Super Justice Team GO!

Our City of Heroes supergroup has a new secret HQ. Take a tour with Screamerella!

The reception desk - first thing you see when you materialize inside.


The purdy but dangerous skylight. If we were ever attacked, this would be the weak spot in our defenses.


Teleporter room. The empty space on the right is reserved for another unit - not yet constructed.


The workshop where Col. Pemberton has been building the new teleport pad.


Rec area and computer room, seperated by a not-at-all soundproof glass wall.


The basement, with generator and water heater. Grey Pup promised to change the lightbulbs last Thursday.

Snakes on a Plane

This king among films was absolutely hilarious. It was all I hoped it would be and more. I found myself laughing uncontrolably at the line "We have to put a barrier between us and the snakes!" There's something indescribably absurd about it.

There was a lady all by herself in the theater with us. I thought it was a little strange, 'til she walked out about halfway through and I realized she must have been screening it for her kid. Chuckle.

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby

It's been a while since I laughed out loud so many times at a movie. I've always enjoyed Will Ferrell's sense of humor; he was the best thing about SNL while in the cast.

"This sticker is dangerous and inconvenient, but I do love Fig Newtons."

Watercooler

While at work some time ago, I made a comment that the water in our dehumidifier ought to be drinkable, since it comes directly from the air. That's probably true, but I wouldn't want to try it without cleaning it up a bit. The tank probably has mildew growing in it, and who knows what foul vapors and particles are floating around in the air down here.

Anyway, here's a detailed schematic of a hypothetical dehumidifier/water filtration system.




...And a prototype.

Weedwacker

The Descent

Movie night on Thursday! We saw The Descent.

Very good, visceral and genuinely scary. The director managed to hit a nerve, making the viewer feel as claustrophobic as the characters. With lots of "gotcha" moments, this is a great film if you're a fan of somewhat gory slashers. Interestingly, the characters are all women. This totally eliminates one of the conflicts classic to horror films: sexual tension.

Again, if you're a fan of the genre, see this movie. It delivers on its promises.

A.

Wordpress and EasyPHP

Inspired to once again redefine my web presence, I am starting to put together a new website using Wordpress. Tonight I went through the first website I made that had a blog in it, copying all the entries and images, and editing the post dates to reflect when they were actually written. A bit tedius, but I hope it's worth it in the end.

Smoove Move

Last Thursday we went to the bank for closing. It took almost exactly one hour to sign and initial all the paperwork. Finally, we had the keys! We'd been packing all week, but that evening was the first time we could take some boxes over.

Saturday, though, was THE DAY. My in-laws came down to help, and four of our friends stuck around and carried large objects with us. We rented a U-Haul, getting everything in only one trip. With so many assistants, the whole process went by quickly - we were done in five hours.

Two of our friends insisted on mowing our yard and weeding the garden! I was overwhelmed by their giving spirit. Best move EVER.

More Boxes

You'd think after two days there'd be more progress. You'd be wrong.

Looking Up

Mobile

Packing Up

This is an unfortunately small percentage of all we have to move. A little bit packed every day will add up, I suppose.

Calvin & Hobbes

C&H has always been my favorite comic strip. I remember when I got the first book, noticing that Calvin would be the same age as me.

25 Calvin & Hobbes strips.

Miyazaki

Continuing to use my Hollywood Video coupons, I rented a couple Miyazaki films: My Neighbor Totoro, and Howl's Moving Castle. Totoro was really great, truly a wonderful view of what it's like to be a child in a loving home.

Howl's Moving Castle is a fairy-tale in every sense of the word. Dazzling vistas of imagination, likeable characters. I think Princess Mononoke will always be my favorite, but Howl is a close second.

Hollywood Video

So it turns out we have 6 'rent one get one free' coupons for Hollywood Video, 'cause of a class action lawsuit against them. We've had them for 3 months and I just remembered 'em today. While at HV, I learned we had a free movie credit on our account, due to a broken DVD we rented, plus an additional buck fifty. I rented three movies for $1.42!

The Tenth Dimension

Speaking of alternate universes filled with pure evil, check this out. Gotta warn you though, the site has had a lot of traffic lately and is experiencing unseasonably long load times. When and if you get in, click 'Imagining' and you'll be privy to a thoughtful and unconventional look at what higher "dimensions" might be like. If - after length, width, and height - time is the fourth dimension, what might be the fifth? The 10th?

Superstring theory (I've been told) mandates the existance of 10+ dimensions - I'm sure my quantum physics friends will eventually let me know that the superstring dimensions are all spacial, having nothing to do with 'time,' and curled up like quantum drinking straws or something. Again, Imagining the Tength Dimension is not an explanation of the way things are, just a different way of thinking.

Ultroloth

The most foulest and mostest cunning lords of the Gray Waste are the enigmatic Ultroloths. Always covered in voluminous cloaks or robes, their mysteries are filled with evil and nastiness. Tony D. rules.

Postage Meter

Months ago, I did an illustration of an electronic postage meter for an ad. We ended up using a photo instead of this look, but I liked this little sketch.

See, envelopes go in where the arrow is. Then you push a button or something and your letter dematerializes, reappearing at the post office.

Guess What We Bought Today!!!

Here's a hint: it has a garage.

The house is just off the left side of the frame.


The back of the garage.


Inside said garage.

The House We're Looking At

We've been looking at houses for a little while now; not owning our home is starting to get old. This place looks kinda small in the first picture, but it's not (at least compared to our apartment now).

Click on a photo to enlarge.