Random Access

Friday – 29 May 2009
Thank God and whomever came up with the 9/80 schedule. Last night, I was tired — so tired that I was in bed before midnight. I slept in this morning… until after 1000. Yep, I was that tired. And it was really nice to be able sleep in. SaraRules fixed pancakes and eggs for breakfast; we ate it while watching Dogfights – “The Flying Tigers” on The History Channel:

FLYING TIGERS
Two weeks after Pearl Harbor, a courageous, rag-tag band of American mercenaries dare to challenge the overwhelming might of the Japanese Air Force. The legendary “Flying Tigers” slash through the skies of China, and help vanquish the unstoppable Japanese. Follow leading Tiger aces Tex Hill and John Alison as their P-40 Tomahawks fight to the death against the agile Japanese I-97 Nate.

It was rather neat. They had historians, as well as a few of the Tigers, describing some of the missions. They also included some animated recreations of dogfights.

Last night, we went to the Main Library to hear a lecture by Jamie Bernstein, daughter of the late composer Leonard Bernstein. She was talking about Mass (1, 2), the piece being performed by Utah Symphony tomorrow night as Keith Lockhart’s final performance as Utah Symphony’s Music Director and conductor. The lecture and most of the questions were quite good. It was nice to hear Ms. Bernstein talk about the piece from a personal perspective. Mass should be something to see ; according to a rep from the symphony, a limited number of tickets are still available.

Stray Toasters

• By way of : EFF chairman makes a ‘Downfall’ remix

• Why our ‘amazing’ science fiction future fizzled
• KISS + LEGO = THIS
• For : Pee-Wee voices BatMite
• McDuffie fired from JLA
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: To the army, Sweat = Threat
• Also from the “WTF” file: Anti-Smoking Pressure Group Takes Aim at Wolverine
• ‘Kidnapped son’ found on Facebook
• Boingboing.net is soliciting questions for an upcoming Michael Moorcock interview.
• 
• Man who drove into City Hall gets 10-year sentence
• More countries should have this problem: Netherlands runs out of criminals, has to shut prisons

Time to go out and find some trouble to get into.

Namaste.

Tuesday – 26 May 2009
Back in the saddle again…
Another work week kicks off, but fortunately… it’s an abbreviated week. Three-day work weeks should be standard. This morning, I wasn’t prepared for the alarm to go off. I was in the middle of a dream and, once my brain wrapped itself around the concept of “alarm going off,” I bolted awake and scrambled for the clock’s off button. *GAH*

Yesterday, SaraRules and I rearranged the bedroom, assembled the bookcases and moved them into the bedroom. The new arrangement looks nice, but will take a bit of getting used to. After that, we headed out for a while. As we slept in and worked through lunch, we decided to have a late lunch/early dinner at Pawit’s. Unfortunately, they were closed when we got there. Instead, we went to Jasmine. I had the House Lo Mein (beef, chicken and shrimp), along with Wonton Soup and an Alaskan Roll (sushi). The food was good, as usual. Then came meandering about town.

Chris called and asked if I was available for and interested in playing HeroClix. That was unexpected, as we are supposed to be playing tonight (which we’re still doing). I told him that I was and invited him over. We decided to go with a 600 point, themed game. We settled on Teen Titans vs. X-Men (pictures here); I hadn’t used them before and thought that they sounded like a fun team to test out. We traded bad dice rolls – Chris’ came early in the game, mine around the middle of the game.  I managed to take out Wolverine and Nightcrawler before the Titans got wiped out. I can’t blame dice rolls for all the problems – I made a few tactical errors a few moves into the game that wound up getting me into a bind later. But, I find that I liked the Titans – I’ll have to play them again and see how they fare.

After Chris left, SaraRules and I watched The Terminator. Some of the special effects don’t hold up – and the cheesy 80’s synth music was cringe-worthy – but it was fun. And it continued the “Robots Blowing Stuff Up” weekend. I discovered a few interesting bits of trivia, after the movie, but among the most noteworthy/laughable:

O.J. Simpson was considered for the role of the Terminator, but the producers feared he was “too nice” to be taken seriously as a cold-blooded killer.

Stray Toasters

• I think I have tonight’s ‘Clix team figured out.
• Giving a voice
• Mouse Guard: kid-friendly RPG where you get to play a mouse with a sword!
• Obama chooses Supreme Court judge
• Why it’s hard not to stare at facial deformities
• 
• Is Crohn’s Disease on the rise because we’ve eliminated hookworm infections?
• DoD Sharing Threat Data with Critical Industries
• U.S. journalists got Watergate tip, but missed scoop of the century
• Nevada wacky race with $500 cars

Zoom.

Namaste.

Thursday – 21 May 2009
Last night, SaraRules and I went with her father and brother on an expedition to Utah County.  They were heading to Cabela’s and we tagged along. That’s right, another journey to Outdoorsmen ‘R’ Us — Logan wanted to pick up a new fly fishing rod; Steve needed some ammo. So, off we went. There was a Black couple that walked into the store just ahead of us; my first thought: “What are they thinking?!  They’re going in there without a protective shield of White people! They must be lost…” It made me laugh. The rest of the evening was less eventful, but relaxing.

Stray Toasters

• Steampunk D&D Beholder Sculpture
• Rachel sent me a link to You Are What You Eat
• had a few things to say about the outcome of last night’s American Idol finale.
• The Gear of War
• Today is apparently National Waitstaff Day…
• …and, as a friendly reminder: Monday, 25 May 2009, is not only Memorial Day, it’s Towel Day, as well.

  

• : You might consider getting this for either (or both) of the kids.
• While talking with Nathan about Star Wars and Star Trek, I came across an IMDb listing for something called Star Trek vs. Batman, a fanfilm. I actually watched some of the first part. Fascinating… in a geeky/dorky kind of way.
• A&E has a sweepstakes in which you can win a trip to Las Vegas to see Hammer in concert. (You know… in case you missed his tour with Vanilla Ice a few months ago.)
• LEGO: Building Block of Post-War Hope
• From the “Take the Money and Run” file: NZ hunts accidental millionaires
• V teaser – The Aliens Are Our Friends

Moving right along…

Namaste.

Tuesday – 19 May 2009
Yesterday was a lazy day. And, after the past few days, a day to just… relax and hang out… was just what the doctor ordered. The highlights of the day included: a visit to see , a trip to Far West Comics, a trip to Lollicup (SaraRules wanted boba tea) and going to look at bad dresses at a local store. Oddly enough, we actually liked most of the dresses in their window displays; I don’t think that’s happened before. We came home and watched a couple of episodes of NCIS as well as another episode of Planet Earth, “Mountains.” By the way, if you haven’t watched Planet Earth, I heartily recommend it.

Later this morning, SaraRules and I are heading down to Camp Williams for Jess’ interment. She’s being buried with full military honors.

This afternoon, the IT team is going to lunch at Tucano’s. This is our reward for finishing the server room upgrade before the end of the month… and making sure that it all works the way it’s supposed to.

Tonight, Chris is coming over to play ‘Clix. I should probably finalize the team that I want to use. Details, details…

Stray Toasters

• It is National Backyard Games Week.
• sent me a link to Lawyers: To Save Newspapers, Let’s Pretty Much Destroy Everythings Else Good
• Also by way of Nyx: Meet the Incredible Hulk of Hounds
• Drew pointed me in the direction of LEGO USB Hubs
• …and, since we’re on the subject of LEGO:
  • Space Marine Light Assault Vehicle (that’s right, it’s a Warthog… made of LEGO!)
  • Mini UNSC Pelican dropship and Warthog
  • New LEGO Architecture Sets
  • For – Danger Mouse, the greatest secret agent in the world!
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: Camera Misses the Mark on Racial Sensitivity
• Do You Trust Elevators? Maybe You Shouldn’t
• I saw this commercial and it made me laugh: Intel Star

• What’s Inside WD-40? Superlube’s Secret Sauce
• Atomic Disruptor Raygun: steampunk gun made from radios and cameras
• 
• Asimov’s Laws of Robotics Are Total BS
• Obama Speeds Up Fuel Economy Standards, Sets First Carbon Limit

As it’s my first day back since Thursday, I should probably take a look around and see what’s what.

Namaste.

Monday – 18 May 2009
Today is apparently International Museum Day.

It’s also a day that I’ve taken off from work. I’m not sure what we’ll be doing today… possibly a museum visit will be added to the non-existant agenda.

We didn’t wind up watching a movie last night, but we did manage to catch up on episodes of NCIS, CSI:, and Batman: The Brave and the Bold that we’d missed. While watching B:TBTB, I picked out Michael Dorn‘s voice as the main antagonist. (SaraRules looked at me a little askance, I told her that I watched a lot of Star Trek: TNG and DS9 and that Michael Dorn had done a lot of voiceover work.) I checked when the credits came on; I was right. Something that I wasn’t as sure of was the voices for Booster Gold and Skeets – they sounded like the actors who filled the roles on Justice League Unlimited. A couple of IMDb searches later and I had the answer. The roles were done by the same actors, Tom Everett Scott and Billy West, respectively.

Stray Toasters

• Sims Trek – A… trailer… of J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek, done with The Sims 3
• Handed Keys to Kingdom, Gamers Race to Bottom
• From the “Monkeys!” and “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” files: Robber uses banana as gun
• In search of Europe: Sweden (or “What can Europe’s politicians learn from Ikea?”)
• Christopher Walken: What I’ve Learned
• Mens Suit Buying Tips and Hidden Details to Find When You Shop for Clothes

Time to find some trouble to get into…

Namaste.

Friday – 15 May 2009
Another 9/80 Friday off begins. I seem to have slept well last night – that’s always a “good” thing.

After work, SaraRules and I went to Chris and Mary’s to celebrate Mary’s birthday. and , and and their kids were their, as well as Chris’ brother, Ryan, whom we hadn’t met before. It was a nice get-together… and, before all was said and done, we hammered out some rough details for another bad horror movie night. And… AND… Chris and I are playing dolls ‘Clix on Tuesday. Win-Win!

Stray Toasters

• My copy of Battlefield 2142 (for Mac) showed up yesterday. I’m REALLY rusty at that game.
• ‘Exiled for life’ in Somali camp
• Lauren Montgomery talks Green Lantern: First Flight and Victor Garber talks Green Lantern: First Flight
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: Scouts training to fight immigrants and terrorists
• Texts From Last Night, by way of
• Personal Freedom, by State
• 
• …along the same lines, SaraRules has taken to watching Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?
• Adding Incompetence to Insult
• Was 1971 the best year to be born a geek? (I think they’re off by a year, personally)
• Texas Is Under Seige From Zombies!
• The Metropolitan Museum brings out American art again
• The All-Time Top 10 List of Best – and Worst – Mothers in Comics
• Ten Beautiful Computers

So far on the afternoon’s agenda: A trip to the gym and we’re going to see Disney’s Earth.

Namaste.

Wednesday – 13 May 2009
Thank you to everyone who extended thoughts, prayers and well-wishes. I appreciate your thoughtfulness and concern and I am grateful for your friendship.

Last night, SaraRules and I met , and Mr. and Mrs. for dinner/dessert at The Cheesecake Factory. It was nice to hang out with them. As I have said many times before: I have been blessed with many very good friends. I don’t think that it’s a bad thing to remember/rediscover that fact. (I also rediscovered the inherent problems of having cups of coffee shortly before going to bed, too… but that’s another story altogether. *sigh*)

Stray Toasters

• Exotic Star Trek Locales Are All Over the California Map (contains a few possible spoilers)
• EU slaps record fine on Intel
• From NPR Music:
  • Lady Sovereign: The ‘Biggest Midget’ Returns
  • Mozart’s Turbulent Final Symphonies
  • John Coltrane’s ‘A Love Supreme’ Live, with Strings
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: Jesse Ventura: I could make Chickenhawk Cheney confess to the Sharon Tate murders with a waterboard
• Lite Brite Cubed
• Slain Lawyer’s YouTube Video Plunges Guatemala into Crisis, Protests Form on Facebook
• Greece Halts Google’s Street View
• City of Heroes Is Going Rogue
• 220MPH Solar-Powered Bullet Train on Arizona Horizon

…and back to it.

Namaste.

Tuesday – 12 May 2009
Today is apparently Limerick Day.

Yesterday, loonybin88, Sean and I headed over to the driving range at Old Mill for lunch. I had a few good  drives, but it was apparent that it has been “a while” since I’ve teed off. I foresee more trips to the range in the next few weeks.

Last night, SaraRules and I played Trivial Pursuit. She kicked my trash, eight ways from Sunday. Seriously. In about twenty-five minutes. We both started off slowly… then, next thing I knew, she had four wedges. I managed to get four by the time she got her sixth wedge, but then she headed for the center space and wrapped things up.

Stray Toasters

• In Turnabout, Iran Releases U.S. Journalist
• Before yesterday, it had been a while since I’d been to Broken Frontier; they’ve had a facelift.
• Mountain Game: Craig Adams’ Kurosawa-inspired Artsy designed, Alpinist
  (I actually own the movie that this was based on.)
• Their Name Is Legion
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: 747 sucks a baggage container into its engine at LAX
• Dear Spike, by way of
• Rachel sent me a couple of amusing items:
  • A quote from QDB and
  • A Shortpacked comic strip
• Thanks to Dana, from Galaxy of Comics, for pointing this out: Fathers’ Day: 2 Legendary Comic Creators Proud of WOLVERINE
• For , a couple of New Mutants-related articles:
  • New Mutants: Birth of the X-Babies
  • Mighty Week of Marvel #29
• One shot: Harvard College founder, UNSC soldier, HALO destroyer
• By way of : Vitamins Found to Curb Exercise Benefits

Quote of the Day
From an IRC conversation:

[23:23]  : blizzcon 2009 noncombat pet reward : grunty, the space marine murloc.
[23:24]  :

[08:26]  : nah, not going to blizzcon.  i was planning on buying the PPV broadcast on directv anyway though – grunty is an excellent bonus to go along with that. 🙂
[08:30]  Ahpuc: “grunty” ?
[08:30]  : The 8th Dwarf
[08:30]  : He was sick on the main day of filming, so they cut him out of Snow White altogether.
[08:31]  Ahpuc: Huh. I always thought the 8th dwarf was Sodomy, and they had to censor him out.
[08:32]  : Sodomy, or “Dom” as he was known in some circles, was replaced by Dopey… in an effort to make the movie more “family-friendly.”
[08:33]  Ahpuc: Family-friendly, because sodomy == contraception?
[08:33]  : Family-friendly as in “less therapy-inducing for small children”

Attack the day
Like birds of prey

Namaste.

Saturday – 09 May 2009
It’s been a quiet and lazy morning, so far. I’ve been surfing the Interwebs and relaxing. Later today, I’m going to see Star Trek (again) with some of the usual suspects.  And after that… who knows?

Stray Toasters

• 10 Things Parents Should Know About the New Star Trek
• Man who wouldn’t walk again finishes marathon
• Apple Buying EA?
• 
• Germany to ban paintball in wake of high school shooting

And now, it’s breakfast time.

Namaste.

Friday – 08 May 2009
Today is my stepmother and younger brother’s birthday(s):

…and…

I slept poorly last night. I attribute it to the fact that I had to be up early this morning – earlier than usual – to get into the office early. The first few hours of sleep were alright, but from about 0430 on, it was rather touch-and-go. And that was annoying. But, here I am… with a large, triple-shot-laden frozen mocha to help me not rip peoples’ throats out make it through the day.

Nathan was also in early. We spent a good bit of time talking about the Star Trek movie, our likes and dislikes. As a bigger fan of Star Wars, there were a few things that he didn’t grok in fullness, but he thought it was a very good movie – enough so that he’s planning on seeing it again.  *nod* I approve of that.

Stray Toasters

• By way of comes: Ada Lovelace – The Origin
• National Guard to cut forces after recruiting creates surplus
• Minority youngsters dying weekly on Chicago streets
• Pope begins Mid-East pilgrimage
• Real supervillains don’t use CraigsList
• 
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: Chinese provincial government orders local officials to smoke more
• Zombie Snack Bib
• Disney stokes publicity engine with ‘Christmas Carol’ train
• Lady Liberty’s crown to reopen
• Rubik’s Cube Salt and Pepper Mills

Unintentional Porn Overheard at Work
They are still wiring in a few new electrical connections to finalize our server room upgrade. I just heard the following, between Mike (lead electrician) and Aaron (his assistant), while running new wire:

Aaron: Give me more, Mike…
Mike: Six inches more?
Aaron: Yeah, that’s good… whoa!  Whoa!  Stop!  That’s enough!

And, yes, it made my inner teenager grin like a fiend.

Have a great day!

Namaste.

Monday – 04 May 2009
I slept in this morning. I was surprised to find out by how much I slept in, actually. But, it both felt good and I apparently needed the rest.

As I noted yesterday, we – and a few of the usual suspects – saw X-Men Origins: Wolverine. It was a good summer popcorn movie. Yes, they played a little fast and loose with some continuity, but not so much that it was disturbing to me; I found it a nice blend of comic continutity with (some of) the previously established continuity of the first two X-Men movies. I give it a definite thumbs up with an okay.

We then headed over to SaraRules’ parents’ for dinner and the start of a movie. Dinner was a very tasty beef stew; the movie was Catalina Caper. More specifically: The Mystery Science Theater 3000 version of Catalina Caper. While I realize that virtually any movie that wound up on MST3K was “bad,” this movie set the bar to an all-time… low, I guess. The most entertaining thing about the twenty or thirty minutes that we made it through was Little Richard, and he wasn’t even “all there,” it seemed.

Back home for a rather lazy evening: I played a little City of Heroes and worked on some props for my Heroclix City; SaraRules did some reading.

Stray Toasters

• Art student’s car vanishing act
• Supermen!: The First Wave of Comic Book Heroes 1939-41
  ::: adds to The Covet List :::
• LEGO Torture Scenes Protest Media Censorship
• 
• Photoshop Contest: Cartoon Ren 3
• NASA to begin layoffs as shuttle retirement nears
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” files: Warner Music to Warner Music: You are pirates!
• Free Range Kids author says: Raise kids without fear!
• Photos of food and their sugar cube equivalent
• Five years (FIVE YEARS!) after the “wardrobe malfunction” incident, it seems as though CBS is still under the gun and may still be fined for it.

And, as I’m taking the day off, there’s nothing officially on tap. I like that.

Namaste.

Tuesday – 28 April 2009
First off, let me start by saying Happy (Belated/Early) Birthday to the following people:

• and

I didn’t want to forget (again) to do that. And now that it’s taken care of, we now return you to your regularly-scheduled post…

After work, I went home and took a brief nap while SaraRules did some errand-running. It was good enough to get em through the rest of the evening.

When she got back, SaraRules and I went with her family down to Red Rock Brewing Company for dinner, to celebrate her father’s birthday. I had a very tasty cream stout along with a French Onion Steak Sandwich (on sourdough bread), which was very good. After dinner, we headed back to her parents’ place for cake (which was a very good homemade coffee cake) and coffee.

We left there and headed home. I changed into comfy clothes and plopped down on the couch. We watched The Late Show and The Late Late Show, which featured a rather amusing take on the swine flu coverage in the news:

By the way, : Dolly Parton will be on The Late Show (Letterman) tonight.

And, most importantly: I got a good amount of sleep last night. I even slept in this morning and when I got up, I decided that I wasn’t really in a rush to get to work. It felt pretty nice, actually. Although, when I got to the office, one of the managers of the development team came over and congratulated/thanked me (for the IT Team) for getting everything done and back online without horribly impacting their productivity. That was a good way to kick off the morning.

Stray Toasters

• The wedding website is getting more content. I might even get the go-ahead to post its link later.
• Game Changers: Brainteasers for Hardcore Videogame Fans
• , you’ll want to take a look at this: Full of Pryde
• Mormon Crickets Dislike Led Zeppelin
• The Words in the Mental Cabinet
• HOWTO make edible circuit diagrams out of candy
• 
• Kevin Smith Explains What Happened to His Superman Movie
• Cool Tools: New Editor, Same Deal
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: Michael Jackson’s weirdest detritus, a photoset

Namaste.

Today was “Sushi Wednesday.” We took Chad (yet another coworker) with us; he’s been wanting to try sushi for a while, but the timing was never good for him.  Until today. He liked it, for the most part – there were a few things that he wasnt crazy over. That happens.

After lunch, loonybin88 and I took a field trip to pick up some supplies for this weekend’s server room work. If there’s a “plus” to working on Saturday (aside from getting paid), it’s that the weather is supposed to take a dive again. “Supposed to” being the key words in that phrase.

Stray Toasters

• While discussing lunch plans today, I posted “Red Five, standing by…” as a response. That led to Jeff posting a link to this. We all got a good laugh from it.
• Caution Signs Endangered Movie Characters Really Need
• I think I might take a post-work nap when I get home.
• Robert Rodriguez Confirms Predator Series Reboot
• Google Calendar + Calaboration + iCal = WIN!
• Woman thanks her lucky bra as it saves her from a bullet

Namaste.

Thursday – 23 April 2009
Another NBN Thursday begins. It’s not quite as bright and sunny as the past couple of days have been, but it’s supposed to get into the 80s. And, this morning’s commute started with Limelight… so, that can’t be all bad.

I picked up yesterday’s four-color haul after dinner last night; I haven’t read anything yet. I might get to that this evening, post-CSI:.

Last night, SaraRules finished a new quilt and I finished up both the Mayhem Rail platform and the WildWood Grove chapel. I stuck them both on the masterboard… and I took pictures. (Big surprise, I know. But, I did.) I still need to do some of the interior props for the chapel, but I’m happy with the way the exterior turned out. And, there’s something about having an 18 square foot play area that amuses me.

Stray Toasters

• SaraRules made banana bread. (You can be jealous now.)
• Queen Rania: The World Cannot Afford to be Cynical
• The NFL Draft begins tomorrow.
• Could YOU Be Batman? Here’s How You’d Do It.
• Historic St. Louis Schools Face Uncertain Future
• 
• A Eulogy for the Boombox
• From the “Paging Mr. Cobblepot…” file: Bionic penguins take to the water – and the skies
• Pentagon Cyber-Command in the Works
• Star Wars cupcakes

Namaste.

Wednesday – 22 April 2009
It’s Earth Day.

It’s also Administrative Professionals’ Day.

Last night, SaraRules had Book Club, so I spent a fair portion of the evening finishing up the chapel for Wildwood Grove and assembling a train stop for Mayhem Rail. I like the way that the chapel turned out; I still need to do a little work on the rail station, but it’s coming along nicely. Pictures will follow… eventually.

Stray Toasters

• ‘Deeper’ recession ahead says IMF
• Opening Skinner’s Box: ten psych experiments that remade the world
• The Geeks’ Guide to World Domination
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: Gummy Bacon
• 
• Mission Impossible: The Code Even the CIA Can’t Crack, by way of
• 747 converted to a restaurant, then abandoned
• From NPR Music: Puccini’s ‘La Boheme’ At Its Best
• Star Trek’s Beast Master Reveals How to Create a Monster

Namaste.