Random Access

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.

Monday – 11 July 2011
Despite the way I wrote it above it’s 7/11, which means “Free 7.11 ounce Slurpees at 7-11” Day! How’s that for a good way to kick off your week?!

Yesterday was a relatively lazy day. Of course, after starting Saturday very early in the morning and participating in a 5K, some might say that”lazy” is a subjective term. Well, in this case, it was less “subjective” and more “objective,” by far. There was sleeping in. There was lounging on the sofa. There was more lounging and lazing about. There was dinner (Teriyaki chicken, rice, sauteed vegetables) and a movie (Sucker Punch) with the in-laws, which was followed by… you guessed it: More lounging about on the couch, once we got home.

I got into the office a little early this morning, which means that I got to start the morning, um… somewhat loudly… with tracks that included:

• Rush – The Spirit of Radio
• Guy – Teddy’s Jam
• Jimi Hendrix – Fire

Yeah, that’s a start to the Monday morning that didn’t totally suck.

Stray Toasters

• Top Gear: the motoring show in quotes (by the producer), thanks to Doc for posting this.
• With Grit and 10 Players, U.S. Women Oust Brazil
• U.S. beats Brazil in shootout, reaches World Cup semifinals
• 8 Reasons Why Model Trains Are a Great Hobby
• 
• New for Aspiring Doctors, the People Skills Test
• The 40 Worst-Dressed Cities in America
  (…although, they only appear to have nine of them loaded at this point.)
• Cloud-Based Data Outside the U.S. Not Exempt from PATRIOT Act Spying
• Cautionary Lessons From State’s Shutdown
• 
• How Social Pressure Can Affect What We Remember: Scientists Track Brain Activity as False Memories Are Formed

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.

Wednesday – 29 June 2011
It’s midweek, and I don’t think that I’ve been so happy to see a Wednesday roll around in a long time. It’s not that this has been a bad one. It just feels like it’s been exceptionally long. On the “plus” side, it’s new comics day and game night, so there are a couple of things to which I can look forward.

Last night was Guys’ Night Out. , , , Corey, Steve (the father-in-law) and I headed up to MacCool’s Public House for beer, food and shooting the bull. It was a very good way to spend the evening.

After I got home, I watched The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson for the first time in… longer than I care to admit. One of his guests was Neil Gaiman. The interview was fun, as the two went on and on about Doctor Who — Gaiman wrote an episode for the show this season; Ferguson was a big fan of the show in his youth. Later in the interview, Gaiman also made an amusing comment in which he posited that Mythbusters‘ Jamie Hyneman might be Cthulhu.

This morning, not long before the alarm went off, I had a dream in which Neil Gaiman appeared: He was in town for a book signing and we hung out. I met him once, very briefly, at a signing nearly ten years ago…

…he was quite pleasant. And, I would most definitely hang out and have a pint or two with him, but I don’t think that we necessarily run in the same circles.

Stray Toasters

• Gibbs’ Rules
• I find “victuals” to be a weird word. I find it even more odd/amusing because its pronunciation is “vittles.”  (like “Tender Vittles,” for the cat owners out there.)Given that, maybe I should cut some slack for the people who pronounce “nuclear” as “nu-cu-lar.”  Or not.
• 
• When Fashion Meets Fishing, the Feathers Fly
• Everything You Need to Know About Coffee in Less Than Five Minutes

• No More Silent Summers
• Black unemployment at Depression-era levels
• Debris Gives Space Station Crew Members a 29,000 MPH Close Call
• 
• USA beats North Korea 2-0 behind Lauren Cheney’s goal
• Gas Card — With a ‘G’ as in Gimmick

Namaste.

Tuesday – 28 June 2011
It’s a sunny and clear day in the valley and it seems rather inversion-free. A person could get used to this.

Last night, our evening errand-running included a trip to Costco. I hadn’t been to a Costco in… probably more than a year. I saw a few interesting things, but still managed to walk out empty-handed.

The evening was capped off with a Monday night episode of Top Gear, in which the hosts attempted to recreate the Wise Men’s journey to Bethlehem. (Somehow, I doubt that the journey was quite as comical as what we saw last night…)

Stray Toasters

• T-minus three days until Melissa gets to town…
• Teacher Grades: Pass or Be Fired
• U.S. women want their own World Cup identity
  • Still No. 1, U.S. Is No Longer the Clear Favorite
• Beer archeologist
• 
  (It’s only “slightly” addictive.)
• Sony faces new lawsuit following PSN hack
• Rock stars’ disaster stories
• Justices Reject Ban on Violent Video Games for Children
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file:
  • “Smurfs” world record attempt in Mexico
  • U.S. Citizen Charged in Canada for Manga on Laptop; Faces Minimum 1 Year in Prison
• Announcing City of Heroes Freedom – A look at the new price structuring model

And that’s all I have to say about that.

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.

Wednesday – 08 June 2011
Today is my brother-in-law, ‘s birthday.

..and I neglected to mention that yesterday was my friend, Josh’s, birthday, also. D’oh!

Last night, we celebrated ‘s birthday with the in-laws. Dinner. Presents. Cake. It was a good evening. On the way home, SaraRules! and I stopped at the local Best Buy; I needed wanted to pick up Green Lantern: Emerald Knights.  SaraRules! picked up a Guitar Hero game and, somehow, I wound up also getting the brand-spankin’ new Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters for my 360.

Once we got settled in at home, we fired up Emerald Knights. It was well-done. Hell, if the live-action movie is half… okay, three-quarters… as good as this was, I’ll be pleased. Emerald Knights is an anthology piece, with six stories that are woven together throughout the film… which appears to fall somewhere in the middle of the events of Green Lantern: First Flight. The writers did a good job of creating a “new” overarching story, while adeptly intertwining some newly-animated classic GL lore into the tale. There were some familiar names/voices attached to this project, including:

• Nathan Fillion (Firefly, Castle) as Hal Jordan
• Jason Isaacs (“Harry Potter” films) as Sinestro
• Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men) as Arisia
• Henry Rollins (yes, “that” Henry Rollins) as Kilowog

For me, it was a good way to wind down the day.

Stray Toasters

• I felt more baby-wiggling last night. They were – or at least one of them was – pretty active.
• “Six.”
• From the “This Is an Awesome Reaction” file: Movie theater shames F-word texter
  • Added bonus: Here’s the PSA they did…

• Secret Origins: John Stewart
• Inbox Influence: Your new favorite email tool since the spam filter
• 
• Steven Spielberg and Quint have an epic chat all about JAWS as it approaches its 36th Anniversary!
• RSA Faces Angry Users After Breach
• By way of :

  

• Cycle and Style: A Sweet Ride
• Would you buy a digital comics subscription?
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file:
  • Smurfs accused of antisemitism and racism
  • Two Women Ticketed for Eating Doughnuts in Brooklyn Playground
  • You Can Now Get Your Ph.D in Manga
• 
• DC Comics has dropped new information about The Next Generation of Justice in the post-updated DCU.
• 2 gamblers take Tropicana casino for more than $11M
  • Four ‘worst mistakes you can make in Las Vegas’

Quote of the Day
As I noted yesterday, Folsom Prison Blues is one of my niece’s favorite songs, which is made more amusing by the fact that she’s only three… unless you’re my sister, who finds it appalling.

That being said, my brother-in-law sent me the following last night:

coda to yesterday’s lecture:
your niece tonight was singing her song
then she asks me to sing
so i start singing
I HEAR THE TRAIN A COMIN’
gracie: “no no no no no daddy, that’s wrong!”
me…wha?  no it’s not
“yes daddy it is wrong”
ok sweetheart, how does it start?
“like this, daddy. ‘hello, i’m johnny cash.'”
i stand corrected, child.  proceed.

Ladies and gentlemen… my family.

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 – 02 June 2011
Another “Day of Thor” (look it up) is upon us. I’m hoping that it follows the appropriate “No Bad News” protocol. That would be a “good” thing.

This morning, I woke up with the opening theme from Love, Sidney in my head. I have no idea “why,” as the show hasn’t been on the air in over 20 (nearly 30) years. Granted, I’m a fan of some of Tony Randall’s work, but why not the theme from The Odd Couple?! As Dr. Rosenblatt would say, “It’s so bizarre…!”

Last night, I had forgotten that SaraRules! was going to a presentation of Die Walkure, presented by Fathom Events at the local cinemaplex. As had to postpone our D&D game, this meant that I was left to my own devices to find something to do. I wound up doing the dishes and some laundry. (*shrug* It needed to be done…) I also went to the gym. There was a brief internal struggle about did I really want to go, but it was overruled by the “You need to go” camp. It’s still slow-going, but at least I’m doing something:

• Elliptical: 15 minutes, approx 5.5 MPH pace
• Bench Press: 3 sets/8 reps, 135 lbs
• Curls (dumbbell, seated): 3 sets/10 reps, 25 lbs
• Shoulder Press (dumbbell, seated): 3 sets/10 reps, 35 lbs
• Compound Row: 3 sets/10 reps, 125 lbs
• Reverse Fly: 3 sets/10 reps, 50 lbs

I was quite happy to be done with the workout… while kind of looking forward to getting into the gym again. Go figure.

When I got back home, I treated myself to a little DVR fare while waiting for SaraRules! to get in. I’m almost up to the season finale of Human Target. (And I’m still wishing that USA or some other channel would pick it up next season.)

Stray Toasters

• It’s finally starting to look and feel like we’re actually moving into Summer around here.

• Thanks to for sending the link to A Gallery of Superhero Pictograms
• For SaraRules! and Melissa S.: Gonna Fly Soon: A ‘Rocky’ Musical Is Moving Ahead
• Is sharing a log-in a criminal act?
• 
• NBA center Shaquille O’Neal announces his retirement
• My friend, Joe Tomasone, has started a new technology blog: All That Tech. Go check it out.
• New Green Lantern Featurette Explains Oath, Ring, Lantern
• Comic Book Math: DC to Renumber Series, Starting Again with No. 1
  • DC Unveils Creators and Covers for First Relaunch Wave
  • Let me just say: I like the new-to-be costume for Wonder Woman.  Of course, I like the Jim Lee redesign that’s been running in current issues of the title, too… sans jacket.
• Shuttles, Turning Sedentary, Leave Pieces Behind for Science and Safety
• The Line, It Is Drawn
• Meetings! YAY!

And now… lunch!

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.

Thursday – 19 May 2011
It’s another grey and rainy day here. I’m beginning to wonder if someone switched Seattle and Salt Lake City’s locations in the middle of the night.

Yesterday was not only new comics day, but also D&D 4.0 game night. We broke in a “new” venue: Dr. Volt’s Comic Connection, as we had become… disenchanted, shall we say… with Hastur Hobbies. It was a good change of pace — we could actually hear each other and the store wasn’t all asses-and-elbows. Thanks again to Dave and Jeremiah for letting us use the store to geek out.

Long Train Running
As I’ve been working on my home layout, thoughts of running multiple trains has been part of the nominal planning process. One of the ideas I’ve had included a three-level design, with a subway, a main/freight line and an el/commuter line. This put me right on… umm, track… for that, although I may no longer do a three-level design, with the current layout.

As I’ve noted before, my mother got me the MTH Bantam J Steam Freight Set for Christmas. For my birthday last year, my father got me a copy of The Illustrated Dictionary of Trains of the World. Inside was a note:

Rob,
The Powhatan Arrow (1, 2) came through Keystone, WV (and stopped at Northfork) en route from Norfolk, VA to Cincinnati during my childhood.

When you and I traveled from Baltimore to Bluefield, train (passenger) service had been curtailed greatly…

While I wanted a passenger train line, I didn’t really have much in mind as to which road name I wanted. The Bantam J was the engine that pulled the ‘Arrow. That started wheels turning in my head. I started looking at Norfolk & Western passenger cars.

Earlier this week, I received my first passenger cars in the mail, three cars from Lionel (#16062, #16063, and #16064). These were good. I put them on the rails and ran them. And, I was pleased.

Yesterday I received another package… another package with train cars. They were three of the four cars from MTH-67418. And these were even better. The detailing on the cars – especially since these were “just” from MTH’s Rail-King (their lower price point) line – was fantastic.

And, of course, I took pictures of the new cars on the layout.

There’s something fun – and somewhat special to me – about having a train on my layout that’s representative of something that my parents would have seen in their youth.

Stray Toasters

• How to Choose a Tie
• By way of SaraRules!: The Cosby Sweater Project
• An Artist’s Performance: A Year as a Poor Immigrant
• 
• Starbucks is/are everywhere.
  Lady Gaga seems to be everywhere.
  So, this sounds pretty much like a match made in Heaven.
• Raiders allow employees to sell season tickets in lieu of furlough
• Corey and I just (re-)introduced a couple of coworkers to two songs that were (for some reason) hits in the 70s:
  • Escape, by Rupert Holmes and
  • The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, by Gordon Lightfoot… which I contend is one of the – if not THE – most depressing song ever.
• In Florida, the Natives Are Restless
• Olive Garden lasagna!
• New tax deal may speed Cottonwood Mall revival

Namaste.