Random Access

Wednesday – 16 November 2011
I realized this morning just how glad I am that it’s midweek and that only two more days separate me from the weekend. Not that it’s been a bad or particularly long week; I’m just ready for the weekend.  (Cue: Loverboy)

Last night, while Wonder Woman SaraRules! was off saving the world with the Justice League at a Junior League meeting, Sanaz came over to help me watch the girls and get them ready for bed. The “care and feeding” part isn’t so bad when solo, but trying to get both girls to bed by oneself would be “a bit” much. And the help was greatly appreciated. Diana knocked out fairly easily; Vanessa, however, got a bit of a second wind after her bedtime feeding and fought sleep for a solid 20 minutes before finally following Morpheus into The Dreaming.

On the plus side of SaraRules! not being home for dinner: It was a veritable “Feed Yourself Free-for-All” night for rounding up victuals. Thus, I had Beef Lo Mein. Selah.

Stray Toasters

• Internet giants place full-page anti-SOPA ad in NYT
• SOPA infographic
• A Special Day at the Office as Krzyzewski Sets a Record
• Incredible LEGO Daily Planet Pits Superman and Young Justice Against Brainiac
• For :

  

• Middle Class Areas Shrink as Income Gap Grows, New Report Shows
• Thanks to for pointing out this SMBC comic.
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: The problem with fecal transplants
  Yes, you read that correctly: “Fecal transplants.”
• A better astronaut recruitment video
• Yeah, add this to The Covet List: Ford’s new Mustang Shelby GT is first 200 MPH muscle car
• 
• Ergonomics training. Yay.
  It’s mildly amusing to be taking training after having taught it (at the USPS)…
• Apple Appoints New Chairman and Elects Disney’s Chief to Board

And it’s new comics day!

Namaste.

Tuesday – 15 November 2011
Pretty much hit the ground running today.  The girls were up at 5:30 to eat; by the time they were done, it was just about 6:00. Rather than: A) try to get a 25-minute nap or B) sleep through the alarm until (at least) 7:00, I decided to stay up and get ready for work. I was in the office a hair before 7:00. Less than a half-hour later, I was helping to prep a half-full server rack for shipping.

Bonus: The rack had no wheels.

Added bonus: We had to move it out of our office space, into our lobby, downstairs, across sheets of masonite — which we had to leap-frog — from our building through the building lobby to the attached building.. out the door and onto the truck.

Yeah. Today was most definitely one of those “We do more before 9 AM than most people do all day” kind of mornings.

Fortunately, there was coffee involved, as well.

Tonight, SaraRules! has another Justice League meeting. Thus, I’ll be getting a helping had in putting the hatchlings to bed from my sister-in-law.

Stray Toasters

• Last night, while Monday Night Football was showing commercials, I flipped over to The Sing-Off. Interesting show. I didn’t see all of the groups compete, but I enjoyed the three groups I did see. The group Vocal Point (from BYU) were voted off the show by the judges. This prompted A LOT of response from people on Facebook, apparently. Negative response. “I’ll never watch the show again” response.

  I don’t get it.

  Just because a person/group/entity/whatever that [you] like gets voted off a television show, is that really a reason to foreswear the show? To me, it’s kind of like vowing never to watch … NCIS after they killed off Mike Franks. *shrug*

• Missiles to protect London 2012 Olympics
• What to Wear and What Not to Wear to an Interview
• Tomorrow is American Censorship Day: Fight SOPA
• By way of my friend, Christine: League of Ordinary Gentlemen: Patient BW, DOB 2/16/1971
  , you might want to take a look at that.
• 
• Anonymous vows revenge over Occupy Toronto threats
• Hispanics Reviving Faded Towns on the Plains
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: PETA targets Mario over raccoon suit
• 
• Dresdan Codak
• Batman: the Least Believable Superhero
• On the Orbiting of Species
• Designer Lipstick: A New Splurge
• 
• Foreign Office reveals weird requests to consulates
• Will Cloud Computing Make Everything (and Everyone) Work Harder?

Quote of the Day
Today’s quote comes from a Newsarama interview with John Hodgman:

Hodgman: One of the things I love in comics is serialized storytelling, but that can be a pitfall if you rely too much on what happened last week.

I’m not trying to start feuds. I’m really just expressing feelings of existential anxiety about where all superhero comics are.

And now I really do have to go…

Nrama: Okay, any last thoughts before you go?

Hodgman: I still love everything that Paul Levitz writes. Long Live the Legion!

And that’s that.

Namaste.

Monday – 14 November 2011
Today is definitely trying to be what most people would define as a “typical Monday.” Fortunately, I started the day feeding the girls, so I’d already chalked the day up to being a good one. And, speaking of the little ladies, I snapped this picture yesterday:

Vanessa (top) and Diana

When I got to work, I was asked to generate a document for a project… and base it on one that another coworker had created for a similar project. That’s fine. Except for one (not-so-minor) detail: There are part and serial numbers involved. And, it’s “a little” difficult, based on the information provided, to tell which numbers are specifically required in what places.

*grblsnrkx*

So, I grabbed the proverbial “low-hanging fruit” first and input the items whose information was easiest to get. From there, I just mirrored what my coworker did in his documentation. (So if mine is wrong, his is as well.) And then, it was done. Amen.

This past weekend was good. Quite good, in fact. Friday was my day off and it was my first full day alone with the girls. And, I think it went pretty well. We met Nyx, Carrie, Tim and Leo for coffee at Jitterbug. From there, we stopped off to say “Hi” to SaraRules! for a few minutes. And, I was compelled to stop at RubySnap. Compelled, I tell you. Then we headed home to wait for SaraRules! to get off work.

Saturday, after the girls had breakfast, SaraRules! and I took them to their first train show. I wasn’t as enamored with this year’s show as with last year’s, but there were still some neat things to see. I also didn’t come home empty-handed: I found a seller who had an Atlas O turntable – an item that I’ve been coveting for the past year – for a price that I couldn’t ignore. I also picked up a print from an artist that I first saw at a train show in Ogden last year. From there, I headed up to Dr. Volt’s to judge a ‘Clix tournament. (There were an even number of players, so I didn’t get a chance to play. Oh, well.)  Then, back home to help SaraRules! take care of the girls. Once they were asleep, SaraRules! and I resumed watching 13 Assassins… but didn’t quite make it to the end of the movie, as she had a raging headache. So, I finished up the night with a bit of Gears of War 3.

Yesterday, we decided to venture forth for breakfast. This time, we went to Millcreek Cafe and Eggworks. Unfortunately, they were out of coffee cake.

KHAAAAAAAAAAAAN!

The rest of breakfast was good, though. And the girls, as usual, got a lot of attention. After breakfast, we took the long way home, by way of Parley’s and Emigration Canyons. The rest of the day was pretty lax, though some chores were done along the way.

Instant Replay: Football
The Ravens gave up a win to the Seahawks. That is all that shall be said about that.

Stray Toasters

• Sweet Christmas! The Greatest Luke Cage Stories Ever Told
• Google’s Lab of Wildest Dreams
• Ex-porn star reading to LA students causes stir
• The CLAD Report: Winter 2011
• What Are the Odds?

Namaste.

Friday – 11 November 2011
Today is Veteran’s Day:

It is also my 9/80 day off… which means that it’s “DVD Day”: Diana-Vanessa-Daddy Day. I’m not sure what adventures we’ll have, but they just might include a trip to the NMRA Train Show at the Utah State Fairpark.

Guess we should get moving and see what the day holds in store…

Namaste.

Thursday – 10 November 2011
Hello, NBN Technical Friday!

Last night, while SaraRules! was at her Justice Junior League meeting, ‘s mom, Lori,  came over to help me watch the kids and get them ready for bed…

…as did Josh.

…and Jessica and Corey.

The girls soaked up the attention. It was great. And it truly proved the adage: “Many hands make light work.” Thus, not only were the girls well taken care of, but I got to spend the evening in good company. As an added bonus: Jessica prepared a delicious pot roast, with carrots and potatoes.

This morning, the girls woke up around 5:00. By the time they were back in their bassinets, I had a decision: Catch about 45 minutes of sleep or go to work early. I chose sleep. And that turned into nearly an hour-and-a-half of sleep. Which was good, to be honest.

Not too long after I got to the office, I got a call from my mother-in-law about something beeping in the kitchen. And it was startling the girls a bit. I suspected that it was the fire alarm, whose battery SaraRules! and I hadn’t gotten around to changing. So, back home to avert the girls having meltdowns and help get them ready for breakfast. (Fringe benefit: Mid-day cuddles from the girls!) And then, back to the office.

Tonight, Chris is coming over to play dolls ‘Clix.

Stray Toasters

• Recycling in Antarctica
• Russians Fight to Save Mars Probe After Mishap
• A random thought occurred to me the other day: How many Hanna-Barbera cartoons featured kids in bands?
  I’m not sure that I got them all, without looking anything up, this is what I came up with:
  • Josie and the Pussycats
  • Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kids
  • The Partridge Family in Outer Space (I’m totally not making this one up.)
  • Jabberjaw
  • The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan
  • The Impossibles
  • Pebbles & Bamm-Bamm
  • The Banana Splits (not a cartoon, per se, but still an H-B property)
  • The Bugaloos (a live-action show that was part of the Banana Splits show)

  Can anyone think of any others?

• 
• Adobe kills Flash on mobile devices
• Mayhem at the Manor, for
• Why we get the future of tech wrong

Namaste.

Wednesday – 09 November 2011
Middle of the week. And the day started with the twins needing to be fed. (Oddly enough, most of my days seem to start like that now…) And let’s be honest: Starting the day holding a cute little girl is far from a bad thing.

Last night was a fairly low-key evening. The girls got their baths – without much/any fuss – ate and went to bed. Once we were certain that they were down for the count, SaraRules! and I went downstairs and finished watching the episode of TopGear that we started a few days ago. When it was over, we (finally) watched the new episode of Burn Notice. I also rounded out the evening with an episode of Young Justice.

Tonight, SaraRules! has a Justice Junior League meeting, which means that the girls are stuck with me for a few hours.  Fortunately – for them and/or me, I’m not sure which yet… possibly both – lj user=”suzie_lightning” ‘s mother is coming over to meet the little ladies and hang out for a bit.

Stray Toasters

• Mississippi Voters Reject Anti-Abortion Measure
• How Birth Control and Abortion Became Politicized
• introduced me to The Karen & Ellen Letters. Wow.
• “Family Circus” Creator Bil Keane Dies at 89
• As I mentioned a couple of days ago, SaraRules! is reading a book called Conquistadora:

  

  I apparently dropped a pair of nail clippers on it yesterday. This morning, I glanced at the book and, from the angle I was looking, the face/clipper combination reminded me of Trap Jaw (from the old Masters of the Universe cartoon). It made me laugh.

• Adversaries, allies stealing U.S. trade secrets
• Are Cookbooks Obselete?
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Police find mummified corpses in historian’s apartment
• Presidential Candidates Explained Through Dungeons and Dragons Character Sheets, by way of
• Health Law Survives Test in Court of Appeals

Namaste.

Tuesday – 08 November 2011
Vanessa turns two-months-old today.

The girls were a little irritable last night, following their immunization shots, which was totally understandable. I would be, too, in their places. But, they still wound up going to bed a little early. And, they’re sleeping pretty well at night. (SaraRules! and I are quite grateful for this.) They slept well enough for us to be able to watch the second half of last night’s football game AND for me to spend a little time playing Gears of War 3.

Stray Toasters

• I’ve had too many meetings today for this to just be Tuesday.
• Judge OKs $410M for Bank of America customers
• 
• What Does the US Arts Community Look Like?
• U.S. Clears Art Project by Christo in Colorado
• Former heavyweight boxing champ Joe Frazier dies of cancer at 67
  

  

• Joe Frazier, Ex-Heavyweight Champ, Dies at 67
• A Champion Who Won Inside the Ring and Out
• Preservation Hall Jazz Band: old time jazz from New Orleans
• U.S. and EU partner for security response exercise
• It Started Digital Wheels Turning

Namaste.

Monday – 07 November 2011
Another week begins. Fortunately, it’s my 9/80 short week.

And, today, Ms. Diana turns two-months-old:

The weekend was a good one.  Highlights included, but were not limited to:

• SaraRules!’ birthday (yesterday)
• Spending time with the girls
• The Ravens beating the Steelers in the closing seconds of their game last night (!)
• A trip to The Garden of Sweden
• Picking up Gears of War 3

And then some.

Instant Replay: Football

Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers

23 – 20

The Ravens traveled to the Steel City to take on Big Ben, Troy Polamalu and the rest of the Steelers at Heinz Field.It was a slow, mostly defensive game – which fans pretty much expect from these two teams – with all of the scores in the first half coming from field goals. The Ravens went into halftime with a 9-6 lead. After the half, Baltimore scored a TD in the third quarter to open up a 16-6 lead. And then,Pittsburgh went to work. They scored 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter… …until, with 0:08 left in the game, QB Joe Flacco hit rookie WR Torrey Smith in the back of the end zone for the game-winning 26-yard touchdown — just five plays after dropping what would have been an even longer game-winning reception for touchdown. Or, to put this in movie terms, I’ll take a line from Nick Fury in Iron Man 2: Nick Fury: Whoa, whoa, whoa. He took it? You’re Iron Man and he just took it? The little brother walked in there, kicked your ass and took your suit? Is that possible? Yeah, it was just. Like. That. And this may be the best post-game quote that I’ve seen so far: “Heinz Field emptied faster than a runny ketchup bottle.” – John Eisenberg With this win, Baltimore has swept the Steelers for the season.

Stray Toasters

• Just got back from the girls’ two-month check-up: According to their doctor, they’re doing just great.
  (We thought so, but it’s always good to get a professional opinion.)
• LEGO army invades Chalkfestival to “Free” Ego Leonard
• I Wish More Streets Had LEGO Minifigs Painted on Them
• NASA prepares for moon tourism
• SaraRules! is reading a book called Conquistadora, by Esmerelda Santiago
  Every time I see it, I reparse it in my head as “Conquista Dora the Explorer.”
• Paul Krugman: Our Oligarchy
• What They’re Saying About Flacco… Now
• Disney and YouTube Make a Video Deal
• Even Adobe May Believe Flash Is on Its Deathbed

Namaste.

Saturday – 05 November 2011
It’s Guy Fawkes Day. You remember… the day (well, night) that V blew up Parliament in that movie by the Wachowski brothers.

Last night, SaraRules! gave me a hall pass to go to coffee for a bit. There wasn’t a huge turnout, but it was nice to be there – I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed it in the past couple of months. Of course, it made sense: It’s been a part of my weekly routine for over ten (10) years now. Naturally, I’d miss it.  So, thanks to the World’s Greatest Comic Magazine Wife for the opportunity to hang out with friends!

After coffee, I came back home and we watched Fringe before calling it a night.

All-in-all, it was a good day.

Stray Toasters

• It snowed this morning.
• greeted me online earlier. I responded “Hola” in response (I ain’t no hollaback girl…) and then this wound up stuck in my head:

• The artwork of Malika Favre
• Your Commute Is Slowly Killing You
• 
• The 8 Worst Fonts in the World
• A Janitor Accidentally Scrubbed Away a Million Dollar Art Piece
• 
• LEGO Universe is shutting down at on 31 January 2012. That’s unfortunate, because I think that the game had a lot of potential as an MMO for kids (and kids-at-heart) without getting bogged down in the character development/grind that many MMOs are known for.  And it’s digital LEGO!  Really, can it get much better than that?!

And now, off to the Garden of Sweden!

Namaste.

Friday – 04 November 2011
It’s my “on” Friday… and I have The Leash this weekend. But, it’s still Friday. And that’s almost never a bad thing.

Last night was fairly low-key. I think that the highlight was a trip to the store for grocery. Well, that… and hanging out with the girls.

Stray Toasters

• By way of The Brothers Vox: 23 incredible new technologies you’ll see by 2021
• By way of Esquire – Remember: Sexy isn’t the same as slutty. Whatever you choose, keep it sensual and sophisticated.
  Amen.
• 
• Anonymous ready to continue with Operation Cartel
• 9 Equations True Geeks Should (at Least Pretend to) Know
• Bleak Portrait of Poverty Is Off the Mark, Experts Say
• I’ve been rather amused by some of George Takei’s Facebook posts over the past few weeks. This one was no exception:

  

• Cuba to Allow Buying and Selling of Property, With Few Restrictions
• Keeping Your Heart Healthy
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” and “Monkeys!” files: Couple adopts Dachsund, days later doses it with LSD, tripping dog wanders into traffic and dies
  What the Hell is wrong with people!?  First, that couple with the horse and now this..?
• 10 great sculpture gardens across the USA

Quote of the Day
Today’s gem comes from my friend Melissa S.:

I love that everyone thinks the Buffy would have slayed Edward. Did we watch the same show? She would have dated Edward, and Spike would have killed him.

And that’s a wrap.

Namaste.

Thursday – 03 November 2011
Another NBN Thursday in the valley.

That’s right: Don’t Nobody Bring Me No Bad News.

Last night, I came home to find SaraRules! taking pictures of the girls. Thus, you get a fresh dose of cuetness:

Vanessa (left) and Diana

It was a fairly quiet night around the house. The girls were in good moods. Diana went to bed without much ado; Vanessa fought it a little longer. But, they were out in time for SaraRules! to get some quilting done and for me to not only read yesterday’s four-color haul, but also to watch the second half of the Real Salt Lake vs. Seattle Sounders game. (RSL won.) This morning, the girls were up slightly before my alarm clock went off, so I was home for a pre-work feeding, complete with Vanessa cuddles. Great way to kick off the day.

Stray Toasters

• How Technology Is Eliminating Higher-Skilled Jobs
• ApocaLEGO: Building end-times with plastic bricks
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Couple’s nude photo shoot inside their dead horse
  This was also “Boner of the Day” candidate on X96’s Radio from Hell show this morning.
• 5 Tech Gadgets That Improved My Sleep
• Fed Lowers Its Forecast for Growth, but Takes No Steps
• New Fringe tomorrow night!
• William Gibson, The Art of Fiction No. 211
• Thousands of WordPress sites sucked into BlackHole
• Google “Do a barrel roll”

Namaste.

Wednesday – 02 November 2011
Midweek. New comics. Fire drill. (Not necessarily in that order.)

Last night, the girls were… agitated… for some reason. They were fussy and restless through bedtime, including during bath time, which they had – until last night – been getting better about dealing with. They were so cranky that we skipped post-bath story time and went straight to “Here’s your bottle. Go to town!” Wait. That’s not entirely true. Nose drops came before feeding… and they’re not fans of nose drops under the best of conditions, so last night’s dose was far from welcome. But, the bottles seemed to make everything better.

After the girls were abed, SaraRules! and I sat down to watch a little TopGear (UK). It was a good way to wind down the evening.

Stray Toasters

• A Last Bastion of Civility, the South, Sees Manners Decline
• Birdman of Columbia (…and for those who are interested: lyrics)
• U.S. House endorses ‘In God We Trust’ – but what’s its history?
• Is ESPN the main force behind realignment in college sports?
• NASA developing tractor beam
• Chocolate Zombie Head Bon Bons with Cherry Brains
• Is Licorice Dangerous?
• Hating Incumbency and Incumbents Too
• Asteroid 2005 YU55 will zip by Earth next week
• Design for drugs in NYC – Exhibition will explore the graphic world of pharmaceutical products

Namaste.

Tuesday – 01 November 2011
November is upon us. Mother Nature, who presented us with rather decent weather for All Hallow’s Eve, has decided to grace us with snow fluffy rain on this All Saints’ Day, not to be confused with All Saints:

Last night, SaraRules!, the girls  and I waited at home, with a bowl full of candy for trick-or-treaters who never came.

So, we have a giant bowl full of candy that we’re going to have to eat. All by ourselves. (Good thing we bought candy that we like!)

Stray Toasters

• Halloween costume sparks controversy
• In a semi-related note, we had coworkers’ kids come through the office for trick-or-treating yesterday. Among the costumes seen were one family who came as a tribe of Indians Native Americans and one coworker’s daughter who came as Off The Wall-era Michael Jackson.  What ties this in to the link above – and amuses me to some degree – was that all of the people were as… “pigmentationally challenged” as the fluffy rain falling outside. There was, however, no blackface or red face paint involved.
• Recreating reality in LEGO
• Time Warner Trims Its Excesses
• Now You Can See Why a Google Ad Targeted You
• 
• 8 Completely Embarrassing Music Videos
  This almost makes me want to watch the literal version video for Separate Ways. Almost.
• Two more banks drop monthly debit card fees
• And another one bites the dust: BofA Calls Off Debit-Fee Plan
• Reinventing Post Offices in a Digital World

Namaste.

Monday – 31 October 2011
It’s Hallowe’en.

• Improv Everywhere: Who ya gonna call…?
• Free Complete Works of H.P. Lovecraft for Nook and Kindle (…and in .pdf format, too)
• …and, of course:

Many people have been posting “Happy Hallowe’en” on their various social media outlets. Thanks to them, I have had the “Silver Shamrock” jingle (from Halloween III: Season of the Witch) running through my head for the past 3+ hours. It’s been about as annoying as the time I had Escape stuck in my head for three days…

The weekend was good, but a bit long and tiring. SaraRules! messed up her back sometime Thursday night/Friday morning. As such, I was the point man for taking care of the girls for most of the weekend. Fortunately, they took a modicum of mercy on me — they weren’t extremely fussy or irritable. (Thank you bouncy chair and swing!)

 
Diana (left) and Vanessa (right)

But, by the time we were putting them to bed last night, I realized just how tired I was and how ready I was for them to be down for the count.

On the flip side, I was still home when they woke up this morning, so I got kid cuddles before heading to work.

Last night, we also headed up to SaraRules’ parents’ house for dinner, Disney’s Ichabod Crane and Hallowe’en cookie decorating. It’s tradition! (And, it’s pretty fun, too.)

Stray Toasters

• Stuff That Defines Us
• Dammit, MTH Trains! I have kids now and not as much disposable income as before. Stop putting out sets (1, 2)  that I want to immediately put on The Covet List!
• Penn Jillette’s 10 Commandments for atheists
• It took me a moment to get the joke, but it did make me laugh:

  

• World population hits 7 billion
• Visualizing How a Population Grows to 7 Billion
• Dining Etiquette 101, courtesy of Nyx
• NASA Is Considering Fuel Depots in the Skies
• Psychiatrists Call Out DC on Depictions of Mentally Ill
• 
• Products R Us: Are We ‘Brandwashed?’
• Cable Is Holding Web TV at Bay, Earnings Show

And that’s that… for now.

Namaste.

Thursday – 27 October 2011
Another NBN Thursday finds me back at work. Fortunately, it’s my “Technical Friday,” so it’s rather bearable.

I had a great birthday yesterday. Thank you to all the well-wishers and to the family and friends who helped me celebrate it. I started the day hanging out with the twins. A little after 1100, Bonne came over and took over kid wranglin’ duty, so that I could have a few hours to run all over Hell and half of Georgia. And I did. I traveled north to Clearfield (Almosta Junction) and Ogden (Union Station and The Wonderful World of Trains). I didn’t pick up anything at Almosta Junction… although, I thought hard about it. I did pick up a new signal bridge and a Norfolk Southern hopper car at WWoT. I also squeezed in trips to RubySnap and The Chow Truck before heading home.

Back at the ranch, I hung out with the girls again. (Translation: “I fed and changed them.”) Then, it was time for a quick trip to Dr. Volt’s. Then, back home for cake and ice cream with a family and a few friends.

All-in-all, it was a great way to celebrate a birthday.

And, tonight: Belated birthday dinner with SaraRules!

Stray Toasters

• Chainsaw!!!
• October 30 is Women of Wonder Day, Benefiting Victims of Domestic Violence
• Women of Wonder Day 2011 – official website
• U.S. Naval Academy: First to teach cybersecurity as requirement
• China Reins In Liberalization of Culture
• 
• Infographics:
• The Anatomy of an Agency
• The Shocking, Graphic Data That Shows Exactly What Motivates the Occupy Movement
• HTC working with carriers to push Android bug fix
• 
• Most Stylish Musicians of All Time
• Stephen Spielberg defends worst scene in ‘Indiana Jones 4’
• Facing Hardship, Jobless Still Say They Have Hope

Namaste.