Random Access

Monday – 26 January 2009
There’s a new blanket of snow in the valley. It started yesterday – mostly flurries in the valley, slightly heavier on the benches.

I got into the office this morning to find an email requesting that we move some equipment… by close of business today. That’s all well and good. The problem that I had was that it wasn’t sent until almost 7:00 PM Friday night – long after I had left. *grblsnrkx* We got most of it done before lunch. We’ll finish the minor stuff later.

Stray Toasters

• The Council for Better Driving: Utah would like to remind motorists to take care when driving in this week’s inclement weather.
• Obama pushing stronger fuel-efficiency standard
• The case against Candy Land
• 
• The Great Escape + Benny Hill = Something Like This
• How to Become a Bounty Hunter
• Quick rebound? Success of young NFL coaches gives hope
• 
• Pope welcomes Facebook, but cautions
• The MST3K Crew Reunites for Live Webcast

Lunch beckons.

Namaste.

Sunday – 25 January 2009
Happy Birthday to my sister-in-law, Chelsea:

…and belated happy birthday to :

And now, back to our regularly-scheduled blog entry…

Yesterday, Chris and I headed to Far West Comics for a ‘Clix tournament. The scenario was Heroclix Xtreme Wrestling Federation. Deciding who to take was a bit of a challenge… mainly because I had what I thought were a lot of good options. I finally settled on these figures:

• 75 points – Gamora
• 125 points – Susan Richards
• 175 points – Ms. Marvel (Skrull), with Inside Information
• 225 points – Crispus Allen (LE), with Fortitude
• 275 points – The Spectre
• 325 points – Ganthet

The tournament prize was Grodd (LE)… which was the last figure I wanted/needed for my Sinestro Corps. (Sure, I’d like a veteran Cyborg Superman, but that wasn’t what was up for grabs.)  Then, it was time to play:

• I lost a few pieces in the first match, but won on points.
• I got schooled in the second match and didn’t KO anyone in that match
• I KO’ed everyone in the second match, without losing anyone… barely.

There was someone who went 3-0, while I went 2-1 on the day… but I got the Fellowship prize, so I was happy.

And, I beat Chris – for the second time in a week – so it was a “Win-Win” kind of day. After the tourney, Chris and I went to get a bite to eat and to hang out. We haven’t done that in a long time (not counting last Tuesday when he came over for dinner and gaming).

After that, I came home and hung out with SaraRules.  We finished watching The Great Escape; I realized that I had  only seen a few minutes of the movie – mostly around Steve McQueen’s motorcycle chase – before this. After that, I watched Batman: The Brave and the Bold… and something else… before heading out to breakfast.

This morning has been quiet and lazy. (It’s amazing what the lack of football will do to a Sunday.) SaraRules cooked breakfast – pancakes! – and we watched Unforgiven. Great movie…. and one that I haven’t seen this movie since its theatrical release. After that went off, I found Dr. No on BBC America.

All this, and I’ve even managed to partake in a little of City of Heroes‘ Double XP Weekend, too. I got Kurigari from 31 to 32… in one mission. Can’t really complain about that.

Not sure what we’re going to do for the rest of the afternoon, but later we’re heading to SaraRules’ parents’ to watch Shadow of the Vampire.

Namaste.

Saturday – 24 January 2009
Last night, after coffee, SaraRules and I started watching The Great Escape – it’s on Comcast’s On Demand. Good movie… but long. We stopped with about an hour left in the film. I flipped on The Late Late Show after that, to see who the guests would be. I hit the jackpot: James Earl Jones. It was a fun interview, in fact they were having so much fun that they pre-empted the second guest.

After hitting the rack, I had a strange The Great Escape-induced dream. It was set in a POW camp, of sorts, but I don’t recall anything about escape attempts. The odd/most odd part of the dream was once the prisoners were liberated and the returned home, twenty or so years had passed… outside the camp. Leaving these men out of their time, so to speak. (Now that I think about it, part of this dream seems like it has ties to a Hellblazer story I read a few weeks ago, too…)

SaraRules is on her way to another bridal fare and to look at a few more possible venues.
I’m getting ready for a ‘Clix tournament – today’s theme: Xtreme Wrestling Federation.

And with that…

ZOOM!

Lunch-time dance break:

• Girls Aloud vs. Madonna – Some Kind of Beautiful Stranger
• Ohio Players – Fire
• Madonna vs. Atomic Kitten – Don’t Tell Me the Tide Is High

Get your groove on… even if it’s just a chair-dance.

Friday – 23 January 2009
The week draws to a close… with fog and haze in the valley. It’s dense enough that I can barely see the freeway. Then it rolls out. And back in. Even Otis Redding didn’t see this much action.

Last night, OnlyAly and came over for dinner.  SaraRules cooked a maple chicken, with carrots and roasted potatoes, which was delicious. During and after dinner, the four of us discussed wedding-related items: Things that SaraRules and I have talked/thought about and things to consider, reminiscences of their wedding and the lead-up to it, and the like. It was a great way to spend the evening.

Later in the night, I watched an NCIS rerun and the new episode of CSI:. I am liking Laurence Fishburne’s character, Dr. Ray Langston. He portrays him with an interesting sense of curiosity and wonder… balanced with a desire to prove that he can hold his own on the established team. I didn’t get to watch the season premiere of Burn Notice, but it’s on the DVR.

Stray Toasters

• By way of SaraRules: 10 Stories behind Dr. Seuss stories
• Apple’s first Macintosh turns 25
• My feelings about Hover, as a superpower, are pretty well-known. It seems as though there is now a site dedicated to Super-useless Superpowers.
• The Art of Phil Noto
• From Newsarama’s Blog: Craig McCracken – PPG, Foster’s and Comics?
• President Obama Still Has His Blackberry in White House
• Obama’s Outfits: ‘A real departure for first ladies’
• Lawsuit may stop impeachment trial
• Green light for US stem cell work
• By way of and Best of Craigslist: This bitter little pill.
• Zombie Fluxx Card Game

Namaste.

Thursday – 22 January 2009
Last night, SaraRules and I went downtown to see Utah Opera’s performance of Regina. I was looking forward to it, as it is not only a modern (1949) American opera, but it is performed in English – I wanted to see if it was easier to follow without having to divert my attention to the supertitles.

It was… well… let’s just say that I now have a “least favorite opera.” I was truly underwhelmed by the overall performance, as was SaraRules. I asked her to rate it, she gave it a 5.8; she asked me to do the same – I gave it a 4.0… possibly a 5.0… out of ten.  Why? My reasons include:

• In the first act, there were two or three portions where the cast broke the fourth wall… that seemed rather contrived, almost as if they didn’t expect the audience to be able to piece together something that had just occurred onstage,
• The breaks between accompanied and a capella parts – both spoken and sung – were harsh and jarring to me,
• The casting of Deanne Meek as Regina Giddens – mostly her voice didn’t seem to lend itself to the performance; she often seemed overwhelmed by the orchestration,
• The costuming seemed out of place for the period, and
• The production quality – sound, use of microphones(!?) – didn’t seem up to Utah Opera’s normal standards.

There were some redeeming qualities, however:

• The casting of Lisa Vroman as Birdie Hubbard
• The casting of Kristopher Irmiter as Horace Giddens
• The casting of Tracey Luck as Addie
• The set design – I really liked how the set transformed from indoors to outdoors and back

And, to be honest, the redeeming items added at least two points to my rating. To be fair, I would be willing to see this again, if performed by another company, to juxtapose the performances before completely writing off this opera.

Stray Toasters

• Not many men wear hats these days. Not baseball caps, hats. I’ve started wearing them more often. While I have “more than a few” baseball caps in my collection, I also have a fedora, a kofia and a couple of newsboy-style hats. Along with wearing a hat comes etiquette for wearing one.
• Obama sworn in for second time
• ‘Queen of Soul’ not pleased with performance at inauguration
• The not-so-super team: Best players never to reach the final
• First look: Star Trek toys go boldly nouveau
• Another item for men’s style and fasion: A Salesman’s Guide to Men’s Shopping with Success
• The 2009 Oscar nominations are out…
• …as are the 2009 Razzie nominations.
• The Obama Administration brings back the Freedom of Information Act and transparency in government

Namaste.

Wednesday – 21 January 2009
Midweek and all’s well.

Last night, Chris came over for dinner and ‘Clix gaming. SaraRules fixed a tasty southwestern chicken dish, with corn and tomatoes and rice pilaf. Very tasty. We ate and watched NCIS before playing.  After dinner, SaraRules went into the office and quilted; Chris and I played dolls.

We had Round 2 of our Green Lantern Corps vs. Sinestro Corps battle; this time, I played the Sinestro Corps. As an added bonus, I finally got to use some of the terrain I got from World Works Games:

(click images for larger versions)

Chris lined up with:

• Abin Sur
• Big Barda and Mister Miracle
• Ganthet
• Green Lantern (Guy Gardner)
• Green Lantern (Hal Jordan)
• Kyle Rayner
• Sinestro
• Tomar-Re

I brought a fairly beefy SiCorps to the table:

• Arkillo
• Batman
• Lyssa Drak
• Manhunter (Arkham Asylum, 2 figures)
• Manhunter (Cosmic Justice, Rookie)
• Parallax
• Sinestro
• Superman Prime

And it was on. We weren’t playing tournament rules, so we just had a good, old-fashioned slugfest and shootout. And, in the end, I wound up winning the game. This brings the Sinestro Corps to two wins and zero losses. We discussed the fact that – assuming that the HeroClix line finds a pulse soon – WizKids/Pinata needs to update a lot (read: “most”) of the Green Lantern Corps’ figures, because there aren’t a lot of heavy hitters in the current sets… and while they may do “okay,” they can’t really go toe-to-toe with many of the newer figures for long.

Stray Toasters

• Black first family ‘changes everything’
• From BBC News: Notes to Obama: Maya Angelou
• Apple quietly updates $999 white MacBook with unibody specs
• Drew sent a ink to: Rainer Spehl Wood MacBook Case
• 
• Because it came up on the iPod this morning while I was eating breakfast – and got stuck in my head – here’s a bit of musical joy (or pain) for you:
  

  You’re sleek as a thoroughbred.
  Your seats are a feather bed.
  You’ll turn everybody’s head today.
  We’ll glide on our motor trip
  With pride in our ownership
  The envy of all we survey.

  Oh Chitty, you Chitty
  Pretty Chitty Bang Bang
  Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
  We love you.
  And Chitty our Chitty
  Pretty Chitty Bang Bang
  Chitty Chitty Bang Bang loves us too.
  High Chitty low Chitty anywhere we go
  On Chitty Chitty we depend.
  Bang Bang Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
  Our fine four fendered friend.
  Bang Bang Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
  Our fine four fendered friend

• Science vs. emotion in NJ’s river dolphins debate
• And, in today’s “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” news: Blow-up doll sex suspect arrested in Australia
  

Namaste.

This morning, I came into the office to find the following adorning my cube:

That’s right… my cube got a Steelers makeover from Julie and Sean yesterday.

It actually made me laugh.  The only thing that could have possibly made it better would have been if they had changed my Ray Lewis/Ravens picture on the wall where we had been tracking our teams’ progress through the season.

Today’s workout was a little short, but was good:

• Bench Press: 3 sets/10 reps – 1 set each: 225 lbs, 185 lbs, 205 lbs
• Curls (barbell, reverse grip): 3 sets/10 reps, 50 lbs
• Flys: 3 sets/10 reps, 110 lbs (10-second hold on 10th rep)
• Lower Back Extensions: 3 sets/15 reps, 140 lbs
• Reverse Flys: 3 sets/10 reps, 70 lbs
• Lateral Raises (machine): 3 sets/10 reps, 30 lbs
• Push-ups: 2 sets/15 reps

Post workout weight: 183.7 lbs

Tuesday – 20 January 2009
And with these words:

I, Barack Hussein Obama, do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. So help me, God.

Barack Obama has become the 44th President of the United States of America.

Monday – 19 January 2009
First, I’d like to wish everyone a good Martin Luther King Day.

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As I wasn’t sure what we’d be doing or where we would be today, I didn’t make plans to volunteer anywhere. But, SaraRules and I did decide to do something: We have collected clothing and household items that we no longer need – or have too many of – and will be taking those to the local Salvation Army in a little while. Hopefully, someone will be able to benefit from them.

Tomorrow, another piece of Dr. King’s dream will come to fruition as Barack Obama is inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States of America.

Some have claimed that he is the realization of Dr. King’s dream. Some have ascribed nigh-superhuman powers to him, expecting him to stride into office and make everything alright by the sheer magnitude of his presence. Others say that the fight for equality is merely one step closer to being won rather than being something in our past:

• Most blacks say MLK’s vision fulfilled, poll finds
• Civil rights vets: Fight not over because Obama reaches top

The truth lies somewhere in the middle, I think.

The best way to respond is to say this: Barack Hussein Obama is a man. One man. A man with a vision of what he would like to see America and her citizens become. He is a man who came from a background that, not long ago, people would have easily dismissed as not being viable or suitable for becoming President of the United States of America.

But, there is where people would be wrong.

The promise of the American Dream is that anyone can aspire to – and achieve – that lofty goal, if they are willing to reach for it. Dr. King pointed it out over forty years ago. It just took time for many of us to realize it:

I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.”

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day the state of Alabama, whose governor’s lips are presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith with which I return to the South. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with a new meaning, “My country, ’tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim’s pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring.”

And if America is to be a great nation this must become true.

Namaste.

Sunday – 18 January 2009
It’s been a lazy, football-watching day. And that ain’t a bad way to spend the day.

We headed over to SaraRules’ parents’ parents to watch the Ravens-Steelers game. It was exactly the fight that I expected to see. The Ravens came away with a loss, but they played solid ball. After 17 weeks of football (they had their bye week moved up to Week 2), to went to the AFC Championship with a rookie coach and rookie QB, I am proud of what they did.

Thoughts and prayers go to RB Willis McGahee, after the hit that he took.

…and for the next two weeks, I’m an Arizona Cardinals fan.

Namaste.

Saturday – 17 January 2009
Today’s been a busy day… of sorts. We rode down to Cedar City with SaraRules’ parents to see the Zion: A Creative Perspective exhibit at SUU. Rachel came over to the gallery for a few, while we were there; it was nice to see her. Next stop: Cafe Orleans, for lunch – I had the Etoffay and a cup of the Shrimp and Chicken Gumbo. We picked up a few more things from SaraRules’ storage unit and then got on the road back to SLC.

Next on the docket: SaraRules’ company Holiday/Winter Party.

Zoom.

just posted a link to this: Pro-Life Group up in Arms over Krispy Kreme’s Abortion Doughnuts

YeahbuhWHAT?!

Seriously… do people really have nothing better to do than nitpick every little thing someone says just to try and come up with new ways of being offended?!

Political correctness is one thing, but this is just plain ridiculous.

NCSoft has made three City of Heroes ads that parody Apple’s “I’m a PC. I’m a Mac” commercials:

One:

Two: Day Jobs

Three: Sidekick