Random Access

Saturday – 07 March 2009
Yesterday, SaraRules and I settled on a venue for the wedding.  Next step is to pick a date.

After that, we picked up Perry (which he knew about) and kidnapped him to go to see Watchmen (which he didn’t know about). We met ,  and shockpuppet, Jana and Jason. I went in expecting to see the new Star Trek trailer… and was disappointed to find that it wasn’t in front of our feature. We did see the latest trailer for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which was good. Watchmen was an excellent adaptation of the graphic novel, in my opinion.  Zach Snyder did a good job of bringing the comic to film… but, I can understand the complaint that it might be a lot for people to take in if they haven’t read the book.

After the movie, SaraRules and I stopped at a hobby shop, where I finally found a few sheets of dry-transfer letters that I used on my Winter Soldier/Captain America ‘Clix.  Speaking of which, I finally got around to taking pictures of both Shado (my first mod) and the new Cap:

and

More them can be seen here.

Stray Toasters

• What would a real life Barbie look like?
• Button gaffe embarrasses Clinton

Quote of the Day
Today’s quote comes from Rachel and bash.org:

SergioThree: there’s other fish in the sea, man, she’s just a girl
Beatsfromkorea: no dude, that’s bullshit.
Beatsfromkorea: Think of it this way. if your precious copy of street fighter third strike broke and i told you “it’s ok man, there’s other games in the sea. here, play mortal kombat instead” what would you say? you’d be like, “fuck that, gimme third strike.”
SergioThree: …
SergioThree: you just reached me on a level that i never thought possible

And that’s a wrap. We’re off to visit and her family.

Namaste.

I decided to wear a button-down collared shirt and tie to work today. (On days when it’s under 70F outside, like today, I often/usually wear a (mock) turtleneck.) I’ve gotten a number of questions/comments, including but not limited to:

• “Got an interview?”
• “Bucking for a raise?”
• “Going ‘East Coast’ on them today?” (from a normally out-of-the-office employee)
• “What’s the occasion?”
• “You make me nervous when I see you in a tie…” (from our CEO, which made me smile)

At one point, Paul (My boss, 2 rungs up the ladder) made a comment about my tie and quipped back,”No, I have a meeting with my Bishop… oh, wait… I’m not LDS.” To which he responded – without missing a beat: “No, but you are getting married…. and it would probably shock the Hell out of one if you went in as a non-member and asked to meet with him.” I couldn’t argue with his logic.

Stray Toasters

• I think that SaraRules and I have selected two of the songs we need for the three first dances of the reception.
• 
• Mental Floss has provided a number of interesting items:
  • What’s a Hulu? The Origins of 8 High-Tech Names
  • 9 People, Places & Things That Changed Their Names
  • 8 Successful People Grateful They Got Canned
  • What Your Favorite Teams Were Almost Called
• Gizmodo also had some fun items:
  • If You’d Used the Human Relations Calculator, You Wouldn’t Be in This Divorce Mess
    (Hell, with this, who would need eHarmony?!)
  • Rebirth of the Big Wheel: Matias Conti’s Transformable Spin Vehicle
• Micro Battlestar Galactica Hangar

Back to the grind…

Thursday – 26 February 2009
It looks like it’s going to try to be another good-looking day outside. That’s not a bad thing.

Last night, SaraRules and I started watching La Vie En Rose, a biopic about Edith Piaf. The pacing was… odd – there were parts where it jumped backward and forward in time and were quite disjointed and disconcerting. We’re going to attempt to tackle the second half of the movie tonight. Wish us luck.

I did a little more work on my Hawkeye-to-Shado conversion, including heading down to Hastur Hobbies for paint. I didn’t realize that I had neglected to pick up a couple of colors that I wanted – not needed – until I got home. BAH! I was also rather surprised to see how much they were charging for some paint and supplies.

Four-Color Coverage
This week’s haul was a mixed bag, but there were a few standout issues:

• Captain America #47 – Bucky, out of his Captain America guise and back in the role of the Winter Soldier, confronts a part of his past… with Namor at his side.
• Fantastic Four #564 – The FF (and family) go on holiday in Scotland. What could possibly go wrong…?
• Green Lantern #38 – Hal Jordan straddles the line between being a Green Lantern and a Red Lantern. Which path will he follow? Readers also discover an interesting… limitation (?)… of the Blue Lanterns’ power rings.
• Justice Society of America #24 – Billy Batson, former custodian of the power of Shazam, leads the JSA to the Rock of Eternity for a confab with Black Adam and Isis. Too bad that they aren’t really in the mood for company.
• The New Avengers #50 – The New Avengers figure out who’s who behind the masks of Norman Osborn’s Avengers and they aren’t too happy about it. They learn a few things about some of the other people that Norman has “brought into the fold,” too.
• Superman #865 – A man torn between two worlds, Superman makes a choice. Also, why – and HOW – is Mon-El out of the Phantom Zone… in the 21st Century?

Stray Toasters

• By way of and the “Why Some People Shouldn’t Breed” file: Car thief caught trapped in target vehicle
• Last week, I saw a couple of toys at Dr. Volt’s that I couldn’t pass up.
  Yesterday, when I picked up my four-color crack, I picked them up as well.

  
  (click images for more info)

• Three words: Radio Contolled Zombie
• Raid on Bungeling Bay
• Also by way of : Donkey Kong Junior watches you bathe
• , I found something that might satisfy your desire for Metroid-related wall clings: Metroid Samus Wall Skin from Fathead
• 10 Geeky Tricks for Getting Out of the Bed in the Morning

Namaste.

Tuesday – 24 February 2009
Happy Birthday to .  Congratulations on successfully avoiding the clutches of the Dark Lady for another year.

And, Happy Birthday to Coworker Tom:

Last night, SaraRules and I watched Spenser: The Judas Goat. It was good… for a 90’s TV movie. And it was a fun return to a series that I enjoy(ed). There was a “new” Susan in this movie, played by Wendy Crewson. Even though she had limited screen time, I liked her portrayal better than that of Barbara Williams.

Stray Toasters

• We have waffles – being freshly made – in the office today.
• I was “somewhat” mistaken yesterday when I said that the Chocolate Coworker Count went up by 100%. It actually went up by 200%, but the second guy will be based out of our Virginia office after he’s done with training.
• , those links I mentioned last night are:

1. This one and
2. This other one

• 16 Foot Tall LEGO Pharoah Floats Down the River Thames
• Mac Mini inside an Apple Disk II Case
• SaraRules and Tyranist, I want your take on this one: The Top 20 Greatest Horror Writers of All Time
• 10 Essential Facts about X-Men Origins: Wolverine
• Carrie Fisher’s Wishful Drinking

  

• The Nine Weirdest PSAs Ever Made
• Green Lantern is the next DCU Animated feature… due later this year! It will feature Hal Jordan, as voiced by Law & Order: SVU‘s Christopher Meloni.

Namaste.

Monday – 16 February 2009
Another work week begins… but at least it’s a short week.

The Splendid Heritage exhibit was amazing.  It displayed pieces of Native American art while detailing the pieces’ artistic and cultural significance. On display were such things as clothing, weaponry, a winter count, and even childrens’ toys. There were also a number of “touch stations,” where visitors could actually handle samples of items. The exhibit runs from 09 February 2009 through 03 January 2010; I think that it would make an excellent family – or even date – outing.

Last night, Chris and I got together to play a (or “yet another”) game of HeroClix. We’d settled on the Avengers vs. JLA for our teams. I played the JLA:

• Batman
• Black Lightning
• Flash
• Green Arrow
• Green Lantern
• Martian Manhunter
• Superman
• Wonder Woman and
• Zatanna

Chris fielded the Avengers:

• Box
• Captain America
• Dr. Strange
• Hercules
• Iron Man
• Ms. Marvel
• Spider-Man (Iron Spider/Civil War costume)
• Wolverine

We played on the masterboard I took to the tournament a couple of weeks ago, with one modification: I finished the new corner – gas station/garage, single room apartment and armory. I didn’t put roofs on the new buildings, so that we could have some indoor space in which to play and we took the shelter off of the gas pumps, so that we could play in the space under it. We played a two-hour game and at the end of it, I won on points, 412 – 213. Pictures of the game and actual board can be seen here.

Stray Toasters

• Disney adds African-American princess Tiana to royal family
• From today’s “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: Jacksons star in Nigerian resort row
• Esquire’s 75 Books Every Man Should Read – I need to get cracking on this…
• I saw this cartoon on Applegeeks last night:

  

  I wondered how true it was, so I did a little poking around for news items… until I found this article: Dead rodents, excrement in peanut processor lead to recall

• British, French submarines collide
• The NBA All-Star Weekend was this past weekend. Events included the three-point shootout, dunk competition and the All-Star Game. Dwight Howard had an impressive – and amusing – dunk in the first round:

  but in the end, Lex Luthor Defeating Superman, NBA-style

• Top 10 Comic Book Romances
• Hey kids (and nostalgic adults), it’s Runway Barbie!

And that’s a wrap… for now.

Namaste.

Wednesday – 11 February 2009
Last night, SaraRules, her parents and I had dinner at the African Restaurant and Market (1878 S. Redwood Rd, for those of you in town). The food was quite good. The only complaint that I really had about the experience was the turned-down thermostat. We’re planning another trip there… when the weather is a little warmer.

Getting back home, we settled in and watched an episode of Justice League,”Hearts and Minds (Parts 1 and 2)“.

I wanted to compare it to last week’s Batman: The Brave and the Bold Despero/GLC episode – and last night’s episode of NCIS. We also enjoyed mugs of hot chocolate! Win-Win! The flight crew from USAirways 1549 was on The Late Late Show; it was interesting to hear the story of the abortive flight/water landing from all five points of view.

Stray Toasters

• I had an odd dream this morning: part X-Files, part Fringe… with a dash of CSI:
• NFL’s Oscar Season: Handing out awards for the year’s best
• How to Manage Geeks
• 
• Favre’s agent: NY Jets QB retiring
• Steampunk sculpture
• Giant Midwest Mecca of Nerditude in Oklahoma
• NYCC ’09: Men Are from Krypton, Women Are from Paradise Island

*voop*

Tuesday – 10 February 2009
Snow is falling across the valley. Oddly enough, the road monkeys seem to be behaving… for them. That, in itself, is impressive.

Last night was a lazy night in. SaraRules fixed a tasty goulash dish and we watched a couple of NCIS reruns and  24. (Oh, Jack Bauer, you’re such a scamp.) She quilted, I nerded. And we also enjoyed some green tea yogurt from Red Mango. We also caught an episode of Unwrapped that featured an abbreviated tour of the Tastykake factory.

Stray Toasters

• The Council for Better Driving: Utah would like to remind motorists to watch your speed and spacing when driving in today’s weather.
• Mistrial declared in 12-year-old girl’s alleged assault on police officer
  • Final arguments in trial against 12-year-old girl mistaken for hooker
    
• Actor James Whitmore has passed away.
• USB devices stuffed into LEGO
• New York Comic-Con was this past weekend. A few items of note from it:
  • DC’s Superman Panel and Superman – Building a Better Tomorrow
  • DCU Online Panel
  • Green Lantern: Blackest Night, with Eddie Berganza (video)
  • Marvel and Activision Panel
  • The X-Men Panel
  • Hickman and Eaglesham talk Fantastic Four
  • Comic Book Resources also… drafted (?)… Jill Pantozzi, maintainer of Has Boobs, Reads Comics, as a reporter/commentator.  I like her style and may have to follow her blog more regularly.
• Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
• My favorite part of Newsarama’s review of Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds #3 (of 5) was:
  

  Seriously, if you aren’t having a blast reading Legion of 3 Worlds, you should stop reading superhero books, because you’ve lost your joy. Conversely, if you’ve been looking for a fun experience after too many books have been bogged down by disconnect and bleak self-importance, you have arrived.

• Slashdot slashdots Slashdot
• I finally managed to track down a reasonably-priced Green Lantern (Hal Jordan)/Star Sapphire pair of Minimates.
• Hallucinations that are tied to eye disease

Meetings!  WHEEEEEE!

Namaste.

Friday – 06 February 2009
Today is Bit’s first birthday:

And, in other news, it’s my day off. I actually caught myself watching part of The Price Is Right. Fortunately, I noticed that Bravo was airing The West Wing.

Last night, shockpuppet and came over for dinner. SaraRules fixed maple chicken with mashed sweet potatoes and green beans. Both the dinner and the company were excellent.

Four-Color Coverage
After our guests left, I read this week’s comics. Of the six books that I picked up, there were three standouts:

• Dark Reign: Secret Warriors #1 – A few years ago, Nick Fury disappeared. It eventually came to light that he was aware of… something… that wasn’t right in the world and went underground to find out what. The first thing that he found about was the impending Skrull invasion. The second was… well, you should read this book to find out. To combat his growing list of issues, Fury assembled a team of agents – super-powered agents – to handle the “heavy lifting,” so to speak. It was a good read, with interesting implications for the Marvel Universe.
• Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds #3 (of 5) – Superboy-Prime. Mordru. The LSV. The 31st Century anti-alien Justice League. Superman… and the Legion. Correction: Three Legions – The “classic” LSH, Legionnaires and the Reboot Legion. And God bless George Perez – that man draws one hell of a splash page. And big fight scenes. And… and… yeah. Geoff Johns wrote a solid issue that even sees the return of [spoiler deleted]. Yep, definitely looking forward to Issue #4.
• X-Men: Noir #3 – I’m really enjoying this take on the X-mythos. Fred Van Lente even threw in a nod to the classic Scott-Jean-Logan triangle. Readers also got a look into the Magnus family dynamic and it’s quirks. Not only that, there was also an… explosive… scene including Pryor Airlines. Another good read.

Workout
Yesterday’s workout was a slightly modified version of Tuesday’s workout:

• Leg Raises: 3 sets/20 reps
• Bench Press: 3 sets/10 reps, 205 lbs
• Lat Pull-downs (behind the head): 3 sets/15 reps, 110 lbs
• Row (Nautilus, compound row): 3 sets/12 reps, 125 lbs
• Tricep Extensions (rope): 3 sets/15 reps, 70 lbs
• Push-ups: 3 sets/10 reps
• Core (plank): 2 sets/30 seconds

Stray Toasters

• Even though I’m off today, I have to run to the office. My turn on the pager rotation started yesterday… and I forgot to bring the pager home. D’oh!
• If I rode a motorcycle, I’d seriously have to consider getting a helmet/visor like this:

  

• I’m having lunch with Stefanie and in a bit. Hopper’s. Madame X Stout. Amen. Stefanie’s going to do a GL My Little Pony for me, similar to the Mac MLP that she did for .

“Up, up and away!”

Tuesday – 03 February 2009
Today is the fiftieth anniversary of the plane crash that took the lives of Ritchie Valens, Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper; immortalized as “The Day the Music Died.”

It is also the 200th Anniversary of the birthday of Felix Mendelssohn.

It’s also the second day of the work week… but that’s kind of a given.

Last night, SaraRules and I had dinner with her folks and watched Shadow of the Vampire. Good movie. It was interesting to hear their reactions to it, as well.  (They both enjoyed it.) Back home for 24, The Late Show and the monologue of The Late Late Show. Steve Martin was a guest on The Late Show; I’d nearly forgotten that he is a rather accomplished banjo player, which he demonstrated at the show’s end.

Stray Toasters

• SaraRules, knowing my affinity for NCIS, pointed me in the direction of this article.
• Unearthing Mendelssohn’s Lost Works
• surprised me with FAO Schwartz’ The Muppet Whatnot Workshop this morning. That’s right, you can design your own Muppet. Not only that, it be made and delivered. To. Your. Door.
• Kids Movie, Adult Lessons
• That Time Is Now (because mentioned a version of the Superfriends Theme by The Hit Crew)

• We Drove the Warthog!
• By way of BoingBoing: A LEGO Orange
• 
• Why do we name servers the way we do?
• Seeing Profits in the Postal Service’s Predicament

Harambee.

Thursday – 22 January 2009
Last night, SaraRules and I went downtown to see Utah Opera’s performance of Regina. I was looking forward to it, as it is not only a modern (1949) American opera, but it is performed in English – I wanted to see if it was easier to follow without having to divert my attention to the supertitles.

It was… well… let’s just say that I now have a “least favorite opera.” I was truly underwhelmed by the overall performance, as was SaraRules. I asked her to rate it, she gave it a 5.8; she asked me to do the same – I gave it a 4.0… possibly a 5.0… out of ten.  Why? My reasons include:

• In the first act, there were two or three portions where the cast broke the fourth wall… that seemed rather contrived, almost as if they didn’t expect the audience to be able to piece together something that had just occurred onstage,
• The breaks between accompanied and a capella parts – both spoken and sung – were harsh and jarring to me,
• The casting of Deanne Meek as Regina Giddens – mostly her voice didn’t seem to lend itself to the performance; she often seemed overwhelmed by the orchestration,
• The costuming seemed out of place for the period, and
• The production quality – sound, use of microphones(!?) – didn’t seem up to Utah Opera’s normal standards.

There were some redeeming qualities, however:

• The casting of Lisa Vroman as Birdie Hubbard
• The casting of Kristopher Irmiter as Horace Giddens
• The casting of Tracey Luck as Addie
• The set design – I really liked how the set transformed from indoors to outdoors and back

And, to be honest, the redeeming items added at least two points to my rating. To be fair, I would be willing to see this again, if performed by another company, to juxtapose the performances before completely writing off this opera.

Stray Toasters

• Not many men wear hats these days. Not baseball caps, hats. I’ve started wearing them more often. While I have “more than a few” baseball caps in my collection, I also have a fedora, a kofia and a couple of newsboy-style hats. Along with wearing a hat comes etiquette for wearing one.
• Obama sworn in for second time
• ‘Queen of Soul’ not pleased with performance at inauguration
• The not-so-super team: Best players never to reach the final
• First look: Star Trek toys go boldly nouveau
• Another item for men’s style and fasion: A Salesman’s Guide to Men’s Shopping with Success
• The 2009 Oscar nominations are out…
• …as are the 2009 Razzie nominations.
• The Obama Administration brings back the Freedom of Information Act and transparency in government

Namaste.

Thursday – 15 January 2009
Last night, we had SaraRules’ parents over for dinner. On the menu: Jambalaya. It was a nice change of pace to have them over rather than us going to their place. At one point, her father commented about it being weird, because he remembered being on the other side of the equation, years ago, and the first time that they had SaraRules’ grandparents over for dinner.

Post-dinner, SaraRules spent time finishing a quilt that she’s been working on and I channel surfed… and web-surfed. Among the things that we watched was The Late Show with David Letterman; Clint Eastwood was his first guest. The interview was good and, at one point, Dave was listing some of the pictures that Mr. Eastwood has been in and how long his career has spanned – over 50 years.

Stray Toasters

• I will have one of these in my grubby little hands in the next few days…
  

• …and one of these, too.



• By way of SaraRules:
  • Adolf Hitler, sisters taken away from parents’ home
  • Graffiti artist spins a new kind of yarn
• As I glibly mentioned yesterday: Ricardo Montalban passed away, age 88
  • NPR report
  • LA Times article
  • USA Today article
• Also, Patrick McGoohan, TV’s ‘Prisoner’ Number Six, passed away
• By way of : Star Wars: Retold (by someone who hasn’t seen it)

  
  Star Wars: Retold (by someone who hasn’t seen it) from Joe Nicolosi on Vimeo.

• Obama’s ‘Beast’ of a car revealed
• pointed out this story: Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl is now Luke Steelersthal and this as well:

  

• Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Vote for your favorite nominee
• Although now might not be the best time to visit: Flintstones theme park/campground in Custer, South Dakota

And, back to the the grind… and soon to the gym.

Namaste.

Wednesday – 14 January 2009
Midweek and all’s pretty much ship-shape.

Last night, SaraRules and I watched Hellboy. I’d only seen bits and pieces of the movie over the past few years, so it was nice to see it all the way through. And, it was fun.

Stray Toasters

• I talked with Rana for a bit last night; that was a pleasant surprise.
• 
• “Hold it… I ain’t pushin’ no ‘Moon’ button.”
• There will be a train show at Thanksgiving Point on 23-24 January 2009.
• If Barack Obama was a Green Lantern, would this be his emblem?

  

  (Thanks to for pointing out this pic!)

• Aretha Franklin lends her voice to history at inauguration
• Commentary: Bush still doesn’t get it
• Harper’s Index: the Bush years
• I’m (still) liking CoH on the Mac client.
• Shoot the baddies
• 
  (Click image for details)
• Zelda map in cross-stitch form
• In today’s “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?!” news: RC helicopter used to smuggle contraband into prison
• US ‘fake death businessman’ found

And tonight: We’re having SaraRules’ parents over for dinner. On the menu: Jambalaya.

Namaste.

Friday  – 09 January 2009
The weekend is within sight. Yesterday wasn’t a bad day, in accordance with NBN Thursday bylaws. There were a few issues, mostly resulting from some office/cubicle moves, but those were easy to deal with.

After dinner, Logan came over and watched Hellboy II: The Golden Army with us. Then he mopped the floor with me at Madden 09.

Stray Toasters

• I’ve had a couple people point out that CoH is now available on the Mac. (I don’t recall if I posted anything about it, but I’ve been playing the Open Beta for a few weeks.) The full City of Heroes Special Mac Edition is out… which means that the game is now playable on live servers. I’m still a little torn as to whether I want to spend $20 for the download (which comes with a few exclusive items) or just get the upgrade patch to go from the Beta to the Live version (no exclusive content).  Decisions, decisions…
• sent a link to the “I’m a Hero. I’m a Villain” parody ad:

• (who got it from ) sent a link to this picture and to this xkcd comic.
• Radical cheap: $1000 homes
• also sent a link to Henry Rollins: A Love Letter to Ann Coulter (some of the audio is NSFW)

• Dragon made of cake
• HDMI == good
• Yo-Yo Ma Brings Remix Culture to Music’s Ivory Tower
• EGM Magazine shutting down
• In today’s “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” news:
  • 6-Year-Old Says Grand Theft Auto Taught Him to Drive a
  • US man who gave kidney to wife includes it in divorce claim
  • Electric Batch Duckie

Namaste.

Friday – 02 January 2008
Today has been a good – and even “productive” – day. I slept poorly last night – first, I couldn’t fall asleep, then… I couldnt stay asleep. On top of that, I started having a rather odd dream, somewhere around 5:00 or so this morning. I woke from that rather disconcerted. After wrestling with sleep for a few more hours, I got up a little after nine.

I spent about an hour or so on the couch, watching TV. Then, I decided to take care of the morning hygiene rituals. Next up: video games. I played a little HALO 3 and Marvel Ultimate Alliance; I made a bit of progress in both.

We met SaraRules’ parents for lunch. We went to Jasmine China Bistro and Sushi Bar. It’s apparently been there for years (many years), but I never knew of it. The food was good, as was the service. I will have to keep it in mind in the future.

Back home. After a little down time, we set about assembling a couple of Billy bookcases. The office is coming along nicely. It’s still a little cluttered – mostly with ‘Clix paraphenalia and things that have moved out of other rooms – but progress is being made.

Stray Toasters

• I recorded a couple of episodes of Batman: The Brave and the Bold the other day. It’s definitely a much lighter take on The Dark Knight than has been seen in the past two decades, but I found it to be a lot of fun.
• The Lion, the Witch and the Wipeout: Disney leaves Narnia franchise
• 

  (click image and scroll down – after page loads -  for more info about the pink bottle)

• First Look at 12 Big Movies Coming in 2009
• Mattel’s DC Action Figures
• …and, coming in 2009: Amanda Waller, as part of the JLU line.
• 
• At 70, Superman has changed through the years
• Blackest Night and the War of Light

Tonight, assuming that the weather doesn’t take a complete nosedive in the next hour: Clitorati.

Namaste.

Thursday – 25 December 2008
Merry Christmas to all…

We got up this morning around 9:00.  We had coffee and a little breakfast… and then it was time for present-opening! The Christmas haul was very good:

• New suit
• A couple new shirts and ties
• An engraved bracelet… which matches one that Mom got for Kristen
• LEGO salt and pepper shakers
• A LEGO note pad
• A new pair of shoes
• A couple new sweaters
• A Krispy Kreme gift certificate
• A classic train calendar and
• SaraRules got me this:

  
  (actual TV is back in SLC, as it would have been silly to ship here… and back)

I opened the box with the picture in it and stared at it for a moment or two before it registered that it was a symbolic present. Apparently, the look on my face was… rather quizzical.

…and to all a good night!