Random Access

Friday – 25 July 2008

It’s SysAdminDay!

In honor of this, I once again bring your Three Dead Trolls in a Baggie’s System Administrator Song.

Last night, I hung out with Allie and her friend, David; I haven’t seen her in close to a year, I guess. She’s in town for a CF treatment. When I talked with her earlier in the week, I told her that I’d come visit her. I asked if she wanted anything. Her response: Tiramisu. So, I picked some up and took it to her. It was a fun visit.

I got back home around 11:00. I turned on the TV and watched the tail end of The Late Late Show. I thought about hopping on PokerStars, but realized at 12:30 that I was tapped. So I called it a night.

Stray Toasters

• If the weather stays decent, I may head to a driving range this weekend.
• From the Council for Better Driving: Utah comes Utah Code Section 41-6a-801 – Turning – Manner – Traffic Control Devices

  Loosely translated: “To the road monkey in front of me this morning: You could have turned left – into your designated lane, even though there was oncoming traffic turning right… into their designated lane.”

• No, I don’t play for the 49’ers
• Last Lecture Professor Randy Pausch, 47, Dies
• Wizard People
• 
• Oil paintings of computer cables
• The Shining recreated with WowWee robots

• LEGO Beijing Olympics

Namaste.

Monday – 21 July 2008
A new week begins.

Last night, Perry and I spent a few hours in Paragon City – I played Corvus Nox, he played his Reforming Demon character. We joined a team that was running a few missions in the low to mid-20s. The team was “top heavy” with Tankers. This was a good and bad thing:

• Good: We had people who could hold aggro (keep the bad guys’ attention).
• Bad: They had to be elbow-up in bad guys… which meant that as the de facto healer, so did I.

I’ve mentioned before that Corvus Nox can heal, but that he’s not a primary healer. I tried making this point more that abundantly clear to my teammates. I think that the multiple deaths helped to underscore my point. Nevertheless, thanks to Double XP weekend, I put three-and-a-half levels on ‘Nox.

In an amusing side note, I ran into another character on the server named “CincinnatiJen,” who was a Bengals fan. In fact, the character concept was that of a super-powered Bengals fan. I commented to the player that, as a Ravens’ fan, I found it amusing. I’m not sure whether he/she knew enough Latin to know that “Corvus Nox” (roughly) translates to “Night Raven.” Oh, well.

And… I got my Rikti Monkey last night!

I’m not sure what to name him.. er.. her… um… it… though.

I wasn’t tired when I went to bed, so I used a crossword puzzle to help induce sleep. It worked… about 20 minutes later. I should have just stayed awake – I had one of the most disconcerting dreams I’ve had in a long time. It not only woke me up, but rattled me enough to make getting back to sleep difficult. *grblsnrkx* Thus, when the alarms went off this morning, I turned them off – with gusto – and returned to The Dreaming for a bit.

It’s Monday, but I’m hoping that wasn’t a harbinger of things to come.
On the plus side, Take Me There, by Blackstreet and Mya, greeted me on the morning commute and I have sauteed spaghetti for breakfast.

Stray Toasters

• SaraRules made it back to Aspen in good time.
• I finally found the link to the Heroclix Batman: Alpha site.
• Speaking of Mr. Wayne, The Dark Knight made $155 million in its opening weekend, setting a number of records.
• S’mores brownies.
• Band Geek Hero
• A couple weeks ago, I picked up four packs of NYTTJA frames from the Garden of Sweden, in red, green, yellow and blue. Yesterday afternoon, I pulled a number of comics out of my collection. Once I figure out which covers and frames will compliment each other best, I’m going to hang copies of cover art on the walls in my office. (Oddly enough, the green frames were easy to find cover are to match.)
• Comcast. *shakes fist*
• I picked up A Show of Hands (DVD) at Best Buy yesterday. It shall be included in today’s musical oleo.
• just had to deal with an issue – which should have never been an issue – that someone in the office created… all because that person wanted to have things his way. Apparently, he forgot that we do NOT, in fact, work for Burger King.
• Wow… and Mr. just did a little jig. Welcome to Monday.

Attack the day…

Namaste.

Friday – 18 July 2008
Welcome to the weekend.

This morning’s goal was to sleep in. Apparently, my body had other ideas: Despite turning off the alarm, I was up a little after 7:00. And 8:15. And somewhere around 9. I got a call from Perry at 9:15 and decided to finally take the hint that I wasn ‘t really going to get much/any more sleep. He asked something that made me laugh though: “Did you take the day off because of [City of Heroes‘] Double XP Weekend?”

I’ll try the sleeping in thing again tomorrow.

Assuming I get in gear and out the door in short order, I’ll probably head up for a cup o’ Joe with Perry before heading to lunch with and Steph (former coworker of his). Maybe I’ll just go post-lunch.

This afternoon’s agenda includes (but is not limited to) some cleaning… although, I may sneak in a little game time, too. And the idea of hitting some balls at the driving range isn’t entirely off the table, either.

To paraphrase Samuel L. Jackson, I’ve got “nothing but air and opportunity.”

Stray Toasters

• 12
• Just Put a Walkie Talkie in His Hand!
• Watchmen Trailer-to-Comic comparison
• I just chatted with ; she’s having a good time in The Big Easy.
• Keeping His Eye on the Ball
• It’s been a while since I’ve linked to this: Best of Craigslist
• Imposter
• 
• YouTomb: Where copyright-clobbered YouTubes go to die
• From The Brothers Brick: Darth Vader has a tough go of it in Gotham City

Quote of the Day
From a conversation with SaraRules about Mamma Mia!, a movie that she wants to see… and that I’ve agreed to sit through:

SaraRules: Entertainment Weekly called Mamma Mia! “exuberantly vapid”
Me: Yeah…
Me: I saw something along those lines online last night
SaraRules: Awesome. I can’t wait.
Me: hahaha
SaraRules: Dude, I’m sorry, but it’s a hollywood move musical based around the music of ABBA. How can anyone expect it to be art?
Me: High hopes?
Me: Wishful thinking?
Me: Miracle?
SaraRules: Pshaw. Delusions
SaraRules: Pshaw, now i have ABBA running through my brain.
Me: I’m sorry.
SaraRules: Hell, I’m not. Finding it on iTunes right now. 
Me: I love you… but sometimes, you scare me.
SaraRules: Because I like ABBA?
Me: No.
Me: Because you’re actively seeking ABBA out on iTunes. 😉

Time to start/finish getting ready to jet.

While at lunch, asked:

So, there’s no way to get a fistful of fish without getting all goopy, is there?

Ah, the joys of sushi.

Sunday – 13 July 2008
And on the first day, Rob worked.
Amen.

That’s right: I made like Kool Moe Dee and went to work. loonybin88 and I did a server upgrade today – we had to unrack, swap memory and hard drives and re-rack 18 servers. And like Big Daddy Kane, we got the job done.

After that, we headed to Olive Garden to have dinner.

And, when it’s all said and done, my work week is officially 20% done already.

Booyah.

Stray Toasters

• I found the following as the signature line to someone’s forum post:
  

  In Ulthar, no man may kill a cat. In Utah, no man may marry a cat. These rules were made because of the ramifications of them happening before.

  It amused me greatly.

• Steampunk Wallpaper. ‘Nuff said.
• By way of Wired: Is Sunday Morning the Best Wake-Up Tune Ever?
• By way of YouTube: Sunday Morning

• I need a steampunk icon.
  I don’t really need one, but I think that I want one.
• Microsoft cuts XBox price by $50, plans 60GB model
• 
• David Bowie: Underground

  I don’t know how much Aha’s Take On Me influenced Mr. Bowie’s decision to take the video for Underground in this direction, but take a look at the similarities:

• I’m a little… weirded out by the fact that I JUST noticed how similar Cool World and Take On Me are.
• The Cosby Show can still make me laugh.
• The classic Jonny Quest is on (not the 80s or 90s remakes). I think that if done properly (operative words: “if done properly”), it could make an interesting live-action TV show and/or movie. It could be done in the vein of The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. Or, it could even be told from the point of view of an older man recounting his globe-trotting adventures to his kids, grandkids or protege.
• d

Being done with the work week is a nice thing.
Lunch at Jitterbug == good

Stray Toasters

• By way of Indexed: “On roads and online forums”



• Thanks to for pointing out Giant LEGO Storage Buildings: 65-foot-high LEGO Cathedrals Store 19 Billion Pieces a Year
• I caught myself whistling You’re the One That I Want, from Grease, a little while ago. I was about ready to shoot myself when I realized it.
• Happy 90th Birthday to Nelson Mandela



• Mandela != Madonna
• 
• Two cards down, two to go.

Pow!

Thursday – 26 June 2008
Last night was a relaxed night. After work, I headed to Dr. Volt’s to pick up this week’s comics. Home. Dinner. City of Heroes. I was invited to join a team for some Tsoo missions and nearly tacked on two levels before logging off. And, in an unusual turn, I felt tired fairly early – so early that I was showered and in bed a little after 12:30.

When the alarm went off this morning, I wasn’t quite ready to roll out of bed and face the morning, so I laid in bed for a few minutes… which turned into me falling asleep again. I woke up when alarm 2.0 went off. After staring at the ceiling and walls for a few, I got up, got ready and got under way.

Of course, I didn’t notice that I had left The Leash at home until I got to the office. Fortunately, the monitoring/notification software that sends alerts to the pager has a web interface. So, really, I’m just cutting out the middle man, not to be confused with The Middleman.

I need to decide whether today is a sushi day or a workout day. Bah.

Stray Toasters

• I got another package from my father yesterday: The 47 currently released state quarters.
• SaraRules has updated the Aspen section of her site with a couple of recent goings-on.
• Dave Koz: You Make Me Smile

• MarknTyme: Fix your GoogleTalk settings – you keep bouncing on/off.
• By way of : Christopher Titus Apologizes

• The 10 Best Fan-Made Hip-Hop Videos with The Sims
• DNS & BIND == *bleh*
• Brothel bus makes last stop in Miami Beach
• 

It’s a sushi day.
Decision: Rendered.

Namaste.

Sunday: Coda
Today was a good day in the valley.

I met , , , Carl and Pat for lunch at Jitterbug. Food, good conversation and good company. The veritable Triple Crown for a coffee shop.

Next, I went to visit SaraRules’ folks.

Then, it was on to Chris’ to play Matt and ‘Mano for a rematch of the game where they royally spanked us. We weren’t sure what they were going to bring, but we came loaded for bear. When the dust settled, I had lost three pieces, but they were mostly there to keep my two other pieces from dying. And that’s exactly what they did. Chris and I had won.

Not a bad wrap-up to the day.

Stray Toasters

• How do I know that my mother still worries about me? She called me this afternoon; she called because, knows that SaraRules is out of state for the summer and wanted to make sure that I wasn’t – and I quote – “…just sitting at home twiddling my thumbs.” I love my mother.
• Edgy comic George Carlin dies in L.A., aged 71
• 
• I redid the character card I made for Galactus:
  • Old and busted
  • New hotness
• Matt and ‘Mano showed the following video to Chris and me today. Despite it’s title, it’s quite work-safe:

I should have been in bed long ago. Time to rectify that.

Namaste.

Sunday – 22 June 2008
When I got home from breakfast last night/this morning, my upstairs neighbor had what sounded like a classical music playing. I pretty much ignored it after noticing it… until I noticed that I was hearing the same phrase over and over. For about an hour-and-a-half. I figured that it must be a DVD, replaying the music on the menu screen. I went to bed and thought no more of it.

When I woke up this morning, it was still playing.

And two hours later, it’s still going strong.

Chris bought a Parallax ‘Clix figure last week. He saw the cards I did for Galactus and Phoenix and asked if I’d mind doing one for Parallax. I told him that I didn’t mind; this is what I came up with:

Once again, the hardest part was trying to come up with the quotes to put with each power. But, on the whole, I’m quite happy with the results.

Stray Toaster

Some of the usual suspects are meeting for lunch at Jitterbug… then I’m going to make an effort to get some drawing done.  And then, it’s back to Chris’ to play ‘Clix with the guys from Far West.

I’d better get a move on.

Namaste.

Saturday – 21 June 2008
This morning’s title ran – actually, it was more of a “casual stroll” – through my head as I was typing the day/date for this post. I took it as an omen and just went with it. The line was from a commercial bump between Saturday morning cartoons… back when NBC actually showed cartoons, way back in the day.

Yesterday, I rolled out of work at 2:00. I have to say: It was nice to be done for the week that early. I’m going to shoot for it again next week. I left the office and headed to Dr. Volt’s to pick up two weeks’ worth of four-color goodness. Next on the docket: Lunch. I headed to Jitterbug; and her brother joined me.

From there, I headed home for a few before heading back out for coffee and dinner.

This morning, I was up (slightly) before the alarm went off. I think I have a handle on my team for today’s games… but I still want to find a backup. Just in case. Either way, I need to find pieces that I will be happy with for all three rounds.

Stray Toasters

• Today is also Free RPG Day.
• The Violent Femmes (Blister in the Sun) have done a cover of Gnarls Barkley’s Crazy… and it’s pretty good. Check it out here.
• 
• Everyone has a little secret he keeps
  I light the fires while the city sleeps

Time to get a move on.

Namaste.

This morning’s meeting was not a complete waste – they showed of a couple of projects that one team has been working on that looked pretty cool. Other than that, I would refer to it in the same manner that I once referred to a meeting at the USPS: “upper management ego masturbation.”

I didn’t know what I wanted for lunch. I was on the fence, leaning towards Pho, when JoeT said that he was going for lunch, too. The only problem: He didn’t know what he wanted, either. We opted to head to Dask’s for gyros. Good call.

Stray Toasters

• SaraRules sent me a link to Americans for the Arts ads. That, in turn, led me to the following banners:

  

  

  

• Woman sues Victoria’s Secret Over Injury from Defective Thong
  You can find more information about this on CNN – an item about it aired on Headline News while JoeT and I were at lunch. And it raises a few questions for me:
  • If the panties were “defective,” why refuse to let VS’ attorney look at them?
  • Were they “defective” because she bought them 2 sizes too small?
  • Had she worn them before without a “wardrobe malfunction?”
• ‘Geek Girl’ helps keep Mozilla safe in scary times
• 
• Easy Ways to Save Money on Gas
• Does anyone remember Skate or Die or its follow-up, Ski or Die?
• Dale Mathis’ Clockworkpunk Executive Desk

/break

Wednesday – 18 June 2008
Happy Hatching Day to SaraRules and ‘s sister, Meliko:

Today started a little slowly. I woke up a little after 6:00, thinking that I’d missed the alarm. When the alarm did go off, I don’t remember turning it off. Fortunately, my secondary alarm did the trick.

I attempted making a coffee shake before heading out. It actually turned out pretty well, not “great,” but I was happier with this morning’s result than I have been with most others. I added a couple of Butterscotch Krimpets for breakfast and set the day on “Go!”

I have a meeting – ostensibly an hour-and-a-half long meeting – that starts in fifteen minutes. I don’t really want to go to it. I’m fighting the urge to take my GameBoy into the meeting. I think I’ll be taking Defiant and finding things to keep me occupied and entertained.

WHEE!

Tuesday: Coda
After work, I came home to find a package waiting for me. I wasn’t expecting anything, so my curiosity was “ever so slightly” piqued. I picked up the box and looked at the handwriting: It was my father’s. “Curiouser and curiouser,” said little Alice…

I took the box into the apartment and opened it.

Inside, there were four (4) boxes of Butterscotch Krimpets!

I called Dad to thank him; he laughed and said that he sent them because I deserved a good surprise. We talked for a few more minutes; all’s well there.

I headed to Chris and Mary’s for a few games of ‘Clix with Chris. We both wanted to try out teams before Saturday’s tournament. 1000 points. Unrestricted. I tried a rough team, built around Phoenix the first game and a version of the Green Lantern Corps the second game. Chris brought out The Anti-Monitor, the new Sinestro and Psylocke, for both games. We played timed rounds; Chris won both of them on points. I picked up a few things, but still wasn’t entirely happy with the way I played either team. But, I didn’t want to just fall back on the Legion, because I want to be a fairly well-rounded player and not a one-trick pony. But, I still had fun. We may try to squeeze in another game later this week.

Olly olly oxen free!
Did you know that one of the collective nouns for “ox” is “a span of oxen?”
I didn’t until working on a crossword puzzle today.
I did, however, know that a collective of crows is called “a murder.”

And that’s all for now.

Namaste.

Sunday – 15 June 2008
Happy Father’s Day

This morning started lazily. SaraRules made sauteed spaghetti and coffee for breakfast. (By the way: Drew, I did get the recipe.) Rachel hung out through breakfast and then went out for a hike. Next up: Hygiene rituals and a spot of laundry.

I’ll be heading west again in a couple of hours. It has been a good (though brief) trip – it was nice to see SaraRules and some of the places that she has talked about for the past few weeks. I’m going to try and get back out here sometime next month, God willing and the creek don’t rise.

A couple of shots from the front porch of the condo:

(click for larger versions)

Stray Toasters

• Last night, we watched Across the Universe again. We’ve been trying to see this for a couple of months. I love the arrangements of the songs… and I had forgotten how much I liked the arrangement of Let It Be. And the visuals are great, as well. If you have somehow not seen this movie, I strongly recommend renting it. Soon.
• Congrats to and Team Chalk-o-Licious for winning “Best of Festival” at this year’s Chalk Art Festival.
• The Things That Carried Him – This is a story that I first heard about on RadioWest a few months ago. It tells the story of a U.S. soldier’s final journey – the journey home to be buried. It’s a pretty amazing story. Hearing the interview with the author, Chris Jones, made me look forward to getting that issue of Esquire.
• This American Hero Wins Machinima Contest
• By way of BBC News: The United States of Advertising
• What the iPhone 3G Is Still Missing
• I’m not going to get my entry for “Superman: Man of Style” done in time to submit it to Project: Rooftop… but I’m going to keep working on it. Because I can. And because it’s been pretty fun.
• William Katt: The Hero Guest Stars on Heroes

And that’s a wrap.

Namaste.

Tuesday – 10 June 2008
Okay… it’s not really 4:30.
But it is 7:30.
And I’m already in the office.

We’re having an 8:00 meeting and they have breakfast here for us.
Is this to make us full and complacent and amenable to anything that comes up…?
Doubtful, but it makes my inner conspiracy theorist grin.

More later, the robot overlords protectors have provided me with a banana and a bagel.