Monday – 16 August 2010
Another work week begins.
At least it’s a great-looking day out there.
And there’s football tonight.
Today’s musical selections come by way of songs heard on the morning commute:
No Doubt – Just a Girl
Oingo Boingo – Weird Science
Yesterday, SaraRules, and I went to see Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. It was a LOT of fun. I’d say that it was one of the best geek movies I’ve seen in a long time, if not ever. SaraRules said that “…it looked the way I would expect a comic book to be translated into a movie.” I’m not a huge Michael Cera fan – he’s a little like Will Ferrell to me, very hit or miss – but I really enjoyed him as Scott Pilgrim. It was also amusing to see Brandon Routh as one of Ramona’s “Seven Deadly Exes,” and a “super” one at that. It nearly made me laugh out loud when he was flying. All-in-all, it was a fine bit of summer cinema.
After the movie – and after I spent a little time in Paragon City – we headed to the in-laws’ for dinner and a movie. Sunday dinners with the family are made additionally fun by some of the stories told over the dinner table. After dinner, we watched Kick-Ass, which was just as enjoyable this time as it was the first time we saw it.
Friday – 13 August 2010
Yes, it is Friday the 13th… (dun dun DUNNNN!)
But, it’s still Friday, which means that the weekend is nigh. With that in mind, here’s a little Janet (“Ms. Jackson,” if you’re nasty…) to help get your end-of-the-week dance on:
And we can’t just leave it like that, so here’s a little Will Smith, too:
After working a little later than usual on Wednesday and having to go back to work Wednesday night (to deal with a potential water leak), I had an extra hour of work on the timecard… of which I availed myself yesterday afternoon: I left a little after 4:00. Â It was nice. I stopped at Pin-up Girl, ordered a Peach White Tea and then sat and chatted with Jim and his brother, Paul.
Then I headed home to get ready for some football. SaraRules had a Justice Junior League meeting, so that meant that I was on my own for dinner. (Hello, Papa Johns…?) Pizza went wonderfully with beer and football. and it wasn’t just any old football game… it was the Ravens hosting the Panthers. But I’ll go into the game later.
As if the early part of the day wasn’t enough, SaraRules, Bonne, Melissa S. and I went to see The Expendables. SaraRules called it, and I quote:
Quite possibly the best action movie I’ve ever seen… I’d give it nine-and-a-half bricks!
And, just in case that wasn’t enough, here’s what Bonne had to say about it:
If you prefer action over chick flicks, I have one word for you: Expendables!!!
That’s right: My mother-in-law thought it rocked. Â Beat that.
And, yeah, it was pretty damned good. You’re not five minutes into the movie when the bullets – and bodies – start flying. The movie is “a little” thin on plot, but doesn’t suffer from lack of action. You get to see (almost) all of the stars chewing bubble gum, kicking ass and taking names. Something that I wasn’t expecting: The dialogue was actually witty at times. Sure, there were a couple of in-jokes here and there, but the banter was fairly fresh. And, the movie was just plain fun.
The Ravens played host to the Carolina Panthers for both teams’ first preseason game. The weather went from overcast and threatening to “Hey, Noah, where’s your ark?” during the course of the game.
The Ravens have a lot of new talent on both sides of the ball. They also have a good number of returning team members. Among the new talent is former St. Louis QB Mark Bulger. Bulger looked a little rusty, but viewers saw that the talent is still there. QB Troy Smith got the short end of the stick, coming into the game as the rain started pouring down, but that didn’t stop him from engineering a drive that culminated in a rushing TD… by Smith, himself, on a QB draw.
The Panthers apparently have twenty-nine (29) new players, including six rookie defensive players. They also have two rookie QBs – Jimmy Clausen and Hunter Cantwell – duking it out for the #2 slot. And I have to say: Clausen looked amazing. Seriously. First NFL game – against the Ravens’ D, no less – and he stood in the pocket, looking cool and in control. His passes were solid. His timing was unexpectedly and impressively precise, threading the needle more than once to complete long yardage passes to receivers in coverage.
Yes, this was “just” a pre-season game, but it was still football and it was a good game. It’s good to know that both of my teams will be worth watching this season… especially when both teams meet again in November.
Workout
Thursday’s step count: 4,860
Stray Toasters
Late night + early morning = Rob stopping at Pin-up Girl Espresso for some go-juice.
Erin and Paul helped me kickstart my morning.
Quote of the Day
Today’s quote comes from last night, by way of someone sitting in front of us to his friend who had just returned from the concession stand:
“You’re bitching about salt and sugar?! That much food will grow you two spare asses!”
Monday – 09 August 2010
The weekend has ended and a new work week has begun.
And, quite frankly, I could use another weekend; this last one was packed pretty full.
Saturday morning, SaraRules, , and I attended the funeral for our friend, Dave. It was a nice service. Dave’s brother, Tommy, delivered the eulogy/life reflection. Correction: He delivered two of them — one that was the “family approved” version and one that he had originally written, but been vetoed on giving. Both were good, but I think that Dave would have particularly appreciated the unexpurgated version.
After the service, we headed back home. I needed to change for a tournament; SaraRules, and were going out for lunch. The tourney went well, as did the lunch, from what I gathered. Later, came over for dinner and a movie; we watched Batman: Under the Red Hood, which she hadn’t seen. After she left, SaraRules and I watched The Royal Tenenbaums. It was an… interesting… movie. Like other Wes Anderson movies, I wasn’t quite sure how I felt about it after seeing it.
Sunday, after a tasty breakfast, SaraRules, , and I headed up to Park City to attend the Kimball Park City Arts Festival. As I noted on Facebook:
[I am] getting ready to head to the Park City Kimball Arts Festival with three lovely ladies. It’s kind of like being Bosley from ‘Charlie’s Angels,’ but without the bad 70s fashion.
It was a good event. We wandered up and down Main Street, looking at the various items. We wound up coming home with four (4) new pieces of art:
One piece (Cafe Society) by Audrey Heller, from whom I’ve wanted to purchase something for a few years,
Later in the evening, SaraRules and I went up to her parents’ for dinner and a movie. We watched From Paris With Love, which turned out to be better than any of us had anticipated. There was a nifty in-joke that made us laugh rather heartily about halfway through the film.
After we got back home, SaraRules and I watched Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959). I had never seen it, but SaraRules remembered it with nostalgic fondness. (I did, however, remember watching the Filmation cartoon series adaptation of the movie, however…)
Workout
Saturday’s step count: 817 (I neglected to put on the pedometer after changing pants Saturday afternoon)
Sunday’s step count: 4,792
Sunday – 01 August 2010
“Summer’s going fast…”
It seems as though July just started, and now we are beginning August.
Yesterday was also Ms. ‘s birthday.
Friday, was Day 5 of The Great Network Conversion. By the end of the (very long) day, it seems as though most things were in order. There was a lot of “hurry up and wait” involved, as we were awaiting some configuration to be completed at the home office. That didn’t help with the “longest day ever” feeling. Just before we left for the day, SaraRules dropped by the office, with a caramel mocha in-hand. (Have I mentioned ‘Coolest Wife Ever,’ recently?) By the time I got home, all I wanted to do was come home and take a nap. And that’s exactly what I did… and then it was off to gather with the rest of the Clitorati crew.
Saturday, I forced myself to sleep in. I know… I know… it sounds odd to have to “force” oneself to sleep in. But, considering that I woke up at 0700 and seriously contemplated getting up and starting the day — and given the fact that between Thursday and Friday, I put in nearly 24 hours in the office — sleep was a good and necessary thing. SaraRules went to the Open House at Repertory Dance Theatre; I stayed at home and did a bit of cleaning…
…until got here. We went to The Train Shoppe. I wanted to see if my new set had arrived. It hadn’t. Apparently, Lionel pushed back its shipping date by nearly a month. So… it should be here either just before or just after we  go camping.
Following that stop and a quick run to Dr. Volt’s, it was back home for a bit. Lunch. Hanging out with SaraRules. Exploring LEGO Universe… when it wasn’t being buggy. *shakes fist*
Later in the evening, SaraRules and I went to Rio Tinto Stadium to see Real Salt Lake host a match against DC United:
This also marked the first time that I have seen an MLS game live. (I doubt it will be the last time.) I had gone to MISL (Major Indoor Soccer League) games as a teenager, but that really comes under the heading of “same brand, different flavor.” Â Or, for the SAT crowd:
Major Indoor Soccer League : Major League Soccer as…
Roller Derby : NASCAR
Arena Football League : NFL Football
BMX : Motocross
Stickball : Major League Baseball
The correct answer, in this case, would be “2”
The match was a lot of fun. We sat in the upper level and had a great view of the soccer pitch… AND the seats were very reasonably priced. And they were also covered, which became important when it started raining. RSL won the match 3 – 0, with a couple of goals coming in the last 10 minutes of the game. Â (I was a little torn about the loss for DCU, though…) I am Ivory Soap sure that we’ll be back in Rio Tinto Stadium to see another match before the season ends.
Workout
Friday’s step count: I don’t recall, but it was somewhere around 3,600 steps
Saturday’s step count: Â 5,948
Monday – 26 July 2010
It’s the beginning of another fun-filled work week.
Today would have been my great-grandmother’s birthday, as well. One of the best stories about my great-grandmother also involves Sib-2 and a Power Wheels truck; nearly 30 years later, it still makes me laugh.
Even though it was a three-day weekend, it still seemed far too short. The highlights of the weekend included:
A trip to End Zone with Perry and the kids
Hanging out with the coolest wife ever.
Helping the coolest wife ever redo the planter bed in front of the house.
Footloose came on the radio during the morning commute. Â Whenever I hear the song, it reparses in my head as:
Juice! Fruit juice!
Or Kool-Aid, if you choose.
Juice box, please! Or Capri Suns to squeeze!
It’s a fact: Welch’s Grape is like crack!
Juice! Fruit Juice!
Everybody drink… Everybody drink…
Everybody drink… Everybody drink…
Everybody drink… Everybody drink… Everybody….
Everybody drink fruit juice!
Thursday – 22 July 2010
It’s NBN Thursday/Technical Friday. Â Amen.
And, just because I can, today’s musical selection: U2 – Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me
Last night, SaraRules and I went to MacCool’s Public House for ‘Evening with Guinness,” a dinner featuring not only Guinness, but foods prepared with Guinness:
John Baxter and Kevin Fitzgerald both talked a little about the history of Guinness and their other beers – Smithwicks (pronounced “smith-icks”) and Harp – and some of their distribution channels, as well as a soon-to-be-released-in-the-U.S. beer.
Sweet, merciful Jesus… It was a sublime meal. All of the courses – and their accompanying beers – were excellent choices and were wonderfully prepared. I’m not usually a fan of onion soups, but the Four-Onion Soup Medly was fantastic. The steak… oh, the steak… was simply amazing.
Our tablemates were rather fun, too: We sat with three other couples, one of whom was the owner of MacCool’s, Scott. He was especially interested to find out that we’d heard about the event from their Facebook page. We talked about sports. Â We talked a little about our jobs. We talked about the event and dinner. It was an all-around good time.
After we got back home, we watched The Ruins. I kept thinking of it as “Little Shop of Horrors meets Tomb Raider,” but without all of the excitement. While there were a couple of surprises – and one scene that I totally didn’t see coming – but it wasn’t really “scary.” In an amusing note, I kept looking at Joe Anderson (whom I best remember from Across the Universe, but was apparently also in The Crazies) and thinking that he was Ben Foster (Pandorum and X-Men: The Last Stand). But he wasn’t.  Although… Shawn Ashmore, who played Iceman in the X-Men movies, was in the film.
Workout
Yesterday’s step count: 3,200
Stray Toasters
Win: Coworker Ryan just came around and offered me a doughnut from Banbury Cross.
Tuesday – 20 July 2010
Day Two of the work week is upon us.
Last night, SaraRules and I fixed jambalaya for dinner. It had been a few months since we’d made any. It was tasty. After that, we headed up to the Kohl’s in Brickyard (the Kohl’s that I always seem to forget is there) so that I could find a few new shirts. After that it was back at home for…
Stop!
Yard work time!
When the grasses and weeds had been tamed, it was time for a shower and unwinding in front of the TV for a bit. Property Virgins and James May’s Toy Stories set the evening off nicely.
Tonight, SaraRules and I are getting in touch with our inner cowboys/rednecks – or, as it’s part of the “Days of ’47” celebration, our ‘inner pioneers’ – and going to the rodeo. Tonight is “Tough Enough to Wear Pink” Night, with the proceeds going to support breast cancer awareness… and was the primary reason for last night’s Kohl’s excursion – I needed a pink shirt that wasn’t a dress shirt. It should be an interesting way to spend the evening.
Workout
Monday’s step count: 4,530
Stray Toasters
I heard Prince’s I Would Die 4 U on the way to work this morning. It would have made a good selection for this morning’s music post, but His Purple Badness has “a thing” about his music and/or videos being posted online, so you’ll have to come up with a viable alternative on your own… or you could go with The Cardigans’ My Favourite Game:
A lot of people may remember Gatchaman (or Battle of the Planets, as it was known in the U.S.). After many years in development Hell, it looks as though a feature-length film may actually see the light of day. Here’s a trailer:
Thursday – 15 July 2010
It’s another sunny NBN Thursday here in the Land Behind the Zion Curtain. It’s going to be a hot one, too — temps are supposed to be in the mid-90s. (At least it’s a “dry” heat.)
This morning’s musical break: ABC by the Jackson Five
Yesterday, pinged me to see if I was interested in playing in a D&D game that Jack is running at Hastur Games and Comics. As it was SaraRules’ book club night – and I was going to be relegated to the basement anyway – I said “Sure.” And off I went to nerd! This was new and different for me for two reasons:
It’s a 4th Edition game (I had previously played v2.0 through 3.5)
It’s a Dark Sun setting, which is a world that I’ve not played in before.
We ran two encounters; there are two more left in this chapter, I believe. (Nyx: I’m running a half-tiefling.) It was fun and a bit different, as this was more of a miniatures game than the role-playing style of 3rd Edition and earlier.
Back at home, SaraRules and I watched a short movie, Vampire Hunter Hank, that her friend Jerry made. It was pretty funny. Â And entertaining, to boot.
Workout
Yesterday’s step count: 3,940
And… my sides still hurt from the other night’s workout.
The race started a little late, but there was a good turn out — according to Doug, Young Living’s CEO, the race has grown from about 300 people to over 1,000 in four years. As this was my first-ever 5K (and as I am not a runner), there was a little jogging (briefly) and a lot of walking in this event. SaraRules figures that we finished in about 45 minutes or so. Â It was a good first experience with a 5K.
On the way back to SLC, Melissa started feeling decidedly “not well.” We stopped a couple of times… and finally wound up heading to the InstaCare in Springville. Shortly after arriving – and before the doctor really did anything – she started feeling better.
Back home, I took a shower, grabbed gear and headed up to Dr. Volt’s for the weekend’s ‘Clix tourney. Almost as soon as I got in the care, I realized that needed caffeination. Badly. Â (Which sounds really funny, if you hear the voice from Gauntlet saying “Green Elf needs food badly!”) I swung into the parking lot at Pin-up Girl… but there were five cars in line and I was already running late. Not an option. So, I headed on to Dr. Volt’s. Fortunately, Dave has “Mexican Coke” (the one that has real sugar, not artificial sweeteners) at the store, so I had a bottle of that to get me through. The tournament went well; I wound up playing bye rounds — my team was the Justice League of Arkham.
After the tourney, I went back home to take care of a few last-minute items before our open house. We had a good afternoon with family and friends who were able to make it.
By 11:00, “awake” was becoming less and less of an option. I don’t think that I made it to (or much past) 11:15.
Sunday, I was up at 8:30. That was fine; I was quite happy with a good seven hours’ sleep. I was a little restless, but couldn’t figure out what to do. I solved that by plopping down on the sitting room sofa and wasting time with my Evo. Then I headed downstairs and wasted time online. After she got up, SaraRules made omelettes! We watched the Spain – Netherlands game. (The regulation time seemed… dull and a little lifeless.)
After the match, we headed up to the in-laws’ for a few before going to see Predators. Both SaraRules and I agreed that it didn’t suffer from “sequel suck” and that it was definitely a good choice for an afternoon popcorn flick.
Wednesday – 07 July 2010
Midweek.
Comics and Sushi Wednesday.
Last night, Chris came over and we finishedHALO 3: ODST. It was a good game. It was a nice addition to the HALO universe, with similar yet “just different enough” gameplay to keep it interesting and exciting. We were quite happy with having completed the game… until we looked at the achievements that we had – and hadn’t – unlocked.
That’s when we noticed it:Â We had finished the game…
…but we had apparently done it on the “Easy” setting.
::: grblsnrkx :::
We satisfied ourselves with the knowledge that we could go back and replay the game at a harder skill setting. Oh, well.
Workout
Yesterday’s step count: 6,184
Stray Toasters
When measuring where to hang a large mirror, make sure to take into account the additional space you want between the top of the mantle and the bottom of the mirror before setting the toggle bolts.
Tuesday – 06 July 2010
The new (and short!) work week begins. I hope that everyone had a safe and enjoyable long holiday weekend.
I was informed, this morning, that I completely missed two coworkers’ birthdays… despite wishing a third coworker a “Happy Birthday” on the same day. So, with that in mind:
Friday was very quiet around the office… although, there were more people in the office than I had expected. One of the day’s highlights was getting to watch the Uruguay vs. Ghana World Cup soccer match. I had hoped that Ghana would be able to pull off a win, but it wasn’t meant to be. After work, I hung out with Jim at Pin-up Girl Espresso, while waiting for SaraRules to get home from work. Then, it was off to Clitorati.
Saturday, Chris and I got together for breakfast (Millcreek Cafe and Eggworks) before heading to Dr. Volt’s for the weekend’s tournament, “Patriotic Fight for Freedom:”
We had nine players, so it was a good turn out for a holiday weekend. As there were an odd number of players, I got to play – I put together a team comprised of:
Uncle Sam
Wonder Woman
Captain America
Winter Soldier
Harvey Dent LE and
The Question
After the tourney, SaraRules and I visited her folks… and her aunt and uncle, who are in town for the week.
Sunday was a nice sleep-in day. Then we headed to The Garden of Sweden, for brunch and to pick up a few things… unfortunately, they had changed their hours (again), so we wound up visiting the Ashley Furniture, Â across the street, while we waited. Into and out of the IKEA. On to more errand-running and then back to the in-laws’ for dinner and birthday cake for SaraRules’ mom.
Monday was a “work around the house” day. We walked up to Pin-up Girl for caffeinated goodness and then came home, where SaraRules fixed breakfast. After that, we got to the business of housekeeping. This also included hanging pictures and making the space look generally “lived in.” Later in the evening, SaraRules suggested that we go for a walk. We went up Big Cottonwood Canyon and walked around Silver Lake. While out, we saw two deer (just hanging out along the road), a moose (!) and SaraRules saw/I heard a beaver jump into the lake, just ahead of us.
Workout
Walking step counts for (most of) the past few days:
Friday: 7,403
Saturday: 5,794
Sunday: —
Monday: 6,480
Stray Toasters
There’s a free Utah Symphony concert at Abravanel Hall tomorrow, just call the ticket office and reserve your tickets: 801-533-NOTE (6683). For more information, click here.
loonybin88 just put in an appearance in the office. He was here to follow up on a project on which we’ve been working; apparently, I haven’t bolloxed things up. Win!
I was feeling a bit nostalgic, so I checked out some old posts:
Wednesday – 30 June 2010
Today is Comics and Sushi Wednesday.
It is also the last day of June. That means that when the day is over, the year will be half over. It seems like it just started…
Last night, just after work, SaraRules and I had a surprise visit from her mother… and her grandparents. We knew that the grands were coming to town, but didn’t expect to see them until today. (Good thing that the house was fairly clean and straightened!) They were on their way home from dinner and, as we were on the way, they stopped in to see us. We sat around and chatted for a bit before they continued on.
A little later in the evening, SaraRules and I went to the Salt Lake Art Center for the opening of:
As described on the Salt Lake Art Center site:
As part of its summer programming, the Salt Lake Art Center is exhibiting Contemporary Masters: Artist-Designed Miniature Golf, 18 fully-playable works of contemporary art like you’ve never seen before. Contemporary Masters features original creations by top artists from Utah and around the nation that explore diverse ideas (the current immigration debate, the fragility of personal identity, and the meditative value of Donkey Kong) in equally diverse media, including woven fabrics, video installations, and shredded paper. Deftly exploring the intersection between art and play, Contemporary Masters reminds us that art can and should be a part of our everyday lives.
The exhibit runs all summer and the admission is free – the SLAC does accept donations in their lobby, though. Some of the holes are challenging, to say the least. It is a fun outing and a different way to look at – and experience – art.
When we got back home, SaraRules found Blindness – which was referenced in the article on dystopian 21st Century visions from Monday’s post – on Netflix’ Instant Queue. It was an odd movie. It started off with a man going spontaneously blind. The movie follows him – and others – as his affliction is visited upon others. Julieanne Moore stars as the lone protagonist who retains her sight, hiding this fact from those around her. This movie provides an interesting character study, as well as an interesting social commentary on how quickly things break down when the conventions to which we are accustomed no longer hold true.
Workout
Yesterday’s step count: 4,302
Stray Toasters
A few months ago, I had a catastrophic hard drive failure at work. On the “plus” side, I had another rig that I could move into the then-dead machine’s place. On the “minus” side, I lost a LOT of company email… or at least I thought I had. I was able to recover a good portion of the lost email. That is a “good” thing. Today, I found an “even better” thing: I was able to find and recover a year-and-a-half gap of mail that I thought was totally gone. Win!
DC Comics has proclaimed this “Wonder Woman Week,” as the Amazon princess’ title hits Issue #600 today. Along with this, new writer J. Michael Straczynski (as in “The guy who created Babylon 5“) is giving Diana a retconned background and a new costume, courtesy of Jim Lee:
Best Summer Dance Music Sidenote: I don’t get all the flak people are giving Lady Gaga/her music. She’s a bit outlandish, yes. Guess what: It’s a persona/image. Â Deal with it. And as for the music? Â It’s pop music… it’s supposed to be light, fun, and danceable. Â If you’re looking for “deep meanings,” you’re barking up the wrong tree.
Another working day begins… although mine began a little later than usual. Since I wasn’t feeling 100% yesterday and last night, I decided to sleep in a bit this morning. And it was good.
Today is also, apparently, Camera Day. Â With that in mind, here are a couple of shots from around the office:
Last night, SaraRules and I went to Citris Grill with the Pin-up Girl Espresso crew for a farewell dinner for Monica – one of the (former) baristas – who is moving to Oregon this week. I had the Wood Fired Chicken Breast, with roasted potatoes and green beans and a Guinness to wash it down. The food and the company were both quite good. Christy, another barista, attempted to put me on the spot at one point and asked: “Who makes the best frozen mocha?” I politely declined to answer. Hey, I don’t want someone putting “extra stuff” in my mochas from now on, because I said that someone else made a better mocha than they did. I might be a little crazy, but I’m not stupid. All told, it was a nice way to spend the evening… and we got to check out a new (to us) restaurant, to boot. Win-Win.
And, speaking of Pin-up Girl, Jim brought this back from Seattle over the weekend:
She’s a 1946 Pontiac. At some point, I’ll try to get some interior shots, too
Chew on This – Food for Thought: Foursquare
I’ve started… using/playing (?)… Foursquare. I would blame SaraRules, but I don’t like sleeping with one eye open. She has joked “There goes the marriage….” because I keep jockeying for her “mayor” position at Pin-Up Girl.
I’ve found Foursquare to be an interesting application/game. The “competition” of becoming mayor is kind of fun (and a bit silly, too), but the social aspects of the app are also interesting. For example: If you check in at a local haunt, Foursquare will notify your other Foursquare-unsing friends that you have checked in at Locatino X. That notification also includes the following: “Swing by and say hi!” Â While that might not be the most appropriate thing to do, based on where a person is checking in, it is an easy way to set up impromptu gatherings – almost like a flash mob – if you’re heading to your favorite pub or coffee shop.
So far, it’s been fun. We’ll see how it goes.
Workout
Yesterday’s step count: 3,502
Stray Toasters
I need to figure out “what pictures” are going “where” in my office.
MarknTyme posted a link to something that could be either incredibly awesome… or chock full of FAIL. Take a look at just what it is here. And for more information about it, go here. And, if that’s still not ringing a bell, see if this jogs your memory.
posted a link to a cute video, shot and edited on an iPhone 4:Â Apple of My Eye.
(Yes, this was pretty much an automatic “Win” for me, given the subject matter.)
Monday – 28 June 2010
Another work week begins. I’m trying to decide if it’s going to be a full 40-hour week or if it’s trending towards 36 or less. At this point, I’m feeling like the “36-” idea sounds pretty damned good.
I also feel like I really want to be over this sinus congestion. I’m not sure if it’s due to something that SaraRules brought back with her from California or due to the weather rollercoaster (of love! Say what?!) that we had here a week or so ago. Either way, hopefully Sudafed can keep me from looking like a Garbage Pail Kids throwback.
For some reason, I woke up this morning with Shawn Colvin’s Steady On running through my head. Good thing I like the song.
Yesterday, , and Matt came by for brunch… and to help me figure out what was wrong with the sprinkler system. It basically came down to the lawn care equivalent of a PEBCAK — As I never adjusted the solenoids on the valves for the system at the Taylorsville house, I never knew that they could be opened to help drain the system. Fortunately, and Matt knew this. A few twists of the screwdriver an not only did the waters flow, but there was actual, honest-to-goodness water pressure that went along with it! (The head in front of the sitting room windows looked more like a riot water cannon than lawn sprinkler… but at least it worked.) Thus, I’m making and Matt co-Humans of the Day for yesterday.
Later in the day, SaraRules and I went to see Knight and Day. Yes, I know… a lot of people think that Tom Cruise is Tom Cruise Crazy, but I don’t have a beef with the guy. In fact, despite my theory that many Tom Cruise movies were actually the same movie:
Young hotshot (fill-in-the-job title) is known for not playing by the rules.
He gets a reputation for being arrogant and/or reckless.
He is given (fill-in-the-task) and muffs it ~or~ he crosses the wrong person.
He struggles to make a comeback (Don’t call it a comeback, he’s been here for years…).
He saves the day by the end of the movie.
…I found Knight and Day to be fun and entertaining; it was like a mix of “Mission: Impossible meets True Lies.”
And, just how many movies does the above formula work for? Â Let’s see:
Sunday – 27 June 2010
This month has pretty much flown by.
Yesterday, SaraRules and I – along with her parents – went down to the Utah Arts Festival. Even for the third day of the event, the turnout seemed good. Aside from just wanting to attend the festival, we were also looking for some art with which we would decorate the house. No luck. Fortunately, the Park City Kimball Arts Festival will be around in about six weeks. We’ll see how our luck fares then.
On the way to the arts festival, we walked past a bar in which the World Cup match between the U.S. and Ghana was being shown. The game had just/recently ended as we approached the bar. A trio of patrons – two men and a woman – walked out, one of the men raging, “Fuck Ghana!” at the U.S.’ loss. I was tempted to go up to him and say “Some of my family is from Ghana…,” just to mess with him. Part of me now wishes that I had.
We watched Men Who Stare at Goats last night. I’m not really sure what I expected from the movie, but what I got was an enjoyable and rather entertaining film. It was witty and quirky, without going too far over the top. I was also pleasantly surprised to learn that the movie was based on a book by Jon Ronson, an author whose work I enjoy.
