Random Access

Thursday – 28 July 2011
Another NBN Thursday dawns. So far, it’s sunny and clear; it would be nice if it would stay that way, but we apparently have a chance of seeing showers again this afternoon. (This is the high desert, right…?)

This morning was definitely a “Waking up and getting up has never been easy…” kind of morning. Despite that, I still managed to get into the office by 7:45. I also decided that today was a suit day: Black suit, white shirt (with Green Lantern cuff links), black loafers, green/grey/white tie and white pocket square.

It’s also going to be a rather long day, as there are both a doctor’s appointment and (the last) childbirth class on the agenda before I go home.

Last night, SaraRules! and I went out for dinner at Pawit’s Royale Thai Cuisine. (If she’s been “craving” anything during her pregnancy, it’s been a once-a-week helping of Thai food. I’m quite alright with that.) The food was good and the restaurant was surprisingly busy for a Wednesday night. After dinner, I decided to mow the lawn. It seems as though the new sprinkler heads are bringing some of the dry/dead spots back to life. I consider this a “good” thing. After a little post-mowing cool down time, we assembled one of the cribs. It went together fairly well and easily. The allen wrench that was included wasn’t of the best design; so I switched over to using my drill towards the end of things. Mmm, power tools.

Stray Toasters

• By way of Nyx: Reinventing the Classroom
• How Khan Academy Is Changing the Rules of Education
• The World As America Dreamed It
• McNabb in Minnesota, huh?   Okay.  Let’s see how it goes.
• 
• Space station to plunge into ocean at end in 2020
• Walter Reed Hospital Holds Closing Ceremony
• The seamstresses behind NASA’s space suit
• By way of Jeff J.:

  

• Peach Rivalry Becomes War Between the Tastes
• Director of US-CERT resigns without explanation

Namaste.

Wednesday – 27 July 2011
It’s the middle of the afternoon in the middle of the week. It’s been a sporadically busy day. And, as it’s Wednesday, it turned out that today was, in fact, Sushi Wednesday… although I didn’t go. That’s okay. There will be others.

Last night was Guys’ Night Out. Josh, Ryan, , and and I met up at MacCool’s for beer, food and chat. Once again, we (almost) closed the place down. And it was good.

Stray Toasters

• Don’t forget: System Administrator Day is Friday, 29 July 2011

  

• Classical Lost and Found: Remaking ‘Metropolis’
• Hershey Kisses with Caramel. ‘Nuff said.
• What Happens When a Bus Stop Is Turned Into a Lounge Room?
• DesPop: The Art of Des Taylor
• Got $799,000? You could buy a town in South Dakota
• Fast Slow Food
• The Chart That Should Accompany All Conversations of the Debt Ceiling
• I’m certain that I will find this quite apt in the next few months:

  

• While I don’t necessarily need/want a nap like I did yesterday, I’m ready to call it a day and go home… unfortunately, there are still a few hours left in the work day.
• Hot reads: Tuesday’s NFL player moves, news
• In Which Tim Gunn Tells Men to Watch Project Runway
• Korean Air jets being fitted with three bars

Namaste.

Tuesday – 26 July 2011
Day two of the work week finds me down in the south 40 again. Unfortunately, I am braving it alone, as Minion #2 is on vacation this week. I shall persevere.

Last night, SaraRules! and I made a pilgrimage to the Garden of Sweden. All was well. We also decided to grab dinner at the local In-N-Out Burger. And, after we returned home, I set about migrating my MacBook from Snow Leopard to Lion. So far, it seems pretty decent. I’ll need to poke around under the hood a bit and see just how similar or different it is.

Chew on This: Food for Thought
Both of today’s items come by way of my friend, Janie. She’s found a couple of items in the news that are somewhat thought-provoking and pretty much straight out of the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file:

• Arkansas High School Appoints Co-Valedictorian Because Top Student Was African-American
• Black Student Not Allowed to Be Valedictorian
• Beck: Norway camp smacks of ‘Hitler Youth’

Stray Toasters

• Put This On: A Web Series About Dressing Like a Grownup
• For SaraRules!: Little Lambs, Not the Sheep, Get Early Lessons in the Rodeo Life
• Study Shows Racial Wealth Gap Grows Wider
• Wealth gap widens for whites over blacks, Hispanics
• 
• NFL, players announce new 10-year labor agreement
• Ravens to Release Key Players
• The trailer for Legend of Korra has made its debut:

• Zurich seeking immunity from covering Sony over breach
• My boss just asked me “How’s AF?” (asking how things are in this office today)
  I responded: “It’s AFU.”
  He laughed.  I’m glad that he understands.
• 
• I just heard this prayer – given before a NASCAR race this past weekend – on the commute to work. It’s hilarious.

Quote of the Day
Today’s nugget of wisdom comes from Top Gear‘s own Jeremy Clarkson:

“Speed has never killed anyone. Suddenly becoming stationary, that’s what gets you.”

Namaste.

Monday – 25 July 2011
Another work week begins. Many/most of the state offices and local businesses will be closed today in celebration of Pioneer Day (which I will refrain from calling “Mormon Christmas”), which was actually yesterday… but, everyone knows that you can’t celebrate a holiday on a Sunday, especially here in the Land Behind the Zion Curtain.

Today is also Lish’s birthday:

This has been a busy, but productive, weekend. The (new) guest room has been painted and the furniture has been moved to the new room. The former guest room is now in the process of becoming the nursery – baby furniture (or at least the boxes with the furniture) has been placed in the room. Many thanks to , , and Logan for their time in helping to get things situated!

SaraRules! and I also made it up to Deer Valley on Saturday evening to see Chris Botti perform with the Utah Symphony. It was a good concert and the crowd was quite receptive to Mr. Botti and his guest performers, Lisa Fischer and… a violinist whose name eludes me.

Groove. Boogie. Sway.
Today’s musical shuffle selection has been a good one for a Monday morning:

• Liz Phair – The Tra La La Song (One Banana, Two Banana)
  (Hey, it was stuck in my head after watching a Boomerang-a-long last week…)
• Tin Machine – One Shot
• Ray Charles – Sticks and Stones
• Jamie Cullum – Wind Cries Mary
• 16 Volt – Keep Sleeping
• The Charlie Daniels Band – The Devil Went Down to Georgia

Yeah, that’s a good start for a Monday.

Stray Toasters

• After Long Wait, Same-Sex Couples Marry in New York
• This makes me smile:

  

  (click for full-sized image)

• At 100, Still Keeping Time as the Leader of the Band
• For some reason, this popped into my head yesterday. It made me laugh.
• Five best small towns in America
• How a Man Should Age, Fashionably
• 
• NFL players set to OK labor deal
  • N.F.L. Lockout Keeps Rookie Free Agents in Limbo
  • Michael Vick would welcome Brett Favre as a backup

  

• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: To Reach Simple Life of Summer Camp, Lining Up for Private Jets

We now return you to your regularly-scheduled Monday.

Namaste.

Wednesday – 20 July 2011
Today marks the 42nd anniversary of the first time that a man set foot on the moon (1, 2) .

As taken from the Purdue University Facebook page:

Today in history: On July 20, 1969, Purdue graduate and astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon. That one small step has been inspiring Boilermakers and the rest of the world ever since!

That’s right, a Boilermaker did that.

Last night was D&D 3.5 game night with and company. It was a good session. We encountered an odd group of people at a desert oasis. They were – or at least seemed – friendly enough. And they were… helpful… in that they helped us find a city that we were seeking. And by “helped us find” I mean,”they gated us to the city, which turned out to be of the ‘long-lost’ and ‘floating-in-the-air’ variety. And that’s where we’re picking up next time.

I considered hitting the gym after gaming, but as it was late (after 2300) and I had an early – and long – day on the agenda for today, I opted out. Today is rather full with: A doctor’s appointment (for the twins) this morning and a screening of Captain America this evening… oh, yeah, there’s work on both sides of that doctor’s appointment, too.

::: break for appointment :::

Post-appointment update: SaraRules! and both kids are fine. (And her doctor won’t let her go past 38 weeks.)

Groove. Boogie. Sway.
This morning’s music selection has been varied and quite good:

• Rush – Limelight (which, to be honest, wasn’t so random a selection…)
• Shirley Bassey – Goldfinger
• Tony! Toni! Tone’! – Born Not to Know
• Robbie Williams – Rock DJ
• En Vogue – You Don’t Have to Worry
• Snoop Dogg (ft. Pharell) – Drop It Like It’s Hot
• Liz Phair – Supernova

Not a bad way to kick off a Wednesday, at all.

Stray Toasters

• Farewell, MacBook. It appears as though Apple has consolidated the line to MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, only.
• Utah Liquor Laws, as Mixed Up as Some Drinks
• QR codes everywhere — even on grave markers
• 
• 14 Navy commanders relieved of duty, prompting conduct memo
• With N.F.L. Deal in Sight, Both Sides Can Claim Gains
• Curtis Granderson: Where are all the black fans?
• 
• Why Borders Failed While Barnes & Noble Survived
• While I’d seen the first video done for the X-Men parody of Born This Way, I hadn’t seen this version.  Thanks to for pointing it out:

• And that, naturally, leads to this:

  

• Why Did They Put Cargo Netting on Combat Helmets?
• U.S. to Close 800 Computer Data Centers

Namaste.

Monday – 18 July 2011
A new work week dawns in the valley with clouds and a forecast of rain and/or thunderstorms. But, it doesn’t appear as though the rain will alleviate the high temperatures we’ve been experiencing. Fortunately, there’s air conditioning technology to keep us cool.

The weekend was a good and, though brief, enjoyable one. I even managed to drag myself to the gym Saturday morning. I got out of the house a little later than I had planned, but still got in a brief workout:

• Elliptical: 15 min, 1.41 mi. (approx. 5.7 MPH avg.)
• Bench Press: 3 sets/8 reps, 155 lbs
• Sit-ups: 3 sets/15 reps
• Curls (dumbbell, seated): 3 sets/10 reps, 25 lbs
• Flys: 3 sets/10 reps, 100 lbs

From there, it was back home for a quick shower and change of clothes and then on to meet Chris, Alex and Harley for pre-tournament breakfast. The tournament was good; there were ten participants. It was also one of the closer events we’ve had: less than fifteen (15) points separated first and third places.

Later in the evening, SaraRules! and I headed over to shockpuppet and ‘s house for a reception for and his fiancee, Erica. It was a nice gathering. We also found the oft-mentioned “fairy path” that shockpuppet created — although, at the time of night we saw it, it was more “creepy, dark, wooded path” than “fairy path.”

Sunday was planned to be rather laid back. Instead, it started off with a bit of automotive stress: I ran out to get bagels and some milk for breakfast. The bagel stop was fine; however, as I was attempting to leave The Store, the car decided not to start. *sigh* I gave it a minute and tried again. Nothing. I called SaraRules! and had her come to jumpstart the car. No go, Flight.

::: grblsnrkx :::

So, the tow truck was called. And off to the local Pep Boys we went… because, apparently, my Sunday mornings are not complete without a trip to Pep Boys. Turned out that it battery was dead. I had them check the alternator and starter — both of which were fine after testing. And, thanks to being a member of Pep Boys Rewards, the towing was half-off and the battery was covered under warranty. So, the out-of-pocket cost was FAR less than it could have been. I’m just not sure whether it’s a good or a bad thing that I’m getting to know some of the techs there on a first name basis…

Groove. Boogie. Sway.
The Monday morning musical shuffle selection wasn’t bad this morning:

• The Wiz (Original Cast Recording) – Ease on Down the Road
• No Doubt – Just a Girl
• Luscious Jackson – Naked Eye
• Girls Aloud vs. Madonna – Some Kind of Beautiful Stranger
• Guy (ft. Teddy Riley) – Teddy’s Jam

Not a bad way to kick off the work week, I’d say.

Chew on This: Food for Thought
Muslim hate crime victim asks TX court to spare life of white supremacist who shot him
Wow. Seriously… “Wow.” How many of us could – or would – do the same in Mr. Bhuiyan’s position?

Stray Toasters

• Congratulations to my friend, Bret, for having a/another tropical storm named after him.
• Brainscans in the Uncanny Valley
• Politicians Can’t Agree on Debt? Well, Neither Can Economists
• Sides Aim to End Lockout This Week
• 
• The American Man: What I’ve Learned
• Gun-Totin’ Brunnhilde
• Japan wins 1st World Cup title in penalty shootout
• A Resilient Team Soothes a Nation
• LEGO Folding Farm
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Bee-wearing competition
• 21 Google Plus circles you can actually use

Namaste.

Friday – 15 July 2011
Another 9/80 “on” Friday in the valley. I’m in the office, with a frozen mocha, a couple of doughnuts and Weapon of Choice on iTunes. I’m at work, but it doesn’t totally suck… and I’m okay with that.

Last night, SaraRules! and I had another childbirth class. One of the things we learned about was breathing techniques. I was (somewhat) able to control my laughter when this came up, because I couldn’t get Bill Cosby’s routine about childbirth out of my head:

There was another part of the class where our instructor talked about methods to help induce labor. At one point she said “Jumping on a tramp.”  Logically, I know that she meant “jumping on a trampoline,” but in my head I got a F*ck Yeah Headlines-like image of a pregnant woman jumping up and down on the back of a vagrant. Again, I managed to stifle (most of) my laughter.

After we got home, SaraRules! and I also started filling out some sections of the babies’… er… baby books. We went with the Guess How Much I Love You: My Baby Book for both kids. We are jointly filling in pages, so there’s uniformity between the books.

Groove. Boogie. Sway.
This morning’s musical selections have been good:

• Stevie Wonder – Superstition
• No Doubt – Hella Good
• Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – Runnin’ Down a Dream
• Prince – Let’s Go Crazy, and
• the aforementioned Fatboy Slim – Weapon of Choice

Well done, iTunes. Well done indeed.

Stray Toasters

• Let’s start with a few comics-related items:
• CCI apologizes for asking Matt Wayne to change his Dwayne McDuffie tribute
• If you’re not reading Love and Capes – especially after all of the times I’ve told you strongly suggested that you should be reading it – then you’re missing out on a fun, well-written book.

  

  Because of a shipping snafu, I just got my copy of IDW’s Love and Capes: Ever After #5 yesterday… two weeks late.  Despite having a major plot point spoiled last week, there were plenty of other surprises in the issue. It was a fantastic read and well worth the delay — author/artist Thom Zahler truly knocked this one out of the park.

• Hester Rebuilds “The Bionic Man”
• Chris Evans delivers Letterman’s superhero-themed Top 10 List
• Big monkey goes around the world
  Big monkey underground
  Big monkey got a mighty voice
  Big monkey make no sound

  Yep… I’m still amused by that.

• Esquire’s Very Specific Guide to the Great Outdoors
• My friend, Peggy, posted a link to Seven Things That Women Do on Facebook That Guys Hate. While I don’t necessarily “hate” these items, I’ll admit that I just don’t “get” Item #2: Making That Duck Face. I don’t see what’s made it so common/popular. *shrug* Maybe it’s me. Maybe it’s Maybelline.
• 
• New Frederick railroad museum brings world of delight to all ages
  Check out the museum’s website, as well.
• With Deal on Rookie Wages, N.F.L. Lockout Nears the End
• Report: NFL owners, players agree on rookie wage scale
• According to an article on Comic Book Resources:
  

  Borders Group, the second-largest bookstore chain in the United States, could be liquidated as early as next week if no other suitors step forward by Sunday evening, the deadline established by a federal bankruptcy court.

• Internet Use Affects Memory, Study Finds
• Aria resort in Las Vegas linked to 6 Legionnaire’s cases

Namaste.

Thursday – 14 July 2011
Today is Bastille Day.

Last night was the release event for WizKids!’ Captain America HeroClix set. One of the nice things about release nights: I don’t have to judge the events, so I just get to play. (This isn’t to say that I don’t get asked rules questions, however… but I’m not the event judge, so I’m not constantly doing my best impression of the Shell Answer Man.) It was a 300-point sealed draft: Pick your team, up to 300 points, from two (2) booster boxes. I got obliterated in the first round, only picking off one of my opponent’s figures… for a whopping 57 points. The second round, my dice apparently woke up; I cleared my opponent’s team and didn’t lose anyone. In the third round, it came down to one figure for each of us… and I wound up on the losing side of the beatdown.  (Although, I was apparently “only” one click away from taking out Nick Fury.) All-in-all, I had a good time.

Today, as SaraRules! just pointed out to me, is going to be a long day: I was up and out of the house before 0700 this morning… and I won’t be done with the day until 2100 or so tonight, thanks to our childbirthing class. Good thing I stopped for a cup of frozen mocha motivation on the way in.

Groove. Boogie. Sway.
This morning’s iTunes bit o’ random play included:

• Blackstreet (ft. Mya and Ma$e) – Take Me There
• Rush – The Big Money
• Cruxshadows – Winter Born (This Sacrifice)
• Smashing Pumpkins – The End Is the Beginning Is the End
• Pink Floyd – Learning to Fly
• Gwen Stefani – Hollaback Girl

Stray Toasters

• For SaraRules!: Cuba’s first-ever zombie/horror film: “Juan of the Dead”
• A Message from NASA Astronauts to the Space Shuttle Workforce
  NOTE: This video starts as soon as the page finishes loading.
• Zeus for Android steals one-time banking passwords
• By way of MarknTyme comes this dice stacking video. Bizarre.
• 
• USA tops France 3-1 to advance to World Cup title game
• A couple of comics-related items:
• The Dwayne McDuffie tribute Comic-Con International wouldn’t print
• On Gender & Race in “Fear Itself” #4 and “Flashpoint” #3 – Don’t Say That’s Just for White Boys”
• Borders Faces Liquidation After Takeover Bid’s Rejection
• New Music Service Offers Music in Quantity, Not by Song
• Got Spotify? Here’s How to Use It
• Banks will no longer sell Savings Bonds
• 
• For a Night Each Year, the Airwaves Buzz with Morse Code
• GQ: Street Style
• Steelers’ Harrison blasts Goodell, Roethlisberger and Patriots
• Pop’s Punching Bag: Hating the Black Eyed Peas

Namaste.

Wednesday – 06 July 2011
Midweek is upon us once again.

And, apparently, today is International Kissing Day or World Kiss Day (1, 2).

For the first time in months, I don’t have the prospect of a game to look forward to this evening. Our gaming group is “on hiatus,” as Melody needed a well-deserved break, so it’s unclear when we’ll reconvene. Today is still new comics day, so there is something to which I can look forward.

This morning, I had to stop to pick up some milk for my breakfast. This was playing on the store’s P.A. system:

…which, naturally, made me think of this:

 ::: INTERMISSION :::

And today was Sushi Wednesday!

Stray Toasters

• WordPress got a bit of a facelift.
• Analyst: Brett Favre might be interesting in returning for 21st year
• Systematic Cheating Is Found in Atlanta’s School System
• Pushing Boundaries, Mixed-Race Artists Gain Notice
• 
• American Artist Who Scribbled a Unique Path
• Hayley Atwell, who will soon be seen as Peggy Carter in the upcoming Captain America: The First Avenger, was interviewed for yesterday’s “Women We Love” section of Esquire. When asked what she had coming up, her response was:
  

  16. Next up is possibly a Jimi Hendrix biopic — an independent film with Andre 3000 from OutKast playing Jimi Hendrix.

  A Hendrix movie… with Andre 3000… I’m there.

• Wendy’s restaurants sells Arby’s chain, changes name
• Chinese Gem That Elevates Its Setting

Namaste.

Friday – 01 July 2011
It’s finally Friday. It’s my 9/80 “on” Friday, but it’s still “Friday.” And it’s the First of July. And it’s the beginning of a long weekend. Win. Win . Win.

Today is also Canada Day.

Happy national birthday to our beer and hockey-loving neighbors to the north!

Last night, SaraRules! and I did a little more to consolidate offices. We also looked at repainting the soon-to-be-guestroom. We headed out to the local Home Depot and picked up a couple of paint samples. We painted a couple of test sections and waited for them to dry. When we came back to look at them, we decided on Lemon Ice… which looks much more like it should have been named “Lime Ice,” but oh well. It will be a good shade for the room.

I also managed to sneak in a few minutes to run my trains. It was relaxing. And fun.

Stray Toasters

• I just got back from a rather tasty lunch with Nyx at Jasmine.
• Stalemate in Final Talks Forces N.B.A. to Shut Down
  • The NBA Isn’t Allowed to Post Pictures of Basketball Players on Their Website
• I’d be fine if the word “bromance” just… disappeared… from the cultural lexicon.
  I’d also be fine if “man cave” followed it.
• Panetta takes control of Pentagon
• 
• S2K: Polamalu or Reed? Good luck deciding between the two
• They want you to be Jesus
  They’ll go down on one knee
  But they’ll want their money back
  If you’re alive at thirty-three…
• Citing Homeless Law, Hackers Turn Sights on Orlando
• 
• I just ordered this shirt. How could I not: It’s a raven (duh) and it’s Poe. I was powerless to refuse.
• Plan Issued to Save Northern Spotted Owl
• Mac OS X Lion Is Basically Done

Namaste.

Monday – 20 June 2011
And so, back to the grind.

The weekend was good. The trip to Denver was successful; then again, it’s kind of hard to screw up “Go to a wedding reception and hang out with family.” We left at o’dark-thirty on Friday morning and got back last night. I slept for the first three hours of the outbound leg of the trip. That’s fine, as I woke up in Rock Springs, WY… which was the farthest west I’d been on I-80. The rest of the trip was fairly uneventful. We found our hotel and a place to eat, Johnny’s Asian Bistro, and visited with the family for a bit before heading back to the hotel to call it a day. A very long day.

Saturday, we got up, had a bite to eat and then went gallivanting. Our first stop was the Denver Botanic Gardens. It was a very nice walking garden, with many varied sections in the middle of the city. We walked around. I took pictures. It was good. Next, we headed to the Five Points part of town to check out their Juneteenth festivities. We also ate at the Welton Street Cafe. That’s right: Soul food in the city. And it was VERY tasty and satisfying. Next… well… we were going to visit the Black American West Museum, but it closed earlier than we realized. We then went to tried to get to Caboose Hobbies, a train shop whose ads I’ve seen in various magazines. After a lot of detouring – thanks to construction and roads being closed for events downtown – we made it. It was a good-sized shop, with something for modelers of all scales. I didn’t buy anything to add to my railroad, but I didn’t come away empty-handed, either. Back to the hotel for a little rest and to change… and then on to Hannah and Parker’s wedding reception, the true reason for the visit — Hannah and Parker make a lovely couple, might I add. The fete had gotten under way before we got there, but we only really missed the “feeding each other cake/smashing cake in each other’s faces” part of the evening.  It was nice to see and spend time with people, including members of the family we didn’t see on Friday evening. Back to the hotel for the night… after a stop at the local Baskin-Robbins.

Sunday, we slept in (a little) and then got back on the road for Salt Lake City. The ride was fairly uneventful, although it felt much longer than heading out to Denver. SaraRules and I ran a couple of errands – including finding dinner – before holing up in the house for the night and watching Ghost Rider… which I didn’t have to coerce her to watch, I want to add!

This morning, the “return to the usual” was hard, as I didn’t seem to want to get out of bed and face the day.

Stray Toasters

• I started watching Battlestar Galactica (2003) this weekend. I like it. A lot.
• Supreme Court rules for Wal-Mart in massive job discrimination lawsuit
• The mouseover comment on this made me laugh:

  

  “If you’re a geologist or geophysicist and you don’t introduce yourself by saying your name, then gesturing downward and saying “… and I study that”, I don’t know what you’re doing with your life.”

• Clarence Clemons, Springsteen’s Soulful Sideman, Dies at 69
  • The Big Man, Much More than Springsteen’s Sideman
• Comics shops fighting the evil forces of recession
• 
• NFL owners push rookie wage scale in agreement

That’s good for the first day back.

Namaste.

Thursday – 16 June 2011
Another NBN Thursday is upon us.
Today is also an unofficial “Technical Friday,” as I’m taking tomorrow off.

I didn’t get to see yesterday’s Green Lantern screening. (By the same token, neither did about a hundred other people who were also in line.) That’s cool on a couple of counts:

1. I got to play D&D (4.0) with and company, which was a rather fun time. It turns out that we hadn’t played in nearly a month!
2. I’m going to the screening that Dr. Volt’s is co-hosting — tonight at The Gateway.

Win-Win.

Stray Toasters

• It’s another “chock full o’ meetings” day.  Yay.
• Optimism over new deal emerging from latest round of talks
• Energy Plant, Left for Dead, Shows a Pulse
  • Nuclear Plant Safety Rules Inadequate, Group Says
• 
• Abandoned Skyscraper – Fifty Level Abandoned Building
• New York Public Library Buys Timothy Leary’s Papers
• Song “Covers” Uploaded to YouTube Could Land You in Jail for Five Years
• 
• iCufflinks
• Comics, Everybody: The History of Green Lantern Explained

  

• Dear Photograph

Namaste.

Tuesday – 07 June 2011
It’s my mother’s birthday!

It’s also Prince’s birthday. Under normal circumstances, I’d post a link to a video by Prince here, but he’s pretty tight about rights management – as is his prerogative – so, you’ll just have to hum something to yourself.

On a less-light note, I’m in the south office today. I can’t really complain, though; it’s a nice change of pace.

Last night, I attended the Justice League Junior League Annual Dinner with SaraRules! As an added bonus, I got to be the proxy date for three other ladies. (Yeah, I know… rough life.) We sat at a table with two other members and one provisional. And a lovely time was had by all.

I was struck, once again, by the fact that of ALL the ladies there, I only saw three (3) other men… and one (pre-)teenager. It seemed odd to me that wives/families are almost expected to attend festivities related to their husbands’ jobs or activities, but when it’s time to support the wives’ activitites…? You can watch the vapor trails form as the men fly out of sight.

Personally, I’m happy to support and attend SaraRules!’ events:

• Opera? Check.
• Symphony? Check.
• Junior League dinners and events?  Check.

Why? Because they’re important to her (and in the case of the symphony and opera, job-related). And, as she’s important to me, so are the things she’s interested in. Besides, I get to go to great symphonic concerts and opera and I get to meet interesting people… and, in the case of last night, I get to dress up and escort a number of lovely ladies to an event. How can that be a bad thing?!

Stray Toasters

• One of my three-year-old niece’s favorite songs – if not her favorite – is Folsom Prison Blues, which she is fond of singing. Loudly and enthusiastically… much to the consternation of my sister.
• Parents, not government, should decide on circumcision
• By way of :

  

• Brilliant Idea for a Wall: LEGO It, courtesy of
  This not only goes down as a great idea, but now I have to find a way to convince SaraRules! that we should keep this in mind for the nursery or, at least, the kids’ playroom in a few years.
• Gmail users targeted by Adobe Flash exploit
  • Google breaks up Gmail spying campaign
• 
• Heroes*
• Batman Relaunch: New #1s for ‘Batgirl,’ ‘Batman,’ ‘Detective,’ ‘Catwoman,’ ‘Birds of Prey’
  • Oracle Is Stronger than Batgirl Will Ever Be
  • Batgirl Triumphant: The Price of DC Comics’ Disabled Heroine
• I need to pick up Green Lantern: Emerald Knights today…

  

• The Truth About Paul Revere’s Ride
• I may actually have a newfound respect for one of my coworkers.
• In State Parks, the Sharpest Ax Is the Budget’s
• BCS strips Southern California of 2004 national championship

And now… lunch!

Namaste.

Friday – 03 June 2011
The weekend is mere hours away…

And it’s a sunny day out there. Hopefully, it lasts until I can get outside to enjoy it.

Last night, I achieved a new milestone in the “Hey, we’ve got babies on the way!” event: I felt one of the kids (I’m fairly certain that it was “Baby B”) kick for the first time.  It was neat. A little later in the evening, I felt a little more activity… but not sure which one it was.

After going out and running a few errands – including a walk through/around the local mall for some exercise –  SaraRules! and I stopped at Farr’s Fresh for some ice cream before heading home for the evening. We flipped channels for a bit and wound up finding Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1, 2) on TCM. That’s right a classic Japanese monster movie, featuring Godzilla, Mothra and Rodan. BAM! That’s what we wound up watching for our evening’s entertainment.

This morning, I woke up with Barenaked Ladies’ If I Had $1000000 in my head. I’m good with that.

Stray Toasters

• Judge cancels NFL mediation, says sides engaged in ‘settlement’ talks
• A Double Helix of Art and Science
• Neil Peart to perform drum solo on Late Show with David Letterman
• MI6 attacks Al-Qaeda in ‘Operation Cupcake’
• From today’s Courting Disaster:

  

• Multicultural Celebrations
• Is America’s love affair with kids waning?
• James Arness dies at 88
• From the “SkyNet is now online…” file: Police Robot Burns Down Mobile Home with Gas Grenades
• E-mail Fraud Hides Behind Friendy Face
• There’s a new addition to The Covet List.
• Post-Relaunch “Green Lantern” Titles Details Released
  • The New DCU may be many things, but don’t call it a ‘reboot’
  • Sorry I’m Late
• Guess who’s back…
  More Tomb Raider Videos

• ‘Dr. Death’ Jack Kevorkian dies at age 83
  • Verge Q+A: Dr. Jack Kevorkian
• Moody’s Warns of Downgrade for U.S. Credit
• “Pilot Cam”

Namaste.

Thursday – 26 May 2011
It’s my “Technical Friday.” And, since we’re going into Memorial Day weekend, that means that this is a four-day weekend. Win.

Last night, SaraRules! and I went to Rodizio Grill for dinner. At least one of us (*raises hand*) decided to indulge in one of the Seven Deadly Sins. When we left, I was quite full. When we got home, I read the day’s four-color haul before calling it a night. (And I was still very full from dinner.)

Stray Toasters

• Roger Goodell: Time coming soon to cancel first NFL game due to lockout
• Studying the Frequency of Redaction Failures in PACER
• I should play DCUO or City tonight…
• 
• NASA to Launch New Science Mission to Asteroid in 2016
• Less Active at Work, Americans Have Packed on Pounds
• Egyptian pyramids found by infrared satellite images
• Sony expects to spend at least $171 million over breach
  • If I ran the zoo…
• Operation Seduction
• 
• Boeing considers replacing the best-selling 737
• Lawsuit claims Cisco bears blame for Falun Gong abuse
• John Edwards to Face Criminal Charges

Namaste.