Random Access

Saturday – 08 October 2011
Today is Yom Kippur (it actually started last night at sundown). I’d like to wish my friends who celebrate it a safe and good day… as well as an easy fast.

Today is also our resident Kid Flash’s one-month-day.

Last night, SaraRules!’ friend from the Justice League Junior League, Jana, came by to visit and meet the girls. It was nice getting to chat with her for a bit. After the visit – and feeding the girls – SaraRules! and I managed to squeeze in a little time to catch the new episode of Fringe. Thank Heaven for DVRs…

Today, SaraRules! slipped out for a bit to go to her quilt club, while I stayed home with the girls. They actually let me sleep until nearly 10:00, which was great, as I was up (and intermittently napping) with Diana for a good portion of the wee hours of the morning. I’m heading to Dr. Volt’s for their 21st Anniversary Sale and Signing. If you’re in the Millcreek area, you should stop in and check things out.

And, this evening: Canadian Thanksgiving dinner.

Stray Toasters

• Raiders owner Al Davis dead at 82
• Well, she sneaks around the world from Kiev to Carolina
  She’s a sticky-fingered filcher from Berlin down to Belize
  She’ll take you for a ride on a slow boat to China
  Tell me, where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?
• 
• Yeah, I’m really wanting to tear down and rebuild my train layout.  If only I had a replacement layout in mind…
• For SaraRules!: I think I’ve found an idea for family pictures: Post-Apocalypse Zombie-Slaying Family Portrait
• This is absolutely cute: Elderly couple of 62 years plays piano

  I can only hope that SaraRules! and I are that spry and having that much fun when we get to be their age.

• Frank Langella on Acting, Aging and Being Very Bad

Up. Out.

Namaste.

Thursday – 06 October 2011
Not only is today another NBN Thursday – and rainy (or snowy, up in the canyons) – but it’s also my father’s birthday. Today would have also been ‘s birthday. Football seasons aren’t quite the same without him around.

Unless you’ve sequestered yourself from news sources for the past 24 hours, you’re most likely aware that Apple co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs has died:

• Steve Jobs, 1955 – 2011
• Steve Jobs, Apple founder, dies
• Apple’s Visionary Redefined Digital Age
• Steven P. Jobs: His Life, His Companies, His Products
• Steve Jobs and the idea of letting go
• Steve Jobs: The Link Between Machines and Humans

As Mr. Jobs, himself stated in his commencement speech at Stanford University in 2005:

“…you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. Because believing that the dots will connect somewhere down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart, even when it leads you off the well-worn path. And that will make all the difference.

” Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith. I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You’ve got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking. Don’t settle.

“No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to Heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary….”

As I posted in a tweet earlier:

Steve Jobs looked to the future and constantly pushed forward to achieve his vision. We should all strive to do the same. #foodforthought

And we should.

Stray Toasters

• On this morning’s commute, The Black Crowes’ She Talks to Angels came on the radio. That song reminds me of my grandmother, because of this…

  

  …which I drew for my father. It made me smile.

• America’s best neighborhoods: Does yours make the grade?
• Sheen and Estevez Do Movies the Father-Son ‘Way’
• Spotify. Mmm…
• 
• Learning Klingon helps man confront his dyslexia
• Running of Bulls Is Risky, But Liability Is Low
• Thanks to one of SaraRules!’ coworkers, I think I’m inheriting new trains…
• ‘Bippolo Seed’ Uncovers Lost Stories of Dr. Seuss

Right on to the friction of the day…

Namaste.

Monday – 03 October 2011
Happy 2nd Anniversary to SaraRules!

It’s been an amazing couple of years and I look forward to many more with you!

Today has definitely been “a Monday.” The first half of my day was chock full of things that needed to get done with the quickness. And the hits just kept coming. Fortunately, things slowed down enough around 1:30 that I was able to have lunch.

Stray Toasters

• The Ravens beat the Jets (again) last night.
  Ravens Drive the Jets into the Turf
  It wasn’t the world’s most beautiful win, but it still goes in the “Win” column AND it puts the Ravens in lone possession of first place in the AFC North.
• ‘Christian’ as the magic word of politics
• 10 Small Towns with Fantastic Fall Colors
• I want to change my model railroad layout. Again.
• Caffeinated Women May Be Fighting Depression with Every Cup
• A State Grooms Its Best Students to Be Good Teachers

And that’s a wrap.

Namaste.

Friday – 30 September 2011
It’s my first 9/80 Friday off since the girls were born. They were nice enough to let me sleep until 9:30 this morning. I thought it was pretty generous of them. They even slept pretty well through the night, clocking about 2.5 to 3 hours between feedings.

And they are pretty damned cute… and getting more so by the day.

Today, we had Family Adventure Time (which pretty much translates to: “We got out of the house for a little bit”). We stopped to return lj user=”melodywise” ‘s baking dish, hit RubySnap (COOKIES!!!) and The Train Shoppe, as well as Dr. Volt’s Comic Connection and the Chow Truck. The girls were sacked out in their car seats for most of the outing. But, for SaraRules! and me, it was nice to be out for a while.

Stray Toasters

• What Gail Simmons Is Cooking Up for Rosh Hashanah
• How do I make my document look like it was written by an Cthulhu worshipping madman?
• Coming in two days…

  

• Sting at 60 looks back, and ahead
• For those not up on it, the kid in this strip is supposed to be Miles Morales, the new Spider-Man in Marvel’s Ultimate Universe:

  

• From Esquire’s “The Style Blog”: Threads That Impress the Ladies
• States Putting Hopes in ‘Bottoms Up’ to Help the Bottom Line
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Man in ice cream costume mistaken for KKK protester
• Bank of America joins banks charging monthly debit card fees

Namaste.

Thursday – 01 September 2011
A new month kicks off on a No Bad News Technical Friday. Not only that, but it’s a four-day weekend. (Of course, it could turn into a up to a 17-day weekend, if SaraRules! goes into labor today or tonight…)

Last night, SaraRules! and I were visited by Utah Opera Resident Artist John Buffett, whom we haven’t seen since last season. He told us about his summer season and some of the things that he’s looking forward to for the upcoming season.

Then, I got to go back to work for an after-hours network change. YAY! We’d figured on a roughly hour-long job. It took just over two. But, the bottom line is: We got it done.

I got back home and treated myself to an ice cream sandwich. John and I were going to play HALO: Reach with UO’s Artistic Director, Christopher McBeth, but there were… technical difficulties… that prevented us from doing so. Instead, we – along with SaraRules! – hung out and watched last week’s Burn Notice.  All-in-all, not a bad way to wind up an evening.

Stray Toasters

• Facebook has already paid $40,000 for bug finds
• Blues From the Desert, Recorded On-Site
• Apple loses another unreleased iPhone
• 
• Duchess Catherine, Michelle Obama wield style power for good
• My train left Illinois around 0500 yesterday morning. It will be here tomorrow, which means that I will have to come to the office to pick it up… on my day off.
• Fond of Fonts? Check Out ‘Just My Type’
• 
• Solutions sought for growing space junk problem
• Make China our new partner in space
• U.S. Moves to Block Merger Between AT&T and T-Mobile
• Football season starts in one week.

Namaste.

Thursday – 25 August 2011
It’s another fine NBN Thursday in the valley.

It’s been busy… in a good way. Hectic, but good. Meetings. Stuff. Things. And whatnot.

For those who may have missed it elsewhere: We have a date for the arrival of the twins: Assuming that she doesn’t deliver before, SaraRules! will be induced on the 06 September. Which means that in twelve (possibly thirteen) days, we’ll be parents. Holy cow.

Stray Toasters

• I just got a message from my mother: The new piano has been delivered.
• …and I just ordered this. It ships tomorrow.
• Former Orioles pitcher Flanagan dead in apparent suicide
• Former Oriole Flanagan Found Dead
• 
• In case you’ve been under a rock for the past 24 hours: Steve Jobs Resigns as CEO of Apple
• Jobs Steps Down at Apple, Saying He Can’t Meet Duties
• Steve Wozniak Comments on Jobs Resignation Announcement
• While You Were Out: Apple’s Years With and Without Steve Jobs
• Tim Cook emails Apple employees: “Apple is not going to change”
• Alternate Histories Does the Monster Mash-Up
• 
• Baby’s Got Bass
• Atheist Billboard Goes Up in Salt Lake City, Utah!
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers give each player an iPad as a playbook

And tonight: The Ravens take on the Redskins on Thursday Night Football.

Namaste.

Thursday – 11 August 2011
Day Four.  Fantastic.

Another NBN Thursday in the valley. The morning has started somewhat inauspiciously: I woke up with a headache at 0500. Two ibuprofen and a glass of water later, I was back in bed. But, by then, it seems the tone for the day had been set…

• First alarm went off.  I turned it off and rolled over to spend more time in The Dreaming.
• Second alarm went off. It took a few moments to realize what it was and why it was making noise. Feh.
• I got to work… only to realize that I had left my ID badge and phone at home.
• Susan beat me – for the second week in a row – to our ritual Thursday morning NBN greeting.

Oh, well.

Yesterday, during my lunch excursion, I stopped at The Train Shoppe. I am/was in the market for two things:

1. MTH 50-1033: DCS Remote Commander Set
2. MTH 30-4205-1: SD70ACe Diesel R-T-R Deluxe Freight Train Set (Norfolk-Southern)

They had Item 1, and would have to order Item 2… if they could find it. The RTR set was originally released last year (as 30-4205-1) and has been discontinued. That’s a pity as it’s hard to find eastern railroad names when you live in the west. “Hard,” but not “impossible.” It usually boils down to having to order what you’re looking for. There was an item in the most recent issue of Classic Toy Trains that noted the (re-)release of the set as 30-4205-1E. While there, I asked if they could order it.

UPDATE: I just got off the phone with Brad, from The Train Shoppe. It appears as though the item in CTT was a misprint. They are not putting out a new NS set, after all.  So, back to the drawing board…

Stray Toasters

• NFL Preseason kicks off tonight!

  

• The 2011 Perseid Meteor Shower begins tomorrow night.
• Gizmodo Cleared in Prototype iPhone Police Probe
• Tech blogger won’t be charged in Apple iPhone case
• I posted a link to K’s Choice Not An Addict on someone’s Facebook page earlier. They had no idea the song was about drug use.
• Five Myths About Mormonism
• Why do I get the feeling that this is something that I should expect…?

  

• This little nugget of joy comes by way of and Clients From Hell.
• The Action Movie Blog Post
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Artist Injects Herself With Horse Blood, Wears Hooves

  

• Foreclosures of expensive homes take longer
• For the Plugged-In, Too Many Choices

Back to the grind.

Namaste.

Friday – 29 July 2011
It’s my 9/80 “on” Friday…

…and I am beat. Yesterday was a long day – work, doctor’s appointment and childbirth class – that stretched into the later early hours of this morning, because SaraRules! (and the kids) and I had an unexpected trip to the hospital in the wee hours of the morning. Both SaraRules! and the kids are fine.

I repeat: “SaraRules! and the kids are fine.”

It turned out that she had a few sporadic contractions after a particularly long and busy day. Rather than ignore them or “hope they’d settle down on their own,” we called her doctor, who suggested that we go in to make sure that everything was alright. Our nurse, Karren, was great; she was attentive, responsive and explained all of the things that she was checking for.  She also made sure that we were as comfortable and at ease as could be. It’s just that the process – monitoring and observation – took four hours…

*headdesk*

After getting the “All clear,” we headed home. Sleep was not hard to find. And understanding that “the annoying bell-sounding-thing” was actually this morning’s alarm was, at first, a “slightly” difficult concept to grasp. But, I grabbed a frozen mocha on the way into the office, so that I could be at least nominally awake and coherent. Fortunately, the day hasn’t been to bad/busy/hectic.  And, I even got to have lunch with Tyranist and Cade.

There is most definitely a nap in my post-work future. (Or at least some time in the train room…)

Stray Toasters

• Today is System Administrator Day.

  
  
  

• 10 Reasons to Be (Really) Excited About Football
• Your complete guide to Google+
• Training Modules. Yay.
• Carmakers Back Strict New Rules for Gas Mileage
• A Father Who Creatively Captures His Kids
• 
• I’ve been browsing some of the pictures of the costumers and cosplayers from this year’s San Diego Comic-Con. I have also had an epiphany: The so-called “sexy” costumes – or, rather, the “sexy” variants of other characters’ costumes –  that have become so popular/prevalent…? Yeah, they do absolutely nothing for me. Yes, some of the women wearing them are good-looking, but the costumes don’t so much say “sexy” to me as “slutty.”  *shrug* Tyranist – who agreed with me – and I discussed this for a bit before lunch.
• House Committee passes bill requiring your ISP to spy on every click and keystroke you make online and retain for 12 months
• A Young Clown Follows in a Father’s Giant Footsteps
• Hubble Telescope’s successor could face budget ax

Namaste.

Tuesday – 19 July 2011
Day Two of Four… fortunately, there’s coffee.

And it’s game night. And, there may even be a trip to the gym on this evening’s agenda.

Last night, Operation: Paint Guest Room went into effect. Ms. and Logan came over to lend a hand. We banged out the whole thing – from taping to finishing (minus door trim) – in under two hours. There are a couple of small areas that need a slight touch-up, but the proverbial “heavy lifting” is done. And, with the painting out of the way, the guest room furniture can now be moved so that the cribs and other baby furniture can go into the nursery.

Groove. Boogie. Sway.
The Tuesday morning music mix started slow, but geared up fairly quickly:

• Poe – Angry Johnny
• Sublime – Santeria
• DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince – I’m Looking for the One (To Be With Me)
• Janet Jackson – The Pleasure Principle
• Ben Folds Five – Underground

Stray Toasters

• Celebrate Women and Railroad Heritage at Train Festival 2011
• Ready for Retirement, Shuttles Get a Deep Clean
• First-Place Sweep by American Girls at First Google Science Fair

  

• Cities Report Surge in Graffiti
• Death Star PR
• Birth Control Without Copays Could Become Mandatory
• Longtime book retailer Borders heading toward liquidation
• 24 Small Towns May Lose Air Service

Friday – 15 July 2011
Another 9/80 “on” Friday in the valley. I’m in the office, with a frozen mocha, a couple of doughnuts and Weapon of Choice on iTunes. I’m at work, but it doesn’t totally suck… and I’m okay with that.

Last night, SaraRules! and I had another childbirth class. One of the things we learned about was breathing techniques. I was (somewhat) able to control my laughter when this came up, because I couldn’t get Bill Cosby’s routine about childbirth out of my head:

There was another part of the class where our instructor talked about methods to help induce labor. At one point she said “Jumping on a tramp.”  Logically, I know that she meant “jumping on a trampoline,” but in my head I got a F*ck Yeah Headlines-like image of a pregnant woman jumping up and down on the back of a vagrant. Again, I managed to stifle (most of) my laughter.

After we got home, SaraRules! and I also started filling out some sections of the babies’… er… baby books. We went with the Guess How Much I Love You: My Baby Book for both kids. We are jointly filling in pages, so there’s uniformity between the books.

Groove. Boogie. Sway.
This morning’s musical selections have been good:

• Stevie Wonder – Superstition
• No Doubt – Hella Good
• Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – Runnin’ Down a Dream
• Prince – Let’s Go Crazy, and
• the aforementioned Fatboy Slim – Weapon of Choice

Well done, iTunes. Well done indeed.

Stray Toasters

• Let’s start with a few comics-related items:
• CCI apologizes for asking Matt Wayne to change his Dwayne McDuffie tribute
• If you’re not reading Love and Capes – especially after all of the times I’ve told you strongly suggested that you should be reading it – then you’re missing out on a fun, well-written book.

  

  Because of a shipping snafu, I just got my copy of IDW’s Love and Capes: Ever After #5 yesterday… two weeks late.  Despite having a major plot point spoiled last week, there were plenty of other surprises in the issue. It was a fantastic read and well worth the delay — author/artist Thom Zahler truly knocked this one out of the park.

• Hester Rebuilds “The Bionic Man”
• Chris Evans delivers Letterman’s superhero-themed Top 10 List
• Big monkey goes around the world
  Big monkey underground
  Big monkey got a mighty voice
  Big monkey make no sound

  Yep… I’m still amused by that.

• Esquire’s Very Specific Guide to the Great Outdoors
• My friend, Peggy, posted a link to Seven Things That Women Do on Facebook That Guys Hate. While I don’t necessarily “hate” these items, I’ll admit that I just don’t “get” Item #2: Making That Duck Face. I don’t see what’s made it so common/popular. *shrug* Maybe it’s me. Maybe it’s Maybelline.
• 
• New Frederick railroad museum brings world of delight to all ages
  Check out the museum’s website, as well.
• With Deal on Rookie Wages, N.F.L. Lockout Nears the End
• Report: NFL owners, players agree on rookie wage scale
• According to an article on Comic Book Resources:
  

  Borders Group, the second-largest bookstore chain in the United States, could be liquidated as early as next week if no other suitors step forward by Sunday evening, the deadline established by a federal bankruptcy court.

• Internet Use Affects Memory, Study Finds
• Aria resort in Las Vegas linked to 6 Legionnaire’s cases

Namaste.

Tuesday – 12 July 2011
Yesterday was the world’s longest Monday ever. Okay, that might be a slight exaggeration, but it was long. I think that was mostly due partially to the fact that I split my day to go to a doctor’s appointment with SaraRules! (She and both kids are doing well, by the way.) While I was out, I made a few stops:

• The Train Shoppe (What?!  I was downtown already.  Don’t judge me!)
• 7-Eleven, to partake in 7-11 Free Slurpee Day, and
• RubySnap, to pick up a few cookies.  Tami, RubySnap’s owner and Director of Appetites, also introduced me to Nina, their Coffee Toffee cookie, topped with chocolate and a brazil nut:

  

I also made a quick stop at home before making it back to the office, where the clock taunted me for the next… six… hours…

After work, SaraRules! and I went to dinner at Pawit’s Royale Thai Cuisine. We ran a couple of errands – including failed stops at local 7-Elevens to partake of more free Slurpee goodness – before heading home for a lazy night watching Top Gear.

Before bed, I decided to do some sit-ups. My abs still hurt from Friday’s workout. Feh.

Today is also the birthday of my friends: Jake, Natalie and Paul:

This morning’s iTunes musical oleo included:

• Barenaked Ladies – Brian Wilson
• Orgy – Opticon
• Parliament – Testify
• Jonathan Coulton – Shop Vac

I consider that another good musical start to the day.

Stray Toasters

• Space station crew prepares for spacewalk
• Why you want to go to college: In 140 characters or less
• Example of Augmented Reality in Mobile Apps, courtesy of the folks at Sawaya Consulting
• Thanks to for pointing this out: Holy Batman and His Bloody Amazing 9,000-Brick LEGO Batcave!
• 
• Immigrants May Be Fed False Stories to Bolster Asylum Please
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Feds: Man created ‘nonexistent airline’ as front for prostitution
• …And She’s Funny, Too: A GQ&A with Mila Kunis
• By way of comes How to Migrate from Facebook to Google+
• 
• Traveler flies high with 10 million miles
• Free Slurpees come with a twist: They may cost you
• Morgan Stanley client data goes missing

Namaste.

Monday – 11 July 2011
Despite the way I wrote it above it’s 7/11, which means “Free 7.11 ounce Slurpees at 7-11” Day! How’s that for a good way to kick off your week?!

Yesterday was a relatively lazy day. Of course, after starting Saturday very early in the morning and participating in a 5K, some might say that”lazy” is a subjective term. Well, in this case, it was less “subjective” and more “objective,” by far. There was sleeping in. There was lounging on the sofa. There was more lounging and lazing about. There was dinner (Teriyaki chicken, rice, sauteed vegetables) and a movie (Sucker Punch) with the in-laws, which was followed by… you guessed it: More lounging about on the couch, once we got home.

I got into the office a little early this morning, which means that I got to start the morning, um… somewhat loudly… with tracks that included:

• Rush – The Spirit of Radio
• Guy – Teddy’s Jam
• Jimi Hendrix – Fire

Yeah, that’s a start to the Monday morning that didn’t totally suck.

Stray Toasters

• Top Gear: the motoring show in quotes (by the producer), thanks to Doc for posting this.
• With Grit and 10 Players, U.S. Women Oust Brazil
• U.S. beats Brazil in shootout, reaches World Cup semifinals
• 8 Reasons Why Model Trains Are a Great Hobby
• 
• New for Aspiring Doctors, the People Skills Test
• The 40 Worst-Dressed Cities in America
  (…although, they only appear to have nine of them loaded at this point.)
• Cloud-Based Data Outside the U.S. Not Exempt from PATRIOT Act Spying
• Cautionary Lessons From State’s Shutdown
• 
• How Social Pressure Can Affect What We Remember: Scientists Track Brain Activity as False Memories Are Formed

Namaste.

Monday – 04 July 2011
Happy Fourth of July to all!

Please take some time to remember that the day isn’t just about sales and fireworks and barbecues. It’s a commemoration of the struggle that the colonists went through to win their freedom from England.

I don’t think that a five-day work week ever seemed quite as long as last week did, but this has been a good weekend. To hit the highlights:

• SaraRules! (and the kids) had another check-up. Everything’s five by five.
• SaraRules!’ sister, Melissa, came to town Friday because…
• Saturday was my mother-in-law’s birthday.
• We picked up the first crib. (Second one should follow this afternoon…)
• We took family pictures, courtesy of Amanda Nelson Photography & Design
• I played with my trains a bit.
• SaraRules! wanted to see Green Lantern and I was up for seeing it again… so we did. She liked it and didn’t grok why critics were so down on it. (Whew!)
• We hung out with the in-laws.
• We did some work around the house and lawn.
• Had lots of good food.

…and we still have nearly half the day left! I don’t consider that a bad weekend at all.

And, this week is an abbreviated work week, as I’m off today and Friday is my 9/80 day off.

Stray Toasters

• From National Geographic: 9 Fourth of July Myths Debunked
  • And, as a semi-related aside: Spirit of 76 – Bicentennial Locomotives
    (As if I’d pass up an opportunity to find/use a train tie-in…)
• 
• 10 Trends to Steal from Fashion Week… Right Now
• There is a bird that roosts somewhere outside our bedroom window. It chirps/sings/whatever LOUDLY in the mornings, usually before my alarm goes off. I’m ready for it to find a new place to sing.
• Whither the Astronauts Without a Shuttle?
  • With the Shuttle Program Ending, Fears of Decline at NASA
• Make a Fire Tornado Out of Household Items

  

• Tools of Entry, No Need for a Key Chain

Namaste.

…and don’t forget to keep an eye out for The Fresh Prince and The Fly.

Friday – 01 July 2011
It’s finally Friday. It’s my 9/80 “on” Friday, but it’s still “Friday.” And it’s the First of July. And it’s the beginning of a long weekend. Win. Win . Win.

Today is also Canada Day.

Happy national birthday to our beer and hockey-loving neighbors to the north!

Last night, SaraRules! and I did a little more to consolidate offices. We also looked at repainting the soon-to-be-guestroom. We headed out to the local Home Depot and picked up a couple of paint samples. We painted a couple of test sections and waited for them to dry. When we came back to look at them, we decided on Lemon Ice… which looks much more like it should have been named “Lime Ice,” but oh well. It will be a good shade for the room.

I also managed to sneak in a few minutes to run my trains. It was relaxing. And fun.

Stray Toasters

• I just got back from a rather tasty lunch with Nyx at Jasmine.
• Stalemate in Final Talks Forces N.B.A. to Shut Down
  • The NBA Isn’t Allowed to Post Pictures of Basketball Players on Their Website
• I’d be fine if the word “bromance” just… disappeared… from the cultural lexicon.
  I’d also be fine if “man cave” followed it.
• Panetta takes control of Pentagon
• 
• S2K: Polamalu or Reed? Good luck deciding between the two
• They want you to be Jesus
  They’ll go down on one knee
  But they’ll want their money back
  If you’re alive at thirty-three…
• Citing Homeless Law, Hackers Turn Sights on Orlando
• 
• I just ordered this shirt. How could I not: It’s a raven (duh) and it’s Poe. I was powerless to refuse.
• Plan Issued to Save Northern Spotted Owl
• Mac OS X Lion Is Basically Done

Namaste.

Monday – 20 June 2011
And so, back to the grind.

The weekend was good. The trip to Denver was successful; then again, it’s kind of hard to screw up “Go to a wedding reception and hang out with family.” We left at o’dark-thirty on Friday morning and got back last night. I slept for the first three hours of the outbound leg of the trip. That’s fine, as I woke up in Rock Springs, WY… which was the farthest west I’d been on I-80. The rest of the trip was fairly uneventful. We found our hotel and a place to eat, Johnny’s Asian Bistro, and visited with the family for a bit before heading back to the hotel to call it a day. A very long day.

Saturday, we got up, had a bite to eat and then went gallivanting. Our first stop was the Denver Botanic Gardens. It was a very nice walking garden, with many varied sections in the middle of the city. We walked around. I took pictures. It was good. Next, we headed to the Five Points part of town to check out their Juneteenth festivities. We also ate at the Welton Street Cafe. That’s right: Soul food in the city. And it was VERY tasty and satisfying. Next… well… we were going to visit the Black American West Museum, but it closed earlier than we realized. We then went to tried to get to Caboose Hobbies, a train shop whose ads I’ve seen in various magazines. After a lot of detouring – thanks to construction and roads being closed for events downtown – we made it. It was a good-sized shop, with something for modelers of all scales. I didn’t buy anything to add to my railroad, but I didn’t come away empty-handed, either. Back to the hotel for a little rest and to change… and then on to Hannah and Parker’s wedding reception, the true reason for the visit — Hannah and Parker make a lovely couple, might I add. The fete had gotten under way before we got there, but we only really missed the “feeding each other cake/smashing cake in each other’s faces” part of the evening.  It was nice to see and spend time with people, including members of the family we didn’t see on Friday evening. Back to the hotel for the night… after a stop at the local Baskin-Robbins.

Sunday, we slept in (a little) and then got back on the road for Salt Lake City. The ride was fairly uneventful, although it felt much longer than heading out to Denver. SaraRules and I ran a couple of errands – including finding dinner – before holing up in the house for the night and watching Ghost Rider… which I didn’t have to coerce her to watch, I want to add!

This morning, the “return to the usual” was hard, as I didn’t seem to want to get out of bed and face the day.

Stray Toasters

• I started watching Battlestar Galactica (2003) this weekend. I like it. A lot.
• Supreme Court rules for Wal-Mart in massive job discrimination lawsuit
• The mouseover comment on this made me laugh:

  

  “If you’re a geologist or geophysicist and you don’t introduce yourself by saying your name, then gesturing downward and saying “… and I study that”, I don’t know what you’re doing with your life.”

• Clarence Clemons, Springsteen’s Soulful Sideman, Dies at 69
  • The Big Man, Much More than Springsteen’s Sideman
• Comics shops fighting the evil forces of recession
• 
• NFL owners push rookie wage scale in agreement

That’s good for the first day back.

Namaste.