Random Access

Thursday – 07 May 2009
Happy Anniversary to Adam and Chelsea:

After work yesterday, SaraRules and I met Bill Byrnes – Dean of the College of Performing and Visual Arts at SUU – for dinner. We went to Desert Edge at Trolley Squre. I had a rather tasty roast beef/French Dip sandwich, that had a little “kick” to it. Both the food and the company were good.

After dinner, we stopped in to say “H’llo” to SaraRules’ parents before heading home. Once at home, we watched The Dark Knight. It’s still a rather watchable – and enjoyable – movie. I still have some reservations about whether or not Harvey Dent/Two-Face is actually supposed to be dead (or just very broken) at the end of the movie.  Yes, there was a memorial… but they never showed a body or even a casket. Just sayin’.  (And, after all, it is based on a comic book – people in those come back from the dead all the time.) And, as I have said before: The late Heath Ledger provided the right Joker for that Batman.

Stray Toasters

• SaraRules made brownies last night.
• NASA mission aims to revive Hubble telescope
• The Awesomer – Awesome Stuff
• Pullman Porters Helped Build Black Middle Class
• Duke Nukem Developer Shuts Down
• 
• Best worst Star Trek parodies
• The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite
• FDA is failing to meet its food safety inspection audit goals
• 100 Years, 100 Novels, One List

And, tonight: Star Trek.
Win!

Namaste.

Wednesday – 06 May 2009
Last night, SaraRules and I went to see Simply Ballroom, an exhibition put on by the Southern Utah University Ballroom Dance Company.

(Part of the reason we went is that the company’s director, Mark Baker, was in SaraRules’ MFA class.) It was a fun show – we’d seen some of the routines before, but there was enough new material to make it fresh. And, it was good to see Mark before the company sets off on tour.

Stray Toasters

• Apple Racks Up Gaming Patents
• For those of you who haven’t looked at “the fine print” in the “Legal Copy” Mac ad, here it is.
• Japanese mother seeks boxing record
• By way of comes: UK publishes list of ‘least wanted’ people
• Ginsburg: Court Needs Another Woman
• By way of NPR Music:
  • Mother’s Mix: It’s The Least We Could Do
  • Hard Up: Jazz For Empty Pockets
• From Trek to Terminator – Actor Anton Yelchin’s Big Month
• 
• Apple Snags Former XBox Exec
• I think that this is a pretty damned good review of Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds
• Tesla’s New York Laboratory Up For Sale
• A Conductor Arrives, With a Nymph Who Flees
• A History of Rogue

…right on to the friction of the day.

Namaste.

Sunday – 03 May 2009
Yesterday was a long day on the road. SaraRules and I drove down to Cedar City for the CPVA Commencement at Southern Utah University. Rachel and Tyler were graduating from the MFA program; Tom’s younger brother, Scott, was graduating from the BA program… and I had completely spaced off the fact that Vince was graduating from the BA program, as well.  It was good to be able to make it down and see everyone. We also saw Mark, who was in  SaraRules’ class and who will be choreographing our first dance. Pictures here.

After the ceremony, we had a late lunch/early dinner at Cafe Orleans with Anne and Dominic, rising second years students in the MFA program. Chicken and Sausage Gumbo and Shrimp Etouffe. Delicious. After eating, we picked up a few things that SaraRules had in storage, got ice cream at the local Dairy Queen and then got on the road back to SLC.

Once we got home, the evening involved a lot of sitting on the sofa. I played a little CoH before calling it a night, too. And, I finally figured out where the Mac client stores screenshots. Thus, I present my new Peacebringer, Khnurn:

…and…

Today has been lazy. We watched a special on The History Channel called Comic Book Superheroes Unmasked, which covered the history of comic books. It was rather good. Next were a couple of rounds of a nine-ball pool tournament. And now, the Miami-Atlanta NBA playoffs.

…and in a few minutes, we’re heading out to see X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

Yeah, I’d say it’s a good weekend.

Saturday – 02 May 2009
It’s 9:30, grey and rainy… and I’ve already been up for two hours.

SaraRules and I are heading down to Cedar City this morning. We’re going to the CPVA Commencement for the (now) second-years in her program/department, including Rachel and Tyler. We got up a little early because:

1. She has Quilt Club this morning and
2. We wanted to grab a bite to eat at Paradise Bakery and Cafe.

We haven’t been to Paradise for… close to, if not more than, a year. It was a nice change of pace our respective breakfasts were tasty.

Stray Toasters

• Today is Free Comic Book Day. Go get free stuff!
• Prelate Derek found a LEGO Super Mario and forwarded the link.
• Battle Looms Over Souter Successor
• Ryan Reynolds, who portrays Deadpool in the new X-Men Origins: Wolverine movie, was a guest on The Late Late Show last night. It was a fun – and funny – interview. While I’m not a huge Deadpool fan, I found his portrayal to be fairly well in line with what I remember of the character.
• For and shockpuppet: When the Engineer Gardens
• Models As Muses

Time to get ready to pull up stakes.

Namaste.

Friday – 01 May 2009
It’s May Day, but more importantly (to me, at least) it’s my friend’s birthday.

Happy Hatching Day, Bret.

Last night, SaraRules and I had dinner at the local Olive Garden. We both had the Chicken & Gnocci Veronese; we also both had the same opinion of it: It was good, but the dumplings left a little something to be desired. They felt/tasted “too doughy,” as though another few minutes of cooking would have firmed them up just a little more. Otherwise, dinner was good. Our waitress, Kyrsten, was good and rather attentive, which is always a plus.

We came home and had a laid-back evening, including reading this week’s comic book haul and watching CSI: and a good portion of Hellboy. I also built a bus, from the Bits of Mayhem set, for my city. We also watched The Late Show (Dave’s laryngitis was much better) and The Late Late Show, on which Craig’s monologue included an amusing bit about Olive Garden.

This morning has been quite lazy. Despite turning off my alarms, I was awake at 7:08 this morning. Fortunately, I was able to turn over and fall asleep again. After all, getting up that early is no way to kick off a long weekend, now is it? I’m not sure what’s on tap for the rest of the morning and afternoon, but I’m good with the idea of just being lazy.

Four-Color Coverage
This week’s haul was a bit of a mixed bag. But, by the numbers, the “good” outweighed the “bad,” fortunately.

• Green Lantern #40 – This was another “Prelude to Blackest Night” issue. We start with a look at Yrra Cynril, the Star Sapphire formerly known as the Green Lantern-killer, Fatality. From there, we move to Oa and witness the creation of the Fourth Law of the Book of Oa. And that leads to a run-in with the Orange Lanterns.
• Justice Society of America # 26 – This issue was a great example of what the JSA stands for: Family and legacies. We get to see this, in a unique way, through the vantage point of Stargirl. Though she’s one of the younger members of the team, we see the affect she’s had on her peers – older and younger.
• Uncanny X-Men #509 – Just when it looked like things were going (relatively) well for the X-Men and they were settling into their home in San Francisco, it seems as though someone wants to pass (yet another) new legislation limiting mutants’ rights. On top of all of this, Madelyne Pryor’s master plan is brought to light… and, she decides to pay the X-Men a visit.
• Wonder Woman # 31 – Former head of the Queen’s Guard, Alkyone, made a deal with [SPOILER DELETED]. Achilles paid a visit to the United Nations. Diana got a visit from [SPOILER DELETED] and learned a few interesting facts about Genocide’s origins. None of these came under the heading of “good things.”

…and, last, but far from least…

• Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds #4 – I have been enjoying this series and will be sad to see it end. This issue bounced between the 21st and 31st Centuries… and the end of time. [SPOILER DELETED] is back and Superboy-Prime is not happy to see him; nor is he thrilled about seeing Sodam Yat, for that matter. The Time Trapper makes his move. Starman’s mission in the 21st Century is revealed. [SPOILER DELETED] joins the fight. And, in one of the best origin revisions I think that I’ve ever read, the true identity of [SPOILER DELETED] is revealed.

Stray Toasters

• I’ve been given the green light to post a link to robandsara.org
• Daily LEGO: Exterminate!
• Someone has created a papercraft Defiant…
• ArtWerk’s map of his “beloved Europe

  

• sent me the following: IKEA lover or hater? You’ll know soon enough
• Apple not paying iPhone developers, reports of lawsuits brewing
• Have you ever wondered “What if Cthulhu was a furniture-maker?” Wonder no more.
• The Mind-blowing World of Human Chimeras
• Can’t get enough of William Shatner? Shatnerquake might be up your alley.

Quote of the Day
From this week’s issue of Legion of 3 Worlds:

Brainiac 5 (Legion 1): Have you ever read Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein?
Brainiac 5 (Threeboot Legion): Frankenstein? That book is for children.
Brainiac 5 (Zero Hour Legion): And incomplete. I followed it step-by-step with little success.
Brainiac 5 (Legion 1): You’re both missing the point.
Gates: What is the point?
Brainiac 5 (Legion 1): “The point is, with the right amount of genius and a touch of perceived insanity, science can conquer anything.”

Namaste.

Tuesday – 28 April 2009
First off, let me start by saying Happy (Belated/Early) Birthday to the following people:

• and

I didn’t want to forget (again) to do that. And now that it’s taken care of, we now return you to your regularly-scheduled post…

After work, I went home and took a brief nap while SaraRules did some errand-running. It was good enough to get em through the rest of the evening.

When she got back, SaraRules and I went with her family down to Red Rock Brewing Company for dinner, to celebrate her father’s birthday. I had a very tasty cream stout along with a French Onion Steak Sandwich (on sourdough bread), which was very good. After dinner, we headed back to her parents’ place for cake (which was a very good homemade coffee cake) and coffee.

We left there and headed home. I changed into comfy clothes and plopped down on the couch. We watched The Late Show and The Late Late Show, which featured a rather amusing take on the swine flu coverage in the news:

By the way, : Dolly Parton will be on The Late Show (Letterman) tonight.

And, most importantly: I got a good amount of sleep last night. I even slept in this morning and when I got up, I decided that I wasn’t really in a rush to get to work. It felt pretty nice, actually. Although, when I got to the office, one of the managers of the development team came over and congratulated/thanked me (for the IT Team) for getting everything done and back online without horribly impacting their productivity. That was a good way to kick off the morning.

Stray Toasters

• The wedding website is getting more content. I might even get the go-ahead to post its link later.
• Game Changers: Brainteasers for Hardcore Videogame Fans
• , you’ll want to take a look at this: Full of Pryde
• Mormon Crickets Dislike Led Zeppelin
• The Words in the Mental Cabinet
• HOWTO make edible circuit diagrams out of candy
• 
• Kevin Smith Explains What Happened to His Superman Movie
• Cool Tools: New Editor, Same Deal
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: Michael Jackson’s weirdest detritus, a photoset

Namaste.

Saturday – 25 April 2009
It’s 7:00 and I’m already at work. Day Two of Server Room Weekend begins.  We’ll see how this goes…

Stray Toasters

• NFL Draft 2009
• Man, 84, fends off attackers
  It should pretty much go without saying that he’s my Human of the Day
• , this one’s for you: Your Day Can’t Possibly Be as Bad as Richard Simmons’
• Improving the Abilities of Bionic Arm Patients
• GM Ready to Scrap Pontiac Brand

And here we go…

Namaste.

Tuesday – 21 April 2009
Another sunny and warm day in the valley. It was even warm enough for me to leave home without a jacket! (Of course, I had an extra jacket already in the car. Just in case…)

Last night, came over for dinner. SaraRules fixed chicken and dumplings… and they were delicious, as usual. We sat, ate and chatted away the better part of the evening. ‘Twas good.

Stray Toasters

• Holocaust Remembrance Day marked
• LEGO Rock Band unveiled, slated for ’09 release
• Prelate Derek sent me a link to a tongue-in-cheek look at the appeal of Twilight‘s Edward called Midnight Sun: Edward Undone
• First Look: New Robin Hood on point with ‘Gladiator’
• UN puts global treasures online
• Inevitable Betrayal t-shirt
• sent a link: Cassini’s continuing mission – The Big Picture
• J.J. Abrams on the Magic of Mystery

Namaste.

Monday – 20 April 2009
Another work week begins.  Today, they are putting new cooling units for our server room on the roof. There’s a crane out in the parking lot and they are getting it set to move the coolers and their frame. Pictures to follow at some point today.

Last night, SaraRules and I had Logan over for dinner. SaraRules fixed a tasty chicken mole. We watched Infernal Affairs as we ate. It was the movie upon which Martin Scorsese’s The Departed was based. This version left a few more things “open for interpretation” than The Departed. I’m not sure which version I prefer; both of them stand on their own merits.

I also started assembling the chapel from Wildwood Grove. I decided to put it on a foamcore board, which meant that I had to figure out where I wanted it to go on its base before I could begin the main assembly job. I left a little space behind the chapel for figures to walk around (or, more to the point: “hide behind”). Next up is to finish the roof and steeple. I should be done with it later tonight. Then, I’ll work on the rail station.

Stray Toasters

• I have a new tuxedo… and two new suits. Having retired my old tux (and given it to The Salvation Army), I have been looking for one for a few months. Joseph A. Bank had a “Buy One Suit, Get Two Suits Free” sale this weekend; I jumped all over it. Now I just need to get the pants hemmed.
• Garden impossible
• Apple aired four new Get A Mac ads over the weekend. Thanks to for pointing them out.
• Cold War Bunker Becomes Modern Mansion
• ‘How to Talk to Girls’ author, 10, juggles life, school, more
• US marks 10 years since Columbine
• I hit some weird key combination and wound up publishing this before I was ready.  ::: EDIT :::
• Reaching out, lifting up: Prison ministry now Dungy’s priority
• Gaiman’s “Blueberry Girl”: A benediction for a girl’s happy life
  When Neil Gaiman came to SLC a few years ago, he read this. He asked that people who were recording the event to please turn off all recording devices, as it was something that had a special sentiment and he didn’t want it showing up “everywhere.”
• Brazil cracks down on sat-hackers who bounce ham signals off US military satellites

Now: Back to work.
Tonight: Dinner with SaraRules and .

Namaste.

Saturday – 18 April 2009
This morning, SaraRules, Bonne and I went to…

The “Bloom-o-meter” said that roughly 40% of the bulbs were in bloom today. That was more than ample. As usual, I took a lot of pictures – over 160 of them made it into the gallery (pictures).

After we dropped Bonne off, SaraRules and I had lunch at Pawit’s Royal Thai. I accidentally ordered the Chicken Satay appetizer – I was intending on getting their curry puffed pastries, but ordered the wrong number. It was one of the best and most tasty mistakes I’ve ever made.

Next, we headed over to Far West Comics. I’m still looking for pieces that will be donors to/for my custom John Stewart figure. I found a few prime candidates. On the way home, we stopped at the local Joseph A. Bank store. They are having a “Buy 1, Get 2 Free” sale. I tried out a few suits and a tuxedo, but didn’t pick anything up. Yet. We’re heading back there on the way to the symphony tonight. I’m definitely getting a tuxedo, but I have to decide which suits I’m going to get.

Stray Toasters

• The LCARS for the Mac Desktop (geeky, but I like it)
• Miniature Market is having a couple of sales. I’m tempted by the fruit of another to pick up a few things…
• This makes me laugh, mostly because of the logo in the close-up shot.
• …speaking of which: asked me “How much playing area do you have now,” in reference to my WWG masterboards. I did the quick math: 18 square feet.
• Nothing says “Spring” or “Summer” like the sound of the ice cream van coming down the street… followed by the sound of a screaming child.

That’s if for now.

Namaste.

Friday – 17 April 2009
Another 9/80 “off” Friday has begun. I managed to sleep in until a little after 9:00 this morning. That was nice. After a quick bite to eat, SaraRules and I headed to the gym to get in a workout. Today’s routine included:

• Leg Press: 3 sets/10 reps, 140 lbs
• Kick-backs: 3 sets/10 reps, 60 lbs
• Calf Raises: 3 sets/10 reps, 100 lbs
• Bench Press: 3 sets/10 reps
  • 2½ sets @ 205 lbs
  • ½ set @ 185 lbs
• Fly: 3 sets/10 reps, 110 lbs
• Curl w/ Shoulder Press: 3 sets/10 reps, 20 lbs
• Bent-over Row: 3 sets/10 reps, 35 lbs
• Tricep Extension (rope): 3 sets/10 reps, 45 lbs

Post-workout weight: 182.5 lbs.

We also ran into Josh, a former coworker, while in the free weight room. That was a pleasant and unexpected surprise.

Stray Toasters

• I wound up getting the Mayhem Rail and Wildwood Grove sets for my masterboard. With the other corners that I have, I can fully populate two city blocks… and then some.
• SaraRules showed me LEGO Chocolate Wedding Favors.  (If only I could find some LEGO  ice trays…)
• forwared a link to Uncomfortable Plot Summaries
• For those of you in the SLC metro area:

  
  (click image for details)

• Obama Proposes High-Speed Rail System for the US
• Motorized LEGO Mech
• CIA Officials Won’t Face Charges for Waterboarding
• Green Lantern to film in Australia in November
• 
• How did Batman’s alter ego, Bruce Wayne, get his name? Find out here (about halfway down the page).
• Trendsetters on the Streets of New York: Then and Now
• Faster Than a Speeding Bullwhip: Superman Creator’s Kinktastic Art
• 

  (click image to read the Brothers Brick article)

• From NPR Music:
  • Bringing Up Baby, As Music Lovers Might
  • How Do You Get to Carnegie Hall? YouTube, YouTube, YouTube
• Device Keeps Lungs Breathing Outside Body

Next up: Errand-running and miscellaneous stuff.
Later: Clitorati

Namaste.

Wednesday – 15 April 2009
It’s Tax Day in America once again. Appropriately, it’s a grey and rainy day in Salt Lake City.

Last night, Chris came over and we played ‘Clix. The matchup: The X-Men (Chris) vs. The Brotherhood of Mutants/Hellfire Club (pictures). It was a very good fight; it was probably the most balanced match we’ve had. We had to call the game before things got cooking, but at that point, Chris had a 24 point lead. He said that he didn’t really call it a “win” because we didn’t really get too far into the game. *shrug* It was fun, either way.  I’m looking forward to the flip-side rematch.

Stray Toasters

• SaraRules and her mother met with a potential our wedding photographer yesterday.
• Education Standards Likely to See Tightening
• April 15, 1726: Apple Doesn’t Fall Far From Physicist
• Mythbusters: Compact Compact Rocket Sled

• The Ravens’ 2009 schedule was released yesterday. They didn’t soft-peddle them this season.
• A Grand Entrance at St. Patrick’s Cathedral
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: Man bites snake in epic struggle
• Simulated crime scene bathroom accessories
• Manifesto of a Comic Book Rebel
• 
• forwarded a link to Pulp Browsers…
• …which reminded me of this.  (Audio will most likely fall under “NSFW”)
• T. Boone Pickens relishes role in push for alternative energy
• Chesney’s “Victorian Underground” – the secret Victorian underbelly of cyberpunk
• Tetris Furniture

And that’s a wrap.

Oh, look… it’s snowing now.

Namaste.

A few late-afternoon distractions have been discovered:

• By way of and Not Always Right: May Contain Scenes of Gratuitous Bowie
• Erfworld
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: Woman rubs chili pepper seeds in her eyes after setting new world record
  I can’t just make her “Human of the Day.” It would be… too much of an understatement.  So, we’ll make her “Hardcore Human of the Day.”  Yeah, that’ll work.
• Obama eases curbs on Cuba travel
• Ariana Page Russell: The Human Etch-A-Sketch
• 
• We are in the midst of a server room upgrade. Along with this, we’re getting some new cabinets for servers. Julie fielded a call this morning from the shipping company to schedule delivery of the cabinets. She set us up for Thursday delivery.  Ten minutes ago, a driver from the company showed up… with the racks in his truck. We couldn’t take delivery for a couple of reasons
  1. The truck had no liftgate.
  2. We have no forklift.
  3. Our building has no loading dock.  (FAIL!)
  4. We weren’t expecting them until… um… Thursday maybe?!

  So, Julie sent the driver packing. The cabinets will be delivered… on Thursday, as agreed upon… in a truck with a liftgate.

Namaste.

Monday – 13 April 2009
Casablanca was good; I enjoyed it quite a bit. The movie holds up quite well, especially when one considers that it was released over 65 years ago. One thing that I kept coming back to was how Rick Blaine reminded me of Han Solo. Actually, it would be more proper to say that Solo reminded me of Blaine, but you get the idea. There were a couple of other Star Wars, also, but they were a bit more fleeting.

The 6:35 alarm came early this morning, or so it seemed. I barely remember waking up long enough to turn it off… and turn over and go back to sleep.

When I got into the office, I was informed that email wasn’t working. *sigh* I’d barely stepped in the door; it’s definitely a Monday, it seems. A few searches, a test or two and a phone call later, it was being worked on.

Stray Toasters

• Schoolgirl told to choose: Country or parents
• There’s a new addition to The Covet List.
• Tweenbots
• By way of : Smart Car Crash Test

• I just caught up with yet another high school classmate on Facebook.
• Game/art: See the artwork from Giant Robot’s Game Over/Continue exhibit

And so it goes…

Namaste.

Today has been a great day.

SaraRules and I got up this morning and went to Mass at St. Vincent De Paul’s Church.

In our Easter Sunday finery.

It was a nice service with a nice homily – Change and the cross as a transformative figure. There was a little boy, about 18 months or so, in the pew in front of us who was quite entertaining (to us) and a bit of a handful (to his parents). The kid was well-behaved, but when his parents weren’t looking, he would take the opportunity to scoot up and down the pew. Comedy. Straight-up comedy.

We came back home for breakfast and coffee. I changed clothes and got ready to head to Chris’ for a few hours of playing HeroClix; he was teaching the game and we started up a three-way game on the Arena map. I had a team in mind to play – Young Superman, Gamora, Wasp (from The Ultimates) and Marvel Girl – but swapped Storm, Winter Soldier and Hawkeye in for Young Superman, Gamora and Wasp. I had a great opening couple of rounds (including a great opening shot on three targets with Hawkeye), but wound up getting caught between Chris and ‘zephyr and getting worn down. Quickly. It was still fun.  Chris and I are getting together Tuesday night for an X-Men vs. The Brotherhood/Hellfire Club game.  That should be good.

I met SaraRules’ at her parents’ house for dinner and a late celebration of Logan’s birthday. Both dinner and the homemade birthday cake were delicious.

Stray Toasters

• 
• In a related note: Peeps: Are They for Eating or Entertainment?
• From SaraRules and comes this bit of oddness: Robot Programmed to Love Goes too Far
• Just for the record: Fast and Furious was fun, but don’t go into it expecting Oscar fare. I did, however, come to something of a realization: This movie (and the original) are like modern-day versions of Smokey & the Bandit. That thought put a smile on my face.
• Nominate a Name to Retire
• This one comes from both the “Monkeys!” and “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” files: Best Buy Sells Egregiously Crappy, 9-Year-Old Hard Drive as New, Then Refuses Refund
• Time Travel Cheat Sheet, indirectly by way of
• To Save Money, More Airlines Grounding Aircraft
• City Pollution

And now, we’re going to watch Casablanca.

Namaste.