Sunday – 02 August 2009
Last night, I went to OnlyAly and ‘s to play a little poker. It was a fun way to spend the evening. I got home and watched Cigarette Burns, originally part of Showtime’s “Masters of Horror” series, with SaraRules. As Tyranist and Rish described it on Horror Film Compendium:
An obtainer of rare films is contracted to find the most notorious film of all time, the supposedly lost (and madness-inducing)Â Le Fin Absolue Du Monde. But the closer he gets to finding the film, the more the powers of darkness close in on him.
It was a curious film. And rather dark. But, it was good.
After the movie, I lobotomized Defiant. She now has a larger hard drive and a fresh new install of OSX. While I was waiting for the OS to install, I channel-surfed. I wound up finding Grindhouse on Encore. Having not seen it before, I watched it… or at least half of it: “Planet Terror.” And it was fun. A lot of fun, in fact.
I wanted to stay up and watch “Deathproof,” but “Planet Terror” didn’t end until 0200 and I had to get up early in order to go to…
…The Park City Kimball Arts Festival. SaraRules and I headed up and met and Chris2 for brunch. No, make that “breakfast,” Cisero’s doesn’t do their normal brunch during the Arts Festival. BAH! However, that didn’t stop the omelettes we had from tasting great. After breakfast, we met and even ran into Jim and Sandi walking up the street. (Superpower: Check!) There was a lot of good stuff to be seen at the festival, too.
Back down to the valley for afternoon babysitting duty. Kate and Perry needed someone to watch the kids for a couple of hours. We had an open schedule and agreed. (It wasn’t really hard to agree to, honestly.) The kids were great, as usual.
Back home again. We both planned to have some hobby time, but didn’t want to watch either of our Netflix movies – neither of them are “in the background” movies. So, we opted to watch 88 Minutes. It’s been an interesting movie. (We’re still a few minutes from the end.)
Thursday – 30 July 2009 Another NBN Thursday kicks off in the Valley of the Lake of Salinity. Seems like I was just “here.” Of course, doing a late night post and then turning right around and doing another in the morning will do that to you.
I chatted with Dana, from Galaxy of Comics, for a bit last night. In the course of our conversation, she pointed out a something about the latest issue of Batman that I hadn’t considered: It made sense for Two-Face to deduce who was under the cowl. After all, he has been the closest thing that Dick Grayson has had to a recurring (arch)villain… ever since Dick’s days as Robin. Brilliant. And, as a side note: If you’re in the Los Angeles area, check out Galaxy of Comics, it’s a nice little shop.
One notable problem that I’ve noticed with Safari: For some reason, it doesn’t always play nicely with my Live+Press plugin. Most specifically, it fails to retain the “Insert Linkback” and “Disable Comments” settings – the settings that force comments to be made on Random Access rather than in LiveJournal. Thus, I have to remember to set them manually with each post. It’s not a deal-breaker, but it’s something I’ve noticed.
Speaking of which: I’m still somewhat amused (and bemused) by comments I get about the fact that I’ve stopped allowing comments on my LiveJournal and that they have to be posted on my WP blog – mainly, the fact that commenter has to be registered on my site to post a comment. I think that the most common complaint I’ve heard/read is “It’s another password I have to remember.” True… to a point, since a browser can be set to remember the password. The other, related comment is that it’s yet another site to be accessed in order to comment. That one’s valid. But, as I only mirror content on LJ, it’s not one that I’m inclined to change… especially since the decision to migrate my blog to my site a few years back. *shrug* C’est la vie.
Wednesday: Coda
The day turned out better than Tuesday, after all. Selah.
After work, SaraRules and I headed to Kate and Perry’s – I had a few Blackest Night-related comics to hand off. On the way there, we were passed by a couple of scooter riders whose helmets looked… vaguely familiar; I confirmed later that it was and A 400 Lb Gorilla. We hung out with Perry and the Kids for a while. Next, we headed to the nearest Best Buy, where I (finally) found a copy of Green Lantern: First Flight… with the figurine. (More on this later.) I, however, completely forgot to look for a copy of The Middleman. Ah, well, another time.
Back home, SaraRules started in on dinner and I started in on today’s four-color crack. For tonight’s fare, SaraRules made maple chicken, cheesy potatoes, green beans and glasses of Novella Synergy Blanc. Dinner was, as always, quite delicious. During dinner we watched GL:FF. After that, SaraRules went back to work on our wedding quilt and I finished up my four-color shwag.
Reeling by on Celluloid Green Lantern: First Flight,the latest release from DC Universe Animated Original Movies, is an adaptation of the origin story of the Silver Age Green Lantern, Hal Jordan. The feature hits the ground running and, before the opening credits even roll, you’ve been introduced to Hal and two major supporting characters. Things don’t exactly slow down after the opening credits, either, as Hal meets Sinestro and three other Lanterns and is escorted to Oa, home of the Green Lantern Corps. The story doesn’t retell Hal’s first days as a GL entirely as recounted in comics, but that’s okay – the story that they do tell is a good one. The story makes the characters accessible to viewers who neither watched Justice League/Unlimited nor read the comic book and it even lends itself for more GL features down the road. As an added bonus, one of the special features on the disc is a preview of the upcoming Superman/Batman: Public Enemies. Win-Win.
Four-Color Coverage
Blackest Night: Tales of the Corps #3 (of 3) – The final issue of this series tells the stories of Kilowog’s first mission as a Green Lantern recruit and also of the legacy that a veteran Lantern carries on. Possibly the best feature of the issue is “Blackest Night #0: Director’s Commentary.” In it, Geoff Johns, Adam Schlagman and Eddie Berganza give a running commentary of the zero issue of Blackest Night, given away on Free Comic Book Day.
Fantastic 4 #569 – The FF take on the Marquis of Death: Final Round. Fight! The Marquis dishes it out… can Marvel’s First Family take it? (Hint: They aren’t called “The Mediocre Four” or “The Just-Getting-By Four”). Readers also learn exactly what happened to Dr. Doom during his fight with the Marquis. Despite all of the action, I’d have to say that the best Thing in the issue is.. um… The Thing’s wedding. And the final page sums things up perfectly.
Justice Society of America #29 – This issue opens with a mystery… and reveals two more mysteries over the course of the story. Readers are also introduced to two new members of the JSA. Also, what’s going on with Mr. Terrific?
The Last Days of Animal Man #3 (of 6) – Buddy’s still losing his powers… but he doesn’t intend to just lie down and accept it. To this end, he enlists the aid of the League of Titans, an amalgamation of the JLA and the not-teen-anymore-Titans. Highlights of this issue are Buddy’s interactions with his family and their reactions to him – Gerry Conway does an excellent job of showing different sides of the family dynamic. There are also a couple nods to 52, as well.
Ultimatum #5 (of 5) – What’s left of the Fantastic Four, the Ultimates and the X-Men pay a call on Magneto. They intend to make him answer for the destruction he unleashed around the world. As fans of the Marvel 616 Universe might recall, the X-men and Magneto have had this dance before. It ended with Magneto leeching all of the Adamantium out of Wolverine’s skeleton. Will history repeat itself in the Ultimate Universe? Readers also learn the secret that Nick Fury’s been keeping from… well… everyone. And who’s going to be pulling the strings in the Ultimate Universe after the dust settles.
Wonder Woman #34 – Diana of Themyscira is now a woman without a family. Or a country. Or her gods. These things have shaped and defined Diana over the past few years. What will she do without them. She does what any warrior does: She survives. More than that, she endures. When she discovers that Genocide is still alive, Diana recruits Black Canary’s help to track down leads she needs to find her. Dr. T.O. Morrow shows… a softer side?! What’s that about?! Also, Achilles makes his first commands as… king… of the Amazons. My biggest gripe with the issue is Black Canary. Let me rephrase that: My gripe is with the way that Gail Simone wrote Black Canary. It felt… off. I would have expected something different, especially given the fact that Ms. Simone wrote Black Canary for years in Birds of Prey. *shrug* Maybe this was part of how she wrote BC in that book, but it came off in this title just feeling…wrong. Maybe it’s me. Maybe it’s Maybelline.
Sunday – 26 July 2009 SaraRules and I did a little shopping yesterday. I picked up some new gym gear and a few pairs of shorts. Later in the evening, we hung out with shockpuppet, and others for Rib Fest last night. It was a lot of fun.
This morning was a lazy sleep-in day. I woke up and picked up American Psycho again. Unfortunately, I’d forgotten where I stopped reading, so I had to go back and cover about 10 pages again. Then, it was time for breakfast and the first three eps of Wolverine and the X-Men. And then…
Workout
…SaraRules and I went to the gym for a workout:
Bench Press: 3 sets/10 reps, 185 lbs
Upright Row: 3 sets/10 reps, 60 lbs
Sit-ups (decline): 3 sets/20 reps
Compound Row: 3 sets/12 reps, 125 lbs
Lower Back Extensions: 3 sets/10 reps
Curls (dumbell, with shoulder press): 3 sets/10 reps, 25 lbs
Tricep Press (T-bar): 3 sets/15 reps, 80 lbs
Lunges: 3 sets/10 reps
Core (plank, side): 3 sets/30 seconds
Weight: 184.5 lbs
Stray Toasters
Rebecca, Joe or Jim (can’t remember who pondered this with me): It does not seem as though glow sticks have made it onto the “Stuff White People Like” website or book. Yet.
In a related note, Stuff Mormons Like is my favorite parody site of the SWPL site.
I haven’t been G4‘s biggest fan since they became “G4” – I miss the… intelligence and variety, I guess… of TechTV. However, I have to give them props for their coverage of Comic-Con 2009.
After a few days with Safari, I’ve found the transition hasn’t been too bad. There are still a couple of relatively minor things that I miss from Firefox, but nothing yet to make me go kicking and screaming back to it. Yet.
First, Geoff Johns did a Legion episode of Smallville… and now he’s writing a JSA episode? Hmm…
Saturday – 25 July 2009 For some reason, it feels like a Sunday morning. I can’t really put my finger on “why,” though. It might have to do with the abbreviated work week, but I don’t think that’s it. *shrug* Oh, well… I’m not going to spend too many cycles trying to figure it out. Â Instead, I’ll enjoy the “extra” day of relaxation.
Rachel made it to town yesterday; she was stopping over on her way home to California. The s’mores brownies she’d requested were ready shortly after she arrived. Later, she, SaraRules and I went to dinner at Red Iguana; despite living in SLC for over 10 years, I had never eaten there before.  I had the Chimichanga Original with a side of Spanish Rice, both of which were very good.
After dinner, we met up with the usual suspects for Clitorati. Fortunately, sent out a message letting us know that Borders was closing early for Pioneer Day… because SaraRules and I went by Thursday evening to investigate any signs of an early closure and there were none. *shakes fist* So, when Borders closed for the evening, we headed to Barnes and Noble, instead. It was a good change of pace. It’s also a change that we might make a more regular occurrence.
This morning, SaraRules, Rachel and I enjoyed a leisurely breakfast of pancakes and eggs (fixed by Ms. ‘Rules). After breakfast, Rachel got back on her westward trek.
Stray Toasters
NECA Gets Wizkids (and we’re awaiting more news about the deal and what it means for the game)
Friday – 24 July 2009 It’s my 9/80 Friday.
It’s not even 8:30.
So, why am I wide awake? (written when it was still “morning” in Utah.)
Oh, well.
Last night, SaraRules and I had dinner with OnlyAly, , Stephanie and Jason at MacCool’s, an Irish(-style) pub, in Foothill Village. I had been there once before, but not for dinner. I ordered the Finn’s Fries (think “nachos,” then take a left – it’s made with potatoes, rather than tortillas) for an appetizer. Holy cow… They were incredible. I had the Pub Steak for my entree. I was a bit more disappointed here: I asked for it “medium-well,” it came out “medium-rare,” or as might say: “They threatened it with the flame.” They took it back and recooked it; while it did cook through, it made the outer layers a tad tougher. All-in-all, it was a good experience and I’d definitely go back again.
The evening was spent lazily lounging around. Nothing wrong with that.
Today is also Pioneer Day in Utah. (And Missouri and California, according to one joke I’ve heard.)
Stray Toasters Stray Toasters are preceding Four-Color Coverage today. Why? Because I think that FCC may get to be “a bit” lengthy and I’m going to try using the never-seen-in-this-blog “MORE” tag. Or, for a shorter answer: “Because I can.” So, without further ado:
I received my Mac pony pegasus from Stephanie last night. It looks great. I’ll take (and post) some pictures of it later.
iGoogle now has a “Comics” themes category; a tip of the hat to for point this out to me. My home page is now decked out with a snazzy Green Lantern theme.
I stumbled across this yesterday afternoon: This wedding party entrance had the potential to be disastrous. Instead, I think it was rather cool and looked like everyone had a fun time with it:
Four-Color Coverage It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these; hopefully, I remember how it goes. Since it’s been so long, I’m also going to cover some of the highlights from the past weeks, as well. With that in mind, I’m going to use the “MORE” tag to cut the bulk of the text. Hopefully, it will work as expected…
Tuesday – 21 July 2009
Apparently, the seventeenth fourth time is the charm. The water pump is in and things seem to be as expected.
After getting the car, SaraRules and I went out to Hobby Lobby and IKEA. Our trip to the Garden of Sweden came after learning that a sofa we were considering, Varnamo, had been discontinued; we went in search of a suitable alternative. We think that we found it in the KARLSTAD series.
Back at home, I finished up the first floor of my ‘Clix house… only to discover that the plan we’d come up with for the second floor wasn’t going to work. *sigh* Back to the literal drawing board. After moving a staircase here and a wall there, I think that things will pan out pretty well.
I just had an apostrophe epiphany. Julie and I were discussing shows we watched while growing up and (for whatever reason) Gilligan’s Island came up. We were talking about it for a minute or two when I realized: Gilligan’s Island was the Lost of the 1960s.
…and, somehow, remembering that reminded me of Gilligan’s Planet. *shiver*
Monday – 20 July 2009
I was up far later than I should have been last night. Hopefully, the caffeine will save me. On the other hand, I managed to modify a few interior wall textures for my ‘Clix city that will give me a little more variety in my buildings.
Last night, Logan came over for dinner; SaraRules fixed chicken mole – it was good with a bit of a spicy kick. After dinner, we walked over to Target to find some updated cards for Trivial Pursuit. There were none to be found, but they had the “25th Anniversary Edition” for $30. We decided to walk to the Wal-Mart to see what they had to offer; if nothing else, we had to walk back past Target to get home, so we could always pick it up on the way back. While the Wal-Mart didn’t have 25AE, they did have the “Best of Genus” edition. And it was only $20. Win. We headed back home and played – I won, SaraRules came in 2nd, and Logan brought up the rear.
So far, the morning has been pretty quiet. Let’s hope the rest of the day follows suit.
Sunday – 19 July 2009
SaraRules and I opted for a lazy, quiet evening after our excursions. With that in mind, I did a little work on my new ‘Clix building (the ground floor now has all its walls in place) and SaraRules did some reading and did a couple of Sudoku puzzles.
After that, we watched Push, starring Chris Evans, Dakota Fanning and Djimon Hounsou. It was pretty good, actually – unfortunately, it’s being packaged with Knowing on a 2-for-1 disc… The movie follows Nick (a telekinetic) and Cassie (a precog) as they attempt to stay one step ahead of the mysterious U.S. Government agency, known only as “The Division,” in a race to find a missing telepath and the case she’s carrying. There are plenty of twists and turns in the movie and there are a couple of times when you’re not entirely sure who’s on which side. The effects are good – one of my favorites was how objects that Movers (the TKers) were manipulating would shake and waver when the person was stressed or indecisive about something. And, at least according to IMDb, there wasn’t a lot of green screen used in creating the film’s effects. All things considered, the movie was fun and wasn’t a waste of an hour-and-a-half.
Today started with sleeping in. After breakfast, we hit the gym:
On the way to the gym, my superpower kicked in: As we approached the light at 6200 South and Highland Drive, we pulled up next to ‘s father. Very random.
We also went to see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. It’s been so long since I have read or listened to this book that I had forgotten a number of details about it. Fortunately, the movie did a good job of exercising my memory. The actors, comfortable in their roles, turned in excellent performances and the adaptation of the story moved the plot along nicely, while still leaving enough time to show nice bits of character development.
Saturday – 18 July 2009
After work yesterday, I headed up to hang out with the in-laws-to-be. SaraRules’ cousins (first cousin and her kids) were visiting for a few days and were there when I arrived. We all had dinner and then SaraRules and I headed off to Clitorati. When we got there Jim, Sandi and company were already waiting for us; that was a pleasant surprise.
I took my car to the dealership to get a leak looked at. I had taken it to the local Firestone last week and they said that at least part of the problem was the water pump – which I’ll get back to in a minute – but that there seemed to be something else leaking, as well – something not related to the water pump. They recommended taking it to the dealership and let the certified GM mechanics look at it. Made sense to me, so that’s what I did. I told them that there was “a leak” and asked them to check it out. While they did that, SaraRules and I went to have lunch with Perry. I got a call a short while later. Their answer: Water pump. Nothing else, just the water pump. They could install a new pump, this afternoon, for something in the $550 (USD) range.
*facepalm*
I told the rep that I’d come get the car and bring it back next week. *sigh*
<< REWIND << Back to the water pump. I’ve now taken my car to Firestone three times in the past six weeks. A lot of people might just write off the shop at that point, but I’m not. My rationale:
Trip 1: They replaced my old water pump.
Trip 2: After still seeing some leakage, they replaced a couple of bad hoses… which they missed the first time around. But, they did this on their dime… because they missed it the first time.
Trip 3: I took it back a week later. Turns out that the replacement water pump was defective. That’s when they found “Possible Leak #2” and suggested taking the car to the dealer to get fixed. Scott, the manager at the Firestone, said that they would replace the pump – even if they had to order a new one directly from Cadillac – under their warranty, because it should have been fixed the first time and because he wanted to make things right.
> PLAY >
That brings us back to today. I went back to Firestone to schedule the water pump replacement. I talked with Scott again and he said that they’ll take care of it on Monday. It looks like they may also cover the cost of having the GM dealership look at the car. On top of that, I discovered that Scott also lived in Baltimore. Not only that, not too far from where I grew up. We had a mini-homecoming right there in the store. SaraRules just laughed at us.
On a serious note: In my dealings with Firestone over the past few weeks, Scott and his team have, in my opinion, demonstrated that they want to foster good relations with their customers – They want to do the right thing and they want to be fair. I don’t think that you can really ask for much more than that from a business. So, with that in mind, I’m naming Scott and his crew at Firestone #595179as today’s Humans of the Day.
After that, SaraRules and I went to the Utah Museum of Fine Art. One exhibit features art from Southeast Asia; there are some amazing pieces in there, including some elaborately detailed ivory carvings from China. It was a nice way to spend part of the afternoon. On the way home, we stopped for a bite to eat at Dask’s.
Friday – 17 July 2009
It’s kind of odd to be at work on a Friday. Well, not entirely odd, as I do it every other Friday, but this is the first Friday that I’ve worked in a month, thanks to harmonic convergence the way that my 9/80 Fridays and the Fourth of July worked out. Fortunately, it’s most coworkers’ 9/80 day off, so it should be rather quiet around here.
Reeling by on Celluloid
I chatted with MarknTyme this morning about the Cool World/Long Kiss Goodnight Scale. I was looking for an icon to represent that scale in the same way that I use the red LEGO brick for thigns that I like. Both he and had suggested using Mega Blox, since they are a LEGO knock0ff. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a picture of a single Mega Blox (Blok?), so that became a moot point. MarknTyme then suggested a Lawn Dart. That seemed to fit better – “Aiming for the target… but just missing the mark.” So, I give you the official icon for the CW/LKG Scale: The Lawn Dart.
We also hammered out a few other points about the scale:
The standard, as put by MarknTyme, is: “…the worst movie I paid full price to see.”
It’s a “mirror” of the normal scale, with Cool World as the -10 and Long Kiss Goodnight at -1
The worse a movie is, the more darts it gets.
Regardless of whether some other movie rates a -10, Cool World will retain it’s spot as the “name” at the bottom end of the scale. It’s tradition, after all.
Allowances can/will be made to add rented movies to the scale. (I’m looking at you, The Spirit…)
And, with that out of the way…
Last night, Logan came over for dinner. While eating, we watched Krull, a movie that I’d never seen before, but that SaraRules and Logan watched – fairly often, I took it – while growing up. It was a bit dated, in terms of special effects and it didn’t have the greatest acting or dialogue, but it was still amusing and entertaining. Even more of a shock to me – no, lj user=”applevenus” , not a shocker – was to discover that the lead actor, Kenneth Marshall, later went on to portray Lt. Cmdr. Michael Eddington, an antagonist of Capt. Benjamin Sisko, on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Also in the movie were a younger Liam Neeson and Robbie Coltrane. While this was a “fun” movie, it wasn’t a “great” movie. Thus, it gets the dubious honor of being the first movie to get darts from the CW/LKG Scale:
After Krull, we watched The Day the Earth Stood Still. No, not the Keanu “Whoa… I know alien invasions” Reeves version; we watched the 1951 classic version. It was definitely a movie of its era: Full of Cold War suspicion and platitudes about the power – and danger – of using atomic energy. It was also amusing to note the way the military “protected” the general public from the enigmatic visitor, as well: Klaatu’s spaceship landed in President’s Park, in Washington, D.C. The public, after the Army established a cordon around the ship, stood right behind the firing line. Let’s look at why this is funny to me:
Spaceship in the park. (Okay, this one isn’t funny by itself, but bear with me.)
Army forms a circle around the spaceship. (Now we’re getting somewhere…)
All weapons (small arms and heavy artillery) are pointed towards the center of the circle
The general public was standing – between 25 and 50 feet – around the perimeter of the circle.
Apparently, no one was worried about ricochets or “collateral damage.” *shrug*
All-in-all, I can see why this movie is considered a staple of “classic science fiction.” It was a good movie and kept me both entertained and engaged.
Stray Toasters
Yep. I’m a Legion fan. And, a freely-acknowledged overgrown kid. Need proof? I just ordered this.
DC Comics’ summer event, Blackest Night, kicked off on Wednesday. If it maintains the pace set by its first issue, this is going to be very good.
In a related note, a couple of months ago, asked me why I’m such a big Green Lantern fan and how I came to be one. It took me a few moments to formulate a fully-realized answer, but I came up with one:
I had read comics with Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) in them as a kid and I also remembered watching him in various incarnations of Super Friends on Saturday mornings. His power: He had a ring that could create anything that he could imagine. He had the ultimate answer in “wish fulfillment,” almost literally in the palm of his hand. Years later, I bought issues of Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps, because I liked the character and the space-faring adventures.
Fast forward to 2001… Cartoon Network brought the Justice League back to the screen in animated form. The show focused on DC’s seven “big guns”: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Martian Manhunter, The Flash, Hawkgirl and Green Lantern. This time, however, they didn’t use Hal Jordan; they went with another Earth-based Lantern, John Stewart. As Bruce Timm put it:
He’s the most controversial character so far from what we’ve been gathering on the Internet. When the show’s lineup was first announced, there were a lot of people saying, “Why aren’t they using Hal Jordan? No, it’s got to be Guy Gardner. No, it’s got to be Kyle Rayner.†Obviously, we picked the wrong one, but the reason we did choose John Stewart are various—I think they’re all valid. Right off the bat, I’ll just say it: you know we did need ethnic diversity in the Justice League. We felt that the show is going to be seen worldwide and I think having a member of the Justice League who is not just “Mr. White Bread†is a good thing.Another reason why we chose him: literally, out of all the Green Lanterns we could have chosen, we all kind of liked the John Stewart character from the comics, especially the Denny O’Neil / Neal Adams version. When they first introduced him he was like the angry young black guy…you know, in 1969 and 1970. Even though that’s not really relevant today—like the whole Black Power movement and everything—we still wanted to keep that kind of edge and attitude with him.
And so, just in banging around ideas of what to do with him, going back to the original idea of the Green Lantern Corps—where they’re basically Lensmen [the pulp characters created by E.E. “Doc†Smith]—they’re space cops, they’re space marines. We’re like, “Okay, he’s a military guy.†And then somebody said, “Louis Gossett Jr.—An Officer and a Gentlemen.†I said, “Yeah,†and I went, “Wait a minute—Samuel L. Jackson,†and everyone went, “Yeah!†So that’s kind of who he is. He’s a real rugged, no-nonsense, barking orders kind of Green Lantern—and we love him to pieces. We love him so much [that] he’s like in almost every episode. I predict that you guys are going to love him too.
And he was right. I did… and still do. It was great to not only have a Green Lantern on the team, but to have one who was Black brought something else to the table: A role model, of sorts, for kids (and at least one or two adults I know). It was good to see someone of color portrayed on-screen with a positive influence and not just “guy on the street” or “thug of the week.” That – and the way that the character was developed in both the animated series and in comics – only helps to cement John Stewart as a favorite character of mine.
Wednesday – 15 July 2009
I went out to dinner at Redrock Brewing Company with SaraRules, her parents and her grandparents. I had the French Onion Steak Sandwich (which, although very messy, was delicious) and washed it down with a tasty Cream Stout.
After dinner, I went to play ‘Clix with Chris. We decided to play a non-themed game, which allowed us to play with some figures that we hadn’t used before. I threw a decent team together…
Black Widow (Ultimates)
Captain Marvel, Jr.
Dark Beast
Iceman and
Spider-Girl
…but didn’t adhere to the strategy that I’d started with and put the wrong pieces in the wrong places at the wrong time. Thus, Black Widow – a lynch-pin in my game plan – wound up getting beaten down. Game plan go *poof*. Dark Beast fell next. Spider-Girl went next and was followed, very shortly, by Iceman. Despite all of this, CMJ did well… relatively speaking. He took a fair bit of punishment, but was still dancing toe-to-toe with Chris’ Hulkbuster Iron Man. In the end, he got taken out, but he went down swinging; I was impressed with the figure – I’ll definitely be putting him in the field again. (Hopefully, with better dice rolls…)
This morning has been… not too bad, but there were a couple of items that were on the fast-track when I got into the office. One was fairly easy to deal with, the other was… out of my area of expertise. (I’m willing to bet that John Hodgman could have handled it, though.) Fortunately, a workaround was found and life continued apace.
Tuesday – 14 July 2009
If you couldn’t guess by today’s title, it’s Bastille Day.
Yesterday, SaraRules went to have her bridal portraits taken. From the stories she related when she got home, it was an experience. A fun one, but an experience, nevertheless. While she was off playing supermodel, I hung out with her grandparents, who are in town for a few days. Sitting with them and trading stories was a nice way to spend the evening.
Stray Toasters
I got two walls of the kitchen added to my new model last night. I also rediscovered why you should always “Measure twice, cut once” when constructing (or even destroying) something: I have a wall section that looks like it’s going to be about ” shorter than I had planned. It’s a small enough difference that I could let it go, but I will most likely recut one wall.
Monday – 13 July 2009 Waking up and getting up
Has never been easy
…especially when you start to fall asleep on the sofa…
…and then have a hard time falling asleep when you get into bed…
…and the first alarm doesn’t trigger your “I should get out of bed” senses.
But, other than that, it’s been a decent morning.
Last night’s Tower of Power concert was fun. SaraRules and I took her father as his belated Father’s Day present; he had a ball. We also ran into Paul (my boss) there; he grew up in Sacramento and has been a ToP fan for many, many moons. He enjoyed the concert, too.
Stray Toasters
I think that my mother just signed up for Twitter…
Sunday – 12 July 2009
Last night, SaraRules and I wanted something a little different for dinner. We decided on Thai food. And with that, we headed up to Holladay to visit Pawit’s Royale Thai Cuisine. We had Por Pia Sod (spring rolls, with shrimp and chicken) for an appetizer; I opted to try something new and had the Pad Puck with chicken, while SaraRules had the Pad Gra Prow with chicken. As usual, the food was excellent.
We stopped at SaraRules’ parents’ for a few on the way home. Once in, we were in. That’s not to say that we didn’t do anything else: SaraRules worked on our wedding quilt (and finished the top), while I worked on a new building for ‘Clix. I also helped with the quilt. A little. I did a seam. I was also informed that I’ll also be enlisted to help with a little of the hand-quilting when it’s closer to being done.
Today started off lazily, but we’ve actually been nominally “productive,” as we’ve already been to the gym…
Lat Pull-downs: 3 sets/10 reps, 120 lbs
Compound Row: 3 sets/10 reps, 125 lbs
Reverse Flys: 3 sets/10 reps, 80 lbs
Rows (T-bar style, with a barbell): 3 sets/10 reps, 55 lbs
Dips: 3 sets/10 reps
Tricep Press (T-bar): 3 sets/15 reps, 80 lbs
Tricep Extensions (Rope): 3 sets/10 reps, 45 lbs
Lower Back Extensions: 3 sets, 10 reps – reverse fly at the top, 10 lb weights in each hand
Side Bends: 3 sets/10 reps, 25 lbs
Decline Sit-ups: 3 sets/15 reps
Post-workout weight: 182.0 lbs
I think that I will start checking my weight either at the beginning or end of a day, rather than at the gym from this point forward… if I remember to do so.
…and we (finally) met our neighbors across the breezeway.
Time to have a bite to eat and then I’m going to try and wrap up as much of the first story of this new building/map that I can before we head to SaraRules’ parents’ place for dinner.
And, tonight: Tower of Power is performing at the Salt Lake Jazz Festival.
