Random Access

Wednesday – 30 September 2009
The last day of September is rainy.
It’s noticeably cooler than the past week or so has been – today’s projected high is 56F.
And… AND… there’s a possibility of snow in the forecast.

But, on the bright side: It’s Comics (and Sushi) Wednesday.

Last night, I headed over to Chris’ to play HeroClix. Instead, we wound up chatting the evening away. (Which was just as good a way to spend the evening, in my opinion.) He also showed me Batman: Arkham Asylum and Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, both of which looked good… but I’d be more inclined to pick up Alliance than Asylum at this point.

Stray Toasters

• T-minus three days and counting.
• Speaking of which, I’ve had a number of people ask me “What’s the attire for the event?” This is somewhat amusing, as we specifically put “Semi-Formal Attire” on the wedding invitation. This has led to questions of “What’s ‘semi-formal?’ ” So, with that in mind, here’s a guide to semi-formal wear:
  • Dress Code (Western)
  • Semi-formal
  • Semi-Formal Dress (women)
  • The Well-Dressed Gentleman

  We’ve also been asked if we’re serious about the attire. Simple answer: “Yes.” After all, we put it on the invitations for a reason. And that reason is to (hopefully) preclude anyone – with exactly one known and excused exemption – from showing up in streetwear or casual wear.

• Apple 1984 ad, updated for 2009

• I picked up my copy of Superman/Batman: Public Enemies last night.
  I brought it to work this morning; there’s a good chance that it will see some screen time today.
• Amanda Palmer on why she’s not afraid to ask her listeners for money
• I need to find someone who can make one of these for .
• Snow…? Now?!  Really?!?  *shakes head*
• Bobby Brown: My Prerogative

• Indiana Jones Desktop Accessories
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Britain seeks ban on pint glasses to prevent bar-brawl injuries
• Zork rock anthem

Namaste.

Monday – 28 September 2009
Today has been good, both at work and otherwise. I consider that an auspicious beginning to the week… especially considering how frenetic the week will become as Saturday approaches.

Speaking of Saturday, I met SaraRules at lunch and we went to get our marriage license. The whole thing took less than ten minutes, top to bottom. On the way back to the office, I stopped in at the in-laws-to-be for a few minutes, picked up a tasty burrito from Barbacoa and… AND… got a Slurpee!

Stray Toasters

• Marriage license: Check.
• Officiant: Check.
• Should the Browns abolish the quarterback position?
• 17 Amazing Sci-Fi Themed Cakes, courtesy of .
• From NPR Music: Rafael Saddiq – Tiny Desk Concert
• 
• Roman Polanski: Film’s Dark Prince
• NPR also had a couple of interesting non-profit organization-related items
  • CEO Salaries up at Nonprofits in 2008
  • Nonprofit Pay in 2008
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Indiana prosecutor says she’s duty-bound to prosecute grandma who bought cold medicine

Back to the grind.

Namaste.

Sunday – 27 September 2009
Holy cow. This has been one helluva weekend. It has also reaffirmed my thoughts and feelings that I have an amazing fiancee and some equally amazing friends.

Saturday started with sleeping in. It was nice. SaraRules and I had planned on a relatively low-key day together, before the last week before the wedding. When we finally got in gear and out of the apartment, we headed to the Garden of Sweden and Hobby Lobby – we were looking for some picture frames (IKEA) and some ribbon for our wedding guest book. We found both. AND, we even had Slurpees! We eventually meandered back home. We straightened up a few things and chilled out before heading out to Tucano’s, a Brazilian steakhouse, for dinner.  Mmm… food-induced coma.

Then things went completely off the rails.

Around 6:00, when we were supposed to be leaving, there was a knock on the door. I looked out the peephole and thought I saw . Opening the door, I was more than “a little” shocked to see standing there, instead. Then he yelled, “Get ‘im!” and rushed in the door. He was followed by seven other people.

My first reaction: Fall into defensive mode and prepare to start throwing punches.

That’s when I noticed that loonybin88 was one of the people…

::: processing:::
::: processing :::
::: processing :::

It then clicked that I recognized the people and could stand down from preparing to fight, but I was still resistant to them trying to usher me out the door. (According to SaraRules, it apparently took four of them to push/pull me out.) As they got me out into the parking lot, looked at me and announced, “Welcome to your bachelor party!” As I was still in shock over the abruptness of what had just happened, the only thing that came to mind was:

“But I have dinner plans…”

Yeah. Brilliant. Because it hadn’t clicked in my head that my beautiful bride-to-be would have anything to do with me getting kidnapped and taken out for a surprise bachelor party. (Tricksy like a Hobbit, she is.) Apparently, she and had been planning this for weeks, once it became fairly public knowledge that I wasn’t planning on having a bachelor party. Their co-conspirators included: , and Chris S., , loonybin88, and Land.

We headed to Rodizio Grill, where , Chris (whom I play ‘Clix with) and SaraRules’ brother, Logan, joined us. While it wasn’t the quiet evening out with my fiancee that I was expecting, I enjoyed the deadly sin of Gluttony just as much. The food, as ever, was very good. The company was equally good.

After dinner, we piled into cars and headed to Fat Cats for some bowling and to shoot some pool. (And me without my bowling balls or shoes… *sigh*) According to Ye Olde Blog, I hadn’t been bowling since April 2008. Sad. We got in two games, I bowled a 170 and a 143; that wasn’t too bad, considering the lapse in time on the lanes. Next we played a couple hours’ worth of pool. There was a lot of slop, but we also had a lot of fun.

Next stop: and OnlyAly’s place for poker and drinking and general shooting the bull. We played until 0330 this morning. I bummed a ride home from Chris and Nox.

All told, I had an excellent game/geek-inspired bachelor party in the company of some great friends, to whom I can only say, “Thank you very much.”

Not too surprisingly, I slept in a bit on Sunday morning. I couldn’t sleep in very late, though, because it was the season’s first meeting between the Browns and the Ravens. We headed over to ‘s place, where Nox was already waiting. We also met a couple of ‘s friends, Christy and Clark… who were also Browns’ fans – we won’t hold that against them… much. Besides, it will be nice for to not have to drink alone for the next game. The Ravens brought their “A” game today, handing the Browns a 34-3 shellacking.

Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens
3 – 34
Joe Flacco had another excellent week, posting 342 passing yards.

Let me repeat that, for those who missed it: Thirty-four to three. SaraRules, Nox and I did one shot, each, to ‘s seven. It was a beautiful thing.

After the game, SaraRules and I headed down to Kate and Perry’s; we were babysitting the kids this evening. Two of us… four kids… GO! Of course, watching the kids was a piece of cake. They started off watching a couple episodes of Lazy Town. (SaraRules noted that it will only be a few years before we are subjected to shows like this on a regular basis…) Next, they watched Next Avengers, which wasn’t too bad. We then fed the group and then sent the older kids to baths. We popped corn and let them watch Cars before sending them off to bed.

And now, it’s pre-Monday winding down time.

But, it’s been a great weekend.

Namaste.

Thursday – 24 September 2009
Another NBN Thursday is under way.  This one has the added bonus of starting with frozen mocha goodness.

Last night, I picked up my four-color shwag and headed home to decide what to do about dinner, as SaraRules had a post-work meeting. I was thinking “ramen” about the time that she called to say that she was on the way home. Win-Win. So, rather than artificially-flavored Japanese noodles, we had soft tacos. After dinner, she headed out to meet Melissa at the gym; I went to Target – I needed some boxes so that I could ship some eBay auction items. Before heading home, I stopped in to visit .

Back at home, before watching The Late Show, SaraRules and I practiced our first dance. There have been a couple of modifications. Nothing too major, fortunately. And, our… mastery (?)… of the dance is coming along.

Stray Toasters

• Nine days and counting…
  • Groomsmens’ gifts: Check.
  • Best Man rearrangement: Check.
• Last week, I received a new 22″ monitor at work. Yesterday, I unpacked and set it up. After getting rid of two other monitors, I now/still have three (3) on my desk: 42″, 22″ and 19″.
• pointed me in the direction of this: Tiny, Easy-to-Build Weapons Annihilate Office Boredom
• Comics in the Classroom
• …speaking of comics, yesterday’s books were good.
• By way of Prelate Derek:

  

• Damn you, Word Twist!
• For :

  

• posted a link to Ugliest Tattoos: The Gallery of Regrets and all I can say is, “Wow…” Some of these (read: “Almost ALL of them…”) are straight out of the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file.
• London cops finally apologize for mugging geek — four years later
• From the “Curiouser and curiouser…” file: Lamp that runs on human blood
• Meetings != YAY!

Namaste.

Here’s your chance to “get involved” in the wedding prep: We’ve started a new post on the engagement/wedding blog for “Advice for the Bride-to-be and Groom-to-be.”

We’re looking for… drumroll… advice for the Bride-to-be and Groom-to-be. (What? Did you think I was going to say mixed drink recipes?!) Instructions can be found on the page.

Have at it! And thanks!

Namaste.

Monday – 21 September 2009
Yes, it’s Monday.
Start of a new week.
The official last day of summer.

But, it’s not “just Monday.” It’s the 21st of September. Today would have been Jess’ 35th birthday.

It’s been four months since she passed away. Getting used to the fact that one of my best friends is no longer just a phone call away or won’t be coming out to a movie or coffee or dinner has been “a bit” of an adjustment.

I got to spend part of Saturday morning and afternoon with her parents and one of her sisters.  I’m glad that they’re part of my extended family, as you couldn’t ask for nicer people to spend time with.

As I’ve said before, there are many things that I could say about Jess. Rather than leave something out, I’ll summarize by saying that she was a good person to know, a great friend and that she’s sorely missed.

Happy Birthday.

Sunday – 20 September 2009
The weekend is moving right along.
(Footloose and fancy-free…)
It has been busy and somewhat productive.

Friday afternoon, I went out and ran some errands and then hung out with for a while. We hadn’t just shot the bull in a long time, so that was fun. We also talked about getting together for next week’s Browns-Ravens matchup, which is always a good time. After that, I headed home for a bit before heading back out for Clitorati. Chris and Mary were at the cafe when we got there. And, Chris came bearing gifts! Again! (I tell you, it’s like Christmas in September!) This week’s goody: He brought the John Stewart ‘Clix he repainted for me:

This, of course, made for a rather happy me. More pictures of what he did can be seen here.

Yesterday (all my troubles seemed so far away…), SaraRules and I got up, hit Einstein Bros. and Beans & Brews, and then went to help move to her new digs. We loaded the moving truck and assorted vehicles and then we were off in the “Great Cross-Town Caper.” Okay, fine… it wasn’t really across town, but that sounds better that “Seven Mile Shuffle.” The whole operation took an hour and fifty minutes, top to bottom… and it covered me for this weekend’s workout.

After that, SaraRules and I went shopping and then met up with her parents to do a little wedding-related shopping, as well. Both trips, were productive.

Back home for a bit to eat, get clean and change, and we were on the road yet again. First stop: Reception dinner for a friend of the family who got married on Friday. After that, it was on to Abravanel Hall to see Cirque de la Symphonie. Simply put, it was an amazing show. Feats of jugging, contortion, aerial acts… all performed to classical music, all on-stage with the Utah Symphony. , who saw the show on Friday had said that it was “a very, very good time” and she was right.

Today, I’m heading over to Kate and Perry’s in a bit. I’m teaching their oldest how to play HeroClix, which he’s been wanting to learn for the better part of the summer. So, today’s the day. After that, SaraRules and I are heading to the State Fair for a while and then up to her parents’ for dinner and football.

Why are weekends so short?!

Namaste.

Stray Toasters

• T-minus thirteen days.
  As excited as I’m getting for the event, I’m also looking forward to seeing my family and friends I haven’t seen in months. I’m also looking forward to seeing the rings, which lj user=”gazehound” says look really good.
• Belated Happy Rosh Hoshanna to those who celebrate(d) it.
• Belated Happy Birthday to and .
• The Ravens travel to Sandy Eggo to take on the Chargers.
• Fangirl Invasion: The War of the Sexes Hits Geekdom
• How can you not like this picture, from the article titled like “Nerd in Chief?” :

  

• Crew for Final Scheduled Space Shuttle Mission Selected
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Pop-up camper on a shopping cart
• Nissan Gives Electric Cars ‘Blade Runner’ Audio Effect

Up. Out.

Namaste.

Wednesday – 16 September 2009
Comics and Sushi Wednesday is upon us once again.  Amen.

Last night was kind of… lax. Not saying that’s a “bad” thing, mind you. SaraRules and her mom went shopping last night, leaving me at home to… well… pretty much do whatever I wanted. I actually made a few wedding-related calls – I talked with my ‘rents.  All’s well in their respective worlds.  Then I made calls to my Godparents, who won’t be able to make it out for the event. It was nice talking with them.  Then, I watched TV and cut some 6″x3″ pieces for use with a new WWG map and surfed the Interwebs.

Workout
Yesterday, Marci and I got in a short lunchtime workout:

• Calf Raises: 3 sets/10 reps, 120 lbs
• Leg Extensions: 3 sets/10 reps, 80 lbs
• Leg Curls: 3 sets/10 reps, 80 lbs
• Sit-ups (incline): 3 sets/20 reps
• Bench Press: 3 sets/10 reps, 185 lbs
• Lower Back Extensions: 3 sets/12 reps
• Side Bends: 3 sets/10 reps, 30 lbs

Pre-workout weight (morning): 184.0 lbs

Stray Toasters

• …not to be confused with “Starry Toasters”
• The Next DC Animated Film Is a CRISIS Story
• For some reason, I woke up with Swing Low, Sweet Chariot running through my head. Not just any version, either. It was the Dizzy Gillespie version that he performed on The Muppet Show. It segued into the Eric Clapton version for a moment, but went back to the Dizzy one.
• … I mis-remembered – it was apparently Swing Low, Sweet Cadillac:

• Taking Showers Can Be Harmful to Your Health
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: WWE’s Linda McMahon resigns to run for Senate against Dodd
• Carter: Racism plays major role in opposition to Obama
• With the season premiere of NCIS – and series premiere of NCIS: Los Angeles – less than a week away, TVGuide.com offers this up: Check out LL Cool J’s new NCIS:LA-inspired Song

• Best of Broadway: Bernstein’s ‘West Side Story’
• Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 is now out…

  

• iPhone as a PC Game Controller
• Top 5 WTF Comic Book Character Origins

Namaste.

Tuesday – 15 September 2009
We’re halfway through the month already. Wow. Where does the time go…?

Last night, I headed over to help and her ‘rents do some painting at her new place. I took my portable SoundDock, so that we’d have something to listen to. What I didn’t take was the remote control. I was under the mistaken impression that I needed the remote to change the volume on it as, unlike my primary SoundDock, the volume controls are not on the face of the unit.

Operative word: “Mistaken.”

I noticed, after I had gotten back home later in the evening, that the portable ‘Dock does have sound controls on it – they’re on the side of the unit. D’oh!

Football
Last night, there was a double-header on Monday Night Football:

Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots
24 – 25

I missed a good portion of this game, as I was helping paint. But, I caught a little of the first quarter and the last five or ten minutes of the fourth quarter. And, I was surprised and impressed with the last couple of drives: The Patriots’ two-minute drill to get the go-ahead score and the Bills’ hook-and-ladder play to try and answer it.

San Diego Chargers at Oakland Raiders
24 – 20

This was a solid game, top to bottom. I was especially impressed with the way the Raiders played – on both sides of the ball. The defense looked reminiscent of the Raiders of the 70s and 80s; the offense was… well… GOOD! They moved the ball, they didn’t make a lot of stupid errors. They played solid football, but in the end, Sandy Eggo took the “Win.”

Stray Toasters

• In honor of the title of this post, I give you Mr. Miyagi
  Once again, Julie (our IT admin… sorry, “Distinguished IT Admin,” as we refer to her) and I dressed alike. Today, we’re both in navy tops and khaki pants. And, once again, we did not plan this.
• It’s official: NECA Acquires WizKids; HeroClix to Continue
  (Hopefully, the legendary – and highly-elusive – “Smoky-Foot” Captain America ‘Clix will see the light of day…)

  

• The greatest papercraft model you’ll ever see
• Groomsmens’ gifts: Check.
• What happened to civility?
• Poll Finds Most Doctors Support Public Option
• I don’t remember how I stumbled across Geek Orthodox, but I found some amusing stuff there:
  • Darth Bat
  • Gamer Shirts
  • 10 Reasons Why Roleplaying Games Are a Positive Force for Kids and Adults Alike
• 
• Wells Fargo fires exec over Malibu house scandal
• By way of and the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: When Getting Beaten by Your Husband Is a Pre-existing Condition

Namaste.

Monday – 14 September 2009
Nothing like having The Leash start going off at 0800… just as you’re getting ready to head to the office. It was alerting me to a problem with an off-site server. Yay. We contacted the appropriate people – who seemed to be having issues of their own – and they handled it. Eventually. Welcome to Monday.

Yesterday was a good day. It was also chock full o’ stuff. Mark and Alex – a member of the SUU Ballroom Dance Team who came up to assist in the dance lessons – came up about 2:30. First, they worked with SaraRules and Steve for the Father/Daughter dance, then it they spent time with SaraRules and me for our first dance. It was more fun and less fearsome than I had expected. (And, we fortunately we have three weeks to practice…)

After that, SaraRules, Alex, Mark and I headed over to the in-laws-to-be for dinner: Bratwurst and football. Excellent combination. More on football in a minute. After dinner, Steve transferred the video of our dance practice to DVD for us – we need to have some kind of reference for practice, after all.

Football Update
Yesterday was the Ravens’ season opener at home.

Kansas City Chiefs at Baltimore Ravens
24 – 38

They tried to give me heart failure in the second and third quarters… and I wasn’t even watching the game, per se. In this market, CBS broadcast the Minnesota-Cleveland game, so I had to “watch” the GameCenter on NFL.com.  Granted, it was nice to see the Vikings hand the Browns a beatdown, but I would have rather seen the Ravens play. Because, let’s face it: Who wouldn’t want to see Ray Lewis break a little something off like this in real time…

…or watch as QB Joe Flacco goes and dials in 303 yards passing and 4 yards rushing, as the Ravens put up a total of 501 yards of total offense!? Crazy. How does that make you feel, Ray?

Yeah, I thought so.

Elsewhere around the league:

Miami Dolphins at Atlanta Falcons
7 – 19
Oh, well.. at least there are 16 more games in the season.

.

Philadelphia Eagles at Carolina Panthers
38 – 10
Ditto.

.

Denver Broncos at Cincinnati Bengals
12 – 7
Sorry, and .

.

Minnesota Vikings at Cleveland Browns
34 – 20
Congrats, … and Congrats Commiserations, .

Stray Toasters

• I’m going to help sling some paint tonight before the Sandy Eggo – Oakland game.
• 10 sure-fire ways to derail your career in IT
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot..?!” file: Philadelphia Free Library System is shutting down
• Get results by social networking with airlines
• Top 50 User-Created Soul Calibur 4 Characters
• Scientists Find Master Gene to Switch on Immune Cells
• Want your own dinosaur? Place your bids

Namaste.

Saturday – 12 September 2009
It’s almost 2:30 (at least it was when I started writing this…) and I’ve already gone out to have coffee with Perry, helped move (counts as today’s workout!) and run errands. And now, I’m stuck with something of a conundrum: What in the world am I going to do with the rest of my afternoon?!  SaraRules has to attend An Evening of Beethoven again – this time as an employee of US/UO – so I get to figure out what I’m doing tonight, too. There could be a lot of CoH and or WWG-building time involved…

Last night, we went to the aforementioned “An Evening of Beethoven”

The symphony performed:

• Overture to The Creatures of Prometheus, op. 43
• Concerto for Violin in D Major, op. 61 (featuring guest artist Jennifer Frautschi on violin)
• Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, op. 67

And they were very well done. It was a lovely evening out.

After the symphony, we caught up with the Clitorati crew for dinner. As an added bonus, Chris and Mary showed up. And, as a… hm… “bonus bonus,” I guess… Chris brought the Bishop HeroClix figure that he customized for me.

He did a great job on it. More pictures of it can be seen here.

Stray Toasters

• Rings: Check.
• I finally took pictures of the Mac pony that Stephanie made for me… to match my MacBook.
• Personal space is mostly in your head
  That may be true, but I adhere to this idea:

  

  Of course, I tend to think of my personal space as being the size of Mongolia. *shrug*
  Okay, that’s not entirely true; although, I do prefer a buffer of two to three feet.

• I’ve been working on setting up some eBay auctions to clear out some of my extra ‘Clix.
• A dozen Warhol paintings worth millions stolen from Los Angeles home
• 300 is on TNT. Nice…
• …of course, that reminded me of this:

• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Six-year-old girl chauffeured stoned mom

That’s good for now.  I’m off to go enjoy some lazy time.

Namaste.

Friday – 11 September 2009
Today not only marks the end of the (work) week, but it’s the eighth anniversary of the attacks in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.

For my thoughts on the matter, I once again refer readers here.

Today’s an “on” day.
And I have The Leash this week.
Happiness and joy.

That’s right… I just broke out a haiku. Bow down.

Football Update
The NFL 2009 season kicked off with the Tennesee Titans heading to Heinz Field to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Tennessee Titans at Pittsburgh Steelers
10 – 13

It was a good game.  A seriously solid, well-played game. The defenses of both teams definitely earned their paychecks this week. The game was scoreless until late in the second half, when both offenses woke up and remembered what it was they were there to do. Excellent way to start the season… despite the fact that the Steelers won.

Four-Color Coverage
MarknTyme has come down with a case of “Life Happens,” which in this case means that he’s whipping his high school band into fighting shape. Because of this, he won’t be helping out with FCC for the near term. With that in mind, I’ll probably have a new (and solo) FCC to post sometime this weekend.

Stray Toasters

• Twenty-two days.
• I see a red door
  And I want to paint it black…
• As I haven’t posted it in a while: Skippy’s List
• just hooked us up with Irish Creme lollipops. (I know…!) They’re pretty tasty. He got them from Lollyphile.
• What’s that you say..? Craig Ferguson has something to say about South Carolina Congressman Mike Duvall? Tell me more!

  …and…

• PopCultureShock has some nice comic-related wallpapers.
• IAAF urges caution over Semenya intersex claims
  And, I’m Ivory Soap-sure that this line wasn’t intended to be as pun-laden as it appears to me:

  South Africa will fight back if Semenya is excluded from further competition, Stofile said, adding, “It will be a third world war.”

  I don’t know if South Africa (or just parts of it) are considered to have “Third world” status, but is the reporter (unintentionally) saying that it would be a war of third world nations…?

• David Lynch, window-dresser
• Unearthing Solomon Grundy
• 
• Motorola’s comeback attempt rests on software
  Don’t call it a comeback
  [They’ve] been here for years

Tonight: SaraRules and I are attending Utah Symphony’s An Evening of Beethoven.  (Tickets are still available…)

Namaste.

Thursday – 10 September 2009
Another NBN Thursday is cruising right along.

This morning, I didn’t really want to get out of bed. It wasn’t that I was tired, just lazy. When I did get out of bed, I made my way into the living room… where I plopped down on the sofa. It took another ten or so minutes to get myself motivated to really start the day.

The work day hasn’t been too bad. There have been meetings… and I have The Leash for the next week. WOO!

On the “plus” side, today was also “Comics Thursday.” Not only did I pick up my four-color shwag, but I also picked up a book that SaraRules has been awaiting. My coworker Drew went with me on my lunch/comics run – actually, he drove – and we had lunch at Pasabocas, a Columbian restaurant that’s across the street from Dr. Volt’s. We both had the Carne Asada and we both thought it was quite good. I’ll have to go back and try some of their other fare.

Stray Toasters

• Something that came in after I had posted yesterday: Paul Levitz No Longer Publisher & President of DC Comics
  • Industry Reacts to Levitz, DC Entertainment
  • Legion Blogpost: The Third Coming of Paul Levitz
• By way of Perry: Lex Luthor Bailout
  “Lex Luthor Bailout” with Jon Hamm from Jon Hamm
• The 2009 NFL Season kicks off tonight with Tennessee at Pittsburgh.
• sent me a link to this related note: The Chargers are hungry and Larry English is buying
• If distance education was Zork
• I had a good early morning discussion with Paul and Drew, which stretched into a post-meeting/lunchtime conversation with Drew.
• Craig Ferguson on the Mike Duvall scandal:

  
  …and, Part 2…
  

• What did that sign say? UDoT looking for sign vandal
• From the “Idiotstick” file: Orioles fans take Ripken No. 8 statue for a Baltimore joy ride
• Beautiful glass sculptures of deadly viruses and bacteria

Namaste.

Wednesday – 09 September 09
That’s right, it’s 09/09/09.
Today is also Sushi and Comics Wednesday, but due to the holiday, comic book shipments will not be in until tomorrow.

Last night, Chris came over for another round of our GLC/SC Heroclix battle. (Pictures here) As usual, it was a good fight. In a manner that pretty much mirrored the comics, the first big fight was between Superbrat-Prime Superboy-Prime (sorry… “SuperMAN-Prime”) and Sodam Yat (Ion). Just like that battle, Prime hit Ion and cleaned his clock – six (6) clicks of damage, right off the bat — in the comic, Prime shoved a lead rod into Sodam’s torso.

Fortunately, Yat is a Daxamite and could take the hit, but it took him way off his game. We danced around the table for a while – both our sets of dice ran hot and cold – but, in the end, Chris went home with a “Win.” I believe that the Sinestro Corps is now 3-0 in our match-ups.

While Chris and I were playing, SaraRules went off to see a movie, Julie and Julia, I think… When she came home, she brought me flowers. (Coolest. Fiancee. Ever.) It was very sweet of her.

Stray Toasters

• This morning started off with a fun chat with sister-in-law-t0-be Meliko.
• 10 NFL questions: Do the Steelers have the stuff for a repeat title?
• …and in a related item, Don’t Throw It to Ed Reed:

• Courtesy of The Masters of the Obvious Slashdot: Geeks Prefer Competence to Niceness
• From and the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot..?!” file: Bizarre Tongue-Eating Parasite Discovered off the Jersey Coast
  (Of course, it would be New Jersey…)
• Superman vs. Green Lantern: The Debate Continues
• For decades (mostly in the 50s and 60s), Lois Lane tried to prove that Clark Kent was really Superman. Preposterous, I know. After all, with all that power, why masquerade as “a mild-mannered reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper?” Super. Man. Not “Wheat-growing Farmboy from Kansas Man.”But, I digress…Superman would go to great lengths to conceal his identity. “How far,” you ask? Far enough to get his friend Batman in on the job. There’s been super-dickery. Now here’s proof of… um… super-bat-dickery, too.
• The Beatles Remastered, Not Just for Audiophiles
• Microsoft arranges spontaneous house parties for Windows 7 launch
• Liposuction Leftovers Make Easy Stem Cells

And that’s a wrap.

Namaste.

Tuesday – 08 September 2009
A new (and short) work week begins. And there’s already been “an issue” with another of our cooling systems.  Hopefully, the maintenance work that is scheduled for tomorrow will take care of it.

Happy Birthday, to Sib-4: !

Last night wound up being rather low-key. I finished cutting out the last of the 6″x6″ tiles that I had – I’m down to a hair over five minutes per tile, with all of the necessary cutting. I still need to cut some 6″x3″ and 3″x3″ tiles.

Tonight, Chris is coming over for a knockdown, drag-out Green Lantern Corps vs. Sinestro Corps ‘Clix game. We’re also using our respective Corps’ heralds: I’m using Ion (Sodam Yat) and he’s playing with Parallax (Kyle Rayner), based on figures that we made and custom dials that we’ve found.

(And, hopefully, we’ll be able to settle on a decent/respectable TA for the Sinestro Corps…)

Workout
Today’s workout was brief, but fulfilling:

• Sit-ups (incline): 3 sets/20 reps
• Bench Press: 3 sets/10 reps, 205 lbs
• Compound Row: 3 sets/12 reps, 140 lbs
• Flys: 3 sets/10 reps, 120 lbs
• Push-ups: 3 sets/15 reps

Weight (post-workout): 188.4 lbs

Stray Toasters

• Astronauts pack Buzz Lightyear for ride home
• Getting a superhero education in Oregon
• Commentary: Where are the “Good Guys?”
• 
• Photographer Leibovitz could lose portfolio due to debt
• IGN Presents: The History of the Dreamcast
• Speculation ramps up as Apple event nears
• 
• From the “You don’t hear things like this everyday” file: Parents honor dead son’s wish, wed at end of his funeral

Back to it.

Namaste.