Random Access

Friday – 18 November 2011
It’s my working Friday. At least it’s the “quiet” Friday in the office.

Last night was “Baby Bath Night” and it went pretty well. Vanessa went first. She was a little dodgy when I put her into the tub, but she settled in nicely once I started talking to her and splashing her a bit. She actually held up rather well, until it was time to towel her off. Then the sad face – and a little crying – made an appearance. All in all, though: Success. Diana was pretty much smiles throughout the process… although, I did get a couple of quizzical looks from her. Both girls went to sleep (fairly) easily, too.

After the girls were abed, SaraRules! and I decided to watch some television. As I was about to head downstairs, I had a revelation:

I wanted a snack.

Ice cream…? No.
A RubySnap cookie…? No.
Triscuits and string cheese…? No.

Then it dawned on me. I wanted popcorn. But… the girls were asleep. And the popcorn popping on the apricot tree would possibly wake them up. I found a suitable workaround to abate the noise and tasty popped corns were mine!

Stray Toasters

• I think that I may have just tracked down a school mate that I’ve been trying to find for a very long time.
• so much win
• Rules of concertgoing, and why it matters
• Nude Blogger Riles Egyptians of All Stripes
• By way of Xeni Jardin at BoingBoing.net:

  

• Pilot gets stuck in bathroom, sparks terror scare
• Steampunk LEGO inventions
• Stuck Up!: 100 Objects Inserted and Ingested in Places They Shouldn’t Be
• 
• From the “Whoops!” file: An Entire MMO Was Accidentally Erased From the Internet
• 2011 Celebrity Style Hall of Shame
• Medieval Foes With Whimsy

Namaste.

Friday – 04 November 2011
It’s my “on” Friday… and I have The Leash this weekend. But, it’s still Friday. And that’s almost never a bad thing.

Last night was fairly low-key. I think that the highlight was a trip to the store for grocery. Well, that… and hanging out with the girls.

Stray Toasters

• By way of The Brothers Vox: 23 incredible new technologies you’ll see by 2021
• By way of Esquire – Remember: Sexy isn’t the same as slutty. Whatever you choose, keep it sensual and sophisticated.
  Amen.
• 
• Anonymous ready to continue with Operation Cartel
• 9 Equations True Geeks Should (at Least Pretend to) Know
• Bleak Portrait of Poverty Is Off the Mark, Experts Say
• I’ve been rather amused by some of George Takei’s Facebook posts over the past few weeks. This one was no exception:

  

• Cuba to Allow Buying and Selling of Property, With Few Restrictions
• Keeping Your Heart Healthy
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” and “Monkeys!” files: Couple adopts Dachsund, days later doses it with LSD, tripping dog wanders into traffic and dies
  What the Hell is wrong with people!?  First, that couple with the horse and now this..?
• 10 great sculpture gardens across the USA

Quote of the Day
Today’s gem comes from my friend Melissa S.:

I love that everyone thinks the Buffy would have slayed Edward. Did we watch the same show? She would have dated Edward, and Spike would have killed him.

And that’s a wrap.

Namaste.

Thursday – 20 October 2011
Today is not only another NBN Thursday, it is also Spirit Day.

 What’s ‘Spirit Day?’ you ask.  (I had to ask the same thing a couple of days ago…) From the GLAAD.org site:

Millions of Americans wear purple on Spirit Day as a sign of support for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth and to speak out against bullying. Spirit Day was started in 2010 by teenager Brittany McMillan as a response to the young people who had taken their own lives. Observed annually on October 20, individuals, schools, organizations, corporations, media professionals and celebrities wear purple, which symbolizes spirit on the rainbow flag. Getting involved is easy — participants are asked to simply “go purple” on October 20 as we work to create a world in which LGBT teens are celebrated and accepted for who they are.

So, I’m in a purple shirt and tie today, supporting friends and family. (And, as a fringe benefit – not to be confused with a “Fringe benefit” – I get to wear Ravens team colors. Win. Win.)

::: insert work and meetings here :::

I was going to have something here, but it’s been a few hours (Yay for work and meetings!) and I don’t have the foggiest idea “what” it was anymore.

Stray Toasters

• My coworker, Wes, just got back from a trip to the east coast. While there, he attended the dedication ceremony for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. And, he brought me a souvenir:

  

• Gaddafi’s death – Who pulled the trigger?
• Porn hackers take over “Sesame Street” YouTube station
• Reactions to Brandon Flowers’ Mormon.org video
• 
• Next Xbox to launch in 2013, report says
• 8-bit remixes fix the past
• Controversy Erupts Over Sex-Segregated Brooklyn Bus

That’s good for a late-afternoon post.

Namaste.

Monday – 17 October 2011
For a day that started with rain and clouds, it’s mighty sunny and bright out there now. And I’m good with that.

This past weekend was a good one. I got to spend it with my three favorite ladies. The younger two even let me sleep in a bit on Friday, which was quite nice. We ran a few errands on Friday, as well, including a trip to RubySnap – for cookies and to make a donation for their “Save the Suzies” breast cancer campaign:

That’s right: We’re all in pink. Just. Like. That.

Friday evening, I actually got a chance to play ‘Clix with the guys! (Thank you, SaraRules!) Chris, Andy and Harley came over and helped me test out a scenario that I’m planning for the next tournament… which I actually get to go and judge  (Thank you again, SaraRules!): I’m “recreating” the DC Comics “War of the Supermen” event from last year’s comics. We play-tested it and it seems as though everything works out pretty well.

Saturday, I kicked off the day with a hot soak and reading magazines. And it was good. In the afternoon, we took the girls to Downtown Philly Cheesesteaks. Oddly, they didn’t eat anything. But, they did get to meet Paul (former boss) and his wife, Mary. We had a nice visit and the girls were incredibly well-behaved the entire time. On the ride home, they got a little angsty, but by that time, they’d been in their car seats for a couple of hours. Saturday evening, Kenneth, Akiba and their kids came over to visit and meet the girls. We hadn’t seen them since… the Horror Movie Baby Shower, so it was nice to get a chance to spend some time hanging out with them.

Yesterday was a lazy, stay-at-home kind of day. And it was good… because the girls couldn’t decide whose turn it was to nap or be awake. So, we were attending to one and/or both all afternoon. (Good thing they’re adorable…) In the evening, Logan came over and had dinner with us and hung out for a bit.

So, all-in-all… it was a good and somewhat relaxed weekend.

Instant Replay: Football
Yesterday had a lot of good – and surprising – games:

Houston Texans at Baltimore Ravens
14 – 29
The Ravens hosted the Texans……and came away with a win, keeping sole possession of the lead in the AFC North.

Ray Lewis… Hey… Hey, Ray!  Yeah!  You just became the first player in NFL history to notch 40 sacks and 30 interceptions!  How does that make you feel?

Yeah, I can dig it!

Cleveland Browns at Oakland Raiders
17 – 24
The Raiders took on the Browns and did some work.Congratulations, SaraRules! and 1silver_seraph.

Stray Toasters

• A Dedication to King, and the Work Yet to Do
• Dedication of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
• Large crowd honors King’s dream at memorial dedication
• Ariz. school objects to cheerleaders’ breast cancer shirts
• 
• 100-Year-Old Man Finishes Toronto Marathon
• Jon Gruden Agrees to Five-Year ESPN Extension
• National Opera Week: October 28 – November 6, 2011
• LEGOland brings bricks and more to Florida
• 
• By way of comes this story: Stevey’s Google Platforms Rant
• Wireless Users Will Get Alerts on Excess Use
• Virgin Galactic opens world’s first commercial spaceport

Back to it.

Namaste.

Friday – 07 October 2011
It’s a chilly 9/80 “on” Friday. It’s also Ms. ‘s birthday.

It is also our Little Miss Wonder Girl’s one-month-day.

Last night, Diana, Vanessa and I undertook a new nighttime ritual last night — Bath time! The girls received baby bathtubs as shower gifts and since the last remnants of their umbilicals have fallen off, they are now able to use them. They were a little fussy – which was quite understandable – but on the whole did just fine.

After their baths, SaraRules! read them Goodnight, Moon before feeding them and putting them to bed.

Stray Toasters

• I credit/blame SaraRules! for this morning’s subject line. She had an idea for Hallowe’en costumes for herself and the girls that amused me… and put that lyric in mind: Getting a leopard print bodysuit and onesies, respectively, and dressing up as Josie and the Pussycats.

• For Meliko: Dinosaurs and Robots: Art Opening in Anchorage, AK
• Nightmares Fear Factory’s photostream — you know, since it’s October.
• Race-Based Names Dot the Landscape
• Love and Capes: If you’re not reading it, I want to know why.
• Remember the Toys You Played With As a Kid With This Video
• 
• Feds to outline plans today for shutting down California pot shops
• U.S. Panel Says No to Prostate Screening for Healthy Men
• Under 4% now: 30-year mortgage rate hits record low

Namaste.

Thursday – 06 October 2011
Not only is today another NBN Thursday – and rainy (or snowy, up in the canyons) – but it’s also my father’s birthday. Today would have also been ‘s birthday. Football seasons aren’t quite the same without him around.

Unless you’ve sequestered yourself from news sources for the past 24 hours, you’re most likely aware that Apple co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs has died:

• Steve Jobs, 1955 – 2011
• Steve Jobs, Apple founder, dies
• Apple’s Visionary Redefined Digital Age
• Steven P. Jobs: His Life, His Companies, His Products
• Steve Jobs and the idea of letting go
• Steve Jobs: The Link Between Machines and Humans

As Mr. Jobs, himself stated in his commencement speech at Stanford University in 2005:

“…you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. Because believing that the dots will connect somewhere down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart, even when it leads you off the well-worn path. And that will make all the difference.

” Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith. I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You’ve got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking. Don’t settle.

“No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to Heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary….”

As I posted in a tweet earlier:

Steve Jobs looked to the future and constantly pushed forward to achieve his vision. We should all strive to do the same. #foodforthought

And we should.

Stray Toasters

• On this morning’s commute, The Black Crowes’ She Talks to Angels came on the radio. That song reminds me of my grandmother, because of this…

  

  …which I drew for my father. It made me smile.

• America’s best neighborhoods: Does yours make the grade?
• Sheen and Estevez Do Movies the Father-Son ‘Way’
• Spotify. Mmm…
• 
• Learning Klingon helps man confront his dyslexia
• Running of Bulls Is Risky, But Liability Is Low
• Thanks to one of SaraRules!’ coworkers, I think I’m inheriting new trains…
• ‘Bippolo Seed’ Uncovers Lost Stories of Dr. Seuss

Right on to the friction of the day…

Namaste.

Monday – 03 October 2011
Happy 2nd Anniversary to SaraRules!

It’s been an amazing couple of years and I look forward to many more with you!

Today has definitely been “a Monday.” The first half of my day was chock full of things that needed to get done with the quickness. And the hits just kept coming. Fortunately, things slowed down enough around 1:30 that I was able to have lunch.

Stray Toasters

• The Ravens beat the Jets (again) last night.
  Ravens Drive the Jets into the Turf
  It wasn’t the world’s most beautiful win, but it still goes in the “Win” column AND it puts the Ravens in lone possession of first place in the AFC North.
• ‘Christian’ as the magic word of politics
• 10 Small Towns with Fantastic Fall Colors
• I want to change my model railroad layout. Again.
• Caffeinated Women May Be Fighting Depression with Every Cup
• A State Grooms Its Best Students to Be Good Teachers

And that’s a wrap.

Namaste.

Wednesday – 28 September 2011
Midweek… and it’s a short work week, to boot! And, it’s new comics day. And, it’s HeroClix: Superman release day. Today is also Rosh Hashanah. That’s a lot of “Win” in one package, if you ask me.

Work has been good; learning the new phone system has been a little challenging, but in a good way. There’s just been A LOT of information thrown at me over the past few days.

On the home front, the girls are doing well and are still quite adorable:

The girls with Mommy:

Vanessa with Daddy:

Diana with Mommy:

They’ve been “a little” fussy over the past couple of days, but (thankfully) have been sleeping fairly well at night. And they’re getting big: At their pediatrician appointment last Friday, they were both 7.5 lbs. I’d wager that they are close to – if not a little above – eight (8) lbs., each, at this point.

Stray Toasters

• Let’s see how well this Wordbooker plugin works…
• Listeria Outbreak in Cantaloupes Is the Deadliest in a Decade
• Robots Extract Coolant from Old Refrigerators
• For SaraRules! and : Penn and Teller’s Magic and Mystery Tour: exploring magic’s roots in China, India and Egypt
• 
• For Hackers, the Next Lock to Pick
• Badass of the Week: Tyrannosaurus Rex
• Logging Out of Facebook Is Not Enough
• Idris Elba: The Man Who Is Luther, Was Stringer, and Could Be James Bond
• 
• Sesame Street Wants to Make Science and Math Fun Again
• Foam on the Range: Colorado’s Beer Trail

All that AND we get to hang with Nyx and Ms. this evening…?! This day is truly full of good things.

Namaste.

22 September 2011
This NBN Thursday finds me, to quote Roy Rogers and/or Aerosmith, “back in the saddle (again).”

It’s been a good two weeks away with SaraRules! and the girls, but it’s nice to be back. Well, as nice as it ever is to go to work. Getting up and out the door was a little difficult as the little ladies didn’t sleep well last night. At least there was coffee.

Stray Toasters

• I finally broke down and joined Twitter. Oddly, the two things that pushed me over the edge were:

1. WizKids Games posted previews of upcoming ‘Clix figures there
2. Minor dissatisfaction with Facebook’s continuing “It ain’t broke, but we’re fixing it!” policy.

• The Cult of Physicality
• 
• Carter: Davis execution shows system is “unjust”
• Pictogram Music Posters, courtesy of
• House defeats Republican spending plan
• By way of : Samuel L. Ipsum
• Have You Seen This? Unhinged Trike Racing, courtesy of… *sigh*… I don’t remember
• This is more true than you might think…
  
• “Floamy”
• World’s Eeriest Abandoned Places
• From the “D’oh!” file: Gore’s loose lips let new iPhones slip
• The Line It Is Drawn: Comic Book Characters/Children’s Picture Books
• Public Said to Be Misled on Use of the PATRIOT Act

Namaste.

Monday – 12 September 2011
The last five days have been something of a rollercoaster… but it’s been a great ride. “Schedule” is not a word in the girls’ vocabulary. (Okay, I’ll be honest: They don’t really have a vocabulary yet, but you get the gist.) We came home on Friday… which was funny because for a while I wasn’t sure what day it was. Time took on its own shape and form. Saturday and Sunday were a bit blurry/hazy, in getting adjusted to having the girls around. Between naps and diaper changes and feedings (we’re supplementing with formula for a bit), I was able to catch a little bit of the Steelers-Ravens game yesterday.

I’d like to give a hearty “Thank you” to everyone who has sent well-wishes and congratulations to the new additions to the family. Your support has been great and very welcome — we are very blessed and fortunate to have such good family and friends.

And, an extra special tip of the hat and wave of the cane to SaraRules!’ parents for coming over a couple of times this weekend to give us a little boost.

Twins. Wow.

Stray Toasters
Just a couple of amusing things I’ve seen in the past few days, when I’ve had a moment to peruse the interwebs…

• Falling Space Junk: The Facts About NASA’s Doomed UARS Satellite
• Simon Spurr’s Rules for Men to Live By
• China Plans Comic Book Museum Shaped Like Speech Bubbles
• I don’t recall who posted this originally, but I liked it…

  

  …now, all that’s needed is a team-up with Rocket Mouse!

• ‘X-Men: First Class’ Animated Infographic Points Out Film Franchise Continuity Woes

Okay, that’s it for now.

Namaste.

Wednesday – 31 August 2011
Back in the north office again. Yesterday’s excursion to the south office wasn’t too bad. Yes, there were a couple of “Things that make you go ‘Hmm,'” but on the whole, it was fairly painless.

Last night was Guys’ Night Out. And, it will most likely be the last one I get to attend for a while. That’s okay, because the company and the food and the beer were good.

This morning started slowly, by choice. I woke up and decided that I wasn’t going to necessarily rush to get into the office. It made for a nice, leisurely start to the morning. On the flip side, this morning’s cup of coffee wasn’t  enough to stave off my attempts at conducting an inner eyelid study. So, I was on Coffee: Round 2 a little early.

And today was also New Comics & Sushi Wednesday! Sushi was good; the comics haul was VERY light: Two books. I wound up with three books, as I bought two copies of one title.

Stray Toasters

• T-minus six…
• This was emailed to me by my friend, Lianna:

  

  I’m pretty sure that this sums up SaraRules!’ feelings, as well.

• America’s Muslims, fact vs. fiction
• Arguing liquor laws: A failure to communicate
  I listened to part of this on the way to work this morning. It was… something to behold.
• Eight Miami players suspended by NCAA for improper benefits
• Hurricane Cost Seen as Ranking Among Top Ten
• Federal Austerity Changes Disaster Relief
• The Art of the Title
• TopGear + HALO = Amusingly Awesome
• The New Resentment of the Poor
• Parenthood Got You Down? You’re Not Alone, courtesy of
• In Latest Breach, Hackers Impersonate Google to Snoop on Users in Iran
• there there: City Pride T-shirts

Namaste.

Tuesday – 30 August 2011
Day Two of the work week finds me, once again, in Utah County. I actually volunteered to come down here a week early — it works better with the timing of kids on the way. And, so far, it hasn’t been bad.

Last night, there was football. The Jets vs. the Giants. (Even though both teams are based out of the New Meadowlands, the Giants were the home team.) There was A LOT of bickering between the teams – so much so that two players had themselves disqualified from play.  It was also a fast game; I think that it was only a little more than two hours, in all.  After the game, SaraRules! and I took care of more of the last stages of baby prep: I assembled Bassinet #2, while she figured out how to install the kids’ car seats in her car. (I took a cursory look at how they’d install in my car, as well, but I’ll put more effort into that tonight.) And then, there was new Top Gear to watch, as well as ice cream sandwiches to eat. It was a good Monday night.

Stray Toasters

• David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” Recreated as Children’s Book
• Federal Court: recording cops an unambiguous first amendment right
• Twenty Iconic Male Movie Roles in Which Helen Mirren Would Have Ruled
• DC Comics’ reboot/DCnU/whatever they’re calling it kicks off tomorrow.  Here’s my take on DC’s view of what they’re doing:

  

• At 35,000 Feet, a Russian Image Problem
• Single tickets for Utah Symphony’s 2011-12 season are now on sale.
• 12 Things You Should Stop Buying Now, by way of
• The ANGRY BIRDS put on superhero costumes
• “Awe” != “aww…”
• Astronauts May Have to Abandon Space Station

Okay… back to the post-lunch grind.

And tonight: Guys’ Night Out.

Namaste.

Monday – 29 August 2011
It’s Monday. So far, it hasn’t been bad,  although my morning commute was somewhat eventful. I had just left home, made it to the first traffic light – which was green when I got to it – and proceeded across the intersection. I was about 2/3 of the way across the intersection when I happened to look to my right. And then I saw it: A sedan, barreling down the street. Coming right at me.

Well, damn…

Fortunately, I was far enough across the intersection – and just far enough ahead of that car – that it wasn’t a problem. (Well, aside from the obligatory Intestinal Fortitude Test.) I don’t know what they were/weren’t thinking, but it made for an interesting start to the day. The rest of the commute was pretty mundane, by comparison.

Yesterday, SaraRules!, and I went to breakfast at Ruth’s Diner. After breakfast, the three of us went to Utah’s Hogle Zoo to experience “Zoorassic Park.” (Pictures here) I wasn’t expecting SaraRules! to make the trip through the entire zoo — 9 months pregnant and late-August heat — but she did.

Yesterday was also Read Comics in Public Day. I went to Wheeler Farms and (briefly) read comics. I even have pictures to prove it. Thanks to SaraRules! for indulging me.

Stray Toasters

• Eight days… or less.
• Down Atlantic, a Refrain: It Could Have Been Worse
• Airports Resume Service in Northeast, but Backups Could Persist for Days
• For SaraRules!: Driving While Dead
• For Meliko: Women Fighters in Reasonable Armor
• A Man’s Guide to Taking Care of Himself
• 
• Interested in tickets to the upcoming Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony performance? You should head over to Utah Symphony’s blog for a chance to win a pair.
• The Ultimate Cross Over Star Hero
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Flying While Black and Reading Antique Aviation Books Lands Folk Musician in Security Theatre Hell
• Sharpton’s New MSNBC Gig Part of a Bigger Story
• This is going on The Covet List.
• 
• Unemployed? Go to North Dakota
• Science, Ruining Everything Since 1543

Namaste.

Wednesday – 24 August 2011
Two down, one in the chamber and two to go.  Must be Wednesday. I’m not sure if I’ll partake in “Sushi Wednesday,” but I do have a doctor’s appointment – check up for SaraRules! and the kids – and new comics to look forward to.

Today is the birthday of Utah Symphony‘s Principal Pops Conductor, Jerry Steichen.

Last night, after far too long, I mowed and edged the lawn. I’m not saying that it was a jungle, but I’m pretty sure that I saw a guy in a loincloth riding an elephant through the middle section of the yard. I had considered hitting the gym afterwards, but it was a good enough workout for the day.

Stray Toasters

• Yesterday’s Earthquake Caused More Twitter Traffic Than Bin Laden’s Death
  I called family on both sides of the epicenter; everyone – and everything – is fine.
• After many years of “longing from afar,” my mother is taking something off her Covet List and putting into the living room: A white baby grand piano.

• I think that these are going on The Covet List.
• Above All Else, Eastern Quake Rattles Nerves
• 
• The Geek Zodiac
• NYPD Intelligence Unit Seen Pushing Rights Limits
• 15 Dangerous Cities for Driving
• By way of my friend, Josh: The History of ‘Mahna Mahna’: From a Swedish Sex Film Soundtrack to the Muppets and Beyond
• 
• Skeleton aprons
• Rocket failure dooms space station cargo freighter launch
• By now, many/most people know that there’s a remake of Footloose in the offing. What I didn’t realize, until today, is that it’s being directed by Craig Brewer, the same man who directed Hustle & Flow and Black Snake Moan.

UPDATE: Just got back from SaraRules!’ appointment a little while ago. Looks as though two weeks from today, we will have kids.

Two weeks.  Wow.

Namaste.

Tuesday – 23 August 2011
Day Two. I apparently have far too much blood in my caffeinestream. This may require a supplemental infusion of bean squeezin’s.

Yesterday was a pretty good day, even for a Monday. The zoo office wasn’t chock full of monkeydom, which makes for a good day. I made dinner last night. Despite the appeal of this…

…I cooked Spaghetti (with my sauce recipe), salad and garlic bread. We ate while we watched Monday Night Football. At halftime, we got to talk with Grace and Sophia (as well as Rana, John and my father) on Skype. And after the game, there was the season premiere of Top Gear. Win-Win-Win.

We’re roughly two weeks (plus or minus) from the advent of The Next Generation. Is it a bad sign that I can envision something like this conversation taking place:

Stray Toasters

• Visitors moved by first look at MLK Jr. memorial
• The 80th Anniversary of Babar
• Engagement Proposal as an Elaborate Portal 2 Level
• Motown songwriter Nick Ashford dies
• 
• Raiders pick Terrelle Pryor in supplemental draft
• Weighing Race and Hate in a Mississippi Killing
• 15 days exploring Muslim America
• 
• We have Columbus to thank for lager beer
• A 15-Year-Old Girl’s Bionic Hand Lets Her Live a Normal Life
• For those who haven’t seen it yet: OK Go performing The Muppet Show Theme

• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file:
• In Peoples’ Minds, Being a Zombie Is Better Than Being a Vegetable
• A Chinese version of Batman’s origins
• Tron Guy and Duct Tape Go Perfectly Together

Quote of the Day
Near the end of our video chat with Grace and Sophia, Leila (the newborn) started crying, to which John said:

“Sound of angels, Rob… Sound of angels. Just remember: Lucifer was an angel, too.”

The best part was the total deadpan delivery. It made SaraRules! and me laugh.

Namaste.