Random Access

Tuesday: Coda
This afternoon, SaraRules and I decided to check out a few comic shops near her aunt and uncle’s. We had three stops on the agenda. Thanks to GoogleMaps, we had a circuit planned that would take us from one shop to another and then to the third and bring us back home, jiggity-jig. Map in hand, we got under way.

The first place was what I expect most non-comics fans would anticipate a comic shop to look like: Jam-packed, floor to ceiling, with comics, statues, toys and whatever else they could get away with. It was a claustrophobic hole-in-the-wall. There was some sense of order to things in there, but damned if I could figure it out in the ten minutes we were there.

We hit the second shop… after discovering that GoogleMaps had apparently gone on a coffee break when we asked it for directions. We figured out where we were supposed to be going and found the store. It was a satellite of a store that I visited the last time that I was in L.A.  I liked the original store quite a bit; this one left a bit to be desired, though. It was laid out decently, but the stock was, by comparison, quite lacking.

We literally stumbled over what wound up being the “third” store. I saw it as we were driving past the strip center in which it was located. It was part-comic shop…. and part-fabric store. O,o ?!? Explain that one, if you can. I think that we were there for five minutes, tops. Definitely an entry for the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file.

On the way to the now-fourth store, we discovered that GoogleMaps screwed the pooch again. A few course corrections later, we wound up at Galaxy of Comics. It’s a new store (opened on 04 Feb 09), but it was clean, well-organized and inviting.  Dana, the associate on-duty, was friendly and helpful. I found a few pieces of plastic crack (which I was looking for) and a graphic novel (which I wasn’t looking for, but looked interesting).  Of the comic shops we visited today, Galaxy of Comics was the best shop, hands-down. I’ll be stopping here again, when I’m back in town. If you’re in the San Fernando Valley – and more specifically, in the Van Nuys area – you should check it out.

This evening, we went to dinner at Wood Ranch BBQ and Grill. I had a combination of the Beef Ribs and Babyback Ribs, with Incredible Mashed Potatoes and Steamed Broccoli… and a Guinness to wash it down, naturally.  SaraRules had the Tri-Tip, with the mashed potatoes and Mac and Cheese. The food was delicious and the service was great. Unfortunately, there is no Wood Ranch in the Land Behind the Zion Curtan nor back home in NC or MD.  BAH!

We hit the road back to SLC tomorning.

And that, as they say, is that.

Namaste.

Monday – 06 April 2009
Day One of the Sunny Southern California Adventure. Well, I guess this is technically “Day Two,” since we got in last night. *shrug* We’re here to:

1. …visit SaraRules’ aunt, uncle and cousin
2. …see her sister and
3. …to let her get in a bit of dress shopping with her mother, sister, aunt and cousin.

I’m hanging out with her father and uncle (or, as SaraRules calls it: “Listening to them sit around and tell lies…”). We’ve been having a good time while they’re out gallivanting.

Yesterday, SaraRules and I got up, watched an episode of The Brave and the Bold, packed up, ran a couple of errands and then headed to her folks’ place to get on the road. We stopped at the In-N-Out Burger in Vegas. (Tasty burgers and fries, with chocolatey shaked milk!) The trip, while long, was rather uneventful… although, we did encounter many road monkeys. (Uneventful pictures here) When we got L.A., I met the family: Marie, Stan and their daughter Angela.  And then… SLEEP! (It’s amazing how tired just riding in a car can make a person.)

Today has been fairly low-key. We started off with breakfast and a fair bit of catching up, then the ladies were off to hunt for dresses. So far, we (the guys) have gone to Target, Best Buy – where Steve and I introduced Stan to the joys of Mac – and an Italian deli. Amusing side story: Steve and I were talking about the different flavors of Mac (Mini, iMac, Pro and MacBook) and discussing some of the features when a sales associate walked up… whom we effectively ignored. He just stood looking while we talked up the machines and their software to Stan. He silently wandered away at some point, because I turned around again and he was gone.

I’m not sure what’s on tap for the rest of the evening.  I’m good with that, though; that’s what “vacation” is all about.

Stray Toasters

• Obama reaches out to Muslim world
• 10 Best Geeky Last Words
• Top 10 Home Office Hacks
• Aim that rage against the corporate fee machine
• Computer Program Self-Discovers Laws of Physics
• 
• Paris liberation made ‘whites only’
• Tyranist, you might be interested in this: Six good technological ideas for improving publishing
• How scratching can stop an itch
• Jazzy covers of Mister Rogers songs

The weather’s here
Wish you were beautiful.

Back to that “relaxing” thing.

Namaste.

Saturday – 04 April 2009
Today is my stepfather’s birthday.

(I did call… he wasn’t at home.)

Yesterday afternoon, Rachel got into town. After I got off work, she, SaraRules and I went to Cafe Med for lunch. I had the Turkish Yogurt Pasta and serving of Akbar Mashti for dessert. From there, we headed up to Park City. Destination: Tanger Outlet Center. I hadn’t planned on picking up anything while there, but I found a suit (grey, single-breasted) that I liked at the Van Heusen outlet and decided to get it. We came back home and hung out for a while before heading to Clitorati.

Today, after SaraRules got back from her quilt club, the three of us headed up to Riverdale to find the Sephora store. It’s not that hard to find, it turns out. According to the ladies, it’s a rather small shop for a Sephora store – it’s inside a JCPenney’s store – but had a decent selection for the size. After that, and a quick stop at the nearby Best Buy, we came back to SLC. We stopped at Biaggi‘s at The Gateway. I had the Farfalle Alfredo, which was very good… and a little larger portion than I was expecting. Back home and we saw Rachel off.  We should see her again, in about a month, when she graduates from the MFA program.

Next: Errand-running and a trip to visit .
Later: Grizzlies game.

Namaste.

Thursday – 02 April 2009
Sushi Wednesday was postponed until today. But, I’ll have to miss it, as I have a lunch meeting. I may also have to fore go (or maybe just postpone) today’s workout, for the same reason. On the plus side, I stopped by to visit for a bit, after work.

Next, home for dinner and a movie with SaraRules and her mother.  Dinner was shrimp jambalaya, the movie was Australia. The movie was… interesting. It looked really nice. Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman did well in their roles. The main problem was… no, “problems were”… that:

1. The movie was long, nearly three hours. (Granted, it didn’t feel long.)
2. It felt like they tried to shoehorn too many movies – not just stories – into that time.
3. It was a bit disjointed – the movie seemed to take a huge left turn about 2 hours in.
4. Elton John’s closing song.  (He should not be allowed to write lyrics. Ever.)

Despite these things, I did enjoy the movie; although, as SaraRules put it: “It’s not like I need to see it again.” It was an entertaining way of spending an evening. And, at one point, I even broke out a “Wolverine in a cowboy hat” ‘Clix, just to get a smile/eyeroll out of SaraRules. It worked. (Thinking about it, with Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, I could actually see Nicole Kidman as Emma Frost, the White Queen (1, 2)… especially after her turn as Mrs. Coulter in The Golden Compass.)

Stray Toasters

• I heard part of an interesting cover of Major Tom on a Lincoln ad last night. You can see the ad here. The ad made me want to look up trivia about the song. And, by the power of Greyskull with the power of the Interwebs, I did:
  • Wikipedia
  • The Straight Dope
• By way of : Umbrellas for the Civil but Discontent Man
• The Beats: A Graphic History
• Cute and amusing: Bunnysong (video)
• 
• The title of this is self-explanatory: Giant Star Wars pool toys and kites
• What would President Obama look like as an action figure? Something like this, I’d suspect.
• Marvel prepares to showcase Wolverine from a very different perspective
• I found Code Monkey: Stargate Atlantis online again. Now, I must find a way to procure it for my collection…
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: Lindon (UT) police bust family-run prostitution ring

Namaste.

Tuesday – 31 March 2009
It’s hard to believe that March is nearly over already.

Last night, SaraRules and I had “Sunday dinner” with her family. We also watched Quantum of Solace. I still enjoy the movie and, to a lesser degree, the theme song… but the theme still sounds a bit too disjointed and/or like it’s trying too hard to be a Bond theme. *shrug* While there, her father offered me a taste of something new at Whole Foods: Double Cream White Chocolate Milk. Wow. It was good. VERY good, in fact.

Back at home, SaraRules did some quilting and I read last week’s comics. The standouts of the haul were:

• Captain America #48 – In this issue, Bucky/Winter Soldier/Cap, Namor and Black Widow wrap up a few loose ends from Cap’s time as the Winter Soldier. And, while he’s never been a favorite character of mine, it was nice to see Namor’s wrath directed at a target who deserved it for an actual affront, rather than a perceived one.
• Fantastic 4: #565 – This was the second part of a holiday story that saw the FF and family on vacation in Scotland. To be honest, the first half of the story didn’t exactly wow me; the finale, however, was good. I was also surprised at how the issue ended: A “thank you” letter from someone the FF saved during the issue’s adventure.
• R.E.B.E.L.S. #2 – More adventures of Vril Dox (Brainiac 2) and his attempt to wrest control of his L.E.G.I.O.N. operation from his usurpers. Supergirl and the LSH’s Brainiac 5 are on-hand to lend assistance, as well.
• Wonder Woman #30 – Readers finally meet The Olympian, whose arrival has been hinted at for a while. We also learn just how far Dr. Barbara Minerva, the Cheetah, is willing to go to try and break Diana. (Hint: It’s pretty far.) But, readers also see just how far Diana is willing to let herself be pushed… and how far she’s willing to push back.

Stray Toasters

• Trekker recreates classic Star Trek scenes with LEGO
• Star Wars considered as an episode of Dallas

  …and then there’s also Star Trek: Love Boat and Star Trek: The A-Team, if you need more.

• Chernobyl Today: A Creepy Story Told in Pictures
• 
• Green to the Corps
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: Bank pushing 120% APR loans
  I think that it could/should even be considered for “monkeys!” too.
• Top 50 WTF Moments in Comics
• Astro Boy trailer online

That’s good for now.

Namaste.

I had to skip the lunchtime workout today; I had a lunch meeting to attend. We went to Pawit’s Royal Thai. (, Pawit said to tell you “Hello.”) Pad Pra Grow and iced coffee. Very tasty. And the meeting was productive, too.

Stray Toasters

• I caught Bret online a little while ago. I haven’t had a chance to catch up with him in a while, so it was nice to have a few minutes’ long chat with him.
• Girl, 14, Faces Porn Charges for Nude Photos
• Damn you, Mafia Wars!  *shakes fist*
• Photographer Captures L.A.’s Vintage Homes
• It’s amazing that I’ve been looking for new ‘Clix to make… and it didn’t occur to me – until this afternoon – to make a John Stewart GL one.
• Speaking of GLs, Stephanie did a mock-up of my GL Pony as a mini-pony. She said that it looks good. I can’t wait to see the finished product.
• Cassandra Wilson: Standards Transformed
• Wing Commander (the game, not the movie)
• was screening resumes and came across one that made his brain go all ‘splodey. I had to see what caused it, so I went around to his desk to check it out. *OW* The entire thing was written in an Olde English font…¹
• 10 OSes We Left Behind

Namaste.

¹ – It turned out that the resume was fine; it was ‘s word processor that read it oddly.

The tasting went well.  It was also beneficial for something that I hadn’t considered: Seeing how the space “flowed” when it was full of people. Even with tables set up and people throughout the building, there was a good deal of space in which people could move around. The food was good and we came up with a few ideas for our menu.

Stray Toasters

• By way of Nyx: Shirts My Way, custom-made men’s dress shirts
• I’m running a new screen saver on my work PC called Electric Sheep. It’s… interesting, in a good way. I’m just glad that I’ve never been been one who is inclined to partake of “herbal cigarettes” (as Craig Ferguson refers to them). Because doing that and then looking at this would most likely be world-changing. Electric Sheep is available for Windows, Mac and Linux.
• Gizmodo ran an article about Miniatur Wunderland. After checking it out, I passed it along to a few people. Drew shot back with a video of Madoradam, in Holland.
• , I know what you mean. I get That Time Is Now (the Superfriends bump) stuck in my head…
• Inspriation for Super Friends’ Hall of Justice
• There are far too many of these on The Covet List.
• Ian McKellen: The Player, by way of
• Disney hasn’t released Song of the South in the U.S. on DVD or video; it’s been deemed racist. *GASP* A few days ago, I found this site, offering the unedited movie on DVD. I’m leery, but curious. Very curious, indeed…
• Mafia Wars
• Komodo dragons kill man

Back to it.

Namaste.

Monday – 23 March 2009
After a weekend in the upper 60s – and I think I even saw the thermometer hit 71°F on Saturday – it’s snowing. Or, at least it was snowing this morning. Right now, it would be better to say “flurries,” but you get the idea.

Yesterday, I got up and met and Bird at the Garden of Sweden. Yes, that was two trips in two days – they had a sale with “one day only” items. Yesterday’s item was an 11-quart stockpot. I didn’t think that it would be as popular an item as it was. I stood in line to get mine and then wandered back through the store to find Nyx and Bird. By the time we got back to the kitchenware section, ten to fifteen minutes later, all of the pots had sold out. Unglaublich! I left Nyx and Bird to finish their shopping and headed to the checkout, where I got in line between two ladies – either sisters or long-time friends – who had also come in search of the stockpot. Listening to them banter back and forth was amusing. As I was leaving, one of them stopped me:

Lady: I saw that you got one of those pots and just have to know what you’re going to use it for. I’m using mine to make gumbo.
Me: I’m mainly going to use it for cooking Cornish hens.
Lady: How’re you going to do that?
Me: I parboil them before baking them.
Lady: I see. Well, you should try putting a little bit of orange marmalade on them before you put them in the oven.
Me: I’ll have to try that. Thanks!

It was cute and unexpected.

I made another stop and then popped in to say “Hi,” to and to drop off a couple of things.  I couldn’t stay long because Chris was heading over… and had, in fact, already been to my place.

I got home, met Chris and we headed to Five Guys to pick up some lunch. Then, it was back to my place for a game of HeroClix. We chose a “Monsters vs. Monsters” theme. 600 points limit. I went with:

• Cassandra Nova
• Devil Dinosaur and Moon Boy
• Giant Man (zombie)
• Johnny Sorrow and
• Joker (Arkham Asylum)

Chris brought:

• Giant-Man (zombie)
• Iron Man (zombie)
• Maestro
• Spider-Man (zombie) and
• Wolverine (zombie)

Then it was game on. After a couple of opening feints, we started in on the battle royale. We wound up wearing each other’s teams down, but Chris finally got me to a point where my last two figures (Cassandra Nova and Giant Man) couldn’t do anything to damage his remaining figures (Iron Man and Maestro), so I conceded the game. A little while later, while we were hanging out, SaraRules got home; she’d been in AZ visiting her grandparents. After Chris left, she recounted her vacation and I told her about my week. It’s good to have her back home.

Stray Toasters

• Derek, my acolyte from AF, and a friend have just written an iPhone/iPod Touch app: Microkart. If you’re a iPhone/iPod Touch user, check it out and leave ’em some feedback.
• Best Buy Staff Paid Bonuses to Deny Legit Guaranteed Price Matches, by way of Nyx
• From BBC News: Quest to legalize polygamy in Utah
• Wine casks turned into hotel rooms
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: Company puts bounty on porta-potty arsonist
• 
• Flammable Water
• Why are Kit Kat bars so good?!
• The Science Behind Tesla Coil Music
• NFL Shop.com is offering 30% off on apparel again.

  

• Gamehouse – download a new free game, every day.

And that’s that.

Namaste.

Tuesday – 17 March 2009
Happy Green Lantern Day!
(Happy Saint Patrick’s Day to the rest of the world.)

After work yesterday, SaraRules and I headed up to Liberty Park for a stroll. (She’s been rather positive in helping me stick to this whole “doing cardio” thing.) We walked the inner loop, which is 1¼ miles, give or take a bit. The weather, mild and comfortable, was quite agreeable. All-in-all, it was a pleasant change of pace.

We got back home and SaraRules decided to try recreating the Pollo Limon Rustica dish that she had the other night at Macaroni Grill. I didn’t have any of the dish then, but last night’s fare was very tasty. After dinner, we watched the new episode of 24. Not too surprisingly, there were a couple of twists… including a one that I didn’t see coming; neither did SaraRules. And it was a pretty good one, in fact. We also watched reruns of The Late Show and The Late Late Show that we taped last week.

This morning, I woke up with The Beach Boys’ Fun Fun Fun running through my head.

Stray Toasters

• By way of :
  • The Interpreter – this is a pretty amazing story
    
  • Glenn Beck recycles X Files plot to Spread Fear of Obama
  • The new sexual double-standard
    
• NFLShop.com is offering 30% off on orders today.
• Week-long Africa visit for Pope
• Jasper Morello: stunning steampunk short animated film
• By way of and the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: Rubber Johnny. I will add the comment that he told me when he sent it to me: don’t read the description beforehand..just let it play

• US Capital blighted with HIV/AIDS
• Tailgunner Jo
• By way of : Din Daa Daa

• Brain Decline Begins at Age 27
• Juror Tweets Could Cause Mistrial

Quotes of the Day

• Quote 1
  I posted the following as my status on Facebook:

  Happy Green Lantern Day! Wait… What? St. Patrick’s Day? Really?! Well, that’s just silly.

  To which replied:

  By your powers combined, I am Captain… no wait. These are the other guys with rings. 🙂

• Quote 2
  Jeff, another coworker, just came over and told a St. Patrick’s Day joke:

Why did St. Patrick drive the snakes out of Ireland?

Because Samuel L. Jackson wouldn’t let them on the plane.

It made loonybin88, Tom and me laugh.

Namaste.

Sunday – 15 March 2009
“Beware the Ides of March.”

Yesterday was an all-around good day. Race to Witch Mountain turned out to be pretty fun. It was a little predictable in spots, but still fun. There were about twenty minutes of previews before the movie – we guess they figured that if they had a captive audience kids in the seats, they might as well throw a bunch of “Hey! Go see these!” trailers at ’em. Among the more interesting ones were:

• Battle for Terra (Think Titan A.E., but this time with Earth on the offensive)
• Monsters vs. Aliens (This just looks like silly fun)
• Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and
• Up

Disney, through their new Disneynature division, has an upcoming nature documentary called Earth. It apparently follows three families: Elephant, polar bear and whale – over the course of a year, but it also shows their environments and how they interact with the world around them. It looked similar to the Planet Earth series that The BBC and Discovery Channel did last year.

After the movie, SaraRules and I did a little bit of shopping. Then, back home to change and it was off for a night at the opera. (Not to be confused with A Night at the Opera or A Night at the Opera.) We started with dinner at Macaroni Grill; she had the Pollo Limon Rustica, I had the Chicken Marsala. From there, we strolled up to Capitol Theatre for the performance of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro. It was a good production – the casting, the music and the set and costume design. I enjoyed it.

Today, I’m joining Mrs. in a fast until dinner, on behalf of .  Actually, it’s been going since midnight. Aside from that, I think it’s going to be a rather lazy day until we head over to SaraRules’ parents’ place this evening.

Stray Toasters

• Former Ravens DE Douglast Follows Ryan to New York
• Silhouette Masterpiece Theatre
• Designer armor arrives in India
• SXSW: G-strings, Frosting Make Perfect Pair at Burlesque Cupcake Cookoff
• The Gentleman’s Handbook
• , the next two items are for you:
  • Metroid: New Samus Cosplay International Champion Crowned
  • Pixelninja cosplay photos (scroll down)
• British Boy Goes on Electric Shock Free-For-All with Bulgarian Stun Gun
• From Gizmodo: iPhone App: Have2P Will Save Your Underpants

Namaste.

Wes informed me yesterday that he wouldn’t be available to go to the gym today. That’s fine, things like that happen. About twenty minutes later, Eric sent an email saying that he’d be in the SLC office today and wanted to go workout. Win-win. And that’s exactly what we did:

• Bench Press: 3 sets/10 reps, 205 lbs
• Fly: 3 sets/10 reps, 100 lbs
• Lower Back Extensions: 3 sets/15 reps – 1 set @ 140 lbs, 2 sets @ 160 lbs
• Curl/Shoulder Press (dumbbell): 3 sets/10 reps – 1 set @ 30 lbs, 2 sets @ 25 lbs
• Bench Dips: 3 sets/15 reps
• Incline Push-ups: 3 sets/15 reps
• Decline Sit-ups: 2 sets/15 reps

Post-workout weight: 186.8 lbs.

Stray Toasters

• Jake Theis, former Brand Manager for WizKids, has started a new blog: Second Rodeo
• pointed out this portions calculator
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: Pet store expects fish shipment, but gets corpse
• IT versus users
• pointed out: Back to the Future (alternate ending)
• Resident Evil fans will understand:



• …speaking of which: Resident Evil 5 comes up with new survival strategies

And that’s it for now.

Sunday – 08 March 2009
Hopefully everyone remembered to set your clocks ahead last night.

After visiting , SaraRules and I stopped for lunch at Five Guys. I’ve been there a few times before, with coworkers, but she’d never been. I don’t know that I’d necessarily call it an “In-N-Out killer,” but it’s a good place to go for burgers and fries. We then did a bit of running around, including looking at a few… “less than aesthetically pleasing”… dresses at The Perfect Dress. There was one there that no angle nor any amount of light could help. *shakes head*

We did head to Saturday night breakfast. No one else showed up, but we talked with Ted, the night manager. When we got back, we watched the new Wonder Woman animated feature. It was good:

• Decent origin story
• Decent plot
• Good casting and voice work
• Good animation

All-in-all, it not only adapted the origin well, but also gave it a decent update. (And the fact that there was a “behind the scenes” feature for the upcoming Green Lantern animated feature didn’t hurt, either.)

Today has been quiet and relatively lazy. In a bit, we’re heading over to ‘s, to take a look at her network. Then… who knows?

…he gets right on to the friction of the day.

Namaste.

Wednesday – 04 March 2009
Midweek. And only two more days to Watchmen.  And the new Star Trek trailer. Selah.
And, as if that’s not enough, it’s Comics and Sushi Wednesday.
Win-Win.

Last night, I headed to Chris’ for Round Two of our JLA/Injustice League fight. The match started off slowly, but we eventually moved our pieces into position for smacking each other’s teams around… and then both of us had to deal with hot and cold streaks with our dice. In the end, my dice decided to effectively go on holiday and Chris wound up with a win. We both enjoyed the fight with the two teams and may revisit this in the not-too-distant future. I think that our next match will be the (Teen) Titans vs. the X-Men.

Stray Toasters

• I neglected to take my camera to Chris’ last night, so no pics of the game… or of my two mods.
• By way of Nyx: How To Make an Anatomically Correct LEGO Cake
  (Despite it’s title, it’s quite work-safe.)
• The Repair Manifesto
• Design for a nine-square-foot house
• This user icon makes me laugh:

  

• Ladies and gentlemen… Morris Day and The Time!
  
  Morris Day & The Time – The Bird
• From The Daily What: Ways To Be Cool
• Christian salt, a wingnut alternative to kosher salt
• Smokey and the Bandit would have been a much different movie with a few of these…

Quote of the Day
Today’s gem comes from an NPR story about a man fighting court fees for badminton in San Francisco.

Today’s “Last Word in Business” comes from Ed Leong. The former San Francisco Housing Inspector is an avid player of badminton.  He’s been whacking shuttlecocks…. there’s a phrase that I didn’t know you could get away with saying on the radio….

You can find the story – and the audio (RealPlayer, I think) – here.

Namaste.

Friday – 27 February 2009
The last workday of the month starts with snow… well, flurries, at least. But, it’s still Friday. And it’s the “90% of the staff is out of the office” Friday, to boot. (We’ll see what that does for the motivation to get some of the ‘low priority’ items in my queue accomplished.) On the other hand, it does mean that I get to crank up 2112 to get the day started.

Last night, SaraRules and I went to the USPA Fundraiser at the Huntsman Cancer Institute, held at The Point Restaurant. The fundraiser was in support of the Pharmacy School (where SaraRules’ brother, Logan, is a student). It was a nice affair – and the catering was good – and the people watching wasn’t bad, either. A secondary purpose for going was to scout it out as a potential place for our reception – there were a couple of good points, but I don’t think it will make the short list.

Stray Toasters

• I made a couple of changes to my Shado ‘Clix mod last night… which mostly included cutting off the torso and putting it on another figure’s legs. On the whole it seems to be a more “relaxed” look and the pants are closer to what I wanted/needed for the figure.
• Ray Lewis is a free agent, as of 12:01 AM. I really hope that he and the Ravens can come to accord on a salary agreement, because it would be a little too strange to think of Ray wearing another team’s colors.
• Top 5 forgotten video game consoles
  I’m not sure that I agree with all of their choices (Commodore 64?!), but oh well…
• First Solar Eclipse Recorded from Moon
• 
• Um… human-sized human candles
• The world’s shortest escalator
• From the “V for Vendetta” file: Philip Pullman on the collapse of personal liberty in the UK
• It seems as though the Ravens have already lost Bart Scott. *sigh*
• Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
• And another from the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: Jedi Workout on Today Show
• Steampunk Catwalk

That’ll do for now.

Namaste.

Friday – 20 February 2009
Helloooooo, 9/80 Friday.

Last night, after CSI:… and watching Batman sing… SaraRules and I took a stroll over to Red Mango for yogurt; she had a pomegranate/green tea twist; I had green tea. While we ate, we finally watched an episode of Burn Notice that’s been on the DVR for a couple of weeks. Later, when SaraRules headed to bed, I started in on a new corner for my ‘Clix map: Building Cluster. (Pictures to come later)

This morning, I slept in a bit. I still haven’t figured out what I’m doing with the rest of my morning and early afternoon, but later this afternoon will be spent checking out a couple of possible wedding venues.

Stray Toasters

• posted an interesting/amusing meme in his journal this morning:
  

  Tell me your favorite bad/silly/punny/groan inducing joke, then ask the same on your blog/journal/diary/whatever…

  My joke is at the bottom of the post.

• Happily married? – a look at a rise in polygamy in the UK among the Muslim community
• Cave house for sale in Festus, MO
• Someone on HCRealms questioned: What ‘Clix should be used in an Alice in Wonderland-themed game?
• NY Post sorry for ‘Obama’ cartoon
• 
• Tesla coils sing the Doctor Who theme
• pointed out this article: Utah state senator to lose his committee chairmanship after homophobic diatribe
• Terry Pratchett gets a knighthood
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: Skinless skin-tight cycling outfit
• Playlist of great movie themes

Time to do… something.

Namaste.

Oh yeah, the joke:

A snail goes to a local Nissan dealership and looks at the inventory. A salesman walks up to him and asks “May I help you?”

The snail looks at him and says, “I’m here to buy a car. I’d like to test drive…. that one,” as he points to a brand new Z.

The salesman looks a little surprised. “Oooh-kay.” He walks inside, comes back outside and returns to the snail. He hands him the keys. “Here you go.”

“Thanks!” The snail gets into the car and turns the key. The engine purrs. The snail presses the accelerator and the roars. He drops it into gear and races out of the parking lot.

Ten minutes later, the car whips back into the lot. The snail gets out with a huge grin. “That was great! I’ll take it! But there’s just one thing…”

The salesman shifts a little. “Yes, sir…?”

The snail turns to look at the car and turns back to the salesman: “I want you to take off the “Z”.”

“But, sir… that’s… that’s….”

“That’s my condition. I’ll pay for it right now and drive the car off the lot, but the “Z” has to go. I want you to put an “S” on it, instead.”

The salesman looks a little uneasy. “Let me… see what I can do.” He heads inside of the dealership. He returns a few minutes later. “Okay, it looks like we can take care of that for you. It will take about twenty minutes.”

The snail smiles widely and says,”That’s no problem.”

The two go inside as a mechanic exits the building and drives the car into the auto shop. They fill out the paperwork and shortly afterwards, the snail and his new car are tearing out of the parking lot.

Another salesman comes over to the first one and asks,”So… what was that all about? The deal with taking the car into the shop and whatnot?”

“Oh, he wanted the “Z” removed from the car… and an “S” put on in its place.”

“Huh?! That’s weird.”

“Yeah, but look at that little “S” car go!”