the new house has one of those built-in espresso machines, which is great. there are times when you just want regular coffee though.
i got a chemex, pour over kettle setup which i have been playing with. so far so good. it is a little different every day as i have not quite figured out the best settings.
also, i dont have a kitchen scale (yet) so there is some variability there.
No 1 got a Chemex but leaves it here because it would be a PITA to bring back to NYC. I think he just used it over break. He did say that the water temp for pourover ideally is less than boiling so his kettle at home has a temp setting. Ours doesn't so he eyeballs it. He has a method so you should reach out to him to provide the steps. he was showing No 3 over break how to do it.
The method to achieve 205 deg. F when you don't have a thermometer on your kettle is to achieve boiling and then let it rest for 30 seconds. Close enough for me.
Chemex brings back memories of my mom making coffee for dinner guests in the late 60s. My parents were big on dinner parties. They had someone over probably every other month. And they frequently played bridge. But I digress.
Pour over is my daily ritual. My carafe is a Bodum 34 oz. with a gold filter. I use paper inside the gold filter. Otherwise, some of the fines can get through the gold filter and the finished product is diminished. Trader Joe's filters are my default. Trader Joe's filters are much cheaper than Melitta filters and there's little quality difference.
I highly recommend getting a coffee scale that measures in 1/10 grams and has a timer on it. You should be able to get such a scale for around $25, maybe even around $20; it's been a few years since I shopped for a scale.
The timer portion will help you time your bloom and the scale will help you hit that 16:1 water to grounds ratio. Mrs Slug swears by my pour over skills, and I'm here to say that having a good scale is an important part of achieving Mrs Slug's praise.
I'm a little more obsessive than most: I measure the weight of my beans *both before* and *after* grinding to be sure of the amount of water to pour. Even though I like to hit that 16:1 ratio, I still allow some slop. If the ratio is still as much as 16.6:1, I'm still good.
Took a tumble skiing yesterday and something is up w/ my knee. at urgent care in Burlington right now.
this morming i could barely get to the bathroom. a few hours later, some Advil and just being up, it seems better
Looks like I am fine for now. Wait and see a little, but nothing serious. Maybe meniscus tear? But they can't tell because of a like fluid in knee area.
downhill. ran into an icy mogul at the wrong angle.
we meant to go XC skiing on Fri afternoon except the local place didnt have snow and the 2 places that have night skiing are only open late on weekdays.
12 oysters from Virginia that I shucked with some homemade cocktail sauce, some breaded flounder that I fileted (poorly), a diet off-brand Red Bull, and a sugar free yoghurt. I had an apple for dinner and about eight oysters from three different places. I've probably got my heavy metal quotient for the year.
Working my way through Percy Jackson and the Olympians. This season is A Sea of Monsters. Finished ep 3 over the weekend. The production value is really good. Not surprising since it's a Disney+ show. Their Star Wars shows also seemed to have a high production value.
The San Francisco 49ers have struggled to find explosive plays this season. Brock Purdy found Demarcus Robinson, who beat Quinyon Mitchell of all people, for a 61-yard catch and run. Two plays later, Purdy lofted a pass into the hands of Christian McCaffrey for an 11-yard gain.
Shanahan has really done an amazing coaching job. Thing is, he's in a highly competitive division; an understatement, no doubt. So, Mike MacDonald and Sean McVay will also be in the running. It could be argued that Shanahan has done more with less, but we'll see.
IMO Shanahan is reputationally hurt by his own raised expectations (making the Super Bowl twice) and thus will not ever win a Coach of the Year award, even if he might deserve it.
You have a good point about expectations. Too bad, if that's true, though.
Pick a bad coach who has nonetheless kept his job and that's the flip side to the raised expectations weeding out an otherwise deserving candidate for COY.
Watched National Figure Skating Championships. US team is really good this year. 3 women have a decent shot at gold, which the US hasn't won in decades. Men's top guy is also a favorite. Pairs and Dance very strong.
So let me get this straight? A few PGA golfers that gave the middle finger to the PGA to get a lot of money from the Saudi's in the LIV, are now able to come back? Though they lose out on a bunch of money for 5 years. I bet LIV gave them pretty close or more to what they lose out.
Brooks Koepka returning to PGA Tour under new program
Five-time major champion Brooks Koepka is returning to the PGA Tour as part of a new Returning Member Program, which would also allow three of LIV Golf's other top stars to come back if they want.
what was your favorite game during wild card weekend?
i went to the local pub to watch the Bears-Packers game and that was the one i enjoyed the most.
i met some good new friends and got a special "welcome to the neighbrohood" packet at the Olde Northender Pub. they are open 800a-200a everyday and have license to sell booze that early. it is also, only a block away from the new house.
in fact, one new friend invited me to his 50th bday party next weekend in town. so social life is going pretty well.
Your last sentence is dead on. It would be pretty cool if the Bills won it all this year. Aside from the 49ers, I really don't have a favorite. And in the case of the 49ers, I'm okay if they don't win as long as the Yorks own the franchise.
Bears vs Packers was fun to watch. It was so lopsided and boring in the first half that I started rooting for Bears in the second half, hoping to make the game more interesting. They did but I didn't think they would win it. When the Bears missed the opportunity to grab the fumble I thought they missed their last chance but somehow they won. I wanted to see Caleb cry.
I noticed that in most of those games the defenses became porous in the 4th quarter. I couldn't figure out what the hell was going on. It was more than defenses just playing prevent. The most egregious example was Jags-Bills. There were 4 lead changes in the 4th quarter. FOUR LEAD CHANGES.
And Green Bay gave up 25 points to the Bears, who have a middling quarterback (Caleb Williams) masquerading as Joe Montana or Tom Brady during a huge comeback.
The only game that was relatively ho-hum this weekend was Pats-Chargers. The outcome of the game was never really in doubt. I'm not sure if Justin Herbert is not a good QB or if his o-line needs an upgrade.
Sure seems different from the old days, when it felt hard to come back from a deficit late in the game. Now it's practically expected.
I feel like all of the rule changes made to favor offense have made it too hard to keep up a defensive effort all the way to the end. Used to be the QB and receivers would get beaten up all game too, but now that's illegal.
Another observation: the NFL likes offense because it attracts viewers. Which makes the rules changes even more obvious. I feel like a dinosaur in that I actually have come to appreciate good defense and now it's much harder to come by when the chips are down.
It's similar to what BOOOO Manfred is trying to do in MLB as well. Improve Offense. I guess I'm also a dinosaur in that I like well pitched games (1-0) and like that there isn't a clock in the games. I don't mind the old way of changing pitchers whenever the manager wants.
Also what the NHL did in the 90s (?) by taking away the 2-line pass and not allowing the defense to be as physical (can't remember the term for what they removed). I think similar to the freedom of movement rule the NBA now has.
I've noticed that offensive PI is called much more frequently than in the past. Same with defensive holding. I think that's just another data point towards your observations.
At some point during the second half of the Golden State Warriors’ 124-111 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday, play-by-play broadcaster Bob Fitzgerald passionately pointed something out: it had been a while since the Warriors had been outplayed. If you want to be pedantic, you can surely argue the statement, but what Fitz was getting at made perfect sense. Golden State’s last loss came on Monday against the LA Clippers, but they played well in that game and just went ice cold shooting. Before that it was a January 2 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder while playing without Steph Curry, Draymond Green, or Jimmy Butler III. And before that it was a December 28 defeat at the hands of the Toronto Raptors, in a game where the Warriors were in control until a series of self-inflicted wounds late in the game. You had to go back to mid-December to find a game that a healthy(ish) Warriors team that simply took the court and played comfortably better basketball.
The California women's basketball team used a strong defensive effort in a wire-to-wire 61-52 win over visiting Wake Forest at Haas Pavilion on Sunday afternoon. The Golden Bears (10-8, 1-4 ACC) held the Demon Deacons (12-6, 2-4) to just 14 first half points to capture their first conference win of the season and third straight against Wake Forest.
WEST VALLEY, UTAH – California women's gymnastics took second place at the evening session of the Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad Saturday night at the Maverik Center in West Valley, Utah. The Golden Bears notched a 196.350 team score at the nationally televised podium meet, improving 0.350 from their runner-up finish at the Best of the West Quad one week prior.
BERKELEY- California rugby got their first win of 2026 Saturday with a 101-0 victory over the Cal Poly Mustangs. Nine different Bears scored in the victory, while Max Threlkeld and Filip Edstrom scored three tries each. Edstrom also converted 12 conversion attempts.
BLACKSBURG, VA. -- The California men's basketball team fought through seven ties and four lead changes, but host Virginia Tech held off the Bears' hopes of a final word in a 78-75 Hokies win in Blacksburg, Va. The Bears had a last look to tie it up and force overtime that was just off the mark, leaving Cal with the road loss. The Bears are now 13-4 overall and 1-3 in ACC play. Virginia Tech goes to 13-4, 2-2.
BERKELEY – The California men's gymnastics team overcame a shaky start in its season debut Friday night, winning two of the three final rotations to finish nearly six points better than its 2025 season opener in a dual meet between the Golden Bears and NCAA runner-up Stanford at Haas Pavilion. Although the Cardinal out-scored the Bears, 320.100-309.700, Cal triumphed on vault (55.200-53.700) and high bar (53.150-52.050), earning a share of one individual event title and one modern-era school record.
nerdy coffee talk
chemex. trying this out for the first time.
the new house has one of those built-in espresso machines, which is great. there are times when you just want regular coffee though.
i got a chemex, pour over kettle setup which i have been playing with. so far so good. it is a little different every day as i have not quite figured out the best settings.
also, i dont have a kitchen scale (yet) so there is some variability there.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/77AxuArJXdyzhhBYA
No 1 got a Chemex but leaves it here because it would be a PITA to bring back to NYC. I think he just used it over break. He did say that the water temp for pourover ideally is less than boiling so his kettle at home has a temp setting. Ours doesn't so he eyeballs it. He has a method so you should reach out to him to provide the steps. he was showing No 3 over break how to do it.
right. 205 F for pour over to get the optimal extraction.
The method to achieve 205 deg. F when you don't have a thermometer on your kettle is to achieve boiling and then let it rest for 30 seconds. Close enough for me.
No 1 said he basically opens the top to the kettle right as the big bubbles start and lets it sit for a little bit.
Chemex brings back memories of my mom making coffee for dinner guests in the late 60s. My parents were big on dinner parties. They had someone over probably every other month. And they frequently played bridge. But I digress.
Pour over is my daily ritual. My carafe is a Bodum 34 oz. with a gold filter. I use paper inside the gold filter. Otherwise, some of the fines can get through the gold filter and the finished product is diminished. Trader Joe's filters are my default. Trader Joe's filters are much cheaper than Melitta filters and there's little quality difference.
I highly recommend getting a coffee scale that measures in 1/10 grams and has a timer on it. You should be able to get such a scale for around $25, maybe even around $20; it's been a few years since I shopped for a scale.
The timer portion will help you time your bloom and the scale will help you hit that 16:1 water to grounds ratio. Mrs Slug swears by my pour over skills, and I'm here to say that having a good scale is an important part of achieving Mrs Slug's praise.
I'm a little more obsessive than most: I measure the weight of my beans *both before* and *after* grinding to be sure of the amount of water to pour. Even though I like to hit that 16:1 ratio, I still allow some slop. If the ratio is still as much as 16.6:1, I'm still good.
not-so-minor injuries
Took a tumble skiing yesterday and something is up w/ my knee. at urgent care in Burlington right now.
this morming i could barely get to the bathroom. a few hours later, some Advil and just being up, it seems better
Looks like I am fine for now. Wait and see a little, but nothing serious. Maybe meniscus tear? But they can't tell because of a like fluid in knee area.
Maybe... you... old and busted?
Just curious, downhill or XC?
downhill. ran into an icy mogul at the wrong angle.
we meant to go XC skiing on Fri afternoon except the local place didnt have snow and the 2 places that have night skiing are only open late on weekdays.
DBD Lunch
Maybe another mortadella sandwich using sourdough baguettes I made. Bought some last week and trying to finish it up.
12 oysters from Virginia that I shucked with some homemade cocktail sauce, some breaded flounder that I fileted (poorly), a diet off-brand Red Bull, and a sugar free yoghurt. I had an apple for dinner and about eight oysters from three different places. I've probably got my heavy metal quotient for the year.
Pork belly rice bowl at local Mexican place
and chips and queso ... one of my all-time favorite things
DBD AV Club
Working my way through Percy Jackson and the Olympians. This season is A Sea of Monsters. Finished ep 3 over the weekend. The production value is really good. Not surprising since it's a Disney+ show. Their Star Wars shows also seemed to have a high production value.
Our Dumb Government
Trump sicced a grand jury against the Fed Chair. So stupid.
Wild Card
UNO .. an all time classic card game.
there are a time where some middle school friends and i all played a couple rounds of UNO in the morning before getting on the bus to school
Teaching kids that life isn't fair since 1971.
There are a bunch of Uno variations now that can be fun.
Jason Statham movie from 2015 (11/19 WB). A typical Jason Statham movie. Lots of action.
PRO
49ers upset the Eagles in a thrilling victory to advance to the Divisional round
https://www.ninersnation.com/san-francisco-49ers-scores-results/155098/49ers-upset-the-eagles-in-a-thrilling-victory-to-advance-to-the-divisional-round
The San Francisco 49ers have struggled to find explosive plays this season. Brock Purdy found Demarcus Robinson, who beat Quinyon Mitchell of all people, for a 61-yard catch and run. Two plays later, Purdy lofted a pass into the hands of Christian McCaffrey for an 11-yard gain.
Kyle Shanahan still has this team winning despite so many of their star players being out (and losing Kittle in this game). Unbelievable.
Shanahan has really done an amazing coaching job. Thing is, he's in a highly competitive division; an understatement, no doubt. So, Mike MacDonald and Sean McVay will also be in the running. It could be argued that Shanahan has done more with less, but we'll see.
IMO Shanahan is reputationally hurt by his own raised expectations (making the Super Bowl twice) and thus will not ever win a Coach of the Year award, even if he might deserve it.
You have a good point about expectations. Too bad, if that's true, though.
Pick a bad coach who has nonetheless kept his job and that's the flip side to the raised expectations weeding out an otherwise deserving candidate for COY.
Athough I'm not that much of a niners fan, I'm happy to see Philly lost because I hate that brotherly shove.
Watched National Figure Skating Championships. US team is really good this year. 3 women have a decent shot at gold, which the US hasn't won in decades. Men's top guy is also a favorite. Pairs and Dance very strong.
Mugsy Bogues (5'3") .. randomly reading about him
> Bogues also had a surprising defensive ability. He blocked 39 shots throughout his NBA career, including one from 7-foot-tall Patrick Ewing
So let me get this straight? A few PGA golfers that gave the middle finger to the PGA to get a lot of money from the Saudi's in the LIV, are now able to come back? Though they lose out on a bunch of money for 5 years. I bet LIV gave them pretty close or more to what they lose out.
Brooks Koepka returning to PGA Tour under new program
https://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/47590926/brooks-koepka-returning-pga-tour-new-program
Five-time major champion Brooks Koepka is returning to the PGA Tour as part of a new Returning Member Program, which would also allow three of LIV Golf's other top stars to come back if they want.
what was your favorite game during wild card weekend?
i went to the local pub to watch the Bears-Packers game and that was the one i enjoyed the most.
i met some good new friends and got a special "welcome to the neighbrohood" packet at the Olde Northender Pub. they are open 800a-200a everyday and have license to sell booze that early. it is also, only a block away from the new house.
in fact, one new friend invited me to his 50th bday party next weekend in town. so social life is going pretty well.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/ocY1z4E2aMKfprz66
My favorite was actually the Bills-Jaguars game, because I've developed an antipathy for Trevor Lawrence and the Jags. I'm not sure why, but I have.
So, the Bills beating the Jags in a tight game was very cool.
Bills probably have a couple more tough games to go. I am rooting for them to go to the SB.
With mahomes out of the way, this is a good window for them
Your last sentence is dead on. It would be pretty cool if the Bills won it all this year. Aside from the 49ers, I really don't have a favorite. And in the case of the 49ers, I'm okay if they don't win as long as the Yorks own the franchise.
Bears vs Packers was fun to watch. It was so lopsided and boring in the first half that I started rooting for Bears in the second half, hoping to make the game more interesting. They did but I didn't think they would win it. When the Bears missed the opportunity to grab the fumble I thought they missed their last chance but somehow they won. I wanted to see Caleb cry.
Rams beat the Panthers 34-31
Bears beat the Packers 31-27
Bills beat the Jags 27-24
Pats beat the Chargers 16-3
I’m wondering about all these close games coming down to the last minute or two. Do I smell some kind of conspiracy?
I think that the game has changed. Offense only needs 45 sec to score.
I noticed that in most of those games the defenses became porous in the 4th quarter. I couldn't figure out what the hell was going on. It was more than defenses just playing prevent. The most egregious example was Jags-Bills. There were 4 lead changes in the 4th quarter. FOUR LEAD CHANGES.
And Green Bay gave up 25 points to the Bears, who have a middling quarterback (Caleb Williams) masquerading as Joe Montana or Tom Brady during a huge comeback.
The only game that was relatively ho-hum this weekend was Pats-Chargers. The outcome of the game was never really in doubt. I'm not sure if Justin Herbert is not a good QB or if his o-line needs an upgrade.
Sure seems different from the old days, when it felt hard to come back from a deficit late in the game. Now it's practically expected.
I feel like all of the rule changes made to favor offense have made it too hard to keep up a defensive effort all the way to the end. Used to be the QB and receivers would get beaten up all game too, but now that's illegal.
Another observation: the NFL likes offense because it attracts viewers. Which makes the rules changes even more obvious. I feel like a dinosaur in that I actually have come to appreciate good defense and now it's much harder to come by when the chips are down.
It's similar to what BOOOO Manfred is trying to do in MLB as well. Improve Offense. I guess I'm also a dinosaur in that I like well pitched games (1-0) and like that there isn't a clock in the games. I don't mind the old way of changing pitchers whenever the manager wants.
Also what the NHL did in the 90s (?) by taking away the 2-line pass and not allowing the defense to be as physical (can't remember the term for what they removed). I think similar to the freedom of movement rule the NBA now has.
I've noticed that offensive PI is called much more frequently than in the past. Same with defensive holding. I think that's just another data point towards your observations.
Sharks lose to the Vegas Knights 7-2
Despite Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler III’s best efforts, Warriors humbled by the Hawks
https://www.goldenstateofmind.com/warriors-scores-results/107172/warriors-hawks-scores-recap-steph-curry-jimmy-butler-iii-jalen-johnson-luke-kennard
At some point during the second half of the Golden State Warriors’ 124-111 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday, play-by-play broadcaster Bob Fitzgerald passionately pointed something out: it had been a while since the Warriors had been outplayed. If you want to be pedantic, you can surely argue the statement, but what Fitz was getting at made perfect sense. Golden State’s last loss came on Monday against the LA Clippers, but they played well in that game and just went ice cold shooting. Before that it was a January 2 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder while playing without Steph Curry, Draymond Green, or Jimmy Butler III. And before that it was a December 28 defeat at the hands of the Toronto Raptors, in a game where the Warriors were in control until a series of self-inflicted wounds late in the game. You had to go back to mid-December to find a game that a healthy(ish) Warriors team that simply took the court and played comfortably better basketball.
I didn't watch this game because I was focused on the football, but in seeing the score I assumed the Warriors had sat a bunch of guys. Whoops!
I was playing BB and peeked at scores. Kinda shocking though maybe the Hawks are better without Trae.
In the pregame show, Chris Mullin actually SHOUTED several times, STOP TURNING THE BALL OVER!
CAL
[WBB] Cal Defense Stifles Wake Forest
https://calbears.com/news/2026/1/11/womens-basketball-cal-defense-stifles-wake-forest.aspx
The California women's basketball team used a strong defensive effort in a wire-to-wire 61-52 win over visiting Wake Forest at Haas Pavilion on Sunday afternoon. The Golden Bears (10-8, 1-4 ACC) held the Demon Deacons (12-6, 2-4) to just 14 first half points to capture their first conference win of the season and third straight against Wake Forest.
rumors are that Ululave is going to Michigan. semi-confirmed by my bro-in-law who is UM alum and supporter.
BOOO your BIL
Honestly, this feels like a mistake by him, but maybe Michigan is just offering that much more money.
[WGYM] Cal Takes Second At Sprouts Collegiate Quad
https://calbears.com/news/2026/1/10/womens-gymnastics-cal-takes-second-at-sprouts-collegiate-quad.aspx
WEST VALLEY, UTAH – California women's gymnastics took second place at the evening session of the Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad Saturday night at the Maverik Center in West Valley, Utah. The Golden Bears notched a 196.350 team score at the nationally televised podium meet, improving 0.350 from their runner-up finish at the Best of the West Quad one week prior.
[RUGBY] Rugby Posts First Win of 2026
https://calbears.com/news/2026/1/10/rugby-posts-first-win-of-2026.aspx
BERKELEY- California rugby got their first win of 2026 Saturday with a 101-0 victory over the Cal Poly Mustangs. Nine different Bears scored in the victory, while Max Threlkeld and Filip Edstrom scored three tries each. Edstrom also converted 12 conversion attempts.
[MBB] Cal Comes Up Just Short In 78-75 Loss At Virginia Tech
https://calbears.com/news/2026/1/10/mens-basketball-cal-comes-up-just-short-in-78-75-loss-at-virginia-tech.aspx
BLACKSBURG, VA. -- The California men's basketball team fought through seven ties and four lead changes, but host Virginia Tech held off the Bears' hopes of a final word in a 78-75 Hokies win in Blacksburg, Va. The Bears had a last look to tie it up and force overtime that was just off the mark, leaving Cal with the road loss. The Bears are now 13-4 overall and 1-3 in ACC play. Virginia Tech goes to 13-4, 2-2.
[MGYM] Bardana Sets School Record; Cal Wins Two Event Titles
https://calbears.com/news/2026/1/9/mens-gymnastics-bardana-sets-school-record-cal-wins-two-event-titles.aspx
BERKELEY – The California men's gymnastics team overcame a shaky start in its season debut Friday night, winning two of the three final rotations to finish nearly six points better than its 2025 season opener in a dual meet between the Golden Bears and NCAA runner-up Stanford at Haas Pavilion. Although the Cardinal out-scored the Bears, 320.100-309.700, Cal triumphed on vault (55.200-53.700) and high bar (53.150-52.050), earning a share of one individual event title and one modern-era school record.