Random Access

Sunday – 01 August 2010
“Summer’s going fast…”
It seems as though July just started, and now we are beginning August.

Yesterday was also Ms. ‘s birthday.

Friday, was Day 5 of The Great Network Conversion. By the end of the (very long) day, it seems as though most things were in order. There was a lot of “hurry up and wait” involved, as we were awaiting some configuration to be completed at the home office. That didn’t help with the “longest day ever” feeling. Just before we left for the day, SaraRules dropped by the office, with a caramel mocha in-hand. (Have I mentioned ‘Coolest Wife Ever,’ recently?) By the time I got home, all I wanted to do was come home and take a nap. And that’s exactly what I did… and then it was off to gather with the rest of the Clitorati crew.

Saturday, I forced myself to sleep in. I know… I know… it sounds odd to have to “force” oneself to sleep in. But, considering that I woke up at 0700 and seriously contemplated getting up and starting the day — and given the fact that between Thursday and Friday, I put in nearly 24 hours in the office — sleep was a good and necessary thing. SaraRules went to the Open House at Repertory Dance Theatre; I stayed at home and did a bit of cleaning…

…until got here. We went to The Train Shoppe. I wanted to see if my new set had arrived. It hadn’t. Apparently, Lionel pushed back its shipping date by nearly a month. So… it should be here either just before or just after we  go camping.

Following that stop and a quick run to Dr. Volt’s, it was back home for a bit. Lunch. Hanging out with SaraRules. Exploring LEGO Universe… when it wasn’t being buggy. *shakes fist*

Later in the evening, SaraRules and I went to Rio Tinto Stadium to see Real Salt Lake host a match against DC United:

This also marked the first time that I have seen an MLS game live. (I doubt it will be the last time.) I had gone to MISL (Major Indoor Soccer League) games as a teenager, but that really comes under the heading of “same brand, different flavor.”  Or, for the SAT crowd:

Major Indoor Soccer League : Major League Soccer as…

1. Roller Derby : NASCAR
2. Arena Football League : NFL Football
3. BMX : Motocross
4. Stickball : Major League Baseball

The correct answer, in this case, would be “2”

The match was a lot of fun. We sat in the upper level and had a great view of the soccer pitch… AND the seats were very reasonably priced. And they were also covered, which became important when it started raining. RSL won the match 3 – 0, with a couple of goals coming in the last 10 minutes of the game.  (I was a little torn about the loss for DCU, though…) I am Ivory Soap sure that we’ll be back in Rio Tinto Stadium to see another match before the season ends.

Workout
Friday’s step count: I don’t recall, but it was somewhere around 3,600 steps
Saturday’s step count:  5,948

Stray Toasters

• Obama gives himself a grade of ‘incomplete’ after 18 months
• UAE to block BlackBerry services
• Holly Golightly: Breaking Rules in a Little Black Dress
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file:
  • Washing Machine Self-Destructs After Trying to Wash a Brick
  • Sixteen Years in Prison for Videotaping the Police?
• 
• My right bicep hurts, for an as-yet unexplained reason
• This Airplane Luxury Suite Is Way Out of My Budget
• Reading the Writing on Pompeii’s Walls
• The Evo gets Android 2.2 this week.
• Who’d win a battle between a Klingon battlecruiser and the Death Star? We found out!

Now: Breakfast.
Later: Salt.

Friday – 30 July 2010
It’s (almost) the end of the work week. Amen.

We’re in the middle of a network transfer – switching from one network connection to another. It made for a long day yesterday and an early morning today. I just hope that it’s not another long day today.

Ironically, today is also Sys Admin Day.

Workout
Thursday’s step count: 4,647

Stray Coasters

• I have the world’s most awesome wife.
  Your wife pales in comparison.
  (Although, your wife is okay.  But just yours, no one else’s.)
• History at 500 Yards
• Are 3D-Printed Fabrics the Future of Sustainable Textiles?
• 
• A couple of items from NPR Music:
  • Listening, Party for Two: Miles and Monk at Newport, 1955
  • Lara St. John: A Little Skin, Lots of Violin
• It’s turning into a long day…
• Banks seek customers’ help to stop online thieves
• 
• Lunchtime.  Finally.

Namaste.

Thursday – 29 July 2010
Good NBN Thursday to all.

I spent the day in the south office yesterday. That’s always um… a treat.  We’ve been preparing for some network changes and I went down to help Minion #1 take care of the wiring for that office. And, I did manage to squeeze in sushi for lunch with a few coworkers.

After work, I hauled back up the road and swung past Dr. Volt’s. (There was four-color goodness to pick up, after all…) I made a couple of quick side trips and then went to Hastur Hobbies for D&D night with Jack and . This week, they even brought little Jack:

Workout
Tuesday’s step count: 6,758
Wednesday’s step count: 4,207

Stray Toasters

• I quite enjoyed Batman: Under the Red Hood. Until recently, I haven’t really read the Batman titles in a long while. From what I recall of the “A Death in the Family” storyline and some recent developments, they appear to have done a decent job of adapting the story. Bruce Greenwood did a decent turn as Batman, but I was a bit disappointed in John Di Maggio’s Joker… of course, I kept comparing him to Mark Hamill, who – aside from the late Heath Ledger –  is now “the voice I hear” when I think of the Joker. Neil Patrick Harris, did a good job as Nightwing. I also have to give the animators a huge amount of credit for making Nightwing move like an acrobat.
  
• I woke up this morning feeling the effects of Tuesday night’s workout.
• Trader Joe’s owner dies at 88
• has discovered the joy of Pin-up Girl Espresso.
  (One of us…. one of us…)
• Be a Supergirl – Warner Brother’s mix of comics, sports and style
  • …and in a nominally related note: Krystal Harris – Supergirl

• What Is the American Dream?
• Dan Brown Wants You to Tell Him Where to Go
• Where did the money to rebuild Iraq go?
• By way of Wired: What’s the Best and Fastest ISP in Your City? Look It Up Here
• 
• Pixar: 25 Years of Animation Exhibition
• Breathing new life into old train depots
• 20 Secrets Your Waiter Won’t Tell You

Namaste.

Thursday – 22 July 2010
It’s NBN Thursday/Technical Friday.  Amen.

And, just because I can, today’s musical selection: U2 – Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me

Last night, SaraRules and I went to MacCool’s Public House for ‘Evening with Guinness,” a dinner featuring not only Guinness, but foods prepared with Guinness:

John Baxter and Kevin Fitzgerald both talked a little about the history of Guinness and their other beers – Smithwicks (pronounced “smith-icks”) and Harp – and some of their distribution channels, as well as a soon-to-be-released-in-the-U.S. beer.

Sweet, merciful Jesus… It was a sublime meal. All of the courses – and their accompanying beers – were excellent choices and were wonderfully prepared. I’m not usually a fan of onion soups, but the Four-Onion Soup Medly was fantastic. The steak… oh, the steak… was simply amazing.

Our tablemates were rather fun, too: We sat with three other couples, one of whom was the owner of MacCool’s, Scott. He was especially interested to find out that we’d heard about the event from their Facebook page. We talked about sports.  We talked a little about our jobs. We talked about the event and dinner. It was an all-around good time.

The next MacCool’s event is a dinner featuring beers from Epic Brewing, on Wednesday, 11 Aug 2010.

After we got back home, we watched The Ruins. I kept thinking of it as “Little Shop of Horrors meets Tomb Raider,” but without all of the excitement. While there were a couple of surprises – and one scene that I totally didn’t see coming – but it wasn’t really “scary.” In an amusing note, I kept looking at Joe Anderson (whom I best remember from Across the Universe, but was apparently also in The Crazies) and thinking that he was Ben Foster (Pandorum and X-Men: The Last Stand). But he wasn’t.  Although… Shawn Ashmore, who played Iceman in the X-Men movies, was in the film.

Workout
Yesterday’s step count: 3,200

Stray Toasters

• Win: Coworker Ryan just came around and offered me a doughnut from Banbury Cross.
• For SaraRules: Orchestras Seek BFF by Cellphone Texts
• For Meliko: Rats… as Pets
• New Drugs Buoy Hopes in Fighting Hepatitis C
• 
• By way of Nyx: Awesome Custom Green Lantern Costume
• Budgeting: How Small Cutbacks Lead to Great Savings
• Minimalist 1960s redesigns of classic album covers
• Jake Theis, Brand Manager for WizKids/NECA, posted this earlier… and I’m not sure exactly what to make of it:
  



Granted, with all of the licenses to various properties that NECA holds, I probably shouldn’t be surprised by this. But, still…

• Shoppers on a ‘Diet’ Tame the Urge to Buy
• How to Check a Microwave for Leaks… using a netbook and a cell phone
• Vintage Wine Barrel Flooring by Fontenay Wood

Namaste.

Wednesday – 21 July 2010
It’s Comics (and maybe Sushi) Wednesday.  ‘Nuff said.

Despite having most of the things I needed for this morning prepped and ready-to-go last night, I managed to walk out the door without my ID badge. I didn’t discover this fact until I was in the elevator.

::: facepalm :::

I was able to get into the office, thanks to a coworker. And, I acquired my badge thanks to the world’s most awesome wife ever dropping it off on her way to work.

Last night, SaraRules and I went to The Days of ’47 Rodeo. (It’s a Utah thing.) Let me break it down for you:

• Days of ’47
• Rodeo

Put the two together and you get: The Days of ’47 Rodeo.
SaraRules is a rodeo fan and has been for some years.
Until last night, I had only seen bits and pieces of rodeos on television.
We went. And I have pictures to prove it.

Tonight, we are going to MacCool’s Public House for Guinness Dinner, featuring dishes made with Guinness.

Workout
Tuesday’s step count: 3,900

Stray Toasters

• Sometimes, I have odd dreams. Not in the “fantastic flights of fancy” sense; they are often more rooted in the “Where in the Nine Hells did that come from?!” sense. Last night’s sleep included at least one of those dreams.
• Afflicted: 11 Abandoned American Hospitals and Asylums “Open” for Exploration
• Orioles outlast Rays 11-10 to win wild 13-inning marathon
• By way of Meliko:



• 14 Things You Didn’t Know About Star Trek
  (I actually knew 6 of the 14 things.  I blame my stepmother.)
• I’m not a Guitar Hero player. I think that I’ve covered this fact before. That being said, I discovered something yesterday that has the greatest potential to change that for me: Rush on Bringing “2112” to ‘Guitar Hero’
  • And in a nominally related note: Rush’s Return to the Limelight
• Blacks Face Bone Marrow Donor Shortage
• 
• Many States Adopt National Standards for Their Schools
• From Comic Book Resources: “Take On Me” – The Greatest Music Video Ever

Namaste.

Friday – 16 July 2010
It’s (almost) the weekeeeeeend, baby! While this hasn’t been “Longest. Week. Ever,” it has been a long week. I’m pretty sure that it has something to do with last week being a three-day work week… but that’s just a hunch.

Last night, Melissa – our friend who did the 5K with us last weekend – came over and she, SaraRules and I watched Shutter Island. (M had never seen it.) I caught a few very subtle things throughout the movie that I missed the first… two times I saw it. And it was just as solid a film this time as the other times I’ve seen it.

I woke up this morning with snippets of this running through my head. I blame it on the cartoon/kids’ show theme war that I had with Kris a couple of days ago. And, speaking of music, today’s musical selections are:

Utah Saints – Something Good ’08

George Michael – Flawless (Go to the City)

After work this afternoon (Hellooooooo, half-day!), I’ll be running either a demo or a mini-tournament for Dr. Volt’s at the Gaming and Electronics Expo (GEEX) at the South Towne Expo Center.  The demo/tourney should start about 4:00 PM.  If you’re free and in the area, come down and check it out.

Workout
Thursday’s step count: 2,054

Stray Toasters

• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: 3.6-magnitude earthquake strikes Maryland
• Matisse at MoMA: Carving with Color
• For SaraRules: Rube Goldberg rat-run sends a neutral balloon through dozens of Dyson bladeless fans
• By way of Rachel: Sixteen Things That Took Me 50 Years to Learn
• 16 demented Green Lantern storylines that we’re sure won’t be in the movie
  #3: To be honest, I’d love it if they worked this into the movie somewhere.
  #13: This could be worked in, too.
  #16: That was Kyle.  There’d have to be another movie or two to get him into the story, let alone see him as Green Lantern.
• Ship junked 200 years ago uncovered at Ground Zero
• 
• has just become another Pin-up Girl Espresso convert.
• Tragedy and Comedy, starring Pac-Man
• 7 Characters That Screwed People Like Lebron James Did Cleveland
• Ferris Club: Fight Club meets Ferris Bueller
• God Hates Nerds

Namaste.

Thursday – 15 July 2010
It’s another sunny NBN Thursday here in the Land Behind the Zion Curtain. It’s going to be a hot one, too — temps are supposed to be in the mid-90s. (At least it’s a “dry” heat.)

This morning’s musical break: ABC by the Jackson Five

Yesterday, pinged me to see if I was interested in playing in a D&D game that Jack is running at Hastur Games and Comics. As it was SaraRules’ book club night – and I was going to be relegated to the basement anyway – I said “Sure.” And off I went to nerd! This was new and different for me for two reasons:

1. It’s a 4th Edition game (I had previously played v2.0 through 3.5)
2. It’s a Dark Sun setting, which is a world that I’ve not played in before.

We ran two encounters; there are two more left in this chapter, I believe. (Nyx: I’m running a half-tiefling.) It was fun and a bit different, as this was more of a miniatures game than the role-playing style of 3rd Edition and earlier.

Back at home, SaraRules and I watched a short movie, Vampire Hunter Hank, that her friend Jerry made. It was pretty funny.  And entertaining, to boot.

Workout
Yesterday’s step count: 3,940

And… my sides still hurt from the other night’s workout.

Stray Toasters

• I already posted this directly to Facebook, but: This Week’s Cover: ‘Green Lantern’ Heats Up Comic Con
• David Garrett’s goal: Pull rock fans into the classical world
• SaraRules bought some Old Spice body wash for me. It made me chuckle. I think that I might have even rolled my eyes, too.
• CNET Prizefight: Apple iPhone 4 vs. HTC Evo 4G
• Five Great Cover Songs from 2010 (So Far)
• Guess who has cookies from My Dough Girl, courtesy of the coolest wife ever…
• 
• By way of the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file:
  • Utah mom pregnant with two babies who aren’t twins, courtesy of
  • Why I Stalk a Sexy Black Woman on Twitter (And Why You Should, Too)
• Afghans to Form Local Forces to Fight Taliban
• I’m so into you
  But I’m way too smart for you.
  Even my henchmen think I’m crazy
  I’m not surprised that you’d agree.
• ‘Immigrant’ List Sets Off Fears
• Iroquois Lacrosse Team Denied Visas by UK
• 
• For : Penn Jillette on artistic satisfaction and magic
• Man decorates walls with beautiful Sharpie illustrations

Namaste.

Wednesday – 14 July 2010
It’s Comics (and possibly Sushi) Wednesday.

Today is also Bastille Day.
(Rush fans, click here.)

Last night, SaraRules’ mom came over and joined us for dinner. SaraRules fixed a nice vegetarian curry over rice. We talked about books and movies (Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus!) as we ate.  After dinner, SaraRules and I headed to The Garden of Sweden — I needed to pick up more picture frames. On the way home, we saw Jim from Pin-up Girl, as he was closing up shop, so we stopped and chatted for a few minutes.

We also… went to the gym! I was on the fence about going, but I knew that it would be good for me. Last night’s routine included:

• Elliptical: 5 minutes/5 MPH (avg.)
• Kickbacks: 3 sets/10 reps
  • 1 set @ 50 lbs
  • 2 sets @ 70 lbs
• Leg Extensions: 3 sets/10 reps, 70 lbs
• Leg Curls: 3 sets/10 reps, 70 lbs
• Compound Row: 3 sets/10 reps, 125 lbs
• Reverse Fly: 3 sets/10 reps, 70 lbs
• Reverse Punches (dumbbell): 2 sets/20 reps, 10 lbs
• Side Bends: 3 sets/10 reps, 20 lbs
• Tricep Extensions (rope): 3 sets/15 reps, 70 lbs
• Core (plank): 3 sets/30 seconds

Yesterday’s step count: 5,940 steps

Stray Toasters

• SaraRules posed an interesting question last night: Given the problem that the iPhone 4 has had with lost calls/losing bars (due to the location of its antenna), how likely is it that the problems Steve Jobs had making/maintaining a call during the iPhone 4’s rollout were due to his hand/finger placement on the phone?
• Bus carrying LDS youth to pioneer trek destroyed by fire
  My former (before a recent re-org) boss’ kids were on that bus; his wife was in a car that was trailing behind.  Everyone got off the bus safely, but no equipment was saved.
• Improv Everywhere: Star Wars Subway Car
• By way of : Air Conditioning Is Terrible for the Earth — Here’s How to Live Without It
• After inputting yesterday’s post into this quiz/test/whatchamacallit, I got this result:

  

  I write like
  Chuck Palahniuk

  I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

• By way of Geekshow Podcast: 50 My Little Pony Mods for Geeks
• NAACP, Tea Party Volley Over Racist Claims
• From CNet.com: Testing Data Speeds in New York
• 
• By way of SaraRules and the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Vaseline launches skin-whitening Facebook app in India
• WordBook appears to like Four-Color Coverage again. “Beware my power… ” indeed.
• Bubble Series par Melvin Sokolsky pour Harper’s magazine 1963

Namaste.

Monday – 12 July 2010
Holy cow… where’d the weekend go?!

Saturday, SaraRules and I did the Lavender Harvest 5K in Mona with our friend, Melissa. The race was held at the Young Living Lavender Farm, where SaraRules’ bridal pictures were taken.

The race started a little late, but there was a good turn out — according to Doug, Young Living’s CEO, the race has grown from about 300 people to over 1,000 in four years. As this was my first-ever 5K (and as I am not a runner), there was a little jogging (briefly) and a lot of walking in this event. SaraRules figures that we finished in about 45 minutes or so.  It was a good first experience with a 5K.

On the way back to SLC, Melissa started feeling decidedly “not well.” We stopped a couple of times… and finally wound up heading to the InstaCare in Springville. Shortly after arriving – and before the doctor really did anything – she started feeling better.

Back home, I took a shower, grabbed gear and headed up to Dr. Volt’s for the weekend’s ‘Clix tourney. Almost as soon as I got in the care, I realized that needed caffeination. Badly.  (Which sounds really funny, if you hear the voice from Gauntlet saying “Green Elf needs food badly!”) I swung into the parking lot at Pin-up Girl… but there were five cars in line and I was already running late. Not an option. So, I headed on to Dr. Volt’s. Fortunately, Dave has “Mexican Coke” (the one that has real sugar, not artificial sweeteners) at the store, so I had a bottle of that to get me through. The tournament went well; I wound up playing bye rounds — my team was the Justice League of Arkham.

After the tourney, I went back home to take care of a few last-minute items before our open house. We had a good afternoon with family and friends who were able to make it.

By 11:00, “awake” was becoming less and less of an option. I don’t think that I made it to (or much past) 11:15.

Sunday, I was up at 8:30. That was fine; I was quite happy with a good seven hours’ sleep. I was a little restless, but couldn’t figure out what to do. I solved that by plopping down on the sitting room sofa and wasting time with my Evo. Then I headed downstairs and wasted time online. After she got up, SaraRules made omelettes! We watched the Spain – Netherlands game. (The regulation time seemed… dull and a little lifeless.)

After the match, we headed up to the in-laws’ for a few before going to see Predators. Both SaraRules and I agreed that it didn’t suffer from “sequel suck” and that it was definitely a good choice for an afternoon popcorn flick.

Workout

• Saturday’s step count: 13,228 (Thank you, 5k!)
• Sunday’s step count: 2,308 (It was a lazy day.)

Stray Toasters

• Deer Valley Music Festival: Power to the People
• Hyperbole and a Half
• Gospel Singer Walter Hawkins Dies at 61
• Iran woman escapes stoning death for adultery
• ‘Avatar’ Finally Reaches Feature-Film Length
  (Because, you know James Cameron just *needs* more money…)
• Columbia, Gaithersburg make Best Places to Live List
• 
• Do other countries have their own Uncle Sams?
• Enter the LEGO Design Challenge
• From the “Gully Dwarves” file:



• Roman Polanski freed after Swiss reject U.S. extradition request
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Zombies in Car Crash Confuse Onlookers
• ‘Voice Blind’ Man Befuddled by Mysterious Callers

Namaste.

Thursday – 08 July 2010
Good NBN Comics Thursday!

Last night, SaraRules and I met her parents and aunt and uncle for an evening at Abravanel Hall. Utah Symphony was putting on a ZAP (Zoo, Arts and Parks) concert, benefitting The Road Home. The Symphony performed an encore presentation of their Patriotic Celebration concert. It was quite good. After the concert, we – along with – headed over to Capo Gelateria for gelato. Nice way to cap off the evening.

Today has been relatively uneventful, not to say that it hasn’t been busy-ish. And meetings. Yay!

Workout
Yesterday’s step count: 6,458

Stray Toasters

• I’ve been looking at Wikipedia for storylines from DC and Marvel to (hopefully) give me more team ideas for this weekend’s tournament. I discovered that I can actually pull off a few variant teams that could be fun to play… assuming that I actually wind up playing bye rounds.
• made a comment about being “Espresso powered” this morning.
  I think that makes him “Coffeepunk.”
• Printing in 3D
• Someone in the neighborhood near the office has a blimp. Not Goodyear-sized; this one is more like something you’d see at a basketball or football game — maybe about 10 to 12-feet-long.  Still, it was odd seeing it in the air this morning.
• Is THE LAST AIRBENDER Shyamalan’s Last Chance?

  

• SETEC ASTRONOMY
• The Sartorialist
• Thanks to for posting a link to M.C. Escher in LEGO
• eBacon != virtual Kevin Bacon
• 101 Fast Recipes for Grilling

Namaste.

Tuesday – 06 July 2010
The new (and short!) work week begins. I hope that everyone had a safe and enjoyable long holiday weekend.

I was informed, this morning, that I completely missed two coworkers’ birthdays… despite wishing a third coworker a “Happy Birthday” on the same day. So, with that in mind:

Friday was very quiet around the office… although, there were more people in the office than I had expected. One of the day’s highlights was getting to watch the Uruguay vs. Ghana World Cup soccer match. I had hoped that Ghana would be able to pull off a win, but it wasn’t meant to be. After work, I hung out with Jim at Pin-up Girl Espresso, while waiting for SaraRules to get home from work. Then, it was off to Clitorati.

Saturday, Chris and I got together for breakfast (Millcreek Cafe and Eggworks) before heading to Dr. Volt’s for the weekend’s tournament, “Patriotic Fight for Freedom:”

We had nine players, so it was a good turn out for a holiday weekend. As there were an odd number of players, I got to play – I put together a team comprised of:

• Uncle Sam
• Wonder Woman
• Captain America
• Winter Soldier
• Harvey Dent LE and
• The Question

After the tourney, SaraRules and I visited her folks… and her aunt and uncle, who are in town for the week.

Sunday was a nice sleep-in day. Then we headed to The Garden of Sweden, for brunch and to pick up a few things… unfortunately, they had changed their hours (again), so we wound up visiting the Ashley Furniture,  across the street, while we waited. Into and out of the IKEA. On to more errand-running and then back to the in-laws’ for dinner and birthday cake for SaraRules’ mom.

Monday was a “work around the house” day. We walked up to Pin-up Girl for caffeinated goodness and then came home, where SaraRules fixed breakfast. After that, we got to the business of housekeeping. This also included hanging pictures and making the space look generally “lived in.” Later in the evening, SaraRules suggested that we go for a walk. We went up Big Cottonwood Canyon and walked around Silver Lake. While out, we saw two deer (just hanging out along the road), a moose (!) and SaraRules saw/I heard a beaver jump into the lake, just ahead of us.

Workout
Walking step counts for (most of) the past few days:

• Friday: 7,403
• Saturday: 5,794
• Sunday: —
• Monday: 6,480

Stray Toasters

• There’s a free Utah Symphony concert at Abravanel Hall tomorrow, just call the ticket office and reserve your tickets: 801-533-NOTE (6683). For more information, click here.
• Caramel Mocha Frappe from Pin-up Girl == Win.
• 
• Puttin the Punk Back in Steampunk
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Alligator takes late-night stroll through town
• loonybin88 just put in an appearance in the office. He was here to follow up on a project on which we’ve been working; apparently, I haven’t bolloxed things up. Win!
• I was feeling a bit nostalgic, so I checked out some old posts:
  • http://blog.echopulse.net/?p=401
  • http://blog.echopulse.net/?p=402
  • http://blog.echopulse.net/?p=403
  • http://blog.echopulse.net/?p=404

  They made me smile.

• lj user=”chromeangel” posted this, it made me laugh:
  



• Underwater Baskey Weaving: The Real Story
• I still haven’t picked up a copy of Batman: Under the Red Hood.
• Zombies in Wonderland tee shirt
• These changes in temperatures 15F+ are not helping me to shake this congestion.
• This is possibly one of the best business cards I’ve ever seen.

Namaste.

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

• I broke out the Ray Rice Pro Bowl jersey today. It’s red and white with a blue collar and has stars, for that pre-holiday patriotic touch.
• shirt.woot.com is not, in fact, selling the shirt I thought that they had brought back to the marketplace. Bah.
• Lady Gaga vs Ace of Base
• I have a couple of additions to The Covet List:
  • This and
  • This
• 30th Anniversary of Airplane and Don’t Call Me Shirley (An Airplane Quiz)
• By way of NPR Music: A Mix for America
• Mel Gibson’s new racist rant and Mel Gibson Reportedly Hurled Racial Slurs
• Base jumper survives parachute error

Namaste.

Tuesday – 29 June 2010

Another working day begins… although mine began a little later than usual. Since I wasn’t feeling 100% yesterday and last night, I decided to sleep in a bit this morning. And it was good.

Today is also, apparently, Camera Day.  With that in mind, here are a couple of shots from around the office:

Last night, SaraRules and I went to Citris Grill with the Pin-up Girl Espresso crew for a farewell dinner for Monica – one of the (former) baristas – who is moving to Oregon this week. I had the Wood Fired Chicken Breast, with roasted potatoes and green beans and a Guinness to wash it down. The food and the company were both quite good. Christy, another barista, attempted to put me on the spot at one point and asked: “Who makes the best frozen mocha?” I politely declined to answer. Hey, I don’t want someone putting “extra stuff” in my mochas from now on, because I said that someone else made a better mocha than they did. I might be a little crazy, but I’m not stupid. All told, it was a nice way to spend the evening… and we got to check out a new (to us) restaurant, to boot. Win-Win.

And, speaking of Pin-up Girl, Jim brought this back from Seattle over the weekend:

She’s a 1946 Pontiac. At some point, I’ll try to get some interior shots, too

Chew on This – Food for Thought: Foursquare

I’ve started… using/playing (?)… Foursquare. I would blame SaraRules, but I don’t like sleeping with one eye open. She has joked “There goes the marriage….” because I keep jockeying for her “mayor” position at Pin-Up Girl.

I’ve found Foursquare to be an interesting application/game. The “competition” of becoming mayor is kind of fun (and a bit silly, too), but the social aspects of the app are also interesting. For example: If you check in at a local haunt, Foursquare will notify your other Foursquare-unsing friends that you have checked in at Locatino X. That notification also includes the following: “Swing by and say hi!”  While that might not be the most appropriate thing to do, based on where a person is checking in, it is an easy way to set up impromptu gatherings – almost like a flash mob – if you’re heading to your favorite pub or coffee shop.

So far, it’s been fun. We’ll see how it goes.

Workout

Yesterday’s step count: 3,502

Stray Toasters

• I need to figure out “what pictures” are going “where” in my office.
• The Modern Slavery Problem
• MarknTyme posted a link to something that could be either incredibly awesome… or chock full of FAIL. Take a look at just what it is here. And for more information about it, go here. And, if that’s still not ringing a bell, see if this jogs your memory.
• posted a link to a cute video, shot and edited on an iPhone 4: Apple of My Eye.

  (Yes, this was pretty much an automatic “Win” for me, given the subject matter.)

• How bad are your past sins really?
• A few musical notes:
  • Snoop Dogg: Oh, Sookie
  • The Many Voices of Lauryn Hill
  • Gogol Bordello: Tiny Desk Concert
• 
• Owning a pet AT-AT walker is a ridiculously heartwarming experience
• Secret Stash 2010
• Officers claim they don’t need law to stop photographer taking pictures

Namaste.

Sunday – 27 June 2010
This month has pretty much flown by.

Yesterday, SaraRules and I – along with her parents – went down to the Utah Arts Festival. Even for the third day of the event, the turnout seemed good. Aside from just wanting to attend the festival, we were also looking for some art with which we would decorate the house. No luck. Fortunately, the Park City Kimball Arts Festival will be around in about six weeks. We’ll see how our luck fares then.

On the way to the arts festival, we walked past a bar in which the World Cup match between the U.S. and Ghana was being shown. The game had just/recently ended as we approached the bar. A trio of patrons – two men and a woman – walked out, one of the men raging, “Fuck Ghana!” at the U.S.’ loss. I was tempted to go up to him and say “Some of my family is from Ghana…,” just to mess with him. Part of me now wishes that I had.

We watched Men Who Stare at Goats last night. I’m not really sure what I expected from the movie, but what I got was an enjoyable and rather entertaining film. It was witty and quirky, without going too far over the top. I was also pleasantly surprised to learn that the movie was based on a book by Jon Ronson, an author whose work I enjoy.

Stray Toasters

• Is the US finally going World Cup mad?
  (or are they just mad now that the U.S. team has been eliminated…?)
• Handmade jointed glass robotling
• More Couples Have Friends Perform Wedding
• From the world of music:
  • For SaraRules: The Roots: Getting Personal in ‘How I Got Over’
  • For : ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic: Tiny Desk Concert
• Pinup Art That Kicks You in the Teeth
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Gaming with Defendant Costs Judge His Seat
• Geek-a-Week trading cards

is on his way over for bagels and coffee… and then to help me suss out what’s going on with the sprinklers.

Namaste.

Thursday – 24 June 2010
And, I am sure that today is, in fact, Thursday.
Which makes it “NBN Technical Friday,” this week.

It is also Day Four of “Missa K. Week.”
Happy Belated Birthday, Missa.

(Seen here giving a preview of her stand-up routine from her upcoming Vegas show)

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

And, according to Wikipedia, it is also The National Holiday of Quebec.

Last night, SaraRules and I met up with and her sister-in-law, Mauri, and attended the Cake Wrecks World Tour event at The King’s English and 15^th Street Gallery.

Jen Yates, along with her husband, John, gave a 40-ish minute presentation about how the Cake Wrecks site came about and some of their processes for bringing the site to life. You could tell that there was some… if not “scripted” material, at least some talking points that have come up before… but they were also very candid and ad-libbed a bit, as well. Jen and John held a Q&A session following the presentation and also did a cupcake “Wreck-lication” judging contest. All-in-all, it was quite fun and entertaining.

Workout
SaraRules and I hit the gym last night:

• Elliptical: 30 min/ ~5 MPH (avg.)
• Leg Press: 3 sets/10 reps, 100 lbs
• Calf Raises: 3 sets/10 reps, 100 lbs
• Leg Raises (Roman Chair, full extension): 3 sets/15 reps
• Upright Rows (barbell): 3 sets/10 reps, 50 lbs
• Curls (barbell): 3 sets/10 reps, 50 lbs
• Tricep Extensions (rope): 3 sets/15 reps, 50 lbs
• Plank: 3 sets/30 seconds

Yesterday’s step count: 8,903 steps

Post-workout weight: 181.3 lbs

Stray Toasters

• The swamp cooler now works.
  (Of course, I now have two small holes in the wall to patch…)
• Here’s a little something for your Thursday morning: Hanginaround, by Counting Crows
• Shakespearean Juggling in the Park
• The Ravens have signed a one-year deal with QB Mark Bulger. This will make for a three-way fight for the Number 2 slot, between Bulger, Troy Smith and John Beck. It will be interesting to see how things shake out.
• India’s Diverse Faiths, as Told Through ‘Nine Lives’
• Promise Seen for Detection of Alzheimer’s
• 
• John Isner beats Nicolas Mahut in epic
• Meetings!  Yay.
• iPhone 4 vs. Evo 4G: Total Cost of Ownership
  (…and “Good Luck” to those standing in line to get a new iPhone 4 today.)
• The McChrystal Saga
  • The Runaway General
  • Before and after McChrystal’s removal, a flurry of White House activity
• He’s a superhero. She’s a supervillain. They’re married.
  Complications?  That’s the fun part.
• Three iconic places to see an opera in Italy
• Unlocking New York, One Date at a Time
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Man Arrested for Photographing Cop Who Followed Him into His Home

…and I blame for the title/subject line of this post.

Namaste.