Monday – 27 May 2013
It is Memorial Day in the U.S.
Taken at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Nov. 2004
Remember that today is about more than sales and barbecues… or just a day off of work. Take a few moments to recall and thank the servicemen and women who fought – and have fallen – to preserve our freedom.
Namaste.
Tuesday – 21 May 2013
The day has gone by pretty quickly, but I remembered that this needed to be posted.
Storytime with Mom
Diana, starting on her Rule 63 Nick Fury costume a little early…
Vanessa, courtesy of my iPad
Monday – 20 May 2013
So, it’s been slightly longer than I’d intended since the last non-Team DiVa post. Time somehow manages to just slip away.
It’s been a good couple of weeks, for the most part. Home life has been good and, aside from spending far too many Saturdays in the office – it’s the best opportunity for server maintenance in a couple of cases – work’s been good. This past weekend was something of an exception since the maintenance that I requested and called back to verify on fell through. The service company shipped the wrong part AND didn’t review the error report I sent. Monkeys.
After the failed maintenance window, I headed back home. Sara! and I, thanks to the help of our friends, Dave and Angy, managed to put another nail in the coffin of a landscaping project that’s been long talked about and a tad slow to come to fruition: We got rid of the shrubs in the front yard. Dave and Angy brought over a stump grinder and, after about 75 minutes, the stumps of the shrubs were turned into mulch.
The girls have been doing well, for the most part; Diana had a brief bout of some food not agreeing with her over the weekend, but seems to back to her usual form again.
Reeling by on Celluloid
Over the past two weeks, I’ve seen four movies:
Four very different, but very entertaining movies. So let’s dive in:
Yes, this was a horror movie, but it’s also something… else. Something different. The first few scenes of the movie don’t, at first, give you a sense of what’s to come. I was quite confused when the movie started — to the point of wondering if I had the right disc in the player. Just as the confusion was peaking, the opening credits came on-screen. But it still left a little bit of a disjointed feeling.
The rest of the movie was entertaining. And strange. Very strange. But, I have to say that the strangeness only added to the movie’s appeal.
1) As much as I’m a fan of Star Trek: TOS, I’m an even bigger fan of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. And the inkling that I was getting was something that was first seen on DS9.
2) Abrams’ movies have reset the timeline, effectively, meaning that everything I knew about [REDACTED] never happened… or at least never existed in the way I knew.
So, I went into the movie with as open a mind as my Trek-loving self could allow. Turns out, I could allow a lot. Abrams did a good job of expanding upon the story he started in the first movie. This movie was very upfront about showing young Captain Kirk’s penchant for flouting – or just outright ignoring – regulations. And, it was no less upfront about showing the consequences of those actions.
We were then introduced to the movie’s antagonist, John Harrison. A man who is not what he originally appears to be; there’s something about him that just rang a little “off.”
And, with that, the chase was on. Abrams took viewers on an action-packed, explosion-filled ride.
Enter Jacob, a young man who seems to have it all and seems to have no problem meeting attractive young ladies. Jacob then becomes Cal’s mentor and the two begin a journey to get Cal back in the proverbial game.
And there you have it.
Stray Toasters
Namaste.
Tuesday – 13 May 2013
It’s Tuesday. And before I let the day slip completely away, here’s today’s goodness:
Diana
Diana (l) and Vanessa, at Hogle Zoo
Vanessa
Polar bear!
Okay, we took a break. Let’s go!
Namaste.
Tuesday – 07 May 2013
The day nearly got away from me before I remembered that I needed to make a Team DiVa post. (Yep, it was one of those days.) But, here we are and here it is:
The ladies have discovered the fun of playing with keys
Diana and Sara, reading Diana’s Free Comic Book Day comic
Vanessa, reading her Free Comic Book Day comic
And, once again, because it still amuses me:
Namaste.
Monday – 06 May 2013
A new week begins, after a good weekend.
Friday felt like it was nine days long. Not so much because I went to the Iron Man 3 premiere on Thursday, but because I had one of my worst night’s sleeps in many months. It took forever to fall asleep. I had what I’m figuring was a reflux event an hour or two later. The girls woke up around 5:00 AM. So, when the alarm went off, all I wanted to do was curl into a ball and sleep the day away. But, that was not to be. So, I got up and got right on to the proverbial friction of the day. Fortunately, it wasn’t a “bad” day. Just long. On the up side: We visited our friends, Dave and Angy, Friday evening. On the way there, we told the girls that they were going to see two dogs. All the way to Dave and Angy’s they kept saying “Two dogs! Two dogs!” And they repeated it all the way home, as well. It was cute.
Saturday was a long day. It started with Sara! heading off to her quilt club, which meant that Team DiVa and I got in some quality time. At one point, Diana asked for “gah-layo.” I had absolutely no idea what that meant. So, I tried a couple of known favorites. No dice. I finally got around to trying a couple of Baby Einstein videos… and then I saw it in the history: “Baby Galileo.” No sooner than I clicked on it than both girls were all smiles. I also managed to catch this:
After Sara! got home, we headed to Dr. Volt’s Comic Connection for Free Comic Book Day. There was a line down the walkway outside the store, and it was nearly the Team DiVa’s lunch and nap time, so I just planned on heading back to the store after the girls went down for their naps. And I did. It was good. I got to hang with some of the Volt’s staff and see a few people I hadn’t seen in a while.
From there, I headed to Hastur Games & Comics. I had promised my friend, Charity, that I’d pop into the Hello, Sweetie! Podcast event. I was only able to stay for a few, but I was able to keep my promise.
I headed back home to help with Team DiVa’s dinner and pre-bed prep. After that, I got ready to head to Abravanel Hall for Utah Symphony‘s performance of “The Music of John Williams,” conducted by Jerry Steichen.
The musicians of Utah Symphony (taken before the concert)
Sara! stayed home to watch the ladies, so I went with my friend, Bonnie, who needed to attend a concert for one of her classes. I also met up with Melody and Jack and Dave and Kim during intermission. Win-Win. It was a fantastic concert. They opened with a medley from the Star Wars movies. An amusing sidenote: Sara! took part of my Jedi costume to work for Jerry to possibly wear for the concerts; he came on-stage wearing the overtunic. It made me chuckle. What I didn’t realize, until after they had finished playing the Star Wars medley, was that Sara! had also given him my lightsaber…. which he then proceeded to play some of the settings on-stage. I realized something during the concert: I’ve heard Williams’ Olympic Fanfare and Theme many times over the years, but there was “an added element” to hearing it performed live. And hearing “Raiders March” from Raiders of the Lost Ark? Yeah. Pretty awesome, too. The only – ONLY – disappointing point of the concert was that they didn’t perform Theme from Superman (Main Title). Oh, well. Can’t win ’em all.
Sunday morning started far too early (7:30 AM), when Diana decided to let everyone know that she was not only awake, but didn’t intend to spend any more time in her crib. I had barely gotten her and brought her into Sara! and my bedroom when Vanessa announced that she wanted to hang out, too. And thus, started the day. Sara! made a coffee cake for breakfast, while I hung out with the little ladies. After breakfast, I tamed the fury that is the lawn. I came back in and had a bite for lunch and then got ready for work. Yep, work. On a Sunday. Fortunately, things went well and I was only there for a couple of hours. I got home in time to hang out with Team DiVa for a bit before dinner. Being Cinco de Mayo, Sara! prepared chicken enchiladas and margaritas. And they were good. Very good, indeed.
And here we are, once more, at Monday.
Bring it on.
Namaste.
Friday – 03 May 2013
It’s almost the weekend. Thankfully, as this has been a somewhat busy week.
Last night, I was asked to attend an Iron Man 3 premiere… as Nick Fury. Having dressed as Nick Fury before and having all of the parts of the costume already – except for being unable to find my eyepatch, of course – it was an easy thing to agree to do. This time, I asked my friend Melody if she’d mind helping me make one modification to my costume: Scars. With a little latex, some eye shadow, some foundation, and a few pieces of tissue, she went to work.
Less than 45 minutes later, I was good to go.
I headed up to the Megaplex Legacy Crossing theatre to for the “Iron Man 3 Red Carpet Party.” The event included a “Make Your Own Armor” (out of cardboard boxes, glow sticks and other ephemera) workshop, trivia games, an obstacle course event, and photos with those of us in costume. I was a bit surprised that there weren’t as many young kids as I had expected, but that didn’t keep the older kids – and some of the older not-kids – from having a good time:
I actually remembered to get a semi-close picture… at the end of the night.
And then, it was time for the big show:
After the disappointment with X-Men: The Last Stand – franchise’s third movie, but with a different director and going in a different direction than its predecessors – I was a bit leery about Iron Man 3. Things that helped to mitigate my trepidation were:
The lights went down, the trailers rolled (and, let me say: The Man of Steel trailer in IMAX 3D was pretty fantastic) and then the movie began…
Two hours and some change later, it was over. It held up very well with the other two movies in the series, while having a slightly different tone — it felt a little lighter, overall, without being comedic. Robert Downey, Jr. was… Robert Downey, Jr…. and seemed very comfortable climbing back into Tony Stark’s shoes once more. I was happy to see Don Cheadle get more screen time as well as seeing Rhodey interact more with Tony. Gwyneth Paltrow’s Pepper Potts had… decent screen time and had some very good moments. Guy Pearce’s Aldrich Killian was an interesting character and an interesting business counterpart/foil for Tony. Ben Kingsley’s Mandarin was not what I expected, but was creepy in his own right.
And the post-credits scene? I’d argue that it’s the best one that they’ve done yet. Yes, even better than Thanos. Or schwarma.
All-in-all, it was a fun ride and one that I recommend.
Namaste.
Wednesday – 01 May 2013
Midweek.
New comics day… although I actually picked up my things a little early.
Movie Date Night.
And then, there’s this…
This is what The Weather Channel app showed this morning when I was getting ready for work.
Note today’s forecast: 55. “Plenty of sunshine. 0% Humidity.”
So, why was there snow on the lawn this morning?!
If I’d been a little quicker on the draw this morning, I’d have gotten a picture of it snowing. Big, white, fluffy flakes of Mother Nature’s frozen mocking laughter.
Oh, well.
Namaste.
Tuesday – 30 April 2013
It’s been a good week with Team DiVa. Here’s just a little bit of proof:
Diana (l) and Vanessa, in the sand pit at Thanksgiving Point’s Children’s Discovery Garden
Wait… you mean that we can bang on these? As loudly as we want?!
At this point, there was still rhyme and a bit of reason to the label placement. A few minutes later? Not so much.
Namaste.
25 April 2013
It’s another sunny – and moderately warm – NBN Thursday in the valley.
Last night, was not only Movie Date Night, but it was Sara!’s turn to pick a movie. The only things that she would say about the night’s fare was that it required – REQUIRED – popcorn and that it was “the greatest movie ever made.” I was intrigued by these comments, to say the least.
After a messy dinner (Two toddlers with Greek food… and rice. Do the math.) and some clean-up, it was time for the movie. And I was, to say the least, surprised by her choice:
That’s right: Superman. My all-time favorite movie.
Best. Wife. Ever.
So we sat on the couch, ate popcorn, and watched Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman, Margot Kidder and company bring a small slice of the DC Universe to life. And, once again, I was transported to a happy place in my childhood. I was also able to pick out a few things that I’d never paid attention or associated with the movie before:
At the end of the movie, Sara! admitted: “You know, I hadn’t thought about it the last time we watched it, but that was actually a pretty good movie.” (I simply nodded and smiled at this. Hey, I’m biased… not stupid.) I did have to correct Sara!’s misconception of the “spinning the world in reverse” visual and explain that it wasn’t him turning the world backwards, but that it was simply a representation of him going back in time. (For which there are a great many references in the comics…)
All-in-all, it was a fantastic movie date night.
Stray Toasters
Namaste.
Tuesday – 23 April 2013
Yes, it’s Tuesday. Barely, but I still have roughly… thirty ten minutes left. So with that in mind, here are the goods:
And, we’re leading off with video:
And another Team DiVa selfie, taken with my phone:
Vanesssa (l), Diana
And, a scene that just made me laugh: Vanessa, deciding that my Gatorade made a rather handy chair:
Namaste.
Monday – 22 April 2013 It’s been a bit and I have some time (at least I did last night), so I figured that I should get in a new post. Today is Earth Day. Last week, Sara! and I finally got around to watching Django Unchained.
It was a very Tarantino take on a “historical movie” in the same way that Inglorious Basterds was a “historical movie.” (With this in mind, I’m not really sure what everyone’s beef with it was. It’s not Roots, but it’s not trying to be Roots, either.) I found it to be a fun – and funny – movie. It entertained. It told a story. And it didn’t take itself overly seriously in doing so. 
This weekend was a good one. Saturday morning, Sara!, Team DiVa and I had breakfast with our friend Steve, who was in town with the touring production of West Side Story. We went to The Other Place, not just because it’s a good place for breakfast – and was close both to where Steve was staying and the theatre – but also because it’s a kid-friendly place. As an added bonus, I was able to scheme with our friend, Josh, to get him (and his wife, Aly and their very cute five-month-old daughter) to surprise Sara and Steve. Sara suspected that something was afoot, but Steve was surprised. I’ll still take that as a “Win.” After breakfast, we came back home and I played with Team DiVa for a bit before heading out for a ‘Clix event: Month Five of the WizKids’ “No Man’s Land” event. It was a sealed booster draft – buy two booster packs and build a team – and my packs were not really full of “awesome.” But, I built a team and I played. I wound up going 1-4, but since I normally don’t get to play (and I already had the prize support for the event), I was just there to have fun. And I did. After the game and dinner, Sara! went to see West Side Story; I stayed home with Team DiVa. We watched some Team Umizoomi. We read Moo, Baa, La La La and Barnyard Dance. We put money in their banks. We got them ready for bed. All things considered, they took great mercy on me. After post-bedtime cleaning, I played a bit of DC Universe Online and then watched my first episode of David Tennant’s Doctor Who. I liked it. I look forward to seeing more of his Doctor. Sunday was a fairly low-key day. Breakfast. Shopping. Hanging out at home. I also mowed the lawn for the first time this season. Hell, the first time this year. Sara’s parent’s came over for dinner. Sara! and I also watched Disney’s Tarzan; I haven’t seen it in years, but Sara! had never seen it. It’s not necessarily the best movie ever, but I enjoy it. I also watched my second Tennant Who episode. Stray Toasters
Namaste.
Wednesday – 17 April 2013
Midweek.
Movie Date Night.
NBN Thursday Eve.
Sunday, Sara! suggested that we take Team DiVa to Wheeler Farm to see the animals. The girls had fun looking at and identifying them. After we walked through the “farm” part, we went to the playground area. They even went down the big kids’ slide… on our laps. But that’s not the point. They – and we – had fun.
Speaking of the ladies: The girls’ vocabulary is growing, as well. And they are starting to put two- and three-word phrases together. It’s been neat listening to them express themselves.
Monday, I finally got around to mudding and taping the last two corners of the train room closet. It still needs sanding. And there’s a chance that I’ll have to go over things with a second coat of joint compound before putting on the topping compound, but it’s that much closer to being done.
Stray Toasters
Namaste.
Tuesday – 16 April 2013
It’s Tuesday and… well, you know the drill by now.
Diana (l) and Vanessa, playing with the new toy Grandmommy and Papi got them
Vanessa (l) and Diana: Drawing Time (…also known as “Crayon Stacking Time”)
Daddy let us have his phone again… that means… PICTURE TIME!!!
I am afraid to count the number of “selfies” the girls have taken with my phone and iPad. I think that they got 50+ in on Sunday morning before breakfast.
And that, as they say, is that.
Namaste.
Friday – 12 April 2013
It’s the end of the week. Hallelujah.
Earlier this week, I noted that my father had a heart attack. I am happy to report that he is doing much better. He was moved from ICU to a standard room Thursday evening; also, the overall prognosis for his recovery is positive. Thank you to all who offered their well wishes and prayers.
Wednesday, Sara and I didn’t do our usual Movie Date Night. Instead, we had Dinner Date Night with Dave and Angy. Sara prepared Moroccan chicken and rice. And for dessert: Chocolate pie. And we may (or may not) have polished off a couple of bottles of wine. It was a lovely evening.
Thursday, we did have Movie Date Night. We watched Hitchcock.
It was surprisingly good. And fun. And witty. Anthony Hopkins made an oddly… delightful… Alfred Hitchcock. Helen Mirren, as his wife Alma, was every bit his match. (Not a big surprise there.) I was also pleasantly surprised to discover that I knew a number of other actors in the film, but didn’t recognize them at all. (Key on this list: Scarlett Johannson.) The movie was set around the filming of Psycho and showed Hitchcock’s interactions, relations and frustrations in accomplishing it. On the whole, it was a good and enjoyable selection.
Stray Toasters
There was going to be more. But I don’t remember “what” it was. So…
Namaste.
