Union Pacific's Great Excursion Adventure

“It’s a cold and it’s a broken Hallelujah…”

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Monday – 01 November 2010
Today is All Saints Day.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Miami Dolphins at Cincinnati Bengals
22 – 14
The Dolphins headed up to Cincy to face the Bengals…

…and swam away with a win.
Sorry, [info]janietrain and [info]carefreespirit.

.

Seattle Seahawks at Oakland Raiders
3 – 33
The Raiders are on a roll, with their second big win in two weeks.

Congratulations, SaraRules! and [info]1silver_seraph.

.

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

.

Pittsburgh Steelers at New Orleans Saints
10 – 20
The Steelers rolled into the Big Easy to face the Saints. I wasn’t sure how this one would turn out, but Drew Brees and company stood up to the challenge and came away with the win.

This is a double-plus for me as the Steelers’ loss puts the Ravens back atop the AFC North.

Stray Toasters

Things and stuff to do…

Namaste.

How do you kick off a great weekend…?

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Saturday – 02 October 2010
So far, it’s been a good weekend.

Yesterday morning, I got to hang out with Perry and a couple of the kids.  All were well. And, since I was in the area, I popped into MRS Hobbies, as well.  I only walked out with a catalog. I had a couple of errands to run and then I met back at the house…

…so that we could head to Orem and take a tour of the ExactRail offices. had a problem with a set of rolling stock that he’d picked up and – learning that ExactRail was a local company – asked if he could come in an have it repaired or replaced. And… if he could have a tour of the facilities. He was kind enough to ping me and ask if I wanted to tag along. (I did. Duh, TRAINS!)

We met with Blaine, VP of Operations. He was very candid about the business and operations. We walked through the offices and were introduced to a few members of the staff, including a couple of their graphic designers. They told us a little about the process of going from concept to finished design work. We also got a look at their shipping and warehousing operations, as well as a (somewhat distant) view of their molding/modeling operation. At the end of the tour, Blaine presented us with a couple of ExactRail boxcars…

…one each in HO-scale and N-scale.

All-in-all, it was a very cool trip and I thank for inviting me to tag along.

After that, we had something of an adventure: I-15 northbound was congested, thanks to an accident near 90th South. So, we opted to get off the freeway at 106th South and take surface streets back to my place. And, in doing so, we drove through just about every construction project in the south-central part of the valley. Yay.

This morning, SaraRules and I got up and had breakfast at Millcreek Cafe and Eggworks. It was a nice change-of-pace way to start the day. After that, we stopped at Heritage Gardens to pick up our anniversary cake. SaraRules had the brilliant idea of having them prepare a new cake for our one-year anniversary (TOMORROW!!!), rather than trying to eat year-old, freezer-burned cake. Brilliant, I say! And, next on the docket: A couple’s massage.  Mmm, relaxation. We’ll see what the rest of the day brings…

Stray Toasters

And that’s a wrap, because it’s almost massage time!

Namaste.

“The evil that men do lives after them; The good is oft interred with their bones…”

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Thursday – 19 August 2010
It’s the NBN Thursday before my 9/80 “off” Friday…
…which is only made better by the fact that I’m working a half-day. Boo-yah!

Today is also, apparently, National Aviation Day.  Who knew?!

Last night was D&D game night with and Jack. It was fun. We had a “somewhat socially awkward” member in our group.  (Yeah, yeah, I know.  “Socially awkward” and “game-playing geek” pretty much go together like Ronald McDonald and Grimace.)  *shrug* It happens.

BUT… the “best” part of the evening was catching sight of one of the players at another table…

…dressed in a white shirt and black pants (okay, so far)…

…and, um, “adorned” with glitter.

Yeah. Glitter. All over his arms and a TON of it on his face. “Go, Team Edward.”  We weren’t quite sure if it was sad or hysterically funny. (We went with “hysterically funny,” just to be safe.)

Post-gaming, I hit up the local blue-and-yellow electronics purveyor to get my copy of City of Heroes: Going Rogue. I looked at a few other things, too, but managed to subdue the urge to walk away with “one of everything.”

Back at home, I found SaraRules and Meliko hanging out. Other than pictures, Meliko hadn’t seen the house, so she’d come over to check it out. She approved. *whew* We took her home (i.e.: “dropped her off at the in-laws’ place”) and visited with the ‘rents for a bit.

Workout
Wednesday’s step count: 4,409

Stray Toasters

Namaste.

“You can almost feel the current flowing, you can almost see the circuits blowing…”

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Friday – 06 August 2010
It’s a bright and sunny 9/80 “off” Friday.
Amen.
In a little while, I’ll be going with my father-in-law and to check out the model railroad gear at a hobby shop in Orem. I consider that a good way to start a day off.

Let’s go ahead and get this out of the way now: I had a great time at the Rush “Time Machine” concert last night.

I went with , his brother and sister-in-law and a friend of the family.  Despite ridiculous post-rush hour traffic, we made it to the amphitheatre with plenty of time to spare.  I also ran into my coworker, Drew and his wife, Cheri. (I just found out this morning that my friend, Peggy, was there, too… and only two sections away from where we sat.) The weather looked… ominous, but there was no rain. There were, however, some amazing lightning flashes in the center-to-eastern parts of the valley that made for nice offsets to 2112 and Far Cry.  This tour’s set design had a heavy retro/steampunk look and feel about it, including the amps behind Alex and Neil’s drum kit:

From the tourbook’s liner notes:

I told the guys about an idea for a fictional world that had interested me lately, thinking it would make a great setting, maybe for a suite of songs that told a story. A genre of science fiction pioneered by certain authors (including my friend Kevin J. Anderson) had come to be called “steampunk,” seen as a reaction against the “cyberpunk” futurists, with their scenarios of dehumanized, alienated, dystopian societies. Our own previous excursions into the future, 2112 and “Red Barchetta,” had been set in that darker kind of imagining, for dramatic and allegorical effect, but I was thinking of steampunk’s definition as “The future as it ought to have been,” or “The future as seen from the past”-as imagined by Jules Verne, for example, in 1866, when he was writing 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

When I was nine or ten, my dad took my brother and sister and me to see that movie at a Saturday matinee, and images from it had always stuck with me. The fearsome destructiveness of the Nautilus had a kind of monstrous beauty, contrasted with the cultured opulence of Captain Nemo’s quarters, and the massive pipe organ on which, he played with mad rapture. The captain may have been insane, but it was a romantic, idealistic bind of madness-his mission was only to destroy ships of war, because his beloved family had been killed in wartime.

The guys seemed intrigued by the concept, and at home in Southern California, I started working on a story and some lyrics along those lines, set in a world driven by steam, intricate clockworks, and alchemy-“a world lit only by fire” (title of a history of medieval times by William Manchester).

…and…

While I put together some ideas for cover art with Hugh Syme, for the song releases and the tour, Geddy was working with his film collaborators Dale and Allan on the rear-screen movies, recruiting Alex and me as comedic “actors”-to pursue our long-term goal in live performance: “More Comedy, Less Music.”

While we never seem to get away with “less music,” it’s true that as the years go by we do have more laughs.

The concert was roughly three (3) hours long and the band played the entirety of Moving Pictures in the second set. They also played Caravan and BU2B, from the upcoming Clockwork Angels release. There were also some fan favorites and a few pieces that I don’t believe I’ve heard in previous concerts.

All-in-all, it was a great way to kick off my three-day weekend.

And, for today’s musical fare, I’m going with Far Cry, from the Snakes & Arrows CD:

Tonight, we’re heading to the Deer Valley Music Festival to hear the Utah Symphony perform Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture…. complete with live cannons.  (Tickets may still be available.)  Because, how often do you get to hear symphonic music – in a great venue – performed with real cannons?! Why aren’t you calling the ticket office already?!  Did I mention “cannons?!”  Go!  Dial!  Now!

Workout
Thursday’s step count: 4,999

Stray Toasters

Time to finish getting ready.

Namaste.

“You believe this boy can bring balance to The Force… Wait, I meant ‘The Four Nations?’ “

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Friday – 02 June 2010
It’s my 9/80 “on” Friday, but it should be even more of a ghost town around here than usual, being a holiday weekend and all.

Timecards: Approved.
Issue Tracker: Checked.

There are a few other things I need to do today, too… but motivation to do them is hard to find.

Last night, SaraRules and I went to see The Last Airbender.

There’s been a lot of hullaballoo as to whether M. Night Shamalamadingdong Shyamalan could:

  1. …pull his head/ego out of his ass and direct a solid film (The Sixth Sense was 10+ years ago, buddy.)
  2. …pull his career out of a downward spiral or
  3. …do both

I’m not entirely sure that this is the movie in which he does that… but he seemed to be trying. Somewhat. The acting was rough in too many places. SaraRules noted that Sokka didn’t get as many humorous/sarcastic quips in the movie as he did in the series. And, for a man who’s directed young actors — and for more mature actors who have been in a number of productions — there didn’t seem to be a consistent hand guiding the action at times. They had to rush through a lot of things, of course trying to compress twenty-two 30-minute episodes into an hour and forty minutes kind of dictates that.

That said, I actually enjoyed the movie. The effects were quite good. I think that they conveyed the weight of Aang’s burden a little more realistically in this movie than in “Book One” of the series. (Take that last sentence with a grain of salt: I’m the same guy who thinks that Ang Lee did a good job of explaining what Bruce Banner is eight kinds of jacked up – before he became big, green and destructive – in 2003’s Hulk.)

Was this a perfect movie? No.
Was it a good movie?  Yes.
Why? Because it was entertaining.

To be honest, I think that bringing the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender to life would have been a daunting task for any director to undertake. There are certain expectations that people have with favorite characters and stories. I also think that this movie suffered from the “double whammy” of:

  1. Since this is based on a cartoon, people expected it to have the same light tone of the cartoon. It didn’t. And, I don’t think that was necessarily a “bad” thing.
  2. M. Night Shyamalan as the writer/director. Audiences haven’t been happy with his films since… Signs, perhaps. (That’s unfortunate because The Lady in the Water really wasn’t a bad movie. I think that people just expected the then-usual “M. Night Shyamalan twist” near the end of the film and there wasn’t one.) I think that there’s been something of an expectation of failure – or at least some very serious trepidation – with this movie because his name is attached to it.

No director is going to get everything “just right” for everyone. No one. Joel Schumacher didn’t do it with his Batman movies. Bryan Singer didn’t do it with his X-Men or Superman movies. The various directors of the Harry Potter films left things out that annoyed some viewers. Sam Raimi didn’t with his Spider-Man movies, although he was doing alright until Spider-Man 3. Shyamalan didn’t do it with this one…

…but he got enough right for me.

Workout
Yesterday’s step count: 4420

Stray Toasters

Namaste.

“If you set your mind free, baby, maybe you’ll understand…”

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Monday – 28 June 2010
Another work week begins. I’m trying to decide if it’s going to be a full 40-hour week or if it’s trending towards 36 or less. At this point, I’m feeling like the “36-” idea sounds pretty damned good.

I also feel like I really want to be over this sinus congestion. I’m not sure if it’s due to something that SaraRules brought back with her from California or due to the weather rollercoaster (of love! Say what?!) that we had here a week or so ago. Either way, hopefully Sudafed can keep me from looking like a Garbage Pail Kids throwback.

For some reason, I woke up this morning with Shawn Colvin’s Steady On running through my head. Good thing I like the song.

Yesterday, , and Matt came by for brunch… and to help me figure out what was wrong with the sprinkler system. It basically came down to the lawn care equivalent of a PEBCAK — As I never adjusted the solenoids on the valves for the system at the Taylorsville house, I never knew that they could be opened to help drain the system. Fortunately, and Matt knew this. A few twists of the screwdriver an not only did the waters flow, but there was actual, honest-to-goodness water pressure that went along with it! (The head in front of the sitting room windows looked more like a riot water cannon than lawn sprinkler… but at least it worked.) Thus, I’m making and Matt co-Humans of the Day for yesterday.

Later in the day, SaraRules and I went to see Knight and Day. Yes, I know… a lot of people think that Tom Cruise is Tom Cruise Crazy, but I don’t have a beef with the guy. In fact, despite my theory that many Tom Cruise movies were actually the same movie:

Young hotshot (fill-in-the-job title) is known for not playing by the rules.
He gets a reputation for being arrogant and/or reckless.
He is given (fill-in-the-task) and muffs it ~or~ he crosses the wrong person.
He struggles to make a comeback (Don’t call it a comeback, he’s been here for years…).
He saves the day by the end of the movie.

…I found Knight and Day to be fun and entertaining; it was like a mix of “Mission: Impossible meets True Lies.”

And, just how many movies does the above formula work for?  Let’s see:

Just saying.

Anyway… the movie was fun and made for good lazy afternoon fare.

We wrapped up the day with dinner at the in-laws’ place and a movie, Shutter Island, which holds up as a solid film even on subsequent viewings.

Workout
Yesterday’s step count: 4,653

Stray Toasters

And that’s good for now.

Namaste.

Hello, Monday. We meet again…

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Monday – 14 June 2010
Today is Flag Day.

What?!  There’s a flag in the picture!  Yes, it is a CoH picture. That’s more of a “Win-Win,” if you ask me.

It’s also my friend, Keith’s, birthday.

And, as it’s Monday morning, let’s have a little somethin’ to kick off the day with a groove. Today’s offering is Maxwell’s Gotta Get: Closer

To paraphrase Ice Cube, yesterday was a good day:

  • SaraRules got back from the City of Lost Angels.
  • I finished the painting of the family room; we still need to figure out what we want to use for a trim color, but the main job is ovah!
  • We saw The A-Team.
  • We had dinner with Jana, OnlyAly and .

Workout
Saturday’s step count: 4443 steps
Sunday’s count: 1332 steps (official count… because I didn’t put on the pedometer until 4 PM)

The Best: Closer vs. Gotta Get: Closer
Nine Inch Nails vs. Maxwell

Given this morning’s bit of musical oleo, I was reminded that I like both versions of the song. That, in turn, made me think that I should do a juxtaposition and see which version edges out the other for the title “The Best.”

  • Nine Inch Nails:

    Let’s just call a spade “a spade:” This song is just straight-up sex. There’s no question about what’s on Trent’s mind. In fact, he tells you. Bluntly. More than once. Let it never be said that the man doesn’t know how to convey what he’s thinking.

  • Maxwell:
    (see video at top of post)

    What I like about this version is that Maxwell took the song and put his on spin on it. Yes, I can hear purists saying: “But, it’s not the same!”  No, it’s not. To me, that’s the essence of what makes an artist’s cover of a song a “good” cover: Being able to put their own unique stamp on it. Where NIN’s version is blatant and raw, Maxwell’s version is more… seductive, with a groove to it. To put it another way: Nine Inch Nails’ take is raw and rough sex, whereas Maxwell wants to take his time and enjoy the mood and the moment.

    • A similar example of “same brand, different flavor” along these lines can be found in another pair of songs that were released around the same time: Color Me Badd’s I Wanna Sex You Up and Extreme’s More than Words.

So, which version is “The Best?”

For me, it’s a tie. Why? Because each song holds its own for the mood that the artist is trying to convey. It’s a “Neither is ‘wrong’ and everybody wins” kind of situation.

Stray Toasters

And with that… on to the rest of the day.

Namaste.

“Everybody wants to pass as cats…”

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Friday – 28 May 2010
It’s my 9/80 day off. Amen.

Not only that, but the day has been nominally productive so far. I woke up a little before SaraRules headed to work. I thought about having a spot of breakfast, but didn’t… for whatever reason. After she left, I did my best impression of a cat and sprawled on the sitting room floor, in a pool of sunlight. It felt good. Next thing I know, I’d lost an hour. (Oh, well… that’s what days off are for.) I got up, did a load of laundry and then did something that I haven’t done in “far too long.”

I went to the gym.

That’s right, I went to the gym. I’ve discovered over the years that I prefer working out with someone, but I’m not completely averse to going alone. I’ve also discovered that not going to the gym for a month or so means that you have to work back up to where you used to be. But… I went to the gym. I worked out. And it was good. Selah. Not only that, but I ran into former coworker, Josh, there; so I have a witness that I was actually there and doing stuff.

Back home for a shower and shave and a bite to eat. In a little bit, SaraRules’ mother is coming over and we’re heading down to the new Hobby Lobby.  (Yeah, I know: It’s a hard-knock life to have to go to Hobby Lobby on your day off…)

Not sure what the rest of the afternoon holds, but there’s Clitorati tonight.

Workout
Yesterday’s step count: 2019 steps.

Today’s workout consisted of:

  • Elliptical: 10 minutes, avg. speed ~5.5 MPH
  • Sit-ups (incline): 3 sets/20 reps
  • Bench Press: 3 sets/10 reps
    • 2 sets @ 185 lbs
    • 1 set @ 135 lbs
  • Compound Row: 3 sets/10 reps, 125 lbs
  • Curls (dumbbell): 3 sets/10 reps, 20 lbs
  • Tricep Press (overhead, dumbbell): 3 sets/10 reps, 40 lbs

The workout was good… and tiring. I think that I might have to back off on some of the weights a bit, until I get back into the swing of things. But, that’s okay. I have nothing but time, air and opportunity.

Stray Toasters

Bonne’s here… and we’re off!

Namaste.

Weekend Update

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Saturday – 24 April 2010
It’s the weekend and it’s going to be chock full of stuff. SaraRules was working at the “Kids in the Kitchen” event at Discovery Gateway this morning. I am in the middle of running a tournament. And, we have a wedding reception this evening.

On top of all of that, there’s that whole “move” thing tomorrow, too.

Yep. As weird as it might be to say: I’ll be glad when this weekend is in the rear view.

Stray Toasters

  • After yesterday’s call from a Comcast tech, I was hopeful – yet apprehensive – about actually having the service restored at the apartment last night. There was no service. *meh* I called Comcast to see what was up. Amber, the CSR I spoke with, informed me that they could get service restored at the apartment… but that I would have to cancel the connection order for the house – which is scheduled for tomorrow. The soonest that they would be able to reschedule the house connection: Wednesday or Thursday. O,o So… I told Amber not to do anything – leave the house connection scheduled for tomorrow and I’d just go without TV and Interwebs.  Hopefully, they’ll adhere to this schedule. In the words of Sting: “Tomorrow we’ll see…”
  • My Food Looks Funny
  • Full face transplant a success
  • WorldWorksGames has just released the update to their TerrainlinX Planner.
  • Disney announces Monsters, Inc. sequel
  • Screamsheet, a cyberpunk zine from 1988

That’s good for now.

Namaste.

No, it’s not a new hair dye; it’s paint.

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Tuesday – 06 April 2010
It snowed last night. There’s a coat of snow on the ground, but it didn’t seem to stick to the roadways, fortunately.

I need to give a very quick, but heartfelt, “Thank you” to for lending his time and his handy-dandy Jeep to help me ferry a ladder (and other painting supplies) from the local home improvement store to the new house.

After spending a bit of time getting ready, I set about applying primer to the walls. A short while later, SaraRules got home – well, “new” home – and helped with the process. I had realized, shortly before she arrived, that I still needed a couple of tools. She had a couple in her car, but I still needed to come home and pick up my Channel-Locks. Good thing. I also remembered to pick up a couple of other things. Then, back to the primer slinging.

Today, I am continuing with my desk move. I have accumulated a LOT of stuff – including a herd or three of dust bunnies – in the two years I was at my old desk.

And again tonight, there shall be blood primer…

Stray Toasters

Namaste.

“Her name was Lola, she was a showgirl…”

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Thursday – 25 March 2010
Another NBN Thursday kicks off in the valley. This morning is a bit overcast, but the forecast isn’t calling for rain… at least not that I’m aware of. Doesn’t really matter, either way, because I kicked off the morning with 112 and that is a good thing:

I left work a little early yesterday; I was tired and my productivity  was flagging. I took that as an indicator that it would be beneficial to go home and take a nap. And that’s exactly what I did. And it was good. After that, SaraRules and I headed to Dask’s for a bite to eat. She later went to see Legally Blonde: The Musical with Melissa, while I stayed home and read yesterday’s four-color haul. After that, it was off to the mall to see if the local Eddie Bauer store to pick up a new pair of jeans – they were out of my size – and to do a little window shopping. I headed home and watched another episode of 24 — I’m slowly catching up on this season.

Stray Toasters

And with that… meeting time!

Namaste.

“I am the smiling face on your TV…”

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Tuesday – 23 March 2010
This morning there was… well… to call it a “flurry” would be a bit of an overstatement. Yes, there were snow flakes. Yes, they were falling. But, no, they weren’t falling en masse. And, you sort of had to look to see that there really was snow falling and that it wasn’t an illusion or trick of light.

Last night, I needed some “down time.” I got it. It was good. I spent a portion of the time assembling a team of ‘Clix for tonight’s game with Chris.

I am often amused and stymied by the randomness of the music that pops into my head first thing in the morning. Today was no exception. This morning’s “Song Stuck on Repeat” was Only In My Dreams, by Debbie Gibson. Yeah. Really. And, to be honest, it wasn’t even the whole song. It was mostly just a few lines from the first verse. I blame my old dorm-mate, Mark D., for this one — he was a pretty big fan of hers, back in the day.  Thanks, Mark.

Stray Toasters

Back to the grind…

Namaste.

“Everything’s Going Green”

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Wednesday – 17 March 2010
Happy Green Lantern Day.
(And for the rest of you: Happy Saint Patrick’s Day.)
Today is also Comics and Sushi Wednesday — that’s right, it’s a three sushi meal week!
Win, Win and Win.

Last night was a low key night. There was no opera last night, so SaraRules had the night off. After work, we had dinner and then went on a trip to check out Tai Pan Trading. It was more… knick-knacks and what have you than we expected; we were thinking that there would be more furniture and larger goods. *shrug* Oh, well… now we know (and knowing is half the battle!). Next up, we hit the local Old Navy and Target and then headed back home.

Once we got in, SaraRules watched Project Runway; I split my time between watching Project Runway and my inner eyelids. I made a (quick-ish) run to Wal-Mart and then came home and watched a couple of shows that I’d recorded: Shatner’s Raw Nerve, with guest Leonard Nimoy, and an episode of Batman: The Brave and the Bold.

Stray Toasters

And that’s good for now.

Namaste.

“A cunning woman is a dangerous thing.”

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Tuesday – 16 March 2010
Last night, a group of us took the advice of Queen and had “A Night at the Opera.” We saw Utah Opera’s production of The Italian Girl in Algiers, by Rossini. Thanks to SaraRules, we had amazing seats: Grand Tier, second row center. This afforded an amazing view of the stage and supertitles.

The opera was more light-hearted than your standard fare. And, after the production, SaraRules informed me that it was directed by the same person who directed La Cenerentola a couple of years ago — once she said that, I could note similarities in the staging. It was a fun opera, made even more enjoyable by the group who went… and, more notably, by the fact that SaraRules was in the production. She was a supernumerary; her role was as one of the harem girls. She and her coworker, Melissa (another super in the production), even garnered a small write-up in The Salt Lake Tribune, where they were noted as being “remarkably funny.” It was a good way to spend the evening. The opera runs through Sunday, if you’re looking for a fun change of pace, you should consider seeing this production.

Stray Toasters

Back to the grind.

Namaste.

‘Pleasant Valley Sunday?’ You bet.

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Sunday – 07 March 2010
Yesterday wound up being fairly lazy. After SaraRules and I did our afternoon errands, we both came home and took a nap. Okay, I tried to fall asleep on the couch – and was doing a fair job of it – when she suggested that I’d probably be more comfortable (and have a less-achy neck) if I laid down. Once again, she was right.

Post-nap, She headed off to rehearsal; I tried to figure out what I wanted to do with my evening. I started out watching DC Showcase: The Spectre. It was a short feature on the Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths DVD. It had a bit of a 70s feel, both in looks, style and music. I think that it would lend itself well to being a full-length feature… or even done as a live-action movie.

Next up was HALO: Legends. On the whole, it wasn’t bad. There were a couple of the shorts that I could have done without, but on the whole, it did a good job of portrayal the HALO universe as more than something that centers around Master Chief John-117. In particular, I enjoyed “The Duel” (which was done in a lovely watercolor-looking style), “Homecoming” and “Be Human.”

After SaraRules returned from rehearsal, we watched Monsters vs. Aliens. When an alien probe appears in San Francisco, a government-sanctioned team of monsters is dispatched to take it down. Mayhem ensues. This was fun… and a bit “cute.” There were a few groan-worthy moments, but on the whole, I found it rather enjoyable.

Stray Toasters

I think that and I may wend our way northward and check out the train show after all.

Namaste.