Random Access

Monday – 30 August 2010
Today is both a Monday and a rainy day.
I think that the only “win” to be found here is that it’s a short work week. Despite that, here’s Today’s View:

This past weekend was good. It was equal parts fun/productive and lazy. Saturday, I ran a ‘Clix tournament at Dr. Volt’s. (Pictures here) The theme was “Family Reunion,” wherein each team had to have at least two (2) figures that were related to each other. It made for some interesting teams. I went with a Wonder Woman-themed team:

Wonder Woman (Diana Prince)
(gallery bb-figure-018)

Wonder Girl (Donna Troy, Diana’s sister)
(gallery cr-figure-038)

Wonder Woman (Artemis)
(gallery jl-figure-037)

They held up rather well, going 2-1.  (It didn’t really matter too much as I was just playing bye rounds, but it was still fun.) And, I got to use my new WW figure, to boot… which I need to get a good picture of.

Saturday evening, I fired up the grill and cooked burgers. We ate under the gazebo. It was good. Later, we ran a quick errand to Hobby Lobby – we were looking for frames for the artwork we bought at the Park City Arts Festival. We also ran into Sinister and his wife, while at the ‘Lobby. He told me of a possible monkey wrench in our Sunday plans, so we made a contingency plan.

That night, we watched The Dirty Dozen. I’ve seen bits and pieces of it and SaraRules had never seen it, so I added it to my Netflix queue a few weeks ago. Halfway through the movie, we stopped for a snack intermission. While scooping ice cream, I had a niggling suspicion about the movie…

… I went back downstairs to confirm or deny it.

Myth: Confirmed
Yep, I had bought the movie a few months ago.
*facepalm*

We laughed about it, as we started watching the second half of the movie, which was quite awesome.

Sunday, I got a call from Sinister correcting part of the mix-up from Saturday evening’s conversation. The original plans were for he, Jeremiah, and I to meet at Chris’ for a big JLA-Avengers ‘Clix match. Jeremiah wasn’t able to make it, so we had to call for a stunt double…

…and our stunt double had a conflict.

…so we called in a second stunt double, Johnny. He was able to fill in and save the day.

…and, thus, we gamed.  Sinister and Johnny played the JLA – and a well-fielded JLA, at that – while Chris and I played The Avengers. 2,400 point game. There were good (and bad) dice rolls from both sides of the table. When we finished – we had a time limit – Chris and I had managed to beat down most of the JLA’s big guns and were working clean-up duty on the rest; I lost four of my nine figures, while Chris lost no one. Good game.

Back at home, SaraRules had prepared a nice stew-like dish, served over polenta. It was very good and also marked the first time that I’d had polenta, to my knowledge. After dinner, we watched George Romero’s Survival of the Dead. It was… disappointing. Even SaraRules commented,”That sucked.”

We cleansed our entertainment palates by watching a couple of episodes of Mad Men, Season 2. That helped immensely.

Instant Replay: Football
The Ravens took on the Giants on Saturday. I didn’t get to see the game, but I did keep track of it via NFL.com’s Game Center. And the Ravens pulled out a big win over the Giants, 24 -10.

Stray Toasters

• Revisiting Black History on Martha’s Vineyard
• Three months until Burn Notice returns…
• Too Few Women in Tech? Stop Blaming Men
• This kid, at the 2010 Baltimore Comic Con, could be in my Corps any day:



• Original Kermit the Frog puppet donated to Smithsonian
• Hip-Hop History, Recreated by Those Who Invented It
• Parts of the valley are starting to look like locations from Stephen King’s The Mist.
• 
• Protest at military funeral ignites a test of free speech
• Clean People Feel Morally Superior
• 7 Inconsistencies in ‘The Fresh Prince’

Namaste.

Friday – 27 August 2010
It’s (almost) the weekend!  Amen.

To kick it off, here’s a little Tony Toni Tone:

That’s what I’m talkin’ about.

Last night was D&D Game Night. We had to reschedule it from Wednesday because of ‘s birthday. The encounter was good… and no one died. After the game, it was back home for a late dinner (Pad Thai leftovers) and an episode of Burn Notice.

Stray Toasters

• forwarded a link to this picture, which I thought was pretty awesome.
• forwarded a link to this picture, which was also rather awesome
• For SaraRules: Rube Goldberg: The Man Behind the Machines
• Thanks to for sending me the link to AnyRail.
• Scott Pilgrim vs. The Last Airbender
• The Art of Gene Gonzales
• Happy 15th Birthday to Windows 95, the Ugly Duckling that Conquered Your Desktop
• 
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Tiger cub found inside suitcase
• Bananas are radioactive—But they aren’t a good way to explain radiation exposure
• 5 Things to Always Keep in Your Car
• LA Prisons to Use Burning Heat Ray on Unruly Inmates
• SC high school freshmen take junior ROTC
• Nine lives, ten rockets… You do the math.

Namaste.

Thursday – 26 August 2010
It’s Thursday. I was informed of something that might push the day outside of the “NBN” envelope. That – coupled with who told me and what they told me – bring the phrase “People suck” quickly to mind… and serves as a reminder that some people practically beg to be curb-stomped.

Despite this, I shall try to maintain an NBN Thursday state of mind.
(As opposed to a New York State of Mind.)

Last night, SaraRules and I went to Pawit’s Royale Thai for dinner. As always, the food was very good. We started with their Por Pia Sod spring rolls (most excellent) and I had Pad Thai for my entree, while SaraRules had a salad whose name escapes me.

After dinner, it was back home for couch-time with comics! Yesterday’s haul was pretty good. I am really enjoying Justice League: Generation Lost, a “reunion” of sorts of the Justice League International. Another good storyline has been the new Wonder Woman. J. Michael Straczynski has done a good job of reinventing the character (even if people aren’t fond of her new costume). And the Legion made two appearances this month — in their own title and also in Superman/Batman #75.

After reading about superheroes, I went back to work on my HeroClix Wonder Woman mod. The new figure from The Brave and the Bold is… boring:

(gallery bb-figure-018)

So, I decided to try and make something a little more… dynamic.  I’m combining two figures:

Phantom Girl, from the Legion of Super-Heroes Starter Set

(gallery ls-figure-005)

…and Mary Marvel, from Crisis:

(gallery cr-figure-041)

I should (hopefully) have pictures to share of the finished product soon.

Stray Toasters

• Blogging and Tweeting, Egyptians Push for Change
• Jo Chen’s Wonder Woman Pencils from Her Mystery Project Astound
• Trader Joe’s: Successful, but Secretive
• Looking at Islamic Center Debate, World Sees U.S.
• The best way to get back at your superhero ex: Become a supervillain

(Plan B, by Mitz)

• I like this layout.
• Tutorial: Creating a Retro Sci-Fi Poster
• Interview with “Love and Capes” creator, Thom Zahler
• Sci-fi movie posters from an alternate universe
• It’s been a while since I’ve mentioned him, but I really like Brian Bolland’s artwork. Check out this cover he did for the upcoming Zatanna #5:

• “Wheelchair of Death”
• Geek Art Loves Daniel Clark
• And another work emergency arises.  I think that we understand the problem, now it’s just a matter of arriving at a solution.

Time to save the world… again.

Namaste

Wednesday – 25 August 2010
It’s midweek, which means it’s Comics (and maybe Sushi) Day!
The “and maybe” is because the usual suspects all seemed to have punked out today. Oh, well.

Today is also ‘s birthday:

Last night, SaraRules and I had a lazy night about the house. I worked on a HeroClix mod, while she read. After a bit, we gathered to finish up Season one of Mad Men. (Sidebar: I think I may have just had an item from Season 2 or 3 item spoiled for me. Bah!) I went back to working on my figure, but somehow wound up starting to organize the past… year-and-a-half’s comics, which had neither rhyme nor reason to how they were being stored.

NOTE: About two years ago, SaraRules spent nearly a full week organizing my comics. There were something like 2,500 when she did. And that number doesn’t include the nearly… 3,500+… others still on the east coast. (Although, I think that some of those are in some semblance of “order.”) She did a bang-up job, too.

The problem with starting to organize the comics last night was: I started close to midnight and got sidetracked by reading a few. D’oh! And, after calling it quits for the night, I went back to working on my mod. Yeah, it made for a late night/early morning.

Stray Toasters

• I have just run out of my Honey Nut Cheerios stash at work. This must be rectified. But, I was at least able to get a full bowl of cereal before it ran out.
• Vienna Philharmonic’s Summer Night Concert 2010 is being broadcast tonight on PBS. (Check local listings for time)
• After Mozart’s Death, an Endless Coda
• I have found an event I can totally get behind: Saturday is Read Comics in Public Day.



• Here’s another event… but neither I nor my Green Lantern costume will be in L.A. on Friday.
• What your email address says about your computer skills
• The Term Life Insurance Blog has a number of informative – and highly amusing – infographics.
• Exhibit brings Hendrix, Handel together in London
• 
• Eastern States Dominate in Winning School Grants
• The Legacy of Hurricane Katrina
• Digital Devices Deprive Brain of Needed Downtime

Namaste.

Tuesday – 24 August 2010
aLast night, SaraRules and I went to her parents’ house for dinner (homemade chicken pot pie = WIN!) and football: Arizona Cardinals at Tennessee Titans. For a preseason game, it was a pretty good game… if you’re a Tennessee fan. They worked on both sides of the ball. And worked well. Vince Young looked good in the game, much more composed and poised in the pocket and able to make decent connections with his backs and receivers. They’ll be a team to watch this season.

On the other side of the field, the Cardinals still looked like a team trying to figure out who they are without Kurt Warner. Matt Leinart couldn’t get anything going in the three series that he played. Former Cleveland QB Derek Anderson looked decent, but wasn’t able to put together a scoring drive either. Former BYU QB Max Hall looked rather solid and put together the Cards’ only TD-scoring drive. It will be interesting to see how the team fares with their star receiver, Larry Fitzgerald, back in the game after his knee heals.

After the game, SaraRules and I headed home and wound up the evening with a couple of episodes of Mad Men. We are both enjoying the show quite a bit.

Chew on This: Food for Thought
I have had a couple of teachers and administrators in the family and a few of my close friends are teachers, as well. Teachers often get blamed for all of the ills – perceived and actual – in the halls of our schools, but seldom get the credit for trying to do the right thing for their students. (Drive to Overhaul Low-Performing Schools Delayed, NYTimes) I have both heard and seen first-hand how they deal with students and some of their students’ issues.

Case in point: I was talking with one of these friends earlier and he gave me the Cliff’s Notes version of one of the problems a student of his was facing — it was more “mountain” than “mole hill.” He told me that the student wound up literally crying over the situation.

What many people don’t realize is that teachers – at least the ones that I consider “good teachers” – don’t just shut out their students when the afternoon bell rings. They don’t just see their jobs as ending when the last school bus pulls out of the lot. They get involved. They do what they can to be supportive of their students. In short: They care.

If only more people cared about the teachers and administrators who spend time with their children…

Workout
I have no idea what yesterday’s step count was, as I broke the pedometer as I was heading home from work. Bah. I might have to look into getting another one.

Stray Toasters

• I would ask if it’s too early for office monkeys… but I don’t think that there’s such a thing as “too early” where they are concerned. Unfortunately.
• I discovered this song, by Cee Lo yesterday. It’s definitely NSFW, but it is also pretty damned good:
• Scant Progress in Effort on Old Racial Killings
  

  “Everybody put me on the back burner for years and years,” said Mr. Allen’s son, Henry C. Allen, 65. He had hoped the cold case initiative would change things, but said the response has been slow. He said the legwork had been done. “Here’s the people you can contact, here’s their phone number, here’s their address,” he said. “I don’t have the authority to go knock on their door, but you do — and it still don’t get done.”

• By way of Nyx: Koala survives highway ride wedged in car
• Why Coffee Is Getting More Expensive
• Of Mosques and Men: a new Liberty Street message
• lightning != lightening
  • light·ning (noun)
    1: the flashing of light produced by a discharge of atmospheric electricity; also : the discharge itself

    2: a sudden stroke of fortune

  • light·en (verb)
    light·ened | light·en·ing
    1: to make light or clear : illuminate
    2: archaic : enlighten
    3: to make (as a color) lighter
• 
• 1980s T-shirts
• Another addition to The Covet List: WorldWorksGames’ Mayhem: Under Construction
• New Orleans Levees Nearly Ready, but Mistrusted
• A couple of songs about a certain midwestern state:
  • Rockapella: Indiana
  • Jackson Five: Goin’ Back to Indiana
• Nordstrom Links Online Inventory to Real World

Namaste.

Monday – 23 August 2010
Back in the Land Behind the Zion Curtain again.
Back at work again.
And, for some it’s “back to school” day.   (Students, Welcome to College; Parents, Go Home)
(I didn’t encounter any school buses on the morning commute, though.)

We got back from Idaho last night. The trip was fun. (Click here for pictures.) And, it was the warmest and driest of the three trips to Redfish Lake that I’ve taken with the in-laws. I consider that a major win. That… and the fact that we had a cabin this time, rather than just tents. I was especially glad to be indoors when, on the second day, the campground manager was going around telling people that there had been a bear IN the campground the night before.

This year, I also took my bike. (The same bike that’s been languishing, unused, for the past two years.) I went for a short ride on Friday evening – about 3 or 4 miles. It felt pretty good. Saturday, while the family fished on the Yankee Fork River, I decided to take the bike and head further into the canyon. My intention was to head for either the Yankee Fork Gold Dredge or Custer, the town just beyond the dredge.

The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.

Just as I started, a snake slithered under my bike. (Most people who know me know that I am NOT a fan of snakes. At. All.) I was proud of myself for not squealing like a little girl. (Very proud, actually.) But, perhaps I should have taken the sign as a portent of how the ride might go…

Part of the way down the road, I realized that my memories of where the dredge was, relative to where the family was fishin, did not coincide with the actual geography. Nor did it jibe with the topography. However, I did come to realize – or at least be strongly reminded of – a few things:

1. I haven’t ridden my bike – or done much cardio – in a long time and thus am “a little” out of shape.
2. I am not fond of uphill rides… especially when I am out of shape.
3. I am not fond of riding into headwinds.

Any of those three things is “not fun.”
All three things together had me sucking wind by the time I hit the first (and not very tall) hill.

I nearly called it quits halfway up. I decided to stick it out and make it up the hill. Once there, I figured that it couldn’t be too much further to the dredge. I was right… more or less. But, that also added another (minor) uphill climb on the return trip. I reached the dredge and turned around; that was a 4.5-mile trek in. The headwind on the way back was not fun. But… I made it.

Saturday, SaraRules and I also visited the nearby Sawtooth Fish Hatchery. That was pretty neat. After that, it was back to the campsite to meet up with the family and decide what to do about dinner.  We opted to go into town; we ate at Sawtooth Luce’s, a pizzeria and sub shop. The pizza was good — the sauce reminded me of Garcia’s pizza back in West Lafayette. After that, it was back to the campsite for roasted marshmallows and general hanging out before heading back to the cabin for bed. And a shower. Oh, blessed indoor running water…

Sunday, we got the cabin and the campsite cleaned up and said our farewells to Redfish Lake and Stanley, ID.  SaraRules and I headed back through Sun Valley (and a brush or forest fire), while the others headed back through Challis and Arco — they wanted to get in a little more fishing.

Last night, SaraRules and I also watched The Losers, based on the DC/Vertigo title of the same name. We both enjoyed it, although I’m curious to read the TPBs and see how the story and/or the characters differed from their four-color print counterparts. (Added Bonus: I’ve noticed that I’ve been enjoying Chris Evans‘ acting, from the Fantastic Four movies to Push to Scott Pilgrim to this.)

All-in-all, it was a good (though brief) vacation.
And, waking up for the alarm – and the return to work – this morning was not exactly “fun.”

Workout
Friday’s step count: 3,600-something.
Saturday’s step count: 9,394
Sunday’s step count: 3203

I’m not sure about the actual counts for Friday and Saturday, as they included bike rides and I’m not sure exactly how well the pedometer tracked motion for those rides.

Stray Toasters

• By way of comes these cute costumes for a set of twins.
• Great documentary films for younger viewers
• Improv Everywhere: Black Tie Beach
• A Hotel Where Some Guests Have Been Dead for Years
• 
• By way of my friend, Peggy: Kirby: Intolerance, not atheism, is dooming America
• The Open Road Wasn’t Quite Open to All
• Saboteur: A fashion makeover for Silicon Valley

Namaste.

Friday – 20 August 2010
It’s early.
Very early.
On my 9/80 Friday off.

We’re getting ready to head up to Redfish Lake… where the weather is forecast to make roughly 50F swings from high-to-low temperatures. But, it should be fun. And, I will have my newly-tuned bike (which I took for a little ride yesterday).

Workout
Thursday’s step count: 9,393

Stray Toasters

• TSA digs through woman’s purse and flips out over $8,000 worth of checks
• 1-bit symphony: electronic orchestral composition housed on a single microchip
• Control Your Image: Women Musicians Seize On Social Media

Yeah, that’s all you get for now.

Namaste.

Thursday – 19 August 2010
It’s the NBN Thursday before my 9/80 “off” Friday…
…which is only made better by the fact that I’m working a half-day. Boo-yah!

Today is also, apparently, National Aviation Day.  Who knew?!

Last night was D&D game night with and Jack. It was fun. We had a “somewhat socially awkward” member in our group.  (Yeah, yeah, I know.  “Socially awkward” and “game-playing geek” pretty much go together like Ronald McDonald and Grimace.)  *shrug* It happens.

BUT… the “best” part of the evening was catching sight of one of the players at another table…

…dressed in a white shirt and black pants (okay, so far)…

…and, um, “adorned” with glitter.

Yeah. Glitter. All over his arms and a TON of it on his face. “Go, Team Edward.”  We weren’t quite sure if it was sad or hysterically funny. (We went with “hysterically funny,” just to be safe.)

Post-gaming, I hit up the local blue-and-yellow electronics purveyor to get my copy of City of Heroes: Going Rogue. I looked at a few other things, too, but managed to subdue the urge to walk away with “one of everything.”

Back at home, I found SaraRules and Meliko hanging out. Other than pictures, Meliko hadn’t seen the house, so she’d come over to check it out. She approved. *whew* We took her home (i.e.: “dropped her off at the in-laws’ place”) and visited with the ‘rents for a bit.

Workout
Wednesday’s step count: 4,409

Stray Toasters

• I have not yet read yesterday’s four-color shwag, so don’t go giving away spoilers. Thank you.
• American Lives: James Baldwin, “Lifting the Veil”
  

  The writer James Baldwin once made a scathing comment about his fellow Americans: “It is astonishing that in a country so devoted to the individual, so many people should be afraid to speak.” As an openly gay, African-American writer living through the battle for civil rights, Baldwin had reason to be afraid — and yet, he wasn’t. A television interviewer once asked Baldwin to describe the challenges he faced starting his career as “a black, impoverished homosexual,” to which Baldwin laughed and replied: “I thought I’d hit the jackpot.”

• Who Elected Me Mayor? I Did – an interesting article about Foursquare
• Of the items from The Covet List that I noted yesterday, I not only picked up CoH: Going Rogue, but also the Dark Phoenix statue. Two down, three to go…
• Medevac industry opposing upgrades wanted by NTSB
• What would a steampunk smartgun/smartgun link look like?
• Hindu Deities Conjure Magic in Movement Downtown
  



• For New Orleans cops, scandals linger
• Illinois Unconvinced Corruption Culture Will Fade
• Drug Made Infamous by Date Rapes Gets Second Look for Fibromyalgia
• 
• Towns block chain restaurants to save charm
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: American to Charge for Easy On/Easy Off Planes
  (Or, as the original link put it:  “Stupidest Airline Fee Ever? ‘Express Seats’ Gets Our Vote”)

Namaste.

Wednesday – 18 August 2010
Midweek. And that means Comics (and Sushi) Wednesday!

Yesterday afternoon, I called a local sporting goods store to see if they’d be able to do a quick turnaround on tuning up my bike. Yeah, the one that I haven’t ridden in about two years. They said that as long as I could have it there by 1000 this morning, that I could get it back this evening. It was in their store a little after 1800 yesterday. The clerk also told me that, aside from new tubes, it looked like it only needed a minor tune-up. Win!

SaraRules’ sister, Meliko, got into town last night. SaraRules and I stopped by the in-laws’ to visit with her  – and the in-laws – for a while.

The evening finished up with ice cream and an episode of Mad Men… which really isn’t a bad way to wind up a day.

There was just a major accident on the freeway outside of our building; I got a few pictures of the aftermath.  The Council for Better Driving would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone to please be careful when on the roadways.

Workout
Tuesday’s step count: 5, 546

Stray Toasters

• Guess who was just given his first project to manage…
• Depending on how you look at it, August is either a good or a bad month to be a geek with hobbies. The Covet List is chock full o’ goodies:
  • The Lionel Chessie System Merger Special train set that I wanted came out this month.
  • City of Heroes: Going Rogue came out yesterday
  • The Watchmen HeroClix Collector’s Box Set comes out… next week, I think.
  • The Phoenix and Dark Phoenix Bishoujo statues come out… either today or next Wednesday.
  • The DC Direct Blackest Night Series 5 figures come out next week.

  Mr. Sulu, set phasers wallets on “Empty!”

• Given Money, Schools Wait on Rehiring Teachers
• 
• Canned in Washington, Jim Zorn ‘feels fortunate’ to join Ravens
  I liked his response to/interpretation of the situation:

  Looking back on his “learning experiences” without being specific, Zorn said he wished he could’ve changed some things while having no regrets on other issues. He added that he just learned to deal with circumstances as they came.

  “You just get fired, thank you very much, and you move on,” he said. “I really think that’s the way we have to handle it, or we could go sit in our rooms for a few weeks and mope and feel sorry for ourselves.

  “It’s not the way life is, really. We’re called to handle difficult situations as well as glorious situations. That’s the way life is.”

• Reviving ‘The Peony Pavilion’ with Modern Shading
• U.S. Army’s new camouflage debuts
• A Film Unfinished – Yael Hersonski Revisits a Nazi Film of the Warsaw Ghetto
• End to COBRA subsidy means higher health insurance bills

Namaste.

Tuesday – 17 August 2010
It’s another good-looking day here in the valley.

And, because it was playing on the radio, during this morning’s commute:

Last night, and his son, Josh, came over to watch football and play with LEGO, respectively. We watched the Giants take on the Jets at the New Meadowlands Stadium, home to both teams — last night, the Jets were the “home” team. Both teams looked good, but the Giants seemed a little more hungry for the win… or perhaps they were just out for revenge after the hit that QB Eli Manning took near the end of the first half. Either way, the Giants came away with the win: 31-16.

Workout
Monday’s step count: 4,648

Stray Toasters

• My sister-in-law is coming to town tonight; I need to find some suitable four-color print entertainment for her.
• I also need to figure out what’s wrong with the water cannon sprinkler in the front yard – it’s not working properly. I spent about ten minutes last night trying to suss it out in the dark. Yay for home ownership!
• 
• astronautdinosaur.com – The Art of Scott Listfield
• Where Have All the Giant Robots Gone?
• Dress Code: When You’re Sick of All Your Clothes
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Rochdale man ‘took 200 fireworks on US plane”
• 
• Study finds fraud, abuse in MD energy program
• Musical Interlude:
  • Museum Acquires Storied Trove of Performances by Jazz Greats
  • Your Favorite ‘Great Unknowns’ in Jazz
• Dexter Has Nothing on These Serial Killers
• U.S. Said to Plan Easing Rules for Travel to Cuba

Namaste.

Monday – 16 August 2010
Another work week begins.
At least it’s a great-looking day out there.
And there’s football tonight.

Today’s musical selections come by way of songs heard on the morning commute:

No Doubt – Just a Girl

Oingo Boingo – Weird Science

Yesterday, SaraRules, and I went to see Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. It was a LOT of fun. I’d say that it was one of the best geek movies I’ve seen in a long time, if not ever. SaraRules said that “…it looked the way I would expect a comic book to be translated into a movie.” I’m not a huge Michael Cera fan – he’s a little like Will Ferrell to me, very hit or miss – but I really enjoyed him as Scott Pilgrim. It was also amusing to see Brandon Routh as one of Ramona’s “Seven Deadly Exes,” and a “super” one at that. It nearly made me laugh out loud when he was flying. All-in-all, it was a fine bit of summer cinema.

After the movie – and after I spent a little time in Paragon City – we headed to the in-laws’ for dinner and a movie. Sunday dinners with the family are made additionally fun by some of the stories told over the dinner table. After dinner, we watched Kick-Ass, which was just as enjoyable this time as it was the first time we saw it.

Workout
Sunday’s step count: 3,640

Stray Toasters

• Signing, Singing, Speaking: How Language Evolved
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: $76k for emergency appendectomy
• Major archeological find at site of Civil War prison
  (Mjolnir?  Cap’s shield?  The Ultimate Nullifier?   Oh, wait… wrong Civil War.)
• Use Coffee Grounds to Clean Sticky Tools
• My Darker Competitive Side
• 14 Warm Weather Style Tips: Use Now, Repeat All Summer

Namaste.

Sunday – 15 August 2010
It’s going to be a great day.
This isn’t to say that it hasn’t already been a good one, but… “as it is written, so shall it be!”

Post-Craft Lake City, SaraRules and I stopped in to say “Hello” to the in-laws. We also chatted about dinner plans for this evening. And movies. And music. And stuff and things and whatnot. Once we got back home, it was, as The Fresh Prince put it,”…time to sit back and unwind.”

This morning, SaraRules fixed a great breakfast — pancakes and eggs, with a side of coffee. Win. After breakfast, we decided to tackle a little yard work. (It’s not going to get any cooler as the day wears on.) The lawn has been mowed. The garden has been tended to. And now, we’re looking ahead at a lazy rest of the day… including going to see Scott Pilgrim vs. The World this afternoon. Amen.

Workout
Saturday’s step count: 3,643

Stray Toasters

• “Wonderful” = “full of wonder.”
  Think about it.
• The Feminine Mystique, Expressed in Silks and Satins
• A Man, a Plan, and a Sharpie: “The Great Typo Hunt”
• I’ve been looking at some home automation items. The idea of a “smart home” is kind of appealing. (Yeah, big surprise. I know. “Geek.”  Duh.) I don’t want a SkyNet-smart home; just something where, if need be, lighting and maybe even heating systems could be remotely controlled.
• 
• And now… a jet-powered school bus.
  Just let that sink in for a moment, then click the link.
• Ten Best Lighthouses to Sleep in
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: New 24 Hour Fitness ID system causes a stir
• 
• OMG, Retailers Are, Like, Totally Giving Me Free Stuff!
• Soon, there shall be yet another British import that gets an American take: Top Gear. Most of you know of my affinity for the show from across The Pond. I’m sure that guys talking about cars translates fairly well in any language – even if it’s just the accent that’s different – but the thing that doesn’t always make the transition is “chemistry.” The Top Gear UK guys have it. While their American cousins may have it – or acquire it as the show progresses – it just won’t be the same.
• Who Gives a Damn about Scarlett O’Hara’s Dresses?

Be Well.
Be Happy.
Be Yourself.

Namaste.

Saturday – 14 August 2010
Hello, weekend.

This morning, I slept in! All the way until 08:30!  (That is ‘sleeping in’ for me, considering what time I get up during the week.) I made my way to the couch downstairs and flipped on the television. After some surfing, I landed on Octopussy. I don’t think that I’ve seen that movie all the way through in a long time; I may have to do something about it one of these days. After about thirty minutes, I got up and headed into my office — I needed to get things together for this afternoon’s tournament.  After a shower and a quick breakfast – and a quick stop at Pin-up Girl – I headed out.

Today’s tourney theme was “Femme Fatales,” meaning that players’ teams could only be comprised of female figures. I threw a couple of options together; the team I played in one bye round was a Skrull Team:

• Elektra
• Ms. Marvel
• Spider-Woman and
• Susan Richards

Pictures of the event can be seen here.

I came home and met up with SaraRules. We headed to the local Whole Foods for a bite to eat. As we walked into the store, Sean, one of the employees saw me and seemed…. rather…. ecstatic… that I was wearing one of my Green Lantern shirts.  He yelled over at a coworker something to the effect of:

See!?  There’s a regular guy… and he likes superheroes! Comic books are alright!

It made me chuckle a bit.  Sean came up to me a couple more times and basically told me that he appreciated the fact that someone else not only liked comics but also Green Lantern. (When I showed him the GL symbol in my wedding band, he said it was one of the coolest things he’d seen.) He also expressed a little concern about Ryan Reynolds being cast as Hal Jordan in the upcoming feature film.  I suggested that he track down the SDCC footage of the Green Lantern panel, in which Ryan Reynolds not only talked about the film, but recited the GL oath for a young audience member:

He jotted down the info. Sean also happened to be at the check-out, as we were preparing to leave; he told me that I was “…welcome in [his] store anytime,” and to look him up if I ever needed any assistance. It was oddly charming.

Back at home, I put chicken kabobs on the grill and SaraRules prepared a salad and some quinoa. Very tasty combination.

Workout
Friday’s step count: 3,770

Next up: We’re heading downtown to Craft Lake City.

Tonight…? Who knows.

Namaste.

Friday – 13 August 2010
Yes, it is Friday the 13th… (dun dun DUNNNN!)
But, it’s still Friday, which means that the weekend is nigh. With that in mind, here’s a little Janet (“Ms. Jackson,” if you’re nasty…) to help get your end-of-the-week dance on:

And we can’t just leave it like that, so here’s a little Will Smith, too:

After working a little later than usual on Wednesday and having to go back to work Wednesday night (to deal with a potential water leak), I had an extra hour of work on the timecard… of which I availed myself yesterday afternoon: I left a little after 4:00.  It was nice. I stopped at Pin-up Girl, ordered a Peach White Tea and then sat and chatted with Jim and his brother, Paul.

Then I headed home to get ready for some football. SaraRules had a Justice Junior League meeting, so that meant that I was on my own for dinner. (Hello, Papa Johns…?) Pizza went wonderfully with beer and football. and it wasn’t just any old football game… it was the Ravens hosting the Panthers. But I’ll go into the game later.

As if the early part of the day wasn’t enough, SaraRules, Bonne, Melissa S. and I went to see The Expendables. SaraRules called it, and I quote:

Quite possibly the best action movie I’ve ever seen… I’d give it nine-and-a-half bricks!

And, just in case that wasn’t enough, here’s what Bonne had to say about it:

If you prefer action over chick flicks, I have one word for you: Expendables!!!

That’s right: My mother-in-law thought it rocked.  Beat that.

And, yeah, it was pretty damned good. You’re not five minutes into the movie when the bullets – and bodies – start flying. The movie is “a little” thin on plot, but doesn’t suffer from lack of action. You get to see (almost) all of the stars chewing bubble gum, kicking ass and taking names. Something that I wasn’t expecting: The dialogue was actually witty at times. Sure, there were a couple of in-jokes here and there, but the banter was fairly fresh. And, the movie was just plain fun.

SaraRules’ Rating:

Rob’s Rating: 

That was my Thursday, how was yours?

Instant Replay: Football

Carolina Panthers at Baltimore Ravens
12 – 17
The Ravens played host to the Carolina Panthers for both teams’ first preseason game. The weather went from overcast and threatening to “Hey, Noah, where’s your ark?” during the course of the game. The Ravens have a lot of new talent on both sides of the ball. They also have a good number of returning team members. Among the new talent is former St. Louis QB Mark Bulger. Bulger looked a little rusty, but viewers saw that the talent is still there. QB Troy Smith got the short end of the stick, coming into the game as the rain started pouring down, but that didn’t stop him from engineering a drive that culminated in a rushing TD… by Smith, himself, on a QB draw. The Panthers apparently have twenty-nine (29) new players, including six rookie defensive players. They also have two rookie QBs – Jimmy Clausen and Hunter Cantwell – duking it out for the #2 slot. And I have to say: Clausen looked amazing. Seriously. First NFL game – against the Ravens’ D, no less – and he stood in the pocket, looking cool and in control. His passes were solid. His timing was unexpectedly and impressively precise, threading the needle more than once to complete long yardage passes to receivers in coverage. Yes, this was “just” a pre-season game, but it was still football and it was a good game. It’s good to know that both of my teams will be worth watching this season… especially when both teams meet again in November.

Workout
Thursday’s step count: 4,860

Stray Toasters

• Late night + early morning = Rob stopping at Pin-up Girl Espresso for some go-juice.
  Erin and Paul helped me kickstart my morning.



• Hidden World of Girls — Girls and the Women They Become
• Oh, North Carolina Public Schools… I didn’t know just how badly you needed help.
• ‘Tea Party’ members offer a ground-level view
• From Brad Guigar’s Courting Disaster:

  

  (click image to read the question and comments)

• White House against ending birthright citizenship
• 10 great haunted places across the USA
• I haven’t read the book or seen the movie, but I would probably be more inclined to read or see this take on Eat Pray Love:



• Organize your ideas to make more money
• Stock Your Garden with Foods Cheaper to Grow Than to Buy

Quote of the Day
Today’s quote comes from last night, by way of someone sitting in front of us to his friend who had just returned from the concession stand:

“You’re bitching about salt and sugar?! That much food will grow you two spare asses!”

Have a great Friday!

Namaste.

Thursday – 12 August 2010
Not only is it an NBN Thursday…
But there’s an NFL preseason game tonight…

The Baltimore Ravens take on the Carolina Panthers, in Baltimore.
As these are my #1 and #2 teams, this comes out as a “Win-Win” for me.

vs. 

Additionally, The Wizard of Oz was released on this date, in 1939.

SaraRules and I, along with her parents, attended the “Epic Dining” at MacCool’s last night. There was a five-course meal, in which each course was paired with a beer from Epic Brewing:

The whole evening was great.  We sat that the table with Dave and Peter, co-owners of Epic, Dave’s wife, Susan and Michael, Peter’s assistant. We got to talk with them about how they decided to start brewing beer, what they enjoyed about it, and whatever else popped into our heads. It was a great evening, with good company and a fantastic dinner. Pictures of the courses – minus the salad, because I neglected to shoot it before devouring it – can be found here.

Just as dinner wrapped up, I got a call from one of the guys on my team: He had been receiving notifications from a wetness sensor in one of the cooling units. This would make the third time in under three months. Not good. As I was closer to the office than he was, I told him that I’d check it out. And with that, SaraRules and I headed left MacCool’s and headed to the office.

When I got there, I took the front panel off of the unit in question and looked inside. Nothing.

::: grblsnrkx :::

I removed the rear panel and checked there. Nothing.

::: braincramp :::

I went back to the front and looked again… just in case I had missed something. This time, I noticed the remnants of a splash of a water droplet next to the sensor cord. I checked the cord itself — it was damp. Okay, this was progress. The only problem: I couldn’t find any sign of a leak or spill. Upon further investigation, I noted that one of the copper pipes was damp with condensation… and it took a bend just above the splash point. Apparently, enough there had been condensation to form a drop and landed next to/on the wetness sensor cord. It was enough for the sensor to register, but not enough to cause a problem – other than sending out alters – that would affect the unit’s operation. Disaster: Averted.

Back home for comfy pants and comics-reading time.

Workout
Wednesday’s step count: 4,649

Stray Toasters

• JetBlue: Sometimes the weird news is about us…
• In Superman’s Hometown, a Labor Dispute over Health
• With a Google Map, You Can Find Doctors Behaving Badly
• 9/11 museum going up underground in New York City
• LEGO Universe is apparently releasing a Beta Client for Mac. Tomorrow.
• Shopkick can lead you to discounts and sales
• 
• Quick Change in Strategy for a Bookseller
• Five Years Later, The Big Easy Pushes Forward
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: City of Beacon, NY enforces archaic law outlawing pinball, closes retro arcade
• gd