Random Access

Thursday – 05 January 2012
Another NBN Thursday is upon us. And this one is sunny and bright… and lacking a fair bit of inversion. (Unless you look to the northwest. Let’s not do that, though — I rather like the clearer skies in the rest of the valley.)

And, speaking of “sunny and bright,” the girls were awake before I left for work this morning, allowing for a brief photo-op:

Vanessa

Diana

Yep, nothing like starting the day with this pair of cute faces staring up at you.

Stray Toasters

• Robert L. Carter, an Architect of School Desegregation, Dies at 94
• We finally finished watching the winter season of Burn Notice last night. They did a couple of things that I didn’t quite expect… although I could/should have possibly expected one of them. Now, to wait five months for the show to return.
• SOPA & PIPA Townhall Meetings
• 
• SaraRules! picked up a package of Alexia Oven Reds as a side dish for dinner last night. They were very good; I recommend them.
• At 10 Years Old, Internet Explorer Is Almost An Artifact
• After “an encounter” with a coworker, this seemed apt:

• I could see something like this happening in 12 or so years…
  
• English Pronunciation
• Harder for Americans to Rise From Lower Rungs
• From the “YeahbuhWHAT?!” file: Police unsure if woman urinated on $30m abstract expressionist painting
• Making a Play for Video Gamers

Namaste.

Wednesday – 04 January 2012
Midweek is here already. Seems like the week just started. Oh, wait… it did.

Last night, I got home from work to discover that Vanessa had picked up a new trick from Diana: Blowing raspberries. Diana sussed out how to do it about a week ago — I first saw/heard her do it when getting ready to change her diaper.

If you’re not a parent, let me tell you that there’s almost nothing funnier than watching your infant daughters figure out “If I get lots of spit in my mouth and clench my lips and blow, it makes a funny sound!” I had a hard time changing the diaper because I was laughing so much. And the looks of concentration and determination on their faces when they are learning how to do this?  Priceless.

By now, Diana has raspberries down pat, so the “Okay, how do I do this again?” look has passed. Vanessa still makes the “thinking face,” though. SaraRules! has video of the girls doing this; I’ll see if I can get a copy posted in the next day or two.

Stray Toasters

• Wayne Brady (yes, that Wayne Brady) tweeted a link to a post on Dad or Alive. It’s a sad post, but a very good read.
• Terrell Suggs. T-Sizzle. Dean of Ball So Hard University. And, apparently not afraid to spar with ESPN’s Skip Bayless.
• Another parental truth:
  
• Survey: Developers still not doing enough to ensure security
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Town Breathes Easier as Frozen Dead Guy and His Festival Stay Put
• 
• Teachers Resist High-Tech Push in Idaho Schools
• I had dropped the DCnU Green Arrow after Issue #1, but after reading this interview, I might consider picking it back up.

Namaste.

Monday – 02 January 2012
A new week begins… but the new work week doesn’t begin until tomorning. I’m good with that.

We had a good New Year’s Day, despite a rather curious start to the (wee hours of the) morning. Utah recently changed their statutes on fireworks, making it permissible to have – and detonate – fireworks on New Year’s Eve. (It had previously been permissible on the Fourth of July and Pioneer Day.) As someone who’s set off fireworks at midnight on NYE in other states, I had no problem with this.

In theory.

In reality, it’s something quite different when you have two infants who are trying to sleep and the neighbors are whooping it up in the street, setting off all manners of fireworks.

*sigh*

Even then, I don’t think that I would have had an issue with it had it not been for a few things:

1. We had gone to bed, pre-midnight, in anticipation of getting up in the middle of the night for a feeding.
2. I had actually fallen asleep a little before midnight
3. One group of neighbors apparently missed “midnight,” and started setting off some rather loud fireworks at 12:10.

Yeah, the 12:10 fireworks were loud enough to immediately rouse me and set me dashing into the girls’ room to make sure that they were still sleeping. Or approximating some semblance of sleep. They were. And, I don’t think that I’ve ever appreciated their sound machine (think: “white noise generator”) so much.

Yesterday wound up being a fairly low-key day. We started the morning with breakfast at Millcreek Cafe. From there, we made the year’s first pilgrimage to The Garden of Sweden. Amen. Back home for a bit and then we did some errand-running, before calling it a day. SaraRules! and I wound down the day watching a movie called Tucker and Dale vs. Evil. SaraRules! had wanted to see it since missing it at last year’s Sundance Film Festival; it showed up in our Netflix Instant Queue, so we watched it. It was, quite possibly, one of the best comedy/horror movies that I’ve seen in some time… if not ever. Sure, there were ridiculously silly points in the movie, but it was a lot of fun. I recommend it.

And, if you should need another reason to view it: It has Alan Tudyk in it.  (Browncoats will remember him from a little show called Firefly.)

Stray Toasters

• The Ravens beat the Bengalsto:
  1. …retain the #1 spot in the AFC North
  2. …get a first-round bye
  3. …have a home playoff game for the first time since 2006
• Grown-up Calvin and Hobbes vs. Christopher Robin and Winnie the Pooh
• The Commodore 64 is 30
• The Boilermakers beat Western Michigan to win the Little Caesar’s Pizza Bowl. True fact.
• ‘Wonder Woman’: The Best Modernized Superhero Pantheon

The girls have their 4-month check-up in a little bit. More immunizations. This could make for an interesting afternoon.

Namaste.

Thursday – 29 December 2011
Another NBN Thursday is under way and I have already been to – and returned from – the airport. My uncle came to town Tuesday night for a post-Christmas visit and to meet the new additions to the family:

It was a short visit, but a very full one. The girls, who’ve been a bit fussy with new people lately, took to him fairly quickly; he took to them immediately. It was fun watching the three of them interact.

We also managed to squeeze in a trip to see the Lights on Temple Square last night. We bundled the girls into their bear suits and car seats and set off for downtown. We got there around the time that the girls are usually beginning to wind down before bed. But, with so many things to see – and all of the sounds – they were awake and staring at all the sights. About two-thirds of the way through our stroll, Diana started to fade; Vanessa was still going strong… until we got to the car. Then they traded: Diana woke up and Vanessa napped. We got home, changed and fed them and put them to bed. Diana faded out somewhat quickly; Vanessa, however, got a second wind and decided that bedtime was the perfect time to tell SaraRules! all about the adventures she had during the day. It took her almost an hour to wind down and fall asleep. On the “plus” side: They slept until almost 5 AM.

After the girls went to bed, my uncle and I went to Pawit’s to pick up dinner. He, SaraRules! and I ate and we introduced him to TopGear (UK). It was a good way to wind down the day and his visit.

Stray Toasters

• For SaraRules!: Not sure where this rates on your “uncanny valley” scale, but it has graffiti: Robot that paints random graffiti
• While I haven’t gotten in a lot of play time, I’ve been enjoying CoD: MW3
• I also realize that I still need to go back and finish three HALO games: 2, 3, and Reach.
• Young girl rages over pink toys and gendered play-choices
  This reminds me of of this post from my brother-in-law, about my niece, Grace:

  Yes lady, I’m aware that the “space explorer” pajamas were in the boys section. I’m also aware that my child is a girl. No, she wouldn’t rather have the pink princess ones. And yes, I can assure you that she picked them out on her own, so wipe the condescending look and eye roll off your face. My little girl can be a space explorer if she wants to, so suck it, wench.

  Amen.

• And, as a corollary to the above: Gamer Girl Manifesto
• A Brutal Chapter in North Carolina’s Eugenics Past
• Thanks to Keith for (re-)posting this picture:

  

• Disney Princesses as Street Fighter-style warriors
• Instead of Work, Younger Women Head to School
• Thanks to Corey for this: Photos of the Steam Festival at Golden Spike Historical Site
• Scheduling Partnership Links Pac-12 and Big Ten
• 
• Sears, Kmart to close up to 120 stores
• From the “What’s Wrong With This Picture…?” file: Police storm Church of the Nativity to break up brawling priests

I just put the girls down for a nap. Let’s see how this goes.

Namaste.

Monday – 19 December 2011
It’s a week before Christmas and I’m on vacation. I’m also hanging out with the girls today… which was a very poignant reminder that “sleeping in on vacation” is a thing of the past (and possibly distant future). But, that’s okay: They’re totally worth the lack of sleep.

It’s still grey and smoggy, thanks to the inversion. It… looks… like it might be flurrying, but it could just be particulates in the air. Who knows?

This weekend was a good one. Saturday, I judged a HeroClix tournament for Dr. Volt’s Comic Connection. After the event, I also got a chance to play-test a ‘Clix scenario that I want to run in a few weeks: “Dungeons & Dragons.” Basically, players have to choose a team of four characters – either an “adventuring party” or a group of monsters – and put them on a map that simulates a dungeon/maze. For the test, we used a map that (almost) no one likes: Anti-Monitor’s Fortress.  Additionally, I decided to have four players on the same map. Because I could. One player’s team demonstrated a couple of things that could be used to break the concept, but all told, it was a good test.

Sunday, SaraRules!, the girls and I headed up to Millcreek Cafe for breakfast. SaraRules!’ parents met us there. The girls, once again, were very quiet and cooperative, while we ate breakfast. Later in the day, Logan, Swiz, Dave and Angy came over for the Ravens-Chargers football game drubbing. The Chargers worked the Ravens over eight ways from Sunday. On one hand, it was painful to watch. On the other hand, no… still painful. But, the loss won’t keep the Ravens out of the playoffs — that’s right: The Ravens have made the playoffs all four years under Coach John Harbaugh’s leadership. (That’s gotta be good for his tenure.) Although, the loss does mean that if Pittsburgh wins tonight, the Ravens go from #1 in the AFC North to #2 AND… fall to the #5 spot in the playoff picture. Oh, yeah… there are now reports that Ravens’ K “Billy Cundiff officially an issue.” Really? I would have thought that he was “an issue” about two weeks ago. But that’s just me and might be (one of the) reason(s) that I’m not an NFL coach.

Today, I’m not sure what the girls and I are going to be up to. They’re napping at the moment and I don’t foresee going out before noon or one, but I think that someone (ME) might want to get out of the house at some point today. Call it a hunch.

Stray Toasters

• 15 Last-Minute Gifts for Everyone on Your List
• Amtrak’s Downeaster celebrates 10th anniversary
• In a nominally-related note: My model train layout lost about 1/6 of its total area last night, as I started the first stage of breaking down the layout.
• Velvet Revolution hero Vaclav Havel dies at 75
• 
• Many in U.S. Are Arrested by Age 23, Study Finds
• By way of the Council for Better Driving: These Must Be Two of the Luckiest People on Earth
• Best Men’s Fall Clothing 2011

And… the girls are up from their naps. Round Two: START!

Namaste.

Monday – 12 December 2011
A new work week begins. My day started with a couple of smiley-faced little girls waking up to face the day before I left for work. Yeah, that’s the way to kick off an otherwise grey and drab Monday morning.

Friday was Diana-Vanessa-Daddy Day.

Diana (left) and Vanessa

We stayed at home for the early part of the day, but ventured out in the afternoon. We stopped in to see SaraRules! at her office… where the girls were fawned over by some of the staff. We also popped in to say “Hi” to and before heading home. As an added bonus: I got to pop in and visit the Clitorati crew Friday night.

Saturday, we started the day with family pictures.  Jenny and Julie came over and took our photos. The girls were actually quite cooperative, even through their dress changes. After pictures (and feeding the girls), we headed to Downtown Philly Cheesesteaks for lunch.

Yesterday was fairly low-key. We slept in a little. There was breakfast. Even though we didn’t get to see it, the Ravens whooped up on the Indianapolis Professional Football Club. We also took the girls for a stroll around Liberty Park. (And… I’m counting that as a workout!) The park was far more empty than I would have suspected for a Sunday afternoon, but that just meant fewer pedestrians to avoid along the way. We ran a couple of errands and then had dinner with the in-laws.

All-in-all, it was a very good weekend.

Stray Toasters

• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Could online ‘warriors’ in Call of Duty be forced to obey the Geneva convention?
• Coming up this month at Utah Symphony:
• Cirque de la Symphonie
• Here Comes Santa Claus!
• Video Games Live: Bonus Round
• My 360 red-ringed… again. *grblsnrkx*
• Among Gingrich’s Passions, a Doomsday Vision
• Newt Gingrich Is Bizarrely Terrified of a Fake Sci-Fi Weapon
• 
• Total lunar eclipse is a rare treat
• The Best Jazz of 2011
• Cyber crime aftermath: Beyond the indictment
• 
• Lowe’s pulls advertising from TLC’s All-American Muslim
• How to Dress for a Job Interview
• What to Do If You’ve Lost Your Bags, Wallet, Everything
• HP sued over security flaw in printers

Namaste.

Wednesday – 07 December 2011
Today is Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.

• Remembering Pearl Harbor, 70 years later
• Pearl Harbor Still a Day for the Ages, but a Memory Almost Gone

Today is also Diana’s 1/4-birthday. That’s right, our oldest little lady is three-months-old today.

Last night, SaraRules! took the girls to her book club, leaving me to my own devices for a couple of hours. I decided to be a little productive. For my first amazing feat: I put up the downstairs Christmas tree (more on this later). I also gave my brother a call, to help him suss out why his Xbox wouldn’t connect to Xbox Live after they changed ISPs. After that, I felt that I had earned a trip to Best Buy. Oddly enough, I didn’t find anything that I just couldn’t live without.

I made it home a few minutes before the ladies got home. That gave me time to prep blankets and bottles for the girls. (Hey, I try to be a good father.) We got the girls to bed without too much ado. After getting something to eat, we headed downstairs to watch a little pre-bed TV. SaraRules! asked what I’d done with my evening, so I recounted the events of the night. When I got to the part about “I put up the Christmas tree,” she blinked a couple of times, looked over at the tree and said,”Whoa… you did put up the tree!” That’s right: She totally missed it – all six feet of it – when she went downstairs… despite looking dead at it at one point. (In her defense: She’d had a long day…)

Stray Toasters

• Modern Drummer‘s interview with Neil Peart
• The Death of Philip K. Dick and the Birth of Cyberpunk
• Leather Armor for Stormtroopers Who Prefer Harleys Over Speederbikes
• 
• Too promiscuous to donate an organ? Maybe, CDC says
• The Art of Francis Tsai, by way of my friend, Kim
• Five Travel Apps You Should Be Using (and One Website, Too)
• Green Bay Packers sell stock, first time since ’97
• 
• Game play: A case study in security
• Japan Split on Hope for Vast Radiation Cleanup

Namaste.

Tuesday – 06 December 2011
Day Two of the work week finds me south of the county line again. In the words of Lita Ford (among others), “It ain’t no big thing.”

Last night was a relatively quiet night around the household. Over the weekend, there had been talk of putting up the downstairs Christmas tree, but by the time we got home from work, we knew that it just wasn’t going to happen. So, after the girls were abed, SaraRules! and I watched some of the Monday night football game… before we got bored with it and started channel-hopping.

So far, today has been good. (Yep, even despite being in the ‘south forty’ today.) I even got to go to lunch with some of the usual suspects; we hit State Street Grill. It was good. And, it was very filling.

Stray Toasters

• Jitterbug Coffee Hop decked out in red and on the map
• Astronomers Find Biggest Black Holes Yet
• st00pid fax machine! *shakes fist*
• 
• Why Americans Spend Too Much
• Master Grief, by way of Jill Pantozzi’s “Has Boobs, Reads Comics“
• Many Workers in Public Sector Retiring Early

Monday – 05 December 2011
Another work week sets upon us. And the day has been fairly busy, so far. I guess that’s a good thing. “Idle hands…” and whatnot.

The weekend was good. And, as weekends tend to be, too short. Highlights of the weekend included:

• Spending time with the girls, while SaraRules! went to her quilt club.
• Getting to judge a ‘Clix tourney for Dr. Volt’s Comic Connection.
• Sunday morning breakfast at Millcreek Cafe with SaraRules! and the girls
• Added bonus: Christy, one of our former Pin-up Girl Espresso baristas, was there!
• A trip to The Garden of Sweden.
• The Ravens won.

All those – and a few other – things combined for a good weekend.

Another thing from the weekend: Sunday was National Cookie Day. As readers may (or may not) have noticed, I’ve become “something” of a fan of RubySnap cookies. They’re pretty amazing cookies. ‘Nuff said. SaraRules! took the girls there on Saturday and picked up a couple of this month’s cookie, Noelle: a sweet potato maple with milk chocolate & pecans, topped with a dallop of maple cream and a pecan half.

Wow…

SaraRules! and I both agreed: It was a seriously fantastic cookie. If you haven’t tried RubySnap cookies, I’m strongly suggesting – pretty much near insisting – that you do yourself a favor and stop in. Get a Noelle and see for yourself. You can thank me later.

Stray Toasters

• Kennedy Center honors five in performing arts
• Xbox Live Challenges Cable Box
• The New Xbox 360 Software: It’s Not About the Games
• 
• From Knee-to-Knee-to-CD: The Evolution of Oral Tradition in Mountain Ballads
• By way of my friend, Melissa: The Power of a Wink
• Plunging Deep (in Pockets) to See Titanic at 100
• 
• LEGO Christmas Tree, by way of
• By way of my MiL: Filling the Void: Looking for the Next Denzel, Sam, Morgan and Will
• How Music Affects the Brain and How You Can Use It to Your Advantage

Namaste.

Tuesday – 29 November 2011
Day Two of the work week and all’s well. So far. Hopefully, it will stay that way.

Tonight, SaraRules! and I are attending the Opening Night Auction of The Festival of Trees:

Since we got our tree from there last year, we’re going to look for some other decoration. And, it’s for a good cause: Proceeds benefit Primary Children’s Medical Center.

Stray Toasters

• Javier Grillo-Marxuach has done a Middleman/Dr. Who crossover fan-fiction for Christmas. (Thanks, Phi!)
• As Public Sector Sheds Jobs, Blacks Are Hit Hardest
• From the “Resistance is futile.” file: Your Baby Needs This New Star Trek Book
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Mysterious Man Bursts Into Flames at Swedish Train Station
• A Shopping Day Invented for the Web Comes of Age
• Buyers click away as Cyber Monday sales jump 18%
• Cyber Monday scam emails hit inboxes
• 
• South Korea Rolls Out Robotic Prison Wardens
• Märklin. Like I needed another distraction…
• Of Leather Wasps and the Inevitable Sex Component: Cyberpunk Heroines in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and Other Fiction
• Jags fire coach Del Rio after eight-plus seasons

And that’s a wrap.

Namaste.

Monday – 28 November 2011
Waking up and getting up has never been easy…

…especially after a five-day break. But, we do what we must. The alarm went off and up I got. On the plus side: I have fourteen (14) working days until Christmas break. I’m Ivory Soap sure that I can make it.

The weekend was a good one. There was some productivity. A good bit of laziness. And the upstairs Christmas tree (and some lights) are up. I might work on the downstairs tree tonight during Monday Night Football.

And, I neglected to post a picture of the girls in their Thanksgiving dresses. That shall be rectified now:

Stray Toasters

• It’s after Thanksgiving. I’m alright with Christmas music in stores and on the radio now.
• SIDENOTE: Lexus has a series of commercials in which Person A gives Person B some gift that plays a melody – apparently the Lexus “theme” – just before presenting Person B with a brand new car. My hang-up with the commercials is this: WHO THE HELL (outside of these commercials) KNOWS WHAT THE LEXUS THEME IS?!
  Seriously. The only reason I can (somewhat) recognize the music now is because the damned commercials aired eleventy-seven billion times over the past five days.
• Cyber Monday to bring increase in online threats
• 
• New Translation of Catholic Mass Makes Its Debut
• Would the World Be Better Off Without Religion?
• Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you: The Giggle Loop
• In Egypt, Long Lines for a Vote Clouded by Army’s Role
• Christmas Gift Idea: The Zombie-Killing Weapons Used on ‘The Walking Dead’
• For SaraRules!: Sex Pistols imagined as a Hanna-Barbera cartoon
• Fugazi Rises Again, in Online Archive
• From the “Purple Monkey Dishwasher” file:

  

• Eating Canned Soup Makes BPA Levels Soar
• Invasive species are blight on U.S. landscape
• If Ghostbusters was a Dr. Seuss book

Namaste.

Tuesday – 22 November 2011
It’s Technical Friday. And I’m ready for it to be Quit o’Clock. (Just being honest.)

Last night, Dave and Angy came over to watch football and to visit the girls.

Vanessa (left) and Gene Simmons Diana

The game wasn’t all that compelling, but it was football. And we watched. Somewhere in the second half, Dave and I started talking model railroad ideas. Yeah, I know… real stretch there. I think that I have a rudimentary plan for at least half of my layout-to-be, incorprating the new turntable. Now, I just need to determine how best to add a small rail yard… and what I want to do for the city portion of the layout.  I’d still like to be able to use the SuperStreets, as well.

And, of course, I just came up with yet another idea.  *sigh*

Stray Toasters

• As I noted earlier, on Facebook: There are ads everywhere – online, radio, TV – about “Black Friday” sales. I find it amusing that retailers don’t take into account that for 12.6% of the U.S. population, every Friday is “Black Friday.”
• 48th anniversary of JFK’s assassination
• Both the Darkwing Duck and the Doctor Who fan in me thought this was hilarious:

  
  (c) Erica Henderson

  For those who don’t quite grok why this is funny, watch the following:

• Beyond Planet Earth: The Future of Space Exploration
• Jane, divided
  But I can’t decide
  Which side I’m on…
• 
• Pull of Family Reshapes U.S.-Cuban Relations
• New Xbox Dashboard Launches on December 6
• Fifteen Really, Really, Really Hard Games
• 
• Water utilities in Illinois, Houston reportedly hacked

Monday – 21 November 2011
A new (and greatly abbreviated) work week is upon us. Today is my “Technical Thursday.” Which, I do believe, technically makes it a No Bad News Technical Thursday. So, it is written; so shall it be!

This was a good weekend, all around. Saturday, the girls and I had a few hours’ of Daddy-Daughter time, while SaraRules! went to lunch with a friend. While we didn’t get to as many places as we (okay, okay… as “I”) would have liked, we did manage to put in an appearance at RubySnap. (Natch!)

Yesterday, I was on the fence about sleeping in. At first, I decided to stay up (around 7 AM), about an hour later, I decided that it wasn’t worth it an crawled back into bed. And the girls woke up 20 minutes later. Thus, did the day begin. We had a good day. There was some errand-running. And football-watching. And, after the girls were asleep, TV-watching.

Speaking of the little ladies, here’s a dose of cuteness:

Vanessa (left) and Diana

Added bonus: The girls slept through the night. ALL THE WAY through the night. After we got them up and fed them, I decided to head into the office a little early, so that I can work a little extra time and not have to burn any leave for the Thanksgiving weekend.

Instant Replay: Football
Not only did the Ravens play yesterday, but it was televised here! So, Vanessa and I watched most of the game; SaraRules! and Diana came down to watch the second half with us.

Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens
24 – 31
The Ravens hosted the 0-5 Bengals……and, without Ray Lewis, came away with a win. It wasn’t necessarily pretty, but it still goes in the “W” column.Former Ravens K Matt Stover was inducted into the Ring of Honor. And, with this win, the Ravens are (once again) #1 in the AFC North. Sorry, and .

.

Oakland Raiders at Minnesota Vikings
27 – 21
The Raiders traveled to Minnesota and beat up on the (already downtrodden) Vikes.Congratulations, SaraRules! and .

.

Stray Toasters

• What Would Steve McQueen Wear Today?
• Hero Complex Holiday Gift Guide for 2011
• Reliable. Durable. Automatic. Kicker.

  

• Danger Mouse co-creator Mark Hall dies
• Quicksilver Comes Out to Magneto on Facebook
• I just had a very long “Monkey!” moment with someone who doesn’t ordinarily warrant the “monkey” sobriquet.
• Taking First Class-Coddling Above and Beyond
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Cockroach Chaos at 30,000 Feet! In-flight Infestation Leads to Lawsuit
• 
• Black Friday employees push back
• Romanian hacker accused of breaking into NASA server
• Orchestra Keeps Up Hunt to Fill Its Top Job
• 25 Worst Passwords 0f 2011

Namaste.

Thursday – 17 November 2011
Three down, one in the chamber and one to go. Hallelujah. While this hasn’t been a “bad” week, I was irritable/edgy from Sunday through yesterday. The best part: There was no reason to which I could attribute it. Just… bad mood. Period. *shrug* So far, today’s been good and I don’t feel as angst-ridden as the past few days. I consider that a good thing, especially as it’s No Bad News Thursday.

And, there’s football tonight!

Last night, and came by to visit. They caught us up on the latest goings-on. It was a nice way to spend the pre-putting-the-girls-to-bed part of the evening. After the girls were down for the night, I read most of last night’s four-color haul and then joined SaraRules! for an episode of TopGear.

Stray Toasters

• Tomorrow (Friday) is Take a Model Train to Work Day!
  I’m not sure if I’m going to bring in a new/different train, as my LEGO train is still here from last year.
• Imagining Housing for Today
• 4th Annual Machinima Expo
• Oregon Tests iPads as Aid to Disabled Voters
• Cookie-stuffed Cookies
  I think that this must be the “turducken” of desserts.
• Chief Sponsor Wavers on Web Censorship Bill in Charged Hearing
• 
• As New Graduates Return to Nest, Economy Also Feels the Pain
• Prime viewing ahead for Leonid meteor shower
• Congressional report slams TSA as bloated, ineffective

I believe that’s a wrap.

Namaste.

Monday – 14 November 2011
Today is definitely trying to be what most people would define as a “typical Monday.” Fortunately, I started the day feeding the girls, so I’d already chalked the day up to being a good one. And, speaking of the little ladies, I snapped this picture yesterday:

Vanessa (top) and Diana

When I got to work, I was asked to generate a document for a project… and base it on one that another coworker had created for a similar project. That’s fine. Except for one (not-so-minor) detail: There are part and serial numbers involved. And, it’s “a little” difficult, based on the information provided, to tell which numbers are specifically required in what places.

*grblsnrkx*

So, I grabbed the proverbial “low-hanging fruit” first and input the items whose information was easiest to get. From there, I just mirrored what my coworker did in his documentation. (So if mine is wrong, his is as well.) And then, it was done. Amen.

This past weekend was good. Quite good, in fact. Friday was my day off and it was my first full day alone with the girls. And, I think it went pretty well. We met Nyx, Carrie, Tim and Leo for coffee at Jitterbug. From there, we stopped off to say “Hi” to SaraRules! for a few minutes. And, I was compelled to stop at RubySnap. Compelled, I tell you. Then we headed home to wait for SaraRules! to get off work.

Saturday, after the girls had breakfast, SaraRules! and I took them to their first train show. I wasn’t as enamored with this year’s show as with last year’s, but there were still some neat things to see. I also didn’t come home empty-handed: I found a seller who had an Atlas O turntable – an item that I’ve been coveting for the past year – for a price that I couldn’t ignore. I also picked up a print from an artist that I first saw at a train show in Ogden last year. From there, I headed up to Dr. Volt’s to judge a ‘Clix tournament. (There were an even number of players, so I didn’t get a chance to play. Oh, well.)  Then, back home to help SaraRules! take care of the girls. Once they were asleep, SaraRules! and I resumed watching 13 Assassins… but didn’t quite make it to the end of the movie, as she had a raging headache. So, I finished up the night with a bit of Gears of War 3.

Yesterday, we decided to venture forth for breakfast. This time, we went to Millcreek Cafe and Eggworks. Unfortunately, they were out of coffee cake.

KHAAAAAAAAAAAAN!

The rest of breakfast was good, though. And the girls, as usual, got a lot of attention. After breakfast, we took the long way home, by way of Parley’s and Emigration Canyons. The rest of the day was pretty lax, though some chores were done along the way.

Instant Replay: Football
The Ravens gave up a win to the Seahawks. That is all that shall be said about that.

Stray Toasters

• Sweet Christmas! The Greatest Luke Cage Stories Ever Told
• Google’s Lab of Wildest Dreams
• Ex-porn star reading to LA students causes stir
• The CLAD Report: Winter 2011
• What Are the Odds?

Namaste.