Random Access

Sunday – 17 January 2010
It’s another grey and hazy day in Salt Lake City. I woke up this morning and helped move a sofa. Then, I made a now-rare stop at the local Beans & Brews for some morning go-juice. Now, I’m firmly planted on our couch, watching the Vikings duke it out with the Cowboys.

Yesterday was a good – and long AND busy – day. It started off over coffee with Chris and Perry. Next up, a ‘Clix tournament at Dr. Volt’s. And, once again, we had more players than the last time – eleven people played in the tourney and we had one person who showed up, just to try and get back into the game. Of the eleven people who played in the tournament, two of them were under 10-years-old; they were the kids of one of the other players in the game and they played as a team. I played them in the first round – granting them an automatic win, as a bye round; but they played pretty well, for being new to the game in their other two rounds. At the end of the day, Jay (one of the store’s employees) one the tournament, edging out Chris by one point; and the kids walked away with the Fellowship prize.

After shuttling Chris home, I headed home and changed for a night out with SaraRules. The evening started with dinner at Donovan’s Steak & Chop House. Neither of us had been there before. We both had the 6 oz. filet with shripm scampi, with sides of fresh vegetables and garlic mashed potatoes; SaraRules had a Sauvignon Blanc and I had a Spanish red wine.  The food was top-notch, the attentiveness of (most of) the wait-staff was good. All-in-all, it was a very nice dining experience.

Next, we strolled over to the Capitol Theatre to see Utah Opera’s production of Carmen. Despite hearing selections from the opera over the years, I had never before seen it performed.  UO did an excellent job. The set design and costumes were fantastic. And the casting..?  In a word: “Amazing.”  Leann Sandel-Pantaleo, as Carmen, not only brought the role to life through her voice, but also through body language and overall stage presence.  Chad Shelton, as Don Jose, made the character’s fall from proud young soldier to lovestruck and tortured ex-lover believable… and empathetic. If you are in the greater Salt Lake City metropolitan area and have a chance to see this performance, don’t miss it.

Instant Replay: Football

Baltimore Ravens at Indianapolis Colts
3 – 20
The Ravens (Baltimore 2.0) traveled to Indianapolis to take on the Colts Indianapolis Professional Football Club (Baltimore 1.0) at Lucas Field.I didn’t get to see the game, but kept track of the score during the opera’s intermission. And, unfortunately, the Colts came away with the win. I’ve received a number of “Sorry your team lost” messages, which have been appreciated, but… even though they’re out of the running for The Big Dance, I’m very proud of what the Ravens were able to accomplish this season. They started decently, faltered in the middle of the season, but were able to finish not only with a winning season, but a playoff appearance. And, of course, there’s always next season.

Stray Toasters

• If you haven’t done so yet, I urge everyone who is able to text “HAITI” to 90999.  This will donate $10 dollars to the American Red Cross’ relief support in Haiti, following last week’s earthquake.  The $10 charge will appear on your cell phone bill.
• Congratulations to Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer
• Everything I need to know I learned from D&D
• By way of SaraRules: Songs in the key of life: What makes music so emotional?
• passed along a link to: The Outrage of LIeMAX
• I think that this answers a question that I asked way back in 2005: The World’s Most Elusive Human



• posted a link to this item: Auto-appendectomy in the Antarctic: case report
  Can someone explain to me why this guy didn’t get a listing on Badass of the Week!?
• Portland treehouse: swanky Hobbit pad
• Scrambled eggs + paprika = YUM.
• ‘Mythbusters’ Grant Imahara Explains Something Gross
  And, if that wasn’t enough, here’s the video of the myth that Grant referenced, halfway through the article.
• 
• Wizkids/NECA has a couple of new items on their site.
• The newest TV incarnation of The Human Target premieres tonight. The first version starred Rick Springfield in the role of Christopher Chance and only lasted a half-season, if I remember correctly. Something that has changed in this version is that Chance is no longer being portrayed as a master of disguise. I’m… cautiously curious… to see how they pull this off.

Namaste.

Thursday – 14 January 2010
It’s a grey and hazy day here. I’ve referred to winter in Utah – especially when the inversion sets in – as being akin to living in a dirty fishbowl. Today is a pretty good example of that. Gotta love air that’s thick enough to chew…

Last night was a very low-key night. After dinner, when SaraRules headed off to Zumba, I decided that it was a perfect night for a hot soak and made it so. To add to the enjoyment of the downtime, I read a bit of Teenagers from the Future, which I haven’t picked up in far too long.

Stray Toasters

• Go Back to the Future with Paul Levitz and the Legion
• Justice Dept. Fights Bias in Lending
• For SaraRules (and the rest of the zombie-loving masses)…

  

• Where’s the Opera Chief? Look Onstage, or in the Pit
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file:
  • Meet Mikey, 8; U.S. Has Him on Watch List
  • Oxford cops reprimanded for tobogganing on riot shields
    
• Amtrak to add Wi-Fi to some trains free, for now
• By way of Comic Book Resources, comes a new column: “Committed”
  • Introduction
  • Byrne’s Superman
• In Rebuke of China, Focus Falls on Cybersecurity
• SaraRules has given me permission to cook steaks in our fireplace… assuming that our future home has a fireplace.
• 

• Mom-made vintage game sweaters from the 80s
  
  • …and in a semi-related note (and the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file):
    • Home-made Super Mario sweater vest
    • Space Invaders tights

I think (actually, it’s more like “I’m hoping”) that I only have one meeting today. That would be nice.

Namaste.

Saturday – 09 January 2010
It’s another cool/cold day here on Hoth… I mean, “in Utah.” Not so cold that the tauntauns aren’t safe, but it’s still cold enough that “inside” is much more comfortable (to me) than “outside.”

SaraRules and I attended our friend Lawrence’s funeral this afternoon, making today the unofficial fifth day of Suit Week (black suit, white shirt, black tie), as. It was a very nice service and an excellent send-off for a fine young man. He will be missed.

After the funeral, SaraRules, and I went to Coachman’s Dinner and Pancake House for lunch. Neither SaraRules nor I had been there before. All three of us ordered from the breakfast menu. I’d want to eat there again – and have something from the lunch or dinner menu – before passing final judgment on the place, but today’s fare wasn’t bad.

Next, we did some errand-running and then, jiggety-jig, returned home. This evening, there’s a little more errand-running to do and we’re also heading downtown to try and get tickets for movies at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.

Stray Toasters

• Art Clokey, creator of Gumby, dies at 89
• Why are pistachios so darned tasty?
• LEGO Universe Impressions: The Next Step in LEGO Building
• 
• “Hammer of Therapy”
  I wonder if Thor ever refers to Mjolnir that way, when he’s battling evil-doers?
• Is It This Easy to Pull Straight Nude Pics from Airport Scanners? [NSFW]

And away we go…

Namaste.

Monday – 04 January 2010
It’s the first work day of the new year. It’s also my first day back in over two weeks. I’m still not sure that I remember all of my logins. We’ll see… maybe… if my system ever recovers from the updates that are being pushed down to it.

Yesterday was a good day, all the way around.  There was sleeping in. There was football. There was dinner with the in-laws and MORE football. After we got home, I even felt up to the challenge of sorting some of my extra ‘Clix into their respective new homes, while SaraRules watched Club Paradise.

Instant Replay: Football
Yesterday was a good day for football, as the playoff picture fell into place:

Baltimore Ravens at Oakland Raiders
21 – 13
This game wasn’t aired here, but SaraRules and I tracked it on NFL.com’s Game Center, as the game involved both our teams.The Ravens seemed to play decently and didn’t get themselves saddled with excessive penalties. And, on the other side of the ball, the Raiders had a decent game and just roll over and give away a win. With this win, the Ravens secured a playoff berth (and knocked the Steelers out of playoff contention, in the process). Sorry, SaraRules and 1silver_seraph.

.

Jacksonville Jaguars at Cleveland Browns
17 – 23
The Browns handled their business and eliminated the Jags from playoff contention.Congratulations, zeeke.

.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Miami Dolphins
30 – 24
The Steelers headed south to Land Shark Stadium and handed the Fins a loss that also took the them out of playoff contention, even though the Dolphins would have needed losses from other teams to make the playoffs. With this win, and a Ravens’ loss, the Steelers would have made the playoffs.

.

Cincinnati Bengals at New York Giants
0 – 37
The Bengals took on the Jets… and came away with a loss, in a game that the Jets had to win in order to make the playoffs. Mark Sanchez and company did the home crowd proud, handing the Bengals a big loss on the road. And who do they play next week? The Bengals… but this time, they’ll be playing in Cincinnati. Sorry, janietrain and carefreespirit.

.

Green Bay Packers at Arizona Cardinals
33 – 7
The Packers traveled to the desert and handed the Cards a loss… and a pretty big one, at that.Sorry, Marr.

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New Orleans Saints at Carolina Panthers
10 – 23
The Panthers handed the Saints a loss……in a game with no playoff implications for either team.

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New York Giants at Minnesota Vikings
7 – 44
The Giants headed into Minnesota, just to have Brett Favre and the Vikings serve ’em up a heaping helping of beat-down and eliminating them from the playoff picture.Congratulations, .

Tonight, the Vikings take on the Bears in what should be a good game.

Stray Toasters

• By way of : 10 Purchase not to put on credit cards
• 10 Sci-Fi Weapons that Actually Exist
• 

  (click to find out your score)

  

• Where was this when I needed it: LEGOland California: An Adult Visitor’s Guide
• TSA Special Agent who threatened blogger spaces out, drops notebook in public place
• 
• Avatar smashes $1bn speed record
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: BeautifulPeople.com axes holiday weight gain members

I finally remembered my password. I had changed it on one system, but not the other… and I was trying to enter the wrong password on the first machine. *sigh* But, I finally sussed it out.

…right on to the friction of the day.

Namaste.

Wednesday – 30 December 2009
And, just like that, 2009 is nearly at an end. I realized, over lunch, that today marks twenty-eight months since my first date with SaraRules.

Today is also the fifth day of Kwanzaa; today’s principle is “Nia” or “purpose”:

To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.

Today was also Comics and Sushi Wednesday. The usual lunchtime crew was busy with other things. As SaraRules had a half-day at work today, she met me for lunch. It was good. The comics pickin’s were slim, but Dr. Volt’s is having a 30% off sale, so I picked up a couple of graphic novels and a Starman figure. (He’s packaged as a member of the JSA, but he’ll always be a Legionnaire, as far as I’m concerned.)

Stray Toasters

• This goes right at the top of The Covet List.
  Why? Four words: “Kilowog Build-A-Figure.”
• This also goes on the list… for what should be obvious reasons.
• Dragon Avenue has a good interview with WorldWorksGames’ Founder and Creative Director Denny Unger.
• Obama Curbs Secrecy of Classified Documents
• Carl Kasell: After 30 Years, A Chance To Sleep In
• 
• Sharks, Zombies, Weird Clouds: The Most Popular Stories of 2009
• I shared this with earlier today: Dominoes Everywhere for the Holidays (with a tip of the hat to , for linking to it)

  Dominoes Everywhere for the holidays from Jared Lyon on Vimeo.

• Sugar Ray Robinson: Fighting Toward Transcendence
• AbeBooks’ Weird Book Room

Namaste.

Tuesday – 15 December 2009
Back into the working grind.  Not too much to plow through… aside from about 40 emails. Those are easy enough to deal with.

Last night, for the first time in at least two years, I made “Chocolate Jolt” coffee bean-infused chocolates. This time, I tried something a little different – I added mint, kind of like Andes Chocolates. I haven’t taste-tested them yet, but they seemed to turn out alright.

Last night’s excursion to Barnes & Noble proved unfruitful… at least as far as I was concerned. SaraRules, however, had a big score and was able to find [SPOILER DELETED], which [SPOILER DELETED] should think is pretty awesome.

On the other hand, after a couple of calls to local Graywhale CD Exchange stores, I have finally found a copy of Handel’s Messiah: A Soulful Celebration! It took the clerk I spoke with a few minutes to locate it – for some reason, it was put in the “World Music” section. *shrug* “Ours is not to reason why…” He’s holding it behind the counter for me; I will have to see about getting it at lunch or after work.

Stray Toasters

• At ‘s suggestion, I’m wearing a suit today; he and other professors decided to wear them to the final exam that they were proctoring “…just to entertain the students.” I wear mine around here, from time to time, “just because.” That… and the fact that it tends to make people nervous. (That’s really a nice fringe benefit.)
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Haagen-Dazs opens no-Indians-allowed store in Delhi
• sent me a couple of amusing links:
  • From Not Always Right: “The Fourth Is Not Strong in This One…”
  • Zombie ‘Star Wars’ Posters Are Beautifully Disturbing
• From the “Who Wants to Live Forever?” file: Turritopsis nutricula: The world’s only ‘immortal’ creature
• By way of come today’s “Humans of the Day” award winners: Mystery Couple Starts “Magical” Chain Reaction
• Unplugged: The Web’s Best Sci-Fi and Fantasy of 2008
• CoH is doing free character server transfers, through the end of January!

Namaste.

Sunday – 13 December 2009
Yesterday was a long and busy day…

After breakfast and a fairly lazy morning, SaraRules and I headed out to do a little Christmas shopping. Next, we stopped in to see Kate, Perry and the kids. From there…

…we went to see The Princess and the Frog (1, 2). The movie marked a return to 2-D animation by Disney Animation Studios. The movie follows Disney’s newest princess, Tiana, in her quest to achieve a dream that was inspired by her father. Tiana also holds a couple of  distinctions in Disney lore:

1. She is Disney’s first African-American princess
2. She is not a “help me, save me” princess, but more of a driven/determined young woman – much in the vein of Pocahantas or Mulan.

Let me start by saying it was a great movie. I enjoyed pretty much everything about it, from the animation to the voice casting (including Oprah?!) to the songs. The movie was set in New Orleans, in the… 20s and 30s. The animators did a good job of capturing the look and feel of the Crescent City in those days. Additionally, the animation used in a couple of Tiana’s dream sequences was also fantastic.

The movie’s dark side – provided by villain Dr. Facilier, a street con/voodoo magician – includes some scenes in which he… works his magic (sorry, couldn’t be helped)… that could be frightening to younger viewers. Dr. Facilier’s methods and motivations are reminiscent of Aladdin‘s Jafar.

The music was a fine combination of jazz, zydeco, and gospel. The different styles were used, quite effectively, to enhance the given atmosphere and attitude of specific scenes.

All-in-all, this was a fine movie and a worthy successor in Disney’s line of “Princess” movies. SaraRules made the comment: “I feel that I could let our children watch this without feeling like I just fed them a bunch of shite.” I concur.

After the movie, we headed home for a bit and then, it was time to head over to OnlyAly and ‘s for their annual “Nightmare Before Christmas” horror movie marathon.

We watched Pitch Black, The Descent and Dawn of the Dead (2004). As always, it was a fun way to spend an evening. Thanks, again, to the hosts for their hospitality.

This morning involved a good bit of sleeping in. And now… there’s football. Unfortunately, the Lions-Ravens game isn’t being aired in this market, so I’m relegated to tracking the game on NFL.com’s Game Center.

Stray Toasters

• It’s snowing. Surprise!



• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Santa Claus banned from visiting locked-up children in UK asylum detention centre
• I just saw this commercial; I like it and the message it conveys: LEGO: Build Together

• Drug money saved banks in global crisis, claims UN adviser
• forwarded a link to My Fortress of Solitude. I think that this belongs on The Covet List. I’d love to do something like this, but I’m not sure that I could pull it off, given the types of desks that we have at work.
• Black Mesa Coffee Mug
• I looked up a little more information about The Super Hero Squad Show, specifically the voice acting talent. I was surprised and amused to note that they got Shawn Ashmore and Ray Stevenson to do the voices for Iceman and The Punisher, respectively… given that the actors portrayed those characters in live-action movies.
• went to see the Faster Than a Speeding Bullet: The Art of the Superhero exhibit yesterday. I’m a tad jealous.

Namaste.

Tuesday – 24 November 2009
Last night was a quiet, football-watching night, unlike last week’s Monday night game.

This morning, while cold (24°F, when I left this morning) was clear and bright. On top of that, today is “Technical Thursday;” I’m trying to decide if I want to make it NBN Technical Thursday. I opted not to bring Star Trek to work this morning. Tomorrow, however, there… may…. be a movie (quite possibly The Wrath of Khan) playing on my large monitor.

Instant Replay: Football

Tennessee Titans at Houston Oilers
20 –17
The Titans rolled into the Lone Star State to take on the Texans. (There’s a bad “Clash of the Titans” joke to be made in there somewhere, but I’m not going to pursue it.) Somehow, it had eluded me – until the second quarter – that this match was exactly the same as the Baltimore-Cleveland rivalry: The Titans were the former Houston Oilers… who moved to Tennessee and changed their name; Houston was awarded a new team a few years later. SaraRules and I weren’t expecting too much out of this game, to be honest. We were pleasantly surprised to discover that it was a solid game, from start to finish. It was also nice to see how much Titans QB Vince Young has matured as a quarterback. He was calm, collected and, as Stuart Scott would say: “Cool as the other side of the pillow.” He played a very good game, managing the players – and the clock – very well.

Stray Toasters

• Madlessly!
• Zombie Outbreak Simulator: Sim City Plus Google Maps Plus the Undead
• By way of SaraRules: Kay Jewelers Has Decided to Give Us the Creepiest Commercial of All Time for the Holidays
• What is ‘mouthfeel?’
• The Best Smartphones on Every Carrier
• From the Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file:
  • Man Arrested with 15 Lizards Strapped to Chest at LAX
  • Man in Japan marries anime game character
• 
• WETA’s new cheaper, delightful, detailed plastic ray guns
  (This might actually be an “add” for The Covet List…)
• German ‘Robin Hood’ banker gets suspended sentence
• Modern Tech Versus the Past
• HIV infections and deaths fall as drugs have impact
• 3, 6, 9… 12, 15, 18… 21, 24, 27…. 30!

Namaste.

Thursday – 19 November 2009
I was up FAR too late last night. I got two bricks of Hammer of Thor ‘Clix and – after dinner and errand-running and making a pie and other stuff – I had to open both bricks and see what I got. I almost completed the set; I think that I’m ten or so pieces from complete at this point. In addition to the brick, I also picked up an Organized Play Kit, which basically means that I can run tournaments(!), should I choose to go that route. (I need to check with my local crack comic book shop and see what the owner thinks about it…) But, I’m happy with what I got. Very happy indeed.

Stray Toasters

• We’re having cheesecake – instead of ice cream – for today’s work snack. WIN!
• ‘Computer Glitch’ Is Delaying Flights Across the Nation
• By way of SaraRules: Blackface Filmmaker Wallraff Sparks Race Debate
• Robots Perform Shakespeare
  (This has already been done, at least it has in the book Too, Too Solid Flesh)
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers blamed for Katrina floods
• 
• Lab worms are stunned by ‘phaser’
• Overlooked 80s Sci-Fi Flicks, Recalled by Wired Readers
• Guns ‘n Gardens: How to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse

• The “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file has a few bits of monkeydom today:
  • Maricopa deputy steals defender’s paperwork during a court case
  • Man Blames Planes for Divorce, Seeks $555 Million
  • SFPD cops from imaginary anti-dance-party squad steal laptops
• Power-guzzling TVs to be banned

All of that and it’s NBN Thursday… AND there’s football tonight!

Namaste.

Tuesday – 17 November 2009
The new work week begins. Yay.

Yesterday, despite the pager incident, was a good day. I went to Chris’ and played HeroClix. Yesterday’s match-up saw the Chris’ Justice League of America taking on my Justice Society of America (pictures here). He won the game, but I was able to put away a few of his pieces before he left me fielding only one figure.

After the game, I headed home to take care of some straightening up before company came over for…

Instant Replay: Football

Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns
16 – 0
Ravens 1.0 traveled to Cleveland to take on Ravens -1.0, in a game that was not only an AFC North battle, but also a rivalry match. Too bad that there wasn’t really a “game,” to speak of.  The first half was very lackluster – neither team scored: Not a field goal (K Steve Hauschka shanked yet another kick wide left) Not a safety. Nada. Zip. Zero. Zilch. Browns’ QB Brady Quinn, who got benched earlier this season after a poor performance against the Ravens, got the start… and suffered from the same lack of ability to get anything going last night. Granted, the teams’ defenses got a good workout, but neither offense could get their game in gear. Coach Harbaugh must have gone George Patton on the team at halftime, because both the offense and the defense actually looked like they came to play: Joe Flacco and WR Derrick Mason hooked up for a long pass that set up a TD by RB Ray Rice Seventeen seconds later, SS Dawan Landry pulled down an interception and ran it back 48 yards for a TD Hauschka got it together and put up a field goal. The Ravens went to 5-4 and are still potentially in the hunt for a wild card berth.

Coach Mangini, your team just took another one on the chin.

How do you feel about that?

I can emapthize with that. Sorry, .

Stray Toasters

• Tonight: Play!
• Tomorrow: New HeroClix set – Hammer of Thor – comes out!
• pointed me in the direction of this little gem.
• Senators draw maps of their home states
• By way of CNN: 5 tips for fixing your Facebook page
• China’s Newest Export: Punk Rock
• 
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Cannibals reportedly sold body parts to kebab vendor
• Chipsounds
• “We’ve Got Some Work to Do Now” t-shirt
• Lou Jing, half-Black Chinese girl, sparks race debate in China

Namaste

01 November 2009
Welcome to November.

Is it a “bad” thing that I wish that more people and places remembered that the next American holiday after Hallowe’en is not Christmas? *sigh*

Alas, poor Yorick Thanksgiving! I knew it, Horatio.

At least we are keeping the holiday spirit alive here at home: SaraRules changed the fabric in the picture frames in the bathroom to the Thanksgiving-themed fabrics we found last week:

Last night, SaraRules and I opted to stay in and hand out candy to kids here in our complex. We were partially successful – we had two sets of Trick or Treaters. We even got into costume for it. Oh, well. We also wound up Hallowe’en with a couple of horrible… I mean “horror”… movies. (Actually, they were both pretty bad.) We watched a pair of Uwe Boll movies:

House of the Dead

and

Bloodrayne

SaraRules actually owns House (on VHS, no less!) and she found Bloodrayne on Netflix’ Instant Queue.  I’m not sure that there’s ever been a movie based on a videogame that’s been “good,” but I do know that neither of these movies qualifies. We MST3K-ed both movies… and had fun doing it.

This morning, SaraRules fixed a coffee cake, which we ate while watching football. Also during the game, I set my digital cutter to work on some WWG pieces – I got a lot cut out, I just need to glue and assemble now. After the early game, we went to the store to pick up some things for dinner tonight – we’re having jambalaya. Tonight will be another low-key night around the homestead.

Instant Replay: Football Update
Today has been a good football day. A good day, indeed.

Denver Broncos at Baltimore Ravens
7 – 30
The Ravens (3-3), after a three game losing streak and a bye week, we looking to make up some lost ground in the AFC North.Coming into today’s game, the Broncos hadn’t only allowed more than 10 points in the second halves of their games; with their 6-0 record, they headed to Baltimore to notch another win. Quoth the Ravens: “Nevermore.” This was a helluva game, especially if you are a Ravens fan. On the first play of the opening drive, Raven’s LB Jarret Johnson introduced Broncos QB Kyle Orton to the turf, on an for a sack with an 8-yard loss. And the hits just kept coming. Orton was hurried, rushed and sacked twice. And it wasn’t just the Ravens’ defense doing some work today, the offense and special teams helped out, including a 95-yard kickoff return touchdown, by CB Ladarius Webb. The Ravens looked – and played – like a team on a mission. And it was good. Amen.

Ray, how does a big win against a previously undefeated football team make you feel?

Yeah, I’d be feeling like that, too.

Miami Dolphins at New York Jets
30 – 25
The Dolphins took a trip to New York to take on the Jets in Giants Stadium… …and were able to hold on for a win. Go, fish!

.

Oakland Raiders at San Diego Chargers
16 – 24
The Chargers hosted the Raiders and were able to keep them at bay long enough to eke out a win. Sorry, SaraRules.

.

Carolina Panthers at Arizona Cardinals
34 – 21
The Cats traveled across the country to take on the Arizona Cardinals… …and came away looking like the cat that ate the canary.

.

Cleveland Browns at Chicago Bears
6 – 30
Um… sorry, .

…and the Game of the Day:

Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers
38 – 26
Brett Favre took the Vikings to Green Bay to take on his former team. How would it be to go back to Lambeau Field after playing there for sixteen years… and being gone for two? Let’s just say that Favre had a solid game: 244 passing yards. Four touchdowns. No interceptions. No sacks. It was every bit as good a game as I was expecting. Congratulations, .

Stray Toasters

• SaraRules and I picked up our wedding bands from the jewelers yesterday. We had to have them resized, because they were both (at least) a half-size too small.  For those of you who haven’t seen them before, here’s a look:

  
  (click picture for larger image)

  The bands were custom-designed for us by . She asked us what we wanted on them… and we both drew a blank. After some discussion, asked us what our interests were and that she would adapt something from that. That made it easier for both of us: SaraRules is a quilter and I’m a collector/gamer. We wanted something that represented both of us, and that’s what we went with:

  • SaraRules chose a log cabin quilting pattern
  • I chose a Green Lantern symbol. (Duh.)

  The pattern, quilt square/lantern, is repeated around the ring.

• I realized something this morning. After sleeping in my wedding band, I had a negative imprint of the ring’s pattern on my skin. It took me a moment or two to realize why it looked so familiar.  It looked like this (the symbol on Kyle’s uniform). I had always wondered how/where they came up with the symbol; now I have a better idea.
• If you get a chance, vote for SaraRules and me!
• Computer Activities for Those with Speech and Language Difficulties?
• I don’t mind the extra hour of “fall back” when we go from Daylight Saving Time to Standard Time… but I do miss the late-in-the-day sunlight.
• No word yet on when S.F. Bay Bridge will reopen
• SaraRules and I made a pilgrimage to The Garden of Sweden yesterday. We bought stuff, too.
• Zombies as American Zeitgeist Proxies
  Oh, yeah… we watched the original Night of the Living Dead last night, too.

  

• This makes me chuckle:

  

• The iPhone Now Officially Runs Doom
• I believe I’m craving a Slurpee… but I don’t think I’ll be getting one tonight.

Saturday – 31 October 2009
Happy Hallowe’en to all.

Yesterday saw the conclusion of “The Great Boot-Finding Adventure of 2009.” I needed boots for my costume… and couldn’t find anything that really fit the bill. Nothing in men’s boots. Nothing in women’s boots. And the clock was not only ticking, it was winding down pretty quickly. (Not good.)

I had been looking online and the closest thing that I saw to what I wanted/needed were these. And that wouldn’t work, because I was well past the ordering/shipping deadline. That… and the fact that I didn’t really want to kick out $120 for a pair of boots that possibly wouldn’t see light of day again, other than in a costume situation (read as: “Almost never.”). So, I got to gallivant all over Hell and half of Georgia. I found a prospect for $30 online at Dick’s Sporting Goods. And there’s a Dick’s at The Gateway!  Win-Win! I headed downtown – with a quick stop to say “Hi” to SaraRules at work – assured that my quest was at an end… but, once I got to the store, I discovered that they had nothing of the sort on-hand.

*facepalm*

Undaunted, I continued my trek. I wound up heading to the Sports Authority in Murray. I was hoping that they would have a boot that I had seen in the Sandy Sports Authority. They had them… but the only color they came in was olive. Okay. Fine. I could deal with that. I bought a pair.

After a quick stop to say “Hi” to , a trip to the Home Depot paint department, and a trip to Dr. Volt’s, I headed home… and set to work on the boots. A couple of hours and two coats of paint later, they were ready.

SaraRules came home from work and finished working on my costume – she made both of our costumes this year. When she was done, we headed to OnlyAly and ‘s for their Hallowe’en party. (Pictures here.)  As always, it was a lot of fun.

Stray Toasters

• Let me start off by saying that SaraRules did a completely kick-ass job of making our costumes.
• And a few other Hallowe’en-related items:
  • Hallowe’en is safe, your kids are safe, the only scary thing is the warnings
  • How to Survive the Thriller
  • Be a Comic Book Character for Hallowe’en
  • Witches’ Brews
• Dutch girl’s solo voyage banned
• After the Game, What Happens to the Losing Team’s Swag?
• The good, bad and ugly hair days
• Periodic Picnic Table Fills Your Tummy with Chemistry
• LEGO Transformers Characters
• I think that I’m going to do some more WWG modeling this afternoon.

Have a happy Halloween,
Halloween, Halloween.
Have a happy Halloween,
Silver Shamrock!

Namaste.

Wednesday – 28 October 2009
It’s (theoretically) Comics and Sushi Wednesday!  “Theoretically” because most of the usual suspects aren’t going to be able to make it today. I will get comics, sushi is on the fence, though.  We’ll see.

Last night, Chris came over and we played HeroClix. It was a chance for us to try out some barrier “house rules” that I found on ToyChop. In order to keep it as balanced as possible, we played the same team: Fantastic Four (from the last Starter Set), with no Feats or BFCs. Chris won the game, but it was to try the new game ideas; the house rules added a little something to the game without unbalancing it… at least as far as we could tell. We still want to test them out a little more.

My Silhouette SD arrived last night, but I didn’t get a chance to play with it. Maybe I’ll get the chance to do so tonight. Of course, I also need to cut out a lot more foamcore tiles and, unfortunately, the SD won’t do that for me. But, the fact that it will cut out tiles and posts and walls is a definite plus.

Stray Toasters

• passed along a couple of entertaining items:
  • The Art of Manliness Movember Contest 2009 (And, no, that’s not a typo.)
  • …and this Diesel Sweeties ‘toon:
    
• Urban Archeology: Lost Underworld of Los Angeles
• By way of Texts From Last Night: (607): You act like I was drinking alone…I had the entire Verizon network with me
• The Hazards of Lab Work
• Tesla Roadster Breaks Distance Record for Electric Car
• Justice Zombies of America
• Peter Sagal’s Halloween Decorations

Namaste.

Tuesday – 20 October 2009
This morning is rather grey and dreary… but it’s also without precipitation, so far. I think that maybe – just maybe – Fall weather has (finally) settled in over Utah.

Last night was a quiet evening in. There was football and a horror movie, 30 Days of Night. According to SaraRules and Reverend Tom:

“The goal isn’t just to watch ‘good’ horror movies or ‘bad’ horror movies; the goal is to watch ALL horror movies.”

And, after all: It’s October, the month made for horror movies. Or something like that.

Workout
Wes and I hit the gym today:

• Lower Back Extensions: 3 sets/12 reps
• Sit-ups (incline): 3 sets/20 reps
• Bench Press: 3 sets/10 reps, 205 lbs
• Flys: 3 sets/12 reps, 120 lbs
• Dips: 3 sets/10 reps

Pre-workout weight (morning): 184.5 lbs

Instant Replay: Football
Last night’s match-up between the Denver Broncos and Sandy Eggo Chargers wound up being more of a slugfest than I had originally expected:

Denver Broncos at San Diego Chargers
34 – 23
Any game where you have three (3) kicks/punts run back for touchdowns is a good game… especially when both teams get in on the action.  This game was not an exception to that. It was a definite back-and-forth struggle, until the Chargers started fumbling the ball in the second half. After that, Denver forged ahead and never looked back. All-in-all it was a good game, from start to finish.

After the Patriots’ 59 – 0 beat down of the Titans on Sunday, I decided to look up a couple of football facts:

1. Highest-scoring game in NFL history: November 27, 1966, when the Washington Redskins defeated New York Giants 72-41
2. Widest margin of victory in NFL history: December 8, 1940, in the NFL Championship Game, the Chicago Bears beat the Washington Redskins 73-0

So…at least the Titans don’t have the distinction of “the worst loss ever.” That’s gotta count for something, right? But, on the other hand, the Redskins have the (dubious) distinction of being part of the both the highest-scoring and widest margin of victory games… which qualifies them for the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file.

Stray Toasters

• Apple unveils new hotness
• At the centre of time – A look at the Greenwich Prime Meridian
• Car seats can be dangerous outside the car
• How forensics use Photoshop to find missing children
• NASA’s rocket roll-out complete
• How do you solve a problem like IKEA?
• From Threadless: The Horde t-shirt
• Chillits 2009 ambient music mixes online

Okay…. lunch beckons.

Namaste.

Friday – 16 October 2009
Today has been a good 9/80 “off” Friday. After dropping SaraRules off at work – we took her car to the shop this morning – I came home and did a little cleaning in the dining room and living room. After that, I met Marci and Josh for lunch at Taste of Punjab. Next, went and hung out with Perry and the kids for a bit before returning home. Back out to get SaraRules, her car and to run a couple of errands and we’re home again. For the moment. Clitorati’s tonight, so there’s that, too.

Stray Toasters

• I was on a bit of a Will Smith/Fresh Prince kick this morning. My Facebook links bear witness to this fact.
• Balloon Science Lesson
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Dead man slumped on balcony mistaken for Hallowe’en decoration
• 
• Disney gags on “Ho White” beer
• A while back, I posted a link to What does Marcellus Wallace look like?, a typographic “interpretation” of a scene in Pulp Fiction. Today, posted a link to Pulp Wave Fiction, yet another interpretation of the same scene:

• Yo momma so fat THX can’t even surround her.
  (Damn and a half, I like the dozens.)
• Also from the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Interracial couple denied marriage license in Louisiana

Namaste.