Random Access

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.

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

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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.

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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.

Saturday – 02 October 2010
So far, it’s been a good weekend.

Yesterday morning, I got to hang out with Perry and a couple of the kids.  All were well. And, since I was in the area, I popped into MRS Hobbies, as well.  I only walked out with a catalog. I had a couple of errands to run and then I met back at the house…

…so that we could head to Orem and take a tour of the ExactRail offices. had a problem with a set of rolling stock that he’d picked up and – learning that ExactRail was a local company – asked if he could come in an have it repaired or replaced. And… if he could have a tour of the facilities. He was kind enough to ping me and ask if I wanted to tag along. (I did. Duh, TRAINS!)

We met with Blaine, VP of Operations. He was very candid about the business and operations. We walked through the offices and were introduced to a few members of the staff, including a couple of their graphic designers. They told us a little about the process of going from concept to finished design work. We also got a look at their shipping and warehousing operations, as well as a (somewhat distant) view of their molding/modeling operation. At the end of the tour, Blaine presented us with a couple of ExactRail boxcars…

…one each in HO-scale and N-scale.

All-in-all, it was a very cool trip and I thank for inviting me to tag along.

After that, we had something of an adventure: I-15 northbound was congested, thanks to an accident near 90th South. So, we opted to get off the freeway at 106th South and take surface streets back to my place. And, in doing so, we drove through just about every construction project in the south-central part of the valley. Yay.

This morning, SaraRules and I got up and had breakfast at Millcreek Cafe and Eggworks. It was a nice change-of-pace way to start the day. After that, we stopped at Heritage Gardens to pick up our anniversary cake. SaraRules had the brilliant idea of having them prepare a new cake for our one-year anniversary (TOMORROW!!!), rather than trying to eat year-old, freezer-burned cake. Brilliant, I say! And, next on the docket: A couple’s massage.  Mmm, relaxation. We’ll see what the rest of the day brings…

Stray Toasters

• WorldWorksGames has just released a papercraft 1:1 steampunk gun prop, called The Lightning Gun.
• What do you get when you mix Marvel Comics and Isaiah Mustafa?  I think it’s a little something like this:
• David E. Kelly to take on “Wonder Woman”
• Phil Collins: ‘Going Back’ to Motown

And that’s a wrap, because it’s almost massage time!

Namaste.

Friday – 01 October 2010
A new month begins and it falls on my 9/80 “off” day.
Convergence?
Coincidence?
Serendipity?

Who knows…?

Today also marks the beginning of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. And, as such, this blog will once again “Go Pink for October.”

Last night, SaraRules and I met up with Marcie and her niece and… dun dun DUNNNNN…. went to the gym.  According to the blog-a-tron, it looks as though it’s been a two (2) months since my last confession trip to the gym. And, as an added bonus: just joined our gym and may work out with us, from time to time.

Last night’s workout (courtesy of SaraRules) included:

• Elliptical: 5 minutes
• Leg Press: 3 sets/10 reps, 100 lbs
• Leg Extensions: 3 sets/10 reps, 70 lbs
• Leg Curls: 3 sets/10 reps, 65 lbs
• Calf Raises: 3 sets/10 reps, 100 lbs
• Incline Chest Press (dumbbell): 3 sets/10 reps, 35 lbs
• Sit-ups (incline): 3 sets/10 reps
• Upright Row (barbell): 3 sets/10 reps, 40 lbs
• Curls (barbell): 3 sets/10 reps, 40 lbs
• Tricep Extensions (rope): 3 sets/15 reps, 60 lbs

It was a good workout and a bit of a challenge, as I haven’t been in such a long time… but I’m looking forward to getting back into the swing of things.

The Legend of Chimpy
I was half-kidding yesterday, when I said that I should start a new section of the blog…

…but a few minutes ago, Minion #2 messaged me with this bit of monkeydom from Chimpy:

Is it wrong to laugh out loud if Chimpy 2.0 locked himself out of his own testing machine and then asked me if I knew the password?

Yeah.  This is the kind of thing we deal with.

I should also clarify something: The person we currently refer to as “Chimpy” is actually the second person to carry his own special monkey designation. The original Chimpy left the company a year or so ago. However, “Chimpy 2” has done a banner job of maintaining the high levels of monkey-rifficness that we came to expect from his predecessor.

Stray Toasters

• StoryCorps: The Human Voice, featuring the late Studs Terkel
• ‘Black Dynamite’ Ass-Kicking His Way to Adult Swim
• For SaraRules: Great Comics That Never Happened: The Justice Luchadores of America
• A History of Rap: Jimmy Fallon, Justin Timberlake and The Roots

• The Sea Monkeys and the White Supremacist
• LEGO wedding Ring
• While this is cool, I’m still quite happy with the rings SaraRules and I have — with lots of thanks to for an amazing design job! (After all, how many guys get to have one of their favorite comic book symbols worked into their wedding band?!)
• Speaking of rings, as of Sunday morning, SaraRules and I will have been married one year.  Wow.
• Speaking of LEGO: My copy of LEGO Universe arrived yesterday.
• SF Says: “It Gets Better.”
  • In a related note, Ellen Degeneres taped this PSA:
    
• The Photographer’s Right: A Downloadable Flyer Explaining Your Rights When Stopped or Confronted for Photography
• The Inside Scoop on Making Gelato
• From the “I, Zombie” file: 17-yo Girl Must Digest Brain Fluid to Survive

And now it’s time to find some trouble to get into…

Namaste.

Thursday – 30 September 2010
Today’s NBN Thursday is brought to you by the letters “C” and “F” and the number “2.”

I got to work this morning…

…checked my email…
…fixed a bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats…

…and completely forgot that we were having a visit from our KVM over IP and power distribution reps.

The visit went well. We addressed a few issues and discovered that they might be able to help us (to a minor degree) with another problem that we’ve been having. Win-Win.

Last night, SaraRules and I watched a documentary called Babies. From the IMDB synopsis:

A look at one year in the life of four babies from around the world, from Mongolia to Namibia to San Francisco to Tokyo.

In it, director Thomas Balmes followed four babies, from just before they were born through their first steps. Unlike most documentaries, there was was no voiceover or commentary on what viewers see. You just saw the babies and their parents – and in a couple of cases, their families – in their day-to-day lives. It was an interesting look at the development  of the children – in similar and dissimilar ways – living in different cultures and under different mores.

It was good, but I’m not sure how to rate it, though.

Stray Toasters

• I think that I might start a new section of the blog and call it “The Legend of Chimpy.” In it, I will chronicle the… misadventures… of one of the monkeys at work. Today’s item:
  

  Yesterday afternoon, I received a call from corporate IT about a ticket that someone had opened. I went to look at it this morning… and also found a ticket from Chimpy.

  As of August, our office is part of the corporate network. This means that we can log directly into the network and access pretty much any information that exists on the corporate servers. Prior to August, we had to log in via a VPN. When the network changes were made, we sent out all manner of announcements noting the change in access.

  Taking a deep breath, I looked at Chimpy’s ticket.

  The issue: He was attempting to watch a training video, but was not getting anything on-screen. Then, I read the details of the issue. I had to refrain from running to his desk to pimp slap him on the spot.

  Why?  He was attempting to watch the video… over the VPN… while connected to the corporate network.

  *braincramp*

• In case you missed it, SaraRules posted an entry here last night.
• Hollywood Legend Tony Curtis Dies at 85
• Is the U.S. the weakest link when it comes to credit card security?
• 
• In Louisville, a new turn in school integration
• Will a new exhibit help the French finally embrace Monet?
• Cosmo Campaign Puts Viewers in the Photo Shoot
• Graphic biography of Anne Frank goes beyond her diary
• U.K. police arrest 19 in major Zeus bust

Namaste.

SaraRules here. Rob won’t mention this, but I wanted to let everyone know that he’s a super-duper husband, and he was recruited to be in a video. He came. He conducted. He did a fabulous job! Check out the video, and send it along to your friends. 🙂

Oh, and let him know that, although he’s not Thierry Fischer good, he’s not bad.

Wednesday – 29 September 2010
Comics and Sushi and D&D Wednesday is upon us.

Here’s a little something to get your day moving: Stevie Wonder – Superstition… as performed on Sesame Street:

Last night, after some errand-running, SaraRules and I sat down to watch Superman/Batman: Apocalypse.

The story was adapted from the second story arc, “Supergirl,” in the Superman/Batman book, in which a young Kryptonian girl named Kara falls to Earth… claiming to be Superman’s cousin. Darkseid – ruler of Apokalips and the film’s primary antagonist – seeks to harness the power of the young Kryptonian for his own ends. There were a few changes, but nothing that seemed to detract from the source material. The film is rated “PG-13” for language and violence… and there’s plenty of violence to be found, from Wonder Woman and Big Barda‘s fight with the Female Furies to Superman’s fight with Kara to the climactic battle with Darkseid.

Kevin Conroy and Tim Daly reprised their roles as Batman and Superman, respectively; Susan Eisenberg, who voiced Wonder Woman on the Justice League/Justice League Unlimited series, returned as the Amazon princess. Andre Braugher was brought in to voice Darkseid.  (Andre Braugher. Darkseid. Win-Win!) Summer Glau (Firefly, Serenity, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) voiced Kara.

The DVD also contained a “DC Showcase” backup featurette, starring Green Arrow. In it, Green Arrow has to protect a young princess from an assassination attempt. The piece was well-written, with a wryly witty Green Arrow. The piece also featured appearances from Merlyn, a long-time Green Arrow villain, Count Vertigo and Black Canary.

All-in-all, this was a worthy addition to the new DC Universe animation line.

Stray Toasters

• In a bit of a new twist, I started to mistype the title as “Stray Roasters.”
• The Gods Are Stranded as Set Misfires
• Background Listening and Passive Exposure Can Improve Your Skills
• Tron’s long journey back to into theaters, by way of
• “Birds of Prey” from Batman: The Brave and the Bold
• Toy Makers Fight for Exemption from Safety Rules
• Amtrak unveils plan for high-speed rail on East Coast
• The New Xbox Software Is Here and It’s Better

And that’s a wrap!

Namaste.

Tuesday – 28 September 2010
Work Week Day 2.

Here’s a little something to get your morning moving:

Tom Brown: Funkin’ for Jamaica

Moby (ft. Gwen Stefani): Southside

Instant Replay: Football
Last night, I had a few of the guys over to watch Monday Night Football…

Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears
17 – 24
The Green Bay Packers traveled to Chicago to take on the Bears at Soldier Field.It was a sloppy game for the Packers. Early on, it looked like they came to play, but their zeal seemed to wane a bit as the game went on.  On the other hand, Chicago looked kind of lax early on, but dialed up the effort in the second half… just enough to come away with a late game-winning field goal.

Stray Toasters

• SaraRules shared this video yesterday:

  I found this picture this morning:

  

• 4,100 Students Prove ‘Small Is Better’ Rule Wrong
• How to Survive When Your Elevator Plunges
• By way of the Council for Better Driving: Texting ban may add risk to roads
• Still Few Women in Management, Report Says
• 
• Philharmonic President to Depart, as Music World Changes
• By way of : Atheists, agnostics most knowledgeable about religion, survey says
• Skyy pushes the envelope with sexy ad campaign
• Former Marvel E-i-C Bob Harras Named DC Editor-in-Chief
• Websites suffer from 13 security flaws on average
• Ben & Jerry’s Take ‘All-Natural’ Claims Off Ice Cream Labels
• It would seem as though Raytheon isn’t the only one with a “death ray” these days: Vegas’ Vdara focuses sunshine into hair-singeing death ray

Namaste.

Monday – 27 September 2010
Another morning where the alarm goes off far too early…

Sunday was a good day. The day started with breakfast with SaraRules, Mary and Matt. Breakfast fare included items from Rich’s Bagels and Pin-Up Girl Espresso. After breakfast, we headed back to the house and chatted for a bit before Mary and Matt had to leave.

Then… came cleaning time. Yay. I intermittently distracted myself by checking the stats on the Bengals-Ravens game. The cleaning went well, as did the game. A little later, SaraRules and I went for a drive up Emigration Canyon — we wanted to see the fall colors. Unfortunately (for us), the leaves were still mostly green. There were hints and traces of other colors, but we’re at least a week out from full fall colors.

After dinner, we flipped back and forth between Sunday Night Football and The Amazing Race. Okay, okay, I flipped between them. It was the episode of TAR where a woman caught a watermelon… with her face:

Yes, part of the reason was schadenfreude, but I also wanted to see what happened afterward. And, as it turned out, Claire – the victim of the watermelon assault – not only continued, but she completed that portion of the challenge on the second try after being hit. She also earned the respect of a number of the competitors for the way she got hit… and went on to complete the challenge. Additionally, Brook and Claire finished the challenge in fourth place. (I have to say that Brook came off as a little high-strung — bordering on “bitchy” –to me. I realize that it’s a game/contest, but your best friend just took a melon — fired from a ballista — IN THE FACE! What about cutting her a little slack?! ) I just finished watching the “Brook and Claire” video (above); Claire referred to Brook as “…a control freak.” Bingo. Nailed it. Explains much.

I wound down the night with a Spenser book, Now and Then. I’m going to miss the comfort of these books when Mr. Parker’s last novel hits stores.

Instant Replay: Football

Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens
17 – 24
The Ravens’ home opener against Browns 2.0… …unfortunately, this game wasn’t televised here. Sorry, , wherever you may be.

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Oakland Raiders at Arizona Cardinals
23 – 24
The Raiders dropped this one to the Cards… by one point.Congrats, Marr. Sorry, SaraRules and 1silver_seraph.

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New York Jets at Miami Dolphins
31 – 23
Jets’ LB Jason Taylor returned to Miami to help lift his new team over his old one This was a better match-up than I expected… even though I would have preferred that the ‘Fins take away the “W.”

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Cincinnati Bengals at Carolina Panthers
20 – 7
The Owens-Ochocinco Brigade rolled into B of A Stadium… …and rolled out with a win. BAH! Congrats and .

Stray Toasters

• At Lincoln Center, Using Both Sound and Silence
• U.S. Wants to Make It Easier to Wiretap the Internet
• How Shazam Works to Identify (Nearly) Every Song You Throw at It
• 50 years after win, Kennedy legagy endures
• Rules for small-screen superheroes
• 
• Anger as a Private Company Takes Over Libraries
• Wage Law Squeezes South Africa’s Poor
• For the ladies: Dress Code: The Proper Care and Feeding of Garments, Part 1
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” files:
  • Segway Company Owner Dies After Driving Segway Off Cliff
  • The Bra That Doubles as a Gas Mask Is Now For Sale
• Patients to be frozen into state of suspended animation for surgery
• Warhammer 40K + LEGO = Space Marines!

Sunday – 26 September 2010
Last night, SaraRules and I went to Abravanel Hall to attend the debut of Thierry Fischer as the Music Director for Utah Symphony:

Last night’s program consisted of:

• Igor Stravinsky - Fireworks, op. 4
• Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky – Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D Major, op. 35
• Igor Stravinsky - The Firebird

The violin concerto was performed by guest violinist Hilary Hahn:

Photo: (c) Glenn Ross

Before the concert, Maestro Fischer talked with patrons during a lecture. Among the things he discussed were:

• A few of his  reasons for selecting Fireworks and The Firebird as his debut pieces,
• His reasons for changing the seating locations of some of the sections of the orchestra,
• His ideas for having the orchestra members employ different techniques in playing their instruments,
• Thoughts on musical education and the role and responsibility of musicians to share their craft,
• Working with young performers in the upcoming Salute to Youth concert, and
• Observations about having Ms. Hahn as a musical guest and the way that she and the orchestra interacted.

The lecture was followed by a brief question-and-answer session.

Fireworks, though a brief piece, nevertheless makes a bold opening statement. Mr. Fischer guided the orchestra through the four-minute piece with passion while eliciting an amazing quality of sound from the musicians.

Next, Ms. Hahn took the stage for the Violin Concerto; I was quite taken by her performance. Her attention to detail – not only to her own performance, but to that of the orchestra’s playing, as well – was remarkable.  (Mr. Fischer mentioned this quality during his lecture: He noted that she would often stop playing to listen to how the orchestra was playing and make comments or ask questions… before resuming and making adjustments to how she played.) Her acumen was phenomenal. Having the opportunity to see her perform was truly a treat.  At the end of the piece, the audience gave a standing ovation through three (3) curtain calls. Ms Hahn performed a Bach partita for solo violin as an encore. This, too, was met with thunderous applause.

After intermission, Maestro Fischer and the symphony returned to perform The Firebird. If opening with Fireworks made a statement, then closing with The Firebird was the closing punctuation – an exclamation point! Mr. Fischer conducted with passion and verve — it was very easy to tell that he enjoyed conducting the piece. The orchestra, likewise, responded with a sound unlike any other Utah Symphony performance I have attended, from pianissimo so soft that you weren’t sure that instruments were actually playing to booming  fortissimo. The overall experience – and it was truly an experience – was both moving and amazing.

After being named Music Director of the Utah Symphony, Mr. Fischer had this to say:

A new Music Director should bring new energy and a new way of looking at things. I can bring a lot to the Utah Symphony, and they will bring a lot to me. As a team we can raise our level of performing to new heights.

If last night’s performance was any indication, Utah Symphony has found an excellent match in selecting Thierry Fischer.  I look forward to watching them grow and flourish under his direction.

Friday – 24 September 2010
It’s almost the weekend.

Last night, DM’ed a Forgotten Realms game at Hastur Hobbies.

I didn’t go.  Instead, SaraRules and I cut down a couple of trees in the front yard and then ferried the remains to neighborhood clean-up dumpsters.  Mmm, chainsaw… There are still a couple of 3-to-4-foot tall stumps to be dealt with, but the major damage has been done.  Who knows…? Our house might actually have some decent curb appeal when we’re done.

After that – and a bit to eat – it was time for the season premiere of Fringe. I daresay that this is going to be an interesting season. Next, SaraRules watched the latest episode of Project: Runway, while I finished reading the last of Wednesday’s comic haul.

Human of the Day
I know that I often tout SaraRules as being the coolest/greatest/most awesome wife. Ever. Well, quite frankly: She is. On top of everything else she does to prove it, today she (once again) brought something to me, at work, that I was too addle-brained to remember to bring with me. And, I have to admit that getting to see her once more in the morning isn’t a bad thing, either.

Stray Toasters

• World Wide Day of Play – Saturday, 25 September 2010
• Report: Poor science education impairs U.S. economy
• Muslims Report Rising Discrimination at Work
• ’50s pop singer Eddie Fisher dies at age 82
• Recently released teaser trailer for the upcoming All-Star Superman:

• Cyberwar Chief Calls for Secure Computer Network
• All Songs Considered: Fall Music Preview
• The Transportation Department Gets Tough
• 
• I’m more of an action figure collector than a statue collector, but I am considering adding this statue to The Covet List.
• A Wave of Addiction and Crime, with the Medicine Cabinet to Blame
• I love it when you call a vendor, tell them “I’m having a problem with (fill in the item)” and they say “Let me see who we have that’s available to come look at it and I’ll call you right back…”

  …and “right back” expands to nearly an hour.  *sigh* It’s not like I have anything else that I need to get done today.  No, I’d much rather sit here and babysit the phone. Idiotsticks.

Namaste.

Thursday – 23 September 2010
Last night SaraRules and I went to Capitol Theatre  and saw The Lion King.

Simply put: It was fantastic, from the opening number to the closing curtain. I had been told that it was an impressive production, but I fear that assessment was a gross understatement. The costuming, the staging, the performances — everything was amazing. Among the items that struck me were:

• …the way the scenery moved — Pride Rock, the grasslands and the jungle;
• …the birds;
• …the cheetah;
• …the way they portrayed the animals interacting with their environment;
• …the use of aerials in the performance;
• …Simba’s run with wildebeests/Mufasa’s death scene;
• …the transition from young Simba to the older Simba;
• …the ghost of Mufasa;
• …the final battle between Simba and Scar;
• ..and… and… and….

Suffice if to say that there were MANY things that I enjoyed about the performance.

If you have the opportunity to see a performance of this musical, I recommend it very highly.

Many thanks to SaraRules for getting us tickets for this.

Stray Toasters

• Have I mentioned lately that I have the world’s most awesome wife?  No?  Well, I do.
• Munich toasts 200 years of Oktoberfest
• Prosecutors’ conduct can tip justice scales
• For Many, Health Care Relief Begins Today
• 
• Fashion Week: Samantha Pleet proves eco-couture need not ‘scream green’
• Alleged ringleader of ID theft ring extradicted to New York
• I’ve had to ask two people “Is it plugged in…?” with relation to problems with two separate systems this morning. One was plugged in; the other was “kind-of” plugged in. I love my job.
• Two new dinosaur species discovered in southern Utah
• Mattel introduces new Journalism Barbie
• From the “Go, Go, Godzilla!” file comes this item.

Namaste.

Wednesday – 22 September 2010
Middle of the week…
First day of Fall…
It’s Comics & Sushi Day…

…and SaraRules and I are going to see The Lion King tonight.

All I need to do is make it through the day.

Last night, after dinner – and a trip to the local Home Depot – I set about introducing two of the trees in our front yard to a chainsaw. The meeting went well. Unfortunately, it got dark before I could finish with the second tree… so it shall have to wait. But good progress was made.

After that, the rest of the evening was spent relaxing. A good portion of that was done with the aid of the television: 1,000 Ways to Die, the first episode of Sanford & Son, an episode of NCIS: Los Angeles and a couple episodes of Mad Men. After that, I was ready to call it a night.

One thing that I didn’t do after the tree-cutting – or didn’t do as well as I had thought – was hydrate. Sure, I had a glass (maybe even a glass-and-a-half) of water afterwards, but it was apparently far from what I needed. I woke up a couple of times with a headache. I finally bought a clue as to what might have been causing it around 0400 this morning. A pint-and-a-half of water and three ibuprofen seemed to help immensely. But, because of the poor quality of the night’s sleep, I treated myself to sleeping in this morning.

Stray Toasters

• Commonly Misheard Expressions to Avoid (or Fix) in Your Writing
• What if Superheroes Were Hipsters?
• Chasing the Perfect Cup of Coffee with Science
• 
• U.N. Seeks to Re-Energize Fight Against Poverty
• What it means when you say “literally”
• Fort McHenry… in LEGO
• Titanic 100th cruises spark buzz, debate
• What Are Batman’s Worst Costumes?
• Body art around the world

Namaste.

Tuesday – 21 September 2010
Day 2 of the work week. Yay.

Today also would have been Jess’ 36th birthday.
Maybe Billy Joel was right:  Only the good die young.

Last night, I had a few friends over to watch Monday Night Football – New Orleans Saints at San Francisco 49ers. I have to say that it was a far better match-up than I had anticipated. I had thought that the Saints would pretty much roll over the ‘Niners, given San Fran’s last few seasons.

No way.
Uh-uh.
Forget it.

After some early-in-the-game flubs, QB Alex Smith led an invigorated and determined team against Drew Brees and the Saints. Play on both sides of the ball was solid. I mean REALLY solid.  In the end, it came down to the Saints nailing a field goal with two seconds left in the game.

And it appears that Saints’ RB Reggie Bush broke his leg on his last play. He is expected to be out for six weeks.

Stray Toasters

• By way of SaraRules: Build London with LEGO

  
  Build Anything from Studiocanoe on Vimeo.

• Disney Princesses Reimagined as Superheroes
• By way of my friend, Anne: Arts Jobs Are Jobs, Too
• Squishable Cthulhu
• Why is it that orange-flavored medicines taste so bad?
• Eric Merced Keeps His Card Art Rare But Easy to Acquire
• 
• From the “History” and “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” files: British Intelligence Agency Used Semen as Invisible Ink
• Wait… I think that THIS trumps the previous item for “WTF?!”
• Hourly Desk Stretches Relax Your Brain and Body
  (This was one of the “positive” things that I learned during my tenure with the U.S. Postal Service.)

Tonight, I get to do my best Paul Bunyan impression and take down at least one of the trees in the front yard.

Namaste.

Monday – 20 September 2010
It’s definitely a “Monday” morning.
Following some changes to the office network on Friday, things are… a little wonky… this morning. Yay.

Today’s Musical Interlude: Living Colour – Cult of Personality:

Yesterday, SaraRules and I went to the Utah State Fair for a bit. It was a nice change of pace. A bit of oddness: As we walked past one of the bandstands, I noted that the band was playing – of all things possible – the theme from WKRP in Cincinnati. Odd. On the plus side, I picked up a package of cinnamon almonds.

Later in the evening, Logan and Swiz came over for dinner.  SaraRules fixed a chicken dish, with sides of rice pilaf and zucchini and carrots strips. Then we watched the Manning Bowl Sunday Night Football. SaraRules and I wrapped up the evening with an episode of Mad Men.

Instant Replay: Football

Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals
10 – 15
The Ravens traveled to Cincy to take on Batman, Robin and the rest of Marvin Lewis’ Bengals… ..and came away with a loss. Just like last season. Of course, having QB Joe Flacco throw four (4) interceptions didn’t help things, either. This game wasn’t televised here, and I think I’m kind of glad for that. Congrats, janietrain and carefreespirit.

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St. Louis Rams at Oakland Raiders
14 – 16
The Raiders took down the Rams Congrats, SaraRules and .

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Miami Dolphins at Minnesota Vikings
14 – 10
The ‘Fins took on the Vikings and came away with a win.

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Arizona Cardinals at Atlanta Falcons
7 – 41
In this battle of the birds, the Falcons came away with a BIG win. Sorry, Marr.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Carolina Panthers
20 – 7
The Bucs skinned the Cats.  ‘Nuff said.

Stray Toasters

• I don’t know what to say, the monkeys won’t do!
• Today’s look: Black suit, pink shirt, pink/grey/black tie and pink pocket square.
• Quadruple Amputee Swims Across English Channel
• Performers Discover the Downside of Twitter
• Just How It Sounds: Reading ‘Playboy’ to the Blind
• 
• Fired teacher fights to clear name after ‘hit’ allegation
• By way of SaraRules and the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Ky. man claims caffeine insanity in wife’s death
• Laura Jernegan: Girl on a Whaleship
• This Too Shall Pass: Avoid Kidney Stones Through Diet

…right on to the friction of the day.

Namaste.