Random Access

Monday – 18 May 2009
Today is apparently International Museum Day.

It’s also a day that I’ve taken off from work. I’m not sure what we’ll be doing today… possibly a museum visit will be added to the non-existant agenda.

We didn’t wind up watching a movie last night, but we did manage to catch up on episodes of NCIS, CSI:, and Batman: The Brave and the Bold that we’d missed. While watching B:TBTB, I picked out Michael Dorn‘s voice as the main antagonist. (SaraRules looked at me a little askance, I told her that I watched a lot of Star Trek: TNG and DS9 and that Michael Dorn had done a lot of voiceover work.) I checked when the credits came on; I was right. Something that I wasn’t as sure of was the voices for Booster Gold and Skeets – they sounded like the actors who filled the roles on Justice League Unlimited. A couple of IMDb searches later and I had the answer. The roles were done by the same actors, Tom Everett Scott and Billy West, respectively.

Stray Toasters

• Sims Trek – A… trailer… of J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek, done with The Sims 3
• Handed Keys to Kingdom, Gamers Race to Bottom
• From the “Monkeys!” and “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” files: Robber uses banana as gun
• In search of Europe: Sweden (or “What can Europe’s politicians learn from Ikea?”)
• Christopher Walken: What I’ve Learned
• Mens Suit Buying Tips and Hidden Details to Find When You Shop for Clothes

Time to find some trouble to get into…

Namaste.

Sunday – 17 May 2009
Yesterday evening, SaraRules and I went to Capitol Theatre and saw Don Pasquale… but this version had a twist: It was reimagined as a western. It not only worked, but it worked well. The adaptation was fun and quite good.

After the opera, we met and for a late-night bite to eat at V.I. None of us had been there in a long while — so long, in fact, that we didn’t even recognize the new manager. Then home and sleep. And I slept pretty well, which was rather nice.

This morning, the four of us met at the newly reopened Ruth’s Diner for breakfast, before had to get on the road back to Idaho. The new color scheme is nice; the food is as good as ever. In an interesting sidenote: Our waiter, Trevor, had an interesting tattoo on one leg: Catwoman, Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy, standing on a Gotham City rooftop, with the Bat Signal behind/over them — approved wholeheartedly. As we got ready to leave, a parade (cavalcade, horde, whatever-you-wish-to-call-it) of bikers (motorcyclists) rode past the restaurant – there had to be at least 300 of them. Just when we thought it was safe to pull out of the parking lot, another group would ride past.

Next on the docket was a trip to SaraRules’ parents’ place. Our mission: Helping her father cut down the top of a tree in the front yard. A tree that is was at least 35′ high. We took pictures, but I don’t have the camera with me, so those will have to wait. We used a manual pole saw, some rope, a block and tackle and a rock… and we got the job done. Any need I might have felt about going to the gym was quite easily satisfied with this task. Win-Win.

After adventures in tree-felling, SaraRules and I headed downtown to the Living Traditions Festival.

We weren’t there very long, but we saw a lot of neat crafts, artwork and exhibits. And, my primary superpower kicked in, too: We ran into Dave from Dr. Volt’s while we were there.

Next stop: Home. It was (long past) time to have our daily meeting with soap and water. (I don’t think I’ve been so happy to take a shower since last summer’s camping trip.) After getting clean and presentable, we headed returned to SaraRules’ parents for dinner. There are rumors that we’ll watch a movie in a bit.  We shall see…

Namaste.

Thursday – 14 May 2009
Last night, SaraRules and I stopped by to see Jess’ (‘s)  parents for a while. It was nice to be able to visit with them. Jess’ obituary can be read here. Jenny and Julie, Jess’ sisters, have put together a memorial blog for her at: Jessie’s Memories. The family has asked that, in lieu of sending flowers, people make a donation to the Pulmonary Hypertension Association.

After we got back home, came over. She had dinner (chicken and dumplings) with us and we watched The Darjeeling Limited. It was… an odd movie. I don’t think that I’ve seen a Wes Anderson film before, but I’ve heard that The Royal Tennenbaums is possibly his best work, so I’ll give that one a try at some point.

Stray Toasters

• Star Trek-related geekery
  • Is the new Star Trek movie scientifically sound?
  • Can Young Kirk Really Survive the Car Jump in the new Star Trek?
  • Star Trek conventions in the 1970s (Thanks to )
• Pope preaches against prejudice
• Ben Franklin Death Ray
• Lunar Junk
• 
• What grown men do with their G.I. Joe action figures
• “Something” just went wrong around here. No answers as to “what” or “why” yet.
• Steampunk preschool TV show from Weta
• For those of you in the SLC metro area: Ruth’s Diner reopens on Friday, 15 May 2009
• Real Life Spy Gadgets

Back to it.

Namaste.

Wednesday – 13 May 2009
Thank you to everyone who extended thoughts, prayers and well-wishes. I appreciate your thoughtfulness and concern and I am grateful for your friendship.

Last night, SaraRules and I met , and Mr. and Mrs. for dinner/dessert at The Cheesecake Factory. It was nice to hang out with them. As I have said many times before: I have been blessed with many very good friends. I don’t think that it’s a bad thing to remember/rediscover that fact. (I also rediscovered the inherent problems of having cups of coffee shortly before going to bed, too… but that’s another story altogether. *sigh*)

Stray Toasters

• Exotic Star Trek Locales Are All Over the California Map (contains a few possible spoilers)
• EU slaps record fine on Intel
• From NPR Music:
  • Lady Sovereign: The ‘Biggest Midget’ Returns
  • Mozart’s Turbulent Final Symphonies
  • John Coltrane’s ‘A Love Supreme’ Live, with Strings
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: Jesse Ventura: I could make Chickenhawk Cheney confess to the Sharon Tate murders with a waterboard
• Lite Brite Cubed
• Slain Lawyer’s YouTube Video Plunges Guatemala into Crisis, Protests Form on Facebook
• Greece Halts Google’s Street View
• City of Heroes Is Going Rogue
• 220MPH Solar-Powered Bullet Train on Arizona Horizon

…and back to it.

Namaste.

Sunday – 10 May 2009
Happy Mother’s Day

Seeing Star Trek a second time was every bit as enjoyable as seeing it the first time.  (And I still want to see it in IMAX…) And, this time, I caught the reference to Captain Admiral Archer and Porthos. And, thanks to for posting a link to this, which I would have otherwise missed:

After the excursion, SaraRules and I had lunch/dinner at Porcupine Pub and Grill. As usual, the food (Cajun Chicken Alfredo) was quite good, as was the chocolate stout I had to wash it down.

Back at home, we lounged the early evening away, then decided to go for a walk around the complex. That wound up getting expanded to include a trip to Red Mango for dessert. We got back and I felt the yen to watch a few episodes of Justice League… and we did:

• Hereafter (Parts I & II)
• The Terror Beyond (Parts I & II) and
• Comfort & Joy

It was fun to see the original – and longer – episodes. SaraRules commented that she wasn’t aware that Hawkgirl was such a bad-ass.

This morning has been lazy. So far we’ve had breakfast, watched the tail end of the History Channel’s coverage of a Star Trek auction held by Christie’s Auction House and Thursday’s episode of CSI:.

Next on the docket: A trip to The Garden of SwEden.  Selah.

Namaste.

Thursday – 07 May 2009
Happy Anniversary to Adam and Chelsea:

After work yesterday, SaraRules and I met Bill Byrnes – Dean of the College of Performing and Visual Arts at SUU – for dinner. We went to Desert Edge at Trolley Squre. I had a rather tasty roast beef/French Dip sandwich, that had a little “kick” to it. Both the food and the company were good.

After dinner, we stopped in to say “H’llo” to SaraRules’ parents before heading home. Once at home, we watched The Dark Knight. It’s still a rather watchable – and enjoyable – movie. I still have some reservations about whether or not Harvey Dent/Two-Face is actually supposed to be dead (or just very broken) at the end of the movie.  Yes, there was a memorial… but they never showed a body or even a casket. Just sayin’.  (And, after all, it is based on a comic book – people in those come back from the dead all the time.) And, as I have said before: The late Heath Ledger provided the right Joker for that Batman.

Stray Toasters

• SaraRules made brownies last night.
• NASA mission aims to revive Hubble telescope
• The Awesomer – Awesome Stuff
• Pullman Porters Helped Build Black Middle Class
• Duke Nukem Developer Shuts Down
• 
• Best worst Star Trek parodies
• The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite
• FDA is failing to meet its food safety inspection audit goals
• 100 Years, 100 Novels, One List

And, tonight: Star Trek.
Win!

Namaste.

Monday – 04 May 2009
I slept in this morning. I was surprised to find out by how much I slept in, actually. But, it both felt good and I apparently needed the rest.

As I noted yesterday, we – and a few of the usual suspects – saw X-Men Origins: Wolverine. It was a good summer popcorn movie. Yes, they played a little fast and loose with some continuity, but not so much that it was disturbing to me; I found it a nice blend of comic continutity with (some of) the previously established continuity of the first two X-Men movies. I give it a definite thumbs up with an okay.

We then headed over to SaraRules’ parents’ for dinner and the start of a movie. Dinner was a very tasty beef stew; the movie was Catalina Caper. More specifically: The Mystery Science Theater 3000 version of Catalina Caper. While I realize that virtually any movie that wound up on MST3K was “bad,” this movie set the bar to an all-time… low, I guess. The most entertaining thing about the twenty or thirty minutes that we made it through was Little Richard, and he wasn’t even “all there,” it seemed.

Back home for a rather lazy evening: I played a little City of Heroes and worked on some props for my Heroclix City; SaraRules did some reading.

Stray Toasters

• Art student’s car vanishing act
• Supermen!: The First Wave of Comic Book Heroes 1939-41
  ::: adds to The Covet List :::
• LEGO Torture Scenes Protest Media Censorship
• 
• Photoshop Contest: Cartoon Ren 3
• NASA to begin layoffs as shuttle retirement nears
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” files: Warner Music to Warner Music: You are pirates!
• Free Range Kids author says: Raise kids without fear!
• Photos of food and their sugar cube equivalent
• Five years (FIVE YEARS!) after the “wardrobe malfunction” incident, it seems as though CBS is still under the gun and may still be fined for it.

And, as I’m taking the day off, there’s nothing officially on tap. I like that.

Namaste.

Sunday – 03 May 2009
Yesterday was a long day on the road. SaraRules and I drove down to Cedar City for the CPVA Commencement at Southern Utah University. Rachel and Tyler were graduating from the MFA program; Tom’s younger brother, Scott, was graduating from the BA program… and I had completely spaced off the fact that Vince was graduating from the BA program, as well.  It was good to be able to make it down and see everyone. We also saw Mark, who was in  SaraRules’ class and who will be choreographing our first dance. Pictures here.

After the ceremony, we had a late lunch/early dinner at Cafe Orleans with Anne and Dominic, rising second years students in the MFA program. Chicken and Sausage Gumbo and Shrimp Etouffe. Delicious. After eating, we picked up a few things that SaraRules had in storage, got ice cream at the local Dairy Queen and then got on the road back to SLC.

Once we got home, the evening involved a lot of sitting on the sofa. I played a little CoH before calling it a night, too. And, I finally figured out where the Mac client stores screenshots. Thus, I present my new Peacebringer, Khnurn:

…and…

Today has been lazy. We watched a special on The History Channel called Comic Book Superheroes Unmasked, which covered the history of comic books. It was rather good. Next were a couple of rounds of a nine-ball pool tournament. And now, the Miami-Atlanta NBA playoffs.

…and in a few minutes, we’re heading out to see X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

Yeah, I’d say it’s a good weekend.

Saturday – 02 May 2009
It’s 9:30, grey and rainy… and I’ve already been up for two hours.

SaraRules and I are heading down to Cedar City this morning. We’re going to the CPVA Commencement for the (now) second-years in her program/department, including Rachel and Tyler. We got up a little early because:

1. She has Quilt Club this morning and
2. We wanted to grab a bite to eat at Paradise Bakery and Cafe.

We haven’t been to Paradise for… close to, if not more than, a year. It was a nice change of pace our respective breakfasts were tasty.

Stray Toasters

• Today is Free Comic Book Day. Go get free stuff!
• Prelate Derek found a LEGO Super Mario and forwarded the link.
• Battle Looms Over Souter Successor
• Ryan Reynolds, who portrays Deadpool in the new X-Men Origins: Wolverine movie, was a guest on The Late Late Show last night. It was a fun – and funny – interview. While I’m not a huge Deadpool fan, I found his portrayal to be fairly well in line with what I remember of the character.
• For and shockpuppet: When the Engineer Gardens
• Models As Muses

Time to get ready to pull up stakes.

Namaste.

Friday – 01 May 2009
It’s May Day, but more importantly (to me, at least) it’s my friend’s birthday.

Happy Hatching Day, Bret.

Last night, SaraRules and I had dinner at the local Olive Garden. We both had the Chicken & Gnocci Veronese; we also both had the same opinion of it: It was good, but the dumplings left a little something to be desired. They felt/tasted “too doughy,” as though another few minutes of cooking would have firmed them up just a little more. Otherwise, dinner was good. Our waitress, Kyrsten, was good and rather attentive, which is always a plus.

We came home and had a laid-back evening, including reading this week’s comic book haul and watching CSI: and a good portion of Hellboy. I also built a bus, from the Bits of Mayhem set, for my city. We also watched The Late Show (Dave’s laryngitis was much better) and The Late Late Show, on which Craig’s monologue included an amusing bit about Olive Garden.

This morning has been quite lazy. Despite turning off my alarms, I was awake at 7:08 this morning. Fortunately, I was able to turn over and fall asleep again. After all, getting up that early is no way to kick off a long weekend, now is it? I’m not sure what’s on tap for the rest of the morning and afternoon, but I’m good with the idea of just being lazy.

Four-Color Coverage
This week’s haul was a bit of a mixed bag. But, by the numbers, the “good” outweighed the “bad,” fortunately.

• Green Lantern #40 – This was another “Prelude to Blackest Night” issue. We start with a look at Yrra Cynril, the Star Sapphire formerly known as the Green Lantern-killer, Fatality. From there, we move to Oa and witness the creation of the Fourth Law of the Book of Oa. And that leads to a run-in with the Orange Lanterns.
• Justice Society of America # 26 – This issue was a great example of what the JSA stands for: Family and legacies. We get to see this, in a unique way, through the vantage point of Stargirl. Though she’s one of the younger members of the team, we see the affect she’s had on her peers – older and younger.
• Uncanny X-Men #509 – Just when it looked like things were going (relatively) well for the X-Men and they were settling into their home in San Francisco, it seems as though someone wants to pass (yet another) new legislation limiting mutants’ rights. On top of all of this, Madelyne Pryor’s master plan is brought to light… and, she decides to pay the X-Men a visit.
• Wonder Woman # 31 – Former head of the Queen’s Guard, Alkyone, made a deal with [SPOILER DELETED]. Achilles paid a visit to the United Nations. Diana got a visit from [SPOILER DELETED] and learned a few interesting facts about Genocide’s origins. None of these came under the heading of “good things.”

…and, last, but far from least…

• Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds #4 – I have been enjoying this series and will be sad to see it end. This issue bounced between the 21st and 31st Centuries… and the end of time. [SPOILER DELETED] is back and Superboy-Prime is not happy to see him; nor is he thrilled about seeing Sodam Yat, for that matter. The Time Trapper makes his move. Starman’s mission in the 21st Century is revealed. [SPOILER DELETED] joins the fight. And, in one of the best origin revisions I think that I’ve ever read, the true identity of [SPOILER DELETED] is revealed.

Stray Toasters

• I’ve been given the green light to post a link to robandsara.org
• Daily LEGO: Exterminate!
• Someone has created a papercraft Defiant…
• ArtWerk’s map of his “beloved Europe

  

• sent me the following: IKEA lover or hater? You’ll know soon enough
• Apple not paying iPhone developers, reports of lawsuits brewing
• Have you ever wondered “What if Cthulhu was a furniture-maker?” Wonder no more.
• The Mind-blowing World of Human Chimeras
• Can’t get enough of William Shatner? Shatnerquake might be up your alley.

Quote of the Day
From this week’s issue of Legion of 3 Worlds:

Brainiac 5 (Legion 1): Have you ever read Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein?
Brainiac 5 (Threeboot Legion): Frankenstein? That book is for children.
Brainiac 5 (Zero Hour Legion): And incomplete. I followed it step-by-step with little success.
Brainiac 5 (Legion 1): You’re both missing the point.
Gates: What is the point?
Brainiac 5 (Legion 1): “The point is, with the right amount of genius and a touch of perceived insanity, science can conquer anything.”

Namaste.

Thursday – 30 April 2009
It’s another NBN Thursday and this one kicks off a four-day weekend. Selah.

Last night was a lazy evening in, which was nice.  SaraRules and I watched Tuesday night’s episode of NCIS, “Legend,” the first of two parts which introduces the “Office of Special Projects.” (It looks as though NCIS is about to spin-off a new series in the same manner in which it was spun-off from from JAG.) The new group features LL Cool J, Chris O’Donnell and Louise Lombard, late of CSI:. SaraRules made the observation that Lombard’s character, Lara Macy, was virtually no different than her CSI: character, Sofia Curtis – her hair, clothing and overall disposition was exactly the same.  (We also had an apparent age discrepancy issue… but that’s a story for another time.)

The episode took Gibbs and McGee to L.A., to work on a joint investigation with OSP, while Tony and Ziva remained in D.C. There were a couple of references to “Judgment Day,” the episodes in which then-NCIS Director Jeny Shepard took Tony and Ziva to L.A. and wound up getting killed; those scenes created a couple of tense moments, which I thought played well to character development. On the whole, the episode was good and it will be interesting to see how the new series does, if it gets off the ground.

Stray Toasters

• SaraRules started setting up wedding registries last night.
• referenced an interesting comment on MetaTalk this morning:
  

  My favorite thought-piece about Ferris Bueller is the “Fight Club” theory, in which Ferris Bueller, the person, is just a figment of Cameron’s imagination, like Tyler Durden, and Sloane is the girl Cameron secretly loves.

  One day while he’s lying sick in bed, Cameron lets “Ferris” steal his father’s car and take the day off, and as Cameron wanders around the city, all of his interactions with Ferris and Sloane, and all the impossible hijinks, are all just played out in his head. This is part of the reason why the “three” characters can see so much of Chicago in less than one day — Cameron is alone, just imagining it all.

  It isn’t until he destroys the front of the car in a fugue state does he finally get a grip and decide to confront his father, after which he imagines a final, impossible escape for Ferris and a storybook happy ending for Sloane (“He’s gonna marry me!”), the girl that Cameron knows he can never have.

• Lose the Fish and Justice LEGO of America
• Obama “Pleased” But Says Much Work Remains
• For Free Comic Book Day, DC Comics is releasing Corps 101: The Sinestro Corps
• 
• Raising Katie: What adopting a white girl taught a black family about race in the Obama era
• For the fashionable gamer in your life: Wiimote Cufflinks
• Windows 7 Will Be Free for a Year
  • Microsoft To Disable Autorun
• Virgin America Now Serves Absinthe
• One Nation, Seven Sins

…right on to the friction of the day

Namaste.

Tuesday – 28 April 2009
First off, let me start by saying Happy (Belated/Early) Birthday to the following people:

• and

I didn’t want to forget (again) to do that. And now that it’s taken care of, we now return you to your regularly-scheduled post…

After work, I went home and took a brief nap while SaraRules did some errand-running. It was good enough to get em through the rest of the evening.

When she got back, SaraRules and I went with her family down to Red Rock Brewing Company for dinner, to celebrate her father’s birthday. I had a very tasty cream stout along with a French Onion Steak Sandwich (on sourdough bread), which was very good. After dinner, we headed back to her parents’ place for cake (which was a very good homemade coffee cake) and coffee.

We left there and headed home. I changed into comfy clothes and plopped down on the couch. We watched The Late Show and The Late Late Show, which featured a rather amusing take on the swine flu coverage in the news:

By the way, : Dolly Parton will be on The Late Show (Letterman) tonight.

And, most importantly: I got a good amount of sleep last night. I even slept in this morning and when I got up, I decided that I wasn’t really in a rush to get to work. It felt pretty nice, actually. Although, when I got to the office, one of the managers of the development team came over and congratulated/thanked me (for the IT Team) for getting everything done and back online without horribly impacting their productivity. That was a good way to kick off the morning.

Stray Toasters

• The wedding website is getting more content. I might even get the go-ahead to post its link later.
• Game Changers: Brainteasers for Hardcore Videogame Fans
• , you’ll want to take a look at this: Full of Pryde
• Mormon Crickets Dislike Led Zeppelin
• The Words in the Mental Cabinet
• HOWTO make edible circuit diagrams out of candy
• 
• Kevin Smith Explains What Happened to His Superman Movie
• Cool Tools: New Editor, Same Deal
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: Michael Jackson’s weirdest detritus, a photoset

Namaste.

Monday – 27 April 2009
It’s almost 7:30 (at least it was when I started writing this)… and I’ve already been at work for over thirty minutes. And I spent most of my weekend here, as well. But, for the most part, the server room upgrade is done. Thank God… because we’re all beat. Dog tired. Worn out. We are the walking dead today. We’re expecting a few minor issues, but hopefully, no one will expect lightning response times. (Now, if I can just remember where the cots are stored…)

Stray Toasters

• This morning, I am thankful for a large frozen mocha with a triple-shot of espresso.
  (Whether they know it or not, so are my coworkers…)
• I have caught up with yet another schoolmate – and one of my favorite people from school – on Facebook.
• JoS A. Bank is having another sale.
• Apple and Verizon consider iPhone deal
• The NFL Draft is over.  USAToday has graded the teams’ draft picks as:
  • Baltimore Ravens: B-
  • Carolina Panthers: C
  • Cincinnati Bengals: B
  • Cleveland Browns: B
  • Miami Dolphins: C
  • Minnesota Vikings: C+
  • Oakland Raiders: F
  • Tampa Bay Bucanneers: D+
• G.E.’s Breakthrough Can Put 100 DVDs on a Disc
• 
• So you think you’re having a bad day?  Check out FMyLife.com… then reconsider.
• Chrysler and Union Agree to Deal Before Federal Deadline
• Enter Theatergoers, Gently Welcomed

Namaste.

Today was “Sushi Wednesday.” We took Chad (yet another coworker) with us; he’s been wanting to try sushi for a while, but the timing was never good for him.  Until today. He liked it, for the most part – there were a few things that he wasnt crazy over. That happens.

After lunch, loonybin88 and I took a field trip to pick up some supplies for this weekend’s server room work. If there’s a “plus” to working on Saturday (aside from getting paid), it’s that the weather is supposed to take a dive again. “Supposed to” being the key words in that phrase.

Stray Toasters

• While discussing lunch plans today, I posted “Red Five, standing by…” as a response. That led to Jeff posting a link to this. We all got a good laugh from it.
• Caution Signs Endangered Movie Characters Really Need
• I think I might take a post-work nap when I get home.
• Robert Rodriguez Confirms Predator Series Reboot
• Google Calendar + Calaboration + iCal = WIN!
• Woman thanks her lucky bra as it saves her from a bullet

Namaste.

Thursday – 23 April 2009
Another NBN Thursday begins. It’s not quite as bright and sunny as the past couple of days have been, but it’s supposed to get into the 80s. And, this morning’s commute started with Limelight… so, that can’t be all bad.

I picked up yesterday’s four-color haul after dinner last night; I haven’t read anything yet. I might get to that this evening, post-CSI:.

Last night, SaraRules finished a new quilt and I finished up both the Mayhem Rail platform and the WildWood Grove chapel. I stuck them both on the masterboard… and I took pictures. (Big surprise, I know. But, I did.) I still need to do some of the interior props for the chapel, but I’m happy with the way the exterior turned out. And, there’s something about having an 18 square foot play area that amuses me.

Stray Toasters

• SaraRules made banana bread. (You can be jealous now.)
• Queen Rania: The World Cannot Afford to be Cynical
• The NFL Draft begins tomorrow.
• Could YOU Be Batman? Here’s How You’d Do It.
• Historic St. Louis Schools Face Uncertain Future
• 
• A Eulogy for the Boombox
• From the “Paging Mr. Cobblepot…” file: Bionic penguins take to the water – and the skies
• Pentagon Cyber-Command in the Works
• Star Wars cupcakes

Namaste.