Random Access

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.

Tuesday – 20 September 2011
120 minutes.  Two hours. 7,200 seconds. It both “does” and “doesn’t” seem like a lot of time. When you’re rushing to get that last-minute assignment complete, it’s too little time. When it’s a movie – that’s been done well and is entertaining – it’s just enough.

When you’re trying to compress all of the things on your “to do” list into 120 minute increments, it seems far too fleet.

But, it’s totally worth it.

The girls are now just shy of two-weeks-old. “Schedule” is still not part of their vocabulary. And that’s fine. We’ve started trying to get them used to the concepts of day (bright and somewhat noisy) and night (darker/low-light and much more quiet), in the hopes that we get them adjusted to the idea that being awake during the day is good and sleeping at night – and letting Mom and Dad sleep a little, too – is a “good” thing.  We’ll see how this goes.

They are still very cute – awake and/or asleep:

Last week, when my mother was in town

Last week, with SaraRules!’ Parents…

Modeling their Wonder Woman and Flash onesies that SaraRules! made…

It’s been a challenging couple of weeks in some respects, but it’s also been fun getting to know the newest members of the family.

Stray Toasters

• Fatherhood, Not Testosterone, Makes the Man
• This LEGO Robot Helped Beta Test a New iOS App
• 
• Rick Perry’s made-up ‘facts’ about climate change
• What we SHOULD have been taught our senior year of high school
• 10 Words You Need to Stop Misspelling
• Scott Beatty on “Six Stories That Changed How I Read (and Write) Comics”

Namaste.

Tuesday – 13 September 2011
Day 6 and all is well. After the girls’ midnight-ish feeding, all four of us settled in for some sleep. It lasted for an hour-and-a-half and it was great. After that, the girls were up every couple of hours, but went pretty much right back to sleep. I think that we – SaraRules! and I – got around five hours of sleep out of the deal, between midnight and 8AM.

Last night, Dave and Angy stopped by, to give us a bit adult hang-out time. And, you know… to see the girls.

It was good. There may have even been a little Monday Night Football-watching involved, too.  Just sayin’.

And today, my mother’s flying in to meet the girls. In fact, I should probably stop writing and get ready to head to the airport.

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.

Thursday – 08 September 2011
It’s official: We are parents.

After nearly 18 hours of not being in active labor and only six (6) hours of active labor, Sara gave birth to the twins. We are the proud parents of baby girls: Diana Kelly and Vanessa Tamar:

• Diana was born at 11:42 PM on Wednesday, 07 September 2011

  

• Vanessa was born at 12:12 AM on Thursday, 08 September 2011

  

That’s right: We have twins… with different birthdays. Beat that. 🙂

Sara and the girls are all doing well… if just a little tired.

Once again, we would like to thank everyone for your thoughts, prayers and support.

Rob, Sara, Diana and Vanessa

Thursday – 01 September 2011
A new month kicks off on a No Bad News Technical Friday. Not only that, but it’s a four-day weekend. (Of course, it could turn into a up to a 17-day weekend, if SaraRules! goes into labor today or tonight…)

Last night, SaraRules! and I were visited by Utah Opera Resident Artist John Buffett, whom we haven’t seen since last season. He told us about his summer season and some of the things that he’s looking forward to for the upcoming season.

Then, I got to go back to work for an after-hours network change. YAY! We’d figured on a roughly hour-long job. It took just over two. But, the bottom line is: We got it done.

I got back home and treated myself to an ice cream sandwich. John and I were going to play HALO: Reach with UO’s Artistic Director, Christopher McBeth, but there were… technical difficulties… that prevented us from doing so. Instead, we – along with SaraRules! – hung out and watched last week’s Burn Notice.  All-in-all, not a bad way to wind up an evening.

Stray Toasters

• Facebook has already paid $40,000 for bug finds
• Blues From the Desert, Recorded On-Site
• Apple loses another unreleased iPhone
• 
• Duchess Catherine, Michelle Obama wield style power for good
• My train left Illinois around 0500 yesterday morning. It will be here tomorrow, which means that I will have to come to the office to pick it up… on my day off.
• Fond of Fonts? Check Out ‘Just My Type’
• 
• Solutions sought for growing space junk problem
• Make China our new partner in space
• U.S. Moves to Block Merger Between AT&T and T-Mobile
• Football season starts in one week.

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.

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.

Friday – 26 August 2011
It’s my “on” 9/80 pre-season “Purple Friday.”

Last night, and his kids came over to watch the “Battle of the Beltway.” (More on the game, below). The kids played with LEGO and stuffed animals and action figures – and occasionally watched the game – so, I’m taking that to mean that they were sufficiently entertained.

This morning, I got into the office a little early. The fringe benefit of that: Being able to play this – fairly loudly – before anyone else showed up.

It was a good way to kick off the morning.

I left for a while to head to the hospital: SaraRules! had what should be the next-to-last NST of the pregnancy. And, once again, the kids were showing off. In a BIG way. So much so that Cathy, today’s nurse, said that she was done about ten minutes in… but was required to take at least 20 minutes of readings. (Not only were they showing off, but they are doing fine.)

And, on the way back to the office, I managed to get this picture:

So, all-in-all, not a bad Friday, so far.

Instant Replay: Football

Washington Redskins at Baltimore Ravens
31 – 34
The Battle of the Beltway 2011 For a game that started off slowly, this one gained steam and just kept right on rolling. Both teams’ first strings looked pretty good. The Skins’ defense was fast and moved with purpose. Fortunately, the Ravens seemed to have learned a few things in the past two weeks and patched a lot of the holes in the offensive line. QB Joe Flacco’s first “reception” was an interception. Fortunately, his aim and timing got better. Tyrod Taylor got into the game in the 3rd Quarter and looked good – he showed some serious poise in the pocket, even under pressure, but he also showed that he wasn’t afraid of running the ball himself. I think that he’d make a fine backup to Flacco. And, WR Brandon Jones…?! (click for larger image) Welcome to Baltimore! Way to make your presence known! Next, the Ravens hit the road to take on the Falcons – who handed them an ugly loss last year – for the last preseason game of 2011.

Stray Toasters

• For SaraRules!, three words: Chuck. Finley. T-shirt.
• Buffett to Invest $5 Billion in Shaky Bank of America
• Five Takeaways from Skins Game
• Comic Book Resources had this picture in their D23 coverage, with the caption: “They call him… Bruce”

  

  He doesn’t look a thing like Batman OR Bruce Campbell!

• Buy “Made in China” goods? Benefits to U.S. may surprise you
• Smart Versus Realism — Greg Rucka takes Hollywood to task
• 
• In Britain, a Meeting on Limiting Social Media
• Like No Other View on Earth
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: The Holy Bible: Stock Car Racing Edition

  

• Han Solo in Carbonite ice molds
• Quake a wake-up call for Eastern U.S.

Namaste.

Thursday – 25 August 2011
It’s another fine NBN Thursday in the valley.

It’s been busy… in a good way. Hectic, but good. Meetings. Stuff. Things. And whatnot.

For those who may have missed it elsewhere: We have a date for the arrival of the twins: Assuming that she doesn’t deliver before, SaraRules! will be induced on the 06 September. Which means that in twelve (possibly thirteen) days, we’ll be parents. Holy cow.

Stray Toasters

• I just got a message from my mother: The new piano has been delivered.
• …and I just ordered this. It ships tomorrow.
• Former Orioles pitcher Flanagan dead in apparent suicide
• Former Oriole Flanagan Found Dead
• 
• In case you’ve been under a rock for the past 24 hours: Steve Jobs Resigns as CEO of Apple
• Jobs Steps Down at Apple, Saying He Can’t Meet Duties
• Steve Wozniak Comments on Jobs Resignation Announcement
• While You Were Out: Apple’s Years With and Without Steve Jobs
• Tim Cook emails Apple employees: “Apple is not going to change”
• Alternate Histories Does the Monster Mash-Up
• 
• Baby’s Got Bass
• Atheist Billboard Goes Up in Salt Lake City, Utah!
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers give each player an iPad as a playbook

And tonight: The Ravens take on the Redskins on Thursday Night Football.

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.

Monday – 22 August 2011
It’s an odd kind of feeling to be “glad” that it’s Monday, but that’s about where I am right now. It was a long weekend. This is not to say that it was a “bad” weekend. Far from it. It was a great weekend, but it was also a very busy weekend. It was the kind of weekend from which I need downtime to recover.

Long story, short version: My brother-in-law (well, one of them) got married this past Saturday:

It was a very nice ceremony, held at Millcreek Inn. The weather was lovely… at least for the ceremony. Just after it finished, we were treated to a rain shower.  (Ah, Thor looked down upon us and showered his blessings on us…) Fortunately, it was relatively brief and cleared the air for the reception — complete with a rainbow!

Good luck and best wishes for a happy and prosperous marriage to the happy couple!

The weekend was a bit of a whirlwind, as lots of family – on both sides of the wedding party – came to town. There was a lot of catching up to do. And much eating. And storytelling. And… and…. *whew* Yeah, it was like that.

Sunday, SaraRules!, Melissa, Jesse and I went to see Rage Monkeys of Doom… um, I mean Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Andy Serkis, once again, did an amazing motion-capture job as Caesar. I had a hard time buying James Franco as the Dorian Grey-like  (he never aged over the course of ten years, even/especially while dealing with a father with Alzheimer’s Disease!) research scientist… much in the same way that had a hard time buying Denise Richards as a nuclear physicist in The World Is Not Enough. That’s not to say that he wasn’t likeable it was just a little far to stretch. John Lithgow, on the other hand, portrayed his role as a man with (and without) Alzheimer’s incredibly well. All-in-all, it was a nice afternoon escape.

Before taking Melissa and Jesse back to the airport, we had dinner at MacCool’s. That’s right, Finn Skins and Guinness! And it wasn’t even my idea! That just proves, once again, that I chose well in asking SaraRules! to marry me.

And, so, here we are: Monday. At least it hasn’t been a bad day. Let’s see if it can keep up the good work.

Namaste.

Saturday – 20 August 2011
I thought about listing this as “Friday – 19 August 2011,” since it’s still Friday in the Pacific time zone, but decided, “Eh… what the Hell.” So, maybe this will be the first of two (or more) posts today.  We’ll see.

Friday was a good day. I slept in a bit. Which was a good thing, considering that I started nodding off on the sofa Thursday night. I remember watching Yard Crashers… then Yard Crashers was watching me… I woke up to find the a different episode of Yard Crashers was on… nodded off again… and woke up to eventually drag my sorry butt to bed. I saw SaraRules! off to work and did a little straightening up around the house.

Next, I met SaraRules! at the hospital, as we were scheduled for another ultrasound and non-stress test (NST). Thanks to a comedy of timing errors on my part, I missed about 98% (all of the good stuff, really) of the ultrasound. I did get there in time to get the recap, though. Next, on to the NST. The nurse had barely wired SaraRules! for sound when the kids decided, “Hey! People are watching… Let’s put on a show!” And they did. There were plenty – at least three or four – accelerations in twenty minutes. The nurse was pleased and thus were we pleased, too. So the overall results:

• The kids are fine.
• They’re both roughly six (6) pounds each and within an ounce or two of each other, which means that Baby A has caught up to Baby B.
• We are about 2.5 weeks from delivery.
• (And, no, we still don’t know what gender/s the babies are.)

I came back home to do a little more prep work before heading to pick up Meliko and Jesse from the airport. One thing that I didn’t think to do beforehand was work out “where” to pick them up. Some people meet their party at the curb, while others meet them in the upstairs portion of the terminal, just outside the secure area before the gates. My usual M.O. is to go to baggage claim. And that’s where I went. I waited for about ten minutes, before wondering if I had passed them or should check outside (again). And then, I saw Meliko coming down the stairway. After meeting Jesse, we headed to SaraRules’ office for a quick visit. SaraRules! sent us on our way to lunch; we ate at Cafe Med (or “The Med” or whatever they are calling themselves this week). Good food, as always… but I completely neglected to get Akbar Mashti.

*grblsnrkx*

From there, we headed up to the in-laws’, so Meliko could visit with her folks – including a few members of the family who had just gotten to town – and everyone could meet Jesse. We sat around and gabbed for an hour or so before heading home. SaraRules! came home – with RubySnap cookies! – and we hung out for a bit before heading back to the in-laws’ for dinner. By this time, more of SaraRules! and Meliko’s cousins had arrived. Dinner was good. After dinner, we had a birthday party for one of the little cousins – she turned five today. (We also managed to make RubySnap converts out of a few members of the family, to boot!)

After everyone was dinnered and partied and peopled out, SaraRules!, Meliko, Jesse and I came back home. SaraRules! and Meliko quilted, while Jesse and I (and the ladies, intermittently) watched Batman: Under the Red Hood.

And now, everyone but me is asleep. In the words of Bjork: It’s Oh So Quiet… well, it is if you discount the sound of the swamp cooler.

All-in-all, it was a very good day.

And tomorrow will be even better, as Logan and Sanaz are jumping the broom!

And with that, good night.

Namaste.

Thursday – 18 August 2011
It’s another NBN Technical Friday here in the Land Behind the Zion Curtain.

Last night, SaraRules! and I went to the “non-rehearsal” dinner for Logan and Sanaz. As there wasn’t a pre-wedding rehearsal involved, it was more of a “get both sides of the family-to-be together” dinner. Either way, it was still good. I got to chat with Marie and Stan – SaraRules!’ aunt and uncle from California – whom I haven’t seen since our wedding (aside from a brief video chat at Easter). We also got to meet Sanaz’ grandmother, who’s in from London. Good company, good food, and good conversation made for a rather pleasant way to pass the evening.

Chew on This: Food for Thought
This was an interesting and thought-provoking article, by way of my friend, Crystal: How to Talk to Little Girls

Stray Toasters

• Stolen Rembrandt sketch found in church
• Pope reaches out to youths in Spain
• 
• Piers Morgan: Christine O’Donnell Walkout Was ‘Extraordinary’
• It turns out that she had also “walked out” on the hosts of a local (SLC) radio show earlier in the day.
• How to Use an Apostrophe
• Kilian Martin: A Skate Illustration, courtesy of
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: German ‘unfairly’ sacked for marrying Chinese woman
• Offering Funds, U.S. Agency Dreams of Sending Humans to the Stars
• AT&T sues two over scheme to steal customer data

Back to it…

Namaste.