Random Access

Saturday – 29 August 2009
The morning started earlier than it should have as called this morning. While there was a breach of “The 10 O’Clock Rule,” she was the harbinger of good tidings: Our rings are ready. Earlier than expected, but a nice surprise.

I immediately went back to bed. A few hours later, at a more reasonable hour, I got up. Not sure what I’m doing with the rest of the day, but I’m most likely heading out for poker tonight.

Yesterday, and I headed downtown to pick up copies of Snow Leopard. SaraRules, taking a lunch break, met us at the Apple Store. The three of use went to The Counter for lunch. They offer custom-built burgers, but not just beef, they also offer turkey, veggie and grilled chicken. Between the meat, bun and topping offerings, diners can make over 300,000 combinations. It was a little more pricey than we’d expected, but well worth it.

Stray Toasters

• Great Geek Debates: Stormtrooper vs. Redshirt
• By way of MarknTyme: Classiest Star Wars Action Figure Displays You’ve Ever Seen
• Alien Resurrection is on FX. Not a “great” movie, but they just hit my favorite scene: The body banks in the med-lab, where the failed Ripley clones were kept.
• Io9 Smackdown: Who’s TV’s Biggest Badass of All Time
• NASA’s Most Awesomely Weird Mission Patches
• 
• 10 TV Shows That Should Never, Ever Be Made Into Movies
• From Comic Book Resources: DC Universe Online’s Green Lantern Revealed

  

• Garlic and Herb Pita Chips from Whole Foods == far more addictively tasty than they should be
• A New Look at Brain Control

Namaste.

Friday – 28 August 2009
Welcome to the weekend… well, almost the weekend. It’s my “On” Friday, but I’m off next Friday… which will kick off a four-day weekend, thanks to Labor Day. And, as the first one in the bullpen today, I kicked off the morning with Tank! and 2112. That’s not such a bad way to start the morning.

Last night, SaraRules and I went to dinner at Cafe Zupas; it was a nice change of pace. I had the Honey Bacon Club panini and the Shrimp and Sausage Gumbo; SaraRules had the Thai Peanut Chicken Salad and the Yucatan Chicken Tortilla Soup.

After dinner, we met SaraRules’ coworker – and former schoolmate – Melissa at the gym for a workout:

• Calf Raises – 3 sets/10 reps, 100 lbs
• Leg Curls – 3 sets/10 reps, 70 lbs
• Leg Extensions – 3 sets/10 reps, 70 lbs
• Lower Back Extensions – 3 sets/10 reps
• Bench Press – 3 sets/10 reps, 185 lbs
• Sit-ups (incline) – 3 sets/10 reps
• Curls (dumbbell) – 3 sets/10 reps, 25 lbs
• Tricep Extensions (rope) – 3 sets/15 reps, 50 lbs
• Core (plank) – 3 sets, 45 seconds

Stray Toasters

• and I are heading out to get Snow Leopard in a little bit.
• I’m  torn about what I want to get from WWG before TerrainLinx hits on Tuesday.
• ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ cupcakes
• Homeland Security Changes Laptop Search Policy
• The Dolphins – my #2 AFC team – beat the Bucs last night, 10 – 6.  This makes me happy.
• Annotated ‘Walking Dead’ Google Map
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot..?!” file: Policeman busted for feeding Pop Tarts to gorillas
• Microsoft Officially Lowers the Price of Xbox 360 Systems

Yeah, that’ll do for now.

Namaste.

Thursday – 27 August 2009
Last night, after going to pick up this week’s comics, SaraRules surprised me with dinner at Rodizio Grill. And, as it was “Wild Wednesday” at Rodizio, they featured a couple of exotic meats: Alligator Sausage and Elk. Very filling. Very tasty. Repeat after me: “Food coma.” (But, it was oh, so very worth it…)

Once again, there’s a long list o’ books in this week’s Four-Color Coverage, so I’m going to post it after Stray Toasters.

Stray Toasters

• I completely spaced off the fact that our reps from Avocent were coming to the office this morning.
• And after that, back-to-back meetings.  YAY!
• and I are following the yellow brick road to the Emerald City Apple Store to get copies of Snow Leopard tomorrow.
• California to hold “garage sale”
• Microsoft apologizes for changing race in photo
• Denny and the folks at WorldWorks Games just put out a teaser video for their new TerrainLinx system, which is supposed to drop in a few days.

  The first system is going to be in their Himmelveil line, which is mainly for fantasy gaming, but can be easily used to represent European construction/architecture. And, as good as this set looks, I can’t wait to see what they do with their modern “Urban Mayhem” sets…

• …and, to top things off, they’re having a 20% off sale on regularly-price catalog items between now and the 31st. *sigh*
• Museum’s “moon rock” is just a rock
• Kidnapped California Girl Comes Forward 18 Years Later
• My gym partners can’t go to the gym this afternoon, so it looks like I’m going later this evening.

Four-Color Coverage
Lots of goodies on the list this week. So, without further ado:

• Batman and Robin #3 – For all of his claims that he’s “not Bruce,” Dick Grayson sure pulls an eerily similar Batman when he wants to. Robin the Boy Hostage Wonder is up to his domino mask in trouble, but he has a plan. And they come up with info about Progessor Pyg’s nefarious scheme for Gotham City… but what can they do about it?

  

• Blackest Night
  • Blackest Night: Titans #1 (of 3) – On Heroes Day, the Titans take time to remember and honor their dead. (And, let’s face it: There are a LOT of dead Titans…) Beast Boy and Starfire share different viewpoints about Terra‘s tenure with the team. Shortly after that, he goes for a stroll along the beach… and winds up meeting an unexpected visitor. (“Unexpected” as long as you didn’t see the cover of the issue.) And, the black rings start to appear. Looks like it’s going to be a busy (Blackest) Night for the Titans.

    

  • Green Lantern #45 – Star Sapphires and The Sinestro Corps battle of the Sapphires’ homeworld of Zamaron. When Sinestro himself crashes the party, who steps up to call him out: Carol Ferris – it’s a serious, no bars hold “Game on” for these two. Any guesses what happens when some formerly deceased Sinestro Corps members show up… sporting black rings? And does anyone care to lay odds on what happens when Agent Orange gets an unexpected visit from [SPOILER DELETED]?

    

• Buck Rogers #3 – This book just continues to be fun. And a good read. Scott Beatty has a good sense for  pacing the story and continues to balance telling a story in two time periods: The 21st Century and the 25th Century. And, I think that my favorite line from the issue has to be:
  

  Who says no one can hear you scream in space?

  It was the perfect follow-up to the sequence that preceded it. If you’re not reading this book, you are missing out.

  

• Codename: Patriot
  • Superman #691 – Mon-El takes on Metallo, Reactron and Miribai under the streets of Metropolis, while General Lane opens the throttle on Project 7734.

    

  • Superman’s Pal: Jimmy Olsen Special #2 – Jimmy finds someone else with information about Project 7734. [SPOILER DELETED] drops in for a visit… but, are they friend or foe?

    

• Fantastic Four #570 – Jonathan Hickman and Dale Eaglesham have taken over writing and art duties, and they’ve set up an interesting story line that appears to involve the Marvel Multiverse once again… AND it even links back to Reed’s tie to Civil Bore War. But, the stories best moments for this issue came when the FF wasn’t busy busting heads, but rather when they were just being a family.

  

• The Flash: Rebirth #4 – As if he wasn’t doing enough with the Green Lantern Corps (and seemingly every other book in the DCU), Geoff Johns rewrites the book on The Flash. Eobard Thawne, also known as Professor Zoom ,the original Reverse-Flash, is back. And class is in session. Thawne gives Barry Allen a lesson in history. And pain. Next on the syllabus: Loss. Also, Max Mercury gives Barry a lesson in what the Speed Force really is. The question is: How quick a study is Barry Allen? (Does the nickname “The Fastest Man Alive” mean anything?  Yeah, it does.)

  

• Justice Society of America #30 – This issue was… well… “okay.” I didn’t really find it great, but it wasn’t a complete throw-away issue, either. It was mediocre. To be honest: It was the last 8 pages that “saved” this issue for me. Not so much because they were utterly amazing, but more because they lay the groundwork for a couple of plots that look promising.

  

• The Last Days of Animal Man #4 (of 6) – After three issues of trying to figure out what’s wrong with his powers – and getting his butt handed to him by Bloodrage and Prismatik – Buddy Baker has a couple of realizations and makes a decision.

  

• Ms. Marvel #44 – If Norman Osborn has Ms. Marvel in custody, then who’s in the lobby of Avengers Tower? He wants answers. And, he’s not the only one.

  

• The New Avengers #56 – On tonight’s episode of Shaq vs “Mockingbird vs,” most of the Avengers are down and Mockingbird takes on The Wrecking Crew… and a few of their friends. Norman Osborn – the hardest working man in show business superheroing – plays Let’s Make a Deal. Oddly enough, so does someone else. Who’s going to make the better deal?

  

• New Mutants #4 – Let’s see… David Haller, Professor Xavier’s son, is back. His psyche is as splintered as ever. And it’s up to the New Mutants to keep him busy until the X-Men arrive. That’s not going to be an easy feat considering that: Karma and Magik are MIA, Dani Moonstar is (still) de-powered and Cannonball is having doubts about his abilities as team leader.   The last page – especially the last panel – makes the whole issue worthwhile.

  

• Wonder Woman #35 – Diana and Dinah (Black Canary), between fights in Roulette’s underground fight club, hang out in Tokyo. While this take on Dinah still doesn’t seem to match up exactly with what I’ve come to expect from the character, I was able to find a lot of the character I remembered in this issue. Meanwhile, Diana finds a sparring partner who is able to give her a challenge.

  

Namaste.

Wednesday – 26 August 2009
Midweek and all’s well.
And, it’s Comics Wednesday; whether or not it involves any sushi remains to be seen.

Last night was a low-key, stay-at-home kind of evening. SaraRules and I caught an episode of NCIS that we hadn’t seen before from two seasons ago; that was pretty cool. After that, we watched Shaq vs. In last night’s episode, Shaq challenged two-time Olympic gold medalists Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh to a game of beach volleyball.

It. Was. Pure. Comedy.

Shaq, with his usual swagger, issued his challenge and then set about training… kind of… for the event. At stake: If he lost, he had to walk down Hermosa Beach in a bright pink Speedo, with “Shaq” printed on the back. He consulted Serena Williams for tips on the female athelete mindset. Then, he checked in with a few members of the U.S. Men’s Volleyball Team, for some coaching and to pick a teammate – Todd Rogers. The episode was fun to watch and made a nice summer off-season filler. If you’re interested in checking out the episode, you can see it – in its entirety – at the Shaq vs link, above.

Stray Toasters

• I had ice cream last night for a snack, since we didn’t have any ice cream at the office yesterday.
  suggested “More swearing = more ice cream”
  (He makes a good point, though…)
• Senator Edward Kennedy dies at 77
• The Unofficial Thomas Pynchon Guide to Los Angeles
• 
• pointed out: Steam Car Breaks World Speed Record at 140 mph
• Microsoft in web photo racism row
• 
• By way of Paul (coworker) – not to be confused with Paul (boss) – comes: TK409
• posted a link to a really good look at why Superman “works” – and/or doesn’t work – for some people as a character: This Issue: SUPERMAN DOESN’T DIE.
  *** I recommend reading this to both comics and non-comics fans.… except possibly l.
• Defiant has music once again!
• sent a link to: Poodle doodles: Dogs are transformed into pandas, horses and even snails in a barking mad grooming craze
  Words fail…
• Tactical Canned Bacon (You just can’t make something like this up.)

Namaste.

Tuesday – 25 August 2009
Last night was the first of the three times that the Ravens will appear on Monday Night Football this (pre-)season. They hosted the New York Jets at M&T Bank Stadium.

New York Jets at Baltimore Ravens
23 – 24
The first quarter of the game most decidedly belonged to the Ravens’ defense.  Haloti Ngata picked off a Mark Sanchez pass and returned it for a touchdown; on the next series, Ray Lewis nearly picked off another Sanchez pass. RB Ray Rice ran in a three-yard touchdown, to give the Ravens a 14-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.The second and third quarters were a little more favorable to New York, seeing them put 17 points on the board, while Baltimore was only able to capitalize on a Jameel McClain interception. In the fourth, the Jets pulled within one point of tying the Ravens, and opted to run a two-point conversion for the go-ahead win, with roughly 30 seconds left in the quarter. The attempt failed and Baltimore walked away with the win.

Workout
Wes and I hit the gym for a lunchtime workout:

• Calf Raises: 3 sets/10 reps, 100 lbs
• Leg Extensions: 3 sets/10 reps, 70 lbs
• Leg Curls: 3 sets/10 reps, 70 lbs
• Sit-ups (incline): 3 sets/20 reps
• Bench Press: 3 sets/10 reps – 1 set each: 225 lbs, 205 lbs, 185 lbs
• Lat Pull-downs: 3 sets/10 reps, 120 lbs
• Pectoral Fly: 3 sets/10 reps, 100 lbs – with 10 second hold on 10th rep
• Lower Back Extensions: 3 sets/10 reps

Weight (morning): 184.5 lbs

Stray Toasters

• There seems to be far too much blood in my caffeinestream today.
• Free cake!
  (Now, if we only had some ice cream to go with it…)
• 
• This isn’t quite “steampunk,” but I’m sure that it could be easily adapted.
• Don’t get me wrong
  If I split, like light refracted…
• While its name is built a good pun, I have also found that Dawn of the Lead is an interesting  and well put-together site (mostly) about zombie miniatures and gaming.
• 1000 surveillance cameras = 1 solved crime in the UK
• 
• Street Magic Wedding Proposal
• Behind the 4GB Memory Limit in 32-Bit Windows

Namaste.

Tuesday – 18 August 2009
Another day in the mines.

Last night, SaraRules and I went to dinner at El Chihuahua. We ate. We talked. We watched football. After that, we ran a couple of errands – one of which involved a Hostess Fruit Pie (but perhaps I’ve said too much…) – and then headed home for a quiet evening in.

The management at our apartment complex is having some of the roads in the complex repaved. I think that this would be referred to as a “Charlie Foxtrot” in the military.

Football Update
The Panthers traveled to New York to take on the N.Y. Giants for their first preseason game. (GameCenter) They put on a… decent… showing. The first half was primarily the Giants’ half. Somewhere in the second half, the Panthers seemed to remember why they were there.

With under two minutes left in the game, QB Josh McCown executed a rather impressive drive that went in for a touchdown AND two-point conversion to tie the game at 17. The Giants had a chance to drive downfield, but couldn’t. On the first play of the Panthers’ next drive, McCown, setting up a pass play, had the ball knocked from his hand, which was recovered – in the air – by a Giants’ lineman and run back for the go-ahead winning touchdown… just as time ran out.

Carolina: 17
Giants: 24

And, in other gridiron news: Brett Favre is back in Minnesota…

Workout
Marci and I went to the gym this afternoon:

• Calf Raises: 3 sets/10 reps, 100 lbs
• Leg Extensions: 3 sets/10 reps, 70 lbs
• Leg Curls: 3 sets/10 reps, 70 lbs
• Sit-ups (incline): 3 sets/20 reps
• Bench Press: 3 sets/10 reps, 185 lbs
• Tricep Extensions (bar): 3 sets/12 reps, 80 lbs
• Curls (dumbbell, hammer grip): 3 sets/10 reps, 25 lbs
• Reverse Punches (dumbbell): 3 sets/10 lbs
  • Set 1: 20 reps
  • Set 2: 10 reps

Weight (morning): 184.5 lbs

Stray Toasters

• Last night, I was messaged by someone I haven’t spoken with in nearly five (5) years. It was a bit of a shock, pleasantly so… but surprising, nonetheless.
• By way of : While I Was Away

• IKEA Draper Crayfish Party
• Utah Museum of Fine Arts is holding a film and lecture series, beginning next week.
• Why Is PETA Making Fun of Fat Women?
• I’m a fan of Bobby McFerrin. Check out his rendition of The Pink Panther Theme
• Insanewiches
• Car 54 Jamar Nicholas, Where Are You?
• pointed this out to me: Do You Wanna Date My Avatar?

• Has the Spidey Musical been deep-sixed?
• But we’re never gonna survive
  Unless we are a little crazy…

Quote of the Day
Today’s quote is gleaned from a conversation I had last night with . He wanted to make sure that we were alright with Bit and Pixel being at the wedding ceremony (in the chapel, that is).  Duh – we only get to see them (or at least Bit, to this point) every so often; naturally, we want them there. That led to the following:

9:47:10 PM : aiiight so urchins ok, i’ll load them both up with nyquil.
9:47:21 PM : heh or mountain dew
9:47:24 PM : either way, fun at parties
9:47:26 PM : 🙂
9:47:59 PM : SaraRules: “How about one and one?”
9:48:06 PM : “He gets to pick which one.”
9:48:24 PM : hahaha ok awesome, Bit on mountain dew then.  i’ve been wanting to play with THAT shotgun for months.

Namaste.

Sunday – 16 August 2009
It’s cold cool – far cooler than one would expect for the middle of August in SLC. It’s 64°F and today’s projected high is only 74°F. But, it’s sunny, so there’s… something.

This morning has been lazy, so far. Just me, Defiant and the Interwebs. I should probably think about eating something in the next little while.

<< Rewind <<
Friday night, SaraRules and I went up to Park City to the Deer Valley Music Festival to hear the Utah Symphony perform Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. It rained intermittently… but only for a couple of minutes at a time. Bizarre. The performance consisted of:

• Fanfare for the Common Man (Aaron Copland)
• Overture to Colas Breugnon (Dmitri Kabalevsky)
• Rhapsody in Blue (George Gershwin)
• Suite from Swan Lake, op. 20a (Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky)
• Appalachian Spring (Aaron Copland)

The featured pianist, for Rhapsody, was Edisher Savitsky. His take on Rhapsody was very interesting – he played some passages quite slowly, others were spritely and animated. But his performance was delightful.

Saturday morning, we met SaraRules’ parents, Logan and Sanaz (Logan’s girlfriend) for breakfast at Millcreek Cafe and Eggworks. I have driven past the cafe many times – on the way to/from Dr. Volt’s or Oh Sushi!, but I’ve never really thought twice about checking it out. That was my mistake. It was a nice place, with good food at reasonable prices.

Next up, we went to see District 9. All I can really say about the movie – without giving anything away – is “Wow.” I was duly impressed. I had avoided reading any reviews or commentary about the movie, so that I could go into it “cold” and without any prejudice. And I am pleased to say that it was the right call.

Chris called and asked if I wanted to play ‘Clix. (Hm, playing twice in one week…) I headed over to his place for some gaming. We played the Superman family (me) versus the Shazam family. It was a much closer fight than either of us really expected – it literally came down to “last man standing” on both sides: Superman (Justice League) for me, Shazam! (Unleashed, Kingdom Come). Chris’ Captain Marvel edged out Superman in the last turn for the win. It was a lot of fun and a battle that we’re considering playing again.

> Play >
There’s no preseason game today. Fortunately, NFL Network – which is quickly becoming one of my favorite channels – is rebroadcasting some of the past week’s games. Win-Win!

I’m not really sure what’s on tap for today. We’re most likely going to hit the gym at some point. And we’re having dinner with SaraRules’ family this evening.

Stray Toasters

• SaraRules starts a new job at Utah Symphony/Utah Opera tomorrow.
• Legion Blogpost: We’re Back! Who Are We?!
• Thai elephant gets artificial leg
• Do-It-Yourself Guru Makes Treasures from Trash
• Room to swing a cat? Hardly
• 
• ‘It Might Get Loud’ takes measure of 3 guitar heroes
• Woman ‘to join Iranian Cabinet’
• Taking the Great American Road Trip, Google-style
• Moderate drinking ‘boosts bones’

Namaste.

Thursday – 13 August 2009
This week has been cruising right along.

Happy Birthday to :

I also talked with last night. He informed me of the following:

• Bot and Pixel are doing well.
• Bit has a few new words. (And, yes, one of them is “Mama.”)
• Grandparents just don’t understand.

Reeling By on Celluloid: The Last King of Scotland
SaraRules and I watched this movie last nig.ht. It told the story of Idi Amin’s reign as “President for Life” of Uganda in the 1970s, from the point of view of his personal physician. Forest Whitaker portrayed Amin; James McAvoy portrayed Nicholas Garrigan, his doctor. After college, Garrigan goes to Uganda, looking to make a difference in the world. Through a random occurance, winds up meeting Amin, who has just ascended to power in a coup. From there the movie follows Garrigan as he becomes entangled in the complicated world of  Amin’s fight to maintain power and control.

The movie was very well done and didn’t pull any punches in bringing some of the horrors of President Amin’s rule to light. Forest Whitaker won the 2007 Oscar for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role for this film and, watching his character’s progression from man of the people to a man caught up in his own cult of personality. All-in-all, it was an very good film and one quite worth watching.

Four-Color Coverage
This week had a number of good books… as did last week, which I didn’t list, because I was tromping through the woods of Idaho. So, this week will see a, or rather “another,” two-week compilation list:

Week of 05 August 09:

• Doom Patrol #1 – DC’s strangest heroes are back on the block. And they’ve got a new strange villainess to contend with. An interesting read and one that makes me curious to see if the next couple of issues turn this into a regular purchase.
  
• Justice League: Cry for Justice #2 (of 6) – The pieces and the players continue to come together in this offshoot League. It’s still moving a little slowly, but I’m going to bear it out, especially since it’s supposed to have (eventual) ramifications in the core JLA book.
  
• Superman: World of New Krypton #5 (of 12) – General Zod has been shot. New Krypton is in chaos. Superman and Supergirl head to Earth, hot on the heels of Zod’s attacker. (Wasn’t there something about the UN banning Kryptonians on Earth…?)
  
• Captain America: Reborn #2 – Steve Rogers continues to do his impression of Quantum Leap’s Dr. Sam Beckett. And, like Dr. Beckett, Cap is slowly coming to realize what’s happening to him. Unlike Dr. Beckett – and more like Queen – he realizes that “there’s nothing you can, nothing you can, nothing you can do about it.”
  
• Ultimatum
  • Ultimatum: Fantastic Four Requiem #1 and Ultimatum: X-Men Requiem #1 – Marvel’s Ultimate Universe was supposed to be the sandbox where writers and artists could take familiar characters and places and do things that they couldn’t get away with in the mainstream Marvel 616 Universe. And, in Ultimatum, they’ve done just that. These books present the aftermath of Magneto’s “Ultimatum Wave,” through which he caused upheaval on a global scale. While I wasn’t necessarily thrilled with some of the things they did, I have to give Marvel credit for redrawing the lines on the playing field.
    STORY:
    EXECUTION:
• Love and Capes #11 – Abby needs a new wedding dress. Marc whisks her off to Paris for a shopping trip with her sister, Charlotte. But, what happens when Abby not only finds “the perfect dress,” but also finds that it was made by Marc’s former flame, Amazonia?
  

Week of 12 August 09

• Adventure Comics #1/#504 – Superboy is back. He’s trying to put the pieces of his (former) life back together. Good thing that he’s got Martha Kent, the Teen Titans and Krypto – not to mention a certain “mild-mannered reporter” – there to help him out. This issue’s second feature includes the Legion of Super-Heroes. Kind of. More specifically, it features Starman and Tellus, who team up to fulfill the last will and testament of R.J. Brande, the LSH’s late benefactor.
  
• Blackest Night
  • Blackest Night #2 (of 8 ) – Commissioner and Barbara Gordon meet an unexpected visitor on GCPD’s rooftop. Black Lantern Aquaman schedules an impromptu family reunion. Green Lantern and the Flash set up for Round Two with Black Lanten Martian Manhunter… and wind up facing [SPOILER DELETED].
    
  • Blackest Night: Batman #1 (of 3) – The new Batman and Robin team up with not-a-Black Lantern Deadman to take on the newly reanimated [SPOILERS DELETED].
    
  • Blackest Night: Green Lantern Corps #39 – GLs Kyle Rayner and Guy Gardner are headed back to Oa when they meet up with Lanterns Soranik Natu and Iolande. It’s a quiet trip until they get passed by a swarm of Black Lantern rings… headed to Oa.
    
• R.E.B.E.L.S. #7 – Vril Dox reaches out to leaders of other worlds, seeking to form an alliance against Starro. While he makes some convincing points, let’s just say that he shouldn’t necessarily look for a second job in Sales.
  
• Luke Cage: Noir #1 (of 4) – Luke Cage, “The Power-Man,” gets the Marvel Noir treatment… and it’s a treat to read. Fresh out of prison, Cage is looking to renew some old connections and see how things have changed while he was away. Hopefully, he can learn who the players are… and who’s getting played.
  
• Action Comics #880 – Continuing from last week’s World of Krypton #5, Superman and Supergirl chase Ral-Dar, General Zod’s would-be assassin, to Earth… where they get a less-than-“warm” reception. Readers also learn a bit more about General Lane’s playmates.
  
• G-Man: Cape Crisis #1 (of 5) – School-aged hero, G-Man, hooks some of his friends up with the ability to fly. What could possibly go wrong when he tells them it’s time to come back to ground? This was both a great all-ages read and a refreshing change of pace – along the lines of Tiny Titans, but with a little more “meat” to the story.
  
• Uncanny X-Men #514 – As running the X-Men (all teams) and X-Force (the team that no one knows about) wasn’t enough, Cyclops puts together another team. Also, Emma Frost’s “Dark X-Men” do some good at saving citizens in the Bay Area. And it looks as if the Summers X-Men and the Frost X-Men are going to butt heads. Soon. On a personal note, it’s nice to see that Matt Fraction has a good handle on writing Cyclops. As my long-time favorite X-Men, I appreciate it when he’s written well – a bit conflicted and occasionally awkward, but always making plans and contingencies.
  

Stray Toasters

• I’ve got to do my “Goals and Accomplishments” for 2009. Yay.
• Steampunk butterfly
• Guitar, studio wizard Les Paul dies at 94
• Looking for a treat to satisfy your favorite snack-hungry zombies? Try Brain cupcakes.
• Do you eat the moldy stuff?
• 
• Euro-Area Economy Contracted 0.1% in Second Quarter
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?!” file: Brazilian crime TV host ordered executions to boost ratings, cops say
• 
• I’m a Photographer, Not a Terrorist campaign for photographers’ rights

Yeah… that’s good for now.

Namaste.

Sunday – 09 August 09
We’re back.

We got in last night around 2230. We cut the trip short a day, because it rained most of the day on Friday, which played hob with fishing and made sitting around camp kind of… dull and boring. That’s not to say that we didn’t have a good time, though. The breakdown goes a little something like this:

Thursday (Pictures from Day 1)
We got up at 0510 to head to SaraRules’ parents’. For some reason, I didn’t get to bed until after 0200, so waking up was definitely hard to do. After a shower, I felt a little closer to human. We got to the house and waited for Logan, whose building had a power outage and screwed up his alarm.  We hit the road at 0730, bound for Idaho.

Given that I was “a little” tired from the previous night’s lack of sleep, I was out of it for most of the way to Pocatello. I woke up as we were turning off the highway to get breakfast. We ate and got back on the road. We made a quick stop in Blackfoot and then headed up to EBR-1. Again. Although, this time, it was open for touring. we spent about 45 minutes or so walking around (and taking pictures). On to Challis – we had to load up on spud-nuts (doughnuts, made with potato flour). And from there, on to Stanley and Redfish Lake.

Part of our job as the first car to leave was to find and secure a campsite. We did that. SaraRules and Logan were of the opinion that it was the same site they had two years ago. The main difference from last year’s site was that the toilets were much more basic than the ones in Glacierview: Pit toilets vs. flush toilets and sinks. *shrug* We set up the tents and generally got the campsite ready for the weekend. A little after Car 2 (with the Meliko and the ‘rents) showed up, it started raining. Steve set up “Alaska rigs” (tarps suspended in by ropes, draped over the tents and picnic bench); lo and behold, we stayed dry. For the most part. There was a small pool of water that collected at the corner of SaraRules and my tent. Meliko, Logan and I dug a small trench to divert the water – it worked fairly well.

Friday (Pictures from Day 2)
We woke up to intermittent rain. As that bode ill for fishing, we went to the Yankee Fork Gold Dredge again. It, too, was open for a tour. Looking at it last year, just from the exterior, it seemed rather amazing that the whole thing was run by just three (3) men. Seeing it from the inside made it seem all the more amazing. And, of course, I took a plethora of pictures. After that, we headed up to Custer and then SaraRules, Logan and Steve tried their hands at fishing… to no avail. We headed back to camp.

A while later, Logan and Steve decided to try again; SaraRules wanted to go to the hot springs. So we packed into the cars and off we went. Meliko went hiking around the area where Steve and Logan were fishing; Bonne came to the hot springs with SaraRules and me. I wasn’t entirely sure about this whole “sitting in a hot spring while it’s not terribly warm out” thing, as I’ve long looked askance at people who sit in hot tubs in the middle of winter. It just seemed… odd… to me. But, I did it. Trying to find the right mix of hot spring water and cold river water was a bit of a challenge, but we managed to do it. And it was fun.

Saturday (Pictures from Day 3)
Intermittent rain beset us again. We decided to break camp and head home. SaraRules, Logan and Steve decided to hit a couple of fishing spots before making the trek back to Utah. First stop, Indian Riffles. And, just before we got there, the sun came out. Go figure. The trio changed into fishin’ gear and hit the river. No dice. From there, we went back to the Yankee Fork. Once more into the fray… and this time, the fish came out to play – everyone caught something. Their fishing appetites sated, we started back to Salt Lake.

Instead of heading back through Arco and Pocatello, we came back via Sun Valley. This included a trip to the summit of Galena Summit. (Fortunately, Idaho believes in guard rails, unlike many areas of Utah…) We descended into Ketchum. We had lunch/dinner at Smoky Mountain Pizza and Pasta. The food was good and so was dessert – I had their Chocolate Ganache Cake and ice cream. A quick stop at Starbucks and we were on the road again.

We traveled through a couple of small – REALLY SMALL – towns and along some back-country two-lane roads before winding up in Paul, ID (a few miles from I-84, southeast of Twin Falls). Then, it was highway cruising. We were making good time until we got to Ogden, where there is construction. Lots of lane-constricting construction.

On the whole, I’d have to rate this year’s camping trip:

And that’s how I spent my summer vacation.

Today kicked off with sleeping in. Later, we headed over to SaraRules’ parents’ for brunch. After eating, we watched Black Sheep. It’s basically an Australian zombie sheep movie. And, yes, I know exactly how that sounded. This movie is definitely on the CW/LKG Scale.

(at least)

Tonight, I think we’ll have a quick trip down to the Garden of Sweden and then back home to watch some football. That’s right: Football. It’s the Hall of Fame Week game that kicks off four weeks of glorious preseason football.  Selah.

Stray Toasters

• Ray Charles covers Johnny Cash: Ring of Fire

• Gap founder’s amazing art collection may leave San Francisco
• I watched The Big Hit earlier. I haven’t seen this in a long time… but it’s fun. It’s on the CW/LKG Scale, but I’d rate it on the higher end of it.

  

• In a related note and comic trivia: Actress Lainie Kazan (who was in The Big Hit) was the visual inspiration for Big Barda.
• Eugene Roddenberry and the legacy of ‘Star Trek’
• 

• The Happiest Cartoonists of All Time
• Filmmaker John Hughes has died.

Namaste.

Wednesday – 05 August 2009
Happy Birthday, !

After work, yesterday, I went home, had dinner… and fell asleep on the sofa. Right. Out. Forty-five minutes later, I was up and rather refreshed, but still feeling a bit lazy. Fortunately, SaraRules was agreeable to putting off last night’s trip to the gym until tonight. While she quilted, I worked on cataloguing a few more boxes of ‘Clix.

Today is Day Two of all-day meetings. Well, one very long meeting, really. However, it’s good information and it’s covering a lot of things that I hadn’t been previously aware of. However, as it is also Comics and Sushi Day, something’s going to have to give. Unfortunately, I believe that it will be sushi; comics can be acquired later this evening.

Stray Toasters

• Coffee: Check.
  Homemade blueberry muffins: Check.
• messaged me last night with some happy news.  (No, it wasn’t that Bot had given birth to Byte…)
  

  2:13:11 PM : we have a momentous occasion to share with uncle rob.
  2:13:19 PM : Oh…
  2:13:24 PM : Is there a new [member of the family]?
  2:13:26 PM : oh heck on
  2:13:30 PM : or no even
  2:13:32 PM : even bigger.
  2:13:37 PM : Bit has her first lego set.
  2:13:40 PM : YES!
  2:13:54 PM : Duplo?
  2:14:08 PM : si. 71 piece.
  2:14:16 PM : I’m assuming that it was your call, not Bot’s.
  2:14:22 PM : She’s not that geeky.
  2:15:00 PM : heh…actually she suggested i get the kid some blocks. she has another set of grippy type blocks that she loves, so heck, if i’m going to buy her blocks…
  2:15:08 PM : *nod*
  2:15:09 PM : Indeed.
  2:15:20 PM : right now she has more fun just taking them apart…
  2:15:24 PM : so my job is to build something
  2:15:27 PM : Gotta start somewhere.
  2:15:27 PM : and her job is to disassemble
  2:15:32 PM : my genes kickin’ in
  2:15:35 PM : Destruction. Construction.
  2:15:42 PM : It’s all part of the process.
  2:16:02 PM : indeed.
  2:16:33 PM : I’m so proud.
  2:16:56 PM : haha i thought you would be
  2:17:09 PM : i told bot i’d pass the news on. you got the predictable eye roll
  2:17:15 PM : i’d say that’s a win
  2:17:19 PM : Definitely.

• Navigating a Geek Marriage?
• Retro-futuristic motorcycle
• 
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Teen Killed at Chinese Internet Addiction Camp
• Russia Calls Submarine Patrols off East Coast ‘Routine’
• From the “No, really..?!” file: Psychopaths Have Brain Structure Abnormality

Namaste.

Monday – 03 August 2009
Another work week begins. But this week is a short one – even shorter than usual, in fact – because we’re heading to Idaho on Thursday to go camping. With that in mind, I think that I can make it three days in the office. (Just found out that we might be going in the “early car,” which means that we’ll be on the road about 0600 on Thursday… but that facilitates my ability to tour EBR-1 (1, 2), so there is a bit of “Win” to be found.

88 Minutes turned out to be a decent movie. It wasn’t awesome and was a little predictable in parts, but it was “just right” for something to have on in the background.

Stray Toasters

• Last night, I started watching Neverwhere, thanks to Netflix “Instant Queue.” About halfway through the first episode, Door asked Richard to seek out the Marquis de Carabas. The name rattled around my head for a few minutes before I was able to make a vague association: A few years ago, either said that I reminded her of the Marquis or that I should dress as him for Hallowe’en. Unfortunately, I don’t remember which it was.
• fotographylife
• I’ve started cataloging my HeroClix figures on HCRealms. I’ve finished with the small trays and started in on the large trays last night. That doesn’t include the bin full of “extra” figures that I have.  That will be fun, I’m sure…
• Botched building demolition creates real world Katamari Damacy horror
• What’s your favorite flavor of ice cream?
  I think that I’d have to go with Mocha Almond Fudge (or a variant thereof, depending on brand) and/or a really good Rocky Road.
• Google CEO Schmidt Leaves Apple Board
• 
• As of 01 August 09, NFL Network was supposed to be part of Comcast’s Digitial Classic service package, of which I am a customer. Why is it that when I checked this morning, I received the “For Ordering Information…” announcement? *sigh*
• Car used to design font
• I’m trying to decide whether I want to reinstall Growl.
• Scammer Plants a Fake ATM at Defcon 17

Namaste.

Sunday – 02 August 2009
Last night, I went to OnlyAly and ‘s to play a little poker. It was a fun way to spend the evening. I got home and watched Cigarette Burns, originally part of Showtime’s “Masters of Horror” series, with SaraRules. As Tyranist and Rish described it on Horror Film Compendium:

An obtainer of rare films is contracted to find the most notorious film of all time, the supposedly lost (and madness-inducing) Le Fin Absolue Du Monde. But the closer he gets to finding the film, the more the powers of darkness close in on him.

It was a curious film. And rather dark. But, it was good.

After the movie, I lobotomized Defiant. She now has a larger hard drive and a fresh new install of OSX. While I was waiting for the OS to install, I channel-surfed. I wound up finding Grindhouse on Encore. Having not seen it before, I watched it… or at least half of it: “Planet Terror.” And it was fun. A lot of fun, in fact.

I wanted to stay up and watch “Deathproof,” but “Planet Terror” didn’t end until 0200 and I had to get up early in order to go to…

…The Park City Kimball Arts Festival. SaraRules and I headed up and met and Chris2 for brunch. No, make that “breakfast,” Cisero’s doesn’t do their normal brunch during the Arts Festival. BAH! However, that didn’t stop the omelettes we had from tasting great. After breakfast, we met and even ran into Jim and Sandi walking up the street. (Superpower: Check!) There was a lot of good stuff to be seen at the festival, too.

Back down to the valley for afternoon babysitting duty. Kate and Perry needed someone to watch the kids for a couple of hours. We had an open schedule and agreed. (It wasn’t really hard to agree to, honestly.) The kids were great, as usual.

Back home again. We both planned to have some hobby time, but didn’t want to watch either of our Netflix movies – neither of them are “in the background” movies. So, we opted to watch 88 Minutes. It’s been an interesting movie. (We’re still a few minutes from the end.)

All of that, and the night’s still young.

Namaste.

Wednesday: Coda
I picked up my car after work. My wallet was much lighter after that stop. But, after nearly 100,000 miles, things were bound to need replacing. So, all things considered (on NPR), I can’t really complain. That… and the car runs better – without leaks and without the “Check Engine” light being on.

SaraRules fixed Pad Thai for dinner. We ate it while watching last week’s episode of Burn Notice. Win-Win.

Next on the agenda: The gym. We did a chest and biceps routine:

• Sit-ups (decline): 3 sets/20 reps – included 10 reps of opposite elbow-to-knee twists on two sets
• Bench Press: 3 sets/10 reps, 185 lbs
• Chest Press (Icarian): 3 sets/10 reps, 100 lbs
• Lower Back Extensions: 3 sets/10 reps
• Flys (dumbbell, flat bench): 3 sets/10 reps, 25 lbs
• Curls (dumbbell): 3 sets/10 reps, 25 lbs
• Wrist Curls (dumbbell): 3 sets/10 reps, 20 lbs
• Core (plank): 3 sets/45 seconds

Weight (morning): 184.5 lbs

It was a nice end-of-the-day workout.

Stray Toasters

• Arizona Considers Selling Capitol Buildings
• By way of comes: Ragtime Covers of 80s Tunes

• iPhone App Tracks Sex Offenders

Quote of the Day
SaraRules hit a new max bench weight today: 95 pounds. With that came the following gem:

Yeah, I’m a bad-ass. Take that, bitches!

Take that, indeed.

Wednesday: Coda
The day turned out better than Tuesday, after all. Selah.

After work, SaraRules and I headed to Kate and Perry’s – I had a few Blackest Night-related comics to hand off. On the way there, we were passed by a couple of scooter riders whose helmets looked… vaguely familiar; I confirmed later that it was and A 400 Lb Gorilla. We hung out with Perry and the Kids for a while. Next, we headed to the nearest Best Buy, where I (finally) found a copy of Green Lantern: First Flight… with the figurine. (More on this later.) I, however, completely forgot to look for a copy of The Middleman. Ah, well, another time.

Back home, SaraRules started in on dinner and I started in on today’s four-color crack. For tonight’s fare, SaraRules made maple chicken, cheesy potatoes, green beans and glasses of Novella Synergy Blanc. Dinner was, as always, quite delicious. During dinner we watched GL:FF. After that, SaraRules went back to work on our wedding quilt and I finished up my four-color shwag.

Reeling by on Celluloid
Green Lantern: First Flight, the latest release from DC Universe Animated Original Movies, is an adaptation of the origin story of the Silver Age Green Lantern, Hal Jordan. The feature hits the ground running and, before the opening credits even roll, you’ve been introduced to Hal and two major supporting characters. Things don’t exactly slow down after the opening credits, either, as Hal meets Sinestro and three other Lanterns and is escorted to Oa, home of the Green Lantern Corps. The story doesn’t retell Hal’s first days as a GL entirely as recounted in comics, but that’s okay – the story that they do tell is a good one. The story makes the characters accessible to viewers who neither watched Justice League/Unlimited nor read the comic book and it even lends itself for more GL features down the road. As an added bonus, one of the special features on the disc is a preview of the upcoming Superman/Batman: Public Enemies. Win-Win.

Four-Color Coverage

Stray Toasters

• Officiant: Check!
• There, I Fixed It
• I read this and thought of :

  

• What do you get when you mix Wu-Tang Clan and LEGO? Something like this.
• Robert Downey, Jr. on Iron Man 2
• PhysicsCentral: Learn How Your World Works

Namaste.

Sunday – 26 July 2009
SaraRules and I did a little shopping yesterday. I picked up some new gym gear and a few pairs of shorts. Later in the evening, we hung out with shockpuppet, and others for Rib Fest last night. It was a lot of fun.

This morning was a lazy sleep-in day. I woke up and picked up American Psycho again. Unfortunately, I’d forgotten where I stopped reading, so I had to go back and cover about 10 pages again. Then, it was time for breakfast and the first three eps of Wolverine and the X-Men. And then…

Workout
…SaraRules and I went to the gym for a workout:

• Bench Press: 3 sets/10 reps, 185 lbs
• Upright Row: 3 sets/10 reps, 60 lbs
• Sit-ups (decline): 3 sets/20 reps
• Compound Row: 3 sets/12 reps, 125 lbs
• Lower Back Extensions: 3 sets/10 reps
• Curls (dumbell, with shoulder press): 3 sets/10 reps, 25 lbs
• Tricep Press (T-bar): 3 sets/15 reps, 80 lbs
• Lunges: 3 sets/10 reps
• Core (plank, side): 3 sets/30 seconds

Weight: 184.5 lbs

Stray Toasters

• Rebecca, Joe or Jim (can’t remember who pondered this with me): It does not seem as though glow sticks have made it onto the “Stuff White People Like” website or book. Yet.
  • In a related note, Stuff Mormons Like is my favorite parody site of the SWPL site.
• I haven’t been G4‘s biggest fan since they became “G4” – I miss the… intelligence and variety, I guess… of TechTV. However, I have to give them props for their coverage of Comic-Con 2009.
• 
• Baptist Leaders Face Challenge on Women’s Roles
• From the “SkyNet is now online…” file: Scientists Worry Machines May Outsmart Man
• Taqwacore: Muslim Punk Underground
• This shit is bananas…
  (I still think that MarknTyme should teach this to his band as a stand song.)
• Three reasons Palin’s move might be about money
• After a few days with Safari, I’ve found the transition hasn’t been too bad. There are still a couple of relatively minor things that I miss from Firefox, but nothing yet to make me go kicking and screaming back to it. Yet.
• First, Geoff Johns did a Legion episode of Smallville… and now he’s writing a JSA episode? Hmm…

Namaste.