Random Access

Monday – 17 May 2010
It was 60F and sunny when I left home this morning.
The projected high is 80F.
This has to be a dream…

Yesterday, the lawn was mowed and we finished putting primer on the walls in my office. There has to be at least a 40% increase to the room’s overall brightness. I wish I had taken before/after pictures to show just how great a difference it is.

Last night, SaraRules and I went to the in-laws’ for dinner and a movie. The dinner fare was grilled burgers and salad and fixin’s and whatnot. For dessert, we had homemade brownies, with mocha rum sauce and ice cream. Everything was very good.

Our movie fare was Daybreakers. This was not-so-great. In fact, I had to dig find these visual aids:

That’s right: Lawn darts.
It wasn’t entirely painful, but having seen this movie, I don’t need to see it again. This movie was apparently written and directed by the same duo who directed Undead, another film I’d like to forget. SaraRules kept this fact from me until after the movie was over, in the hopes that this would be a better experience and that I’d possibly be willing to give the directors a fair shake, without the mental taint of Undead shading my opinion. (Unfortunately, it didn’t quite pan out that way.)

Workout
I’ve been trying to keep track of my walking over the past few days:

• Friday: 4100-something steps (written down at home, but I forgot to transpose it)
• Saturday: 8132 steps
• Sunday : 5140 steps

Stray Toasters

• Homemade Blueberry muffins.
  I have them for breakfast.
  Win.
• 7-year-old girl killed in Detroit police raid
• Simple Techniques Can Make You a Great Teacher
  I find it ironic and amusing that I stumble across this item as my mother is preparing to retire from teaching after… nearly 40 years, if my math is correct.
• The Geek Alphabet



• Heavy metal legend Ronnie James Dio: 1942 – 2010
• Hot exhibits make science accessible, and lots of fun
• With Restored Footage, Metropolis Finally Makes Sense
• Marion Jones hits ground running, starts fresh in WNBA
• These Golden Books Are Not for Children

  

• What Did the Original Script for The Empire Strikes Back Look Like?

Namaste.

Sunday – 16 May 2010
Midway through the weekend and all’s well.

Yesterday, SaraRules and I got up and headed over to Rich’s Bagels for breakfast. I must admit, having a neighborhood bagel shop within walking distance is rather nice. After breakfast, SaraRules went to work in the garden, as I got ready for another HeroClix tournament at Dr. Volt’s.

The tourney was good. There were (orginally) ten players; one had to leave after the second round, so I got to put together a team and play a “bye” in the third round. Since WizKids gave Checkmate a nice boost with The Brave and the Bold (and as I’ve had a fondness for Checkmate since the late 80s), I put together… dun dun dunnnn… a Checkmate team. Oh, come on… like you didn’t see that coming. I played against Pete, who had also assembled a Checkmate team, but we took slightly different tacks with our teams. After forty minutes, we danced around the board, as our teams were fairly evenly matched. I had taken out a couple of  Pete’s figures, but since it was a bye, he got the TKO.

Next, back home for dinner and to get ready for the evening’s entertainment: The opera. We saw a couple of one-act operas by Puccini: Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicci. While both operas were good, both SaraRules and I agreed that Suor Angelica was the superior – and far more moving – of the two. If you’re in the SLC Metro area and looking for a good evening’s entertainment, I’d advise seeing these operas.

After the opera, we stopped at The Point After. We met up with Jenny and Julie and a few other friends who were having an anniversary celebration of Jess’ life. We didn’t stay very long, but it was nice to see everyone.

This morning, it was nice to be able to sleep in and not have to worry about rushing around to get something done.

Stray Toasters

• I was able to get my DIY Network fix this morning.
• How to Observe Better Sleep Month
• 50 Years of Real-Life Ray Guns
• 
• Truckloads of Strippers, Freaks, Art and Noodles Drive NYC’s Lost Horizon Night Market
• Star Wars, the Baroque version
• Bootsy Collins launches world’s first online “University of Funk”
• Thanks to Nyx for pointing out this cake:



• The Short List: 5 Advantages to Being Diminutive
• Tourist hospitalized by venomous spider bite on penis
• By way of : So, How Would YOU Dress for Atlantis’ Last Scheduled Launch?
• Art and doodles left by prisoners at Wisconsin jail
• Avatar: The Last Airbender + LEGO = This
• Ask a Flowchart: Where Should I Chat Online?
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Former TV chef held in alleged murder-for-hire plot

Time for some caffeination and to see what the day holds.

Namaste.

Friday – 14 May 2010
I know that this is going to be nigh-impossible to believe, but…

We have cable and Internet at the house. Finally!

Bernie, today’s Tech du Jour, showed up around 1100. He walked through, saw where I wanted the lines run and, just like Big Daddy Kane, he got the job d-0-n-e. (He worked… baby!) There was a slight problem with a couple of channels, but he said that if they didn’t clear up by tomorrow, to call in and get some answers.

Last night, SaraRules was part Junior League of Salt Lake City’s Cookbook Party and Tasting. The event was held at Mountain Land Design, which has a number of kitchen and bath settings for visitors to walk through and examine. The event was good, and the food was also tasty.

Okay, ‘Toasters and more posting later… after waiting for the installation, I’ve lost part of the day for running around.  I’ve got to go make up for lost time.

Namaste.

Thursday – 13 May 2010
An NBN Thursday that starts with… sun?!
I should check to make sure that this isn’t Oz.

Last night, SaraRules and I went out for dinner to Outback Steakhouse. (Mmm. prime rib and cheese fries…) After dinner, we headed downtown to meet up with Josh, Michael and Miranda, who are up from Cedar for an arts conference. We went to Settebello for gelato and coffee. Next, SaraRules and I stopped by the in-laws’ for a few minutes.

This morning, I stopped to pick up loonybin88 – in town to help with a work project – from dropping his car off at the garage. On the way to the office, I drove him by the house, as he hadn’t seen it yet. I went to throw some trash away and noticed about 3 yards of coax cable in the garbage can.

Õ,ô ?!?

I didn’t think too much about it at the time, other than John might have – for whatever reason – tossed some of the extra cable he ran for the neighbor’s job in our can. Okay, no big deal. I gave loonybin88 the nickel tour of the house and backyard. And that’s when I saw it:

A new coil of coax at the end of the line that goes from the service node into the house.

Unless The Cable Fairy paid us an unexpected visit yesterday, I can only assume that John ran the new line Tuesday evening so that we just need to have a new splice done tomorrow. (At least “tomorrow, in theory…”)

Workout
While not a “workout,” per se, I joined the zaibatsu’s “Shape Up” fitness challenge a couple of weeks ago. It officially started this past Monday… right in the middle of me being sick. Yay. Yesterday, I remembered to wear the pedometer that accompanied the program’s information packet.

Over the course of the day, I walked 5,132 steps.

Like I said, “not a ‘workout,’ per se,” but it’s a start.

Stray Toasters

• Tonight, SaraRules is participating in the Junior League Cookbook Party and Tasting. This is a fundraising event and it runs from 6:30-8:00 PM this evening at Mountain Land Design (2345 South Main Street, SLC, UT). If you’re looking for something to do this evening – and want to help out a good cause (as well as try some tasty food) – stop by.
• “F” is for “Fastball Special” – The ABCs of Wolverine
  (, you’ll want to check out “I.”)
• In a Job Market Realignment, Some Left Behind
• This is close – but not quite enough – to making rethink my Corps allegiances…
  



• Steam for Mac now live
• Netflix movies don’t return themselves. Unfortunately.
• At the Met, Portraits of Grief, Written in Stone
• 
• New Seattle’s Best: Best-er or Worse?, courtesy of
• A Fashion Show Where Candy Is Worn, Not Eaten
• George Romero Has 2 More Zombie Films Rising from the Dead
• New York Minorities More Likely to Be Frisked
• I still have over half of yesterday’s four-color haul to read. (This is not a bad thing.)

On to the grind.

Namaste.

Sunday – 09 May 2010
Happy Mother’s Day to all of the mothers – and surrogate mothers – out there.

I was up this morning at 0745… for reasons I have yet to understand. I lazed around the sitting room, trying to decide what to do. About an hour-and-a-half later, I decided to start primering my office walls. Shortly thereafter, SaraRules woke up. She started breakfast, I worked on the office door trim. All too soon, it was time to eat. This morning’s fare: Omelettes.

After breakfast and the morning hygiene rituals, we were off for some errand-running. First stop: Lowe’s. I think that we’ve found a chair rail that we like for the living room. Next, grocery shopping. And when that was done… home.

I didn’t want to change clothes to start painting again, so I hung medicine cabinets in the master bathroom:

• Old and busted (as it was under the former owners)
• New hotness

Not only did it change the look of the room, it gave us some much-needed storage space. Selah.

Tonight, SaraRules’ mom is coming over for dinner, dessert and a movie. Sounds like a good way to cap off the weekend to me.

Stray Toasters

• I called the mother and sister units, to wish them a Happy Mother’s Day.  The ones I managed to speak with were doing well.
• Yesterday’s tournament went well. There were nine players… a little smaller than it has been, but I’m just glad to see people coming out – and happy to come out – to play.
• Homemade chocolate cream pie. ‘Nuff said.
• Tool (Not the band.)
• After the tournament, SaraRules and I went shopping. We found and bought a set of furniture for the sitting room. (Imagine that… people actually able to sit down in there.  What a concept!) Delivery date: 08 June 2010.
• In theory, Comcast will be coming out tomorrow to (FINALLY) install the new line. It would be great if they got there early, as I’d like to not have to use a full day’s PTO waiting for the cable guy/guys. We’ll see how that goes…

That’s good for now.

Namaste.

Monday – 03 May 2010
It was a good weekend.

Saturday, after coffee with Perry, Kate and the kids (no, the kids didn’t have coffee), I met SaraRules and went to Porcupine Pub and Grill for lunch… which turned into “brunch.” We weren’t previously aware that they offered a weekend brunch – until 1500 – so we decided to see how it was. And the verdict was: “Pretty darned good.” After a bit of errand-running, SaraRules headed off to work – and I met up with the in-laws and head downtown to see – The Temptations with the Utah Symphony. It was a very good show. Otis Williams, the sole remaining original member, has been performing with The Temps for 49 years… and hasn’t lost a step. (Granted, they might not be as flamboyant as the ‘younger guys,’ but the man can still move. And, more importantly, he looks like he’s still having fun.

Sunday, SaraRules and I slept in. It was wonderful. We both commented on how… odd, but very good… it felt to not have something on the agenda that had to get done by Time X or Date Y. We’ve both commented on how much moving – and prepping the house and apartment for the move – felt like having a second job; the past month has worn us out. So, it was delightful to actually be able to slow down and just enjoy the day. After breakfast, we did some (much-needed) grocery shopping. Next, we returned home; Logan came over to help me move the china buffet. After he left, SaraRules and I went to The Garden of Sweden. After paying a small tithe, we left with far less than we had anticipated… which wasn’t necessarily a “bad” thing. Back home for a bit and then up to the in-laws’ for dinner and a movie. Last night’s fare was lamb sausage with imam bayildi, mixed vegetables, pita and hummus, and rice pudding for dessert; last night’s feature presentation was Cloverfield. All-in-all, it was a good way to wrap up the weekend.

Stray Toasters

• In theory, we only have one week until Comcast drops a new line for us.
  • Saturday, I got a third call from Comcast collections about returning the modem and receiver. *sigh* I was even more curt with this agent than I was to the second agent who called. At the end of the call, she said that I shouldn’t hear from them again – if at all – until 11 May. We’ll see how that goes.
• Kid apps become special on the iPad
• How to Build a Trebuchet
• The Day BMW Became ‘The Ultimate Driving Machine’
• 
• Outnumbered, Outgunned: How Underdogs Prevail
• Vinegar as a stain remover
• $25,000 Family Sedan Shootout: Can a family afford a good car?
• Earth Wind and Fire: Boogie Wonderland
• Pitting the Web’s Users Against Its Gatekeepers
• Polanski breaks silence about American extradition threat

Namaste.

Tuesday – 27 April 2010
Another day in the valley kicks off with sun and mild temperatures…

…too bad we’re supposed to take a thirty-plus degree dive over the next couple of days. Yep, we’re going from upper-60s/low-70s to… mid-40s. Lucky us.

Last night, we spent the evening with the in-laws, celebrating Steve’s birthday. There was bocce (the game, not the language), lots of good food:

• Tasty grilled ribs
• Rice pilaf
• Salad
• As well as potato salad and carrot salad for those who like them…

…marzipan cake and ice cream. And, boozy beverages. All-around win.

After SaraRules and I got back home, we decided to put the family room together. Somewhat. We moved furniture into its more or less permanent locations. We didn’t, however, put media away… as we are going to have to primer/paint the walls — they are in need of a little help, shall we say.

And the walls in my office? They don’t need help, they need a hero. I don’t know what color they were going for, but the walls just look… dingy. I was looking at how bright SaraRules’ office – next door to mine – looked at the same time of day with the same size window in it. It wasn’t quite a “day and night” difference, but it was definitely “day and dusk.” A fresh coat of white paint will do wonders for that room.

Stray Toasters

• Yay for waiting for return calls from corporate!
• Best of Craigslist
• The Sandy Hobby Lobby opens sometime in May.
  (This is both a “good” and a “bad” thing… )
• Modern dance inspired by science
• This comic…

  

  …reminded me of playing Indigo Bolt in City of Heroes – I used one of the available costume slots to create a “formal dress” costume for him. Yep, I’m just that geeky.

• By way of Nyx:
  • Rebekah & Shayne’s Hospital Wedding — This was a cute story.
  • Nick, Bryan & Otto’s Milwaukee Studio
• A bumpy economic recovery, with hope in Midwest, South
• The Family Stand: Ghetto Heaven
• Running down a dream: Leg amputee makes U.S. Track team
• Just for the record: If you have a Comcast cable box/DVR with programs on the hard drive, you can’t watch them if there’s no signal from Comcast.  So much for catching up on 24…
• Eggs flying in Parliament, Ukraine approves deal for closer Russia ties
• Canadiens stymie Capitals to force series-deciding Game 7 (Go, Caps!)
• Good times and riches
  And son of a bitches
  I’ve seen more than I can recall…
• Ben Heine’s pencil drawing-photo hybrids

Namaste.

Thursday – 22 April 2010
It’s another NBN Thursday in the valley and it started off with… well… I wouldn’t go so far as to say “flurries,” but there was “some snow” falling when I left the apartment this morning.

It’s also Earth Day.

Last night, SaraRules and I packed up a good portion of the things in the kitchen. I’ll probably tackle the pantry, the remains of the office and some of the bedroom closet this evening. Have I recently mentioned that I’ll be happy when all of this “moving” business is done?

Stray Toasters

• Guess who has Sloppy Joes and Thin Mints AND a fortune cookie in his lunch today!
• Today is a Three-Meeting Thursday, apparently.
• Environmentally-Friendly Clothing
• pointed out Daring Fireball’s take on the 4G iPhone leak; it’s a good read.
• New Zeus version targeting Firefox users for bank fraud
• 
• I heard a remake of Cyndi Lauper’s Time After Time on the radio during this morning’s commute. I had no idea how many times this song has been covered; this morning’s version was by a band called Quietdrive.
• Hearing that song made me think of other covers, which somehow made me think of C+C Music Factory’s cover of U2’s Pride (In The Name of Love):

  ….which, in turn, led me to their cover of Aretha Franklin’s Pride/A Deeper Love

• Ben Roethlisburger has been suspended for six games, though he could possibly be out for only four.
• ….and it seems as though the Steelers are possibly looking to trade Big Ben… to the Raiders.
• Checkmate
• Yesterday’s comic haul was light, but good. I’m planning another Four-Color Coverage review… but after The Great LEGO Brick Debacle of 2010, courtesy of “some setting changing/being changed in WordBook, I’m a little leery of doing so.  Tests shall have to be run.
• Clerks Find Papers from 1881 Gunfight at OK Corral
• New Fringe tonight.
• New Burn Notice …in 6 weeks.

Namaste.

Tuesday – 20 April 2010
It’s another warm, sunny day in the valley. It’s supposed to get into the mid 70s this afternoon.  I tell you, a guy could get used to this…

Last night, I ferried some boxes to the house. And, in prep for moving more boxes, I cleaned out the trunk of my car. It needed it. Desperately. On the plus side, I found a CD that I’d thought had gone AWOL. I count that as a “Win.”

Back at home, I tried to make some sense of the chaos that has become the living room. I’ve become painfully aware of how… difficult… packing can be with out a large area – like a garage – in which you can stage things. My best solution was to clear out a section in the office and use that to store boxes that have been packed. That helped a bit. We packed ten more boxes, mainly of books and things from the office bookcases. (That makes for heavy boxes, but them’s the breaks…)

Stray Toasters

• Dorothy I. Height, founding matriarch of civil rights movement, dies at 98
• I like the way that the remodel of this basement-turned-office turned out.
• For them, Earth Day was late in coming
• Toyota and Top Gear Tackle Icelandic Volcano
• Nat King Cole: An Incandescent Voice
• I have two items that went on The Covet List as soon as I saw them:
  • Atari Games Shot Glass 6-Pack
  • Atari Arcade Pint 4-Pack
• 
• Raquel Welch Bares All
• Make Compound Butter for Easy Sauces and Appetizers
• 100 years after his death, Mark Twain’s work still wields power
• Apple’s iPad could revolutionize video games
• California Senate again okays breach notification law update
• Latest James Bond film on hold

Namaste.

Monday – 19 April 2010
Goodbye, weekend.
Hello, work day grind.
At least the weather is nice. I might even have to go for a constitutional later today.

Yesterday saw a little more work around the house. And… (yet) another trip to Home Depot. At this rate, I’m beginning to wonder how long it will be before employees there know us on a first name basis. This time, we needed to get a lawnmower… and a few other items. We got what we needed and went to put them to work.

SIDENOTE: I’m… not the biggest fan of the former owners’ landscaping in the front yard. I understand the concept, but find the execution to be poor. (Sort of an ” ‘A’ for effort…” kind of thing.) It’s a little disjointed — there are three distinct areas in the landscaped bit, with no real cohesion between them. And, I find it annoying to mow around. I have some ideas of how I’d like to redo that area, but they will have to wait.  But, you better believe that I was mentally cursing whomever thought that curved lines were the way to go there.

Logan and Swiz came over just after I finished the yard work. (It was almost as if they were waiting around the corner until it was done…) They came to see the new floor. They liked it. They hung out and chatted for a little while, before heading out to The Garden of Sweden.

We cleaned up and headed back to the apartment to get cleaned up and ready for dinner. We headed up to SaraRules’ parents’. Dinner included bratwurst and mojitos. Selah. After dinner, we took the in-laws over to the house, so that they could see things post-paint/post-floor. Then, it was back to their house for dessert and then, it was back to the apartment for us. More packing! YAY! And, I managed to catch up on an hour of 24 while packing. Win-Win.

Stray Toasters

• Airlines condemn ‘European mess’
• Poll: 4 out of 5 Americans don’t trust Washington
  • Here is a corollary article, including graphs, from The Atlantic
• Something that shockpuppet found makes me smile:



• From the “Is it live… or is it Memorex?” file: This Is Apple’s Next iPhone
• Olympics track contributes to Kumaritashvili death
• 

• Despite New Law, Salary Gender Gap Persists
• Meetings!

And that’s a wrap!

Namaste.

Sunday – 18 April 2010
To quote Bjork: “It’s oh so quiet…”

The only real sounds I am hearing at the moment are the clock on the wall, birds chirping and my typing. Of course, it’s seven-thirty on a Sunday morning, so it’s kind of expected, to be honest. But, I’ve already had eight (8) hours of sleep, so I believe I’m up for the day… unless a nap creeps in somewhere.

Yesterday’s flooring work totally kicked my trash. On the other hand, SaraRules and I learned a very useful new skill: How to install a floor. (Hopefully, it won’t be a skill we have to put into practice too often.)  For those who didn’t see the before and after shots, you can click here to view them. After all of the work we’ve put in over the past couple of weeks, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel: We’re moving next weekend. That will be good. Not only because we’ll finally be in the house, but also because it means that we’ll be done with splitting our time between trying to get the house ready/trying to pack up the apartment. It begins to wear you out, after a while. But, in the words of Sam Cooke:

It’s been a long time coming,
But I know a change is gonna come…

And I can’t wait.

Stray Toasters

• SaraRules and I went to ColdStone last night for dessert. It was good.
• We also watched The Golden Voyage of Sinbad. It was not so good. I would love to be able to blame its non-greatness to the fact that I was tired – and started nodding off on it – but I can’t. Not even the fact that it had Doctor Who‘s Tom Baker (Doctor #4, my favorite Doctor, by the way) and former Bond girl Caroline Munro and special effects by Ray Harryhausen could save this movie.
• Wajeha Al Huwaider, a woman, driving in Saudi Arabia
• A few points about style and fashion:
  • How to Shop Like a Grown-up (women)
  • Building Your Perfect Business Wardrobe
  • The GQ Guide to Dressing for Less
• 
• Why We Can’t Do 3 Things at Once
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Cookbook misprint costs Australian publisher
• Rising Fuel Prices Could Chill Summer Vacation Plans
• Infected XP owners left unpatched
• I’m liking Delicious Library 2.4 for Mac. It’s still not “perfect” for cataloguing my comics collection, but it does a pretty good job, nonetheless.
• NYC to Close ‘Rubber Rooms’ for Teachers in Trouble
• The Dogs of War: Apple vs. Google vs. Microsoft

Time to see what the day holds.

Namaste.

Wednesday – 14 April 2010
Today is not Sushi and Comics Wednesday…
Today is the day that The Brave and the Bold set for HeroClix releases!
(What can I say?  It’s the little things in life… literally, in this case.)

Last night, SaraRules and I visited Lumber Liquidators. We were in search of flooring for the dining room.  We had originally considered going with a laminated floor (think: Pergo), until my mother mentioned the idea of reclaimed hardwood — made from strips of hardwood, as opposed to synthetic materials with a “picture of wood” on top. After looking around for a while, we found something that we both agreed upon. Seven boxes and a few trim pieces later, we were under way. Tearing out the carpet and laying the floor will be this weekend’s big project.

The night was, otherwise, relatively quiet. SaraRules made cheesesteak sandwiches for dinner. Win! We watched an episode of NCIS and Turf War — it was odd to see Diane Neal, whom I last saw on Law & Order: The Next Generation SVU, on NCIS as a CGIS agent… but not disconcertingly so. After Turf Wars, we set about boxing a few things, in preparation for our move.

This morning, I woke up at 0527… for reasons unknown. After realizing that I still had an hour to sleep, I made my way back to The Dreaming. When I woke up to start the day, I was greeted with blue skies and chirping birds. I also had Johnny Gill’s Rub You the Right Way running through my head. I thought about making it this morning’s video… which was further cemented when Christina Aguilera’s Genie in a Bottle (a song I think of in conjunction with Rub You the Right Way) played during the morning commute:

We’ll see what the rest of the day holds…

Stray Toasters

• For the homeowners out there: It’s been a while since I’ve had to deal with mowing a yard, let alone having to buy a lawnmower for said task. I’m in the market for a new mower (gas-powered) and will most likely buy one this weekend. What kind of mower do you have and what do/don’t you like about it?
• I’m considering ordering this:
  



• Lincoln’s Missing Bodyguard
• When Students Ignited a Change in Racial Politics
• It seems as though Jonathan Coulton has released some of his songs for play in Rock Band, including Code Monkey and Ikea.
• 
• Steve Thomas’ Arcade Game Propaganda Posters
• Horrifying stationery
• I’ve been looking for a good library program for cataloguing my comics (and DVDs and books and…and… and…).  I think that I may have found something to fit the bill… without having to code it myself! I may just have to go ahead and pull the trigger on this one.
• What I’ve Learned: Jack Bauer
• U.S. standards on beef are lax, inspector general says
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Robot Toilet Paper Holder

Attack the day
Like birds of prey…

Namaste.

Tuesday – 13 April 2010
Happy Birthday to John:

Yesterday was a long day. Eleven hours and change in the office — what started as a small fire turned into “The Towering Inferno.” That was followed by over three hours at the house, the majority of which was spent climbing ladders and painting. On the “plus” side, I got Beef Lo Mein and Shrimp Fried Rice for dinner. Win! I hit the rack about 11:30 PM… and was quite happy to call it a day.

This morning, I stayed in bed for about 20 or so minutes after the alarm went off, but I managed to drag myself out of bed and get ready to face the day. So far, coffee has a good companion this morning.

Stray Toasters

• Painting: Phase One is now 95% complete. SaraRules is going to do a small section in the kitchen tomorrow night and that will wrap up all of the pre-move painting. Next project: Replacing the dining room floor.
• By way of comes: The Bridge at Hoover Dam
• Lehman Used ‘Alter Ego’ to Transfer Risks
• Birthday cake == good
  Zombies == good
  Zombie birthday cake == Double-plus good
• If you’re in the Salt Lake City metro area and looking for something to do this evening, why not go to see the Grizzlies take on the Las Vegas Wranglers?  It’s Game Five of the playoffs and tickets are only $10.
• Sezen Aksu: The Voice of Istanbul (not Constantinople)
• Soap in Carbonite, courtesy of
• 
  I wholheartedly agree with the middle panel.
• Europe Finds Clean Energy in Trash, but U.S. Lags
• Nation’s soaring deficit calls for painful choices
• Future Tech: Driverless Audi set to climb curvy Pike’s Peak
• 

• The Brave and the Bold set drops tomorrow…
• Is it fair to patent genes? ACLU takes on biotech over issue
• Math tutor uses numbers to fight red light camera ticket
  

Namaste.

Monday – 12 April 2010
Time flies when you’re having fun… and when you’re working to get your new house ready for moving in. This weekend has been a whirlwind of activity, a good portion of which involved house work. But, I’m back in the office, with a triple-shot-laden large cup of frozen mocha goodness. At least the view from the office windows was nice this morning.

Saturday morning, SaraRules and I met Chris and Mary for breakfast. After that, Chris and I headed up to Dr. Volt’s  for the HeroClix tournament; I decided to make the theme for this event “Ragnarok,” as it was the final tournament for the Hammer of Thor set. There were (technically) 14 players – two players (a father and his young son) played as a team – so there were seven matches per round. Everything went swimmingly. Pictures of the event can be seen here.

After the tourney, I dropped Chris off and headed to the house. SaraRules and Swiz had spent the early afternoon painting. I helped SaraRules finish off the first coat of paint in the master bedroom. By the time we finished Round 1 of the weekend painting, notable progress had been made. Next, we cleaned up and then joined OnlyAly, and a few others for the Grizzlies game against the Las Vegas Wranglers. Unfortunately, the Grizzlies lost — they just seemed to play a soft game against an aggresive opponent.

Sunday, we headed up to the in-laws’ for breakfast. Homemade waffles! Then it was back to the house for Painting: Round 2 – second coats of paint in most rooms… and laundry! After that, back up to the in-laws’ for cake and ice cream (to celebrate Logan’s birthday.) Back to the house to pick up the last load of laundry and then on to the apartment to call it a day.

Stray Toasters

• Our home’s previous owners left us… stuff. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!
• There’s a small room in the basement that SaraRules has considered turning into a boudoir. I discovered this weekend that the male equivalent of such a room is traditionally referred to as a “cabinet.” To be honest, I think that I prefer that term to “man cave,” although, I am still partial to “HALO Command Center.”
• A week or so ago, MarknTyme forwarded a link to Nuit Blanche. Last week, Wired had an interview with its director, in which he explained some of the techniques and processes used in making the short.
• Space Pussy, which – despite its name – is actually quite safe for work.
• Jamie posted a link to a new How It Should Have Ended: Star Trek
• I’ve become far too enamored of DIY Network. I think that I watched at least two hours of Yard Crashers and Turf Wars late last night/far-too-early this morning.
• It seems as though Santonio Holmes is now a Jet.
• By way of comes something with which every LEGO fan will be able to empathize:

  

• We’re having a “Captain, the ship canna take much more of this…!” moment in the office. Yay.
• Space shuttle sequel slated for lift-off
• Maps on the backs of detective novels

Namaste.

Friday – 09 April 2010
It’s my 9/80 “on” Friday. It’s quiet in the office. Hopefully, things will stay that way.

Last night, we took a break from housework and had some down time. It was nice. We tag-teamed dinner: Spaghetti with sauce and garlic bread.  After dinner, I was feeling a little antsy, like I should have been doing something… but I couldn’t put my finger on “what.” I opted to get out and do a little shopping. I hit the local Eddie Bauer store and picked up a new pair of jeans. I wandered over to Nordstrom’s to look for a pair of braces. I’ve wanted a new pair of leather ones for a while, but hadn’t put a lot of effort into getting them. And, unfortunately, Nordstrom didn’t have any, so the hunt continues.

I headed back home and watched Project Runway and Fringe with SaraRules. And, we also split a caramel apple, dipped in crushed Butterfinger candy bar bits. Helloooooo, decadence! I started winding down early, so I made a (relatively) early night of it.

Stray Toasters

• For as-yet unexplained reasons, I had Lady Gaga’s Telephone running through my head when I woke up this morning.
• Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef, for my friends who have to maintain gluten-free diets
• Music world mourns godfather of punk
• Coal Miner’s Son Remembers ‘A Hard, Dirty Job’
• Peroidic Table of Imaginary Elements
• 55 catastrophic Star Wars costumes, by way of
• sent a link to Photo-manipulations by Erik Johansonn
• 
• Vegetarian-friendly iPhone App Will Tell You if Any Dead Animals Are in That  Sandwich
• Comic Book Cartography
• Off-shore Energy Clash over Undersea Sound
• I’ve posted links to the Top Gear segment featuring the Bugatti Veryon vs. Euro Fighter Typhoon drag race (…like the one I just posted). Somehow, I don’t think that this Veryon would hold up as well in that race as the one in the video.

That’ll do for now.

Namaste.