Random Access

Thursday – 23 June 2011
It’s another bright and sunny No Bad News “Technical Friday.” Amen.

Yesterday, SaraRules! and I had another prenatal appointment — another ultrasound. Baby A was in photogenic mode, while Baby B was a bit camera shy. Both babies are doing well and are growing nicely.

Last night was game night with and the usual suspects. We had a HUGE fight on our hands: Five of us (plus five NPCs) versus a small horde of villagers. And we couldn’t kill them. Not that we weren’t capable of killing ’em – morality aside – but they were possessed, and killing the hosts would have caused us to face the entities possessing them. And they, combined, would have kicked our collective recta eight ways from Sunday. So, it was a long fight:

Knock out villager.
Exorcise villager.
Trap exorcised spirit in vessel.
Lather.
Rinse.
Repeat.

But, we managed to pull it off. And… we did it without anyone dying. (Well, no one in our group died; a couple of the villagers wound up as ‘collateral damage.’ Oops.)

Stray Toasters

• Burn Notice returns tonight!
• In North Dakota City, River’s Threat Renewed
  My brother (and sister-in-law and nephew and one of my nieces) live in this town, but I spoke with my brother last night and he said that their house isn’t threatened by the flooding.
• The Magnetic Dead – 3D Zombie Magnets
• A Brief History of the Corporation: 1600 to 2100
• Pulitzer Prize winner reveals he’s an illegal immigrant
• 
• Movie Legends Revealed: A White Shaft? Elm Street’s Happy Ending?
• As Start-Up Matures, Working with Amex
  • American Express Specials — now for everyone, nationwide
• Postal Service suspends retirement plan contributions
• Abandoned 1940s Power Station

Namaste.

Wednesday – 21 June 2011
Midweek is upon us once more.

It has been brought to my attention that I have neglected to mention something. Again. Something that’s kind of a big deal and bears mentioning. The omission wasn’t due to lack of care and/or consideration. In fact, it was more of a “I had other, more immediate things on my mind.” And, to be honest… it’s not just ONE thing that I haven’t mentioned, but TWO.

So, I’m going to give them their due. Even better: I’m going to tie them together. Because I can.

What are they?  Glad you asked.  The two items are:

1. My sister-in-law, Melissa’s, birthday was this past Saturday. (Like I said I didn’t forget it — cards were sent and “Happy birthday” calls were made.) But… I didn’t mention it here.
2. I saw Green Lantern on Thursday night/Friday morning… but haven’t given it a review yet.

I know what you’re thinking: “It’s great that you’re acknowledging these things, but… um… how are you planning on tying them together?”  Good question.

My answer:

BLAOW! That’s right… my sister-in-law as a Green Lantern.  How ’bout them apples?!

Here she is, post-training, when she was allowed to personalize her uniform.

…and…

Seen here with Lantern recruit G’nort (1, 2), before he was issued a power ring

And, with not-quite-entirely-belated birthday greetings out of the way, on to Item #2: The Review…

As I mentioned above, I saw the midnight showing of Green Lantern Thursday night. I’d heard rumblings – but managed to avoid reading/listening to full-on reviews – about the movie over the course of the day. The things I heard were that it wasn’t a great movie… it was a BAD movie… blah blah blah. I tried not to let this jade my opinion; after all, Martin Campbell had brought us the new-and-improved James Bond in Casino Royale, along with a couple of rousing takes on Zorro (1, 2). With that in mind, I was good to go.

The overall atmosphere of the theatre was upbeat and anxious. This is of little surprise, as the event was  hosted by Big Movie Mouth-Off, Dr. Volt’s Comic Connection and Play ‘n’ Trade. When I arrived, about an hour before the movie started, the folks from Play ‘n’ Trade had set up an Xbox 360 with Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters on the movie screen. I milled around with Dave and Jeremiah from Dr. Volt’s for a bit before finding my seat. About fifteen minutes before the movie started, they opened up the floor for trivia and a costume contest.  Then, it was showtime.

After sitting through two hours of emerald ring-slinging moviedom, I can say this: It wasn’t perfect, but I enjoyed the film. My rating scale for comic book-related properties runs from:

Batman and Robin (1) up to Superman: the Movie (10)

I’d put Batman Begins and The Dark Knight in the high 9’s. Likewise, I’d put the Fantastic Four movies around… a 6 or 7, give or take a bit.

I’d give Green Lantern somewhere between seven and eight LEGO bricks. We’ll call it 7.5, for the sake of argument.

It didn’t knock it out of the park, as I’d hoped, but it was good. And entertaining. And fun. I think that there are a number of factors that are causing people to knock it, not the least of which is: Given the “realistic” feel of movies like Batman Begins and TDK – and even the X-Men franchise – audiences and critics were hoping for a more… serious or realistic… take on GL. Really?! Let’s look at the premise:

A man gets a ring… that can create anything he thinks of… from a dying alien… who’s part of an intergalactic police force.

Yeah, let’s see the “grim and gritty”  take on that. No, thanks.  I’m sorry that die-hard fanboys felt that it was missing this obscure reference or that character or this storyline and that critics are giving Mr. Campbell the business because there was “too much of this” or “too little of that.” I think that he did a good job. Not only that: I think that he made a movie that parents can take their kids to see.  (I credit Kenneth Branagh with doing the same thing with this season’s earlier release, Thor.)

Was I disappointed that I didn’t get to see John Stewart, my favorite Lantern (other than my sister-in-law, of course)? A little.  Would it have been fun to see more of Hal’s training on Oa? Sure.  What about more in-jet flight time? Yeah, that could have been fun, too.  But, as The Rolling Stones sang: “You can’t always get what you want…”  Besides, if DC/Warner Brothers decide to make a sequel, there’s a chance I can see him there. And if not, I still have my collection of Justice League DVDs…

Stray Toasters

• Army Gets How-To Guide for Zombie Invasion

  

• I’m not a big gearhead, but I wouldn’t mind having a garage like this. Thanks to MarknTyme for the find.
• Three-Ingredient Summer Cocktails
• No pay for California legislators until budget is balanced
  • California district can’t afford to use new $105M school
• 
• This is disappointing: What’s missing from Superman #712?
• World’s Steepest Roller Coaster to Open in Japan
• Harden Up: Can We Break Your Password With Our GPUs?

Namaste.

Thursday – 09 June 2011
Another NBN Technical Friday is upon us. Amen. It looks like it’s going to be a clear, sunny day. That doesn’t exactly hurt my feelings.

Last night, SaraRules! and I had dinner with Ron and a couple of his coworkers, Linda and Kathy. We ate at The Pie Pizzeria. I’ve long been of the opinion that pizza from The Pie is “good,” but I’m not as head-over-heels about it as some of my friends. I think that I know at least part of “why” I’ve had a problem in the past: I have most often had their “Mountain of Meat” pizza, which tends to be a bit… messy… and greasy. And, while filling, it sits heavily in your stomach. Last night’s pizza (or, rather, my half of it) had pepperoni, sausage and green peppers. It went down easily and was filling, without being “too heavy.” I’m fairly confident in saying that it was probably my most pleasurable experience eating a pizza there. After dinner, Ron came over and hung out with us for a while. SaraRules!, he and I sat around trading stories until late in the evening. It was a good end to a good day.

Stray Toasters

• Today is the 96th Anniversary of Les Paul‘s birthday.
  Today’s Google doodle (on the “Classic” home page) is an interactive homage to that.

  …and…

• Straight from the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” and the “Good Cause for a Bad Situation” files: Commission a Sketch to Help Pay Legal Fees of Girl Who Refused to Cheer Her Attacker
• Peanutweeter
• After soldiers’ video goes viral, more bags will fly free
  • Delta apologizes after charging soldiers $2,800 for bags
• Drug makes hearts repair themselves
• By way of :

• Homeless Veterans Sue Over Neglected Campus
• New elements added to chemistry’s periodic table
• Soaring inflation? Not with 9% unemployment
• This made me laugh:

  

• The Walking Dead Action Figures
  • Actors Playing With Themselves: Actors With Action Figures
• Sun uncorks a massive solar blast
• Lockdown High: How schools put the emphasis on crime, security and violence instead of freedom and education
• Citigroup FAQ: What we know about the attack

Namaste.

Wednesday – 25 May 2011
It’s not just midweek. Nor is it just new comics day or D&D 4.0 game night…

Today is also Towel Day. (1, 2)

For those who don’t grok why a towel should have it’s own day, perhaps this will help explain it:

A towel, it says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have. Partly it has great practical value. You can wrap it around you for warmth as you bound across the cold moons of Jaglan Beta; you can lie on it on the brilliant marble-sanded beaches of Santraginus V, inhaling the heady sea vapors; you can sleep under it beneath the stars which shine so redly on the desert world of Kakrafoon; use it to sail a miniraft down the slow heavy River Moth; wet it for use in hand-to-hand-combat; wrap it round your head to ward off noxious fumes or avoid the gaze of the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal (such a mind-bogglingly stupid animal, it assumes that if you can’t see it, it can’t see you); you can wave your towel in emergencies as a distress signal, and of course dry yourself off with it if it still seems to be clean enough.

More importantly, a towel has immense psychological value. For some reason, if a strag (strag: non-hitch hiker) discovers that a hitch hiker has his towel with him, he will automatically assume that he is also in possession of a toothbrush, face flannel, soap, tin of biscuits, flask, compass, map, ball of string, gnat spray, wet weather gear, space suit etc., etc. Furthermore, the strag will then happily lend the hitch hiker any of these or a dozen other items that the hitch hiker might accidentally have “lost”. What the strag will think is that any man who can hitch the length and breadth of the galaxy, rough it, slum it, struggle against terrible odds, win through, and still knows where his towel is, is clearly a man to be reckoned with.

Hence a phrase that has passed into hitchhiking slang, as in “Hey, you sass that hoopy Ford Prefect? There’s a frood who really knows where his towel is.” (Sass: know, be aware of, meet, have sex with; hoopy: really together guy; frood: really amazingly together guy.)¹

That pretty much sums it up.

Last night, SaraRules! and I ran a few errands – including setting up a baby registry at the local Babies ‘R’ Us – and then capped the evening with cups of ice cream from Cold Stone Creamery. We also (finally) got around to watching last season’s finale of NCIS… which, not so oddly, explained a few things about this past season. Go figure.

Stray Toasters

• Given that the sun was out for about seven hours before I got home, I mowed the lawn yesterday. I may have cut it a little shorter than I had originally planned… but it’s cut. And it looks much better. Now, I just need to find some time to do the edging.
• What Will Come After
• The Facts (and Fiction) of Tornadoes
• A New Approach to Railroad Switching
• USA comes up a bit short in global Better Life Index
• 
• Oh, the Stuff Those Lions Guard
• Secret Origins: Firestorm
• Google Expected to Introduce a Wireless Payment System
• This is what happens when we don’t vaccinate
• 
• The Stanford Prison Experiment
• Chrysler Pays Back Rescue Loan

Quote of the Day
“Rebar is not forgiving…”

So long and thanks for all the fish.

¹ — Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

Wednesday – 27 April 2011
Midweek.
New comics day.
D&D game night. Father-in-law’s birthday dinner.

And, it’s a bright, sunshiny day.

I’d call that an all-around good day.

Now that (most of) the shock of the whole “You’re having twins” surprise has worn off, we’re looking at the things we’re going to need two of. (I’m also trying NOT to think of things like “two cars… two college funds… two of everything…”) This is going to be something of an adventure.  And, of course, this twins-related story showed up on Big Shiny Robot yesterday.  (Although, it does make me wonder whether the twins will have superpowers and what powers they might wind up with…)

Last night, I had to go to the local Home Depot and Lowe’s. (Yeah, I know… rough life…) A couple of sections of our back fence blew over on Monday night, so they need to get replaced. I don’t know if this fence was the handiwork of the house’s previous owners or the ones before them, but the back fence has always looked kind of sad and we had talked about replacing it. This just advances the time table a bit. It turns out that the replacement fencing we’re looking at doesn’t all that expensive. (Fortunately.)

Other than that, it was a rather uneventful night, as I called it an early evening on account of being completely tuckered out.

Stray Toasters

• I have a monkey!  made it for me!
  
• The First Zombie-Proof House
• Senator: Lack of details on Playstation Network outage ‘troubling’
  • Sony Says Playstation Hacker Got Personal Data
• …and, in a related note: Borders investigates whether customers’ personal information was revealed on website
• WWII airplane factory camouflaged as a residential neighborhood
• 
• Atheists Seek Chaplain Role in the Military
• ‘Disturbing’ revelations in probe of possible gas price manipulation
• Alex Lifeson Interview: His Complete Gear Setup for “Time Machine Tour 2011” (video)
  • Just in case you’re interested in purchasing one of Alex’ guitars, click here.
• Fans of Mad Men and Portal/Portal 2 should appreciate this:

• A State Manager Takes Over and Cuts What a City Can’t
• Viktor Hertz: Pictogram Movie Posters
• ThinkGeek just referred to Mother’s Day as “…your most favorite spawn point.”  It made me laugh.
• 
• Thanks to for pointing this out to me. I may just need it…
• Traditional incandescent bulbs on their way out starting Jan. 1

Namaste.

Monday – 25 April 2011
A new work week begins. Is it a “bad” thing that I’m happy that it’s my short week?

The weekend was a good one. I talked with most of the family unit yesterday, everyone is doing well.

After Mass yesterday, I went out for a bit and wound up at West Valley Hobbies. (Shocking, I know.) They didn’t really have anything that I couldn’t live without, so I left empty-handed. Since I was on that side of town, I headed up to Black Water Coffee Company (Pin-up Girl Espresso’s shop on the west side of the valley). I chatted with Jim for a few, while getting a mocha to go. Next stop: Toys ‘R’ Us. I saw a few things there that registered as minor blips on The Covet List, but still managed to leave without parting with any money.  I headed back home and hung out before we headed to dinner at the in-laws’.

Dinner was a small affair this week, just SaraRules!’ parents and the two of us. We had lamb, broccoli and rice pilaf. Everything was very good.  Post-dinner, we watched Defiance. It wasn’t quite the movie that I’d expected. It was, however, quite good. From the IMDb synopsis:

Jewish brothers in Nazi-occupied Eastern Europe escape into the Belarussian forests, where they join Russian resistance fighters and endeavor to build a village in order to protect themselves and about 1,000 Jewish non-combatants.

We all enjoyed it.

On the way home, SaraRules! and I noted that despite the fact that neither of us is Jewish that – between A Child of Our Time on Saturday and Defiance tonight – we had a fairly Pass0ver-related weekend.

Stray Toasters

• The Curious World of Zombie Science
• Beyond Imagination: a LEGO exhibit in Hong Kong
• Slutwalks Sweep the Nation
• Ravens safety Zbikowski improves to 4-0 after knockout
• 
• Thousands of devotees rush to pay homage to Sathya Sai
• Norio Ohga, former Sony president, dies at 81
  • Rest In Peace, Former Sony Chairman Norio Ohga
• 
• Pokemon’s Ten Most Disturbing Pokedex Entries
• One Size Fits No One: Seeking a Steady 4 or a 10
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Concierges confess hotel guests’ most memorable requests

And, with that… on to the day!

Namaste.

Friday – 22 April 2011
It’s my 9/80 “on” Friday. S’okay… it’s the quiet, low-number-of-employees day. That’s a good thing.

Today is also Good Friday…

…and it’s Earth Day, too.

But, it’s still a Friday, and that means that the weekend is mere hours away…

Last night, after I got home from work, I went to the basement and ran my train around the layout for a bit. To those who don’t get “how” people can derive enjoyment from “…just watching a train go in a (modified) circle,” I don’t think that I can sufficiently explain it. But I do. And it was good. And fun.

After a failed trip to the Village Christmas Shoppe at Gardner Village (it’s closed… as in permanently) SaraRules! and I picked up dinner from the Papas – John and Murphy – and went home to watch The Godfather: Part III, which I’d never seen before. It was good. (Man, it was LONG, too…) I enjoyed seeing continuation and conclusion of Michael Corleone’s rise to power and how he wielded it.

Stray Toasters

• I’m playing phone-tag with two different service companies, while avoiding… umm, “delaying”… calling two others. Yay.
• Well, $#!* Swearing is good for you, sort of
  Really?! It took them 2 years to figure this out? I could have told them that in about 2 seconds.
• SLC church distributes free copies of the Quran
• 
• All Your Base Are Belong to Us: How 50 Years of Videogames Conquered Pop Culture
• Georgia nuclear reactor shuts down; investigation under way
  • Speaking of Georgia and nuclear power, I need to correct something that I posted (at least once) before: It turns out that former U.S. President Jimmy Carter was not a nuclear engineer, as I had previously been told. He did work in the field of nuclear energy, but wasn’t a physicist or nuclear engineer. (Source)
  • Fukushima Plant Is (Officially) Dead Forever
• There’s a new Green Lantern trailer…
• At Ebenezer Baptist Church, a Glorious Rebirth
• 
• Zombie comic tutorial for using the college library
• Inquiries Grow Over Apple’s Data Collection Practices

Namaste.

Sunday – 16 April 2011
Today is Palm Sunday (1, 2).

And every time I think of that, my mind wanders off to Palm Sunday Downpour, by the band a friend of mine used to be in…

…which, apparently, one of his former bandmates has covered/released on his own. Huh. Go, Power of the Interwebs!

Yesterday was a good day. It was, to be certain, a long day, but it was a good one, all around:

The morning started with SaraRules! and me heading over to say “Goodbye” to Kate, Perry and the kids. They moved out of town this morning. I’ve known Kate for… close to ten years and I’ve known Perry for 8 or 9-ish; they’ve been very good friends. They’re going to be missed.

Next, we headed to Thanksgiving Point to check out:

“Eye-Candy Overload” was a wee bit of an exaggeration… but I think that was only because of how much the weather has flip-flopped from warm-to-cold-to-warmish over the past couple of weeks. Yes, there were tulips in bloom. But, upon our arrival, there weren’t as many as we would have expected. As the morning wore on – and as we neared the end of our excursion – more opened. This isn’t to say that we had a bad time, though. Far from it. We had a good walk and I got a lot of pictures around the gardens.

On the way home, we stopped at In-N-Out Burger for lunch and at the local Kohl’s, so that I could look for a couple of pairs of slacks. Lunch was successful; the clothes shopping, not as successful.

I decided to venture northward. I stopped in at Almosta Junction in Clearfield, where – for the first time in all of my trips there – their layout was in operation! That, of course, meant that I was compelled to shoot video (15 MB, m4v file) of it. I left with a couple of books and an O-Scale BMW 6 Series car. Next, I headed up to The Wonderful World of Trains. There were plenty of things there that could easily wind up on The Covet List, but I managed to leave with just the first FasTrack book that Lionel put out.

Back home. It was almost time to start getting ready for the evening’s outing. Black suit (Nod Ya Head), white shirt, black tie (with grey squares and white dots), black shoes. I had the good fortune to accompany both SaraRules! and to dinner and the symphony. We ate at Settebello; I had the Margherita pizza (with sausage) and a couple of cappucinos. After dinner, we walked to Abravanel Hall to hear Utah Symphony perform

(click image to see the program for the evening)

We missed most of the Mozart – we were a bit late, due to how crowded Settebello was – but the rest of the concert was quite good. Despite having heard Also Sprach Zarasthustra and On the Beautiful Blue Danube numerous times before, it was quite another thing to hear them performed live; I should think that Maestro Fischer would be proud of how the symphony performed under Mr. Schwarz’ direction.

Before heading home, we stopped at Capo for gelato. It was a good way to end the evening.

Stray Toasters

• Inability to Detect Sarcasm, Lies May Be Early Sign of Dementia, UCSF Study Shows
• From Jill Pantozzi’s “Has Boobs, Reads Comics” blog: New York Times insults female readers, they write back
  • How to Pick a Local Comic Book Store
  • Block Quote: The Case for Comic Books
• Trebuchette – the snap-together, desktop trebuchet
  These guys are only a few dollars – and a few days – from having their project fully funded. Why not pitch in and help them meet their goal? (Besides… who wouldn’t love to have their own trebuchet?)
• Keep Your Thumbs Still When I’m Talking to You
• Appalachian History Boxed Up in Shuttered Museum
• Ouch. Talk about “poor product placement.”

  

• FBI shuts down poker sites in online gambling crackdown
• You vs. the TSA: How to Survive an Invasive Pat-down
• She keeps her ex’s pistol
  On the table beside her bed
  To scare the ghosts that come
  As the bourbon slips to the back of her head
• Eight Is Too Much for ‘Short Sleepers’
• ‘Sweet Valley’ Twins Are Back, and, Like Readers, Fully Adult

Time to start getting ready for Mass and the rest of the day…

Namaste.

Thursday – 14 April 2011
It’s another glorious NBN Technical Friday. This morning started with clouds and a little snow… but it looks as though the sun is trying to put in an appearance. We’ll see how that goes.

Last night was D&D 4.0 night with and company. We adventured. We got loot. We walked right into the middle of a war between factions in a city… and had to choose sides. Hopefully, we chose well.

After the game, I headed home and occupied a nice and comfy spot on the couch, as my stomach decided that it wanted to try out a new acrobatics routine. I am attributing it to “The Revenge of Lunch!” Fortunately, by the time I got ready to call it a night, it was better. I attribute that to milk and Tums.

Stray Toasters

• Training monkeys to assist people with severe disabilities
  Didn’t any of these people learn anything Monkey Shines?  (I didn’t know that this was a George Romero film. Huh.)
• How to dig jive talk
• Seeking Execution Drug, States Cut Legal Corners
• TSA under fire for enhanced patdown of 6-year-old girl
• 
• Barry Bonds found guilty of obstruction of justice
• “Goony-goo-goo!”
• Esquire Style Presents: The American Revolution
• 
• Microsoft distributes 17 patches for 64 flaws
• The Management Myth
• 
• Study Finds Drop in Deadly V.A. Hospital Infections
• New Chevrolet Camaro will outpower Ford Mustang
  But, I’d personally still prefer the Mustang over the Camaro.
• UMaine Researchers Use Lobster Shells to Create Biodegradable Golf Ball

Namaste.

Tuesday – 29 March 2011
It’s (so far) a bright and sunny day in the valley. I’m good with that.

Last night, SaraRules! and I opted for a quiet evening in. We ordered pizza and caught up on episodes of  NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles. After that, I played DC Universe Online ; I ran a couple of missions and felt super-heroic for an hour or so. I finally remembered to take a picture in front of the Bat-Signal, as well:

After that, we watched a bit of Top Gear, before calling it a night.

Tonight, I’m heading out with a few of the guys for a pre-moving send-off for Perry. It should be good.

Stray Toasters

• My Tuesday was meeting-free… until I had to call a meeting. *sigh*
• Gender and the Supreme Court’s Wal-Mart Case
• Michigan Cuts Jobless Benefit by Six Weeks
• Discovery heads into retirement
• iZombie: snappy, sassy supernatural comic
  I have been reading – and enjoying – this book since it began last year. This compilation makes an excellent jumping-on point for new readers.
• Players claim ‘irreparable harm now’ from NFL in court filing
• 
  …and, in a somewhat related note:

  

• Amber Waves to Ivory Bolls
• Oracle’s MySQL.com hacked via SQL injection
• 3-Month Nightmare Emerges in Rape Inquiry
• Mario Brothers 2 – Kong Country (another “Serious Mario Movie Trailer”)
• Fires could be extinguished using beams of electricity

Namaste.

Sunday – 27 March 2011
Yesterday was a good day.

I went to visit with Perry and Kate for a bit. They were doing some pre-sale house work, so I didn’t stay terribly long. I next went to MRS Hobbies… from which I exited empty-handed.

Next, I took Defiant (my BlacBook) to Expercom — I’ve been having a bothersome problem with its PRAM battery and figured that I’d get it looked at and/or fixed while I had some free time. Mike, the tech on-duty, had never had to replace that battery in my model of MacBook, so it was something of a learning experience for both of us. While disassembling the laptop, he noticed that my case had cracks in the front of it. He said that he’d order a new top case and replace my old busted one with new Apple hotness. When we determined that there was A LOT more work involved in getting to the battery – and that they didn’t have one in stock – I decided to bring my MacBook back next week and kill two birds with one stone. Thus began the reassembly process. Everything was going hunky-dory, until Mike tried to replace my keyboard. It seemed that something in the pin connector was… off. So, he replaced it.

That’s right, my black MacBook has a white keyboard… at least for the next few days. There are a few not-so-minor differences in key-mappings (volume, built-in calculator keys, screen brightness, Spaces/Expose), but I’m getting used to them. Slowly.

I headed home and met SaraRules!, so we could decide what to do with the afternoon and evening. We decided to go see Sucker Punch.

I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect from the movie… but it wasn’t the movie I expected, if that makes sense. The movie’s tagline, “You Will Be Unprepared,” was spot on.  Let me rephrase that a bit: It was a good movie and we both enjoyed it. But it was more than just visually appealing; it told an interesting story… and it wasn’t the story that I expected. There were also a few surprising faces in the movie, as an added bonus. Also, I will be tracking down the soundtrack — it was eclectic and suited the different styles of the movie very well. I have to admit: As this movie gives yet another indication of just what Zach Snyder is capable of, I’m less leery and more curious to see next year’s take on the Man of Steel, under his direction.

After the movie, we stopped at the nearby Hobby Lobby. I picked up two more tank cars for my train. The only “problem” is that all three of my Norfolk Southern tank cars have the same road number. (I’m easily able to overlook this.) With their addition, I am now able to run three types of unit trains:

• All boxcars,
• All coal hoppers, and
• All tank cars.

After we got back home, I headed to the train room, hooked everything up to the N&W Bantam J and ran a 23-car consist. It made me smile.

And, sometime overnight… it snowed.

Stray Toasters

• Former U.S. Vice Presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro passed away yesterday.
  • The Pioneer: Geraldine Ferraro (1935 – 2011)
  • Ferraro was a trailblazer for women
• How D.C.’s Cherry Blossoms Almost Didn’t Bloom
• A Girl’s Nude Photo, And Altered Lives
• 
• No Flying Car, But How About an Invisibility Cloak?
• A Comic Book Lover’s Guide to Going Digital
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…!?” file: Time Warner charges Wright-Patt engineer $16.4 million for cable
• Snap Judgment
• 
• On the Clothes Watch at SXSW
• Royally ridiculous Royal Wedding packages
• Microsoft Disables HTTPS for Hotmail Users in Iran, Sudan (and More)

Namaste.

Monday – 14 March 2011
It’s Pi Day.

It’s also ‘s birthday.

This weekend was good… even with losing an hour on Saturday night/Sunday morning.

Saturday, SaraRules! and I had brunch with Logan and Swiz, before the four of us went off to see Utah Symphony’s performance of Peter and the Wolf, accompanied by Ballet West II. In the afternoon, I headed up to Clearfield and Ogden to check out a couple of train shops. Saturday night, SaraRules! and I attended Utah Opera’s opening night performance of Mark Adamo’s Little Women. I’m not typically a fan of modern classical music, but this is the second of Mr. Adamo’s works that I’ve heard this season… and I’ve enjoyed both of them.

Sunday, we took my car in to get the brakes worked on and then drove down to The Garden of Sweden. Amen. Next, I headed to West Valley Hobbies for a quick fix before we, along with the in-laws, headed to the Maverik Center for a Utah Grizzlies game. The team tried – hard – to give the game away, but managed to pull victory from the jaws of defeat mediocrity and send the Stockton Thunder home with a loss. The rest of the evening was pretty quiet and low-key.

Today, it’s more grey than I’d have expected after yesterday’s stunningly beautiful day. Oh, well.

Stray Toasters

• Yeah, it’s a Monday… and there are already IT issues. *sigh*
  On the “plus” side: loonybin88 is in town for a couple of days.
• Radioactive Releases in Japan Could Last Months, Experts Say
  • Death Toll Estimate in Japan Soars as Relief Efforts Intensify
• List of Common Misconceptions, by way of
• Over the past week, I’ve run into two (2) people from an old IRC channel, whom I haven’t seen in close to ten years and a former coworker whom I haven’t seen in two or three years. All of the encounters were good.
• Papercraft zombie-a-month calendar
• How Often Do You Change Your Sheets?
• 
• Amazon Pressured on Sales Tax
• The Boilermakers are a #3 Seed.
• Tommy Z Scores First Round TKO
  Could Mr. Ochocinco be next…?
• 5 Steps to a Permanently Cleaner Office
• 
• Jeremy Clarkson gets into fight with iPhone-wielding fan
• The best way to leave your assets to your heirs

Namaste.

Thursday – 03 March 2011
TGINBNTF!

It started off as a grey and rainy day, but the clouds have moved on and it’s sunny (with some blue sky) outside. Bonus: It’s the end of my work week and the forecast for the next couple of days looks decent.

Last night, SaraRules! and I attended the Guinness Brew Dinner at MacCool’s Public House:

We were seated at a table with a younger couple, Audrey and Garret, with whom we chatted over dinner. As usual, the food and beer pairings were fantastic. I was skeptical about both the Oyster and Leek Soup (I’m not a big fan of oysters) and the Cheese Cristini (cooked apples… not a favorite), but they were both very good. We’d had the coffee-rubbed steak at the last Guinness dinner; this time, the steak was drizzled with a reduction that made a great dish even better. I just ate the filling out of the lettuce wrap, trying to save room for the brownie. My mistake. The brownie was HUGE. And rich. And oh-so-filling. I had to revise my plan from “save room for the brownie” to “try to finish your Guinness and just take the brownie home.”

After we got home, we changed into comfy clothes and started watching some TV. I was so stuffed with good food and beer that, shortly thereafter, the TV started watching me. That was a sign that it was time to call it an early night. And I did. And it was good.

Chew on This: Food for Thought – Super Powers
Today’s Question: What super power do you NOT need?
(More specifically: What power would it be in others’ best for you not to have?) For example: A lot of people might say “invisibility” or “x-ray vision,” for somewhat obvious reasons.

My answer: Telepathy.
Reason: The ability to read minds and/or impose my will on others might not be a… “good” thing… for others.

Stray Toasters

• T-minus one day to the train show…
• Teachers Wonder, Why the Scorn?
• SB314 — Heavy on Enforcement, Light on Licenses
• Robert Kirkman Talks ‘The Walking Dead’ Season 2
• 
• Hipster Heroes and Heroines
  • I Liked Hipster Ariel Before She Was Mainstream
  • Hipster Disney Villains Are Way More Underground Than Hipster Disney Princesses
  • Hipster Superheroines: An Infinite Crisis of Irony
• Meetings!
• Work stoppage looms as NFL talks approach midnight deadline
• 
• Stravinsky’s Tales, Dunked in the Spin Cycle
• Han Solo in Carbonite Throw Pillow
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file:
  • Middle school student suspended for opening door
  • Spiders lead to Mazda recall

Namaste.

Sunday – 20 February 2011
Today is my friend, Perry’s, birthday:

This morning, I was up before 0800. That in itself wasn’t so bad. I made my way to the living room, to see what the world outside the windows looked like. Opening the blinds, I discovered the world was grey and white: Snow was falling. (Why can’t it be Spring now…?)

Yesterday’s main excitement, so to speak, was the HeroClix tournament at Dr. Volt’s Comic Connection. I was curious as to how it would go, as the store layout had changed last week, and I didn’t know how it would affect gamers’ ability to move about. Turns out that it wasn’t bad at all. We had a decent turnout – 10 players – which provided a good litmus test. We’ve had a number of close tournaments over the past few months, many of them decided by less than five (5) points. Yesterday’s event was not of that mold: The winner came in over 300 points above his nearest competitor.

On the way home from the game, I stopped to pick up late lunch/early dinner for SaraRules! and myself. (Guess who had Chinese food.) We wound down the evening with Machete. Somehow, I never got around to seeing it last year. Pity. It was a fun flick that, in many places, tossed “suspension of disbelief” right out the window… and that was just fine.

Chew on This: Food for Thought – Black History Month
Today’s person of note is Dr. DeNorval Unthank.

Unthank was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania. His mother died when he was nine, leaving eight children. Unthank’s father, a cook unable to support him, sent him to live with his aunt and uncle in Kansas City. After completing high school, Unthank attended the University of Michigan where he received his B.A. He received his medical degree in 1926 from Howard University in Washington, D.C. Unthank returned to Kansas City to complete advanced medical training before moving to Portland in 1929 to start his own practice.

Dr. Unthank was recruited to Portland in 1929 because the city needed a black doctor.  He was quickly tested as his white neighbors greeted his first attempt to move into a previously all white residential area with broken windows, threatening phone calls, and general harassment.  Unthank had to move his family four times before finding a place to settle down peacefully.

Throughout the 1930s, Dr. Unthank was Portland’s only black medical practitioner.  He was a dedicated doctor and a friend to any minority group in the city as well.  Black families could not receive treatment in hospitals – house calls were necessary, and Dr. Unthank made himself available day and night.  He served African Americans, Asians and many whites as well.

Dr. Unthank was politically active and was outspoken in his support of civil rights and equal opportunity.  In 1940, Dr. Unthank was elected head of the Advisory Council, an organization that hoped to pressure local leaders into providing equal access to economic opportunities related to WWII jobs.  The Council documented incidents of discrimination in the workplace around Portland despite raised expectations following President Franklin Roosevelt’s signing of Executive Order 8802.  On Dec. 5, 1941, the Council organized a mass meeting to promote an official letter of protest to federal authorities about Portland’s situation.

During and after World War II, Dr. Unthank worked tirelessly to build his medical practice and promote civil rights.  He became the first black member of Portland’s City Club in 1943.  He encouraged the club to publish a significant 1945 study called “The Negro in Portland,” which opened the eyes of many citizens to ongoing discriminatory practices.  Dr. Unthank also served as president of the local chapter of the NAACP, and was a cofounder of the Portland Urban League.  He played a strong role in the passing of Oregon’s 1953 Civil Rights Bill, which among many issues, overturned a law banning interracial marriages in the state.

Dr. Unthank died on September 20, 1977. His impact on racial integration and institutional recognition of minority groups was eulogized in many newspaper articles and obituaries by people from both the medical profession and the civic organizations he helped form and influence.

Stray Toasters

• I had weird and disturbing dreams involving a zombie apocalypse situation last night. That’s a new one for me.
• The Life of Edward Gorey, Told by an Old Friend
• I had no idea, until a few minutes ago, that Danny Trejo did the voice for Bane on Young Justice.
• “C” is for “cookie”
  
• For Kids, Self-Control Factors into Future Success
• For Tyranist: Producing a Book, the Analog Way

That’s good enough for me.

Namaste.

Monday – 24 January 2010
Well met, work week. Let us see what we can accomplish.

Yesterday, I met up with Chris and Jeremiah for a HeroClix game. We played 800 points, per player. Chris fielded his X-Force team, Jeremiah brought five White Lanterns, and I played the Teen Titans. The game lasted almost three hours and, in a rare twist, didn’t involve two of us ganging up against one player. It was probably one of the most balanced three-player games I’ve ever played. In the end, Jeremiah lost his team first, I came in second, with Chris winning.

After the game, I met SaraRules! at her parents’ place for dinner and football. Later in the evening, the two of us headed downtown for our fourth Sundance movie: Benavides Born. The movie told the story of Luz Garcia, a high school senior in a small Texas town. Her dream is to get put Benavides in her rear-view mirror. Her means for doing so is to secure a powerlifting scholarship to the University of Texas. The movie follows Luz as she competes, in hopes of winning a scholarship, and as she interacts with her family and friends. This is also a coming of age movie, as it deals with Luz learning what it takes to achieve her goal and dealing with the obstacles and setbacks that arise, making her dream seem unattainable. It was a very “human” and very good movie.

Instant Replay: Football
There were some only two games over the weekend: the AFC and NFC Championship Games. I only watched the AFC game:

New York Jets at Pittsburgh Steelers
19 – 24
The Jets flew into Heinz Field, coming off a big win against the New England Patriots. I don’t know what happened to the Jets in the first half, but they were completely shut down by the Steelers. Their run game was ineffective. There was almost no pass game. The were just… there. In the second half, the Jets remembered what they were there to do and played ball. Their game wasn’t perfect, but it was fairly solid, they posted sixteen (16) unanswered points, but their last defensive stand failed to stop the Steelers from attaining first downs, allowing them to run out the clock. And so, the Super Bowl game will see the Steelers taking on the Green Bay Packers. Guess I’m going to be a Packers’ fan.

Stray Toasters

• American Icons
• Art Exhibit Stirs Up the Ghosts of Zimbabwe’s Past
• Thanks to for pointing out the Model Railway Layouts Blog to me.
• Fitness guru Jack LaLanne dies at 96
• Why Papa Johns, Intel, others said no to Super Bowl ads
• 
• Frank Gehry’s Home for New World Symphony
• In Pursuit of Qubits, Uniting Subatomic Particles by the Billions
• Wizard and Toyfare magazines fold
  (Which really seems about 3 to 5 years overdue…)
• 
• This is a good multi-genre mash-up: The Walken Dead
• Comics Code Authority is dead

Bang. Zoom.

Namaste.