Random Access

Saturday – 23 October 2010
In the words of Bjork: “It’s oh so quiet.”
The only sounds, aside from my typing, are from birds chirping outside the window.

Last night, I had a great time: SaraRules! organized a birthday dinner for me at MacCool’s; my birthday isn’t until Tuesday, but she correctly figured that it might be “a little difficult” to get people together on a school night. There was good food (Prime Rib!), good beer (Black and Pumpkin, made with Guinness) and the delightful company of family and friends. We followed dinner with cake and ice cream back at home. It was a great evening and truly an excellent way to wind up the week.

Today, I’m judging another ‘Clix tournament this afternoon at Dr. Volt’s. As there’s no tourney next week, this is our Hallowe’en-themed event, which I’ve been referring to as “Monster Mash.” For this match, all teams have to have at least one figure with the “Monster” keyword.  I’m looking forward to some interesting combinations.

Stray Toasters

• New misspelling: “Stray Toaters.”  I was surprised to learn that “toat” is actually a word.
• I talked the paternal parental unit this morning. He sent me a book, Trains of the World, for my birthday.  In it, he noted a train that used to run through his hometown when he was younger.
• Wonder Woman Day Unleashes Awesome Art for a Good Cause This Sunday
  • And, if you’re in the Flemington, NJ area, check out Comic Fusion’s Wonder Woman Day event, which kicks off today.
• Why Is Clint Eastwood Still the Man?
• Sweet gourd-mangling Cthulhu… I have found Ravens pumpkin carving stencils! I may actually have to carve a pumpkin this year…
• 
• Words & Unwords
• 10 geek sins that will get your geek card revoked
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Celebrity Invention: Penn Jillette’s Bathtub for the Ladies
• Repaneled

I should probably get ready to hit the road.

Namaste.

Friday – 22 October 2010
Bonus points to those of you who get the subject line without having to look it up.

It’s my 9/80 “on” Friday.
It started off somewhat quietly… but it picked up a little, around 9:45. No big deal. Nothing insurmountable.

Last night, after a couple of rounds of “Let’s Clean the House,” I managed to sneak off to Nova Praetoria for a while. I hadn’t played City for a week or two, so it was a nice change of pace. I ran a few missions. I leveled up once. I remembered how slow running through a city can be… although it’s still faster than Hover.

I also got in a bit more reading in Starship Troopers.

Stray Toasters

• Tweaking Tradition, Even in Its Temple
• Moon Crater Contains Usable Water, NASA Says
  • Shawn Colvin & Ernie: I Don’t Want to Live on the Moon
    
• Recently Rediscovered Letter Shows Wonder Woman’s Earliest Costume
• Middle Classes in Africa
• Haunted Mansion ghost hearse made from LEGO
• A Son Grows Thankful for His Father’s Tough Love
• Gays, Mormons and Boy Scouts’ discrimination
• 
• Credit Cards Soon to Get a Makeover
• T-shirt turns into a zombie
  • Sears reaches out to the neglected Zombie-American demographic
• No Net for the Man in Charge

Namaste.

Thursday – 21 October 2010
Another NBN begins here in the valley.
And it’s a slightly chilly one.  (At least it is to me.)

Last night was D&D (4.0) night, with m3l and Jack. We had a good encounter (read: “No one in our group died.”) I also managed to more-or-less finish my repaint of the latest Wolverine HeroClix. I did him up in his current, non-X-Force costume… but haven’t decided if I’m going to do the striping on the side. We’ll see. And maybe I’ll try to get some pictures of it, as well.

After gaming, SaraRules! and I hit the gym. Last night was a cardio night. Rather than get on the elliptical, I got on the treadmill. We walked for a half-hour; I covered 1.70 miles. Hopefully, my schedule will allow me to get back in there with some regularity in the next week or so.

Stray Toasters

• It appears as though the migration is complete. The only thing left is for the new DNS settings to propagate through the Intertubes. All things considered, it was pretty painless and quick.
• Today’s musical interlude: Aerosmith – Pink
• Green Lantern Fan Constructs His Own High-Tech LEGO Power Battery
• Speaking of LEGO, I am having fun with LEGO Universe.
• OMNI Magazine’s Publisher Bob Guccione Has Died…
  …although I’ll probably remember/love/hate him almost as much for Caligula.  (Helen Mirren was in that?! Wow.)
• This makes more than “a little” sense:
  



• What’s so wrong with Comic Sans?
• found a couple of bits of awesomeness on Gizmodo:
  • The Difference Between Facebook and Twitter
  • Student Hides Rick Astley’s Song in College Paper
• If this picture makes you laugh (for more than just “funny animal picture” reas0ns) or sparks nostalgia…

  

  …then you should check out the rest of Timothy Lim’s artwork and his Spider-Man/Calvin and Hobbes mashup.

• NPR Ends Juan Williams’ Contract After Muslim Remarks
• Toyota Makes Another Car Recall
• Superhero Horders: The 7 Biggest Pack Rats in Comics

…right on to the friction of the day.

Namaste.

Wednesday – 20 October 2010
This is just a test to verify that The Great Webhost Migration of 2010 is nearly at an end…

…and whether or not WordPress is playing nicely with other sites.

Namaste.

Monday – 18 October 2010
A new work week begins.

This past weekend was, quite possibly, one of the most relaxing weekends I’ve had in a while.  That is FAR from a “bad” thing.  I think that it was also quite beneficial, given how crappy I felt Wednesday through Friday.

Saturday afternoon, SaraRules! and I went on a mid-afternoon date to the movies. We saw Red. It was fun. Kind of like The Losers: Senior Class, but with a bit more wit.

Later in the evening, we got gussied-up and had an evening on the town: Dinner out and the opening night of

It was a great performance.  There were four set changes – one set was used in Acts I and IV – and each of them truly transformed the look of the stage into a different place.  The casting was also something that I’ve not seen in a Utah Opera production before: 1/3 of the main cast was African-American. That was a refreshing change of pace (or, as I told SaraRules! after the show: “That’s the Blackest opera cast I’ve seen here yet!”).  I do not know if Utah Opera is trying to expand its productions to include more multicultural casts, but if so, I commend them on their effort. It’s refreshing to see more people of color in the arts… and especially in opera.

Today, we slept in; it was a treat in which I indulge far too infrequently. After we got up, we went out for breakfast and ran a couple of errands. We came back home where I did some cleaning… while watching the NFL.com Game Center of the Ravens giving away the game to the Patriots. *ARGH* A little later, we went for a drive up Big Cottonwood Canyon, to see the fall colors. (Pictures can be seen here.) I still want to see more fiery reds, but the foliage was very nice despite its absence.

After our excursion, we came home, changed and then met SaraRules!’ family and Swiz’ family for a lovely dinner, in honor of Swiz and Logan’s engagement. The food was simply exquisite and was matched by the company.  It was the perfect way to wrap up the weekend.

Stray Toasters

• Pope canonises first Australian Saint, Mary MacKillop
• ‘Fractal’ mathematician Benoit Mandelbrot dies aged 85
  • Jonathan Coulton: Mandelbrot Set
    
• 10 Best Alignment Charts
• The Zombie Network: Beware “Free Public WiFi”
• Sesame Street (yes, “THAT” Sesame Street) had a couple of bits of “win” this past week, apparently:
  • Sesame Street Teaches Black Girls to Love Their Hair
  • Old Spice spoof… with Grover
• Thanks to for pointing this out:



• The Perfect Steak Grilling Guide
• Weirdest Things Smuggled on an Airplane
• 10 Badass Old Folks

Hi-ho, hi-ho…

Namaste.

Saturday – 16 October 2010
Yesterday, and I headed up to Clearfield to check out a new (to us) train shop: Almosta Junction.  They have the largest O-scale selection that I’ve encountered in Utah. And, they had an amazing layout, including one train that had at least 40 cars on it. pointed out that it “…isn’t just a toy train set, that is definitely a model.” We didn’t get to see the trains in action, but just seeing the layout was great. The shop was pretty cool and I am Ivory Soap sure that I’ll be heading back there again in the not-too-distant future.

After the model railroad outing, I came home and hung out until it was time for Clitorati. Last night’s gathering was small, but nevertheless good. And, I had recovered enough of my appetite to have a little something to eat when dinnertime rolled around.

This morning, we got up and took SaraRules!’ car to the shop to have tire and brake work done. After that, we made a quick stop at the store to pick up breakfast-typed food stuffs. While there, we ran into my former coworker, Brooke, whom we haven’t seen in a few months. Then it was back home for breakfast (French Toast and eggs).

Stray Toasters

• Prince announces tour to start in December
• The Swiss Have the World’s Longest Tunnel and They’re Proud of It
• 
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Passenger: Airline said I’m ‘too disabled’ to fly alone
• Fox channels go dark amid financial dispute
• 
• HOW TO: Make a Zombie Barbie Garden
• 12 Awesome Airplane Paint Jobs

Now: Yard and garden work (ostensibly the last of the season)
Next: Red
Later: La Boheme

Namaste.

Friday – 15 October 2010
Today is the birthday of a few people I know: Carey, Katt, and Jake Theis (from WizKids Games):

It’s also my 9/80 “off” Friday.  Amen.
Of course, I got called into the office… because I had a key that someone needed. *sigh*  But, I don’t count that as really getting called into work.

While out, I ran down to say “Hi” to Perry and the kids.
And, I even managed to swing past the Home Depot.

For added “win,” the swamp cooler service tech just came and winterized the cooler… which means that we can turn on the heat!  (Suffice if to say that it’s been “brisk” around here in the mornings.)

Stray Toasters

• By way of SaraRules: People power comes to the Turbine Hall: Al Weiwei’s Sunflower Seeds
• From the “Stop… Collaborate and listen” file: Vanilla Ice is back with a new profession: Home Renovator
• Transgender woman sues LPGA over ‘birth’ rule
• For SaraRules: O Crank Up the Old-Timey LEGO Letterpress Machine

And with that, and I are off to look at model railroad stuff.

Namaste.

Wednesday – 13 October 2010
Technically, I wrote this last night, before going to bed. But, thanks to the miracle of WordPress’ scheduler, I can have it post after the sun is up.  (Or, at least after it’s up on the east coast.)

It’s Comics and Sushi Wednesday. Amen. After a couple of days of getting into the office between 0600 and 0615, I shall gladly take some time in the middle of the day to retrieve my four-color crack and indulge to in a bit of raw fish goodness.

To recap the past couple of days…

I went to work for a couple of hours on Sunday afternoon.  Some progress was made, but there were still a couple of issues to be dealt with on Monday.  After that, I went with the lovely SaraRules! (I keep forgetting to add the exclamation point on that) to enjoy a lovely German-themed dinner with the in-laws. It was quite good.  After we got home, I was a bit brain-dead and all I wanted to do was flop down on the couch and watch some TV. The ever-understanding SaraRules! was kind enough to keep me company until it was time to hit the rack.

Monday was… “a day.” I was in the office early — I expected it to be a “less than pleasant” day of work and I wanted to just get it over with.  And, I was right: It wasn’t pleasant.  As I noted in a brief foray to Facebook, I felt like the mythical Sisyphus. (Unfortunately, no matter how many times Carve Away the Stone ran through my head, it did nothing to alleviate my mood.) The day got better after I left work… despite dropping a full cup of frozen mocha goodness on the garage steps – and myself – while getting ready for Monday Night Football. *sigh*

Tuesday was a remarkably better day. While it wasn’t a necessarily “perfect” day, things fell into their proper places and my urge to punch people in the throat was notably absent. After work, I strolled up to Pin-up Girl Espresso for a white tea with peach. I chatted with Jim and Natalie (and Deja, from the neighboring floral/garden center) for a bit before walking back home. After dinner, SaraRules! went gallivanting, while I waited for Chris to come over.  On tonight’s agenda: Halo: Reach.  There was a wonderful bit of (much needed) catharsis in wantonly shooting things. It was a good way to spend the evening.

Stray Toasters

• By way of MarknTyme: Homeless Man – Under Pressure
  (NOTE: Be sure to watch the CNN interview with the performer.)
• Dan Savage’s Message to Gay Youth: ‘It Gets Better’
• Worf: Worst Klingon Ever
• 
• IRS servers go down during crucial week
• X-Men Arcade Coming to Playstation Network and Xbox Live Arcade
• WWII Star Wars action figure mods
• This both amuses and frightens me…



• …however, the cosplay photography of Jay Tablante reaffirms my faith.
• 10 Things You Didn’t Know about The Empire Strikes Back
• Monkeys…
• Improv Everywhere’s 8 Geekiest Stunts

I should get to bed: It’s early and I have to get up later.

Namaste.

Sunday – 10 October 2010
That’s right… it’s 10/10/10.
So far, it’s been a good weekend.

Yesterday, I had breakfast with Chris before heading off to judge a HeroClix tournament at Dr. Volt’s. It was another 500/1000 event: Players could field either a 500-point team with no restrictions or field a 1000-point team, with at least one colossal figure. Two 500-point teams would be paired to take on the 1000-point team.

Only one player brought a 1000-point team… with the newest colossal figure: Dr. Manhattan.

However, as there were six (6) other 500-point teams, that meant that all six teams faced off against the good doctor. Needless to say, “The Doctor was in.” All the way in. There wasn’t anyone who could really do enough to him to effectively take him out of the game.

After the game, SaraRules and I met up with the in-laws and ventured to the home of some friends of the family for a Canadian Thanksgiving dinner. We had a wonderful dinner and the company was excellent, as well.  It was a good way to spend the evening.

When we got home, SaraRules turned on The Fly (1986) – which I had somehow never seen – and I fired up LEGO Universe. I had to start a new character, now that the game is out of beta. Most of what I did was “review” from gameplay in the beta, so while I did a little more looking around and lollygagging, there wasn’t a lot “new” that I did.  That does not, however, mean that I didn’t have a lot of fun doing it.

Today, I slept in a bit. That was nice. SaraRules also fixed a tasty breakfast and then came over to help me turn off the sprinklers for the year. And, after that…

…it was time to watch some football: The Broncos at the Ravens.  Boo-yah!

Instant Replay: Football

Denver Broncos at Baltimore Ravens
17 – 31
The Ravens hosted the Broncos at home this week……and the game was televised locally. Hoo-AH! The Boys from Baltimore looked solid.  They opened the game with a drive down to the goal line, but couldn’t convert it into a touchdown… and turned it over on downs.  But that’s okay. They held the Broncos on their drive. The Ravens’ offense and defense looked good, despite a series where QB Joe Flacco couldn’t buy a reception. On the other side of the field, Broncos (and former Purdue) QB Kyle Orton passed for a 300+ yard game… his second in a row. But, all in all, it comes down to this: Baltimore is now 4-1, putting them atop the AFC North.

Ray Rice, you rushed for over 100 yards and two touchdowns today, how does that make you feel?

Yeah… I’d feel like breakin’ it down a little, too.

Stray Toasters

• I’m about to head into work. Yeah, I know… I know…
• BOOM! How Comic Book Sounds Become Movie Sounds
• Add each of these to The Covet List.
• The Periodic Table of Super-Powers

Okay… might as well stop procrastinating and head to the office.

Namaste.

Friday – 08 October 2010
It’s almost the weekend.
It is my 9/80 “on” Friday… and there’s some work that needs to get done before it’s Miller time.

Speaking of work: I’ve been part of a project that has been in various stages of development and progress for a year or so. A couple of months ago, a large part of it wound up falling into my lap. To be honest, a good portion of what needed to be done fell “a little” outside of my personal experience/knowledge base. But it was mine, so there no use crying over “But, I can’t…” or “I don’t…”  (Not that there haven’t been times that I’ve wanted to say those things and walk away.)

On more than one occasion, I’ve been reminded of a song, Discipline, by Bobby McFerrin:

for those who have been trained by it,
no discipline seems pleasant at the time but painful.

The lyrics are actually taken from Hebrews 12: 11 (NIV):

No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Very apt.
More to the point, I haven’t walked (or run) away from the project.
And, despite the learning curve – and some frustration/irritation from learning a good number of things on the fly – it’s been a great learning opportunity.

Stray Toasters

• LEGO Universe is live, as of this morning.
  Of course, I won’t get to play it until this evening or later tonight. *shakes fist*
• Flawed Foreclosure Documents Thwart Home Sales
• Tom Bancroft’s DCU Elementary
• 
• Rediscovering an Earthy Master
• Pirate Johnny Depp makes surprise school visit
• For : Batman: The Killing Joke Relived Via LEGO
• Spammers Using Soft Hyphen to Hide Malicious URLs
• There is a new anime-styled ‘Iron Man’ animated series coming to G4 this Spring. Not too surprisingly, someone’s found the opening title sequence and posted it on YouTube:
• Fringe Star Anna Torv Explores a New Reality
• If the future’s looking dark
  We’re the ones who have to shine
  If there’s no one in control
  We’re the ones who draw the line
  Though we live in trying times
  We’re the ones who have to try
  Though we know that time has wings
  We’re the ones who have to fly…
• Duke Winces as a Private Joke Slips Out of Control
• The Art of Steve Thomas
• From the “Everything’s Heavy Underground” files:
  • Underground: graphic novel thriller set in a cave
  • Luxury underground community: bomb-shelter meets gate-guarded community
• Ancient Roman helmet sells for ten times estimated amount
• Newspaper Publishers Still Hope Tablets Will Save Them

Back to the grind…

Namaste.

Thursday – 07 October 2010
Another NBN Thursday is upon us.
This one brings with it grey clouds…

…and ‘s birthday!

Last night was D&D v4 game night with and Jack and company. It was a decent encounter. A bunch of us nearly bought the farm.  (Not good.) But, we muddled through it.  I think that I have also determined that my dice have some form of performance anxiety — whenever I needed a good (or just “decent”) roll, they pretty much just rolled some “blah” number.  Thanks, dice!

SaraRules and I finished off a couple more pieces of anniversary cake as we watched the last two episodes of Mad Men‘s second season 2. Quite a few twists we didn’t see coming. And it ended with a pretty big cliffhanger. So far, I’ve been pretty good about not reading season or episode synopses of what’s coming up, so I’ve been enjoying the surprises as they unfold.

Stray Toasters

• I completely forgot that LEGO Universe opens to Founders tomorrow.
  Looks like I’ll have something to keep me occupied between getting off work and heading out to Clitorati.
• Picasso masterpieces to tour the U.S.
• When the Yogurt Took Over: A Short Story
• Rampant Fraud Threat to China’s Brisk Ascent
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Dodge City museum bans nooses after tourist accident
• 
• FDA to spend $25M to improve its science
  (Is that really ‘enough?’)
• Minecraft Makes $350,000 a Day
  I had heard of Minecraft, in passing, but never looked into it. It sounds like a versatile and robust game; in talking with Jack last night, I discovered that not only had people made the things listed in the article, but someone had also ‘recreated’ Portal inside of Minecraft.
• “What the Hell is an ‘Aluminum Falcon?!’ “ (Bonus points for knowing that reference, too.)
• It seems that I am more prone to drink the post-cereal milk after eating Honey Nut Cheerios than after a bowl of  Honey Bunches of Oats.
• ‘God views’ and issues
• Latest Zeus attack propagated via fake iTunes receipt

And that’s a wrap.

Namaste.

Wednesday – 06 October 2010
Not only is it midweek…
Not only is it Comics (and Sushi) Wednesday…
Not only is it game night with and Jack…

…but it’s also my father’s birthday:

Today would have also been the late ‘s birthday.

Last night, I hung out with , , , , Chris and Alex for a D&D 3.5 game night. We spent most of the time doing character generation and a little time having our characters meet. The campaign that Nox is setting up sounds rather engaging.

Stray Toasters

• Randy Moss… is a Viking again?!
• Stem Cells in Court, Scientists Fear for Careers
• Linguists discover new language in India
• Are you a Facebook user in the greated Salt Lake City metropolitan area?
  If so, are you a friend of Utah Symphony | Utah Opera on Facebook?
  If you are, good.
  If not, why aren’t you?
• DC Universe Online has been delayed… until early 2011.  *shakes fist*
• Prosecuting offices’ immunity tested
• Neurodiversity in D.C.: Interview with first openly autistic presidential appointee
• The Entire ‘Star Wars’ Trilogy in Two Minutes
• For – Hunter S. Thompson’s 1958 cover letter for a newspaper job
• A Graphic Guide to Facebook Portraits
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Realistic Pac-Man Sculpture

And that’s good for now.

Namaste.

Tuesday – 05 October 2010
Work week: Day 2
Rain clouds have moved out of the valley and the sun is trying to peek through…

I just caught an email that informs me of a training session that I had forgotten about. That’s on top of another meeting, later in the day, which I did know about/remember.  Two hours that I kind of need to work on other things… gone. C’est la vie.

Last night, and Josh came over to watch the football game beat down that the Patriots handed the Dolphins. More on that in a minute. In typical Monday Night Football fashion, there was pizza and beer. SaraRules even baked cookies. It was a good evening.

Instant Replay: Football

New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins
41 – 14
The Patriots traveled to Sun Life Stadium to take on the Dolphins in the month’s first Monday night game.Early on, the Pats didn’t look too impressive, only scoring a pair of field goals in the second quarter. That was NOT the case, however, in the second half. They put up three touchdowns in the third quarter and two more in the fourth. It was almost as if they scored at will. The Pats’ special teams corps really put in a performance, including a 103-yard kickoff return for a TD to start off the third quarter. The Dolphins, on the other hand… well… I don’t know what happened after a decent start to the game, but they just fell apart. The vaunted “Wildcat” formation did nothing for the offense. Receivers dropped balls that were thrown right to them. Chris Henne threw three (3) interceptions. They put up TDs in the first and third quarters, but that was it. In a bitof a historic note, the Patriots scored in all but two possible ways last night: Field Goal Rushing TD Passing TD Kickoff return for TD Blocked punt return for TD and Interception return for TD. The only other ways to have scored were: Safety and punt return for TD. If I remember the stat/graphic correctly, the Patriots are the only team in NFL history to pull off this feat. It was a helluva good game… unless you happen to be a Dolphins fan.

Stray Toasters

• Today’s Musical Interlude: Sting – After the Rain Has Fallen
• From Heaps of Junk, a Melodious Clang – New York Philharmonic as Junkyard Players
• The ‘Disintegration’ of America’s Black Neighborhoods
• Style… it’s like a second cousin 2 class
• Bank of Japan Cuts Rates to as Low as Zero Percent
• 
• Along highways, signs of serial killings
• Aiming to Learn as We Do, a Machine Teaches Itself
• I, along with the rest of my team, just got an award from a coworker for the way we handled a number of IT emergencies last month.  Nice way to kick off the morning.
• She Has No Head!  — Ladies Comics Project, Part 1
• Japan Recycles Minerals from Used Electronics

Namaste.

Monday – 04 October 2010
A new work week is upon us.

Today is also the birthday of my Godsister, Tammy (who kindly served as “stunt double/stand-in” for Sib-1 at our wedding):

This past weekend was good, all the way around. I “kidnapped” SaraRules to Park City on Saturday night. She was preparing to fix a dessert when I told her to grab whatever she’d need for the night. Her expression and  response:

“But… I’m making an apple tart…”

…was along the same lines as my “But, I have dinner plans,” before my bachelor party. It was classic. And off we went. It was nice to be out of the valley, if even just for the night.

Yesterday morning, we got up, had brunch at Cisero’s and leisurely made our way back home. Upon arrival, I turned on the TV to watch the Ravens-Steelers game… which, despite all ads to the contrary, wasn’t aired here.  So, I tracked the game on NFL.com’s Game Center. The Ravens beat the Steelers – in Pitt – for the first time in the last five games they’ve played there; in SaraRules’ words, it was “a one-iversary miracle!”  I agreed.

In the evening, we headed out for dinner; we went to Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar. We were impressed with the Fleming’s in Greensboro (where we had our engagement dinner), and hoped that the one in Salt Lake City would be able to uphold that standard. It did. Easily. Our waiter, Daniel, was very attentive and also very helpful in helping make suggestions as to food and wine pairings. Our dinner consisted of:

• Sweet Chili Calamari
• Prime Ribeye (SaraRules)
• Prime New York Strip (me)
• Peppercorn Parmesan Mashed Potatoes
• Sauted French Green Beans

SaraRules had a Pinot Noir, along with a sample of a Shiraz, while I had a Merlot.  For dessert, we had the Chocolate Lava Cake.  The meal was excellent.

After dinner we headed back home for a couple of episodes of Mad Men, a little champagne and anniversary cake. (Bonus points to SaraRules for having a new cake made, rather than our trying to choke down year-old, freezer-burned cake!)

All-in-all, it was a wonderful first anniversary.

Instant Replay: Football

Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers
17 – 14
The Ravens traveled to Heinz Field to take on the Steelers. In their previous four trips, they had been unable to penetrate the Steel Curtain… …but that wasn’t the case yesterday.  The Ravens came home with a win, cemented on the Steelers’ last play, by a Ray Lewis interception. Too bad that this game wasn’t televised here… but I’ll be looking for it on NFL Network.

.

Houston Texans at Oakland Raiders
31 – 24
The Raiders fought… but wound up losing this one to the Texans. Sorry, SaraRules and 1silver_seraph.

.

Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints
14 – 16
The ‘Cats headed down to the Big Easy to face the Saints… and were sent home with a loss.

.

Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns
20 – 23
The Browns beat up the big cats in this battle for Ohio bragging rights. Sorry, and .

Stray Toasters

• 98 Rock: The Official Flagship Radio Station for the Baltimore Ravens
• DC Entertainment shake-ups lead to executive departures
• More States Allowing Guns in Bars
  (Umm… is this really a “good” idea?)
• Baby dolls from the Uncanny Valley
• Why Johnny Can’t Program: A New Medium Requires a New Literacy
• Verizon to refund millions in “mystery fees”

Back to the grind…

Namaste.

Sunday – 03 October 2010
Happy first anniversary to my lovely wife.
This has been a wonderful year.
I love you and I look forward to many, many more years together.

Today marks the one year anniversary of one of the best decisions that I have made. Ever. When I first told my friends, Bret and Dave P., that I had proposed to Sara and that she had said, “yes,” they literally both said the same thing:

Congratulations!  You lucked out!  Does… she… know that she’s getting the short end of the stick in this deal?

Both of them, despite never having met each other. With friends like these, I tell ya…

I was also blessed and fortunate enough to be able to share the day with family and friends.

Since October 3, 2009, we:

• …got married…
• …bought a house…
• …have talked about the prospect of having children…
• …have talked about our hopes, plans and dreams for the future…

I could not have found a better person with whom I can share those milestones… and with whom to find and set others.

Like the Indigo Swing song says: How Lucky Can One Guy Be?
My answer?  Pretty lucky, indeed.