Random Access

A few late-afternoon distractions have been discovered:

• By way of and Not Always Right: May Contain Scenes of Gratuitous Bowie
• Erfworld
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: Woman rubs chili pepper seeds in her eyes after setting new world record
  I can’t just make her “Human of the Day.” It would be… too much of an understatement.  So, we’ll make her “Hardcore Human of the Day.”  Yeah, that’ll work.
• Obama eases curbs on Cuba travel
• Ariana Page Russell: The Human Etch-A-Sketch
• 
• We are in the midst of a server room upgrade. Along with this, we’re getting some new cabinets for servers. Julie fielded a call this morning from the shipping company to schedule delivery of the cabinets. She set us up for Thursday delivery.  Ten minutes ago, a driver from the company showed up… with the racks in his truck. We couldn’t take delivery for a couple of reasons
  1. The truck had no liftgate.
  2. We have no forklift.
  3. Our building has no loading dock.  (FAIL!)
  4. We weren’t expecting them until… um… Thursday maybe?!

  So, Julie sent the driver packing. The cabinets will be delivered… on Thursday, as agreed upon… in a truck with a liftgate.

Namaste.

Today has been a great day.

SaraRules and I got up this morning and went to Mass at St. Vincent De Paul’s Church.

In our Easter Sunday finery.

It was a nice service with a nice homily – Change and the cross as a transformative figure. There was a little boy, about 18 months or so, in the pew in front of us who was quite entertaining (to us) and a bit of a handful (to his parents). The kid was well-behaved, but when his parents weren’t looking, he would take the opportunity to scoot up and down the pew. Comedy. Straight-up comedy.

We came back home for breakfast and coffee. I changed clothes and got ready to head to Chris’ for a few hours of playing HeroClix; he was teaching the game and we started up a three-way game on the Arena map. I had a team in mind to play – Young Superman, Gamora, Wasp (from The Ultimates) and Marvel Girl – but swapped Storm, Winter Soldier and Hawkeye in for Young Superman, Gamora and Wasp. I had a great opening couple of rounds (including a great opening shot on three targets with Hawkeye), but wound up getting caught between Chris and ‘zephyr and getting worn down. Quickly. It was still fun.  Chris and I are getting together Tuesday night for an X-Men vs. The Brotherhood/Hellfire Club game.  That should be good.

I met SaraRules’ at her parents’ house for dinner and a late celebration of Logan’s birthday. Both dinner and the homemade birthday cake were delicious.

Stray Toasters

• 
• In a related note: Peeps: Are They for Eating or Entertainment?
• From SaraRules and comes this bit of oddness: Robot Programmed to Love Goes too Far
• Just for the record: Fast and Furious was fun, but don’t go into it expecting Oscar fare. I did, however, come to something of a realization: This movie (and the original) are like modern-day versions of Smokey & the Bandit. That thought put a smile on my face.
• Nominate a Name to Retire
• This one comes from both the “Monkeys!” and “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” files: Best Buy Sells Egregiously Crappy, 9-Year-Old Hard Drive as New, Then Refuses Refund
• Time Travel Cheat Sheet, indirectly by way of
• To Save Money, More Airlines Grounding Aircraft
• City Pollution

And now, we’re going to watch Casablanca.

Namaste.

Saturday – 11 April 2009
It’s a lazy Saturday in the valley.

So far, we’ve had breakfast, watched a little TV and addressed some of our “Save the Date” announcements. We’re off to do some errand-running and we’re going to see Fast & Furious in a couple hours.

Stray Toasters

• pointed out this item: Zombies Are the New Vampires
• 
• Remember Olestra, the wonderful fat substitute used in potato chip manufacturing from the mid-90s?  The one that didn’t add fat, calories, or cholesterol to products? The one that also led to “anal leakage?” Guess what… It’s back. And this time, it’s being used as an “environmentally friendly” industrial lubricant.  (Yeah, this is definitely one for the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file.)
• Indie Chinese art/music/culture site
• Tesla Roadster runs for 241 miles in e-rally

Off to see the wizard…

Namaste.

Shortly after this morning’s post, our phone system decided to go belly-up. Not really sure “why,” but it did. It took a long while to get things back under control; it took the better part of the morning, in fact.  Now, it seems as though “Crisis on Infinite Phones” has come to an end. Thankfully. (Call Geoff Johns and George Perez.)

Stray Toasters

• Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate-covered Espresso Beans. *thumbs up*
• Nyx and I might do some drawrin’ this evening.
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: Jam Out With Your Clam Out
  
• We’re going down, down, down, if that’s the only way
  2 make this cruel, cruel world hear what we’ve got to say
  Put the right letters together and make a better day
• By way of comes another item for the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: Grandma dies trying to stop sword fight
• 
• I just got a message from Stephanie: “Well, it’s official. The Green Lantern pony is finished.   Now all I need is a lantern.  😛 “
• Dan Aykroyd on the Return of Ghostbusters, by way of
• Zipper Dress, which I believe was originally shown to me by SaraRules
• Pill for Alcoholism May Also Dampen Urge to Steal

YYZ

Namaste.

Thursday – 09 April 2009
It’s overcast, rainy and… cool (not really “cold”) and I find myself thinking: “We left California… and the sun… and the warmth… for this?!” Oh, well.

The drive back was just as long as the drive down, although it was shorter in terms of time, because we didn’t make quite as many stops; we did stop at the In-N-Out in St. George, though. I phased in and out of sleep, many times. (I realized later that was due to a sleeping poorly Tuesday night.) On the whole, the trip was uneventful.

As we were getting stuff out of SaraRules’ parents’ car, it started to sleet. That urged us to hasten our efforts to get things into the house, oddly enough. We said our goodbyes and headed off to pick up the apartment key from . (Thanks again for keeping an eye on things!) Next, a quick stop at Rumbi to get some dinner and then home. We were both beat; we watched last week’s CSI: while we ate. We watched a bit of The Late Show and called it a night.

Stray Toasters

• Thanks to for pointing out Dr. Funkenberry.
• The Complete Manual of Things That Might Kill You
• In world news: Georgians rally against president
• Gentleman in New Orleans Loses Chunk of Arm in Possible Zombie Attack
• Sandy Collora, possibly best known for his Batman: Dead End fanfilm, has a trailer out for his upcoming fanfilm, Hunter Prey

• Dungeons & Dragons Co-Creator Arneson Dead at 61
• Self-Resucing Princess t-shirt
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: Women Meat Pioneers
• By way of comes “Your Business Card Is CRAP!”

Quote of the Day
Julie, our Property Manager, was asking me how our trip went.  I was recounting it and told her that SaraRules had found her dress… but that I couldn’t tell her anything about it, because I haven’t seen it and won’t see it for six months. That led to the following exchange:

Julie: That’s right, you’ll be getting married on the next Conference weekend.
Me: Oh… yeah… Well, there goes about half of our guest list.
Julie: That’s what TiVo is for!

We both got a good laugh out of it.

And, with that, back to the grind…

Namaste.

Tuesday: Coda
This afternoon, SaraRules and I decided to check out a few comic shops near her aunt and uncle’s. We had three stops on the agenda. Thanks to GoogleMaps, we had a circuit planned that would take us from one shop to another and then to the third and bring us back home, jiggity-jig. Map in hand, we got under way.

The first place was what I expect most non-comics fans would anticipate a comic shop to look like: Jam-packed, floor to ceiling, with comics, statues, toys and whatever else they could get away with. It was a claustrophobic hole-in-the-wall. There was some sense of order to things in there, but damned if I could figure it out in the ten minutes we were there.

We hit the second shop… after discovering that GoogleMaps had apparently gone on a coffee break when we asked it for directions. We figured out where we were supposed to be going and found the store. It was a satellite of a store that I visited the last time that I was in L.A.  I liked the original store quite a bit; this one left a bit to be desired, though. It was laid out decently, but the stock was, by comparison, quite lacking.

We literally stumbled over what wound up being the “third” store. I saw it as we were driving past the strip center in which it was located. It was part-comic shop…. and part-fabric store. O,o ?!? Explain that one, if you can. I think that we were there for five minutes, tops. Definitely an entry for the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file.

On the way to the now-fourth store, we discovered that GoogleMaps screwed the pooch again. A few course corrections later, we wound up at Galaxy of Comics. It’s a new store (opened on 04 Feb 09), but it was clean, well-organized and inviting.  Dana, the associate on-duty, was friendly and helpful. I found a few pieces of plastic crack (which I was looking for) and a graphic novel (which I wasn’t looking for, but looked interesting).  Of the comic shops we visited today, Galaxy of Comics was the best shop, hands-down. I’ll be stopping here again, when I’m back in town. If you’re in the San Fernando Valley – and more specifically, in the Van Nuys area – you should check it out.

This evening, we went to dinner at Wood Ranch BBQ and Grill. I had a combination of the Beef Ribs and Babyback Ribs, with Incredible Mashed Potatoes and Steamed Broccoli… and a Guinness to wash it down, naturally.  SaraRules had the Tri-Tip, with the mashed potatoes and Mac and Cheese. The food was delicious and the service was great. Unfortunately, there is no Wood Ranch in the Land Behind the Zion Curtan nor back home in NC or MD.  BAH!

We hit the road back to SLC tomorning.

And that, as they say, is that.

Namaste.

Tuesday – 07 April 2009
It’s another good morning in Granada Hills.  I don’t get why Superman moved to Metropolis; this place was made for Kryptonians and Daxamites: It’s 1030, sunny and already 61°F.

It seems as though SaraRules has found “The Dress.”  In fact, she and her parents just left to pick it up. I’m not sure what all is going on today. Various and sundry forms of “shopping” are going to be involved, as far as I know. *shrug* I can live with that.

Stray Toasters

• Beware the perils of caffeine withdrawal
• Top 10: Shows in Danger, courtesy of
• 
• …and I really want a sign like this for my cubicle.  (Is that a “bad” thing?)
• Columbia Developing MIB3?
• Newspapers are dumb to blame Google for their problems
• iTunes tiered pricing goes live
• What you should be afraid of instead of terrorists
• 
• Jackie Earle Haley is Freddy
• Stan and Jan Berenstein’s mid-century illustrations
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: Stolen single-engine plane intercepted by US fighter jets
• Nimoy Stuns Austin Crowd with Secret Star Trek Premiere
• Nine Words From Science Which Originated in Science Fiction
• nom nom nom Lunchbag

…SaraRules and company just got back with the dress. (Which I will see in six months.)

Namaste.

I don’t know HOW I forgot to mention this earlier, but I did.  Thanks to SaraRules for reminding me about it…

We stopped at a truck stop outside of Barstow for petrol and a pitstop. Once we got inside, I found the most curious thing: The Burton Pot-Popper

That’s right: Pop. Corn. IN YOUR CAR! Thanks to the power of the 12V outlet. Not only does it pop corn, but it also can be used to cook soup/stew.

If only we had something like this last September when we went camping…

Friday – 03 April 2009
It’s my 9/80 “off” Friday, but I’m working today – I’m shifting my day off to Monday.

Last night, SaraRules and I headed over to visit . I knew that and would be there, but we were surprised to find there; he had dropped in before heading to the airport. showed up a little later, too. Nyx was doing henna on and when we got there:

SaraRules and I had dinner with and after leaving ‘s.

Back at home, SaraRules and I hung out in front of the TV – she quilted while I played on the Interwebs. David Letterman had Michael J. Fox as his guest on The Late Show. I was impressed to find that Mr. Fox hasn’t let his bout with Parkinson’s Disease get/keep him down. In fact, one of the things that he discussed was a trip he took to Bhutan, including hiking up mountains there. It was a good interview.

Stray Toasters

• This morning, I woke up with Chicago’s Stay the Night running through my head.

• We got the proofs back on our “Save the Date” announcements.  They look good. Really good.
• Angry Villagers Run Google Out of Town
• Mow the Lawn – I don’t have the words to do this justice, you’ll just have to watch it.
• I was pleasantly surprised to find that LilFormers has grown into a full-blown webcomic:

  

• …speaking of LilFormers, while at dinner last night, made a comment that reminded me of this toon. I decided to do a little digging, because my Transformers knowledge wanes from the period just before the movie. One thing led to another and I wound up looking up information on Transformers: Beast Wars, that’s when I came across this gem:
  

  The later plot was developed following the discovery of a message made by the original Megatron for any Decepticons who would uncover it within the Golden Disks.

  I shared it with Nyx, along with the following question:

  By this rationale, it’s not too much of a stretch to wonder: Were the Decepticons Mormon?

• Batman Icon’s Mutation – a look at the bat-symbol through the years
• By way of Nyx and Not Always Right: There Can Be Only One Insane Customer
• Gorillaz go Bananaz
• Flurries. Again.
• After Sweden’s New Law, Drop in Internet Traffic

That’s a good start for the day.

Namaste.

Thursday – 02 April 2009
Sushi Wednesday was postponed until today. But, I’ll have to miss it, as I have a lunch meeting. I may also have to fore go (or maybe just postpone) today’s workout, for the same reason. On the plus side, I stopped by to visit for a bit, after work.

Next, home for dinner and a movie with SaraRules and her mother.  Dinner was shrimp jambalaya, the movie was Australia. The movie was… interesting. It looked really nice. Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman did well in their roles. The main problem was… no, “problems were”… that:

1. The movie was long, nearly three hours. (Granted, it didn’t feel long.)
2. It felt like they tried to shoehorn too many movies – not just stories – into that time.
3. It was a bit disjointed – the movie seemed to take a huge left turn about 2 hours in.
4. Elton John’s closing song.  (He should not be allowed to write lyrics. Ever.)

Despite these things, I did enjoy the movie; although, as SaraRules put it: “It’s not like I need to see it again.” It was an entertaining way of spending an evening. And, at one point, I even broke out a “Wolverine in a cowboy hat” ‘Clix, just to get a smile/eyeroll out of SaraRules. It worked. (Thinking about it, with Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, I could actually see Nicole Kidman as Emma Frost, the White Queen (1, 2)… especially after her turn as Mrs. Coulter in The Golden Compass.)

Stray Toasters

• I heard part of an interesting cover of Major Tom on a Lincoln ad last night. You can see the ad here. The ad made me want to look up trivia about the song. And, by the power of Greyskull with the power of the Interwebs, I did:
  • Wikipedia
  • The Straight Dope
• By way of : Umbrellas for the Civil but Discontent Man
• The Beats: A Graphic History
• Cute and amusing: Bunnysong (video)
• 
• The title of this is self-explanatory: Giant Star Wars pool toys and kites
• What would President Obama look like as an action figure? Something like this, I’d suspect.
• Marvel prepares to showcase Wolverine from a very different perspective
• I found Code Monkey: Stargate Atlantis online again. Now, I must find a way to procure it for my collection…
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: Lindon (UT) police bust family-run prostitution ring

Namaste.

Tuesday: Coda
This afternoon, Wes and I headed to the gym to get in a late lunchtime workout. After we got out on the floor, SaraRules came over to say “Hi” and chat for a few minutes.  Today’s routine consisted of:

• Leg Raises: 3 sets/20 reps
• Bench Press: 300 lbs (1 rep); 3 sets/10 reps, 205 lbs
• Compound Row: 3 sets/12 reps, 125 lbs
• Lat Pulldown: 3 sets/10 reps, 120 lbs
• Lower Back Extensions: 2 sets/15 reps, 160 lbs
• Flys: 3 sets/10 reps, 130 lbs
• Chest Press: 3 sets/10 reps, 90 lbs

Since I did another rep of 300, it’s time to decide what’s next. It’s either going to be:

• 2+ reps at 300
• Bumping the weight up to… 310 or 315

We’ll see how that goes.

Tonight, SaraRules and I stayed in and watched NCIS and Food Network Challenge… and then set about the task of making decisions on our “Save the Date” announcements. We also looked at a few photographers, but I’m not sure which of the three gets my nod.

Stray Toasters

• Happy 20th Anniversary to my coworker, Drew.
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: Mom’s plea deal includes ‘resurrection clause’
• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome exercises that really work

And now, The Late Show with David Letterman.

Namaste.

Tuesday – 31 March 2009
It’s hard to believe that March is nearly over already.

Last night, SaraRules and I had “Sunday dinner” with her family. We also watched Quantum of Solace. I still enjoy the movie and, to a lesser degree, the theme song… but the theme still sounds a bit too disjointed and/or like it’s trying too hard to be a Bond theme. *shrug* While there, her father offered me a taste of something new at Whole Foods: Double Cream White Chocolate Milk. Wow. It was good. VERY good, in fact.

Back at home, SaraRules did some quilting and I read last week’s comics. The standouts of the haul were:

• Captain America #48 – In this issue, Bucky/Winter Soldier/Cap, Namor and Black Widow wrap up a few loose ends from Cap’s time as the Winter Soldier. And, while he’s never been a favorite character of mine, it was nice to see Namor’s wrath directed at a target who deserved it for an actual affront, rather than a perceived one.
• Fantastic 4: #565 – This was the second part of a holiday story that saw the FF and family on vacation in Scotland. To be honest, the first half of the story didn’t exactly wow me; the finale, however, was good. I was also surprised at how the issue ended: A “thank you” letter from someone the FF saved during the issue’s adventure.
• R.E.B.E.L.S. #2 – More adventures of Vril Dox (Brainiac 2) and his attempt to wrest control of his L.E.G.I.O.N. operation from his usurpers. Supergirl and the LSH’s Brainiac 5 are on-hand to lend assistance, as well.
• Wonder Woman #30 – Readers finally meet The Olympian, whose arrival has been hinted at for a while. We also learn just how far Dr. Barbara Minerva, the Cheetah, is willing to go to try and break Diana. (Hint: It’s pretty far.) But, readers also see just how far Diana is willing to let herself be pushed… and how far she’s willing to push back.

Stray Toasters

• Trekker recreates classic Star Trek scenes with LEGO
• Star Wars considered as an episode of Dallas

  …and then there’s also Star Trek: Love Boat and Star Trek: The A-Team, if you need more.

• Chernobyl Today: A Creepy Story Told in Pictures
• 
• Green to the Corps
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: Bank pushing 120% APR loans
  I think that it could/should even be considered for “monkeys!” too.
• Top 50 WTF Moments in Comics
• Astro Boy trailer online

That’s good for now.

Namaste.

I had to skip the lunchtime workout today; I had a lunch meeting to attend. We went to Pawit’s Royal Thai. (, Pawit said to tell you “Hello.”) Pad Pra Grow and iced coffee. Very tasty. And the meeting was productive, too.

Stray Toasters

• I caught Bret online a little while ago. I haven’t had a chance to catch up with him in a while, so it was nice to have a few minutes’ long chat with him.
• Girl, 14, Faces Porn Charges for Nude Photos
• Damn you, Mafia Wars!  *shakes fist*
• Photographer Captures L.A.’s Vintage Homes
• It’s amazing that I’ve been looking for new ‘Clix to make… and it didn’t occur to me – until this afternoon – to make a John Stewart GL one.
• Speaking of GLs, Stephanie did a mock-up of my GL Pony as a mini-pony. She said that it looks good. I can’t wait to see the finished product.
• Cassandra Wilson: Standards Transformed
• Wing Commander (the game, not the movie)
• was screening resumes and came across one that made his brain go all ‘splodey. I had to see what caused it, so I went around to his desk to check it out. *OW* The entire thing was written in an Olde English font…¹
• 10 OSes We Left Behind

Namaste.

¹ – It turned out that the resume was fine; it was ‘s word processor that read it oddly.

Thursday – 26 March 2009
There are light flurries again this morning. *shrug* I think that it’s supposed to creep back into (or at least near) the 60s this weekend.

Last night, after stopping to say “Hi” to , SaraRules and I went walking. (Hey, it’s exercise…)  As it was cold and wet outside, we opted to go walking at South Towne Center. I hadn’t been there in… longer than I can remember. Mall-walking has the added benefit of allowing you to pick and pan the latest fashions in the window displays. We did. There were a number of dresses in one store’s windows that we found… “aesthetically unpleasing.” But, we were also pretty sure that somewhere a high school-aged young lady would think that they were the greatest things ever. Also while walking through the mall, I found $20 USD. Just lying there on the ground. WIN! We also discovered that there are TWO Bank of America ATMs in the mall. O,o ?!? (For those of you who don’t understand why this is noteworthy: BoA doesn’t have branches in this state… AND they happen to be my bank. Thus, finding a veritable last bastion of banking goodness makes me quite happy.) Seeing the ATMs also raised a question: Who services these machines? We guess that someone from either Idaho, Nevada or Wyoming must have to cover them on their routes.

After getting back home, we watched NCIS, The Late Show and The Late Late Show. Just before heading off to bed, I decided to give “The Fickle Finger of Fate” method to channel surfing and see what was on. One of the things I found was Blacula. I haven’t seen that in ages. It made me laugh, but I still turned off the TV and called it a night.

Stray Toasters

• How to Change the World
• Bankrupting the Arts: State budget cuts could change Baltimore’s cultural landscape forever
• Thanks to for pointing this out: LEGO Batman is being ported to the Mac
• Also from : Project Runway finalist denies cat used as weapon
• From baby to blog to memoir for Heather Armstrong – I couldn’t remember why the name “Heather Armstrong” sounded familiar until reading this article. She’s a blogger from SLC, whose site I’ve read from time to time.
• Mythbusters Accidentally Bust Windows in Nearby Town
• Internet Explorer 8 “critical” flaw in final version – Is this a surprise? Really…?
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: British local governments deploy anti-teenager pink lights designed to make kids ashamed of their appearance
• 
• id Releases Open Source Wolfenstein 3D for iPhone
• The whole wide world
  An endless universe
  Yet we keep looking through
  The eyeglass in reverse
  Don’t feed the people
  But we feed the machines
  Can’t really feel
  What international meansIn different circles
  We keep holding our ground
  Indifferent circles
  We keep spinning round and round
• Remixes of the paranoid London police “anti-terror”/suspect your neighbours posters
• TV, films go boldly down scientific path
• Does this mean that Banjo Hero is around the corner?
• Anatomical models for artist’s reference – Now available in Dr. Manhattan model, too!

…right on to the friction of the day.

Namaste.

Wednesday – 25 March 2009
After dinner last night, while SaraRules was at her book club, I went to visit . Sissy the Wonder Kitty was being social last night, as well.

When I got home, MarknTyme was online. We spent the better part of the next hour talking about bands and music and whatnot. In that time he introduced me to a couple new bands:

• Tokyo Brass Style
• Youngblood Brass Band

One of my retorts was the Ukelele Orchestra of Great Britain.

This morning, I woke up with the theme from Josie and the Pussycats (the cartoon, not the movie) running through my head. It’s not a horrible song, in fact, it’s rather catchy. All the same, I’m listening to Hemispheres to purge it.

Today would normally be Sushi and Comics Wednesday… but SaraRules and I are attending a tasting at our reception center, so this week’s raw fishes and four-color haul will have to wait.

Stray Toasters

• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file: Are Kidnapped Children Tax-Deductible?
• Problems Persist, But Art Advocates See Progress Under Obama
• Chimps Have a Built-In GPS
• …and, in a related note from Applegeeks:

  

• Sorry, : Browns will make Quinn, Anderson compete for QB job
• NPR Music has an article on the Gyuto Monks, a group that MarknTyme introduced me to many years ago.
• 
• Remixing the London police’s insane, paranoid terrorism scare posters
• By way of comes Apartment Therapy
• Model railway’s global uber-view

Attack the day
Like birds of prey…

Namaste.