Sunday – 19 December 2010
It’s a chilly, rainy/snowy day here in the valley.
On the “plus” side, today is my uncle’s birthday:
Yesterday, SaraRules!, and I did our best Smokey and the Bandit impression and headed to Cedar City to retrieve the last of SaraRules!’ things from storage. We were up at 0630 and on the road a little after 0700. The trip down was a little slow, thanks to new snowfall and poorly-plowed roads in Utah County. After that, it was pretty smooth sailing. After picking up the trailer, we headed to the storage unit, where Josh (SaraRules!’ former MFA classmate) met us and helped us load up. We stopped for a bite to eat that The Pizza Factory and then got back on the road. The whole process took a hair under 12 hours, from the time we left to the time we got home after returning the trailer. It was a good, productive and tiring day.
I’d also like to take a moment to thank for volunteering his time – and his Jeep – to help us get the things from southern Utah:
Today, we’re doing a little shopping and then heading over to Sanaz and Logan’s for dinner… and gingerbread tree making/decorating. Tonight, as there will be no new episodes of The Walking Dead (for ten months!), we’re most likely going to watch The Godfather.
Stray Toasters
I neglected to mention this a few days ago: I’m an uncle again!
My brother and sister-in-law had a little girl, whom they named “Corrine,” on Thursday.
For the first time in… weeks, I think… I have an organized HeroClix collection. Hallelujah!
Guess who’s back! I actually have an original C64 in the storage room… this almost makes me want to break it out, boot it up and play a little Impossible Mission.
A couple of days ago SaraRules told me that my father-in-law made a “trailer” of this year’s family vacation. This morning, she showed me the video.
Wednesday – 08 December 2010
New comics today? Yep.
Sushi for lunch? I believe so.
D&D (4.0) game tonight? Yes, indeed.
Verily, I proclaim that this shall be a good day.
Last night was D&D (3.5) game night with and company. After a three-week hiatus, it took us a few minutes to recall exactly where we were (in an underground cathedral) and what we were doing (getting ready to fight a group of zombies). Not so surprisingly, things fell into place pretty quickly once those details were recalled. We fought. We didn’t die. Life was good. Post-zombie attack, we quested into the cathedral’s lower levels, met some other… figures (that’s about the best I can give ’em at this point, as they weren’t exactly alive, but not undead, either). With their help, we finished a quest – and lost our NPC – and made our way back out of the cathedral and back to a safe haven. It was a good night.
Stray Toasters
SaraRules! has already had to deal with a monkey today. Feh.
Tanga is a girl who has been flying around the fringes of space looking for some kind of intelligent contact. She’s seeking some kind of connection, any kind of connection. She legitimately feels like there’s no one else in the universe quite like her. She’s right about that. She possesses both enormous cosmic power and an inability to self-edit, a combination that will, inevitably, always lead her into trouble. My short hand pitch has always been “The power of the Silver Surfer and the personality of Sarah Silverman”
…was the first thing that popped into my head after seeing him is an indicator that it’s going to be a good day.
Yesterday, I was visited by the UPS and USPS Fairies. The UPS Fairy brought the first wave of parts for my new computer arrived; now I need to figure out what I want to get next. The USPS Fairy brought the other new arrival: my Department 56 Lionel Electric Train Shop.
and Ryan came over to watch last night’s highly-hyped Jets-Patriots game (1, 2) Too bad the game didn’t live up to the hype. The Pats steamrolled the Jets. Badly. They broke ’em down like fractions.
Stray Toasters
Tyranist and I had a discussion yesterday about which is more terrifying: slow, shambling zombies or fast-moving zombies/”rage-infected” humans and why.
Yesterday was a relaxed and lazy day. I slept in a bit and then headed to the living room to watch a few things that have been on the DVR for far too long. Later, and I headed down to Lehi to check out a hobby shop… that was open on Sunday! (You’d possibly have to live here to understand how bizarre it is to find a small town hobby store open on a Sunday afternoon.) When we got there, it was closed — the sign on the door said “Summer Hours: Closed Sundays.” This brought two things to mind:
Wasn’t “summer” over an month and a half ago?
Couldn’t they have listed something about being closed on their website?
On the way back, we experienced “Adventures in Road Rage” with some yutz in an SUV. Fun times.
After I got back home, I put in a little time playing LEGO Universe. From there, SaraRules and I headed to Home Depot, stopped off to help a friend with a computer problem and then went to the in-laws’ for dinner and football.
Post-game, we headed home and watched The Walking Dead. I liked it. There were a couple of parts that were reminiscent of 28 Days Later, where Cillian Murphy first awakens to discover the world (or at least England) has gone to Hell around him. I’m curious to see how the show progresses… and I should read the graphic novels, as we have them, to see how close the adaptation is.
Instant Replay: Football The Ravens had their bye week. I hope they got in a good bit of rest because next week is a VERY short week for them: Sunday, they play the Dolphins at home and Thursday they travel to the Georgia Dome to take on the Falcons.
The Steelers rolled into the Big Easy to face the Saints. I wasn’t sure how this one would turn out, but Drew Brees and company stood up to the challenge and came away with the win.
This is a double-plus for me as the Steelers’ loss puts the Ravens back atop the AFC North.
Stray Toasters
We only had six (6) Trick-or-Treaters this year. And they all came in one group.
On the other hand, we were able to watch horror movies without interruptions.
Wednesday – 13 October 2010
Technically, I wrote this last night, before going to bed. But, thanks to the miracle of WordPress’ scheduler, I can have it post after the sun is up.  (Or, at least after it’s up on the east coast.)
It’s Comics and Sushi Wednesday. Amen. After a couple of days of getting into the office between 0600 and 0615, I shall gladly take some time in the middle of the day to retrieve my four-color crack and indulge to in a bit of raw fish goodness.
To recap the past couple of days…
I went to work for a couple of hours on Sunday afternoon. Â Some progress was made, but there were still a couple of issues to be dealt with on Monday. Â After that, I went with the lovely SaraRules! (I keep forgetting to add the exclamation point on that) to enjoy a lovely German-themed dinner with the in-laws. It was quite good. Â After we got home, I was a bit brain-dead and all I wanted to do was flop down on the couch and watch some TV. The ever-understanding SaraRules! was kind enough to keep me company until it was time to hit the rack.
Monday was… “a day.” I was in the office early — I expected it to be a “less than pleasant” day of work and I wanted to just get it over with. Â And, I was right: It wasn’t pleasant. Â As I noted in a brief foray to Facebook, I felt like the mythical Sisyphus. (Unfortunately, no matter how many times Carve Away the Stone ran through my head, it did nothing to alleviate my mood.) The day got better after I left work… despite dropping a full cup of frozen mocha goodness on the garage steps – and myself – while getting ready for Monday Night Football. *sigh*
Tuesday was a remarkably better day. While it wasn’t a necessarily “perfect” day, things fell into their proper places and my urge to punch people in the throat was notably absent. After work, I strolled up to Pin-up Girl Espresso for a white tea with peach. I chatted with Jim and Natalie (and Deja, from the neighboring floral/garden center) for a bit before walking back home. After dinner, SaraRules! went gallivanting, while I waited for Chris to come over. Â On tonight’s agenda: Halo: Reach. Â There was a wonderful bit of (much needed) catharsis in wantonly shooting things. It was a good way to spend the evening.
Friday – 01 October 2010
A new month begins and it falls on my 9/80 “off” day.
Convergence?
Coincidence?
Serendipity?
Who knows…?
Today also marks the beginning of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. And, as such, this blog will once again “Go Pink for October.”
Last night, SaraRules and I met up with Marcie and her niece and… dun dun DUNNNNN…. went to the gym. Â According to the blog-a-tron, it looks as though it’s been a two (2) months since my last confession trip to the gym. And, as an added bonus: just joined our gym and may work out with us, from time to time.
Last night’s workout (courtesy of SaraRules) included:
It was a good workout and a bit of a challenge, as I haven’t been in such a long time… but I’m looking forward to getting back into the swing of things.
The Legend of Chimpy
I was half-kidding yesterday, when I said that I should start a new section of the blog…
…but a few minutes ago, Minion #2 messaged me with this bit of monkeydom from Chimpy:
Is it wrong to laugh out loud if Chimpy 2.0 locked himself out of his own testing machine and then asked me if I knew the password?
Yeah. Â This is the kind of thing we deal with.
I should also clarify something: The person we currently refer to as “Chimpy” is actually the second person to carry his own special monkey designation. The original Chimpy left the company a year or so ago. However, “Chimpy 2” has done a banner job of maintaining the high levels of monkey-rifficness that we came to expect from his predecessor.
While this is cool, I’m still quite happy with the rings SaraRules and I have — with lots of thanks to for an amazing design job! (After all, how many guys get to have one of their favorite comic book symbols worked into their wedding band?!)
Speaking of rings, as of Sunday morning, SaraRules and I will have been married one year. Â Wow.
Speaking of LEGO: My copy of LEGO Universe arrived yesterday.
Thursday – 30 September 2010
Today’s NBN Thursday is brought to you by the letters “C” and “F” and the number “2.”
I got to work this morning…
…checked my email…
…fixed a bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats…
…and completely forgot that we were having a visit from our KVM over IP and power distribution reps.
The visit went well. We addressed a few issues and discovered that they might be able to help us (to a minor degree) with another problem that we’ve been having. Win-Win.
Last night, SaraRules and I watched a documentary called Babies. From the IMDB synopsis:
A look at one year in the life of four babies from around the world, from Mongolia to Namibia to San Francisco to Tokyo.
In it, director Thomas Balmes followed four babies, from just before they were born through their first steps. Unlike most documentaries, there was was no voiceover or commentary on what viewers see. You just saw the babies and their parents – and in a couple of cases, their families – in their day-to-day lives. It was an interesting look at the development  of the children – in similar and dissimilar ways – living in different cultures and under different mores.
It was good, but I’m not sure how to rate it, though.
Stray Toasters
I think that I might start a new section of the blog and call it “The Legend of Chimpy.” In it, I will chronicle the… misadventures… of one of the monkeys at work. Today’s item:
Yesterday afternoon, I received a call from corporate IT about a ticket that someone had opened. I went to look at it this morning… and also found a ticket from Chimpy.
As of August, our office is part of the corporate network. This means that we can log directly into the network and access pretty much any information that exists on the corporate servers. Prior to August, we had to log in via a VPN. When the network changes were made, we sent out all manner of announcements noting the change in access.
Taking a deep breath, I looked at Chimpy’s ticket.
The issue: He was attempting to watch a training video, but was not getting anything on-screen. Then, I read the details of the issue. I had to refrain from running to his desk to pimp slap him on the spot.
Why? Â He was attempting to watch the video… over the VPN… while connected to the corporate network.
Friday – 24 September 2010
It’s almost the weekend.
Last night, DM’ed a Forgotten Realms game at Hastur Hobbies.
I didn’t go. Â Instead, SaraRules and I cut down a couple of trees in the front yard and then ferried the remains to neighborhood clean-up dumpsters. Â Mmm, chainsaw… There are still a couple of 3-to-4-foot tall stumps to be dealt with, but the major damage has been done. Â Who knows…? Our house might actually have some decent curb appeal when we’re done.
After that – and a bit to eat – it was time for the season premiere of Fringe. I daresay that this is going to be an interesting season. Next, SaraRules watched the latest episode of Project: Runway, while I finished reading the last of Wednesday’s comic haul.
Human of the Day
I know that I often tout SaraRules as being the coolest/greatest/most awesome wife. Ever. Well, quite frankly: She is. On top of everything else she does to prove it, today she (once again) brought something to me, at work, that I was too addle-brained to remember to bring with me. And, I have to admit that getting to see her once more in the morning isn’t a bad thing, either.
I love it when you call a vendor, tell them “I’m having a problem with (fill in the item)” and they say “Let me see who we have that’s available to come look at it and I’ll call you right back…”
…and “right back” expands to nearly an hour. Â *sigh* It’s not like I have anything else that I need to get done today. Â No, I’d much rather sit here and babysit the phone. Idiotsticks.
Monday – 20 September 2010
It’s definitely a “Monday” morning.
Following some changes to the office network on Friday, things are… a little wonky… this morning. Yay.
Today’s Musical Interlude: Living Colour – Cult of Personality:
Yesterday, SaraRules and I went to the Utah State Fair for a bit. It was a nice change of pace. A bit of oddness: As we walked past one of the bandstands, I noted that the band was playing – of all things possible – the theme from WKRP in Cincinnati. Odd. On the plus side, I picked up a package of cinnamon almonds.
Later in the evening, Logan and Swiz came over for dinner. Â SaraRules fixed a chicken dish, with sides of rice pilaf and zucchini and carrots strips. Then we watched the Manning Bowl Sunday Night Football. SaraRules and I wrapped up the evening with an episode of Mad Men.
Friday – 17 September 2010
It’s my 9/80 day off and I’ve been ready for it since Monday afternoon.
(Fortunately, Tuesday through yesterday weren’t bad.)
I think that I’ve found what I hope is only a temporary measure in getting around the problem that my web host is having with subdomains: I just changed the format of how I access and post links for this blog. Â I’ll need to try and do the same for Four-Color Coverage and Game Center. Monkeys.
Last night, SaraRules and I were both having a case of the “I don’t want to cook dinner” lazies. We wound up going to MacCool’s Public House for dinner. They were having another food/beer pairing (with Wasatch Brewery, I believe). Â We hadn’t RSVPed for it, but Micheal (the manager) asked us if we wanted to get in on it. Â We declined. We sat at a table near the back of the restaurant. Scott, one of the owners, saw us as we walked to our table and said “Hi.” Â For dinner, we started with the Finn Skins; for entrees, SaraRules had the Smoked Salmon Chowder and I had the Salmon of Knowledge. Mick, the other owner, from stopped by the table a couple of times and brought samples of the night’s pairing menu. Michael also brought over a couple of the beer samples, including a very tasty “Black and Pumpkin” variation on the traditional Black and Tan. All-in-all, it was one of the best dinner ideas that either of us could have come up with.
Tuesday – 07 September 2010
The abbreviated work week begins.
The morning commute was accompanied by the radio, which had this in the mix:
Last night, SaraRules and I headed to the local Home Depot – my third trip for the day – to pick up paint supplies to start work on the guest room. As soon as we finish with it, we’ll be done with the upstairs interior. For now. Â We’re considering replacing the railing at the stairs to the basement with a half-wall. Â We’ll see how that pans out.
I also managed to get in a little time in Nova Praetoria, the “other” setting for CoH: Going Rogue. I like the fact that you get to choose between being a Loyalist (supporting the emperor) or a Resistance member (fighting against the oppressive regime)… or even straddle the line between them. My character is currently a member of the Resistance. Whether or not he remains one will depend on how the story plays out.
Stray Toasters
It would be nice if the weather could figure out whether it wants to be hot or cool.
Petraeus Wanrs Against Planned Koran-Burning
I find it sad that people can’t figure out that this is invective and offensive. Â It seems a far way from the “Do unto others…” that I was taught in the churches of my youth.
Thursday – 26 August 2010
It’s Thursday. I was informed of something that might push the day outside of the “NBN” envelope. That – coupled with who told me and what they told me – bring the phrase “People suck” quickly to mind… and serves as a reminder that some people practically beg to be curb-stomped.
Despite this, I shall try to maintain an NBN Thursday state of mind.
(As opposed to a New York State of Mind.)
Last night, SaraRules and I went to Pawit’s Royale Thai for dinner. As always, the food was very good. We started with their Por Pia Sod spring rolls (most excellent) and I had Pad Thai for my entree, while SaraRules had a salad whose name escapes me.
After dinner, it was back home for couch-time with comics! Yesterday’s haul was pretty good. I am really enjoying Justice League: Generation Lost, a “reunion” of sorts of the Justice League International. Another good storyline has been the new Wonder Woman. J. Michael Straczynski has done a good job of reinventing the character (even if people aren’t fond of her new costume). And the Legion made two appearances this month — in their own title and also in Superman/Batman #75.
After reading about superheroes, I went back to work on my HeroClix Wonder Woman mod. The new figure from The Brave and the Bold is… boring:
(gallery bb-figure-018)
So, I decided to try and make something a little more… dynamic. Â I’m combining two figures:
Phantom Girl, from the Legion of Super-Heroes Starter Set
(gallery ls-figure-005)
…and Mary Marvel, from Crisis:
(gallery cr-figure-041)
I should (hopefully) have pictures to share of the finished product soon.
Tuesday – 24 August 2010
aLast night, SaraRules and I went to her parents’ house for dinner (homemade chicken pot pie = WIN!) and football: Arizona Cardinals at Tennessee Titans. For a preseason game, it was a pretty good game… if you’re a Tennessee fan. They worked on both sides of the ball. And worked well. Vince Young looked good in the game, much more composed and poised in the pocket and able to make decent connections with his backs and receivers. They’ll be a team to watch this season.
On the other side of the field, the Cardinals still looked like a team trying to figure out who they are without Kurt Warner. Matt Leinart couldn’t get anything going in the three series that he played. Former Cleveland QB Derek Anderson looked decent, but wasn’t able to put together a scoring drive either. Former BYU QB Max Hall looked rather solid and put together the Cards’ only TD-scoring drive. It will be interesting to see how the team fares with their star receiver, Larry Fitzgerald, back in the game after his knee heals.
After the game, SaraRules and I headed home and wound up the evening with a couple of episodes of Mad Men. We are both enjoying the show quite a bit.
Chew on This: Food for Thought
I have had a couple of teachers and administrators in the family and a few of my close friends are teachers, as well. Teachers often get blamed for all of the ills – perceived and actual – in the halls of our schools, but seldom get the credit for trying to do the right thing for their students. (Drive to Overhaul Low-Performing Schools Delayed, NYTimes) I have both heard and seen first-hand how they deal with students and some of their students’ issues.
Case in point: I was talking with one of these friends earlier and he gave me the Cliff’s Notes version of one of the problems a student of his was facing — it was more “mountain” than “mole hill.” He told me that the student wound up literally crying over the situation.
What many people don’t realize is that teachers – at least the ones that I consider “good teachers” – don’t just shut out their students when the afternoon bell rings. They don’t just see their jobs as ending when the last school bus pulls out of the lot. They get involved. They do what they can to be supportive of their students. In short: They care.
If only more people cared about the teachers and administrators who spend time with their children…
Workout
I have no idea what yesterday’s step count was, as I broke the pedometer as I was heading home from work. Bah. I might have to look into getting another one.
Stray Toasters
I would ask if it’s too early for office monkeys… but I don’t think that there’s such a thing as “too early” where they are concerned. Unfortunately.
I discovered this song, by Cee Lo yesterday. It’s definitely NSFW, but it is also pretty damned good:
“Everybody put me on the back burner for years and years,†said Mr. Allen’s son, Henry C. Allen, 65. He had hoped the cold case initiative would change things, but said the response has been slow. He said the legwork had been done. “Here’s the people you can contact, here’s their phone number, here’s their address,†he said. “I don’t have the authority to go knock on their door, but you do — and it still don’t get done.â€
Wednesday – 04 August 2010
Middle of the week.
Comics and Sushi Wednesday.
Hopefully, it will be quiet, compared to the last two days.
I found out yesterday that another friend – a former coworker from the USPS – had died on Monday night. I really wasn’t kidding when I said that I’m tired of having so many friends die.
Last night was relatively low-key. The highlights included yard work and watching a recorded episode of NCIS: Los Angeles.
Workout
Aside from mowing the yard, yesterday’s workout only consisted of walking: 5,069 steps
British Couple Hosts Awesome Cosplay Wedding While I might otherwise be a little jealous, I did get a Green Lantern symbol incorporated into my wedding ring, so I think I at least tied them for coolness/geekiness.
Wednesday – 12 May 2010
Midweek and all’s (relatively speaking) well.
It’s Comics and Sushi Wednesday.
Today also marks one year since I lost my friend, Jessica, to a battle with pulmonary hypertension.
It doesn’t have to be dark for you to reach for the stars — they are always out there waiting to be touched
…and sometimes, if we’re lucky, a star reaches out for us, too.
My thoughts and prayers go out to her and her family – my adopted family – today. She was a great person; I still miss having her around, but I’m glad for the time that we had to spend together.
Stray Toasters
Here is the latest chapter in The Great Comcast Saga:
Yesterday, I got home from work and saw a Comcast technician, John, working around the corner from the house. Â I asked if he was working on our seemingly never-ending quest for service. He said that he wasn’t… but he then asked if I had just moved into the neighborhood. I told him that I had and that I was waiting for service to be restored to the house. He said that he had done service work for [our] house for the past few years.
And then he hit me with a bombshell: The service node in which he was working – NOT the one in our front yard – was the one that contained the line that goes to our house.
*blink blink*
Yeah. Not only does that mean that Steve, the first Comcast tech to attempt reconnection, went to the wrong box, but that NO OTHER Comcast representative figured out that Box A != Box B…. which means that we couldshould have had service two weeks ago.
*grblsnrkx*
As it stands, John, cancelled the dig/burial work order and put us in for reconnection. Our new reconnection appointment is scheduled for “early Friday morning.” Â (Good thing it’s my Friday off…)
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