Union Pacific's Great Excursion Adventure

“It’s oh so quiet…. Shhh…. Shhh…”

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Tuesday – 18 November 2008
Today, while relatively uneventful, has been good. Discounting the road monkeys that I had to deal with on the way to work being the main exception.

Marci, Mark, Wes and I hit the gym for a back and triceps workout today:

  • Lat Pull-downs: 3 sets/10 reps, 100 lbs
  • Reverse Flys: 3 sets/10 reps, 70 lbs
  • Row (machine): 3 sets/10 reps, 80 lbs
  • Dips (unassisted): 3 sets/10 reps
  • Tricep Press (t-bar): 3 sets/10 reps, 45 lbs
  • Tricep Extension (rope): 3 sets/10 reps, 30 lbs
  • Push-ups: 3 sets, 15-15-10

It was a good, focused workout and everyone seemed to like it… despite the pain/tense muscles.

Post-workout weight: 182.4 lbs.

Stray Toasters

  • I have a tasty birch beer to go with my lunch!
  • The LJ server upgrades must (finally) be complete – I can access WP again. Apparently, the LJ Crossposter plugin has to check in with LJ on every page load.  Fortunately, someone posted an easy workaround for the “transport error” problem that occurs when LJ is unavailable.
  • By way of Drew: NASA Dryden Research Aircraft Photo Collection
  • I got some ‘Clix auctions posted last night. A couple of them already have watchers.  That’s a good sign.
  • Today’s Questionable Content is amusing.
  • Will President Clinton provide a major obstacle to Senator Clinton’s becoming “Secretary Clinton?” We shall see.
  • Arkham Asylum, by the numbers

Back to lunch and then back to the grind.

Namaste.

This LEGO is oddly… chewy.

dining and cuisine, everyday glory, geekery, LEGO and Rokenbok No Comments »

Drew just sent me a link for making gummy candies… shaped like LEGO bricks. Apparently, the “recipe” calls for using actual LEGO bricks to make silicone molds and using those molds to form the candy.

While I still enjoy LEGO Fruit snacks from time to time, this made my inner five-year-old very happy.

“Check ignition and may God’s love be with you…”

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Friday – 07 Nov 2008
What better way to kick off a Friday than with a little Johnny Kemp?

Yeah. And there you have it. I believe that’s the first Dance Break we’ve had in a while. I’ll have to see to it that there are more in the future.

Last night, SaraRules and I went to The Paris for her birthday dinner. I haven’t had a lot of experience with French cuisine before, but this restaurant was very nice. Great service. Excellent atmosphere. And wonderful food. I had a rotisserie chicken, prepared in a “lavender honey glaze,” and it was simply wonderful. Succulent, flavorful… delightful. I’ve eaten many chicken dishes – including different takes on rotisserie chicken – but this seriously beat them. Hands down. If you are looking for a new or different dining experience, I heartily recommend The Paris.

Back home for CSI:, MythBusters and Letterman.

Then I called it an early (for me) night.

Stray Toasters

  • Change.gov – The Office of the President-Elect
  • This video, aptly entitled “Parenting Fail,” was sent to me by way of . I watched it and was shocked… and horribly amused.

    In the words of the guys from ESPN’s SportsCenter:

    “That kid got what…?”
    “JACKED UP!”

  • The 5 Most Scientifically Plausible Sci-Fi Movies
  • Also from : and the “Cool and Interesting Tech” file: New type of overpass coming to Utah County
  • Letters from Johns
  • Jack, relax
    Get busy with the facts
  • From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Stick entered into the Toy Hall of Fame
  • This has to be one of the most interesting – and odd – remix/mashups that I’ve ever seen – Gwen Stefani and The Soggy Bottom Boys:

  • All of us get lost in the darkness
    Dreamers learn to steer by the stars
  • This made me laugh for many reasons. , you really need to check it out. Really.

Groove on, brothers and sisters.
Groove on.

Namaste.

“It’s close to midnight and something evil’s lurking in the dark…”

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Friday – 31 October 2008
Happy Hallowe’en.

This year’s costume marks the third time (in four years) that I’ve gone with a Samuel L. Jackson-inspired costume: Mace Windu (SW: The Phantom Menace), Neville Flynn (Snakes on a Plane) and this year…

Yep, Nick Fury (1, 2), from Marvel Comics’ Ultimate Universe and the verrrrry end of the Iron Man movie. And a tip of the hat and a wave of the cane to Mr. Jackson for making sure that I have at least one possible costume idea per year. I’ll have more pictures of the overall costume later tonight… to be posted probably tomorrow.

It’s “a little” busy around the office, as we’re prepping for an audit by our robot overlords.  (Did I say “overlords?” I meant “protectors.”) Fortunately, our little “pre-audit” seems to be going fairly well.

Stray Toasters

And that’s it for now.

Namaste.

“In the evening…”

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It was a busy day. Not “run around frantically” busy, but enough to keep me well-occupied throughout the day.

SaraRules cooked a chicken and vegetable over pasta dish. Quite tasty.

Stray Toasters

And that’s that.

I may wind up going to the gym tonight… but I’m not 100% committed to that course of action yet.

Namaste.

Football, seafood, cheesecake and family.

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Sunday: Coda
Today has been a good birthday.
More than that, it’s just been an all-around good day.

SaraRules and I took the Metro downtown to see the Raiders vs. the Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium.

at

We had great seats: lower level, 15th row, in one of the corners. It was on the visitor’s side, but there were PLENTY of purple (and black and white… and even a few red) jerseys in the stadium our area. On my right, was a couple (a man and his wife) of Raiders fans, so SaraRules wasn’t all alone in a sea of Ravens fans. The game was good. And it was a lot of fun. It was also SaraRules’ first live football game. Ever.

  • High school?  Nope.
  • College? Nuh-uh.
  • NFL?  Not until today.

The Ravens came out of the gate with their game faces on. And they went to work… although, they did manage to have a little fun, as evidenced by this play. Both teams played well, but the Oakland offense didn’t really come alive until the second half of the game.

Final score: Oakland 10 – Baltimore 29

I took pictures at the game. (Big surprise there…)

After the game, we stepped into Geppi’s Entertainment Museum for a quick walkthrough. It was neat – there were manners of pop-culture memorabilia, past and present. In retrospect, I could/should have taken more pictures… but the ones I took can be seen here.

Next, we went to Harborplace. We ate dinner at Phillip’s Restaurant. (I know… who could have guessed?!) I had broiled crab cakes and calamari; SaraRules had a seafood combination dinner that included shrimp, a crab cake, mahi mahi and a couple of other items. Before leaving Harborplace, we picked up a chocolate mousse cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory.

Back home. Tammy (my Godsister) and her youngest daughter, Kayla, came by to visit for a bit. That was nice, as I haven’t seen Tammy in… I’d say a year to a year-and-a-half. I tried catching up with Bret, but our schedules just didn’t synch up. Oh, well… maybe next time. After Tammy left, SaraRules and I hung out with my ‘rents. We showed them some of our travel pictures while we all had cheesecake.

Thanks to all of the good tidings and well-wishes for my birthday. I am very fortunate and blessed in my collection of friends.

Tomorrow: The Return to the Land Behind the Zion Curtain.

Namaste.

At the end of the day, when all is said and done…

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Friday: Coda
I after work I met SaraRules at her place. I hung out with her and her folks for a bit…

…then I ran to Dr. Volt’s – I had neglected to get a couple of receipts for the Arkham Asylum “Buy It by the Brick” figure on Wednesday. And I picked up another brick. *shrug* It’s my birthday weekend; I’m allowed.

Back to SaraRules’ to pick her up and run a couple of errands before heading back to my place to do some cleaning.

At 7:30 we and a few friends, headed to the Outback Steakhouse for my birthday dinner. It was a good-sized group,  18 people in all. (A hearty and heart-felt “Thank you” to those of you who came out to help me celebrate!)  After dinner, most of us came back to my place for cake – yellow cake with chocolate frosting with chocolate chips, made by Ms. SaraRules – and ice cream. It was a great way to spend the evening. SaraRules surprised me with an awesome present:

Mm-hmm, that’s right: A Ravens reversible jacket. As she put it: She “…wanted [me] to have something fun and cool to wear to the game.” I have a very cool girlfriend… even if she is a Raiders fan. Can I get an “Amen,” from the Amen Corner?

After company left, we finished packing for tomorrow’s trip to Charm City. This time tomorrow, we’ll be on the Right Coast… and, most likely, very much asleep.

I should probably wrap it up here. 6:30’s going to come around awfully early, I suspect.

Namaste.

“I’ve been through the desert on a horse with no name…”

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Friday – 24 October 2008
Last night, I headed up to SaraRules’ for dinner and date night. Dinner was a damned fine meat loaf, with mashed potatoes, and carrots (with a little bit of brown sugar), all prepared by Ms. SaraRules. After dinner, we – including her family – watched Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I’d still have to say that it’s my third-favorite Indiana Jones movie, but it was fun. Towards the end of the movie, I was wondering how well other pulp fiction-type heroes would fare in the modern cinema. I remember that there was a rumor of a Doc Savage movie in the works a few years ago, but I haven’t read/heard anything about it in some time.

Stray Toasters

  • I just received this from a coworker, who found out that my birthday is this weekend and knows of my affinity for Star Trek:
  • A few years ago, there was a submarine (the one used in the movie K-19: The Widowmaker, in fact) that was for sale on eBay. I always thought that Bill Gates should have bought it… after all, he pretty much has one of everything else. But he didn’t. However, this morning, I found the following item on Slashdot: Google Founders Buy Fighter Jet. That’s close enough for me.
  • Make my funk the P-Funk
    I want my funk uncut
    Make my funk the P-Funk
    I wants to get funked up.
    I want the bomb,
    I want the P-Funk
    I want my funk stepped on
    Make my funk the P-Funk
    Before I take it home
  • Sib-4, , sent me a link to this Questionable Content ‘toon. The last panel made me laugh aloud:
  • Cartesian dualism — the latest weapon in the war on Darwin
  • …and, in a (somewhat) related note: Evolutionary Scientists Test-Drive Spore, Gripe
  • Get your drink on… with Raytheon!
    (After finding “drinkware” on the company store site, we’re suggesting this as a new company slogan.)
  • The Fonz, Richie, Andy and Opie are pro-Obama
  • WizKids still hasn’t updated their Arkham Asylum page.
  • By way of IT Knowledge Exchange: CTO of the USA

Tonight: Dinner at Outback. (Can you say “Aussie Cheese Fries,” boys and girls..?)
This time tomorrow: We’ll be on our way to the Right Coast.
Selah.

Namaste.

“I turn my back to the wind, to catch my breath before I start off again…”

dining and cuisine, everyday glory, office antics No Comments »

I’m not sure if I’m done with meetings for the day… or just between meetings. Either way, I’m not complaining. For lunch, loonybin88, a couple of guys from corporate and I went to Cafe Zupa’s. It made for a very nice break.

It felt like I forgot something in this morning’s post. I didn’t remember what that was… until about 45 minutes ago: Happy Birthday,

Back to the grind…

“Every other day of the week is fine…”

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Monday – 20 October 2008
Sunday turned out even better than expected, in terms of football:

  • The Ravens won…
  • …although, that means that the Dolphins lost
  • The Panthers beat the Saints
  • The Raiders won… barely… which was good news for SaraRules (more on this below)
  • The Browns lost.  (Sorry, )
  • The Bengals lost to the Steelers. (Sorry, and )

I was shocked – and pleasantly surprised – at the Ravens’ win, especially when you consider how well the Dolphins have looked over the past couple of weeks. But, like I said: It was a win-win situation… I’m just a little more glad that the Ravens won.

Next weekend, SaraRules and I are heading to Baltimore for my birthday. This year’s present to myself is the Raiders vs. Ravens game. We’re both looking forward to the game and we’re looking forward to some (relatively) good-natured ribbing over it. While we were out-and-about today, SaraRules told me that I should hope that the Raiders win. I raised an eyebrow over this. She went on to explain:

“If the Raiders win, you’ll have to hear about it for about a day… maybe two. If the Ravens win, I’m going to have to hear about it for the next 50 years: ‘Do you remember that time we went to Baltimore for that football game…?’

I can’t say that she isn’t right about that, either.

We had dinner and watched the late games at her parents’ place. Dinner was enchiladas (chicken and seafood, respectively) with sides of rice, beans, guacamole and mojitos. For dessert, we took a couple of pies: Chocolate Satin and apple. As to the late game, I don’t know what got into the Bucs, but they played a great game; on the flip side, I don’t know who that was in the Seahawks’ uniforms, but it wasn’t their “A” squad.

Stray Toasters

Namaste.

Ready…set…GO!!!

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Saturday – 18 October 2008
Today has been a long and busy day. This isn’t to say that it hasn’t been fun – it was… but there was a lot packed into it.

The morning started with sleeping in. That wasn’t intentional. The original plan was to go to the Downtown Farmer’s Market to kick off the day. Something about “the best laid plans of mice and men” comes to mind here. When conciousness and coherence finally came together, we got up and started the day off with a few errands.

Next up: Thanksgiving Point. SaraRules had never been and I suggested checking out the gardens before they closed for the season. And so, we did. As it was late in the season, we missed a lot of the flora.  But, we still saw a few things that looked really good. Pictures of the outing can be seen here.

Next, back to Salt Lake for lunch. We decided to head to Cafe Med, as neither of us had been there in a long time. SaraRules had a Mediterranean Platter, while I had Turkish Yogurt Pasta… and finished it off with a serving of Akbar Mashti.

We ran a couple more errands… including a trip to Fashion Place Mall, so that I could pick up a new white dress shirt. I figured that I could head to Dillard’s or Nordstrom, get a shirt and be good to go. I didn’t take into consideration just how much those stores mark up prices. Wow. Instead, we headed to Burlington Coat Factory, where I got two shirts for less than I would have paid for one at the mall.

Back home to change before…

A night at the opera: Utah Opera’s opening night performance of:


(click image for details)

It was fantastic.

The first thing that struck me was the set. I’ve seen some interesting sets at Utah Opera, but this one was phenomenal. They not only built the Pinkerton house (in three “levels,” so to speak), they also managed to create a hillside on-stage. And the lighting effects were equally good. The costuming was amazing, as well – the kimonos of the Japanese characters were stunning. And the performances of the singers were top notch. The entire presentation was roughly three hours, including a twenty-minute intermission. If you like opera and/or the story of Madame Butterfly, you should definitely check out this performance before it’s gone.

After the opera, we caught up with and at Cheers. It was relatively low-key and quiet tonight – Katie (our usual waitress) is going to see to it that we no longer sit with the problem children. Selah. And, was nice enough to snap a picture of SaraRules and me in our evening finery:

And now: Sleepy-bye time.

“We can go from boom to bust, from dreams to a bowl of dust…”

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Friday – 17 Oct 2008
Last night, I headed home for a quiet date night with SaraRules – on tap: CSI:, Sleeping Beauty (the Disney version… which I’ve never seen) and Senator Palpatine McCain on yea). Shortly after I got in, I received an unusual text… from . She was at SLCIA with a 90-minute layover and was wondering what I was up to.

*blink blink*
I told her to hang tight while I made a couple of calls.

I touched bases with and to see what they were up to; both of them had things on their agendas. I called up SaraRules to see where she was (just down the street) and when she got here, we headed to the airport. We got to spend about 45 minutes or so with before she had to head back to the gate area to catch her next flight. It was a pleasant – and quite unexpected – surprise.

On the way home, SaraRules and I realized that we were getting hungry and neither of us felt like cooking. We chose Macaroni Grill for dinner. (Actually, she chose it; I just did the driving.) It was a good call, too. I had the Chicken Marsala with a calamari appetizer. Both were quite good.

We got back home, found the couch, stretched out… and, in fairly short order, both of us were knocked out. That meant that we missed most of The Late Show interview; we woke up in time to catch the very last part of it. SaraRules went home and I finished reading Top 10: Book 2 and DC: The New Frontier.

Workout
Wes managed to get me to go to the gym yesterday. I would like to make it a more-regular occurrence. Before we got started with the main workout, I wanted to try a max press… just for the Hell of it. I was pretty sure that I couldn’t get a rep at 300 lbs, even though I had 275 on the bar and had found a couple of 10-pound weights and two 2.5-pound weights to get to 300.  (There was a guy, a few machines away, watching as I added and subtracted weights from the bar. The expression on his face seemed to say,”Is he really going to try to press that much…?”) I backed it down to 250 lbs… and got two reps out of it. Not bad for not having really done bench press in nearly four months. The rest of the workout was good and tiring:

  • Bench press: 3 sets/10 reps (2 sets – 185 lbs; 1 set – 155 lbs)
  • Fly (machine): 3 sets/10 reps, 100 lbs (10 sec hold on 10th rep)
  • Back Extensions (machine): 3 sets/12 reps, 80 lbs
  • Curls: 3 sets/10 reps, 25 lbs (1 set), 30 lbs (2 sets)
  • Lateral Raises: 3 sets/10 reps, 15 lbs
  • Side Bends: 3 sets/10 reps, 25 lbs
  • Tricep Extensions (rope): 3 sets/10 reps, 60 lbs

My post-workout weight was 179.9 lbs. That’s… a little higher than I like. Time to lay off the extra helpings of brownies and ice cream after dinner.

Four-Color Coverage – DC: The New Frontier and Top 10
I was introduced to DC:The New Frontier by way of the video that was released earlier this year. It adapted the story into a (roughly) seventy-minute animated feature. The ‘toon was good and adapted the story well, but it missed a lot of the details and richness that two trade paperbacks afforded.

The story is set in 1950s America. Thanks to the air of fear created through McCartyism, costumed adventurers have been outlawed… unless they take an oath of loyalty to the U.S. administration. A couple of heroes do, most decide to just fade into the sunset.

The movie focused more on the story of Hal Jordan, using him as the readers’ main connection to the story (similar to the way that Wolverine and Rogue were used in the first X-Men movie) and that worked well for the animated feature. The books, with the wider pallete of characters, included Jordan but also gave much more insight into the other heroes featured in the story. For example, “John Henry,” a character who received a brief nod in the movie, had a plotline that ran throughout the books and – along with the Martian Manhunter’s story – served to show a couple of sides of the racial struggles in America in the 50s.

The story was a fun read. Darwyn Cooke did an excellent job of taking characters whose adventures have become so familiar and placing them in a different time, but making them – and their stories – relevant and interesting. And, in another interesting tie-in to history, the book ended with excerpts (mostly from the last half) of John F. Kennedy’s 1960 Democratic National Convention Nomination Acceptance Address.

Top 10 is the story of Neopolis, a city where all of the residents have superpowers. The book was written by Alan Moore, also known for such books as V for Vendetta, Watchmen and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

The book follows the police force, based out of Precinct 10 – more commonly known as “Top 10” – in their daily routines. The feel of the book is a cross of Astro City (1, 2) and Gotham Central… and it works. In the stories, we see not only the officers’ working their beats, but also glimpses of their personal lives, as well.

An unexpected treat that Top 10 also provides is the artwork. Not just the characters and the architecture… but the background characters. If you look carefully you’ll see that some of the extras are… “oddly  reminiscent”… of other, well-known figures in comics and literature.

Alan Moore has created a rich setting with characters whose motivations and idiosyncracies are as diverse as the city in which they live and protect. The books were good reads and I look forward to checking out the two spin-off series and the sequel.

Stray Toasters

Quote of the Day
Excerpted from John F. Kennedy’s 1960 acceptance speech:

Can a nation organized and governed such as ours endure?

That is the real question.

Have we the nerve and the will? Can we carry through in an age where we will witness not only new breakthroughs in weapons of destruction, but also a race for mastery of the sky and the rain, the ocean and the tides, the far side of space, and the inside of men’s minds?

That is the question of the New Frontier.

That is the choice our nation must make — a choice that lies not merely between two men or two parties, but between the public interest and private comfort, between national greatness and national decline, between the fresh air of progress and the stale, dank atmosphere of “normalcy,” between dedication of mediocrity.

All mankind waits upon our decision. A whole world looks to see what we shall do. And we cannot fail that trust. And we cannot fail to try.

Namaste.

“When you talk, all I hear is ‘Blah Blah Blah’…”

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Thursday – 16 Oct 2008
SaraRules came by after work yesterday. We hit the grocery store – it was my night to cook dinner – and headed home to get ready for an evening of debates and design. I cooked chicken breasts with sides of rice and green beans; we would have had wine with dinner… but I was out of white wine. Oh, well.

The debate was… a debate. I don’t know who (finally) lit a fire under Senator Palpatine McCain, but he was aggressive and assertive in ways that I haven’t really seen in the previous debates. Senator Obama, while rising to meet most of the challenges, maintained the same relative level of calm that we have come to expect from him. And, they mentioned ‘Joe the Plumber’ so much that I half expected him to walk out for a cameo. I would have to agree with most pundits: Senator McCain came out of the gate strong, but lost a bit of steam about halfway through; Senator Obama maintained a steady pace, once he got up to speed and seemed to do better than his opponent in the last two-thirds of the debate.

Project Runway brought another kind of surprise: They named this season’s winner. I didn’t agree with the choice – I felt that her designs were kind of “one trick pony.” The other two designers brought lines that were varied and well-executed. *shrug* I guess that’s just another reason why I’m not one of the judges.

I’m a little worried about the following… even though it does kind of fit under “the way I’m wired” category: A few minutes ago, on IRC, someone was trying to get ‘s attention. Then, with a “Hm,” apparently opened up Virtual Keyboard and tried that combination (D-G-A) as a chord. (I tried it too, but found D-G-B to be more appealing.) Then I saw the “Drum Beat 1” button. And I pressed it.

The first thing – FIRST THING – that came to mind was The Way It Is, by Bruce Hornsby and the Range.

The second thing that came to mind was to try and play it. I have a good ear for hearing pieces of music and figuring out how to play them. Without opening iTunes for cues and not having tried to play the song before… I started playing part of it. I was a little creeped out. *sigh*

Stray Toasters

  • It seems that there’s been a problem with commenting on my site. It has been fixed. Selah.
    Sidenote: Someone asked “who” maintains the password info for registered users on Random Access: I do… well, it’s on my server. So, your info (however much or little you put into your profile) isn’t just out there floating in the æther.
  • Apparently, today is Dictionary Day. Thanks to for pointing this out.
  • Leanne!? *jawdrop* Unglaublich.
  • SaraRules pointed me in the direction of Dear Sarah, I Can Relate, an open letter from Project Runway 3rd season designer Laura Bennett to Vice Presidential candidate Sara Palin.
  • Victoria sent me this picture last night; it made me laugh:
  • pointed out this article from Craigslist.
    I countered, saying that people who signed up for it needed to get this.

  • Coworker Tim just came over and mentioned that he saw the following bumper sticker on the way to work:
  • Rachelle Gougen, keeper of Living Between Wednesdays, takes an amazingly fun – and funny – look at Supergirl over the years.

    It started as “Supergirl Week,” but has grown into more and will apparently become “Supergirl Month,” when it resumes. She also, in the course of discussing Supergirl, takes a look at Superman that’s worthy of addition to the Superdickery site. As Tyranist put it: “Ah, Superman finally revealed to be what I’d always thought.” Lex Luthor couldn’t have put it better.

  • What do Christian Bale and Kermit the Frog have in common? More than you might think.
  • Do you think that the gamer in your life is… a little obsessive? Well, unless he’s running a rig like this, I don’t think you really need to worry that much.

And with that…

Namaste.

Wait… did they say ‘Snow?!’

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Saturday – 11 Oct 2008
Last night’s Clitorati was good and we had a rather decent turnout. Rachel fit in nicely with the usual suspects, also.

This morning, SaraRules, Rachel and I went to the Downtown Farmers’ Market.

It. Was. Cold.

We were (and for the most part, still are) on the leading edge of a stormfront. There is talk of snow, anywhere from ½” to 6″, depending on the path the storm takes. Yay.

After the market, we headed back to my place for a bit. SaraRules and Rachel went shopping, I had a ‘Clix tournament. I said my goodbyes to Rachel before they headed to the mall. I had considered what team I wanted to use last night, so all I had to do this morning was make sure that the correct figures were in my case this morning. I went with the theme of “Spies ‘R’ Us,” which included:

I went 2-1 for the day, which was a nice turnaround from last week’s 1-2. My first game was against a kid named Kasey. Literally, a kid – he couldn’t have been more than 12. He was the nephew of Duane, one of the semi-regular tourney contestants. He fielded:

I had planned on taking out Spider-Girl first… until Mr. Banner decided to close ranks. For some reason, taking him out became “Priority: One.” Go figure. After taking him down, it was Ms. Parker’s turn. And finally, Iron Man was sent to the scrap yard. To his credit, he was able to take down my somewhat early in the game. I don’t know what Duane’s been teaching him as far as playing HeroClix goes, but whatever it is, Kasey has been paying attention – with a little more strategy in his gameplay, he will be/become a formidable player.

Next, I fought Duane. I don’t remember who he fielded other than Spider-Girl and a Moloid. And I only remember those because they were the pieces that I KOed. I won that match on points.

Next up: Jerry. His team was a bit eclectic:

We danced around the map for a bit before the real engagements began. And then, we kept having issues getting the dice rolls we needed. Finally, Jerry started hitting his target numbers. And one-by-one, my team fell by the wayside, until there were none standing. Jerry went 3-0 for the day.

I headed home to meet SaraRules and we went to a quilt show in Holladay. There were a few interesting quilts, but on the whole, I didn’t see much that interested me. We did, however, run into Beth and Jer and their mothers.

And later this evening: Canadian Thanksgiving at Marilyn and Dean’s.

Namaste.

“A is for Apples, J is for Jack, P is for Funk, that’s right, it’s back on track…”

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Wednesday – 08 Oct 2008
Middle of the week and all’s well. In the words of the Dave Matthews’ Band, So Much to Say, so let’s get it started…

SaraRules came over after work last night. We ran a couple of errands, including picking up a barbecue chicken pizza from Papa Murphy’s and headed back to my place. We watched Senators Obama and McCain in the second presidential debate. Again, I’m not really sure that either candidate “won” the debate, but if I had to pick a winner, I’d have to go with…

Tom Brokaw.

That’s right: Tom Brokaw, the moderator. Why? He had the best lines – including a couple of snarky jabs at the candidates for not sticking to the agreed format.

After the debacle debate, we headed to the gym. Lo and behold, I still remember how to workout! Unglaublich! SaraRules did cardio; I headed to the machines and free weights:

  • Lat Pulldowns: 3 sets @ 100 lbs
  • Close-grip pulldowns: 3 sets @ 80 lbs
  • Reverse Flys: 3 sets, 1 set @ 60 lbs, 2 sets @ 50 lbs
  • Overhead tricep extensions (dumbbell): 3 sets @ 40 lbs
  • Side Bends: 3 sets, 25 lbs dumbbells
  • Tricep Extenstions (T-Bar): 3 sets, 80 lbs
  • Core: 2 sets, 45 seconds

I neglected to weigh myself pre- or post-workout. Oh, well.

We headed back to my place to catch David Letterman’s monologue and Top 10 List before she headed home. She made the comment that it seems like he’s got “…a personal vendetta” against Senator McCain and that it’s rather amusing to see what he’s going to say/do next. She’s right.

The Best: Rocket Man
I think that I first became aware of this song when it appeared on The Greatest American Hero, many moons ago. Since then, it’s been a favorite.

I apparently have four versions of it in iTunes:

  1. Elton John – the classic, original version
  2. Kate Bush – a synth and bass-rich version, from the “Two Rooms” tribute CD
  3. Me First and the Gimme Gimmes – a punk cover
  4. Jamie Cullum – a jazzy piano take on the song.

If I had to rate my favorites, it’d go in this order:

  1. Elton John
  2. Jamie Cullum
  3. Me First and the Gimme Gimmes
  4. Kate Bush

The rationale (as much as there is for it) is as follows: The Elton John version is, like I said classic. To me, it reminds me a bit of David Bowie’s Space Oddity, in that its protagonist simply seems… resigned to his fate and is trying to make the best of his situation. The Jamie Cullum version seems to put a different, more upbeat spin on it: Here’s a guy who has a secret (I’m not the man they think I am at home…), but is fine with it and he gets to see all kinds of things that no one else gets to see or do. He doesn’t come off as resigned, but kind of “Wow, too bad you guys can’t be here to check this out.” The Me First version is just… frenetic and fun and full of energy. And the Kate Bush version is… Kate Bush. *shrug*

Stray Toasters

And now, meeting time!

Namaste.