Random Access

Friday – 02 April 2010
Today is Good Friday.
It’s also my 9/80 day off.
Added bonus: SaraRules has the day off, as well.

Last night was relatively low-key. After getting home from work, I cooked dinner – steak, fries and salad – and we hung out, watching Project Runway. messaged me and asked if I was up for going out for a beer. Naturally, I said, “Yes.” (Duh.) We went to Hopper’s — it’s close and they have good beer and appetizers. I had the Madame X Stout, had a Black and Tan and we split an order of their Black Pepper Parmesan Fries. Good calls all around.

After I got back, I surfed the Interwebs for a while before getting back to work on the floors and walls of the WWG rail station.

Stray Toasters

• Commentary: Today, on Good Friday, Here’s Why I Remain Catholic
• Verdict is in on Apple iPad: It’s a winner
• 10 Secrets to Affordable Style
• The Sex Scholar
• Noel Kerns Photography
• iPad Is the Future
• …and since its advent is around the corner: The Future Soon
• My new Ravens jerseys were just delivered.
• Hacking Nerves to Revive Paralyzed Limbs
• Area 51 vets speak
• Computer Problems:
  
• Say Thank You to This Guy for Video Game Consoles
• What Your Birth Date Song Says About You
• Shyamalan Addresses Airbender’s Race Controversy And Answers Your Questions

Off to see what 02 April has to offer…

Namaste.

Tuesday – 30 March 2010
“Wow.”
That’s really the best way to describe how the morning has gone. There were some… networking issues that took a little longer to sort out than planned. They have been dealt with and all is well with the world once more. At least, for the time being.

::: hangs up cape :::

Last night was relatively quiet. I hung out at home while SaraRules was at a club meeting. Then we met up at the mall and did a little shopping. Back home for some TV and downtime. I also worked on the railroad building for the Dr. Volt’s masterboard.

Stray Toasters

• Today is ‘s  farewell lunch. Pawit’s. Should be good.
• For reasons relating to solving this morning’s network snafu, is also my Human of the Day.
• For SaraRules: Eagles sending quarterback Donovan McNabb to Raiders? , by way of
• This morning, I had Nelly’s Shake Ya Tailfeather playing in my head. That was a good way to start the day.
• Sony’s PS3 Update Could Affect Supercomputer Users
• Xbox 360 to Accept Any and All USB Storage Starting April 6^th
• My new NFL jerseys have shipped. They should arrive early next week. This is good.
• Wye Oak: Tiny Desk Concert
• ::: This Space Left Intentionally Blank :::
• 
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Court OKs Repeated Tasering of Pregnant Woman
• My friend, Melissa S., posted a link about this fashion atrocity – which is apparently called a “Peekaroo” – on Facebook:
  

  With it, you can re-enact your very own version of the chest-burster scene from Alien.

• First Listen: Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings
• Gadget and video game-themed baked goods

Namaste.

Huh.  I just noticed that I’m actually dressed like my icon, with the exception of the tie color being different.

Friday – 26 March 2010
It’s snowing.

That’s right: Mother Nature’s silent mocking laughter, in the face of Spring, is descending upon the Land Behind the Zion Curtain. It’s not a blizzard (or “snowmaggedon” or “snowpocalypse”), but it’s snowing, nonetheless. Did I mention that I’m ready for Spring? The Council for Better Driving advises caution when taking to the streets today.

Last night, SaraRules and I visited her folks for a little bit. I had to take something to her father: A fresh new copy of the new TPB of The Middleman: The Collected Series Indispensability. He was pleasantly surprised by it. Yep, “Favored Son-In-Law” status: Confirmed.

After that, we went to dinner at Thai Orchid. (This came after we discovered that neither of us had taken the steaks we had planned to have for dinner out of the freezer to thaw…) I had forgotten that I’d been there a few months ago, with Josh and Marci. I had the Pad Kee Mao, which was moderately spicy, but very good.

When we got home, SaraRules tuned in Project Runway. They had an interesting challenge: The designers not only had to create a fashion item, but they got to design their own fabric, as well. Most of the choices were creative, some were… not-so-creative (and kind of boring). While watching this, I was going through the files I’d need to complete the gaming board for Dr. Volt’s. I thought that I had a decent handle on how to proceed, but when I started on it, I discovered that some of the pieces were slightly different measurements than I had thought. Not enough to completely stop production, but enough to make me consider a few things differently.

Stray Toasters

• Monkeys. *sigh* The phrase “Act your age, not your shoe size” has already been brought to mind this morning…
• WorldWorksGames has dropped another bombshell. TWO of them, actually:
  • Mayhem: Streets of Legend
  • Mayhem: Armoury 1

  Both are part of their TerrainlinX line, so they can be built modularly and are updates of a couple of their older sets: Streets of Mayhem and Mayhem Armoury, respectively. I saw these late last night/VERY early this morning, while working on the masterboard. And, yes, I snatched them up immediately. I have some buildin’ in my future, it seems…

• 
• Cancer Threat from Tanning Beds May Prompt FDA Changes
• I neglected to mention that my superpower kicked in the other night, while I was at the mall: I ran into Pat and Adriana, whom I haven’t seen in over six months. And, for a surprise-packed surprise: Adriana is pregnant! I had no idea.
• Zombie Survival Transportation
• How to Fit a House and Garage Into 2000 Stylish Sq. Ft.
• By way of Mike B. and the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file : ChatRoulette / Lady Gaga Telephone Mash-up
• Badass of the Week: Lydia Litvyak
• I said come on Fhqwhgads
  I said come on Fhqwhgads
• Ultra: 10 Songs to Shake the Dance Floor

I should figure out what I want to do for lunch…

Namaste.

Tuesday – 23 March 2010
This morning there was… well… to call it a “flurry” would be a bit of an overstatement. Yes, there were snow flakes. Yes, they were falling. But, no, they weren’t falling en masse. And, you sort of had to look to see that there really was snow falling and that it wasn’t an illusion or trick of light.

Last night, I needed some “down time.” I got it. It was good. I spent a portion of the time assembling a team of ‘Clix for tonight’s game with Chris.

I am often amused and stymied by the randomness of the music that pops into my head first thing in the morning. Today was no exception. This morning’s “Song Stuck on Repeat” was Only In My Dreams, by Debbie Gibson. Yeah. Really. And, to be honest, it wasn’t even the whole song. It was mostly just a few lines from the first verse. I blame my old dorm-mate, Mark D., for this one — he was a pretty big fan of hers, back in the day.  Thanks, Mark.

Stray Toasters

• The Arc of Electromagnetic Radiation Connection
• National Chains Turning to Free Food on Tuesday
  • Special Note: Today is Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry’s
• 
  
  The bill passed.  This is not necessarily a “bad” thing.  Move along. Thank you.
• From the far-too-infrequently-used “Cyberpunk” tag: The Beauty of Bones (and Skinput)
• Drink Darker Coffee for a Happier Stomach
• Nyx sent me a link to this:
  
  …which, in turn, reminded me of this:

  ….as well as the Closer fan video, but I figured that I’d keep things safe-for-work today.

• Binder Clips as Cable Catchers Redux
  This kind of simplicity and ingenuity reminds me of the old – and quite false – chestnut about NASA, in the early days of ‘The Space Race,’ attempting to develop a pen that would write in space (pesky ink vs. zero-gravity issues and whatnot…), where as the Russian space program found a very simple, but effective solution: They just used pencils.
• Wrecking ball lamp.  I like. Quite a bit. I’m not sure, but it might even find a spot on The Covet List.
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Row over ‘torture’ on French TV
• Youdunnit: Locked Room Murder, Backwards in Time
• From the “Double dumb-ass on you!” file: US couple jailed after boasting on TV about shoplifting toys

Back to the grind…

Namaste.

Monday – 22 March 2010
To quote Mr. Rogers: “It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood…” The sun’s getting ready to put in an appearance over the mountains, there are a few clouds in the sky (although the forecast says we’ll get some precipitation later in the day) and the temps are supposed to be in the middle 50s.

Yesterday was a somewhat lazy and quiet day. I slept in a bit and then hung out in the living room, playing on the Interwebs. After SaraRules got up, we headed over to Rich’s Bagels for a bite to eat before she had to head downtown for the last performance of The Italian Girl in Algiers. When she left, I had all kinds of grand designs of how I’d spend the afternoon:

• Drawing
• Building a WWG masterboard for Dr. Volt’s
• Playing LEGO Batman
• Reading comics

Suffice if to say that the world was my proverbial oyster! So, how did I spend my time?

Cleaning.

That’s right… cleaning. It needed to be done, so I can’t really say that it was a waste of time.

When I was done, I headed up to the local Beans & Brews for a frozen mocha (no shots, the espresso machine was on the fritz) and to sketch up a design for the WWG masterboard – I’m going to build a railroad station.

>> FAST FORWARD >>

SaraRules fixed a tasty dinner of seasoned shrimp over rice pilaf and I threw together a salad to go with it. We had a white wine – I can’t remember what it was though – to go with it; it was very palatable.

After dinner – and some shopping – we came home and watched Surrogates. It was a good movie and an interesting analogue to Gamer, in the same way that Armageddon and Deep Impact were analogous. I would have to say that Surrogates was a better movie, on the whole, though.

Stray Toasters

• I woke up this morning with Hey Ya! running through my head.
• Four Alternatives to Jeans as Usual
• It seems that we’re about to have a new health care bill. I, for one, say that this is a “good” thing.
• Nyx shared a picture that made me laugh… which is a great thing for a Monday morning:



• Palm’s sales slump as its new phones struggle
• Purdue’s men’s basketball team made it to the Sweet Sixteen. Next up: Duke.
• Antique Typewriters – The Martin Howard Collection

I need more coffee.

Namaste.

Sunday – 21 March 2010
Good morning, Second Day of Spring.
It’s a bright and sunny day outside. I can hear birds chirping in the trees outside the sliding glass door.

Yesterday also turned out to be a very nice day, weather-wise. Low-to-mid 50s, with lots of sun and no clouds. In fact, it was nice enough to ride around with the sunroof open and the windows down a bit.

SaraRules and I went to Cottonwood Cafe for lunch yesterday. One of these days, maybe I’ll remember how messy their Mushroom Bacon Cheeseburger is before I order it. (But, it’s oh so tasty…)  After lunch, we trekked south and west to visit Hobby Lobby. We wandered around the store for a bit; I found a couple of model railroading books that followed me home. Next stop: The Garden of Sweden. Miraculously, I walked out of there empty-handed. I was proud of myself. (Or is it that I was disappointed in them for not having anything that I couldn’t live without…?) After the fun part of the excursion, came the less-fun-but-just-as-important task of running errands.

After errands were run and there was no place else that we needed/wanted to go, we came home. SaraRules took a nap, I hopped on the nerd. After an hour-plus of surfing the Interwebs, I had a minor epiphany: I was hungry. I awakened SaraRules and we decided to get something to eat. We agreed upon Olive Garden, called Galadriel to see if she wanted to join us and we were on our way. We were seated inside of five minutes. Our server, Jaron, was pretty quick on the uptake. I had the calamari appetizer, Pasta e Fagioli soup and the Chicken and Shrimp Carbonara, washed down with a glass of Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay. Everything tasted very good.

Back home to finalize plans for the rest of the evening. We decided to go bowling. We figured that we’d check out Karen Pullman’s Pro Shop and Bowling Center, which is pretty much just around the corner from where we live. Nice place. Fifteen lanes. Not nearly as chaotic as Sandy All-Star Lanes used to be. Jana and Chris also joined us. My games were off — two of them were WAY off: I bowled 102, 106, 165. I couldn’t close a frame in the first two games to save my life. Seriously. And I missed some/most of the spares by inches. However, Galadriel had the hot hand last night: 144, 141, 186. Yeah, she was all over it.

Today, I have absolutely no idea what I want to do, let alone what I’m going to do. SaraRules has the final performance of The Italian Girl in Algiers this afternoon, which means that I’m a bachelor from about 1230 until 1800. We’ll have to see what comes up.

Stray Toasters

• Last night, I had a dream with my paternal grandfather in it. In the… over twenty years… that he’s been deceased, this is the first time that I recall having a dream with him in it.  Odd.
• 10 Essentials: Paul Smith
• We finally confirmed that the little girls who live upstairs are actually roller-skating in their kitchen. That fact is made even more scary/fascinating given how small the kitchen is.
• Mom-and-Pop Site Busts the Web’s Biggest Myths
• It appears as though Live+Press is working again.
• My Very Own Gagavolution
  Including a link, for those who haven’t seen it, to the video (NSFW) for Telephone
• Sequels, reboots bring sizzle to summer box office, by way of
• How did Lois afford that apartment anyway?
• Children’s Drawings, Painted Realistically
• Abraham Lincoln Reborn as a Vampire Hunter
• Bishops’ remains stolen in Cyprus
• And this is why I use Keynote:



And, for those who don’t get it: Edward Tufte.

Wednesday – 17 March 2010
Happy Green Lantern Day.
(And for the rest of you: Happy Saint Patrick’s Day.)
Today is also Comics and Sushi Wednesday — that’s right, it’s a three sushi meal week!
Win, Win and Win.

Last night was a low key night. There was no opera last night, so SaraRules had the night off. After work, we had dinner and then went on a trip to check out Tai Pan Trading. It was more… knick-knacks and what have you than we expected; we were thinking that there would be more furniture and larger goods. *shrug* Oh, well… now we know (and knowing is half the battle!). Next up, we hit the local Old Navy and Target and then headed back home.

Once we got in, SaraRules watched Project Runway; I split my time between watching Project Runway and my inner eyelids. I made a (quick-ish) run to Wal-Mart and then came home and watched a couple of shows that I’d recorded: Shatner’s Raw Nerve, with guest Leonard Nimoy, and an episode of Batman: The Brave and the Bold.

Stray Toasters

• Look around the Internet and you’ll find many articles about the National Broadband Plan and “FCC pushes to get broadband internet to more people.” Granted, I am a big fan of the Internet and of broadband, but… I find it interesting that people are so gung-ho about getting faster Internet, but can’t seem to wrap their heads around the idea of fixing the problems in our schools or in providing better health care – or even just BASIC health care – to Americans.
• New high-speed rail network could trump air travel
• WizKids! realized that they published the Power Girl ‘Clix figure and card without one kind of important stat: Super Strength. (Yeah, Kryptonians aren’t exactly known as being slouches in the strength department). They posted the corrected version on Monday.
• For Galadriel:
• 
• NASA Finds Shrimp Where No Advanced Life Should Be: 600 Feet Beneath Antarctic Ice
• LEGO + Ninjas = Awesomeness
• ClockworkZero: Cyberpunk and Steampunk Jewelry
• Michael Chabon on Columbia, MD
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: IRS visits Sacramento carwash in pursuit of 4 cents
• Florida Family Policy Council “mistakenly” uses wrong photo of lesbian parents
• Super power: Visualizing the internet — Of the 100 listed, I have 19 bookmarked.
• Break the law and your new ‘friend’ may be the FBI

And that’s good for now.

Namaste.

Tuesday – 16 March 2010
Last night, a group of us took the advice of Queen and had “A Night at the Opera.” We saw Utah Opera’s production of The Italian Girl in Algiers, by Rossini. Thanks to SaraRules, we had amazing seats: Grand Tier, second row center. This afforded an amazing view of the stage and supertitles.

The opera was more light-hearted than your standard fare. And, after the production, SaraRules informed me that it was directed by the same person who directed La Cenerentola a couple of years ago — once she said that, I could note similarities in the staging. It was a fun opera, made even more enjoyable by the group who went… and, more notably, by the fact that SaraRules was in the production. She was a supernumerary; her role was as one of the harem girls. She and her coworker, Melissa (another super in the production), even garnered a small write-up in The Salt Lake Tribune, where they were noted as being “remarkably funny.” It was a good way to spend the evening. The opera runs through Sunday, if you’re looking for a fun change of pace, you should consider seeing this production.

Stray Toasters

• I’m still finding things that I do – and don’t – like about MacJournal. Testing continues…
• Nude performers cause a stir at New York museum
• Steampunk St. Patrick’s Day video
• From the “Don’t call it a comeback, he’s been here for years” file: Tiger Woods to return to golf at Masters
• How to Make Peanut Butter and Jelly ‘Sushi’ Rolls
• You’re Leaving a Bacterial Fingerprint on Your Keyboard
• LaDainian Tomlinson is going from the Chargers to the Jets.
• Undateable: A Style Guide to Everything You’re Doing Wrong

Back to the grind.

Namaste.

Monday – 15 March 2010
“Beware the Ides of March…”

Saturday’s tournament went well. In a 500-point limit match, you expect to see scores in the 1300-1500 range, for the winner. Not so with this event: The winner clocked in with 1767 points — he had a feat on some characters that garnered him extra points for winning. Well played. Well played, indeed.

After the tournament, SaraRules and I did some errand-running. In the snow. That’s right: Snow. BLAH. But we trudged on. And, when she left to make her stage call for the opera, I kept running errands. (They had to get done and weren’t going to get done by themselves.)

After the running around had been buttoned-up, I still managed to make it to The E-Center and caught the third period of the Grizzlies hockey game. (I bought the ticket; I should get to enjoy the game, at least.) Galadriel, Mary, Matt and I went to Hopper’s for post-game dinner. I had the “Far From Philadelphia” cheese steak sandwich and fries… and a Madame X Stout.

Sunday morning, I woke up and played around on the Interwebs until SaraRules got up. We had a light breakfast and then headed to Cedar City to hang out with Lish — who was in town for Josh’s wedding — for a while.

SaraRules and Lish got to talk shop and catch up on things. Then we headed to find something for dinner, which was no small feat in Cedar City on a Sunday evening. We went to Ninja Japanese Steakhouse and Sushi. (Who’d’ve thought it…?!) We sat at a hibachi table, so we got dinner and a show. I had the Steak and Chicken combination, with gyoza and a couple of pieces of Ika nigiri. Yep, there’s a chance that this is a two-sushi-meal week. Mm-hmm, that’s right! After dinner, we dropped Steve off and made our way northward… by way of the local Dairy Queen.

Stray Toasters

• Hopefully, everyone remembered to “Spring Forward” and didn’t wind up an hour late for anything yesterday… or today.
• Yesterday was also Pi Day.
• Fake Russian invasion broadcast sparks Georgian panic
• ‘Mission: Impossible’ actor Peter Graves dead at 83
• Artist Helps New York ‘LEGO’ of Its Crumbling Buildings, courtesy of Amy
  • When she showed me this, it reminded me of an article that I had seen a while ago. I clicked through a link in the article and found the very item that I was thinking of, this.
• Coffee inhaler. Why have I not heard of this before?!

Duty calls.
Namaste.

Saturday – March 13, 2010
Last night, SaraRules and I forewent (yes, I checked to make sure that “forewent” is an actual word) our usual Friday night doings and headed downtown. After a tasty dinner at Macaroni Grill, we headed to the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center to see Wallace. It was… two-plays-in-one, but performed in alternating parts. It was well-acted and very well-done. After the play, we met up with the Clitorati crew for “non-dinner” (at least for us).

Today, I am judging a ‘Clix tournament at noon. I am curious to see how the players take to today’s format. I’m calling today’s scenario “Mosaic,” in no small part due to the Green Lantern series of the same name. In today’s scenario, all games will be played on the same map — this is to put everyone on a level playing field, so to speak. The biggest variable will be Battlefield Conditions (BFCs), which change the overall game conditions. Each game will start with a BFC… but the BFCs will change every ten (10) minutes.

Also happening today, SaraRules hits the stage in Utah Opera’s production of The Italian Girl in Algiers. She’s a supernumerary in the production. Her role: Harem girl. The show runs through Sunday, 21 March 2010; if you have the opportunity, you should check it out.

Stray Toasters

• Don’t forget: Daylight Saving Time begins at 0200 on Sunday, 14 March 2010.
  (And, yes, it’s “saving,” singular… not “savings,” plural.)
• At the Guggenheim, the Art Walked Beside You, Asking Questions
• WizKids has unveiled their latest figure from The Brave and the Bold set: Power Girl

• Georgian monasteries offer to take in prisoners
• Marque Cornblatt retrospective art opening in Baltimore
• 
• US Census infographics from 1870 — NOTE: The click-through link loads slowly (graphics-heavy).
• Beheaded Vikings found at Olympic site
• Laptop sleeve made out of recycled wetsuits
• More Than Super: Searching for Christ in comic book culture

Quote of the Day
Yesterday, I semi-watched Titan A.E., the last film produced by Fox Animation Studios. (Added trivia: Don Bluth – whose studio did the animation for the Dragon’s Lair video game – was one of the co-directors of the film.) The movie contains one of my all-time favorite movie quotes: At the movie’s climax, Cale (voiced by Matt Damon) and Akima (Drew Barrymore) walk around a newly-formed planet – think “Genesis Planet” from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan:

Cale: I think I’ll call it… “Bob.”
Akima: You can’t call a planet “Bob.”
Cale: So now you’re the boss. You’re the King of Bob.
Akima: Can’t we just call it “Earth”?
Cale: No one said you have to live on Bob.
Akima: I’m never calling it that.

And that’s a wrap — I need to finish getting ready and ease on down the road…

Namaste.

Tuesday – 09 March 2010
Another workin’ day in the valley…  This one begins with a few high clouds, but they’re moving eastward and they seem to be leaving sunlight in their wake.  I’m good with that.

Last night, I treated myself to dinner at Outback Steakhouse. I had been craving their bad-for-you-but-oh-so-tasty Aussie Cheese Fries for about a week and decided that it was time to do something about it. So… I decided to go. Stag. When I mentioned this to a couple of people I got the “raised eyebrow” treatment:

“You’re going… by yourself?”
“Yep.”
::: blank stare :::

I don’t understand why it is that going out to eat alone is such an alien concept. People go shopping alone. They go to the movies alone. It seems, to me, a natural progression that one might choose to eat out alone. *shrug* Oh, well.

Dinner was good. I got the full order of cheese fries, which means that I have a fair-sized portion of left-overs waiting in the fridge.  My steak was good, despite originally brought to the table slightly undercooked. I sent it back so they could do more than just scare it with the flame. Both my waitress and the manager we quite amenable about the whole thing. All-in-all, it was a rather pleasant dining experience.

Stray Toasters

• Female WWII Pilots: The Original Fly Girls
  I have to say that I’m a little disappointed that NPR missed having this article ready yesterday, in time for International Women’s Day.
  
• How Henrietta Lack’s cells fueled medical breakthroughs
• For and shockpuppet:



• Purdue Men’s Basketball Brings Home a Bevy of Conference Honors
• Have you seen the latest trailer for Tron: Legacy? If not, click here and enjoy.
• Straight out of the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” files:
  Yesterday, posted the following:

  [19:11] ok r0b
  [19:11] i know you’re into star wars.  and legos.
  [19:12] but can you identify star wars lego figurines using ONLY YOUR MOUTH?   cause this german kid can:

  I shared the vid with my friend, Eric.  He countered with this:
  

  I shared that video with who, in a masterful stroke, retaliated with:
  

• Boldin Seeking Revenge on Steelers
• By way of come a couple of things:
  • Up, Up & Away – Get Your Own Jet Pack for $75k (This goes squarely on The Covet List.  Duh.)
  • 1024-bit RSA encryption cracked by carefully starving CPU of electricity
• Real-life Hurt Locker: How Bomb-proof Suits Work

Namaste.

Saturday – 06 March 2010
Today… I’m not really sure exactly what I’m doing today. SaraRules is currently off at quilting; I don’t really have anything that I have to do. After she gets back, there will be a bit of errand-running, but beyond that…? No clue. I may run up to Dr. Volt’s and actually play a game or two of ‘Clix (as opposed to running around, answering rules questions). We shall see…

Yesterday, I went to visit Perry and the kids for a bit. We’re still trying to see if we’re going to make it to the Hostlers Model Railroad Festival this weekend. After that, I headed back home to wait for SaraRules to get home so that we could run some errands. Then, it was time for Clitorati.

Chew on This: Food for Thought
I was going through an old notebook and came across the following quote:

We excuse ourselves from greater efforts. We learn to be good and to treat well those who treat us well. But we don’t give ourselves over to that which demands not goodness, but greatness.
-Paul Darcy, author/speaker, Sacred Journey (Aug. 2004)

Stray Toasters

• I just found myself craving a Chicken Filet Biscuit from Bojangle’s. *sigh*
• A few days ago, I posted a link to this Evil, Inc. webcomic. I was talking with MarknTyme, and he mentioned that he “…didn’t get the bulletin board reference.” It was kind of obscure, to be honest — the last two panels of the strip reference A Cask of Amontillado, a story by Edgar Allan Poe.
• And, since we’ve mentioned Mr. Poe, that gives a (loose) tie to the next item: Ravens Trade for WR Anquan Boldin
• The Brave and the Bold Preview: Green Lantern and Green Arrow

  

  GL/GA duo figure. Quite nice. It also seems that Captain Jordan is getting a lot of play (so to speak) in the world of HeroClix lately:

  • He had a solo figure in the Crisis set, released in 2008
  • This figure — and the GL/Flash figure — being released next month and
  • The figure being released in the Blackest Night Starter Set, in May.
• US administration to block vote on Turkey ‘genocide’
• Infographic: Mega Shark, courtesy of
  (Don’t forget to click on the link at the bottom of the first paragraph, either!)
• 
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: South Korean couple starved child while raising “virtual baby”
• Android Phone Grows Up, Becomes Brain for Real Robot
• From CNN and HLN: Gunn: Kardashian look is vulgar
• The Jobs of Yesteryear: Obsolete Occupations
• New Jersey snow sculpture gets frosty reception

I should probably get some coffee and prepare to face the day.

Namaste.

Wednesday – 03 March 2010
Midweek.
Today and tomorrow left in the work week.
It’s Comics and Sushi Wednesday.
And all appears to be well.

It turned out that SaraRules didn’t have rehearsal last night; she did, however, have plans to go swimming with my brother-in-law. So, she did that. I didn’t really feel terribly inclined to sit at home and play videogames (no, really, I feel fine…), so I headed over to the local Barnes & Noble and did a little drawing. I got three small/rough figures done. It wasn’t a lot, but it was nominally productive. I may go again tonight; we shall see.

For the past four-and-a-half months, I’ve been using shaving creams – Razorantium and Prince Triple Orange Blossom – from Lush. Fabulous products. (A tip of the hat and a nod to SaraRules for introducing me to Lush products.) I’m out of the creams and waiting for delivery of replacements, so I had to fall back to using Edge Pro Gel. While it’s not quite the same shave as I get from the Lush shaving creams, there is one benefit from using the Pro Gel: I can shave Better. Stronger. Faster… mainly because I can actually see the lather from the Pro Gel, as opposed to the more lotion-like nature of the shaving cream.

Stray Toasters

• I consider myself reasonably intelligent and occasionally even smart. (Yes, there is a difference; for the gamers out there, think INT vs. WIS) Despite this, there are times when I just miss something, regardless of the number of signs pointing the way. Case in point: I just realized, within the past… month or two, I guess… that this Thomas Broening is the same Thomas Broening that I went to school with. I’ve seen his work in a number of ad magazines over the years, but for whatever reason, 2+2 never equalled 4. Yep… I’m a genius.
• The 25 Most Common Cooking Mistakes, by way of
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file:
  • Newly-weds spend honeymoon night in prison
  • FAA: Child in air traffic tower talking to pilots ‘not acceptable’
• U.S. Declassifies Part of Secret Cybersecurity Plan
• If I have to explain why this amuses me… *shrug*



• Multiracial no longer boxed in by the Census
• I got my certain and my
  sure ‘nough on
  and I’m puttin’ on my really
  for real
  You face that curtain with
  your best stuff on
  You are the winner and
  you’re gonna feel

  You can be what you want to
  and all you need is to
  get your boogie down

  • And, as for today’s sure ‘nough: Black blazer (with blue pocket square), white shirt, black/blue/white tie,  black suede vest, grey slacks, black shoes.
• Before there was Beakman and Bill Nye, there was Mr. Wizard.
• Army sees sharp rise in unfit soldiers
• City of Heroes has made a couple of announcements concerning Issue 17: Dark Mirror and Going Rogue.

Namaste.

Tuesday – 02 March 2010
Yesterday turned out to be far less doom-laden than I had anticipated. I consider that (and the fact that I quelled the urge to throat-punch people) One Little Victory.

Last night, with no Olympics to watch, it was “Catch Up on One Hour of 24” night. I think I’m only 4 hours behind now. But, as SaraRules has opera rehearsal for the rest of the week, I might just be able to catch all the way up on this season.

Workout
SaraRules and I also hit the gym last night:

• Elliptical: 10 minutes/5.5 MPH (avg)
• Squats: 3 sets/10 reps, 65 lbs
• Leg Curls: 3 sets/10 reps, 70 lbs
• Leg Extensions: 3 sets/10 reps, 70 lbs
• Compound Row: 3 sets/12 reps, 125 lbs
• Flys (dumbbell, bench): 3 sets/10 reps, 20 lbs
• Side Bends (dumbbell): 3 sets/10 reps, 30 lbs
• Tricep Press: 3 sets/15 reps, 60 lbs
• Treadmill: 3 minutes/3.0 MPH (avg)

This morning’s weight: 182.0 lbs

Stray Toasters

• I just got back from a team meeting that culminated in a lunch at Pawit’s Royal Thai. Win.
• The Coffee Wars Will Not End Until America Is a Shaking Heap of Overstimulation
• Why We Gain Weight As We Age
• From NPR Music: First Listen: Gorillaz
• Yesterday, posted a link to this video:

  I countered with an oldie, but goodie: The Art of the Saber

• Lady Gaga says she is single — and celibate
  To be honest, my first reaction was “Who cares?”  But, I read the article anyway. The fourth and sixth paragraphs made it worthwhile.
• Dorothy Dandridge: Hollywood Trailblazer, But With a Price
• It took me a couple of moments to figure this out, but when I did, it made me laugh:



• Also by way of : Not a lie: Valve updates Portal with secret radio broadcast images
• The 10 Most Addictive Sounds in the World
• If Chess Were Redesigned by MMORPG Developers

Namaste.

Monday – 01 March 2010
There’s an old proverb that says “March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.” Looking outside, it’s sunny and clear – at least as clear as the valley gets when the smog/inversion sets in. It’s supposed to be somewhere around 50F today. If this is a lion, it must be Kimba, the White Lion.

I watched the third period and overtime of the Team U.S.A. vserus Team Canada hockey match for the Olympic gold medal. Wow… That was an excellent game. I can only imagine how dejected the American players were at the loss, but they played very well. Kudos to them one a well-played game.

Last night, Bonne, Logan and Justin came over for dinner – mahi mahi, rice pilaf and salad – and a movie: Dead Snow. Dinner was quite delicious. The movie was… pretty damned good, actually. The synopsis:

A ski vacation turns horrific for a group of medical students, as they find themselves confronted by an unimaginable menace: Nazi zombies.

I think the only thing that they left out of that synopsis was: “Hijinks ensue” or “Mayhem ensues,” either fits.  While it wasn’t necessarily an Oscar-calibre movie, it was entertaining and fun.

Stray Toasters

• It’s definitely “a Monday.”
  I’m trying to determine where my alignment is today (trending towards “Neutral”)… and whether I should use the 9-position grid or the “flat” alignment system.
• How to Live a Simple and Peaceful Life
• America’s Worst French Fries (And What You Should Eat Instead!)
• Pounding in your temples
  And a surge of adrenaline
  Every muscle tense-
  To fence
  The enemy within
• Palladia is a nice amalgamation of Viacom’s MTV Networks (MTV/VH1/CMT) programming… where they actually (are you ready for this…?) play music!
• Gene test to aid cancer treatment
• *grblsnrkx*
• Duel 365
• I should go bowling. Soon.
• Russia-Georgia border crossing reopens
• ZipList

He knows changes aren’t permanent
But change is…

Namaste.