Union Pacific's Great Excursion Adventure

So close now…

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Friday  – 09 January 2009
The weekend is within sight. Yesterday wasn’t a bad day, in accordance with NBN Thursday bylaws. There were a few issues, mostly resulting from some office/cubicle moves, but those were easy to deal with.

After dinner, Logan came over and watched Hellboy II: The Golden Army with us. Then he mopped the floor with me at Madden 09.

Stray Toasters

Namaste.

As vacation comes to a close…

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Sunday – 04 January 2008
It’s been a good – and busy – weekend… with a good bit of traveling thrown in, for good measure.

Yesterday, SaraRules went to her quilt club; I slept in a little. Then I remembered that I wanted to take the car in for an oil change and to finally replace the center cap on the front driver’s side wheel. So, off I went. They changed the oil. They replaced a burned-out tail light. They replaced the center cap… the $103 center cap. *blink blink* Wow. Knew it wasn’t going to be cheap, just didn’t expect it to be quite that much.

Back home to pack – we were heading to Cedar City for the wedding reception for Skott (brother of Tom Chandler) and Shannon (fiance of brother of Tom Chandler). It was a small affair, but nice. It was good to see Tom and Jo – the only people I knew there, although I met other members of the family. We also picked up a few more things from SaraRules’ storage unit, before the reception. In the dark. In the COLD. Oh so bitter cold. Something in the neighborhood of 6°F. Yeah…. That cold. We drove back last night.

This morning, we got up and headed to IKEA to pick up a MALM 6-drawer chest (medium brown). We got there about 9:50, thinking that the restaurant opened at 9:30 and the store at 10:00. WRONG. On Sundays, they open at 10:30 and 11:00, respectively. Verdammt!  I wanted to be home for kickoff. *sigh* So, we sat in the car for :40, while waiting for the store to open. We went in, had breakfast and shopped. On the way through the store, I decided to look for a yellow/amber MÄKTA sphere… and found one! That’s right, I’m going to have a Sinestro Corps shelf – as well as the GLC shelf – in one of the display cases. I needed another light, so I got a set of NON lights. They come in a two-pack, but that turns out to be good, as both lights are wired to a single switch – saving the need for another cord/plug. We picked up the chest of drawers and a few other items and headed home for…

Football! The Ravens-Dolphins Wild Card game. We got home about halfway through the second quarter. (Fortunately, Kris was watching the game and was texting me info about it.) The game was amazing:

Baltimore Ravens at Miami Dolphins
27 – 9
The Ravens went on the road to take on the Miami Dolphins in Dolphin Stadium. The last time they played each other this season, the Ravens came away with a 20-3 win.

The first quarter was apparently a defensive struggle – both teams only scored one field goal. The second quarter saw a little more action. With 6:56 left in the quarter, FS Ed Reed picked off a Chad Pennington pass and ran it back for a 64-yard TD. Matt Stover kicked another FG, with 21 seconds left in the quarter, to give the Ravens a 13-3 lead going into the half.

After a couple of fruitless drives by both teams early in the third quarter, Ravens’ DE Marques Douglas forced a fumble, which was recovered by Terrell Suggs. This wound up leading to RB Le’Ron McLain rushing TD. On Miami’s next drive, Ed Reed picked off another pass. Baltimore wasn’t able to capitalize on this, however. In the fourth, Pennington connected with Ronnie Brown for a spectacular one-handed TD catch. This seemed to put a little more wind in the Dolphins’ sails. Both teams had a couple of three-and-out drives, but Baltimore was able to seal the win when QB Joe Flacco ran in a 5-yd touchdown.

With this win, the Ravens move into the fourth AFC playoff spot. Saturday, they take on the Tennessee Titans in Adelphia Stadium.

After the game, we went to the Utah Museam of Fine Arts to see Wrapped in Pride: Kente Cloth. It was a fascinating exhibit.

We went to visit SaraRule’s parents. We watched the end of the Philadelphia-Minnesota game. And then watched Day of the Dead, which I haven’t seen in many moons. SIDENOTE: The music at the beginning of the movie sounded familiar, but I couldn’t really place it… until Miguel started yelling “Hello…?!  Is anybody there?!” Then it clicked for me. Immediately. It is used at the start of Gorillaz’ M1A1, from their debut CD. It had never occured to me to see where it had come from and I hadn’t previously put two and two together.

Four-Color Coverage
Friday, I was chatting with Markyn Time, who recommended that I stop what I was doing, pick up my copy of Justice Society of America #22 and read it. Immediately. Because, in his opinion, it was one of the best JSA arcs he’s read.

I didn’t. Instead, I went to coffee.
I did read it after I got back, though. And he was right.

This issue tied up both the Gog storyline and the Earth-22 Superman storyline. And it did both wonderfully. And… AND… it also had not only a great tie-in to Kingdom Come, but also to what I think was the v2 (“Rebooted“) Legion. All of this… and an amazing last page, too.

I was glad that I saved this book for my last read from this week’s haul.
It was just that good.

Stray Toasters

Tomorrow, the grind begins again… but, I still have a few hours of vacation to enjoy.

Namaste.

Happy 2009

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Thursday – 01 January 2009
I hope that everyone had a safe and fun New Year’s Eve.

Thanks to and and to shockpuppet and for their hospitality. We also got to meet the new addition to the Nox family; she’s a cutie and, as SaraRules put it: “She looks like her father… in all the places that could be covered with a SCUBA mask.” The festivities at shockpuppet and ‘s included “Hats and Ponies,” a Derby race with decorate-them-yourself My Little Ponies.

And, I finally got all of the pictures from the past week uploaded:

We’re hanging out with SaraRules’ family this afternoon, just hanging out and watching football.

Namaste.

Carolina Weekend

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Sunday – 28 December 2008
Yesterday, after a somewhat lazy morning – although, after little sleep – the family got up and rummaged around the house. We exchanged gifts with my uncle.

SaraRules and I headed into GSO in the early afternoon to do a little shopping – we stopped at a quilt shop for her and went to Acme Comics for me. Next, we went to Edwark McKay Used Books… I came out with all three seasons of Superman: The Animated Series, Hellblazer: Original Sins (TPB) and Batman/Superman: World’s Finest (TPB) for a rather reasonable price.

Theo met up with us, and the three of us headed to Harper’s for dinner. I had a blackened salmon entree with garlic mashed potatoes and iced tea (sweet tea!); it was very good. We ate, hung out and talked the next couple of hours away. It was a lot of fun.

I went to see if an old game store I used to go to was still there. It wasn’t. Oh, well. It’s not like I really needed MORE stuff to carry back to SLC.

Around that time, I got a message from Robin – she wanted to get together for a bit, so SaraRules and I headed over to New York Pizza (near UNC-G) to meet Robin and Chad, both of whom I used to work with at the USPS.

Then, back to Mom’s.

This morning, we got up and got ready for church. There’s a new pastor at Mom’s church; he’s very charismatic and dynamic, I rather like him. Back home for a bit – for some rest and football – and we’re heading out to dinner at Fleming’s in a little while. All that, and we’re still trying to get together with MarknTyme and (and their kids) for a bit this evening. *whew*

Weekend News

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For those who missed this morning’s (brief) post: I proposed to SaraRules…

…and she said “yes.”
(Thank God.)

Since then, there have been many phone calls – and text/Facebook messages – to and from various family members and friends. No date or plans just yet, but we’ll keep people posted as we go.

Yesterday afternoon, SaraRules, Logan and I made a gingerbread train. As promised, here are the pictures.  After the train – and running a few errands – SaraRules, Logan and I went to Fiddler’s Elbow to watch the Ravens take on the Cowboys. (More on that below.) After the game, we went to OnlyAly and ‘s for their second annual “Nightmare Before Christmas” horror movie gathering. We watched The Exorcist: The Version You Haven’t Seen. I haven’t watched this movie (at least the version I have seen) in close to ten years. It was still good.

This morning, we had a lazy morning about the apartment – watching football – before coming over to hang out with her family… to watch more football and have dinner.

Football Update

Baltimore Ravens at Dallas Cowboys
33 – 24
The Ravens traveled to Dallas to take on the Cowboys. Joe Flacco had his work cut out for him as no rookie starting QB – other than Ben Roethlisberger – had beaten the Cowboys in Texas Stadium.This was another defensive game, the halftime score was only 9 – 7, in Baltimore’s favor.

FS Ed Reed had two interceptions, but the workhorse of the team was WR Derrick Mason who,  despite a shoulder and leg injury, finished with six catches for 66 yards and a touchdown.

The Ravens move to 10-5 and are still in the hunt for a Wild Card spot.

Next game: Jacksonville Jaguars at M&T Bank Stadium.

Stray Toasters

Yeah… that’s good for now.

Namaste.

Saturday, in a nutshell

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Saturday – 20 December 2008
Today has been “a bit” busy. After getting up and having a tasty breakfast, SaraRules and I headed out:

  • We got (most of) the last of the Christmas shopping taken care of…
  • We made a gingerbread train with Logan, pictures forthcoming
  • I picked up a Christmas tree (thanks, OnlyAly and )!
  • We went to Fiddler’s Elbow for dinner and to watch the Ravens-Cowboys game — the Ravens won!
  • We went to OnlyAly and ‘s for the annual “Nightmare Before Christmas” horror movie get-together; we only stayed for The Exorcist, but it was fun to watch with people who hadn’t seen it.

Home again, home again… jiggity-jig.

Afterimage

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Monday – 15 December 2008
Yep… it’s definitely “a Monday.” While nothing has exactly blown up, there have been a few issues to deal with around the office this morning. YAY! I’ve already had to make an executive decision on one thing (so far, so good), and deferred a couple of others; hopefully things will calm down a bit around lunch time. If not, it may be Monday Night Drinking – rather than Monday Night Football – tonight.

Football Update
Last night, the Ravens hosted the Steelers in a game with big implications for a playoff berth.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens
13 – 9

As is the case with every Steelers-Ravens game, there was no love lost on the field between these teams. When it was gametime, it was 60 minutes of no holds barred football.

This was a decidedly defensive battle, with neither side’s offense able to get a good foothold. Matt Stover scored all nine of the Ravens’ points – it was eerily reminiscent of many Ravens games of the past…

Pittsburgh scored the game’s only “touchdown” late in the Fourth Quarter, on a controversial call: Santonio Holmes made a goal line catch that was ruled “not a touchdown” on the field. Since it was inside of two minutes, the review was sent to the official’s booth upstairs. They overturned the call and ruled it a touchdown. Even SaraRules’ mom – who was rooting for the Steelers – and her brother agreed that they flubbed the call by overturning the decision on the field… as did most of the post-game commentary that we heard.

Oh, well… the Ravens are still in the hunt for a Wild Card spot. We’ll have to see how the last couple of games shake out.

Stray Toasters
Maybe I’ll get some posted this afternoon.

Back to the grind.
<sarcasm>YAY!!!</sarcasm>

Namaste.

Snow day

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Sunday – 14 December 2008
Quiet, lazy morning following a quiet, lazy evening. Ain’t nothin’ wrong with that.

After running a few Christmas shopping errands in the snow yesterday, SaraRules and I came back to my place, put our feet up and vegged in front of the TV. We watched an episode of NCIS from a couple of weeks back; it was good… and it ended a little differently than I was expecting. That was followed by the middle third of The Year Without a Santa Claus – I switched over just as they were starting the Snow Miser song. WIN! After that, we flipped back and forth between Superman: The Animated Series (The Last Son of Krypton, Pt 3, A Little Piece of Home and Feeding Time) and Justice League Unlimited (The Balance). I am very lucky that SaraRules doesn’t mind me being a big kid sometimes often.

We also decided to skip heading back out for breakfast last night. (Something about being in… and warm… and comfortable vs. heading back out in the cold – kind of a no-brainer there.)

This morning, we’ve watched the CBS and Fox pre-game shows. And the early games have just started. But, what I’m waiting for is the middle game: Pittsburgh at Baltimore.

Stray Toasters

On with the show…

Namaste.

Monday musings

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Monday – 08 December 2008
Belated Happy Birthday to and :

Football Update
Last night, the Ravens hosted the Redskins for “The Battle of the Beltway,” as it was called. It was the first time the Redskins have played in Baltimore in close to 30 years (if I heard the stat correctly).

Washington Redskins at Baltimore Ravens
10 – 24
Last night, the Ravens hosted the Redskins for “The Battle of the Beltway,” as it was called. It was the first time the Redskins have played in Baltimore in close to 30 years (if I heard the stat correctly).Joe Flacco had a very slow start… that lasted the entire first half – he was 2/7 for passing in the half. That’s okay, because Ed Reed was on the other side of the ball. He had an amazing shoestring interception catch, less than a minute into the game that the offense was able to turn into a touchdown. Baltimore blanked Washington 14 – 0, going into halftime, thanks to an Ed Reed fumble recovery less than three minutes after his interception.

The second half was a mostly defensive battle, with neither side gaining a decisive advantage. A couple of trick plays helpd the Redskins drive deep into Ravens’ territory, but the best that they could come up with was a field goal, early in the fourth quarter. They added another touchdown, after Willis McGahee fumbled the ball a couple minutes later. Joe Flacco and Derrick Mason put the final nail in the coffin, with a Ravens’ touchdown at 3:44. Washington put up a fight and was starting to march down the field… when Ed Reed intercepted another Jason Campbell pass, just after the fourth quarter two-minute warning.

With this win, the Ravens go to 9-4, one game behind the Steelers… who they face, in Baltimore, next week. And, they are very much in the race for a wild card spot in the AFC.

After the game – and after hanging out with SaraRules – I finally got around to checking out last week’s comic haul. There were a number of mediocre reads, but among the standouts were:

  • Justice Society of America #21 – This issue marked the next-to-last chapter of the Gog storyline. What happens when a seemingly omnipotent being – who claims to be here to help – decides that he will only continue to help if people start to worship him… and they refuse? Well, we get a pretty good look at the answer in this issue.
  • X-Men: Noir #1 – This was a/ yet another take on the X-Men. No powers, but in a noir setting. And there is an interesting bit of role-reversal, too. I have heard that they are looking at adding a couple of other titles to this line – and I’m not sure that I’ll read any of the others – but this one was a refreshing change of pace.

It’s snowing; it has been for the past few hours.


(click images for larger sizes)

Today has been fairly busy, as we’re doing some remodeling around the office and we had a new person start in IT.

Stray Toasters

All this… and I get to be in the office at 7:00 AM tomorning.  Woot!

Namaste.

“…a day that will live in infamy.”

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Sunday – 07 December 2008
Today is Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day:

This morning, SaraRules and I met Logan and the three of us went up to Park City for brunch at Cisero’s. The weather in Park City wasn’t as cold as I had expected; that was a nice surprise. The food, as always, it was very good. We didn’t stay in Park City very long, as Logan had a study group this afternoon.

Football Update

  • The Raiders lost to the Chargers on Thursday night.
  • The Colts trampled the Bengals, 35 – 3.
  • The Titans are beating up the Browns, 28 – 9.
  • The Dolphins will play Buffalo in about thirty minutes.
  • The Ravens take on the Redskins tonight.
  • The Panthers take on Tampa Bay tomorrow night.

Stray Toasters

  • Yesterday, after the ‘Clix tournament, I traded figures with a couple of guys. I got a Black Manta (that’s right, the shark has frickin’ lasers on its head!) and a Despero, both of which are Super-Rare figures. When I left, I was one figure – Batgirl – from completing my set of Arkham Asylum ‘Clix.
  • Last night, I found a Batgirl figure on eBay for a really good price. I bought it.

Namaste.

Lazy Sunday

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Sunday – 30 November 2008
Today is the last day of November. It’s odd to think that we’re almost in December already.

It’s been a lazy day. It started off with sleeping in – which is a pretty good way to kick off a Sunday, I must say. Next up was football and breakfast. And coffee. Tasty, hot coffee.

After the first games, SaraRules and I headed to her parents’ place… for more football and hanging out. We also worked on this year’s Christmas card. *nod* Later this evening, we might watch Hancock. We’ll see.

Football
What do and NY Giants’ WR Plaxico Burress have in common?

Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens
3 – 34
The Bengals took on the Ravens in Baltimore today. The game wasn’t televised here, but I followed the game on NFL Game Center.Joe Flacco threw for 280 yards, 2 TDs and 0 interceptions. Mark Clayton even got in on it, with a 32 yard TD pass to Derrick Mason. Clayton also had a touchdown, as did Todd Heap.On the other side of the ball, Ryan Fitzpatrick couldn’t seem to pull his offense together into a fully-cohesive unit. He did put together a good drive near the end of second half… but he couldn’t turn it into six points.

Sorry, and .

Carolina Panthers at Green Bay Packers
35 – 31
The Panthers took on the Packers at Lambeau Field. Jake Delhomme passed for 177 yards, with 0 INT. He also ran for one touchdown and DeAngelo Williams ran for four more. The game came down to a Jon Beason interception of an Aaron Rodgers pass, with 1:09 left in the 4th Quarter.

Miami Dolphins at St. Louis Rams
16 – 12
The fish took on Marc Bulger and the Rams in St. Louis. After a 1-15 run last season, the Dolphins had pieced together a 6-5 season coming into this game. It wasn’t a powerhouse game. Chad Pennington threw for 166 yards, 0 INT. RB Ronnie Brown ran for Miami’s only touchdown. The game came down to the last forty-two seconds (00:41), when Andre Goodman picked off a Marc Bulger pass.

Stray Toasters

Dinner time!

Namaste.

Happy Thanksgiving

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Thursday – 27 November 2008
Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Last night, I watched Tropic Thunder with SaraRules and her family. I was originally ambivalent (at best) about seeing this movie. After seeing it, I have to say that I not only enjoyed it… I laughed my ass off at parts of it. (Not a bad thing, given that today is Thanksgiving and will be a “pile on the pounds and calories” fest.) It was silly, mindless, turn-off-your-brain fare, but it was well-done. And, Robert Downey, Jr. playing an Aussie playing a Black guy was very funny, as well. If you’re looking for a light – and funny – way to pass an hour and a half, this isn’t a bad way to go.

Today, I slept in. Way in. Double-digits in. And it was good. SaraRules stopped by and picked me up for Thanksgiving dinner. And football, which I’m watching now. The Titans vs. the Lions – the best team in the NFL vs. the worst team in the NFL. I’m not sure that I’d call 35-10 “a game,” as much as a “blowout.” But, it’s football. And that’s enough. Soon there will be food. Lots of food. And sweet potato pie. Selah.

Stray Toasters

  • MightyGodKing takes a look at the last year of Spider-Man in Brand New Year.
  • It’s the Superman Next Door
  • By way of :
  • I just saw the new/latest/whatever trailer for The Spirit.  I like.
  • I just spoke with , who is on his way to visit his family for the holiday – he said that it’s (nearly) time for the holiday season “stop driving like an idiot” posts from the Council for Better Driving.

And that’s a wrap.

Namaste.

“She caught the Katy, left me a mule to ride…”

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Monday – 24 November 2008
It’s definitely a Monday.

I don’t mean to say that it’s been “bad,” per se, but it’s been proven itself to be “a Monday” already:

The day started off well…

  • The alarm went off and I got up…
  • I went into the living room and plopped down on the couch for a few…
  • I talked to SaraRules for a couple of minutes…
  • Got under way and got ready (including getting lunch and breakfast ready)…
  • Hit the door…
  • Got in the car…

…to find that my battery had decided to call in sick.

I got a jump-start from one of the maintenance guys and headed on in to the office. Looks like I’ll be hitting up AutoZone or Pep Boys on the way home.

Other than that, the day is going pretty well. Even for a Monday. And it’s a short week, to boot.

Stray Toasters

And that’s it for now.

Namaste.

Another (lazy) Pleasant Valley Sunday

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Sunday – 23 November 2008
Today’s been good on a number of fronts:

  • I got to sleep in (a bit).
  • I watched football.
  • I watched the stats tracking of the Eagles-Ravens game.
  • I went to the Garden of Sweden with SaraRules.
  • I played City of Heroes. (I know…!)
  • I hung out with SaraRules’ family and watched more football.

Pretty much any way you look at it, that’s a day full of goodness and win.

“I can see clearly now, the rain is gone…”

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Tuesday – 11 Nov 2008
Yet another in the work-a-day grind.
But, I hit the ground running and got a couple of items off of my task list, right after I got in.

Last night, I watched the 49ers – Cardinals game with SaraRules and her folks. I wasn’t expecting a lot out of the game, to be honest. I was pleasantly surprised that an actual football game broke out. Kurt Warner still looks fairly impressive – it was almost like he couldn’t throw a bad pass if he tried. The receivers and running backs did good jobs. And on the other side of the ball, Shaun Hill (SF’s 3rd string QB) did a good job of leading the team, including an impressive end-of-game drive that very nearly won the game for SF.

Stray Toasters

And stuff.
And whatnot.

Namaste.