Random Access

Monday – 08 August 2011
Another work week begins… and I might just be in need of another weekend to recover from this past weekend. Suffice if to say that the weekend was good, but very full.

Friday afternoon, I did some running around.  While this included a trip to The Train Shoppe, I left empty-handed. I went to the U of U surplus, as well. I didn’t manage to leave without picking something up, though — I got a new-to-us receiver to replace the one that I’ve had since my sophomore year at Purdue. (It’s been a good unit, but has some issues…)

Friday evening, SaraRules! and I headed to ‘s place for the first of the weekend’s baby showers. It was a horror movie-themed shower, complete with:

• blood-spattered wall,
• chainsaw,
• machete (not Machete),
• meat cleaver, and a
• pitchfork.

It was quite possibly the most entertaining shower I have ever attended. Thanks to and for organizing it.

Saturday, while SaraRules! headed to Quilt Club, I mowed the lawn. After that, it was time to get ready for Shower #2, at the in-laws’ place.  This one was a more traditional shower… but, thankfully, without the horribly embarrassing games. And, it was also a lot of fun. Saturday evening found us at the home of our friends, Joe and Rebecca, for RibFest ’11. Death. By. Meat. I’d say “Holy cow,” but I’m worried that it would come off as me trying to be punny.  (Besides, they were pork ribs.) Regardless, they were unbelievably good.

Yesterday, we – along with my mother-in-law – went to Park City for the Park City Kimball Arts Festival. We got there around 9:30, at SaraRules!’ request, which turned out to be just perfect — it wasn’t crowded, nor was it very hot. We saw many nice pieces of art. I also went to Larry Stevenson‘s booth, as I would like something for the twins’ room… but decided that it would probably be better to see whether we have boys and/or girls before making a decision.

Stray Toasters

• My body was (still) a little achy from Friday’s workout when I woke up this morning. I will blame that for The Spin Doctors’ Shinbone Alley/Hard To Exist running through my head this morning.
• Baby’s Palate and Food Memories Shaped Before Birth
• Atlanta School Year Begins Amid a Testing Scandal
• Overriding a Key Education Law
• 

• For SaraRules!: Watching Skateboarding Fails at 1000 FPS Is Actually Quite Fun
• Can You Name the Famous Inventors?
  (I got 10 in the time limit.  Even after the answers were revealed, I only knew three others.)
• Ravens Agree to Deal With Ricky Williams
• Ricky Williams joins Baltimore Ravens’ backfield
  From this story comes another interesting item: Ronnie Brown is going to the Eagles. Michael Vick and Ronnie Brown… on the same team. Can you imagine what their Wildcat formations will be like?
• I just looked at the schedule. Guess who we get in our first Preseason game: The Eagles.
• 
• From Cuba to Florida: A 61-Year-Old Starts the 103-Mile Swim
• International Read Comics in Public Day is coming up.
• Is Technology Making Everyone You Work With a Dick?
• Mmm…. Chow Truck.

Namaste.

Friday – 05 August 2011
It’s my day off. So far, I’ve celebrated that by sleeping in, watching the Juno mission launch on NASA TV and then going to the gym. All things considered, I’d have to say that’s a good way to start the day. I’m trying to figure out how to spend the next few hours. “Housework” just does not hold an appeal, so I believe that I’ll go gallivanting around town.

Today is also my friend, Christine’s, birthday:

Last night, SaraRules! and I had dinner at the local Outback Steakhouse. And it was even her idea. Win-Win! Cheese Fries. Prime Rib. Delicious. After that, it was a lazy do-nothing kind of night, complete with Burn Notice and Suits and – for the first time in a long while – a whole episode of Le Late Late Show avec Craig Ferguson in Paris.

Workout
As I mentioned, I actually dragged myself to the gym today:

• Elliptical: 15 min, 1.45 mi
• Bench Press: 3 sets/8 reps — 2 sets @ 165 lbs, 1 set @ 175 lbs
• Sit-ups (incline): 3 sets/15 reps
• Flys (dumbbell, bench): 3 sets/10 reps, 20 lbs
• Curls (dumbbell, seated): 3 sets/10 reps, 25 lbs
• Shoulder Press (dumbbell, seated): 3 sets/10 reps, 40 lbs

It wasn’t the world’s longest workout, but it was more than enough to get the blood pumping.

Stray Toasters

• Guardians of Internet Security Are Targets
• Office equipment open to hacker attacks
• How Can You Dress Well at Every Age?
• Let’s Be Friends Again often pokes fun at the comics industry, but I particularly appreciated the commentary that accompanied this comic:
  
• Are Dolphins flirting with Brett Favre?
  I hope not…
• Atlas rockets could carry astronauts to space again
• Ford Is Purging CD Players From Their Cars
• From the Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Japanese company makes creepy dolls that look like their owners

Time to get “right on the to friction of the day…”

Namaste.

Thursday – 04 August 2011
It’s an early No Bad News Technical Friday for me. And, considering how I slept and that I have a project coming to a head today, I could really use that whole “No Bad News” factor.

I don’t often have dreams that continue after I’ve awakened and gone back to sleep, but I had one last night. And it was bizarre. It was (mostly) bizarre in its content – a zombie dream – but because of some of people in it, as well: Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa and Carl Weathers as Apollo Creed.

* blink blink*

I’m sure that there were others, but they were the two I immediately recognized and still remember.

The zombies moved faster than the shambling creatures from George A. Romero movies, but weren’t running at a flat-out sprint like the “rage-infested humans” from 28 Days Later/28 Weeks Later. They were somewhere in the middle — fast enough to be a concern, slow enough to be outrun. Of course, there’s always the prevailing thought that “You don’t have to be faster than the zombies, you just have to be faster than the slowest person in your group.”

The dream wasn’t your standard “Here come the dead” fare, either. It started off that way, and then turned into “behind the scenes in government response:” Lawyers and armed guards. Political leaders being ousted due to their lack of response. Black helicopters flying to “undisclosed destinations.”

Yeah.  It was that weird.

There was a point where it cut over to Rocky – working in some kind of storefront office – and Apollo Creed, training for an event. One of the other characters (Paulie, I believe) from the movies was there, as well. He was suffering from a form of amnesia or Alzheimer’s; Rocky and his guys were preparing to send him away – to Italy, I think – for some R&R. At that point, I was asked to go upstairs (to a living area) and keep watch on someone else. I could see people cautiously wandering the streets, trying to avoid encounters with the undead. I remember feeling a sense of dread, almost expecting this person to turn into a zombie, as he appeared near-death to begin with. I think that he was starting to die/turn as I woke up.

Let’s just say that it wasn’t exactly the most restful night’s sleep.

Stray Toasters

• Not that any/many of them will see it, but I’d like to extend a very heartfelt “Thank you” to SaraRules!’ coworkers for the baby gifts they gave us/the kids at an at-work baby shower yesterday. I’m nominating them, collectively, as yesterday’s “People of the Day.”
• Tuskegee Airmen Gather to Mark 70th Anniversary, and See an Old Friend
• For SaraRules! (and other film buffs): Lost Hitchcock feature recovered in New Zealand
• For Meliko: Showcasing the Viola in Updated Mozart
• Bubba Smith, former Colts star and actor, found dead in L.A. home
• Former NFL star, actor Bubba Smith dead at 66
• 
• Juno Spacecraft to Carry Three Figurines to Jupiter Orbit
  What that title fails to mention is that they are LEGO figurines.  Boldly going where no LEGO has gone before!
• Even Marked Up, Luxury Good Fly Off Shelves
• Yesterday, Warner Brothers announced Laurence Fishburne would portray Perry White in Zach Snyder’s upcoming Man of Steel film.
  Today, they released a picture of Henry Cavill as Superman.

  
  (click for larger image)

  Not bad. I’m looking forward to seeing how well he pulls off the Clark Kent look.

• Battlestar Galactica fans will understand why I find this so amusing:
  

  From The New York Times:  “Industry executives as well as regulators have said that fracking has never contaminated underground drinking water. But there is at least one documented case.”

• Matt Damon defends teachers, disses journalists
• Last night, I saw the video of this for the first time:

• Report: NSA to recruit from DEFCON attendee pool
• I was totally unaware that Daniel Stern played the JAFO in the theatrical verison of Blue Thunder until I was looking up information about Bubba Smith.
• The Horribly Dressed Men of Tech

The project I mentioned at the beginning of the post wrapped up this morning… and it went more smoothly than I had hoped. Selah.

Namaste.

Wednesday – 03 August 2011
It’s another midweek. Not only is it new comics day, but it’s also Sushi Wednesday… now I just have to decide whether or not I want to take the time out of the middle of my day to go. This decision is also weighted by the fact that I took the casual approach to coming in to the office this morning — I didn’t get here until nearly 0815. So, we’ll see how I play the lunch card.

Last night was supposed to be 3.5 game night at ‘ place. Only and I showed up, so it turned into a gab session… which was just fine. It also meant that I was able to head home a little early and hang out with SaraRules!, who hosted her book club meeting last night. In addition to their discussion book, the other ladies all brought presents — books for us to read to the kids.  It was a very kind and generous gesture.

Stray Toasters

• For some reason, I had the chorus from I Am a Rock playing in my head this morning.
• Interpreting, Observing Ramadan
• This item, by way of Cult of Mac, makes an interesting prediction: Apple Will Murder OS X and Replace It With iOS on All Macs Starting in 2012
• City Opera to Lose Music Director
• 
• The Best Super Power (Is Not What You Think)
• N.J. Dunkin Donuts worker caught in ‘extra sugar’ sex sting
  This puts an entirely different spin on the whole “Time to make the donuts…” tagline.
• One Ordinary Day in One Extraordinary Life
• Stalemate in Senate Leaves 4,000 Out of Work at F.A.A.
• Esquire Style Presents: The American Revolution
• 
• Teenager’s Path and a Killing Put Spotlight on Mental Care
• It’s been around for a while, but Brilliantly Sarcastic Responses to Completely Well-Meaning Signs still makes me smile.

Quote of the Day
Today’s quote comes from the “The Best Super Power” item:

Flying is a power you can only use to rub in other peoples’ faces…

I guess that’s somewhat true.

Namaste.

Tuesday – 02 August 2011
Day two of the work week. Day two of the month. Let’s see how it shapes up.

Last night, SaraRules! and I assembled the second crib. With this, the nursery is nearly complete, at least in terms of furniture. For now. I also did a rough count of diapers that we have preemptively picked up: We have somewhere between 900 and 1000 of them. That should get us through the first month or two… we hope.

Groove. Boogie. Sway.
If nothing else, the morning’s musical selections have been good:

• Garbage – The World Is Not Enough
• U2 – One
• Babyface – It’s No Crime
• Rush – Red Sector ‘A’
• Herbie Hancock – Rockit

Not a bad start to the morning.  Hopefully, the rest of the day will keep pace.

Stray Toasters

• I, once again, almost typed the above line as “Stray Taoists.”
• Space shuttle Columbia part found in East Texas
• Pooktre Tree Shapers
• 
• Arts Outposts Stung By Cuts in State Aid
• An Interview with Fabio and Isaiah Mustafa from the “New Old Spice Guy” Campaign
• I believe that I am amused enough by this mug to put it on The Covet List:

  

• HHS announces free birth control for women in the U.S.
• Space program’s environmental cleanup could take decades
• How to Drink Like a Gentleman
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: PBS revisits ‘Mister Rogers’ with new show

And that, as they say, is that.

Namaste.

Monday – 01 August 2011
It’s the beginning of the work week and the beginning of a new month. It’s been something of “a day.” Granted, as work days go, it could have been far worse, but suffice if to say that I’ll be glad when it’s quittin’ time.

The weekend was good, though. Busy. Productive. But, good. I ran a ‘Clix tournament for Dr. Volt’s on Saturday. It was a good event, with a good turn out. After that, and a little downtime at home, we headed to a birthday party for our friend, Melissa. It was themed as a pie party… and there were plenty of pies on-hand.

Sunday, after a very tasty breakfast at Millcreek Cafe and Eggworks, I set about dismantling a shelving unit that our home’s previous owner had built. It was functional… but it wasn’t very pretty. And, it had to come down, so that we could easily access the passenger door on SaraRules!’ car. (Which will be important when it’s time to add/remove kids and car seats). In the process of removing the shelves, I also cleaned out that side of the garage. I am Ivory Soap sure that it’s cleaner now than it was before the old owners put their house on the market. We wrapped up the evening with dinner at the in-laws’.

Stray Toasters
Check back tomorrow.

Namaste.

Friday – 29 July 2011
It’s my 9/80 “on” Friday…

…and I am beat. Yesterday was a long day – work, doctor’s appointment and childbirth class – that stretched into the later early hours of this morning, because SaraRules! (and the kids) and I had an unexpected trip to the hospital in the wee hours of the morning. Both SaraRules! and the kids are fine.

I repeat: “SaraRules! and the kids are fine.”

It turned out that she had a few sporadic contractions after a particularly long and busy day. Rather than ignore them or “hope they’d settle down on their own,” we called her doctor, who suggested that we go in to make sure that everything was alright. Our nurse, Karren, was great; she was attentive, responsive and explained all of the things that she was checking for.  She also made sure that we were as comfortable and at ease as could be. It’s just that the process – monitoring and observation – took four hours…

*headdesk*

After getting the “All clear,” we headed home. Sleep was not hard to find. And understanding that “the annoying bell-sounding-thing” was actually this morning’s alarm was, at first, a “slightly” difficult concept to grasp. But, I grabbed a frozen mocha on the way into the office, so that I could be at least nominally awake and coherent. Fortunately, the day hasn’t been to bad/busy/hectic.  And, I even got to have lunch with Tyranist and Cade.

There is most definitely a nap in my post-work future. (Or at least some time in the train room…)

Stray Toasters

• Today is System Administrator Day.

  
  
  

• 10 Reasons to Be (Really) Excited About Football
• Your complete guide to Google+
• Training Modules. Yay.
• Carmakers Back Strict New Rules for Gas Mileage
• A Father Who Creatively Captures His Kids
• 
• I’ve been browsing some of the pictures of the costumers and cosplayers from this year’s San Diego Comic-Con. I have also had an epiphany: The so-called “sexy” costumes – or, rather, the “sexy” variants of other characters’ costumes –  that have become so popular/prevalent…? Yeah, they do absolutely nothing for me. Yes, some of the women wearing them are good-looking, but the costumes don’t so much say “sexy” to me as “slutty.”  *shrug* Tyranist – who agreed with me – and I discussed this for a bit before lunch.
• House Committee passes bill requiring your ISP to spy on every click and keystroke you make online and retain for 12 months
• A Young Clown Follows in a Father’s Giant Footsteps
• Hubble Telescope’s successor could face budget ax

Namaste.

Thursday – 28 July 2011
Another NBN Thursday dawns. So far, it’s sunny and clear; it would be nice if it would stay that way, but we apparently have a chance of seeing showers again this afternoon. (This is the high desert, right…?)

This morning was definitely a “Waking up and getting up has never been easy…” kind of morning. Despite that, I still managed to get into the office by 7:45. I also decided that today was a suit day: Black suit, white shirt (with Green Lantern cuff links), black loafers, green/grey/white tie and white pocket square.

It’s also going to be a rather long day, as there are both a doctor’s appointment and (the last) childbirth class on the agenda before I go home.

Last night, SaraRules! and I went out for dinner at Pawit’s Royale Thai Cuisine. (If she’s been “craving” anything during her pregnancy, it’s been a once-a-week helping of Thai food. I’m quite alright with that.) The food was good and the restaurant was surprisingly busy for a Wednesday night. After dinner, I decided to mow the lawn. It seems as though the new sprinkler heads are bringing some of the dry/dead spots back to life. I consider this a “good” thing. After a little post-mowing cool down time, we assembled one of the cribs. It went together fairly well and easily. The allen wrench that was included wasn’t of the best design; so I switched over to using my drill towards the end of things. Mmm, power tools.

Stray Toasters

• By way of Nyx: Reinventing the Classroom
• How Khan Academy Is Changing the Rules of Education
• The World As America Dreamed It
• McNabb in Minnesota, huh?   Okay.  Let’s see how it goes.
• 
• Space station to plunge into ocean at end in 2020
• Walter Reed Hospital Holds Closing Ceremony
• The seamstresses behind NASA’s space suit
• By way of Jeff J.:

  

• Peach Rivalry Becomes War Between the Tastes
• Director of US-CERT resigns without explanation

Namaste.

Wednesday – 27 July 2011
It’s the middle of the afternoon in the middle of the week. It’s been a sporadically busy day. And, as it’s Wednesday, it turned out that today was, in fact, Sushi Wednesday… although I didn’t go. That’s okay. There will be others.

Last night was Guys’ Night Out. Josh, Ryan, , and and I met up at MacCool’s for beer, food and chat. Once again, we (almost) closed the place down. And it was good.

Stray Toasters

• Don’t forget: System Administrator Day is Friday, 29 July 2011

  

• Classical Lost and Found: Remaking ‘Metropolis’
• Hershey Kisses with Caramel. ‘Nuff said.
• What Happens When a Bus Stop Is Turned Into a Lounge Room?
• DesPop: The Art of Des Taylor
• Got $799,000? You could buy a town in South Dakota
• Fast Slow Food
• The Chart That Should Accompany All Conversations of the Debt Ceiling
• I’m certain that I will find this quite apt in the next few months:

  

• While I don’t necessarily need/want a nap like I did yesterday, I’m ready to call it a day and go home… unfortunately, there are still a few hours left in the work day.
• Hot reads: Tuesday’s NFL player moves, news
• In Which Tim Gunn Tells Men to Watch Project Runway
• Korean Air jets being fitted with three bars

Namaste.

Tuesday – 26 July 2011
Day two of the work week finds me down in the south 40 again. Unfortunately, I am braving it alone, as Minion #2 is on vacation this week. I shall persevere.

Last night, SaraRules! and I made a pilgrimage to the Garden of Sweden. All was well. We also decided to grab dinner at the local In-N-Out Burger. And, after we returned home, I set about migrating my MacBook from Snow Leopard to Lion. So far, it seems pretty decent. I’ll need to poke around under the hood a bit and see just how similar or different it is.

Chew on This: Food for Thought
Both of today’s items come by way of my friend, Janie. She’s found a couple of items in the news that are somewhat thought-provoking and pretty much straight out of the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file:

• Arkansas High School Appoints Co-Valedictorian Because Top Student Was African-American
• Black Student Not Allowed to Be Valedictorian
• Beck: Norway camp smacks of ‘Hitler Youth’

Stray Toasters

• Put This On: A Web Series About Dressing Like a Grownup
• For SaraRules!: Little Lambs, Not the Sheep, Get Early Lessons in the Rodeo Life
• Study Shows Racial Wealth Gap Grows Wider
• Wealth gap widens for whites over blacks, Hispanics
• 
• NFL, players announce new 10-year labor agreement
• Ravens to Release Key Players
• The trailer for Legend of Korra has made its debut:

• Zurich seeking immunity from covering Sony over breach
• My boss just asked me “How’s AF?” (asking how things are in this office today)
  I responded: “It’s AFU.”
  He laughed.  I’m glad that he understands.
• 
• I just heard this prayer – given before a NASCAR race this past weekend – on the commute to work. It’s hilarious.

Quote of the Day
Today’s nugget of wisdom comes from Top Gear‘s own Jeremy Clarkson:

“Speed has never killed anyone. Suddenly becoming stationary, that’s what gets you.”

Namaste.

Monday – 25 July 2011
Another work week begins. Many/most of the state offices and local businesses will be closed today in celebration of Pioneer Day (which I will refrain from calling “Mormon Christmas”), which was actually yesterday… but, everyone knows that you can’t celebrate a holiday on a Sunday, especially here in the Land Behind the Zion Curtain.

Today is also Lish’s birthday:

This has been a busy, but productive, weekend. The (new) guest room has been painted and the furniture has been moved to the new room. The former guest room is now in the process of becoming the nursery – baby furniture (or at least the boxes with the furniture) has been placed in the room. Many thanks to , , and Logan for their time in helping to get things situated!

SaraRules! and I also made it up to Deer Valley on Saturday evening to see Chris Botti perform with the Utah Symphony. It was a good concert and the crowd was quite receptive to Mr. Botti and his guest performers, Lisa Fischer and… a violinist whose name eludes me.

Groove. Boogie. Sway.
Today’s musical shuffle selection has been a good one for a Monday morning:

• Liz Phair – The Tra La La Song (One Banana, Two Banana)
  (Hey, it was stuck in my head after watching a Boomerang-a-long last week…)
• Tin Machine – One Shot
• Ray Charles – Sticks and Stones
• Jamie Cullum – Wind Cries Mary
• 16 Volt – Keep Sleeping
• The Charlie Daniels Band – The Devil Went Down to Georgia

Yeah, that’s a good start for a Monday.

Stray Toasters

• After Long Wait, Same-Sex Couples Marry in New York
• This makes me smile:

  

  (click for full-sized image)

• At 100, Still Keeping Time as the Leader of the Band
• For some reason, this popped into my head yesterday. It made me laugh.
• Five best small towns in America
• How a Man Should Age, Fashionably
• 
• NFL players set to OK labor deal
  • N.F.L. Lockout Keeps Rookie Free Agents in Limbo
  • Michael Vick would welcome Brett Favre as a backup

  

• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: To Reach Simple Life of Summer Camp, Lining Up for Private Jets

We now return you to your regularly-scheduled Monday.

Namaste.

Friday – 22 July 2011
It’s my 9/80 day off. Hallelujah. Of course, I have The Leash this week, so I’m also hoping that nothing blows up over the weekend.

Last night, SaraRules! and I attended our third childbirth classes. During the second half of the class, we went on a tour of the Labor and Delivery Unit at Intermountain LDS Hospital. In addition to getting the lay of the land – and seeing a few newborns in the nursery – we also got to see a… I guess you’d call it “freshly-delivered”… placenta. Our instructor talked a bit about it and gave us a chance to look at – but not touch – it fairly closely. That freaked a few people out. (Neither SaraRules! nor I were among the squeamish.)

As a side note: While at the class, I checked in at the hospital on Foursquare…

…which crossposts to Facebook…

…which led to a series of comments on Facebook AND text messages, asking if either something was wrong or if the babies were coming early. So, I responded to those with “calm down, it’s just another class night” messages.

Then, this shows up in today’s Real Life Comics:

It made me laugh.

After sleeping in this morning, I managed to get myself out of the house and into the gym:

• Elliptical: 15 min/1.5 miles
• Bench Press: 3 sets/8 reps — 2 sets @ 155 lbs, 1 set @ 165 lbs
• Curls (dumbbell, seated): 3 sets/10 reps, 25 lbs
• Sit-ups (incline): 3 sets/15 reps
• Flys (dumbbell, bench): 3 sets/10 reps, 25 lbs
• Tricep extensions (dumbbell, standing): 3 sets/10 reps, 40 lbs
• Leg Extensions: 3 sets/10 reps, 70 lbs
• Leg Curls: 3 sets/10 reps, 70 lbs

Not a bad way to start the day.

Stray Toasters

• Spotify: Check!
  (I haven’t heard Morris Day’s Oak Tree in years…!)
• How Finland became an education leader
• Superhero graffiti in San Francisco
  Gotta love the John Stewart GL on the last panel.
• 
• Science on Screen coming to 8 theatres across America
• The Borders Goodbye Email Is Like Watching Old Yeller in Slow Motion
• WizKids! has released dials for four figures from the upcoming Superman set (1, 2).
• Should we change how we elect presidents?
• 
• A Tribe Called Quest: The Rise and Fall of a Legend
• Xeni Jardin has opened an open Google+ thread for jokes.
• The Brilliance of Dwarf Fortress

Namaste.

Thursday – 21 July 2011
This NBN Technical Friday is a bright, sunny day with blue skies and no clouds.

Last night, SaraRules! and I went to a screening of Captain America: The First Avenger, thanks to Jeff and Jimmy at Big Movie Mouth-Off and about 20 of my friends, who helped me win tickets.

Where some directors might have a problem making a solid comic book adaptation or a period piece, Joe Johnston has successfully crafted a movie that works not only as a big-screen comic book movie AND a period piece, but also as a lighter World War II fare. The only thing that our screening didn’t have was the post-movie teaser clip for The Avengers. (Thank God for YouTube…)

Sidenote: I just noted that Mr. Johnston also directed a few other movies of which I am fond:

• October Sky,
• Hidalgo, and
• The Rocketeer (which I’ve only seen in bits and pieces, but is also a comic book adaptation and period piece)

I also find it somewhat amusing that it’s been 20 years between his forays into comics-related fare.

Chris Evans did a fine job as Steve Rogers, a young man looking for a chance to serve his country, but unable to do so because of his frail constitution. When given a chance to join the military, he finds that it’s not the role he wanted or expected… but that doesn’t stop him. Nor does it keep him from becoming the soldier — not just “super-soldier” — that he hoped to be.  Stanley Tucci‘s turn as Dr. Erskine – who developed the super-soldier formula – was also quite good. He came across as a man who, like Steve Rogers, understood the difference between doing something because you can and doing something because it’s right. Hayley Atwell was a good choice for Agent Peggy Carter, the romantic interest. Most importantly, she wasn’t relegated to a “damsel in distress” role; Agent Carter was as much in the thick of things as any of her male counterparts. In a bit of a surprise to me, Tommy Lee Jones‘ Colonel Phillips was in more of the film than I expected. And I enjoyed every bit of screen time that he had. And Hugo Weaving was an excellent choice as Johann Schmidt/The Red Skull. He made a believable adversary, mixing the right amounts of ego and megalomania.

This is a fun bit of summer cinema, with a little something for everyone. The movie apparently earned its PG-13 rating for one scene —  an action/violence issue, rather than a language or nudity issue. With this movie, Marvel Entertainment – and Disney, by extension – has hit the proverbial trifecta, with respect to comic book movies this summer, in the releases of Thor, X-Men: First Class and Captain America.

(Yeah, I could have used LEGO bricks for this, but… I liked this better.)

See Also: Captain America’s cinematic comeback, from USA Today and Comics, Everybody: The History of Captain America Explained, from Comics Alliance.

Groove. Boogie. Sway.
Today’s musical oleo has included:

• US3 – Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)
• Annie Lennox- Walking on Broken Glass
• Santana (ft. Rob Thomas) – Smooth
• Led Zeppelin – Heartbreaker
• LL Cool J – Mama Said Knock You Out

Stray Toasters

• Marvel Entertainment and the LEGO Group announce strategic relationship in construction toy category
• Tax Bill Imperils Slavery Museum
• Apple does away with the MacBook
• Apple Tops Nokia to Become Worlds’ Top Smartphone Vendor
• 
• Space shuttle Atlantis lands, ending NASA’s shuttle program
• Last Space Shuttle Lands, Ending 30 Year Era
• Spaceflight Is Getting Cheaper. But It’s Still Not Cheap Enough.
• To Nullify Lead, Add a Bunch of Fish Bones
• MarknTyme sent me a link to a trailer for the upcoming Conan the Barbarian. I’ve been somewhat ambivalent about the movie, but the trailer has piqued my curiosity…

• Computer theft impacts 400K South Carolina patients
• Social Media History Becomes a New Job Hurdle

Namaste.

Wednesday – 20 July 2011
Today marks the 42nd anniversary of the first time that a man set foot on the moon (1, 2) .

As taken from the Purdue University Facebook page:

Today in history: On July 20, 1969, Purdue graduate and astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon. That one small step has been inspiring Boilermakers and the rest of the world ever since!

That’s right, a Boilermaker did that.

Last night was D&D 3.5 game night with and company. It was a good session. We encountered an odd group of people at a desert oasis. They were – or at least seemed – friendly enough. And they were… helpful… in that they helped us find a city that we were seeking. And by “helped us find” I mean,”they gated us to the city, which turned out to be of the ‘long-lost’ and ‘floating-in-the-air’ variety. And that’s where we’re picking up next time.

I considered hitting the gym after gaming, but as it was late (after 2300) and I had an early – and long – day on the agenda for today, I opted out. Today is rather full with: A doctor’s appointment (for the twins) this morning and a screening of Captain America this evening… oh, yeah, there’s work on both sides of that doctor’s appointment, too.

::: break for appointment :::

Post-appointment update: SaraRules! and both kids are fine. (And her doctor won’t let her go past 38 weeks.)

Groove. Boogie. Sway.
This morning’s music selection has been varied and quite good:

• Rush – Limelight (which, to be honest, wasn’t so random a selection…)
• Shirley Bassey – Goldfinger
• Tony! Toni! Tone’! – Born Not to Know
• Robbie Williams – Rock DJ
• En Vogue – You Don’t Have to Worry
• Snoop Dogg (ft. Pharell) – Drop It Like It’s Hot
• Liz Phair – Supernova

Not a bad way to kick off a Wednesday, at all.

Stray Toasters

• Farewell, MacBook. It appears as though Apple has consolidated the line to MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, only.
• Utah Liquor Laws, as Mixed Up as Some Drinks
• QR codes everywhere — even on grave markers
• 
• 14 Navy commanders relieved of duty, prompting conduct memo
• With N.F.L. Deal in Sight, Both Sides Can Claim Gains
• Curtis Granderson: Where are all the black fans?
• 
• Why Borders Failed While Barnes & Noble Survived
• While I’d seen the first video done for the X-Men parody of Born This Way, I hadn’t seen this version.  Thanks to for pointing it out:

• And that, naturally, leads to this:

  

• Why Did They Put Cargo Netting on Combat Helmets?
• U.S. to Close 800 Computer Data Centers

Namaste.

Tuesday – 19 July 2011
Day Two of Four… fortunately, there’s coffee.

And it’s game night. And, there may even be a trip to the gym on this evening’s agenda.

Last night, Operation: Paint Guest Room went into effect. Ms. and Logan came over to lend a hand. We banged out the whole thing – from taping to finishing (minus door trim) – in under two hours. There are a couple of small areas that need a slight touch-up, but the proverbial “heavy lifting” is done. And, with the painting out of the way, the guest room furniture can now be moved so that the cribs and other baby furniture can go into the nursery.

Groove. Boogie. Sway.
The Tuesday morning music mix started slow, but geared up fairly quickly:

• Poe – Angry Johnny
• Sublime – Santeria
• DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince – I’m Looking for the One (To Be With Me)
• Janet Jackson – The Pleasure Principle
• Ben Folds Five – Underground

Stray Toasters

• Celebrate Women and Railroad Heritage at Train Festival 2011
• Ready for Retirement, Shuttles Get a Deep Clean
• First-Place Sweep by American Girls at First Google Science Fair

  

• Cities Report Surge in Graffiti
• Death Star PR
• Birth Control Without Copays Could Become Mandatory
• Longtime book retailer Borders heading toward liquidation
• 24 Small Towns May Lose Air Service