Sweden. Not (just) because of the Garden of Sweden, but because of this: Swedish woman gets superfast Internet.
    • : Based on your comment, as we were leaving Clitorati last week, I think that I’ve found a theme that works: Parisien du Nord (instrumental), by Cheb Mami and K-Mel. This isn’t to say that I won’t change my mind at some later date, but this works pretty well for now.

    Namaste.

    More than meets the eye…

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    Saturday – 14 July 2007
    For reasons yet unknown, I was up at 8:15 this morning… after going to be sometime around 3:30. Not that this was a problem, per se, I just wasn’t expecting to be up quite so early.

    Last night was apparently Rob the Route Planner (not to be confused with Bob the Builder) night – both Dad and Adam are travelling, and I was acting as remote navigator. Not a problem, especially as I’m kind of used to the role, but it was a little amusing. Adam is traveling a small portion of the route that I took when I moved out here, so I was passingly familiar with some of the things he should look for, but had to consult the Internet and a Rand McNally atlas to fill in some gaps when he got into an area that I didn’t travel. And I neglected to ask him to stop in Metropolis, Illinois to get a picture of the Superman statue. And, I just spoke with Dad; he’s about 10 miles out of Reidsville – he’s stopping in to see Mom and my stepfather and one of my aunts on his way home from West-by-God Virginia. He’s spoken with Adam this morning, who is already underway on the next leg of his trip.

    Last night was also Clitorati night. Good turn out… and Acolyte Derek also put in an appearance at coffee. The conversation-to-musical reference generator in my head was turned up to 11. I think that it amused Chris S. to find out just how quickly – and randomly – it worked.

    This morning, I watched a “new” episode of Legion of Super-Heroes: “Phantoms.” In it, Clark inadvertently releases a criminal from the Phantom Zone. This results in lots of property damage across New Metropolis as the Legion tries to wrangle him back into the Zone.

    I saw Transformers (again) with <lj user=”duckspeaker”> and his… friend and/or co-worker (I think), Terry. Watching robots wantonly blow up lots of property is a great way to start off a Saturday afternoon.

    The Best
    New addition to the list: Big Bad Voodoo Daddy – I Wanna Be Like You (from The Jungle Book).
    You can check out a version of it here.

    Four-Color Coverage
    This week’s take included eleven weeks of Countdown, DC’s latest weekly maxi-series that I had originally intended to skip… until I found out that Karate Kid seems to be featured in it. Which means that it’s a Legion tie-in, even if only tangentially. Which means that I am compelled to buy it. So, that said, let’s get to it:

    • Action Comics #851 – Superman is trapped in the Phantom Zone, while General Zod, Ursa (and a few other Kryptonian villains) are free on Earth. But, just like Ringo Starr, Superman gets by with a little help from his friends. Or just one friend, in this case: Mon-El, who at this point had been in the Zone for about 15 – 20 years… of the 1,000 years that he would wind up being there.
    • All-Star Superman #8 – More adventures on Bizarro World. And Lois discovers Superman’s secret. No, not that he’s Clark Kent (that was Issues #1 and 2… and she didn’t believe him). The secret that his mission to the sun in Issue #1 is killing him.
    • City of Heroes #20 – Final issue. This issue has a big knockdown, drag out fight that lasts for seven pages, establishes a few changes in the CoH/CoV uniferse and alluded to a few things in the upcoming in-game update, Issue 10. There was a little too much exposition in this issue and it felt as though they tried to wrap things up a little too quickly. But, what’re ya gonna do?
    • Countdown #51 – 42 – Something is amiss in the newly reborn DC Multiverse. The Monitors – DC’s answer to Marvel’s Watchers – are back; they who haven’t really been seen since 1985’s Crisis on Infinite Earths. Now, there are 52 of them – one for each level of the new multiverse. And, at least one of them is on a mission: Eliminate anomalies in the timestream/multiverse – namely, anyone who should be on one Earth, but has migrated to another one.The mysteries don’t end there. Why is Jimmy Olsen suddenly exhibiting superpowers? What’s happening to Mary Marvel? What are the Flash’s Rogues planning? What’s the story behind the Athenian Women’s Help Shelter… and what’s Harleen Quinzel’s angle? Who’s killing the New Gods? What is Monarch planning for the new multiverse?One thing that I am appreciating is a look at some of the between-the-pages scenes that occurred during “The Lightning Saga.” Case in point: A scene aboard the JLA Watchtower, with Dr. Mid-Nite, Dream Girl, Karate Kid and Starman looking down on Earth:

      Dr. Mid-Nite: Does she still look the same in your era? Or have we managed to completely pave her over by then?
      Karate Kid: Actually, Earth’s axis is tilted differently in our time. The South Pole’s in Australia…
      Dream Girl: Can we please not make chitchat? I’m worried about the others.
      Dr. Mid-Nite: Understood, Dream Girl, but we’ll find them, safe and sound, just like we found you.
      Karate Kid: We appreciate your Justice Society and Justice League putting everything into finding our lost teammates, Dr. Mid-Nite… but Dream Girl says one of us is going to die before this is all over, and she’s never wrong about these things.
      Dr. Mid-Nite: Perhaps… but all of you experienced memory loss when you arrived here from the thirty-first century. In the case of Starman, the cognitive impairment was, shall we say, even more profound. How do you know Dream Girl’s precognitive abilities aren’t similarly affected? Just let us finish tracking down your missing teammates’ flight rings. We’ll bring them back here safe, just like Dream Girl. And, hey, at least you’re not locked up in one of our holding cells anymore.
      Karate Kid: Aren’t we? You’ve given us free run of the station, but we’re effectively in quarantine up here.
      Dream Girl: Val, this man is trying to help us.
      Karate Kid: He’s diagnosing us, Nura. He knows a potential infection when he sees one.
      Dr. Mid-Nite: Fair enough, Karate Kid, but can you blame me for being cautious? You very nearly took down Batman!
      Karate Kid: I was mind controlled. I’m not a threat anymore.
      Dr. Mid-Nite: *hh* Do you know why you traveled a thousand years back in time to come here?
      Karate Kid: You know I don’t.
      Dr. Mid-Nite: Do any of you know why you’re here?
      *blank looks on Dream Girl, Karate Kid and Starman’s faces*
      Dr. Mid-Nite: Then until we’re sure your mission isn’t something along the lines of “Kill Sarah Conner,” I suggest you relax and enjoy the view.

      …and…

      *Karate Kid approaches Batman on a Gotham rooftop*
      Batman: People who try to sneak up on me usually regret it.
      Karate Kid: I’m sorry, Batman. I didn’t come to make trouble. I just wanted to say that the Legion is returning to the Thirty-First Century. I’m going to go rendezvous with them right now…
      Batman: Don’t let me keep you.
      Karate Kid: Before I go, I, uh… I am humbly grateful to have fought such a skilled martial artist–
      Batman: Don’t. You outfought me. Once. You wouldn’t in a rematch.
      Karate Kid: I wasn’t trying to rub your nose in it. I only wanted to… Never mind. *flies away*
      Batman: *smirking* Did you expect a sidekick job?

    • Fantastic Four #547 – I think that this has to be one of my favorite issues of FF ever, if only for the following exchange between Storm, The Thing and The Black Panther:

      Storm: I can’t believe you said that.
      Thing: I didn’t say it, I’m just telling you what Michael said.
      Storm: You can tell Michael Collins that my hair is completely natural.
      Thing: Okay, you know. Whatever. Sorry I brought it up.
      Storm: This is not a weave. Go ahead.
      Thing: Go ahead what?
      Storm: See for yourself. Pull my hair.
      Thing: Are you nuts?
      Storm: *wrapping strands of hair in Ben’s hands* Hard as you want.
      Thing: I don’t want!
      Storm: Do it. *irritated look on her face*
      Thing: *lifts Storm a few inches off the floor… by her hair* There. Happy now?
      Storm: I think I proved my point.
      *Black Panther walks into the room*
      Thing: T’Challa, I can explain…
      Black Panther: Don’t bother. She’s very sensitive about her hair. Word of advice: As you value your life, never ask her if she’s wearing colored contact lenses.
      Storm: I ‘m not!
      Black Panther: I know, my love. *walks out of the room*

    • Green Lantern #21 – Aftermath of the attack of the Sinestro Corps. 59 Green Lantern rings seek replacement bearers. Most of the Guardians are… ignoring… the Blackest Night prophecy. Two Guardians – Sayd and Ganthet (surprise) – don’t think that it’s a wise course of action…. and recruit Officer 2814.1 (Hal Jordan) to spearhead an attack against the Sinestro Corps. But, what is it that Hal Jordan (still) fears?
    • Justice Society of America #7 – Another post-“Lightning Saga”thread weaves through this story, with Superman visiting Starman at the Sunshine Sanitarium:

      Starman: *singing* “…to make me fret, I fly a-round! I had strings, but now I’m free– there are no strings on me!” *walks into the cafeteria*
      Doctor: Good afternoon, Starman. You did a very good thing this morning, pulling that school bus from the river. You saved a lot of kids and made a lot of parents happy.
      Starman: Well, today should be a good day for everyone, Doctor. It’s Wednesday, after all.
      Floyd: Hi, Starman.
      Starman: Hi, Floyd. Oh, yes! *bends down to look at Sloppy Joes on the lunch counter* They don’t have these when I come from.
      *off-panel voice* Excuse me, Starman.
      Superman: I know the Justice Society wants a few words with you , but since we’re old friends– I asked for some time first. I want to know more about what’s happened with the Legion. And I want to know more about you.
      Starman: *chompf* You ‘anna ‘oppy ‘oe, Kal?
      Superman: I’d love one, Thom.
      *the pair get lunch trays and sit down*
      Starman: Aren’t you going to drink your milk?
      Superman: Um, no.
      Starman: It makes your bones stronger. You’re not still mad at me, are you, Kal?
      Superman: I’m not mad at you, Thom.
      Starman: The we’re still friends?
      Superman: The Legion will always be my friends.
      Starman: Mine too. I like Power Girl an awful lot, but not in the way I love my Dreamer. I can’t wait to see her again. *chompf*
      Superman: Why didn’t you go back with the other Legionnaires?
      Starman: I wanted to, but I can’t. I’m here to help.
      Superman: Help who?
      Starman: Myself. And Earth, too! The black hole is supposed to help her see the truth. Then he’ll come and why… the Justice Society of America shows us all the way. The world needs better good guys! That’s not just our world, you know. Or our time. But the future isn’t up to me to save. I have my own job. I have gravity powers! I’m quite happy about that. *uses his power to crush a milk carton*
      Superman: Why did the Legion come back here?
      Starman: There’s trouble in the 31st Century, you see. The big three say you can’t help them.
      Superman: Why not?
      Starman: Why Clark Kents can’t come! It’s common sense.
      Superman: When they opened the Speed Force, Wally West and his family came back.
      Starman: And they say lightning never strikes twice in the same place! Pfft! Just ask him.
      Superman: But is that why the Legion were here? To bring the Flash home?
      Starman: From the vibrational plane! Zip! Zoom! The Legion of three worlds! Do you remember XS? She had such a crush on you. And I got to meet another Thom and another Thom!
      Superman: I don’t understand what you’re talking about.
      Starman: Yeah. Me either.

    • The New Avengers #32 – Welcome to “Who Wants to Be a Skrull-ionnaire?” There’s tension on the team. After last issue’s revelation that Skrulls may have replaced some of Marvel’s best and brightest, now the question looms: “Who can you trust?” In the New Av’s case: It seems to be no one. Not even your teammates. Where are Scully and Mulder when you need ’em?
    • Supergirl #19 – Finally! FINALLY! Kara grows up, grows a pair (so to speak) and owns up for her actions – or lack thereof – over the past year. Maybe this book will actually see some progress and story advancement now…
    • Ultimate Fantastic Four #43 – The Silver Surfer arrives… and he’s not exactly the harbinger of good news.
    • Ultimate X-Men #84 – Wolverine lets off a little steam. Stryfe attracts the attention of a fleet of Sentinels. Bishop’s team of X-Men makes a public appearance.
    • Uncanny X-Men #488 – Nightcrawler and the Professor go off in search of Magneto. The Morlocks declare war on the over-world. Storm, Hepzibah and Warpath head to the Morlock tunnels in search of some answers, which leads to this scene:

      Storm: Can both of you concentrate, please? We’re about to enter potentially hostile territory.
      Hepzibah: I do not like tunnels either, Storm. Especially not ones that stink of rats and vermin.
      Storm: For me, it’s a little bit worse than not liking them, Hepzibah. It’s worrying that they might drive me insane*hovers down into the sewers*
      Hepzibah:
      Warpath? What does she mean?
      Warpath: Storm’s claustrophobic. Can’t take being in small places, or being boxed in. It takes all she’s got to even go into these tunnels.
      Hepzibah: Then let us not leave her on her own down there. *drops through manhole… into sewer water* Ukk. This is so unclean.
      Storm: Heh… you look…
      Hepzibah: Careful with your next words…
      Storm: I was just going to say… dignified. You look dignified. For a wet cat.
      Hepzibah: You are a brave woman, Storm. Very brave woman.
      Storm: You don’t know the half of it.

    Stray Toasters

    • I spoke with Dad and Adam again today; their respective trips are going well.
    • I am going to have to replace my cell phone. Today. This one is on its last… hinge.
    • To go to the Garden of Sweden or not to go? That is the question.
    • I should install – and play – Locomotion. Finally. I’ve had it since God was a boy.
    • I think that I’m actually craving Ika… and maybe a few other types of sushi.

    Time to get something to eat and get some errands taken care of.

    Namaste.

    “Stratospheric traces of our transitory flight, trails of condensation held in narrow paths of white…”

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    Thursday (coda)
    Despite a traffic back-up (from 126th South up to 114th South… because of an accident off to the side of the road), the evening hasn’t been bad. I’ve been playing with the cats and watching Game 1 of the NBA Finals. At one point, Lightning jumped up on the couch and curled up in my lap and watched part of the 4th Quarter. I have the fur all over my shirt to prove it.
    I think that I might try to find some trouble to break up in Paragon City in a little bit. Or play some poker.

    Four-Color Coverage
    I haven’t picked up this week’s four-color goodness (or some of last week’s), but I saw a preview of Justice Society of America #6, the latest installment of “The Lightning Saga,” and it made me smile:

    The JSA and JLA are trying to figure out where the six Legionnaires have gone. Their only clue is a duralim rod, from Wildfire’s belt. Superman explains…

    Wildcat: Ya act like you’ve seen that thing before.
    Superman: I have, Ted.
    Wildcat II: What is it?
    Superman: It’s a lightning rod.
    Black Canary: A handheld lightning rod?
    Superman: It’s 31st Century science, Canary, way beyond anything I could explain. Even Kryptonian science. Mr. Terrific’s trying to identify how it works, but…
    Flash: You already know.
    Superman: I know what it’s used for. One of the founding members of the Legion, Lightning Lad, was killed stopping an alien invasion. We searched the universe for a way to bring him back. We found one — but it was a bizarre game of Russian Roulette. By activating the rods with lightning, we could sacrifice one of our lives and give it to Lightning Lad. We all volunteered. We raised the rods around him. And we waited for lightning to strike one of us. In the end, Chameleon Boy’s shape-shifting pet, Proty, secretly took Saturn Girl’s place and gave its life for Lightning Lad’s.
    Geo-Force: That is not only ridiculous, Superman, it is insane.
    Superman: Our devotion to each other was unexplainable.
    Batman: You were kids.
    Superman: No, Batman. We were Legion.

    The next two-page spread shows the missing Legionnaires flying through the night…

    Dawnstar: We agreed before we left that we would complete our mission here in the past and return home. Superman and his teammates were never supposed to get involved… we’ll find the last Legionnaire this way.
    Timber Wolf: If they hadn’t gotten involved, I’d still be racing dinosaurs with a bunch of talking gorillas.
    Wildfire: I’m surprised you didn’t find a girlfriend, Brin.
    Timber Wolf: ‘Least I didn’t think I was a statue. ‘Course, I like you better that way.

    That’s just good stuff. And, the panel of the Legionnaires at Lightning Lad’s coffin was done in the style of the original story, way back in Adventure Comics #312. I need to ease on down the road and head to Dr. Volt’s and pick this up.

    Stray Toasters

    • I chatted with the rare and elusive this evening.  She is well.
    • As usual, cracks me up. Today, he proved his mastery of the “Two birds, one stone” concept.
    • Tom DeSanto Looking to Adapt City of Heroes
    • : Legion Animated Ferro Lad from the Comics2Film DCG
    • The kids are silly. Most cats like using scratching posts. Not these three. Instead, they love using my 12″x12″ LEGO base plates as scratching mats. I’m pretty sure that it has to do with the studs on the plates feel against the pads on their paws, but it’s still damned amusing to watch.
    • Secrets of Contrails
    • Hmm… Ben & Jerry’s or ice cream sandwiches?  Decisions, decisions…
    • UK physics teacher says British physics sucks
    • I haven’t read Daredevil in a few years. But, I just read this article – Will Daredevil’s Wife Survive? – and it made me wonder exactly what in the Nine Hells is going on at the so-called “House of Ideas?”

      I know that Joe Quesada has never liked the fact that Peter Parker’s life got “easy” (steady job, supermodel wife), but come on, as the saying goes: “Every dog has his day.” Or, as I prefer to put it: “The sun shines on a dog’s ass, too.” Sure, in the time-altering “House of M,” Peter wasn’t just “a guy,” he was a superstar. And a publicly known one, at that. But when the House of M ended, so did that life for Peter. But the worst part: He remembered it. All of it. And starting with “Civil Bore,” Marvel proceeded to turn Peter’s life upside-down. Again.

      Now, it seems as if they are about to pull the rug out from Matt Murdock. Again. *sigh* “Everything old is new again.” But, they didn’t bother to dust it off or polish it or anything. I would like to be surprised and find out that they are actually giving someone in the Marvel Universe a break. Anyone. Hell, at this point, I’d be happy if it’s anyone but Tony Stark. Even Power Pack. Or the Great Lakes Avengers.

    • This was so bad that I was compelled to include it:

      (from xkcd.com)
    • “How do you circumcise an orange brick?”  (Bet that got your attention, didn’t it?)
    • : I saw this and it reminded me of you.
    • Nintendo creates new disease… “Wiiitis”

    Namaste.

    “I say we take off and nuke the entire site from orbit. It’s the only way to be sure.”

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    Sunday (coda)
    I wound up heading to Jitterbug for a late lunch/early and light dinner and to get some more time with a pencil in my hand. I was successful at both. I didn’t finish the picture because I didn’t have a reference book handy, but I got a lot of other work in on it. I’m probably less than thirty minutes from completing it.

    After that, I decided to take a drive. I didn’t want to simply loop the SLC Valley, my usual Parley’s/Emigration run didn’t sound appealing and I didn’t feel like going to Park City. So, I headed north. My thought: I’ll head north until I don’t want to go any farther and turn around and come back. Sounded good in theory, the practical application was a little different: I wound up going to Ogden. And, since I was in Ogden, I decided to stop in and see Dee, Kim and the boys. I’m glad that I did – it was fun to hang out with them for a while.

    I headed home. After checking on the cats (they were fine) and determining that I didn’t feel like sitting at home, I decided to take in 28 Weeks Later. Not bad. Not bad at all. It did raise a couple questions that I will throw to and Tyranist, however:

    Are all zombie movies inherently apocalyptic/nihilist? Or has there been a movie – other than *ack-thbppt*Undead – where the zombie hordes are defeated/eliminated and the world goes on more or less as it was?

    Shortly after it started, 28WL made me think of a question and a similar one popped up about two-thirds of the way through the movie:

    1. Could you make the choice to leave a loved one behind in the face of overwhelming odds or would you stick with them and take your chances?
    2. Could you make the call to wipe out everyone and everything (and I do mean “everyone and everything”) in order to eliminate an otherwise unstoppable threat?

    I enjoyed the movie… even though I noticed, as with Spider-day Night Fever, there were some contrivances/coincidences that without which the movie would have fallen apart. And… it reminded me of Aliens in a number of ways. But, it was a nice way to cap off the weekend.

    Stray Toasters

    • Is it bad that I want one of these for my desk at work? (At least for the south office.)
    • …and one of these wouldn’t be bad, either.
    • Heaven help me for the way that I am
      Save me from these evil deeds
      Before I get them done…
    • Sissy’s taken to growling at the twins again. *sigh*
    • While I don’t really need anything from here, my inner LEGO Maniac wouldn’t mind having the Ice Brick Tray, Coaster Set… and even the Plate and Tumbler Sets. Particularly the Ice Brick Tray, though.
    • Amazing 3D Scanner Made with LEGO and Milk
    • At some point today, I heard John Sugar Melonhead’s Jack and Diane. It got to the refrain, “Oh, yeah, life goes on… Long after the thrill of living is gone” and I almost immediately started laughing: I had a picture of Nefer-Tem fighting a villain and getting blasted/pummelled/whatever to the point of near-death. (Which, since he is technically a mummy, is merely a minor setback.) He gets up, casually tosses out that line… and proceeds to wail the tar out of his opponent.
    • iPhone Release Date Confirmed as June 29
    • While I’m on the subject of cell phones: Cell phone ‘CSI’
    • Have you heard Tori Amos’ cover of Bruce Springsteen’s I’m on Fire? Check it out here, even though this is not the version I was looking for.

    I should give more than “a little thought” to calling it a night…

    Namaste.

    “Where the streets have no name…”

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    I’m back behind the Zion Curtain.
    And for my next amazing feat…
    < /consciousness>

    “Evening plane rises up from the runway, over constellations of light…”

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    Tuesday – 08 May 2007
    Aside from today being travel day, it’s got another ever-so-slightly more important meaning: It’s my stepmother, Sib3 and Max’ birthday.  I called the family unit – talked with both – and left a message with Max’ parents.  So, all bases covered.
    I didn’t manage to catch my old teachers, but I did run a few errands, so the morning hasn’t been a complete wash.

    We’re leaving for the airport in a little bit and then I’ll be chasing the sun.  I’ve had a great time and wish I didn’t have to leave so soon.  It was good to see family and friends and get a chance to hang out with them.

    Stray Toasters

    • I’m not sure why, but I Didn’t Mean to Turn You On was running through my head this morning.  While I like the Robert Palmer version, it was still missing something from the Cherrelle version from the mid 80s: A breakdancing King Kong.  I think that’s what Peter Jackson was missing from his version of King Kong, too – Kong gettin’ it on the good foot.
    • Alter Ego: Portraits of players and their avatars
    • Generally speaking, I don’t drink soda… unless it’s part of a mixed drink.  For Cheerwine, however, I am willing to make an exception.  This and – if I could find it – Birch Beer, from a soda company back in Maryland.
    • Microwave popcorn is the new asbestos

    Hello, I must be going.

    Namaste.