Random Access

Saturday – 21 May 2011
It’s the weekend. Amen. The sun has finally decided to put in an appearance, which is a nice change of pace.

Today is supposedly also “Rapture Day.”

Last night, we had coffee and dinner with the usual suspects… plus one. The “plus one” is a friend of mine from my second hometown. We haven’t seen each other in what we figure to be at least ten years. It was a good evening.

I was up early this morning. 7:30 early. Why? Because was kind enough to lend his time – and his Jeep – to our endeavor of getting a new bathtub. So, we were off to the local Home Depot by 8:00. A few minutes and more than “a few” dollars later, SaraRules! and I were the owners of a new bathtub.

Later today, I’m judging another HeroClix tournament for Dr. Volt’s Comic Connection. NECA/WizKids has updated some of their rules, eliminating four (4) sets of ‘Clix from “Modern Age” play. Among the casualties are a few fan-favorite pieces; I’m curious to see what choices players make for teams today.

Stray Toasters

• Ride Out the End of the World in These Bomb Shelter Homes
• Replacing Your Laptop With an iPad
• Yeah… there’s another GL trailer.

  This one can be seen before the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie.

• I stumbled upon this blog a little while ago. I find her writing style amusing and entertaining.
• The Federal Government Wants to Help You Name Your Kid
  • Utah Baby Namer
• NASA sting nets woman offering moon rock for $1.7M

Okay… time to get ready to face the rest of the day.

Namsaste.

Friday – 20 May 2011
It’s my working Friday. We’ll see just how much monkeydom there is to deal with today. Hopefully, it won’t be too much.

Last night, SaraRules! and I went out for dinner at Pawit’s Royale Thai. As usual, the food was delicious. Pawit came out and chatted with us for a few. After that – and a quick trip to say “Hi” to the in-laws – we headed to one of the local Home Depot stores to look at bathtubs. That’s right, we’re about to kick “Project: Renovate” into gear.

Tonight, I get to hang out with a friend of mine from home whom I haven’t seen in roughly ten years.

Stray Toasters

• After talking about the Edmund Fitzgerald yesterday, Corey sent me this link about Odyssey Marine Exploration: A Bountiful Undersea Find, Sure to Invite Debate
• Make My Bed? But You Say the World’s Ending
• Gas prices could plummet for summer driving
• 
• The Real and Fascinating Origin of the Bikini
• America’s First Monorail
  • 1943 color photo of a Topeka, Kansas train yard
• Implant Allows Paralyzed Man to Move
• I’m getting tired of all of the “event” comics series coming out.  When it was one every few years, that was fine. You had an event and it meant something. Now, it’s just “Hey! You!  Buy this mini-series… and while you’re at it, buy all of these tie-ins!” Blah.
• Deal Reached on Extension of Patriot Act
• 
• Playboy puts all 57 years of its magazines online
  But, you’ll probably just click on it for the articles…
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Yes, a Cat-Food Brand Has Created Three iPad Games for Cats
• I think that I’m going to try and fix my 360’s RRoD.  God help us both.

Namaste.

Thursday – 19 May 2011
It’s another grey and rainy day here. I’m beginning to wonder if someone switched Seattle and Salt Lake City’s locations in the middle of the night.

Yesterday was not only new comics day, but also D&D 4.0 game night. We broke in a “new” venue: Dr. Volt’s Comic Connection, as we had become… disenchanted, shall we say… with Hastur Hobbies. It was a good change of pace — we could actually hear each other and the store wasn’t all asses-and-elbows. Thanks again to Dave and Jeremiah for letting us use the store to geek out.

Long Train Running
As I’ve been working on my home layout, thoughts of running multiple trains has been part of the nominal planning process. One of the ideas I’ve had included a three-level design, with a subway, a main/freight line and an el/commuter line. This put me right on… umm, track… for that, although I may no longer do a three-level design, with the current layout.

As I’ve noted before, my mother got me the MTH Bantam J Steam Freight Set for Christmas. For my birthday last year, my father got me a copy of The Illustrated Dictionary of Trains of the World. Inside was a note:

Rob,
The Powhatan Arrow (1, 2) came through Keystone, WV (and stopped at Northfork) en route from Norfolk, VA to Cincinnati during my childhood.

When you and I traveled from Baltimore to Bluefield, train (passenger) service had been curtailed greatly…

While I wanted a passenger train line, I didn’t really have much in mind as to which road name I wanted. The Bantam J was the engine that pulled the ‘Arrow. That started wheels turning in my head. I started looking at Norfolk & Western passenger cars.

Earlier this week, I received my first passenger cars in the mail, three cars from Lionel (#16062, #16063, and #16064). These were good. I put them on the rails and ran them. And, I was pleased.

Yesterday I received another package… another package with train cars. They were three of the four cars from MTH-67418. And these were even better. The detailing on the cars – especially since these were “just” from MTH’s Rail-King (their lower price point) line – was fantastic.

And, of course, I took pictures of the new cars on the layout.

There’s something fun – and somewhat special to me – about having a train on my layout that’s representative of something that my parents would have seen in their youth.

Stray Toasters

• How to Choose a Tie
• By way of SaraRules!: The Cosby Sweater Project
• An Artist’s Performance: A Year as a Poor Immigrant
• 
• Starbucks is/are everywhere.
  Lady Gaga seems to be everywhere.
  So, this sounds pretty much like a match made in Heaven.
• Raiders allow employees to sell season tickets in lieu of furlough
• Corey and I just (re-)introduced a couple of coworkers to two songs that were (for some reason) hits in the 70s:
  • Escape, by Rupert Holmes and
  • The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, by Gordon Lightfoot… which I contend is one of the – if not THE – most depressing song ever.
• In Florida, the Natives Are Restless
• Olive Garden lasagna!
• New tax deal may speed Cottonwood Mall revival

Namaste.

Wednesday – 18 May 2011
Midweek finds a soggy, grey day settling in over the valley. (“Desert plain,” my ass.) And, naturally, with all of the rain – and snow – that we’ve had this Winter/Spring, flooding is now a concern — so much so that there have been major sandbagging efforts around the valley to hopefully stave off damage to homes and property.

Yesterday’s venture to the southern reaches was not bad. We (Minion #2 and I) were kept somewhat busy, so that helped pass the time. I made it back home in time to meet the swamp cooler techs, who were prepping our unit for use this season. (Of course, with the rain and cool temps we’ve had for the past few days, we don’t need to run the cooler. *sigh*)

Last night was also D&D 3.5 game night. We adventured. We didn’t die. I always view that combination as a “good” thing.

Stray Toasters

• Chemical Suspected in Cancer Is in Baby Products
  • Coffee Wards Off Cancer

• McNabb to Ravens “A Bad Match”
  • Locked-out players line up for cash loans
• Bionic hand for ‘elective amputation’ patient
• Blacks’ exodus reshapes cities
• 
• Walker moves to ban hospital visitation rights for same-sex couples
• One Death Provides New Life for Many
• Rock band KISS to play Carnival cruise ship
• 
• In Japan Reactor Failings, Danger Signs for the U.S.
• I completely spaced off the this past Monday was Miracle Monday.
  I actually owned this book many moons ago. I guess there’s still a chance that it’s lurking somewhere in my parents’ house.
  • Books — That is exactly how they work
• Fringe season finale = YeahbuhWHAT?!

Namaste.

Monday – 16 May 2011
A new week begins.  My week, however, will begin a little later than some others’, as I started the day with a trip to the doctor’s office. It was another appointment to make sure that Babies A & B are progressing as they should. (They are.)

This weekend was a good one:  Saturday, I stopped in at Dr. Volt’s Comic Connection to say “Hi” to Valerie Finnigan. She was there for a book signing and to promote her horror book, which is due this fall. After that, I traipsed up to Clearfield. (Hey… I had air and opportunity.) I picked up a few track pieces. I also stopped at The Train Shoppe when I got back to SLC, but left empty-handed.

Back home to clean up and get presentable for Utah Opera’s opening of Falstaff (1, 2), adapted from Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor. The cast and crew of the production put on a delightful show. Although it’s a comedic opera, it didn’t suffer from being “too” over-the-top; director Christopher Mattaliano did an excellent job of balancing the opera’s humor with just the right amounts of (semi-)seriousness. It was quite a fun way to spend the evening.

Sunday, SaraRules!, Angy, and I went up to Millcreek Eggworks and Cafe for brunch. Mmm, coffee cake…  After a very satisfying meal, came back and helped me get the sprinklers online. (No busted sprinkler heads! Hoo-AH!) Later in the afternoon, SaraRules! and I made a pilgrimage to The Garden of Sweden. We didn’t buy anything, but we did come out with a couple of ideas. In the evening, we headed up to John’s (one of UO’s resident artists) for a birthday cookout. That was a LOT of fun. And we capped the evening with a visit to the in-laws… for yet more dessert!

Stray Toasters

• Space Shuttle Endeavour Is Readied, Once Again, for Its Final Launching
  • Farewell, my space shuttle
• An Explorer of Black History’s Uncharted Terrain
  • Entry from January 2010 I wrote about seeing Freedom Riders
• 14 Ways to Make Yourself Better Right Now
• 
• Rhode Island’s Medicaid Experiment Becomes a Talking Point for Budget Cutters
  • The real reasons why our health care costs are so high
  • Nursing Homes Seek Exemptions From Health Law
• I finally remembered to get some pictures and video of the new train layout.
• Chitty Chitty Bang Bang car up for auction
• Renaissance at Salt Lake Art Center
• The 43 best obnoxious responses to misspellings on Facebook
• Welcome back, Sony Online Entertainment and Playstation Network.
  • 
• I discovered something while reading a blog entry from . I didn’t realize that William Marshall (1, 2) the actor who played Dr. Richard Daystrom on the Star Trek: TOS episode “The Ultimate Computer,” also played Blacula in two movies AND was the King of Cartoons on Pee-wee’s Playhouse.  For some reason, I just never connected the dots.
• Foods With Benefits, or So They Say
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Australian dies after ‘planking’ on balcony, police say
• War Machines (with Gymnasts)

Namaste.

Saturday – 14 May 2011
I apparently am not as good as I’d like to be at the whole “sleeping in” thing. Yesterday, I was up at 7:15. Today, I was up at 8:15. Oh, well. It gives me time to do things. Exactly “what” those things are, I’m not sure yet.

Yesterday, SaraRules!, her mother and I went up to Park City. The weather was perfect — 70F and sunny, with light breezes. Perfect shopping weather.

Veni. Sumi. Vroomi.
We came. We shopped. We left.

After we got back to town, and dropped of the MIL, SaraRules! and I headed to Downtown Philly Cheesesteaks to get lunch. Cheesesteaks. Birch beer. Tastykakes. I’d definitely call that a lunchtime “win.” Back home for a bit and then off to coffee and dinner.

Today, I’m going to head up to Dr. Volt’s and see Valerie Finnigan at her book signing.  There’s a barbecue at Pin-up Girl Espresso, as they are temporarily closing their Cottonwood Heights location while IHC builds a medical center on the 6200 block of Highland… so we’re definitely stopping there. And, I’m also trying to decide whether or not a trip to Almosta Junction is in my plans.

And, tonight: Falstaff.

Stray Toasters

• Testimony of Mike Rowe
• Life-sized HALO Master Chief costume made out of LEGO
• Confessions of a Hollywood Stuntman
  And, of course, that reminded me of this:

• Just a thought: Since a couple of studios are trying to shop superhero-/comic book-related properties, why not change their target stations?  Instead of going for NBC/ABC/CBS, why not see about stations who might have a better demographic/target audience?  To me, it seems as though USA Networks (“Characters welcome”) and/or SyFy (I still think that was about the most inane “name change” possible…) or even Warner Brothers’ own CW would have been ideal choices for some of the new programming.  But that’s just my 2¢ worth.
  • 
• Sizzle at Cannes Film Festival
• Dropbox Lied to Users About Data Security, FCC Complaint Alleges
• Cartoonist Lisa Hanawalt’s useful advice for living

  

• How to Stock Your Home Toolkit
• Zero Charisma – An indie comedy about the greatest Dungeon Master ever.
  This trailer was pretty funny.
• Building the Empire Strikes Bike
• Access Denied! 18 Places Google Maps Won’t Let You See

Namaste.

Wednesday – 11 May 2011
Midweek.
New comics day.
D&D Game night.
The day that SaraRules comes home from Boston.

Not only has she been in Boston, but this was her status message this morning:

SaraK
Nothing like a beer tour at ten in the morning. — at The Samuel Adams Boston Brewery.

Yeah, I’m (a little) jealous. But, I’m apparently getting a new pint glass out of the deal… so it ain’t all bad.

Last night, Chris and Alex came over so that I could change out the hard drive in Alex’ PS3. Things went well… until we realized that Alex didn’t bring a cord for the controller. For some reason, the PS3 firmware won’t recognize wireless controllers during that process. *shrug* Thus, we couldn’t complete the operation. Instead, we sat around and geeked about gaming.

Stray Toasters

• Sam Adams. Patriot. Brewer. Homeboy.
• Sturges and Power Girl Display “Girl Power”
  This was an interesting article; I’m curious to see how the issues actually read.
• The Composer’s Other Voice
• General Motors to invest $2B in plants, create 4,000 jobs
• ‘You Can’t Defeat Hate With Hate’
• 
• Federal Retreat on Bigger Loans Rattles Housing
  • Is It Better to Buy or Rent?
• I would say “What the fuck…?!” here but, well… that would be redundant: Best college sex ed class ever canceled after sex toy demonstration with naked lady
• The Galactic Empire Times
• From the “Hallelujah… Thank you, Jesus” file:
  

  If Bengals receiver Chad Ochocinco gets released or traded, what do you think the chances of Baltimore taking him are?
  James Walker: “I don’t see that. Baltimore has a good mix of veteran receivers and young draft picks to develop. It’s not a good fit.”

• Google’s Digital Music Service Falls Short of Ambition
• 
  • Secret Origins: Rot Lop Fan
• Summer’s Superhero Movies Get Blocky With Awesome Lego Minifig Posters
• Fox has axed Human Target, along with a few other shows. While the second season departed from the character’s original premise, I still enjoyed it… and it was leaps and bounds better than the version that ABC aired in the 90s.
• ‘HALO’ and creators move on after divorce

Namaste.

Tuesday – 10 May 2011
Another grey day in the valley. The forecast says we have a 60% chance of rain. With as much rain as we’ve had lately, it’s hard to remember that we live on a high desert plain… where the streets have no name.  (No, the song wasn’t written about Salt Lake City, but it was a reference that I couldn’t pass up. And, besides, it has a fun video…)

Today is also my friend, Justin’s, birthday:

Yesterday afternoon, I received a message from my mother-in-law, inviting me over for homemade banana rum cake. Not being completely foolish, I told her that I’d be there. After work, I stopped at Pin-up Girl Espresso and chatted with Jim on the way home. I remembered that I needed to pick up a few track pieces for the new layout idea, so I jetted up to West Valley Hobbies before heading to the in-laws’.  When I got there, my MIL asked if I had eaten dinner – I hadn’t – so she fed me, as well: She’d made an amazing chicken curry dish whose exact name eludes me. After I’d finished, we – MIL, FIL and lj user=”djviking” – had cake and chatted the rest of the evening away. As if feeding me and giving me dessert wasn’t enough, I was even sent home with leftovers for lunch. Win! (In case I haven’t said it before/recently: I totally hit the jackpot in the In-Laws Lottery.

When I finally made it home, I decided to mess around with my train layout. This came under the heading of “Good Idea/Bad Idea,” as it was slightly more of an undertaking that I had planned on. I was up until [REDACTED] working on it. Yes, I know… I’m going to have to tear the whole thing down (again) when we start framing the room, but I was in the mood for something different. The trackwork is almost finished and I need to figure out where buildings will go and in which areas I’ll be able to add the SuperStreets track.

It probably goes without saying, but I made this morning’s coffee extra-strong. Thank God.

Today is also a suit day. (Added bonus: It was clean and required no prep work.) Today’s option: Navy suit, white spread-collar shirt, pink-and-blue tie, pink pocket square, maroon loafers.

Stray Toasters

• Navy chaplains cleared to perform same-sex marriages
• A Brewery Is Recreating George Washington’s Personal Beer Recipe
• Flight Attendant Fashion Through the Years

  

  Hmm, that looks vaguely familiar.  I can’t remember where I’ve seen something like that before…

  

  Oh… right.

• Microsoft in Talks to Acquire Skype for $8.5 Billion
• For Journalists, a Call to Rethink Online Models
• More Familiar ‘Spider-Man’ Hopes to Bury the Dark
• Star Wars PSAs

  

• Amtrak, 15 states get Florida’s $2B in high-speed rail money
• The Town That Banned Pac-Man
• 30 Geeky Weddings
  I have actually been to Metropolis, IL and stood in front of that Superman statue (7th pic from the bottom)
• Exonerated Inmates Fight Lawyer’s Lobbying Fees

And…. that’s a wrap.

Namaste.

Monday – 09 May 2011
It’s a rainy night in Georgia day here in the Land Behind the Zion Curtain. (But, at least it isn’t snowing, like it is in the southern part of the state.)

Yesterday was a long day. Not because I had so many things to do. In fact, it was quite the opposite. I had so much free time that I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do.

I started by sleeping in. That was followed by mowing the lawn (before it started raining). After a quick shower, I was hit with the first bout of indecision over what to do. I passed the time by surfing the Internet. When I finally got it in mind to get something to eat, it was early afternoon. I decided to head up to MacCool’s Public House. I had Finn’s Skins, along with the Buffalo Shepherd’s Pie… and a pint o’ Guinness. After lunch, I stopped in to wish

Back home for Round 2 of “What Do I Do Now?” (That, again, translated into some more surfing.) I also started looking at a couple of books that contained some ideas that I want to incorporate into my train layout. Yes, I believe that the layout – or at least half of it – might get a bit of an overhaul in the next few days. Around 6:15, I decided to have some more limited human interaction by heading over to the local Barnes & Noble and doing some drawing. Fortunately, I decided to look up the store’s hours before driving there: The store closed at 7:00. Feh. More surfing. I remembered that I still needed to do some grocery shopping, so I did that.

After I returned home, I put away the goods, ran a load of dishes and treated myself to a snack and some TV time. I caught up on a little more Human Target – and cleared a bit more space on the DVR – before calling it a night.

Stray Toasters

• Comic Books as Education
• I picked up three new cars for my railroad. Passenger cars. If I go with the layout scheme that I’m thinking of, I’ll be able to run two trains – one freight, one passenger – concurrently.
• 
• Obama Has a Bridge He Wants to Sell You
• The Utah Museum of Fine Arts is presenting: The Smithson Effect
• 8 False Tea Party-Republican Memes to Talk About Before You Go to the Polls
• Blogger announces own death after battle with cancer
• 
• Video: Bionic legs helping people walk
• Sci-Fi Ikea Manuals
• “Thor Loser”
• Hillary Clinton Photoshopped Out of Situation Room Photo

And now… Lunch from the Chow Truck!

Namaste.

Sunday – 08 May 2011
It’s Mother’s Day.

Happy Mother’s Day to my mother, stepmother, sister, mother-in-law, grandmothers and a certain mother-to-be, as well as to all of the mothers whom I count among my family and friends…

…as well as to the fathers who have picked up and carried the torch when a mother wasn’t around.

Okay, okay… let’s be serious here…

Alright… don’t literally drop the kids. But, you get the idea.

Today is also my stepmother and younger brother’s shared birthday:

I met Chris and Alex yesterday afternoon for lunch. We were going to David’s Kitchen… but they were closed. We wound up going to La Puente, instead. I hadn’t been there in a while, so it was a nice change of pace. After lunch, we headed up to Dr. Volt’s. I picked up some FCBD books – and the FCBD Green Lantern HeroClix figure – and hung out for a bit before kicking off last night’s tournament: a 1,000-point brawl. We had a good turnout (16 players) and a few new faces.

After the game, I came home and pondered what to do. I resolved the dilemma by fixing myself a bowl of ice cream and watching some DVR fare.

I’m not sure what I have on the agenda for today. If the weather holds, I might try to mow the lawn before it starts to rain.

Stray Toasters

• Word To Your Mother: The 1o Gushiest Mother’s Day Rap Songs
  • Hey, Mom, What’s Your Favorite Song?
• I should give some thought to the whole “breakfast/brunch” thing.
• Easily Distracted People May Have Too Much Brain
• 
• New Board Game Coming Soon — Star Trek Expeditions
• Thanks (I think…) to for pointing me towards: What Not to Crochet
• Johnny Depp Can’t Watch 3D Movies
• The Joy of Seersucker
  • Spring 2011: Trends That Matter
• 
• The art of Dan Hipp
• A Tour of an Abandoned Amusement Park in America’s Heartland

Namaste.

Saturday – 07 May 2011
It’s the weekend. Amen.

Last night, SaraRules! and I – along with a few friends and family – went to see Thor. Kenneth Branagh did a great job of tackling 40+ years of comics history, adapting it and making it accessible to fans and non-fans alike. Chris Hemsworth was good in the title role, and Natalie Portman was a fun Jane Foster — who made the transition from nurse (in the 60s comics) to scientist. Clark Gregg also had a nice turn, reprising his role as S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Colson. I managed to catch all five of the Easter Eggs, as noted in this MTV article… and saw – and completely glossed over – this one, until a friend noted it after the movie. It was a fun movie and a good start to the summer movie season.

This morning, I was up early-ish, to take SaraRules! to the airport. She’s got a conference on Beantown next week, meaning that I’m a bachelor for the next four-and-a-half days. After that, I met Nyx and Jeff at the Wasatch Community Gardens Plant Sale — SaraRules! wanted some plants, but that whole “leaving on a jet plane” thing kind of precluded her from going. I picked up the plants, brought them home and got them in the ground.

I’m trying to figure out the day’s next evil plot. I need to run up to Dr. Volt’s for Free Comic Book Day. Then probably lunch… or a trip to a train shop… or both. Then, it’s back to Dr. Volt’s this evening to run a tournament. No rest for the wicked, I guess.

Stray Toasters

• Today is also National Train Day.
  
• Yesterday came with two bits of news for HeroClix fans:
  • WizKids previewed two figuresfrom their upcoming Green Lantern movie tie-in set.
  • HeroClix World sneaked a look at this Autumn’s Superman set… including new Legion of Super-Heroes figures!
• From the “Sometimes, people suck…” file: Muslim group: Two imams pulled from plane bound for North Carolina

Yeah, I’m sure there’s more that I could add, but I’m going to go play in the sunshine!

Namaste.

Wednesday – 04 May 2011
It’s the middle of the week.
It’s also new comics day.
It’s also game night.

Today is also Star Wars Day.

I also found this picture…

…but it’s this one that actually echoed exactly what was going on in my head:

Last night was D&D night with and company. We…

1. Got into a fight.
2. Ran into a situation that we weren’t expecting (read: “A priest trying to bind a goddess to our plane”).
3. Played the D&D equivalent of Ghostbusters.
4. Survived the adventure.
5. All of the above.

Yeah, we were about as surprised as anyone. But, we lived to adventure on another day. And that was a good thing.

Stray Toasters

• Freedom Rides Turn 50
• I found the following on Facebook; I like the assertions that it presents: While You Are Entitled to Your Own Opinion, You Are Not Entitled to Your Own Facts
• Robots Now Catch Balls; World Domination Imminent
• Minnesota politician blasts Neil Gaiman as “pencil-necked little weasel”
• Thanks to MarknTyme for pointing me in the direction of the newest Green Lantern trailer:

• Happiness != Discovering that you have to completely redo a spreadsheet that you worked on two days ago because it did not save.
• Zoot Shooters Bring Gangster Style to the Gun Range
• From the “Add to The Covet List” file: “Young Justice” Arrives on DVD in July
• 
• Sony to restore PSN services, compensate customers

Yeah.  I think that’s good.

Namaste.

Tuesday – 03 May 2011
After the spectacular day we had yesterday, Tuesday greets us with dull, grey clouds. The forecast says nothing about rain, but we’ll have to see what Mother Nature has planned.

Perhaps I typed too soon. Looking across the valley, I see sunlight on the tops of the Oquirrh Mountains.

Last night, SaraRules! fixed a magnificent pan-fried steak – along with a broccoli/potato/cheese dish and salad – for dinner. After dinner, we decided to do some walking. We took a stroll through the local Babies ‘R’ Us. I hadn’t been to a BRU in years; and the last time was to pick up a gift for friends who either were having or just had a new kid. The experience is “a little” different when you’re shopping for own household. It’s literally amazing how many things there are for your baby (to toddler) there.

Back at home, I surfed the Interwebs for a bit. I stopped for a while when I hit Marvel.com’s coverage of the U.S. premiere of Thor, hosted by Isaiah Mustafa. It. Was. HILARIOUS. It was him and a cameraman interviewing the cast and Kenneth Branagh as they walked down the red carpet. While I’ve seen the What The–?! with Mr. Mustafa as Luke Cage…

…I didn’t know just how much of a comic book fan he was. (Apparently, he’s quite the fan.) It was fun to watch/listen to him geek out on different comics-related items between – and during – the interviews. It’s two hours long, but it’s worth it for his interview with Jaimie Alexander (Sif) alone. (That’s roughly 1:45:00 into the stream.) The part where Josh Dallas (Fandral) riffs on Mustafa’s Old Spice Guy is also worth a watch.

After that, we watched a bit of Top Gear before calling it a night. It was a rerun of the episode in which James May drove up the side of a volcano.

Stray Toasters

• I apparently neglected to note that this week is Teacher Appreciation Week.
• Superman made his first appearance on May 3, 1938.

• Moss, Black Hat founder, named CSO of ICANN
• Army Corps Blows Up Missouri Levee
• By way of Nyx: Vintage bombers in air and on display in Salt Lake City
• Other upcoming events include:
  • Free Comic Book Day – 07 May 2011
  • National Train Day – 07 May 2011
    • There will be an event for this at Ogden Union Station, from 10 – 5
• 20 Insanely Creative Bookshelves
• 
• Is the Southwest-Air Tran merger a good deal for fliers?
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Mummified body of former Playboy playmate Yvette Vickers found in her Benedict Canyon home
• Bam! Healing war wounds through comic books
  • At this point, I’ll take a moment to mention Untold Stories from Iraq & Afghanistan, once again.
• Free Speech Zone Runs Afoul of SLC Sign Ordinance
• Also from Nyx: Mouse Study Suggests Why Addictions Are Hard to Forget
• Tradition vs. Progress: The Art of the American Fire Helmet

Namaste.

Friday – 29 April 2011
It’s my 9/80 Friday off.

It’s also 7:30 (well, it was when I started this…) in the morning. So, why am I up so early on my day off, especially if “early morning feedings” don’t start for another four or so months? (Sleep Can Wait. The Birds Are Angry) No… the real reason is: I took Logan and Swiz to the airport this morning; they’re winging their way to the California coast. I figured that I’m used to being up this early and I could easily deal with getting up and getting them to the airport. Ain’t nothin’ but a thang. Besides, I don’t have a whole lot on tap today, so if I need to catch a mid-afternoon nap… I can.

Last night, SaraRules! went to visit a friend whom she hadn’t seen in close to ten years. I got to stay home and be a bachelor for a few hours. This translated to: “Rob sitting on the couch, eating pizza and drinking Guinness, while watching the 2011 NFL Draft.” And it was good. Selah.

• Carolina Panthers select Cam Newton with No. 1 pick in NFL draft
• Ravens pick Jimmy Smith No. 27
• Welcome to Miami, Mike Pouncey

Good picks all the way around. And a good way to spend the evening.

Stray Toasters

• Congratulations to Prince William and Princess Catherine.
  And that pretty much concludes my royal wedding chat…

  …except to say that I caught a couple of minutes of George Michael on Piers Morgan Tonight while flipping channels last night. That was rather unexpected. 

  • I should see if Netflix has Royal Wedding — I’ve long admired the scene in which Fred Astaire dances on the walls and ceiling of his room, but never seen the movie. That scene was also… “somewhat replicated”… in the video for Lionel Richie’s Dancing on the Ceiling.
• South Assesses the Toll After a Deadly Barrage of Tornadoes
  • Tornadoes kill over 200
  • The complicated science of tornadoes and climate
• Endeavour’s Launch on Target for 3:47 PM EDT
• For SaraRules! (and other fishers): States start to ban felt-soled waders
• 
• Whenever I read a comic from this story arc (start at this comic and keep going through April) in Real Life Comics, I always think, “This sounds almost exactly like something that Justin would do…” and it makes me laugh.
• A Family’s Legacy, Afro-Cuban Jazz
• It’s sad, really. I watched the new trailer for Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon… and I liked it. It looks like a movie that has my three of my top requirements for a Transformers movie:
  1. Giant Robots. Check.
  2. Shit blowing up. Check.
  3. Megan Fox. Check.
  4. Optimus Prime being the heroic leader – and kicking ass – even in the face of oppressive/overwhelming odds. Check.

  In fact, it looks like a movie that I might even want to see.  But… and this is a big “but” (and I cannot lie): I still feel burned by the last movie with the name “Transformers” and that had Michael Bay’s name attached to it. Feh.

• George Michael – Flawless

  What… did you seriously think that I’d make a reference to George Michael in this post and not throw in a video?  Really?! Have you met me!? Besides, what were you expecting?  Something like this?

• U.S. Economic Growth Slows to 1.8% Rate in Quarter
• 
• Most hackable Android phones
• Star Wars Funnies by Kevin Bolk
• What in the Nine Hells is this…?!

Thursday – 28 April 2011
It’s “No Bad News Technical Friday.”  Hallelujah!

It’s kind of hard to believe that we’re only two days away from the end of April. It feels like it just started. I wonder how quickly the rest of Spring and Summer are going to fly by – or at least feel like they are flying by – now that we have the twins to look forward to as Summer approaches Autumn.

Twins. Most of the shock has worn off. Now, we’re trying to figure out just how many… adjustments… we’re going to have to make to our baby-prep plans. The grandparents all seem to be rather happy with the news. And, I think that this pretty much cements the idea that we’re staying at home again this Christmas. (I’m good with that.) Time to start looking at 529 Plans…

Last night, we celebrated my father-in-law’s birthday. We went up to the in-laws’ for dinner, dessert and general hanging out. For dinner, there was a homemade chicken pot pie. Correction: There were two (2) of them. And they were good. For dessert, we had homemade doughnuts, with an orange frosting. They, too, were good. It was a very nice way to spend the evening.

Back at home, SaraRules! and I watched the second half of Real Salt Lake‘s match against Monterrey in the CONCACAF Champions League Final. They seemed to play better than in last week’s match, but couldn’t get the ball into the net. This isn’t to say that they didn’t have the opportunities, but they couldn’t get the ball past Monterrey’s goalkeeper. And, since the final score was based on the cumulative score from both matches, Monterrey came away with a 3-2 total against RSL. I also believe that this makes Monterrey the first visiting team in… two years, I think… to win at Rio Tinto Stadium.

Stray Toasters

• Today marks City of Heroes‘ 7th Anniversary.
• MarknTyme pointed this out to me last night: Robert B. Parker’s ‘Spenser’ to Continue Solving Mysteries
  I’m not sure how I feel about this.
• The Case for Cursive
• Designer Makes LEGO-style Helmet That Reads Comics to Kids
  Wait, wait, wait… LEGO + Comics?!  Why do I not have one of these already?!
  • And if we’re already talking about The Covet List, add one (or more) of these to the list, too!
• Judge Denies N.F.L. Petition as Injunction Stays, for Now

• 
• Judge Denies N.F.L. Petition as Injunction Stays, for Now
• Bleeding Cool.com has a link to the newest international trailer for X-Men: First Class
• Spraypaint can cocktail shaker
• Union Pacific’s Great Excursion Adventure
• Superman Renounces [SPOILER] in Action Comics #900

  

  It would seem as though this has stirred up quite the debate in the comics-reading community.

• We Say Gay: Tennessee kids fight bill that would prohibit discussing homosexuality in school
• India Puts Tight Leash on Internet Free Speech
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Hooker Steals Macbook After Client Steals Sex

Namaste.