Random Access

Tuesday – 05 October 2010
Work week: Day 2
Rain clouds have moved out of the valley and the sun is trying to peek through…

I just caught an email that informs me of a training session that I had forgotten about. That’s on top of another meeting, later in the day, which I did know about/remember.  Two hours that I kind of need to work on other things… gone. C’est la vie.

Last night, and Josh came over to watch the football game beat down that the Patriots handed the Dolphins. More on that in a minute. In typical Monday Night Football fashion, there was pizza and beer. SaraRules even baked cookies. It was a good evening.

Instant Replay: Football

New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins
41 – 14
The Patriots traveled to Sun Life Stadium to take on the Dolphins in the month’s first Monday night game.Early on, the Pats didn’t look too impressive, only scoring a pair of field goals in the second quarter. That was NOT the case, however, in the second half. They put up three touchdowns in the third quarter and two more in the fourth. It was almost as if they scored at will. The Pats’ special teams corps really put in a performance, including a 103-yard kickoff return for a TD to start off the third quarter. The Dolphins, on the other hand… well… I don’t know what happened after a decent start to the game, but they just fell apart. The vaunted “Wildcat” formation did nothing for the offense. Receivers dropped balls that were thrown right to them. Chris Henne threw three (3) interceptions. They put up TDs in the first and third quarters, but that was it. In a bitof a historic note, the Patriots scored in all but two possible ways last night: Field Goal Rushing TD Passing TD Kickoff return for TD Blocked punt return for TD and Interception return for TD. The only other ways to have scored were: Safety and punt return for TD. If I remember the stat/graphic correctly, the Patriots are the only team in NFL history to pull off this feat. It was a helluva good game… unless you happen to be a Dolphins fan.

Stray Toasters

• Today’s Musical Interlude: Sting – After the Rain Has Fallen
• From Heaps of Junk, a Melodious Clang – New York Philharmonic as Junkyard Players
• The ‘Disintegration’ of America’s Black Neighborhoods
• Style… it’s like a second cousin 2 class
• Bank of Japan Cuts Rates to as Low as Zero Percent
• 
• Along highways, signs of serial killings
• Aiming to Learn as We Do, a Machine Teaches Itself
• I, along with the rest of my team, just got an award from a coworker for the way we handled a number of IT emergencies last month.  Nice way to kick off the morning.
• She Has No Head!  — Ladies Comics Project, Part 1
• Japan Recycles Minerals from Used Electronics

Namaste.

Monday – 04 October 2010
A new work week is upon us.

Today is also the birthday of my Godsister, Tammy (who kindly served as “stunt double/stand-in” for Sib-1 at our wedding):

This past weekend was good, all the way around. I “kidnapped” SaraRules to Park City on Saturday night. She was preparing to fix a dessert when I told her to grab whatever she’d need for the night. Her expression and  response:

“But… I’m making an apple tart…”

…was along the same lines as my “But, I have dinner plans,” before my bachelor party. It was classic. And off we went. It was nice to be out of the valley, if even just for the night.

Yesterday morning, we got up, had brunch at Cisero’s and leisurely made our way back home. Upon arrival, I turned on the TV to watch the Ravens-Steelers game… which, despite all ads to the contrary, wasn’t aired here.  So, I tracked the game on NFL.com’s Game Center. The Ravens beat the Steelers – in Pitt – for the first time in the last five games they’ve played there; in SaraRules’ words, it was “a one-iversary miracle!”  I agreed.

In the evening, we headed out for dinner; we went to Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar. We were impressed with the Fleming’s in Greensboro (where we had our engagement dinner), and hoped that the one in Salt Lake City would be able to uphold that standard. It did. Easily. Our waiter, Daniel, was very attentive and also very helpful in helping make suggestions as to food and wine pairings. Our dinner consisted of:

• Sweet Chili Calamari
• Prime Ribeye (SaraRules)
• Prime New York Strip (me)
• Peppercorn Parmesan Mashed Potatoes
• Sauted French Green Beans

SaraRules had a Pinot Noir, along with a sample of a Shiraz, while I had a Merlot.  For dessert, we had the Chocolate Lava Cake.  The meal was excellent.

After dinner we headed back home for a couple of episodes of Mad Men, a little champagne and anniversary cake. (Bonus points to SaraRules for having a new cake made, rather than our trying to choke down year-old, freezer-burned cake!)

All-in-all, it was a wonderful first anniversary.

Instant Replay: Football

Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers
17 – 14
The Ravens traveled to Heinz Field to take on the Steelers. In their previous four trips, they had been unable to penetrate the Steel Curtain… …but that wasn’t the case yesterday.  The Ravens came home with a win, cemented on the Steelers’ last play, by a Ray Lewis interception. Too bad that this game wasn’t televised here… but I’ll be looking for it on NFL Network.

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Houston Texans at Oakland Raiders
31 – 24
The Raiders fought… but wound up losing this one to the Texans. Sorry, SaraRules and 1silver_seraph.

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Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints
14 – 16
The ‘Cats headed down to the Big Easy to face the Saints… and were sent home with a loss.

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Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns
20 – 23
The Browns beat up the big cats in this battle for Ohio bragging rights. Sorry, and .

Stray Toasters

• 98 Rock: The Official Flagship Radio Station for the Baltimore Ravens
• DC Entertainment shake-ups lead to executive departures
• More States Allowing Guns in Bars
  (Umm… is this really a “good” idea?)
• Baby dolls from the Uncanny Valley
• Why Johnny Can’t Program: A New Medium Requires a New Literacy
• Verizon to refund millions in “mystery fees”

Back to the grind…

Namaste.

Friday – 01 October 2010
A new month begins and it falls on my 9/80 “off” day.
Convergence?
Coincidence?
Serendipity?

Who knows…?

Today also marks the beginning of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. And, as such, this blog will once again “Go Pink for October.”

Last night, SaraRules and I met up with Marcie and her niece and… dun dun DUNNNNN…. went to the gym.  According to the blog-a-tron, it looks as though it’s been a two (2) months since my last confession trip to the gym. And, as an added bonus: just joined our gym and may work out with us, from time to time.

Last night’s workout (courtesy of SaraRules) included:

• Elliptical: 5 minutes
• Leg Press: 3 sets/10 reps, 100 lbs
• Leg Extensions: 3 sets/10 reps, 70 lbs
• Leg Curls: 3 sets/10 reps, 65 lbs
• Calf Raises: 3 sets/10 reps, 100 lbs
• Incline Chest Press (dumbbell): 3 sets/10 reps, 35 lbs
• Sit-ups (incline): 3 sets/10 reps
• Upright Row (barbell): 3 sets/10 reps, 40 lbs
• Curls (barbell): 3 sets/10 reps, 40 lbs
• Tricep Extensions (rope): 3 sets/15 reps, 60 lbs

It was a good workout and a bit of a challenge, as I haven’t been in such a long time… but I’m looking forward to getting back into the swing of things.

The Legend of Chimpy
I was half-kidding yesterday, when I said that I should start a new section of the blog…

…but a few minutes ago, Minion #2 messaged me with this bit of monkeydom from Chimpy:

Is it wrong to laugh out loud if Chimpy 2.0 locked himself out of his own testing machine and then asked me if I knew the password?

Yeah.  This is the kind of thing we deal with.

I should also clarify something: The person we currently refer to as “Chimpy” is actually the second person to carry his own special monkey designation. The original Chimpy left the company a year or so ago. However, “Chimpy 2” has done a banner job of maintaining the high levels of monkey-rifficness that we came to expect from his predecessor.

Stray Toasters

• StoryCorps: The Human Voice, featuring the late Studs Terkel
• ‘Black Dynamite’ Ass-Kicking His Way to Adult Swim
• For SaraRules: Great Comics That Never Happened: The Justice Luchadores of America
• A History of Rap: Jimmy Fallon, Justin Timberlake and The Roots

• The Sea Monkeys and the White Supremacist
• LEGO wedding Ring
• While this is cool, I’m still quite happy with the rings SaraRules and I have — with lots of thanks to for an amazing design job! (After all, how many guys get to have one of their favorite comic book symbols worked into their wedding band?!)
• Speaking of rings, as of Sunday morning, SaraRules and I will have been married one year.  Wow.
• Speaking of LEGO: My copy of LEGO Universe arrived yesterday.
• SF Says: “It Gets Better.”
  • In a related note, Ellen Degeneres taped this PSA:
    
• The Photographer’s Right: A Downloadable Flyer Explaining Your Rights When Stopped or Confronted for Photography
• The Inside Scoop on Making Gelato
• From the “I, Zombie” file: 17-yo Girl Must Digest Brain Fluid to Survive

And now it’s time to find some trouble to get into…

Namaste.

Thursday – 30 September 2010
Today’s NBN Thursday is brought to you by the letters “C” and “F” and the number “2.”

I got to work this morning…

…checked my email…
…fixed a bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats…

…and completely forgot that we were having a visit from our KVM over IP and power distribution reps.

The visit went well. We addressed a few issues and discovered that they might be able to help us (to a minor degree) with another problem that we’ve been having. Win-Win.

Last night, SaraRules and I watched a documentary called Babies. From the IMDB synopsis:

A look at one year in the life of four babies from around the world, from Mongolia to Namibia to San Francisco to Tokyo.

In it, director Thomas Balmes followed four babies, from just before they were born through their first steps. Unlike most documentaries, there was was no voiceover or commentary on what viewers see. You just saw the babies and their parents – and in a couple of cases, their families – in their day-to-day lives. It was an interesting look at the development  of the children – in similar and dissimilar ways – living in different cultures and under different mores.

It was good, but I’m not sure how to rate it, though.

Stray Toasters

• I think that I might start a new section of the blog and call it “The Legend of Chimpy.” In it, I will chronicle the… misadventures… of one of the monkeys at work. Today’s item:
  

  Yesterday afternoon, I received a call from corporate IT about a ticket that someone had opened. I went to look at it this morning… and also found a ticket from Chimpy.

  As of August, our office is part of the corporate network. This means that we can log directly into the network and access pretty much any information that exists on the corporate servers. Prior to August, we had to log in via a VPN. When the network changes were made, we sent out all manner of announcements noting the change in access.

  Taking a deep breath, I looked at Chimpy’s ticket.

  The issue: He was attempting to watch a training video, but was not getting anything on-screen. Then, I read the details of the issue. I had to refrain from running to his desk to pimp slap him on the spot.

  Why?  He was attempting to watch the video… over the VPN… while connected to the corporate network.

  *braincramp*

• In case you missed it, SaraRules posted an entry here last night.
• Hollywood Legend Tony Curtis Dies at 85
• Is the U.S. the weakest link when it comes to credit card security?
• 
• In Louisville, a new turn in school integration
• Will a new exhibit help the French finally embrace Monet?
• Cosmo Campaign Puts Viewers in the Photo Shoot
• Graphic biography of Anne Frank goes beyond her diary
• U.K. police arrest 19 in major Zeus bust

Namaste.

Monday – 27 September 2010
Another morning where the alarm goes off far too early…

Sunday was a good day. The day started with breakfast with SaraRules, Mary and Matt. Breakfast fare included items from Rich’s Bagels and Pin-Up Girl Espresso. After breakfast, we headed back to the house and chatted for a bit before Mary and Matt had to leave.

Then… came cleaning time. Yay. I intermittently distracted myself by checking the stats on the Bengals-Ravens game. The cleaning went well, as did the game. A little later, SaraRules and I went for a drive up Emigration Canyon — we wanted to see the fall colors. Unfortunately (for us), the leaves were still mostly green. There were hints and traces of other colors, but we’re at least a week out from full fall colors.

After dinner, we flipped back and forth between Sunday Night Football and The Amazing Race. Okay, okay, I flipped between them. It was the episode of TAR where a woman caught a watermelon… with her face:

Yes, part of the reason was schadenfreude, but I also wanted to see what happened afterward. And, as it turned out, Claire – the victim of the watermelon assault – not only continued, but she completed that portion of the challenge on the second try after being hit. She also earned the respect of a number of the competitors for the way she got hit… and went on to complete the challenge. Additionally, Brook and Claire finished the challenge in fourth place. (I have to say that Brook came off as a little high-strung — bordering on “bitchy” –to me. I realize that it’s a game/contest, but your best friend just took a melon — fired from a ballista — IN THE FACE! What about cutting her a little slack?! ) I just finished watching the “Brook and Claire” video (above); Claire referred to Brook as “…a control freak.” Bingo. Nailed it. Explains much.

I wound down the night with a Spenser book, Now and Then. I’m going to miss the comfort of these books when Mr. Parker’s last novel hits stores.

Instant Replay: Football

Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens
17 – 24
The Ravens’ home opener against Browns 2.0… …unfortunately, this game wasn’t televised here. Sorry, , wherever you may be.

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Oakland Raiders at Arizona Cardinals
23 – 24
The Raiders dropped this one to the Cards… by one point.Congrats, Marr. Sorry, SaraRules and 1silver_seraph.

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New York Jets at Miami Dolphins
31 – 23
Jets’ LB Jason Taylor returned to Miami to help lift his new team over his old one This was a better match-up than I expected… even though I would have preferred that the ‘Fins take away the “W.”

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Cincinnati Bengals at Carolina Panthers
20 – 7
The Owens-Ochocinco Brigade rolled into B of A Stadium… …and rolled out with a win. BAH! Congrats and .

Stray Toasters

• At Lincoln Center, Using Both Sound and Silence
• U.S. Wants to Make It Easier to Wiretap the Internet
• How Shazam Works to Identify (Nearly) Every Song You Throw at It
• 50 years after win, Kennedy legagy endures
• Rules for small-screen superheroes
• 
• Anger as a Private Company Takes Over Libraries
• Wage Law Squeezes South Africa’s Poor
• For the ladies: Dress Code: The Proper Care and Feeding of Garments, Part 1
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” files:
  • Segway Company Owner Dies After Driving Segway Off Cliff
  • The Bra That Doubles as a Gas Mask Is Now For Sale
• Patients to be frozen into state of suspended animation for surgery
• Warhammer 40K + LEGO = Space Marines!

Friday – 24 September 2010
It’s almost the weekend.

Last night, DM’ed a Forgotten Realms game at Hastur Hobbies.

I didn’t go.  Instead, SaraRules and I cut down a couple of trees in the front yard and then ferried the remains to neighborhood clean-up dumpsters.  Mmm, chainsaw… There are still a couple of 3-to-4-foot tall stumps to be dealt with, but the major damage has been done.  Who knows…? Our house might actually have some decent curb appeal when we’re done.

After that – and a bit to eat – it was time for the season premiere of Fringe. I daresay that this is going to be an interesting season. Next, SaraRules watched the latest episode of Project: Runway, while I finished reading the last of Wednesday’s comic haul.

Human of the Day
I know that I often tout SaraRules as being the coolest/greatest/most awesome wife. Ever. Well, quite frankly: She is. On top of everything else she does to prove it, today she (once again) brought something to me, at work, that I was too addle-brained to remember to bring with me. And, I have to admit that getting to see her once more in the morning isn’t a bad thing, either.

Stray Toasters

• World Wide Day of Play – Saturday, 25 September 2010
• Report: Poor science education impairs U.S. economy
• Muslims Report Rising Discrimination at Work
• ’50s pop singer Eddie Fisher dies at age 82
• Recently released teaser trailer for the upcoming All-Star Superman:

• Cyberwar Chief Calls for Secure Computer Network
• All Songs Considered: Fall Music Preview
• The Transportation Department Gets Tough
• 
• I’m more of an action figure collector than a statue collector, but I am considering adding this statue to The Covet List.
• A Wave of Addiction and Crime, with the Medicine Cabinet to Blame
• I love it when you call a vendor, tell them “I’m having a problem with (fill in the item)” and they say “Let me see who we have that’s available to come look at it and I’ll call you right back…”

  …and “right back” expands to nearly an hour.  *sigh* It’s not like I have anything else that I need to get done today.  No, I’d much rather sit here and babysit the phone. Idiotsticks.

Namaste.

Thursday – 23 September 2010
Last night SaraRules and I went to Capitol Theatre  and saw The Lion King.

Simply put: It was fantastic, from the opening number to the closing curtain. I had been told that it was an impressive production, but I fear that assessment was a gross understatement. The costuming, the staging, the performances — everything was amazing. Among the items that struck me were:

• …the way the scenery moved — Pride Rock, the grasslands and the jungle;
• …the birds;
• …the cheetah;
• …the way they portrayed the animals interacting with their environment;
• …the use of aerials in the performance;
• …Simba’s run with wildebeests/Mufasa’s death scene;
• …the transition from young Simba to the older Simba;
• …the ghost of Mufasa;
• …the final battle between Simba and Scar;
• ..and… and… and….

Suffice if to say that there were MANY things that I enjoyed about the performance.

If you have the opportunity to see a performance of this musical, I recommend it very highly.

Many thanks to SaraRules for getting us tickets for this.

Stray Toasters

• Have I mentioned lately that I have the world’s most awesome wife?  No?  Well, I do.
• Munich toasts 200 years of Oktoberfest
• Prosecutors’ conduct can tip justice scales
• For Many, Health Care Relief Begins Today
• 
• Fashion Week: Samantha Pleet proves eco-couture need not ‘scream green’
• Alleged ringleader of ID theft ring extradicted to New York
• I’ve had to ask two people “Is it plugged in…?” with relation to problems with two separate systems this morning. One was plugged in; the other was “kind-of” plugged in. I love my job.
• Two new dinosaur species discovered in southern Utah
• Mattel introduces new Journalism Barbie
• From the “Go, Go, Godzilla!” file comes this item.

Namaste.

Wednesday – 22 September 2010
Middle of the week…
First day of Fall…
It’s Comics & Sushi Day…

…and SaraRules and I are going to see The Lion King tonight.

All I need to do is make it through the day.

Last night, after dinner – and a trip to the local Home Depot – I set about introducing two of the trees in our front yard to a chainsaw. The meeting went well. Unfortunately, it got dark before I could finish with the second tree… so it shall have to wait. But good progress was made.

After that, the rest of the evening was spent relaxing. A good portion of that was done with the aid of the television: 1,000 Ways to Die, the first episode of Sanford & Son, an episode of NCIS: Los Angeles and a couple episodes of Mad Men. After that, I was ready to call it a night.

One thing that I didn’t do after the tree-cutting – or didn’t do as well as I had thought – was hydrate. Sure, I had a glass (maybe even a glass-and-a-half) of water afterwards, but it was apparently far from what I needed. I woke up a couple of times with a headache. I finally bought a clue as to what might have been causing it around 0400 this morning. A pint-and-a-half of water and three ibuprofen seemed to help immensely. But, because of the poor quality of the night’s sleep, I treated myself to sleeping in this morning.

Stray Toasters

• Commonly Misheard Expressions to Avoid (or Fix) in Your Writing
• What if Superheroes Were Hipsters?
• Chasing the Perfect Cup of Coffee with Science
• 
• U.N. Seeks to Re-Energize Fight Against Poverty
• What it means when you say “literally”
• Fort McHenry… in LEGO
• Titanic 100th cruises spark buzz, debate
• What Are Batman’s Worst Costumes?
• Body art around the world

Namaste.

Tuesday – 21 September 2010
Day 2 of the work week. Yay.

Today also would have been Jess’ 36th birthday.
Maybe Billy Joel was right:  Only the good die young.

Last night, I had a few friends over to watch Monday Night Football – New Orleans Saints at San Francisco 49ers. I have to say that it was a far better match-up than I had anticipated. I had thought that the Saints would pretty much roll over the ‘Niners, given San Fran’s last few seasons.

No way.
Uh-uh.
Forget it.

After some early-in-the-game flubs, QB Alex Smith led an invigorated and determined team against Drew Brees and the Saints. Play on both sides of the ball was solid. I mean REALLY solid.  In the end, it came down to the Saints nailing a field goal with two seconds left in the game.

And it appears that Saints’ RB Reggie Bush broke his leg on his last play. He is expected to be out for six weeks.

Stray Toasters

• By way of SaraRules: Build London with LEGO

  
  Build Anything from Studiocanoe on Vimeo.

• Disney Princesses Reimagined as Superheroes
• By way of my friend, Anne: Arts Jobs Are Jobs, Too
• Squishable Cthulhu
• Why is it that orange-flavored medicines taste so bad?
• Eric Merced Keeps His Card Art Rare But Easy to Acquire
• 
• From the “History” and “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” files: British Intelligence Agency Used Semen as Invisible Ink
• Wait… I think that THIS trumps the previous item for “WTF?!”
• Hourly Desk Stretches Relax Your Brain and Body
  (This was one of the “positive” things that I learned during my tenure with the U.S. Postal Service.)

Tonight, I get to do my best Paul Bunyan impression and take down at least one of the trees in the front yard.

Namaste.

Monday – 20 September 2010
It’s definitely a “Monday” morning.
Following some changes to the office network on Friday, things are… a little wonky… this morning. Yay.

Today’s Musical Interlude: Living Colour – Cult of Personality:

Yesterday, SaraRules and I went to the Utah State Fair for a bit. It was a nice change of pace. A bit of oddness: As we walked past one of the bandstands, I noted that the band was playing – of all things possible – the theme from WKRP in Cincinnati. Odd. On the plus side, I picked up a package of cinnamon almonds.

Later in the evening, Logan and Swiz came over for dinner.  SaraRules fixed a chicken dish, with sides of rice pilaf and zucchini and carrots strips. Then we watched the Manning Bowl Sunday Night Football. SaraRules and I wrapped up the evening with an episode of Mad Men.

Instant Replay: Football

Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals
10 – 15
The Ravens traveled to Cincy to take on Batman, Robin and the rest of Marvin Lewis’ Bengals… ..and came away with a loss. Just like last season. Of course, having QB Joe Flacco throw four (4) interceptions didn’t help things, either. This game wasn’t televised here, and I think I’m kind of glad for that. Congrats, janietrain and carefreespirit.

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St. Louis Rams at Oakland Raiders
14 – 16
The Raiders took down the Rams Congrats, SaraRules and .

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Miami Dolphins at Minnesota Vikings
14 – 10
The ‘Fins took on the Vikings and came away with a win.

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Arizona Cardinals at Atlanta Falcons
7 – 41
In this battle of the birds, the Falcons came away with a BIG win. Sorry, Marr.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Carolina Panthers
20 – 7
The Bucs skinned the Cats.  ‘Nuff said.

Stray Toasters

• I don’t know what to say, the monkeys won’t do!
• Today’s look: Black suit, pink shirt, pink/grey/black tie and pink pocket square.
• Quadruple Amputee Swims Across English Channel
• Performers Discover the Downside of Twitter
• Just How It Sounds: Reading ‘Playboy’ to the Blind
• 
• Fired teacher fights to clear name after ‘hit’ allegation
• By way of SaraRules and the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Ky. man claims caffeine insanity in wife’s death
• Laura Jernegan: Girl on a Whaleship
• This Too Shall Pass: Avoid Kidney Stones Through Diet

…right on to the friction of the day.

Namaste.

Friday – 17 September 2010
It’s my 9/80 day off and I’ve been ready for it since Monday afternoon.
(Fortunately, Tuesday through yesterday weren’t bad.)

I think that I’ve found what I hope is only a temporary measure in getting around the problem that my web host is having with subdomains: I just changed the format of how I access and post links for this blog.  I’ll need to try and do the same for Four-Color Coverage and Game Center. Monkeys.

Last night, SaraRules and I were both having a case of the “I don’t want to cook dinner” lazies. We wound up going to MacCool’s Public House for dinner. They were having another food/beer pairing (with Wasatch Brewery, I believe).  We hadn’t RSVPed for it, but Micheal (the manager) asked us if we wanted to get in on it.  We declined. We sat at a table near the back of the restaurant. Scott, one of the owners, saw us as we walked to our table and said “Hi.”  For dinner, we started with the Finn Skins; for entrees, SaraRules had the Smoked Salmon Chowder and I had the Salmon of Knowledge. Mick, the other owner, from stopped by the table a couple of times and brought samples of the night’s pairing menu. Michael also brought over a couple of the beer samples, including a very tasty “Black and Pumpkin” variation on the traditional Black and Tan. All-in-all, it was one of the best dinner ideas that either of us could have come up with.

Stray Toasters

• Autism’s First Child
• Gather Ye Olde Suburban Knights
• Dr. Volt’s Comic Connection is having their 20th Anniversary Sale tomorrow.
• 
• Rain Level rainboots with depth gauges
• Zombie poster
• By way of Prelate Derek:



• Official BBC DIY Dalek blueprints
• Lady Liberty’s nose and other icons for sale

Time to find some trouble to get into…

Namaste.

Wednesday – 15 September 2010
It’s the middle of the week.
It’s the middle of the month.
And, it’s Sushi and Comics Wednesday.
Triple-score win.

Last night, SaraRules and I went to Kingsbury Hall for an event:

Mr. Lee talked about his background, his introduction to film and his reasons for wanting to get into film. He also discussed how he has used the director’s chair to make films that deal with race relations as well as other subject matter. Following his roughly hour-long talk, he did about forty minutes of Q&A. He prefaced the session by saying that he would entertain “intelligent questions, but wasn’t here to take auditions, screenplays, mix-tapes” or other “Hey, notice me!” fare. His answers to the questions seemed sincere and direct, but were also rather no-nonsense.  It was a great event and a fine way to spend the evening.

We tried a new place for sushi today: Sushi Groove. We liked it. A lot. It had a lot of things going for it: Good atmosphere, good food, and some of the former Oh Sushi staff. It was full of “Win” all around.

Stray Toasters

• Have I mentioned that I have the Coolest Wife in the World lately?  No? Well, I do.
• Today is another suit day: Black suit, light blue shirt, black tie with gold and blue swaths and a gold pocket square.  And, yes, it has raised the obligatory “What’s the occasion?” questions.
• Tyranist was in the north office yesterday. We chatted about a number of things, including our mutual affinity for Cee-Lo’s new song. A short while later, Tyranist told me that I had gotten the song stuck in his head; I told him that was payback for getting Scotty Doesn’t Know stuck in my head a year or two ago. We then noted that the two songs were actually complementary sides of the same figurative coin.
• For the Dishwasher’s Sake, Go Easy on the Detergent
• Awesome Limited Edition Cycling Prints
• 
• Ray Lewis’ son has a 504-yard monster game in Florida
• Rokenbok has updated their website.
• “Elder Spice”
• I’m not sure if I even care about getting the “Buy It By The Brick” figure for Web of Spider-Man…
• A New Name for High Fructose Corn Syrup
• The 20 Worst TV Shows

Namaste.

Tuesday – 14 September 2010
So far, today is starting off about 16347 times better than yesterday. I’m good with that.

Yesterday did wind up being a decent day. Not too surprisingly, the day got (much) better when I left work… which I did early. I headed home to do some straightening and then ran out to pick up some snacks for the game, as I was expecting company for Monday Night Football. Nathan and Wes from work came by, as did , and Josh. It was fun.

Instant Replay: Football

Baltimore Ravens at New York Jets
10 – 9
The Ravens traveled to the New Meadowlands Stadium to take on Rex Ryan’s New York Jets. The game was delayed, due to lightning, but once the kick-off rolled around, it was on. There hasn’t traditionally been a “rivalry” between these teams, but given their history – Jet’s head coach Rex Ryan was the Ravens’ former defensive coordinator – I think that there may be a new match-up on the East Coast. For the past week, there has been a lot of trash talking and posturing… from both sides. Last night it came to a head. The Ravens’ defense was solid, allowing only 74 passing yards and 114 yards on the ground. The offense took a little while to get into gear – the Jets were able to effectively contain the run game – but QB Joe Flacco found new WR Anquan Boldin 7 times for 110 yards (out of a total 278 passing yards). TE Todd Heap put in an impressive performance, as well, snagging 72 passing yards in 6 catches. New addition WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh also pulled in catches for 27 yards. RB Willis McGahee ran in the Ravens’ only TD. On the other side of the ball, the Jets were…very physical, but not everyone seemed to be on the same page.  QB Mark Sanchez looked decent, but couldn’t seem to get his receivers to hold on to passes. Former San Diego Charger LaDainian Tomlinson had a couple rushes, but didn’t get a lot of yards on the ground. The Ravens picked up twenty (20) first downs in the game, compared to the six (6) that the Jets picked up. Penalties also played a large pat in the game: The Jets racked up 10 penalties, for 100 yards, in the first half alone. A lot of them were unnecessary, but did help the Ravens get advantageous field position. All-in-all, it was a tight game… and far closer than I would have liked. But, a win is a win.  Selah.

Yo, Ray..?!  There are some haters out there who say you might be too old to play or that you’ve lost a step or two. What do you have to say about that?

Mmh.  Mmh. MMH!  I know that’s right!

Stray Toasters

• I discovered, late yesterday, that this is National Aerospace Week
• Converse + DC Comics = AWESOME
• I believe that one of SaraRules’ aunts is about to become a member of Improv Everywhere…
  (This makes me smile for a number of reasons.)
• Sukkah vs. Sukkah
• Conservatism does not equal racism. So why do many liberals assume it does?
• 
• Hollywood’s Racism Exposed… by LEGO
• Rumors continue to suggest that Jon Hamm (Don Draper on AMC’s Mad Men) is under consideration to become the next Superman…
• Artificial skins detect the gentlest touch
• Five myths about prostitution
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: School suspends son of murdered man because his eyes were red
• From the “I’ve had it with these motherfucking shuriken on this motherfucking plane” file: Steve Jobs Stopped at Japan Airport over Ninja Stars
• LEGO & Lyrics

Quote of the Day
I was talking with Bill and Scott, a couple of coworkers, a little while ago. Sports came up. Then the distinction between “sports” and “games.” After a few minutes, we hit on motocross. Scott said that he didn’t consider it a sport. Bill and I both countered.  Finally, Bill made this observation:

Anything that causes snot to drip off your chin, I consider a sport.

Amen.

And with that…

Namaste.

Thursday – 09 September 2010
Another NBN Thursday kicks off in the valley… with somewhat overcast skies.  It’s been interesting to watch the sunlight peeking through holes in the cloud cover.

Happy New Year (5771) to those celebrating Rosh Hashanah today.

Today is also “Comics Thursday,” which gives the day a little Win-Win cachet.

Last night was the HeroClix “Web of Spider-Man” release night event at Dr. Volt’s.

It was a sealed box tournament — 300 points. Jeremiah ran the event, which meant that I got to play.  (I still fielded a couple of rulings questions, though.)  This set is a little different in that it’s much more… street-level. After the “grander scale” of “The Brave and the Bold” and “Hammer of Thor,” it makes for an interesting change of pace.

Stray Toasters

• Od tir’eh, od tir’eh
  Kama tov yihiyeh
  Bashana, bashana haba’ah.
• Working Tractor Beam Can Move Objects 5 Feet with Just Light
• I believe that we’ve settled on a color for the guest room. Now, we just have to paint the room…
• New York Fashion Week:
  • The Next Wave
  • Fashion Week’s new home: Pizazz at Lincoln Center
• By way of Nyx:

  

  There’s a rap joke in there somewhere…

• Can Science Teach Us How to Dance Sexier?
• The Guardians of America’s Front Lawn
• Conservative Activists Infect Digg Using Massive Bury Brigade
• I’ve been a fan of this song for many years:
• Bracing for Cuts, Military Firms Shed Workers
• Sawhorses and plywood.  Amen.
• Lustful Court and other fun or unfortunate street names

And that’s a wrap.

Namaste.

Wednesday – 08 September 2010
Midweek.
This would ordinarily mean “Comics and Sushi Wednesday.”  However, as there was a holiday at the beginning of the week, comics aren’t hitting stores until tomorrow… and I’m not sure who, if anyone, is available for sushi today.

BUT…

The new HeroClix Web of Spider-Man set hits stores today. Even if there’s no sushi, this will be plenty to get me through the day/night.  Dr. Volt’s is holding a release day tourney this evening; Jeremiah is running it, so I actually get to play.  (Although this means that I’ll miss tonight’s D&D game with Melody and Jack.)

Today is also the birthday of a couple people I’m pretty fond of: Sib-4 ( also known as ) and Jenny P.:

Today also marks the 44th anniversary of the premiere of Star Trek.
(How many of you knew that the theme from the original series had lyrics?)

Last night, SaraRules and I tackled a few home projects: She tore out a few rose bushes, I replaced a couple more sprinkler nozzles and… we put primer on the walls and ceiling of the guest room. Busy night. And we were done with it all by a few minutes after 10:00.  As a reward, I took a nice, hot shower, fixed a bowl of ice cream (Rocky Road and Cookies & Cream) and played a little CoH: Going Rogue. I installed it on my Win7 laptop and it ran like a charm… which I had hoped/expected, since that laptop isn’t really used for anything but gaming.

Stray Toasters

• Female Pilot Reflects on War and Evolving Army
• modHero – Very cool artistic takes on comic characters
• What do these two videos have in common?  (Answer at end of post.)
  Video 1: Rush – Time Stand Still

  Video 2: Til Tuesday - Voices Carry

  
  Legacy Recordings | MySpace Music Videos

• Asteroid buzzes Earth; another one coming
• Yet another cooling unit pump has gone out in our server room. The tech is going to take a water sample with him to see if Something in the Water Does Not Compute. (Apologies to Prince, but it was fitting.)
• Fro Design Co Store
• I think that I’ve come up with an idea for where to put my new train set, at least temporarily
• Snap Judgment
• I wasn’t going to put in a web comic today… until I saw two of them that had a common theme. At that point, I was helpless to resist:

  

  …and…

  

• WTF? Moments Collecting Comic Books
• These are pretty cool: ’60s Style Comic Book Cover Wedding Invites Saved the Date in Style
• Eerie Ukranian Salt Mines House Convalescing Asthmatics

Live long and prosper.

Namaste.

…and the answer to the music trivia question: Til Tuesday’s Aimee Mann was the female voice on Rush’s Time Stand Still (and the “camera operator” in the video).