Random Access

Sunday – 07 November 2010
Ah, weekend.
And, it’s been a quite good one, at that.
Hopefully, everyone remembered to set your clocks back an hour for Daylight Saving Time.

Yesterday was SaraRules!’ birthday:

Last night, she threw a “Spaghetti Fiesta” party.  There was spaghetti (obviously), wine, cookies, cake, ice cream… the works.  And it was a lot of fun.

Earlier in the day, I hung out with Chris a bit and judged a ‘Clix tourney. Then, I came home and worked on my train layout a little bit.  Last week, I picked up Lionel’s Engine House – same style, but an older version and a little differently colored and it was a kit, rather than a pre-assembled unit. Yesterday, while waiting for people to arrive, I finished putting it together.  It looks good.

Today is my friend, Jeremiah’s, birthday:

This morning, SaraRules! and I were going to head up to Ruth’s Diner for breakfast. I figured that since Comcast and the local CBS affiliate couldn’t be bothered to let us know which NFL game was going to be aired at 11:00, a nice breakfast out with the missus seemed like a good thing. However, being the amazingly cool wife that she is, SaraRules! suggested that we wait until 11:00 and see who was playing. Good thing, too: It was the Dolphins-Ravens game. Win-Win.

Instant Replay: Football

Miami Dolphins at Baltimore Ravens
10 – 26
Coming off of a bye week, The Ravens hosted the Miami Dolphins… and the game was aired locally, so I got to see my two favorite AFC teams play! Miami came into this game having won all of their road games this season, while Baltimore has won all of this season’s home games. So it was going to be a good match-up. The Ravens received the opening kick-off and QB Joe Flacco drove the team down the field to score a touchdown. Not to be outdone, the ‘Fins scored on their first drive, as well. There was a lot of back-and-forth in the rest of the first quarter, but no one was able to score. Baltimore put up a couple of FGs in the second quarter, to the Dolphins’ one. Baltimore scored another TD on a WR Derrick Mason reception in the third and posted a couple more field goals in the fourth to cement the win. Notable plays in the game: FS Ed Reed‘s third interception… in two games. P Sam Koch‘s 13-yard PASS (that’s right, I said “pass”) to Cary Williams on 4th down in the third quarter. DB Josh Wilson‘s end-of-game pick of a Chad Henne pass. I am taking the win as a belated birthday gift from the Ravens, as the score was 10-26… which happens to be my birthday. But, there’s no time to sit back and enjoy this win, as the Ravens have to travel to Atlanta to take on the Falcons on Thursday.

.

New Orleans Saints at Carolina Panthers
34 – 3
The Saints, coming off last week’s win over the Steelers, went to Bank of America Stadium and handed the Panthers a big-time defeat.

.

New England Patriots at Cleveland Browns
14 – 34
The Pats traveled to Cleveland and got handled by the Browns. Big time.

Stray Toasters

• Listening to Rap for the First Time, with a Book Critic, courtesy of
• Best television adaptations of science fiction and fantasy novels
• BSO’s Mahler and Freud: A Q&A with Didi Balle
• will be able to appreciate this:
  



• I discovered RailModeller, a model railroad layout program… for the Mac a few days ago.  I’m liking it.
• Snow White just rocked my face off
  • Pogomix
• 5 Ways to Really Stay Warm This Fall and, Eventually, Winter
• I like this Call of Duty: Black Ops commercial
• Government D.A.R.E. Program Causes Kid to Narc on Parents & Send Them to Jail
• 33 Conspiracy Theories That Turned Out to Be True, What Every Person Should Know
• The Queen Joins Facebook

Namaste.

Friday – 05 November 2010
Today is the beginning of Diwali.

It is also Guy Fawkes Day.

It’s also my 9/80 “on” Friday.

Last night, SaraRules! and I attended the Ballet West performance of:

The performances were good. I was unfamiliar with The Four Temperaments (as a dance piece); it was interesting and a little odd. I was familiar with the music from Carmina Burana, but the performance was less of an interpretation of the the story and more of an expressionist piece of modern dance.

Stray Toasters

• Graphitti Designs is (FINALLY!) coming out with a new Legion t-shirt in January!  Covet!
• Secret Ohio Warplane Graveyard Unearthed
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: 10 Toys That Will Permanently Screw Up Your Kids
• How Fanboys, Fandroids and Crackberry Junkies See Each Other
• E.U. Says It Will Overhaul Privacy Regulations
• Comics Career Guide: What to Expect from a Career in the Arts
• 
• Cooking for Geeks
• Microsoft has a hit with Kinect Xbox 360 game controller
  • Of course… Kinect has problems following dark-skinned users
• Learning in Dorm, Because Class Is on the Web
• Qantas CEO: ‘Faulty design’ may be behind jet engine blowout

Our outgoing President/CEO bought a foosball table for the office as a parting gift. I just played foosball for the first time in… in… well, let’s just say “a very long time.” I must admit: It was fun.

Namaste.

Thursday – 04 November 2010
Another NBN Thursday is upon us.

Last night, SaraRules! and I had Angela, Kate, A.J. and John – Utah Opera’s resident artists – over for dinner. We had a fantastic meal (maple chicken, roasted root vegetables, sauteed green beans with mushrooms) and got to learn a little bit more about the artists and what they do. It was a lot of fun. We also had an excellent dessert, as the residents brought a German Chocolate cake with them. It was a great way to spend the evening.

After the residents left and the dishes were put away, it was time to read this week’s comics haul. There were a couple of good reads, including Adventure Comics #520 and Superboy #1.  (I foresee a new Four-Color Coverage in the not-too-distant future…) I should also admit that I’ve been rather pleased with how Paul Levitz and his conspirators have reintroduced a young Clark Kent and Kara Zor-El back into Legion continuity. I was curious to see how it would work, given that Kara has already spent time with the Threeboot Legion, but Supergirl Annual #2 (last week) did a good job of it.

Today’s musical interlude: Anita Kelsey – Sway (“performed” by Jennifer Connelly)

Tonight: Carmina Burana at Ballet West

Stray Toasters

• I woke up this morning with Rocket 2 U, by The Jets, running through my head. I have NO idea “why.” I was more than “a little” disturbed and worried by it.
• Tennessee Titans Claim Randy Moss on Waivers
• might want to consider clicking here.
• 
• 2010 Hess Toy Truck and Jet
  I used to get Hess trucks for Christmas as a kid… but none of them had a jet.
• More than 20 tons of pot smuggled in border tunnel
• Covet!

Namaste.

Wednesday – 03 November 2010
Midweek.
Of course, that also means that its Comics and Sushi Wednesday, too!

And, it’s ‘s birthday:

Last night was D&D night with and company. It was a good game. No one died, although Alex’ character gave it the old college try. And we met a new party member, before things were all said and done.

Today’s musical interlude comes in two parts:

• Jesus Jones – Right Here, Right Now
• Van Halen – Right Now

Stray Toasters

• Stan Lee Revamps ‘Romeo & Juliet’ in the Future with Cyborgs
• The History of the Uncanny Valley
• 
• Serious Security Bugs Found in Android Kernel
• LEGO lifts off with NASA
• Cotton Clothing Price Tags to Rise
• From xkcd: “Diode”



• Bill Parisi’s Photos of Model Railroad Layouts
• S.F. Supes Pass Happy Meal Ban with Veto-Proof Majority
• The Art of Biking
• A Cultural Leap Across a Political Divide: In Cuba, American Ballet Theater and City Ballet Dance

The show must go on!

Namaste.

Monday – 01 November 2010
Today is All Saints Day.

Yesterday was a relaxed and lazy day. I slept in a bit and then headed to the living room to watch a few things that have been on the DVR for far too long. Later, and I headed down to Lehi to check out a hobby shop… that was open on Sunday!  (You’d possibly have to live here to understand how bizarre it is to find a small town hobby store open on a Sunday afternoon.) When we got there, it was closed — the sign on the door said “Summer Hours: Closed Sundays.” This brought two things to mind:

1. Wasn’t “summer” over an month and a half ago?
2. Couldn’t they have listed something about being closed on their website?

On the way back, we experienced “Adventures in Road Rage” with some yutz in an SUV. Fun times.

After I got back home, I put in a little time playing LEGO Universe. From there, SaraRules and I headed to Home Depot, stopped off to help a friend with a computer problem and then went to the in-laws’ for dinner and football.

Post-game, we headed home and watched The Walking Dead. I liked it. There were a couple of parts that were reminiscent of 28 Days Later, where Cillian Murphy first awakens to discover the world (or at least England) has gone to Hell around him. I’m curious to see how the show progresses… and I should read the graphic novels, as we have them, to see how close the adaptation is.

Instant Replay: Football
The Ravens had their bye week. I hope they got in a good bit of rest because next week is a VERY short week for them: Sunday, they play the Dolphins at home and Thursday they travel to the Georgia Dome to take on the Falcons.

Miami Dolphins at Cincinnati Bengals
22 – 14
The Dolphins headed up to Cincy to face the Bengals… …and swam away with a win. Sorry, janietrain and carefreespirit.

.

Seattle Seahawks at Oakland Raiders
3 – 33
The Raiders are on a roll, with their second big win in two weeks. Congratulations, SaraRules! and 1silver_seraph.

.

Carolina Panthers at St. Louis Rams
10 – 20
The Panthers lost this one on the road… to the Rams. *sigh*

.

Pittsburgh Steelers at New Orleans Saints
10 – 20
The Steelers rolled into the Big Easy to face the Saints. I wasn’t sure how this one would turn out, but Drew Brees and company stood up to the challenge and came away with the win. This is a double-plus for me as the Steelers’ loss puts the Ravens back atop the AFC North.

Stray Toasters

• We only had six (6) Trick-or-Treaters this year. And they all came in one group.
  On the other hand, we were able to watch horror movies without interruptions.
• A New Search Engine, Where Less Is More
• For SaraRules!: ‘Frank — The Voice’
• Mechanical Mustache Project
• Click the image…



• From the “Is There Life on Mars?” file: Would you go to Mars and never come back?
• Nonprofits Rush to Solicit Donations via Text, but the System Is Flawed
• Finding Common Ground
• Too soon or too funny?
• Street Art Way Below the Street

Things and stuff to do…

Namaste.

Saturday – 30 October 2010
It’s Hallowe’en weekend.

There’s been a lot of debate going around as to whether or not kids should be out Trick or Treating tonight or tomorrow night. *shrug* I’m not sure that I care either way. I know that we’re giving out candy tonight and, assuming that we’re home tomorrow night, we’ll probably give some out then as well.

Yesterday, and I headed up to Ogden to pay a long overdue visit to The Wonderful World of Trains. We both found things that we liked, but I was the only one who wound up walking out with a few things:

• Atlas O Signal Tower
• Lionel K-Line B&O Double Door Boxcar
• Lionel K-Line “Happy Birthday” Boxcar (minus the “Tavis 2nd” part)

After we got back to SLC, I stopped in at The Train Shoppe and picked up some more track; I needed it to try out a layout I had in mind…

After SaraRules! got home from work, we headed to The Blue Iguana to have dinner with Bill Byrnes, one of her former professors. I’d been to The Red Iguana before, but never to The Blue Iguana. I had the beef enchiladas and they were quite tasty. Post-dinner, we met up with a few of the usual suspects for coffee and dinner… or, rather just drinks and a snack for us.

Back at home, I headed to the basement to work on my model railroad. The layout worked pretty much the way I had hoped: I did a single L-shaped dogbone loop…

Dog-bone arrangement of a continuous loop; the sides of an oval are squeezed together so it looks like a double-track section with a loop at each end where the trains turn around.

…with a couple of spurs off the inside line.

Today started lazily. (That’s far from a “bad” thing.) After breakfast, we got to the business of painting the guest bedroom. We used a different brand of paint than we used in the other rooms; it was thicker and took a little more effort to apply, but I think that we may only need one coat of it. As to the rest of the day, we’ll do a little errand-running this afternoon, but I think that this evening will mostly involve watching horror movies and handing out candy to the intrepid ghosts, ghouls and other assorted creatures who wander the streets tonight.

Stray Toasters

• The Magic of Harry Houdini’s Staying Power
• Black Republican Set to Make History in S.C.
• The Minivan Video Your Kids Shouldn’t See. Ever.
• 
• A Science Joke for Your Saturday Morning
• For the First Time, the TSA Meets Resistance
• Lost Animaniacs Clip – “Dear Mister Gingrich”
• A Giant LEGO Map of Europe

And with that, I think we’re off to seek out what the day has to offer.

Namaste.

Friday – 29 October 2010
It’s my 9/80 “off” Friday and the start of my weekend. Amen.

Last night, SaraRules and I went to Market Street Grill for the retirement party of my company’s President/COO.  It was done as a cocktail hour… without cocktails, but was still a nice affair.

After that, we came home and got ready for the evening’s entertainment: We had SaraRules!’s parents, brother and his fiancee over for Hallowe’en cookie decorating and then watched the classic Disney The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, featuring the voice of Bing Crosby.  It was a fun way to spend the evening.

Stray Toasters

• What Can You Do in Twenty-Five Words?
• The year is 2010. Detroit is a crime-ridden carcass of the gleaming metropolis it once was. The city only has one hope. And he’s 2 years old.
• Is the proper use of an apostrophe really that hard to figure out?
• Welcome to Dracula’s Castle
• Lisa Black: Gear-Turning Steampunk Taxidermy
• 
• National parks have room for all races
• Comic Book Resources has a preview of the upcoming Superboy #1, from Jeff Lemire and Pier Gallo. This version of Superboy is not a young Clark Kent, but a clone spliced from the DNA of Superman… and Lex Luthor, known as Conner Kent. The character first appeared in the “Reign of the Supermen” storyline, following the “The Death of Superman” in 1992.  I think that I have a fair portion of his first series (1993-2000), but mostly followed it because it was a Superman-related title; the character was still a bit… rough. Over the past year, Paul Levitz has breathed new life – and definitely added some depth – to the character. (That… and he’s renewed/strengthened Conner’s ties with the Legion.) This new title has the potential to be good. And just plain fun.
  • I just talked with Jeremiah – one of the guys from Dr. Volt’s Comic Connection – and found out that he did an interview with Jeff Lemire for Big Shiny Robot.
• The Biggest Movie Monster Ever
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Police arrest man after beer found in child safety seat

That’s good for now. I need to get ready to get out of here — and I are grabbing lunch and then heading up to Ogden to visit The Wonderful World of Trains.

Namaste.

Thursday – 28 October 2010
Another NBN Technical Friday is upon us.
Amen.

Last night was D&D game night with Melody, Jack and company. My character nearly died. Twice. Not good. Fortunately, though, he didn’t and lives to adventure another day.

After the game, I headed home to read yesterday’s four-color haul. There were some good reads… and a few mediocre ones.  And, I’m still not a fan of John Romita, Jr.’s artwork. (That’s right, I said it. Again.) After a few books, I decided to combine a couple of relaxation methods: Reading comics while soaking in a hot bath. It was a good mix.

Stray Toasters

• From the “SkyNet is now online…” file: Meet Suzette, the chat program that convinced an expert she was human
• For SaraRules! and others: George A. Romero Explains “Zombies” (video)
• Apple Tried to Buy HALO’s Creators
• Musical Interlude: Ray Charles – Sticks and Stones
• DiyOrNot Calculates the Cost of DIY Projects
• China Wrests Supercomputer Title from U.S.
• 
• Firefox zero day being exploited in the wild
• Hurray for fire drills!
• How to Spot Your Evil Twin
• Musical Interlude #2: Nelly (ft. St. Lunatics) – Batter Up
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: 3M claims ownership over purple
  • 3M Owns the Color Purple (But Not How You Might Think)
• In Spain, Homes Are Taken but Debt Stays
• James Bond’s Astin Martin sells for 2.6M pounds at auction

And with that…

…right on to the friction of the day.

Namaste.

Wednesday – 27 October 2010
First day back in the office.
First day of snow in the valley.
Yay.

But, it’s Comics and Sushi Wednesday… so that helps to make it considerably better.

Yesterday was an amazing day. That’s really the only way to sum it up. Although I’ve known for a few weeks that I had a “birthday surprise” on tap from SaraRules!, I had no idea what it was until 0830 yesterday morning:

Yep… she got me the Ford Racing High Performance Driving School Mustang Experience package at the Miller Motorsports Park. And it was fantastic!

Granted, first thing in the morning, I wasn’t quite as gung-ho about it. In fact, I would describe it more as “ho-hum.” But, when I got out there and discovered exactly what I was in for, my attitude changed. A lot. Over the course of the day we:

• …took a tour of The Larry H. Miller Total Performance Auto Museum, which houses part of the LHM auto collection,
• …got 30 minutes of class instruction on high performance driving,
• …went out on the track and got to drive race-tuned Mustang GTs for ten (10) laps, in a lead-follow behind a professional driver,
• …rode for two (2) laps with a pro driver — we got to see how the course is supposed to be run,
• …toured the entire MMP facility, and
• …got to ride on the go-kart track.

After the whole thing was over, I went back to the museum and took pictures of the car collection. A lot of pictures. Jason, who did our earlier tour of the museum and grounds, was around to talk about each car and the stories behind them; he was very informative. I was expecting to be gone for two (maybe three) hours; all told, it was there for nearly five-and-a-half hours! And it was chock full of awesome!

On the way back home, I stopped at SaraRules! office to thank her (profusely) for such a fun birthday present. From there, I went to The Train Shoppe — I needed some rails to make a couple of siding spurs. Then… home.

We went out for dinner to Rodizio Grill.  Can you say “Meat o’clock,” boys and girls?  I knew you could! Yeah, it was totally “game on” with meats on a stick. And grilled pineapple. And caiphirinas. And their Chocolate Cake Sundae. Want to talk about a couple of VERY full people…?  We were stuffed to the proverbial gills.

We ended the evening with Buckaroo Banzai: Across the 8th Dimension.  Somehow, I had never seen this movie before, although it was apparently a staple of SaraRules! and her sibs’ childhood. It was silly. And campy. And terribly fun.

All-in-all, it was a wonderful day to turn 40.

Stray Toasters

• For SaraRules!: Graffiti of New York’s Past, Revived and Remade
• Take a Model Train to Work Day
  I think that I’ll have to do this.  I believe that I’ll bring in my LEGO train…
• Glaxo to Pay $750 Million for Sale of Bad Products
• 
• By way of former coworker Kristi comes: 2006 Tony Awards – Excerpt from Threepenny Opera, featuring Cyndi Lauper and Alan Cumming
• Electromagnetic burst impact far and wide
• Schomburg Center in Harlem Acquires Maya Angelou Archive

Yeah, that’s good for now.

Namaste.

Friday – 22 October 2010
Bonus points to those of you who get the subject line without having to look it up.

It’s my 9/80 “on” Friday.
It started off somewhat quietly… but it picked up a little, around 9:45. No big deal. Nothing insurmountable.

Last night, after a couple of rounds of “Let’s Clean the House,” I managed to sneak off to Nova Praetoria for a while. I hadn’t played City for a week or two, so it was a nice change of pace. I ran a few missions. I leveled up once. I remembered how slow running through a city can be… although it’s still faster than Hover.

I also got in a bit more reading in Starship Troopers.

Stray Toasters

• Tweaking Tradition, Even in Its Temple
• Moon Crater Contains Usable Water, NASA Says
  • Shawn Colvin & Ernie: I Don’t Want to Live on the Moon
    
• Recently Rediscovered Letter Shows Wonder Woman’s Earliest Costume
• Middle Classes in Africa
• Haunted Mansion ghost hearse made from LEGO
• A Son Grows Thankful for His Father’s Tough Love
• Gays, Mormons and Boy Scouts’ discrimination
• 
• Credit Cards Soon to Get a Makeover
• T-shirt turns into a zombie
  • Sears reaches out to the neglected Zombie-American demographic
• No Net for the Man in Charge

Namaste.

Monday – 18 October 2010
A new work week begins.

This past weekend was, quite possibly, one of the most relaxing weekends I’ve had in a while.  That is FAR from a “bad” thing.  I think that it was also quite beneficial, given how crappy I felt Wednesday through Friday.

Saturday afternoon, SaraRules! and I went on a mid-afternoon date to the movies. We saw Red. It was fun. Kind of like The Losers: Senior Class, but with a bit more wit.

Later in the evening, we got gussied-up and had an evening on the town: Dinner out and the opening night of

It was a great performance.  There were four set changes – one set was used in Acts I and IV – and each of them truly transformed the look of the stage into a different place.  The casting was also something that I’ve not seen in a Utah Opera production before: 1/3 of the main cast was African-American. That was a refreshing change of pace (or, as I told SaraRules! after the show: “That’s the Blackest opera cast I’ve seen here yet!”).  I do not know if Utah Opera is trying to expand its productions to include more multicultural casts, but if so, I commend them on their effort. It’s refreshing to see more people of color in the arts… and especially in opera.

Today, we slept in; it was a treat in which I indulge far too infrequently. After we got up, we went out for breakfast and ran a couple of errands. We came back home where I did some cleaning… while watching the NFL.com Game Center of the Ravens giving away the game to the Patriots. *ARGH* A little later, we went for a drive up Big Cottonwood Canyon, to see the fall colors. (Pictures can be seen here.) I still want to see more fiery reds, but the foliage was very nice despite its absence.

After our excursion, we came home, changed and then met SaraRules!’ family and Swiz’ family for a lovely dinner, in honor of Swiz and Logan’s engagement. The food was simply exquisite and was matched by the company.  It was the perfect way to wrap up the weekend.

Stray Toasters

• Pope canonises first Australian Saint, Mary MacKillop
• ‘Fractal’ mathematician Benoit Mandelbrot dies aged 85
  • Jonathan Coulton: Mandelbrot Set
    
• 10 Best Alignment Charts
• The Zombie Network: Beware “Free Public WiFi”
• Sesame Street (yes, “THAT” Sesame Street) had a couple of bits of “win” this past week, apparently:
  • Sesame Street Teaches Black Girls to Love Their Hair
  • Old Spice spoof… with Grover
• Thanks to for pointing this out:



• The Perfect Steak Grilling Guide
• Weirdest Things Smuggled on an Airplane
• 10 Badass Old Folks

Hi-ho, hi-ho…

Namaste.

Saturday – 16 October 2010
Yesterday, and I headed up to Clearfield to check out a new (to us) train shop: Almosta Junction.  They have the largest O-scale selection that I’ve encountered in Utah. And, they had an amazing layout, including one train that had at least 40 cars on it. pointed out that it “…isn’t just a toy train set, that is definitely a model.” We didn’t get to see the trains in action, but just seeing the layout was great. The shop was pretty cool and I am Ivory Soap sure that I’ll be heading back there again in the not-too-distant future.

After the model railroad outing, I came home and hung out until it was time for Clitorati. Last night’s gathering was small, but nevertheless good. And, I had recovered enough of my appetite to have a little something to eat when dinnertime rolled around.

This morning, we got up and took SaraRules!’ car to the shop to have tire and brake work done. After that, we made a quick stop at the store to pick up breakfast-typed food stuffs. While there, we ran into my former coworker, Brooke, whom we haven’t seen in a few months. Then it was back home for breakfast (French Toast and eggs).

Stray Toasters

• Prince announces tour to start in December
• The Swiss Have the World’s Longest Tunnel and They’re Proud of It
• 
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Passenger: Airline said I’m ‘too disabled’ to fly alone
• Fox channels go dark amid financial dispute
• 
• HOW TO: Make a Zombie Barbie Garden
• 12 Awesome Airplane Paint Jobs

Now: Yard and garden work (ostensibly the last of the season)
Next: Red
Later: La Boheme

Namaste.

Sunday – 10 October 2010
That’s right… it’s 10/10/10.
So far, it’s been a good weekend.

Yesterday, I had breakfast with Chris before heading off to judge a HeroClix tournament at Dr. Volt’s. It was another 500/1000 event: Players could field either a 500-point team with no restrictions or field a 1000-point team, with at least one colossal figure. Two 500-point teams would be paired to take on the 1000-point team.

Only one player brought a 1000-point team… with the newest colossal figure: Dr. Manhattan.

However, as there were six (6) other 500-point teams, that meant that all six teams faced off against the good doctor. Needless to say, “The Doctor was in.” All the way in. There wasn’t anyone who could really do enough to him to effectively take him out of the game.

After the game, SaraRules and I met up with the in-laws and ventured to the home of some friends of the family for a Canadian Thanksgiving dinner. We had a wonderful dinner and the company was excellent, as well.  It was a good way to spend the evening.

When we got home, SaraRules turned on The Fly (1986) – which I had somehow never seen – and I fired up LEGO Universe. I had to start a new character, now that the game is out of beta. Most of what I did was “review” from gameplay in the beta, so while I did a little more looking around and lollygagging, there wasn’t a lot “new” that I did.  That does not, however, mean that I didn’t have a lot of fun doing it.

Today, I slept in a bit. That was nice. SaraRules also fixed a tasty breakfast and then came over to help me turn off the sprinklers for the year. And, after that…

…it was time to watch some football: The Broncos at the Ravens.  Boo-yah!

Instant Replay: Football

Denver Broncos at Baltimore Ravens
17 – 31
The Ravens hosted the Broncos at home this week……and the game was televised locally. Hoo-AH! The Boys from Baltimore looked solid.  They opened the game with a drive down to the goal line, but couldn’t convert it into a touchdown… and turned it over on downs.  But that’s okay. They held the Broncos on their drive. The Ravens’ offense and defense looked good, despite a series where QB Joe Flacco couldn’t buy a reception. On the other side of the field, Broncos (and former Purdue) QB Kyle Orton passed for a 300+ yard game… his second in a row. But, all in all, it comes down to this: Baltimore is now 4-1, putting them atop the AFC North.

Ray Rice, you rushed for over 100 yards and two touchdowns today, how does that make you feel?

Yeah… I’d feel like breakin’ it down a little, too.

Stray Toasters

• I’m about to head into work. Yeah, I know… I know…
• BOOM! How Comic Book Sounds Become Movie Sounds
• Add each of these to The Covet List.
• The Periodic Table of Super-Powers

Okay… might as well stop procrastinating and head to the office.

Namaste.

Friday – 08 October 2010
It’s almost the weekend.
It is my 9/80 “on” Friday… and there’s some work that needs to get done before it’s Miller time.

Speaking of work: I’ve been part of a project that has been in various stages of development and progress for a year or so. A couple of months ago, a large part of it wound up falling into my lap. To be honest, a good portion of what needed to be done fell “a little” outside of my personal experience/knowledge base. But it was mine, so there no use crying over “But, I can’t…” or “I don’t…”  (Not that there haven’t been times that I’ve wanted to say those things and walk away.)

On more than one occasion, I’ve been reminded of a song, Discipline, by Bobby McFerrin:

for those who have been trained by it,
no discipline seems pleasant at the time but painful.

The lyrics are actually taken from Hebrews 12: 11 (NIV):

No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Very apt.
More to the point, I haven’t walked (or run) away from the project.
And, despite the learning curve – and some frustration/irritation from learning a good number of things on the fly – it’s been a great learning opportunity.

Stray Toasters

• LEGO Universe is live, as of this morning.
  Of course, I won’t get to play it until this evening or later tonight. *shakes fist*
• Flawed Foreclosure Documents Thwart Home Sales
• Tom Bancroft’s DCU Elementary
• 
• Rediscovering an Earthy Master
• Pirate Johnny Depp makes surprise school visit
• For : Batman: The Killing Joke Relived Via LEGO
• Spammers Using Soft Hyphen to Hide Malicious URLs
• There is a new anime-styled ‘Iron Man’ animated series coming to G4 this Spring. Not too surprisingly, someone’s found the opening title sequence and posted it on YouTube:
• Fringe Star Anna Torv Explores a New Reality
• If the future’s looking dark
  We’re the ones who have to shine
  If there’s no one in control
  We’re the ones who draw the line
  Though we live in trying times
  We’re the ones who have to try
  Though we know that time has wings
  We’re the ones who have to fly…
• Duke Winces as a Private Joke Slips Out of Control
• The Art of Steve Thomas
• From the “Everything’s Heavy Underground” files:
  • Underground: graphic novel thriller set in a cave
  • Luxury underground community: bomb-shelter meets gate-guarded community
• Ancient Roman helmet sells for ten times estimated amount
• Newspaper Publishers Still Hope Tablets Will Save Them

Back to the grind…

Namaste.

Thursday – 07 October 2010
Another NBN Thursday is upon us.
This one brings with it grey clouds…

…and ‘s birthday!

Last night was D&D v4 game night with and Jack and company. It was a decent encounter. A bunch of us nearly bought the farm.  (Not good.) But, we muddled through it.  I think that I have also determined that my dice have some form of performance anxiety — whenever I needed a good (or just “decent”) roll, they pretty much just rolled some “blah” number.  Thanks, dice!

SaraRules and I finished off a couple more pieces of anniversary cake as we watched the last two episodes of Mad Men‘s second season 2. Quite a few twists we didn’t see coming. And it ended with a pretty big cliffhanger. So far, I’ve been pretty good about not reading season or episode synopses of what’s coming up, so I’ve been enjoying the surprises as they unfold.

Stray Toasters

• I completely forgot that LEGO Universe opens to Founders tomorrow.
  Looks like I’ll have something to keep me occupied between getting off work and heading out to Clitorati.
• Picasso masterpieces to tour the U.S.
• When the Yogurt Took Over: A Short Story
• Rampant Fraud Threat to China’s Brisk Ascent
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Dodge City museum bans nooses after tourist accident
• 
• FDA to spend $25M to improve its science
  (Is that really ‘enough?’)
• Minecraft Makes $350,000 a Day
  I had heard of Minecraft, in passing, but never looked into it. It sounds like a versatile and robust game; in talking with Jack last night, I discovered that not only had people made the things listed in the article, but someone had also ‘recreated’ Portal inside of Minecraft.
• “What the Hell is an ‘Aluminum Falcon?!’ “ (Bonus points for knowing that reference, too.)
• It seems that I am more prone to drink the post-cereal milk after eating Honey Nut Cheerios than after a bowl of  Honey Bunches of Oats.
• ‘God views’ and issues
• Latest Zeus attack propagated via fake iTunes receipt

And that’s a wrap.

Namaste.