Random Access

Wednesday – 07 August 2019
This past weekend (okay, Sunday through Tuesday), Sara, Team DiVa, and my in-laws hit the open road for Idaho. For years, Sara’s family has gone to the Stanley, ID area for vacation and we’ve been passing this tradition along to the next generation.

Sidebar: Back in 2008, Sara first invited me to go on this trip with her and her family. Camping. I’m not really a camping guy. In fact, on a call with a friend from home, when I told him that I was going camping, his first response was laughter. Loud, raucous laughter. Then he asked me what I was really going to be doing. I told him again. Again, he laughed. So, I did what anyone in my position would do: I put Sara on the phone. The exchange went something like this:

Sara: Hey! How’s it going.

[chatter on the other end]

Sara: Yeah, Rob really is going camping with us…

[chatter on the other end]

What I learned after the phone call was that the second bit of chatter was actually this bit of conversation:

“You do realize that Rob’s idea of ‘camping’ is to go to a hotel, open a window, and listen to the crickets, right?”

Which pretty much summed up my concept of “camping” to a tee. And, I’m not going to lie, after that and another camping trip, my opinion didn’t really change. In fact, I told Sara after the second trip that I would be more than happy to accompany her family on the third year’s trip… but that I would be staying in a cabin or the lodge.

Which. Actually.  Happened.  (True story.)

But, I digress…

This year, Sara once again found a lovely little AirBNB for us:

The Cabin

Two bedrooms, one and three-quarters bathrooms, nice kitchen, dining, and living rooms, and a porch with a sling/swing. I was duly impressed. She’s actually three-for-three at finding AirBNBs in an area where I would have otherwise sworn would have had nothing of the kind.

Sunday afternoon, we unpacked the car and headed back into town – I use “town” in the broadest sense, as it is a “population center” with very little population:

Stanley, ID

Yep, you read that right: “Population: Sixty-three.”

Sara and I picked up fishing licenses and then we were off to the races – or the river – to let little girls fish with their new rods. There were fish in the water, but none of them were really biting. Sara managed to get a strike, but couldn’t land the fish. After about 30 or so minutes, impatience wore down the little ladies’ resolve and they decided to try and skip stones on the water. Shortly after that, we headed back to the cabin to wind down from the day.

The next morning began with scones and bacon and Lucky Charms (for DiVa). Then we headed to the Salmon River to give the girls another shot at catching a fish. No such luck, but we did see a bald eagle. And a water snake. Back to the cabin for a bit of lunch and then, off to Redfish Lake for fun in the water.

Some of you may recall that Team DiVa had a lemonade stand on July 4th. They did this to raise money to buy a couple of large floats – a unicorn and a flamingo. This trip saw their maiden voyages.

Back to the cabin for a quick change into dry clothes and then on to the Yankee Fork River for another attempt at fishing and a nature hike. And then, back to Stanley for dinner at Papa Brunee’s Pizza and Subs.

Tuesday morning, we got up, breakfasted, and got ready to return to the hustle and bustle of our regular lives.

I might not be a huge camping and outdoors kind of guy, but it really was nice to get away for a couple of days to unwind and recharge. Here’s to next year’s adventures and the new voyages of the SS Alicorn and HMS Pink Flamingo.

Saturday – 20 July 2019
Today marks the anniversary of man’s first landing and footsteps on the moon.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Rob (@shadorunr) on Jul 20, 2019 at 8:38am PDT

After being up and down all night – until 4:30 this morning! – with a sick Team DiVa, I think that the worst is behind them. They aren’t back to full steam, but they are far better than they were at this time yesterday.

Of course, Evie decided that since this isn’t Thursday, bad news was just fine. Today’s “bad news” came in the form of a VERY awake puppy at 6:45 AM. A very awake puppy who wanted to get out of her crate and have some human interaction. Therefore, I was up at 6:45, too. Yay. Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve learned that Evie can be entertained/distracted by the early morning shows with animals on them. So, that’s what we watched until it was time for her to go outside and take care of her morning run around the yard/go to the bathroom time.

Once Sara and the DiVa were up, things were back to a greatly scaled-back form of normal. Fortunately, we didn’t have anything on the day’s agenda. This is good, as it gives the ladies more recovery time. And, despite tomorrow being National Ice Cream Day, we’re going to have to postpone our annual Ice Cream Social. Again, more recovery time and less chance for possibly spreading contagion… if whatever they had was contagious. *shrug* And, check out these freebies/discounts on ice cream, by way of USA Today:

Pet owners – PetSmart: This ice cream freebie is only for dogs. At stores with PetsHotel facilities, dogs can get a free 4-ounce serving of dog-safe ice cream topped with dog biscuit treats Saturday and Sunday, while supplies last.

It’s a little after 5 PM now. I’m basically awake through sheer willpower and the remnants of this morning’s caffeine infusion still coursing through my veins. I have no illusions that I’m going to crash hard tonigh, most likely while sitting in front of the TV, watching whatever show or movie Sara and I delude ourselves into thinking that we’ll finish in one viewing.

Namaste.

Monday – 17 June 2019
Yesterday was Father’s Day. My day started with Team DiVa and Evie waking me up for breakfast – after I got to sleep in. (Not a bad way to kick off a day, to be honest.) For breakfast, I had French Toast, eggs, bacon, and fresh berries. I was then told to get dressed and get ready for a series of adventures that Team DiVa had planned for me. I was intrigued.

Our first stop was a Bonwood Bowl. Somehow, the little ladies had decided that I would really like to go bowling. (They weren’t wrong.) A frame or two into the first game, I realized that my bowling balls and my hands weren’t going to be friends and wound up having to switch to a house ball. My first game wasn’t great, but it was fun; I had a better second game. From there, I was taken to a (relatively) nearby Baskin-Robbins for ice cream. Double-scoop waffle cone. Aw, yeah.

Back home for a little down time, while Sara and the girls prepared lunch. Let me clarify that: I was told that downstairs would be a good place for me to be while they got things ready. When I was finally able to come back upstairs, there was no one there. That was… odd. Turns out that they had set up a picnic in the backyard: Ham, roast beef, pretzels, and berries. It was very cute and sweet.

The rest of the afternoon was rather full of doing lots of nothing. I also played a little Skyrim involved, as the ladies played LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2.

Later, we headed off to dinner with Sara’s side of the family. Then back home, to get the ladies ready for bed. Once they were down and out, Sara and I headed to the backyard for cigars and drinks, which was an excellent way to wind up the day. And, after all of that, I found myself back in Skyrim again for a couple of hours before calling it a good day.

And, my Father’s Day presents included some fun items:

• Sideshow Collectibles Sixth-Scale Luke Cage
• Mythic Legions Thallyn Frostbow, Shadow Elf Ranger, and Ragna Stormforger, and
• DC Collectibles DC Multiverse Wonder Woman (Lynda Carter)

It was a very good day, indeed.

Tuesday – 04 June 2019
Do you like coffee?
Do you like comics?
Do you like places where everyone – and I do mean “EVERYONE” – is made to feel welcome and included?

Oh, here’s a good one: Do you like supporting small/local businesses?

If you answered “Yes” to one or more of these, I would like to introduce you to Watchtower Coffee and Comics, a shop in Salt Lake City owned and managed by Cori Christine and Mike Tuiasoa. I’ve been fortunate enough to know Mike and Cori for a few years. They are not only wonderful people and good friends, but they also love the community that they serve.

Cori and Mike – (c) Darby Doyle

In their own words:

Watchtower Coffee & Comics is part coffee shop, part comic book store, part art gallery, part gaming space. It’s a community center for fans of any age, orientation, gender, race, or culture who want to meet up and geek out together over a tasty beverage.

We named the shop after the headquarters of The Justice League, a reference to the place where heroes gather together and stand as beacon of hope and safety.

That sums it up nicely… and still doesn’t say enough.

Why should this matter to you? Because Watchtower has grown to the point where they need to move locations to better serve the community and they need your help. They have opened a Kickstarter to help support this move. It’s down to just under the last 48 hours and is close to hitting their goal, but needs just a little more of a push to get funded.

If you’re able, please helpthem to continue to support the community and to do so in a space better suited to filling that need.

Thank you.

Wednesday – 30 January 2019
I’m going to tell you a story about a friend of mine named Jason.

Jason

I first met Jason in almost 20 years ago, when he was dating the daughter of the person I was dating at the time. He was quick-witted and funny, and like many late teens/early twenty-year-olds you’d meet: Ready to take on anyone and anything that stepped up to him.

After that, we mostly stayed in touch via IRC; I managed a Utah-specific channel of which Jason was a member. I lost track of him over the years, but our paths crossed again at my local comic shop, when he came in to play a game that I was judging. I didn’t recognize him at first, as it had been close to – if not more than – ten years since we’d seen each other. Once we put two and two together, there were a lot of wide eyes and dropped jaws in the store, as we recounted the story of how we knew each other.

Once again, Life took us in different directions, but I’d see Jason from time to time. He was still taking on the world his way, now he was writing, directing, and producing independent horror films.

Jason, on the set of Day Zero

I ran into him a few weeks ago, at the Jim Lee signing event at my comic shop. He even got a picture of me in the background, while he was getting something signed.

Jim Lee and Jason

I ran into him again a few days ago, while Sara, the girls, and I were out shopping.

Last night, I heard from another friend that Jason died yesterday. From an overdose. Needless to say, I was stunned. I had no idea that he was using, let alone struggling with addiction. My heart goes out to his family and friends.

That being said, if you are struggling – be it with addiction, depression, anxiety, “Life, the Universe, and Everything,” or just…”whatever” – you are not alone. In a time when so many things around us make us feel isolated and different, let me just say that if you need to talk, go out for coffee, or just sit somewhere until things feel a little better, let me know.

In a strange bit of serendipity, this morning, Facebook presented me with a memory from a couple of years ago. Jason made the second comment on that post. Well played, Universe.

Please be good to yourself and to those around you.

Namaste.

Sunday – 20 January 2019
Tonight, there was a lunar eclipse, visible from North America. The skies were clear enough that we were able to see it; we also let Team DiVa stay up to see it. Sara and the girls went outside a little before nine to see what it looked like. I opted for the warmth of “staying inside.”

We all went out around 9:20. A small crescent of the moon was still unobscured. The girls were also excited to show me the constellation Orion. (Hey, they’re not usually up and outside when it’s late enough to see it and they REALLY wanted to make sure I saw it. That was an easy “win.”) After looking up at the stars and moon, we headed back inside.

At 9:35, we ventured back outside. The moon had the tiniest of fragments that was still getting direct sunlight, but it was losing ground. Quickly. About this point Vanessa commented that the moon wasn’t really that red. (Tough crowd, what can I say?) Unimpressed, she decided to go in and finish getting ready for bed. Diana wasn’t far behind her. Sara and I followed.

After tucking the ladies in, Sara and I returned outside and looked at the moon – whose red had deepened a little – and appreciated the view for a few minutes.

Eclipse

Eclipse – EMBIGGENED!

And then, not surprisingly, we came inside.

Sunday – 20 January 2019
Every once in a while your kids will come up with something that surprises and impresses you. A few minutes ago, I had one of those “onces.”

Team DiVa came to my office to play a little LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 before dinner. They looked up at the shelves around my television and noticed my Legion of Super-Heroes figures.

Ferro Lad (between Matter-Eater Lad and Timber Wolf)

Out of the blue, Diana asked “Why does Ferro Lad have an ‘Fe’ on his shirt? What does that mean?”

I responded that ‘Fe,’ in this case, stood for “Iron,” which he could turn into. (He died many, many issues past…)

She then retorted, “He was a twin. He and his brother had the same powers.”

I was stunned and it apparently showed on my face.

Diana very calmly said, “I read it in one of our books.”

Proud geek father moment: CHECK.

Thursday – 17 January 2019
In my Instagram feed this morning, one company I follow posted a picture – over 100 years old! – of a rail line that passed through the town in which my father grew up and just shy of the town where my mother grew up. I decided to try and see if I could figure out where the picture was, by way of Google Maps. (Hint: I wasn’t quite, but I got close enough to sate my curiosity. 100 years is kind of a long time, after all.)

Something else happened however…

I wound up using Google Maps and Street View to “drive” down the road that I rode and drove on for decades to get to my grandparents’ house. It was interesting to see what was still the same and what had changed. In doing the math, I also realized that I hadn’t driven down that road since well before I moved out west. I followed the road all the way to the best view of the house that I could get. It was a nice nostalgic moment.

I “rode” further down the road, to find the house in which my mother grew up, but there was no Street View available for it.  I can’t say that I’m terribly surprised by that, though.

Still, I got to see a part of the country – and places that evoke a lot of good memories – that I haven’t been to in a very long time.

And that’s not a bad thing at all.

Tuesday – 15 January 2019
Today is the anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.‘s birthday.

When Simon and Garfunkel sang about a Hazy Shade of Winter, they must have been talking about the Salt Lake Valley. The air here has been atrocious over the past few weeks.

There’s supposed to be a weather system moving through tonight that will hopefully help move some of the chewy air out of the valley.

Stray Toasters

• Team DiVa has decided to undertake “spy training.” Last week, they spent days working on “being stealthy” and “using camouflage” to hide from Evie. (I didn’t have the heart to tell them that she could see – and just as easily smell – them, all the same.) Last night, after getting home from school, they asked me how much a motorcycle costs… because they need two of them (with two seats) to be spies. When I showed them a couple of options from BMW and Harley-Davidson, they asked if they’d have enough to buy them if they sold our house.YeahbuhWHAT?!

  Sara and I told them that, while they’d have enough to buy the motorcycles, that they’d have no place to live. At this point, Kid Logic kicked in, as they told us that they didn’t mean right now… but in a few years.

• Men Are Mad Online Because of a New Gillette Commercial
• A Son’s Race To Give His Dying Father Artificial Immortality
• A friend asked me if, when I say that I am adding something to “The Covet List,” I am adding items to an actual list. I told him, “Yes,” and that there are actually two lists. (I really need to see to it that they mirror each other more accurately.)
• How Our Cruelty Killed Hootie and the Blowfish – and Damaged Our Souls

There might be a fair bit more that I could say, but for now… I’m ready to call it a night.

Tuesday – 25 December 2018

Christmas 2018 (Click for original image)

Sunday – 15 July 2018
Man, it’s already after 9:00 and I am sitting here wondering where the weekend went. There’s just one “problem.”

I know exactly where.

Friday, after work, I left work a little later than planned, made a quick stop at a local toy store (again, surprising absolutely NO ONE), met Sara and Team DiVa for dinner, and headed off to Clitorati. After that was all buttoned-up, back home for some Overwatch with friends.

Saturday morning, I did not want to get out of bed… which might have had something to do with staying up late. Maybe. But, I got up, ate and went to work out while DiVa had swim class. For some, as yet unknown reason, I decided to throw squats into the mix. For the record: NOT MY FAVORITE. (Put a pin in this, we’ll be coming back to it shortly.) Back home to shower and change and head off to Dr. Volt’s to judge a tournament. I was pleased; it went well.

Back home to knock out a couple of things and get ready for an evening out with Sara – we finally got around to celebrating promotions that we got back in the Spring. We dropped the ladies off with their grand-parents for the evening and headed downtown. We had dinner and dessert at Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar; it had been far too long since we had been there. As usual, the food and service were both excellent.

Next, we decided to check out Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. Yeah, yeah… not exactly Oscar fare, but we kind of knew what we were getting into. Kind of. Our best summation was that it wasn’t the best movie we’d ever seen – and it was far from the worst – but we were entertained. C’mon… it’s got dinosaurs, for Pete’s sake! Yeah, you know what I’m talkin’ about. Back home and we both crashed pretty hard.

This morning, I woke up tired. Remember that pin from earlier? Here’s where it makes its reprise: Somewhere in the middle of an already not-great sleep (a series of unpleasant dreams kept waking me up), I encountered “The Revenge of the Squats” – my thighs delighted in making turning over and even lying still “somewhat unpleasant.”

Ibuprofen, my old friend…
I’ve come to be with you again…

We headed back to the in-laws’ for breakfast. Oh… and to pick up the girls. My father-in-law makes a mean waffle. And he makes LOTS of them. Sara’s local sibs and their families were there for breakfast, too. It was a good way to start a busy day.

It was a “busy day” as today was (“is,” still… technically) National Ice Cream Day, which means Sara and I put on our annual Ice Cream Social.

Please note: It was, apparently “The Twins’ Ice Cream Party” Fine. Next year, they get to foot the bill and do the heavy lifting.

That meant a lot of “spending the rest of the morning and afternoon getting ready.” Thus, we did. One thing that we didn’t fully account for were the number of unexpected guests, in the forms of bees and wasps.

Fortunately, there were no cross-species incidents, for which I was supremely grateful. There was ice cream, toppings, pink lemonade, good company and conversation.

After our guests left, there was a little bit of clean up – we pretty much have set up and teardown down to a science after… six or seven years of doing this – and then time to get ready for dinner. I somehow managed to convince Team DiVa that it would be a “good idea” to take their showers while dinner was getting ready. Not quite sure “how,” but I wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth. We ate dinner – salads (light post-ice cream fare = WIN) with chicken. And lemonade. Duh.

Sometime during the post-dinner “What do we do now” period, I stretched out on the couch. My mistake. I fell asleep for almost an hour. That might not have been such a mistake, after all. I woke up in time to find Sara and the girls watching the tail-end of a two-part Sofia the First episode… with mermaids. Yes, I just made that pun and decided not to edit it out. When the episode was over, the girls got ready for bed. Once they were tucked in, it was time for a greatly sought-after cool summer shower. It was sublime, just in case you wondered.

Now, I still have a little bit of free time before I have to make my way to The Dreaming. I should probably figure out what to do with said time…

Tuesday – 26 June 2018
I’m at home today with a pair of young ladies who are getting over fevers. They just finished lunch and are hanging out in the living room. So, I’m going to jot down a few things, while it’s quiet – and, more importantly, while I’m not being summoned.

Three weeks ago, we went to Boise for Sara’s grandmother’s funeral.

I didn’t meet her until she was in her mid-80s; even then, she was more active that some 20-somethings I knew. That didn’t stop over the time that I knew her, either. (For example, she didn’t stop driving until two years ago, and then only because her eyesight had deteriorated to the point of making it… “somewhat untenable.”) Just listening to some of the rather amazing adventures she undertook was enough to make one tired.

It was a somber occasion, but it was good to see members of Sara’s side of the family with whom we don’t often get to visit. Added bonuses: Getting to spend time with friends in the Boise area whom we don’t get to see that often, as well.

We also took the opportunity to make another stop at Shoshone Falls on the way home.

Two weeks ago, I got to spend an evening with my Godmother, whom I haven’t seen since before I moved out here. She and her husband were visiting Utah for the first time and they spent a week traipsing around central and southern Utah. The occasion also marked the first time they met Sara and the girls. It was fantastic seeing them and catching up on things.

Otherwise, the past couple of weeks have been pretty quiet and uneventful.

Stray Toasters

• ‘At Least During the Internment…’ Are Words I Thought I’d Never Utter
• By way of Seth MacFarlane: The Captain’s Speech, from ST: TNG – “The Drumhead”
• Looking for some podcasts? Check these out:
  • The Incredibly Vocal Minority from Jay Whittaker
  • The SLC Sitdown from Cat Umano and Kiki Furia
  • Geek Parenting Podcast
• With Top Gun getting a sequel, rewatching Firefox popped into mind. I wonder if it’s held up well – or at all – over the past thirty-something years…

I fed the ladies, I should probably find something for me to eat, too… while it’s still (relatively) quiet.

Yeah… that’s about to happen. Right. Now.

Friday – 25 May 2018

I am ready for the long weekend. ‘Nuff said.

Stray Toasters

• From our Mother’s Day Southern Utah Parks Tour:

  • 

    Diana (Arches National Park)

    

    Vanessa (Arches National Park)

    
    

    

    Sara and Team DiVa (Goblin Valley State Park)

    

    Goblin Valley State Park

    
    
• Ostracised and Fetishised: The Perils of Travelling as a Young Black Woman
• The NFL continues to be a mess. I’m going to wind up not watching this season, either, at this rate.
  • This saddens me for many reasons, not the least of which is the complete missteps that have been taken with respect to players’ rights to silently protest and the League’s response. But also, Torrey Smith, former Raven has been traded to the Carolina Panthers, meaning that I have a reason to watch him play again.
• Black sergeant was ‘loyal klansman’
• I saw Solo: A Star Wars Movie a few nights ago. I liked it. I should get around to reviewing it and Avengers: Infinity War one of these days…
• The Sky Was No Limit: The WASP Women Pilots of WWII
• A couple weeks ago, I had a couple of odd things reach a weird personal convergence:
  • I learned that a coworker spent part of his mission in my mother’s hometown. Yeah, a small town in West Virginia that few have heard of and fewer still have been to. He spent six months there.
  • Later that same day, Sara and I watched Logan Lucky. Turns out that part of the movie was also set “somewhere” in West Virginia.
• This is how the federal government made a Star Wars tweet go viral
  • Hat tip to my friend Denise for this amusing look at life above the 54′-40º.

Saturday- 24 February 2018

I’ve been (somewhat) trying to write a post for a month now. Seriously. There have been fits and starts, but no finished product… until now. It’s strange to think that this is my first blog post (on here, at least) this year. But, here it is.

Today has been a good day. It snowed last night. It’s as if Mother Nature finally decided to remind people that “Yes, this is still Winter and I still have a few tricks up my sleeve,” and do it all in one week:

Oh, y’all wanted to call me out for not giving you any snow this winter?

BLAOW!

How ya like me now?

Said snow contributed to our decision to not venture out to Team DiVa’s swim class and, thus, gave all of us some prime sleeping-in time. Selah.

Next up: Ballet class for the ladies. Sara and I had supplemental breakfast and coffee while the girls were in class. From there, we headed down to Draper to catch an encore presentation of Mary and the Witches’ Flower. We’d wanted to see this a month ago, but it sold out rather quickly. Eagle-eyed Sara saw something a couple of weeks ago which noted another showing; we decided to make a family movie adventure out of it. The movie was quite cute and had a couple of take-away lessons. Even more importantly: Team DiVa liked it.

Next, back home for a hot minute so I could get my car and head off to record “a very special episode…” of Geekshow Podcast with Jay Whitaker (1, 2), Kiki Furia, Kari Keone, Dr. Paul White, and Stephan Watson, with Kerry Jackson as our host and moderator. The episode was about Black Panther and will be out Monday. NOTE: It’s heavily spoiler-laden and not exactly safe for work. You have been warned.

Now, I just need to finish this morning’s greatly-belated Instagram #morningcoffee post and all will be well with the world.

Stray Toasters

• An Artist Reversed The Gender Roles In Sexist Vintage Ads To Point Out How Absurd They Really Are
• Deep Space Nine Is TV’s Most Revolutionary Depiction of Black Fatherhood
• Illustrated Periodic Table
• Round like a circle in a spiral, like a wheel within a wheel
  Never ending or beginning on an ever-spinning reel
  Like a snowball down a mountain, or a carnival balloon
  Like a carousel that’s turning running rings around the moon
  Like a clock whose hands are sweeping past the minutes on its face
  And the world is like an apple whirling silently in space
  Like the circles that you find in the windmills of your mind
• Budgeting Doesn’t Have to Suck
• 21 Murphy’s Laws of Combat That Could Save Lives
• After 56 years apart, they rediscovered a love they thought was lost forever – The man in this article is my uncle (my step-father’s brother); I wasn’t able to make it home for the wedding, but this is a lovely story.
• The Tiahrt Amendment

Out.

Monday – 25 December 2017

Christmas 2017

Merry Christmas from our family to yours. May your holiday season – no matter what holiday you celebrate – be joyous, safe, and spent in the company of family and friends you hold dear. Best wishes to you for the new year.