Yes, I decided to name my Macs after Transformers. Not surprisingly, my Mac Pro desktop is Optimus Prime.
Anyway, I found out what my options were or the laptop. Of course the guy at the Genius Bar couldn't bring the thing down, and there are no log entries about the random shut downs since, well, it can't log something when it's not on. He said it was possible of course to theorize that something on the logic board as not right, but it's just really hard to tell. So since it's out of warranty, basically they can send it in, and for a little over $300, they'll repair whatever they have to repair.
They still have to observe that something is wrong, or find it with test equipment. If I could get them to say, "Yes, we'll replace the logic board," I'd probably send it tomorrow. Since it just dies with or without a battery, I can't imagine it's anything else. I opted to hold on to it and just wait and see for awhile. If it gets worse, that makes sending it in a lot easier.
Meanwhile, Time-Warner is really fucking with my Internet connection. It dropped out completely earlier today, and now it's moving so slow that it's virtually useless. I'm not pleased. The guy I used to work for that is the liaison between the city and cable company suggested I call to see if they could update the firmware in my modem, as that has made a significant speed difference for some people.