Random Access

Friday – 15 April 2011
It’s my “off” Friday. Rather than idling the day away, I’m heading over to Kate and Perry’s in a bit — I’m helping them load up a moving truck. They finally sold their house and are moving this weekend. Getting used to the fact that they won’t be around has been odd, and I expect it to be even more so – at least for a while – once that becomes a reality.

Groove Break

• Teddy Riley and Guy – Groove Me

• Eric B and Rakim – Microphone Fiend

• Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock – Joy & Pain

• Jay-Z – Izzo (H.O.V.A.)

Yesterday was a decent day. Thanks (or “no thanks,” depending on your perspective) to working on Saturday, I had some extra time banked, so I was able to cut out of work a couple of hours early. Win. After dinner, I called my friend, William, whose birthday I managed to miss on Sunday.  We talked for better than half an hour, catching up on all the latest news from our respective families. After that, SaraRules! and I headed downtown for a night at the opera ballet:

The performance was good; we both especially liked the staging and choreography of the Bolero piece.

Chew on This: Food for Thought
posted a link to this last night; I found it rather intriguing: The Truth about Race, Religion and the Honor Code at BYU

Stray Toasters

• By way of SaraRules!: Wheelchair becomes 19-year-old’s BMX bike
• A Young Son’s Goal: Making Money for His Mother
• Jos. A. Bank is having another “Buy One, Get Two Free” sale on suits, sport coats and tuxedos
• “America the Beautiful”

  

• The World’s Largest Gummy Bear
• I should try to squeeze in a trip to a train and/or hobby shop today…
• Confessions of a fuzzy twit: Simon Pegg
• Why Are So Many People Dancing in Apple Stores?
• Brazilian Police to Wear Glasses That Can Scan Faces to Find Criminals

  

• The Last Fiesta – I’m not sure that I even have the words to describe this adequately…
• Why the Internet Is No Substitute for a Library
• The World’s Creepiest Opera Is Still Under Construction

Up. Out.

Namaste.

Thursday – 14 April 2011
It’s another glorious NBN Technical Friday. This morning started with clouds and a little snow… but it looks as though the sun is trying to put in an appearance. We’ll see how that goes.

Last night was D&D 4.0 night with and company. We adventured. We got loot. We walked right into the middle of a war between factions in a city… and had to choose sides. Hopefully, we chose well.

After the game, I headed home and occupied a nice and comfy spot on the couch, as my stomach decided that it wanted to try out a new acrobatics routine. I am attributing it to “The Revenge of Lunch!” Fortunately, by the time I got ready to call it a night, it was better. I attribute that to milk and Tums.

Stray Toasters

• Training monkeys to assist people with severe disabilities
  Didn’t any of these people learn anything Monkey Shines?  (I didn’t know that this was a George Romero film. Huh.)
• How to dig jive talk
• Seeking Execution Drug, States Cut Legal Corners
• TSA under fire for enhanced patdown of 6-year-old girl
• 
• Barry Bonds found guilty of obstruction of justice
• “Goony-goo-goo!”
• Esquire Style Presents: The American Revolution
• 
• Microsoft distributes 17 patches for 64 flaws
• The Management Myth
• 
• Study Finds Drop in Deadly V.A. Hospital Infections
• New Chevrolet Camaro will outpower Ford Mustang
  But, I’d personally still prefer the Mustang over the Camaro.
• UMaine Researchers Use Lobster Shells to Create Biodegradable Golf Ball

Namaste.

Tuesday – 12 April 2011
Work week: Day 2

As Google’s “classic” home page reminds us: Today is the 50th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin becoming the first man in space

…also known as “Cosmonautics Day,” as well as being Yuri’s Night.

Thanks to an early day in the office, I was off work at 3:30 yesterday. I popped in to SaraRules!’ office, to say “Hi” for a surprise. From there, it was on to The Train Shoppe; they had completed the coupler repair on my Chessie locomotive. Next, I met , Tina and Casey for a stroll around Liberty Park. We did a couple of laps around the park which, assuming that the info I found is correct, means that we did about three (3) miles. I’m calling that a workout.

I came home, just in time to see SaraRules! off to her Justice League Junior League event. That meant that I was a “bachelor for an evening!” My first conundrum set in fairly quickly: What did I want for dinner? I solved that riddle with a quick trip to the local Five Guys. I came home, plopped down in front of the TV and DVR and watched a pre-Christmas episode of Human Target. I followed that up with a bit of HALO: Reach. Yeah… it was a good way to spend an evening.

Stray Toasters

• SaraRules! and I bought a pair of trebuchets last night.
  • It reminds me of the time I wanted to build a Mad Cat in the backyard, like Jim Martin did. I actually emailed him back in… 2003 or 2004; he was a nice enough gent.
• Human Spaceflight’s 50th: The Glorious Past and Uncertain Future
• Jerry Lawson, Inventor of Modern Game Console, Dies at 70
• Little girl joins the Dark Side

  
  EMBED-Little Girl Joins The Dark Side – Watch more free videos

• NFL, Players Ordered to Mediate
  • For the Panthers, a QB or no QB with first NFL draft pick?
• For SaraRules!: Rube Goldberg photobooth
• Minority business program to undergo changes
• 
• New York Airport Jet Clips Smaller Plane’s Tail at JFK Monday Night
• Gas Prices Rise, and Economists Seek Tipping Point
  • This Is the World’s Greatest Driveway
• Epsilon may have been tipped off that it was a target

Namaste.

Saturday – 09 April 2011
It’s snowing again this morning. I guess I could have just said “It’s still snowing.” It snowed, intermittently, all day yesterday; although, it tapered off and stopped last night. I guess that Mother Nature hasn’t finished saying all that was on her mind.

Last night, SaraRules! and I met up with , , Angy, and for our usual Friday night gathering. I have to say that the people-watching was pretty prime. (…and so was the running commentary.)

Stray Toasters

• I need to hit the local post office sometime this morning. An item that I was selling on eBay sold… to someone out of the country.  I have to find out what kind(s) of forms I need to include in the packaging, as well as how much it’s going to cost to ship — I was getting two different prices from the USPS and I’d like to be certain of the price I quote the buyer.
• For SaraRules!: Here’s a little Rob Base and D.J. EZ Rock:

• U.S. to issue terror alerts on Facebook, Twitter
  I actually don’t think that this is a necessarily “bad” idea…
• Astronomers may have witnessed a star torn apart by a black hole
• Wozniak: I Would Consider Returning to Apple
• By way of Project: Rooftop comes Kris Anka’s Wonder Woman and Michelle Sciuto’s Victorian Birds of Prey
• What If Your Favorite Album Was a Book?
• 
• Getting Animated: Fave Cartoon Themes from Bugs to Batman
• Jon Favreau Shoots for Western Realism in Cowboys &a Aliens
• 12 Cool Products Inspired by LEGO, by way of lj user=”duckspeaker”
• All Star Trek coming to Netflix, make it so
• Too Much Alcohol May Cause Cancer
• Friday most popular day for bank robberies

And with that, it’s time to think about finding some trouble to get into…

Namaste.

Friday – 08 April 2011
It’s another 9/80 “on” Friday… and this one came complete with snow!

Yep, “Welcome to Utah.” I’m still expecting at least one more snowfall this month (and maybe a dusting in May).

Last night was a lazy night around the homestead. SaraRules! had cancelled her evening plans and stayed in, so we spent the evening watching the teevee. We caught up on a NCIS episodes, as well as an episode of CSI: (which we haven’t watched in at least a year). And when did Lady Heather, sorry… Dr. Kessler become “Dr. Kessler” and not “Lady Heather,” anymore?! We also watched Beef on Fuse, about the feuds in rap and hip-hop from the 80s to the early 2000s.

And here’s a little 3T to help your Friday groove along:

…and…

Stray Toasters

• No Accord in Budget Talks as Policy Fights Hamper Deals
  • Q & A: What could happen during a government shutdown?
  • It May Be a ‘Budget Battle,’ but Some Skirmishes Have Little to Do With Money
• For SaraRules!: FBI releases files on Biggie Smalls murder; still no killer named
• 
• Cars, Houses, Human Remains: Debris from Japan Is Headed Toward U.S.
• Jean Bartik, Software Pioneer, Dies at 86
• Class action suit over EA football games charges forward
• 
• Brass Goggles: The Lighter Side of Steampunk
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Chinese censors ban time travel TV shows

Namaste.

Thursday – 07 April 2011
It’s a new “No Bad News” Thursday in the valley. And this one comes to us complete with grey skies and impending storms. S’okay though, we’re still one day closer to the weekend.

Last night, SaraRules! fixed Pad Thai for dinner. To my understanding, it was her first time making it… and it was good. After dinner, I hit Pin-up Girl Espresso for a cup of game night go-juice and then it was off to Hastur Hobbies to meet up with and the gang for our D&D game. It went well, especially when you consider that we ignored the last item from the following “suggestion” from Shadowrun:

“Watch your back, shoot straight, conserve ammo, and never, ever, cut a deal with a dragon.”

Nevertheless, we walked away with our lives and the item we were searching for… without having to (try and) kill the dragon. Which was good for us.

Back at home, SaraRules! and I watched The Thomas Crown Affair. The original. With Steve McQueen. And Faye Dunaway. It was good. I kept juxtaposing it with the 1999 version (Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo), although they were different movies to some degree. Both were heist movies, but the original featured a bank heist, where the more recent one had an art heist. Both SaraRules! and I agreed that both movies were good and were representative of their respective times, but we appreciated some of the nuances and subtleties of the older movie just a bit more. For example:

• 1968: Faye Dunaway’s Vicki Anderson quietly – and quite effectively – seduces McQueen’s Crown over a game of chess, while investigating him in relation to a recent bank heist
• 1999: Rene Russo’s Catherine Banning shows up at an event at which Brosnan’s Crown is a patron, wearing a sheer (read: “pretty much totally see-through/non-existent”) dress, and rather overtly flings herself at flirts with him during a spicy tango… while investigating his involvement with a robbery at an art gallery

I first saw the 1999 version of the movie about… eight or so years ago; last night was the first time I’ve seen the original. There were similar elements in both movies, but there were enough differences to keep them distinct and fresh. But, one of my favorite similarities – and best surprises – was that the original movie also featured Windmills of Your Mind, which I count as a favorite song (although, I prefer the version by Sting to the Noel Harrison one).

Stray Toasters

• At California Mental Hospitals, Fear Is Part of the Job
• A Fixture of Hollywood’s Past, Now Tarnished by Strife
• Swords and battle-axes pushpins
• A slew of banks, retailers affected by Epsilon email breach
• 
• Spring 2011 Trends Without the Fuss
• The Disney Princesses: If They’d Had Mothers
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Adzookie will pay your mortgage in return for daubing your house with ads
  I suppose that I shouldn’t be so surprised by this, as I’ve heard of the same thing being done with automobiles…
• 
• Woman single-handedly cuts off two countries from Internet
• Police Lesson: Social Network Tools Have 2 Edges
• NASA Telescopes Join Forces to Observe Unprecedented Explosion
• 
• By way of Corey (and Tosh.0): Big Black Dudes Are So Polite…
• Maine ranked ‘most peaceful state’; Louisiana the least
• Tesla fires back at boss of BBC’s ‘Top Gear’
• From the “Well… DUH!” file: IKEA Is Designed Like a Maze So You’ll Buy More Stuff.

And for my next amazing feat: Three meetings in a row!

Namaste.

Wednesday – 06 April 2011
It’s mid-week again, which also means that it’s new comics day and D&D 4.0 night. I’m good with all of those.

Yesterday’s Utah County excursion wasn’t too bad. The monkeys were fairly quiet; I did, however, get a little tired of people asking me when someone else was going to be in that office. After the third time, it got harder and harder to retort with a smart-assed answer. *sigh* On the plus side, I managed to squeeze in a trip to The Hobby Stop during lunch. Hey… it’s train stuff. Go figure.  🙂

I got home a little later than I had planned, had dinner and was back on the road again. Last night was D&D 3.5 night with and company. We accomplished a few things which were good/necessary and have nominal plans for the next part of our adventure.

Chew on This: Food for Thought – Personal Hygiene
When a person is getting ready for work in the morning – or even the night before – isn’t that the “ideal” time for them to take care of things like clipping their nails?

As opposed to, say, waiting until they get into the office…?!

There are a few possible exceptions to this:

• Salon workers
• Spa workers
• Veterinarians

I’m not someone who gets squidgy at the sound of someone clipping their nails, but it just seems that it is something best done at home. With that in mind, there are times when I think a quick trim/cut are acceptable, the prime example being when someone chips, cracks or tears a nail and needs to trim it down. But that’s (usually) just one nail. Not all ten.

I suppose that I should just happy that I have neither seen nor heard (that I know 0f) anyone clipping their toe nails on the clock.

Stray Toasters

• I’ve been really enjoying the Tony Toni Tone’ CD that I picked up earlier in the week.
• 57 Spectacular LEGO Scenes
• Bored with World of Warcraft? Make Your Own Fun
• 
• More Pupils Are Learning Online, Fueling Debate on Quality
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file:
  • Giants fan beaten at Dodgers’ Stadium appears to have brain damage
  • Girl Trains Cow as a Show Horse
  • Michigan couple to walk some 2,500 miles for wedding
  • 
• Firefox 4 is taking a little getting used to…
• CWA: Why should you care about species extinction?
• Queen Guitarist Shares Love for Astronomy Through Stereoscope
• 
• An Artist Takes Role of China’s Conscience
• Grand Jury Investigates Whether Apps Like Pandora Are Stealing Your Info
• Lawmakers tell Google to do more on antipiracy

Namaste.

Tuesday – 05 April 2011
Day two of the work week… and I’m in the south office today. Some of us are doing rotations down here once a month. And, today is my day. Well, one of them — I think I’ll be back down at the end of the month, too. Oh, well.  It’s a nice change of pace.

Last night, after dinner, SaraRules! and I ran a few errands and then went to Frogurt for dessert. It was good and it wasn’t as tart as the yogurt at Red Mango. (On the other hand, they didn’t have a Green Tea Yogurt, so it’s kind of a draw.) We wrapped up the evening with an episode of Castle and an episode of Top Gear.

I stopped at Pin-up Girl Espresso this morning, to get a caramel mocha for the road. I was pleasantly surprised to see (former) Pin-up Girl Erin in the window. I didn’t get a chance to ask if she was going to be a semi-permanent regular in the store, though.

And tonight is D&D 3.5 night.

Stray Toasters

• Commodore is back!  (Not to be confused with the music group, The Commodores.)
• Roberts’ three-run home lifts Orioles to first 4-0 start since 1997
• Salt Lake Art Center takes an outsiders look at SLC
• 
  
• Advocate for the Arts
• Obama Invites Republicans to Meet on Budget
• Chemical found which ‘makes bone marrrow repair skin’
• FAA to Order Airlines to Inspect 737s for Cracks
• 
• Guess who went to The Hobby Stop and looked at train stuff while at lunch.
• NFLPA’s Mike Vrabel arrested for alleged theft, calls it ‘misunderstanding’

Namaste.

Monday – 04 April 2011
It’s the beginning of a new work week. (At least it’s sunny)

Today is also my stepfather’s birthday…

…and my friend, Mark’s, birthday…

…and my friend, Spydr’s, birthday.

Yeah. S’a lotta birthdays today.

Yesterday was a very lazy day. I woke up to snow, a continuation of the snowfall that started before I went to bed Saturday night. Throughout the day, it was alternately snowy and sunny. (“Welcome to Utah…”) In the late afternoon, I decided to visit the soon-to-be-closed local Borders. I found a few items that I couldn’t live without. After returning home, I took a trip to Gotham City, via DC Universe Online. I ran a series of missions that featured crimes by Poison Ivy. But, in the end mission, Ivy kicked my trash… using Robin to do so. (Of course, that kind of means that I got beaten up by Wil Wheaton. Or at least a character whose voice actor was Wil Wheaton.)

During and after dinner, we watched a new-to-me show called Bert the Conqueror. Hilarious. SaraRules! had apparently seen it before. It was a ton of fun. The premise of the show has the host, Bert Kreischer, traveling to different parts of the country “…in search of can’t-miss thrill rides and local activities, from the crazy to the insane to the downright dangerous.” The episodes we were: Maine and Virginia. After the Maine episode, I mentioned to SaraRules! that we had four years to prep for the 15th annual North American Wife Carrying Championship. She smiled and stopped short of patting me on the head and saying,”Sure we do, dear.”

We wrapped up the evening watching a movie called Monsters; SaraRules! had heard of it by way of a couple of friends. It was part Cloverfield, part The Mist and part… either Logan’s Run and/or The Road. It was a small studio/lower budget film, but its production quality was still better than 95% of the original movie content that SciFi… sorry, “SyFy”… comes up with. Part of the movie was interesting and engaging and somewhat as I expected, but the ending was a little flat and anticlimactic to me. Still, I’d say it’s worth a viewing.

Stray Toasters

• The Neville Brothers: Yellow Moon
• Breach exposes Chase, Capital One, TiVo customers
• Ex-astronaut Lisa Nowak’s criminal record to stay open
• BBC’s ‘Top Gear’ fires back at Tesla lawsuit
• HeroClix World has a link to the new Green Lantern footage, which debuted at WonderCon last weekend.
• 
• Vast Gene Study Yields Insights on Alzheimer’s
• Rubber’s Psycho Tire Rolls into Pantheon of Road-Rage Cinem
  There’s a part of me that is just curious enough to want to see this movie…
• Just because: A History of Rap

• The Spirit of Sharing: Museums Pursue Engagement with Social Media
• Steve Rogers Returns as Captain America in July
  While I realize that this is most likely being done due to the release of Captain America: The First Avenger, I’m a bit sad/disappointed by this, as I’ve enjoyed the “passing of the mantle” from Steve to his former sidekick.
• Searchers find pieces of crashed jet in Atlantic
• Ruling Spurs Effort to Form Digital Public Library

That’s pretty good for now…

Namaste.

Sunday – 03 April 2011
It’s snowing.

I figured I’d get that one out of the way, right off the bat. It started last night, before I went to bed, so I’m estimating that we have three to six inches of the stuff on the ground. I’ll do a measurement later, when I go out to shovel the driveway.

It’s been a good weekend. Friday, I had brunch with at The Park Cafe. The food and the atmosphere were both good. From there, I stopped at The Train Shoppe for a minute; I needed to inquire about a problem that I am having with the couplers on one of my locomotives. Randy told me that it was a pretty fast and easy fix. Armed with that knowledge, I headed out. I took Defiant back to Expercom. They installed the new PRAM battery and the new top case… and it was less expensive than they’d originally quoted me. So, I once again have a fully-operational Death Star BlacBook. Later in the evening, SaraRules! and I skipped meeting the usual suspects for Clitorati and, instead, went to a Utah Grizzlies hockey game. The game was good, although the Grizzlies lost. (My guess is that since they’d already locked up a playoff berth, they: A) didn’t have anything to prove and B) didn’t want their players to get injured.)

Saturday, I met Chris for breakfast and then we headed up to Dr. Volt’s for this weekend’s HeroClix tournament. There was a decent turn-out — nine players, so I played the bye rounds. Dr. Volt’s also hosted a book signing with Valerie Finnigan, one of the authors of Untold Stories from Iraq and Afghanistan. After our tournament was over, I had the opportunity to speak with Valerie for a bit. She was a charming woman with a few interesting story to tell. (Jeremiah also did an interview with her.) I got back home and tried to figure out what I wanted for dinner. SaraRules! to the rescue! She suggested Famous Dave’s Barbecue. So was it done. And it, too, was good. And very filling. After that, we came home and assembled a LEGO airplane that I got for Christmas. (Hey, some people do puzzles together; we assemble LEGO toys.)

Pictured here, with LEGO Universe Astronaut

Next, we watched (500) Days of Summer. Good movie. Not quite what I expected, but it was rather enjoyable… and a bit quirky.

Stray Toasters

• According to Google, today marks the “119th Anniversary of the First Recorded Ice Cream Sundae”

  

• Plane makes emergency landing with hole in cabin
  • Southwest Airlines grounds jets over mid-air hole scare
• This is one way to get down stairs, I guess…
• By way of Christopher M.: Wall of Sound: The iPod has changed the way we listen to music. And the way we respond to it.
• 
• Lynda Carter Reveals Opinion on New ‘Wonder Woman’ Costume
• Hands-Free Faucets Not Germ-Free, Study Finds

Today is a good day for getting in some DCUO or LEGO Universe… or both!

Namaste.

Friday – 01 April 2011
Hello, 9/80 Friday off!

Oh, yeah… and today is April Fool’s Day, too.

Last night, SaraRules and I decided to enjoy get a bit of exercise, while enjoying the sunny and warm Spring evening. After a bite to eat at Noodles & Company, we went for a leisurely walk through and around Wheeler Historic Farm. It seemed as though many other people had the same idea, as we passed many other walkers during our trek. Back at home, we watched some programs that we’d recorded, along with an encore presentation of a Top Gear show from 2008, in which the hosts traveled the length of Vietnam – over the course of eight days – on motorcycles… which had to be one of the most non-intentionally funny trips ever recorded.

Today, I need to take Defiant back down to Expercom so that it can have its PRAM battery replaced and also be refitted from being a TuxedoBook back to a BlacBook. (Although, it’s gotten some interesting looks and lead to some amusing questions about “why” it has a white keyboard…)

Stray Toasters

• The O’s take the field today against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
• I’m taking another stab at reading Black Seas of Infinity: The Best of H.P. Lovecraft and making better progress this time.
• Comically Vintage: Paleocomicologists with a Sense of Humor
  • “Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover. Frozen North Edition”

    

• Thanks to for pointing out: Utah LEGO League Group Headed to World Festival
• It seems as though Maddox has given up “The Best Page in the Universe,” in lieu of a new site.
• Brad Guigar, who does Evil, Inc., also does a webcomic called Courting Disaster, “the weekly sex comic and sex-advice web site.”  Today’s post and poll– and the responses – are pretty good:

  

• ‘Tree of Hope’ Stands as Poignant Symbol in Japan
• Asking Kidney Patients to Forgo a Free Lifeline
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file:
  • Ryanair to Make Child-Free Flights a Reality?
  • 3-Year-Old Killed by Mother for Throwing Away Game Console
• 

• Modern Marvel
• Lion Capital board members bolt from American Apparel

And now, off for brunch with.

Namaste.

Thursday – 31 March 2011
It’s a blue sky NBN “Technical Friday.” And I’m good with that.

Last night was supposed to be D&D 4.0 night. So, after dinner, I ran a couple of errands and headed over to Hastur Hobbies to partake in hack-and-slash goodness. I arrived to find no one from my group there.

*headscratch*

I went back through my messages to see if I had missed something. I had. had called the game earlier in the afternoon… but, that message was basically attached to another thread of messages, so I didn’t catch it when I skimmed over them.

*D’oh!*

That just meant that my evening freed up for me to go and hang out with the missus. Which I did. For the most part…

…until I decided that the best thing for me and my newfound head cold was a nice relaxing soak while reading the day’s new comics haul. And I was right – it was good.

A little later, SaraRules! and I finished off the last DVD of Mad Men that we got from Netflix. I now understand what and meant by “the lawnmower episode,” and why they both agreed that I’d “get” it as soon as I saw it.

This morning, I woke up with this song running through my head…

…and I was okay with that.

Stray Toasters

• Shannon Tavarez, Nala in “Lion King,” Dies at 11
  I can’t recall if she was the performer I saw when The Lion King was here last year.
• Phishing scam poses as Adobe upgrade
• Possible Safety Risks Put Met Opera Tour to Japan “in Jeopardy”
• Today is opening day for most of the MLB.
  The O’s open tomorrow night against the Devil Rays, in Tampa.

  

• Stanley Chow Does ‘Dr. Who,’ He-Man, Super Jon Hamm and More
• Fat Stigma Spreads Around Globe
• Lawmakers try to stall law on cutting debit card fees
• Spring Trends for Men, According to Women
• 
• BP “leaks” data of 13,000 Gulf oil spill victims
• Antitrust Cry from Microsoft

Namaste.

Wednesday – 30 March 2011
It’s a grey and drizzly midweek morning. But that’s okay. It’s new comics day. It’s also game night. And… depending on how my day goes, I might try to sneak out for Sushi Wednesday at lunch.

Last night, Perry, , Chris and I went out for guys’ night out/send off get together for Perry, who’s moving in a little over two weeks. I know that Perry needed some “grown-up time,” as he’s been playing Mr. Mom with his kids — early retirement, go figure.  We went to the MacCool’s in Foothill Village. As always the food was good; I had the Shepherd’s Pie and Finn’s Skins, all washed down with Guinness.  We had a good time;  it was nice to just have a night to sit back, knock down a few beers and shoot the bull with the guys. (Kind of like Monday nights… but without football.) I can’t think of a better way to have spent the evening.

Stray Toasters

• One of the great things about having a programmable coffee maker is that you can prep your coffee the night before and, by the time you wake up or get out of the shower, there are cups of caffeinated goodness waiting for you.

  Of course, this process only works in this manner if you remember to set the timer.

• U.S. Housing Prices Fell Again in January
  • Foreclosure Aid Fell Short, and Is Fading
• As Problems Persist, Is Southwest Losing Its Luster?
• Tesla sues Top Gear over “rigged” electric car test
• Apparently, lairs are the “in” thing in webcomics this week:
  • 
  • 
• Exonerated inmate won’t get $14M
  • Harry Connick, Sr.’s office also oversaw the Gregory Bright case, as detailed in Never Fight a Shark in Water.
• New Wonder Woman TV Images Show Action, Tweaked Costume
  Thank God, the Devil and Bob that they changed the boots. And, the costume doesn’t seem to incorporate as much vinyl as the demo shot did.
• Beyond Banned: Books That Survived the Censors
• A Victim, Her Picture and Facebook
• The Mysterious, Cursed Billiards Room Hiding Under an English Lake

Namaste.

Tuesday – 29 March 2011
It’s (so far) a bright and sunny day in the valley. I’m good with that.

Last night, SaraRules! and I opted for a quiet evening in. We ordered pizza and caught up on episodes of  NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles. After that, I played DC Universe Online ; I ran a couple of missions and felt super-heroic for an hour or so. I finally remembered to take a picture in front of the Bat-Signal, as well:

After that, we watched a bit of Top Gear, before calling it a night.

Tonight, I’m heading out with a few of the guys for a pre-moving send-off for Perry. It should be good.

Stray Toasters

• My Tuesday was meeting-free… until I had to call a meeting. *sigh*
• Gender and the Supreme Court’s Wal-Mart Case
• Michigan Cuts Jobless Benefit by Six Weeks
• Discovery heads into retirement
• iZombie: snappy, sassy supernatural comic
  I have been reading – and enjoying – this book since it began last year. This compilation makes an excellent jumping-on point for new readers.
• Players claim ‘irreparable harm now’ from NFL in court filing
• 
  …and, in a somewhat related note:

  

• Amber Waves to Ivory Bolls
• Oracle’s MySQL.com hacked via SQL injection
• 3-Month Nightmare Emerges in Rape Inquiry
• Mario Brothers 2 – Kong Country (another “Serious Mario Movie Trailer”)
• Fires could be extinguished using beams of electricity

Namaste.

Monday – 28 March 2011
Another work week begins. And this one comes complete with snow! (Well, flurries, but still…)

Yesterday was good. It was a mostly low-key day. I did head over to West Valley Hobbies for a bit, but didn’t buy anything. I also stopped at Dr. Volt’s, to pick up the Apocalypse ‘Clix that they had on display. SaraRules! and I had dinner with her family and, after dinner, we watched Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, which I hadn’t seen in a while. Back at home, we watched last week’s episode of Fringe before calling it a night.

Today, we’re having issues in the office. And there have been many “Why” and “How” and “When” questions asked. We’re handling it as best we can. (Which, surprisingly, doesn’t include punching monkeys.)

Stray Toasters

• How to Raise the Status of Teachers
• World’s largest LEGOLand taking shape in Florida
• Mobile phones may rot your bones
• A couple of Star Wars-related items:
  • Distracted by Star Wars
  • Homages, Ripoffs and Coincidences: Star Wars
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• When test scores soared in D.C., were the gains real?
• Paul Baran, Internet Pioneer, Dies at 84
• Thanks to for posting a link to this video, which shows the pre-launch preparations for Discovery‘s last flight:

• The Nintendo They’ve Tried to Forget
• 12-Year-Old Rewrites Einstein’s Theory of Relativity

On to the rest of Monday…

Namaste.