An update, I'm about one-third the way through my hell-semester. Decided to keep my full time job for now, plus carry a full-time student load at culinary school, plus my 20-30 hour work load at my second job as a fine-dining cook. However, one of my colleagues got injured so I had to pick up some of his hours, so I did over 40 hours this past 7 days. It's up at 6am work on one job a bit, go to school, eat canned chicken out of a can, down an energy drink, go to my second job, get home near midnight, do homework, do some more work on my full time job, then sleep at about 2 am and then rinse-lather-repeat. Valentine's day weekend (and Mothers Day) are the infamous weekends in fine-dining. We got absolutely hammered with volume and my body is physically wrecked. I don't know how people do it full time.
It's a mixed bag. On one hand, I'm learning something. On the other hand, it was a short, sharp lesson in knowing that it isn't for me. I've already been reprimanded for talking back at the Chef de Cuisine (essentially the head chef since the #1 is a passive owner rather than ever cook) because he is a notorious dick and when he finally was, I was like "oh, okay, alrighty then". It's one thing to be corrective, it's but you don't have to be a dick - I don't care what industry tradition and history say that it is okay. I got a talking to in the walk-in.
It is very much The Bear. The insane hours, expectations of perfection, the daily cuts/burns, the physicalness of it, a line of people out the door waiting to do what I do, the people who are there getting absolutely rocked by the job and not having time to recover or take care of their personal life, the wages that are like Walmart greeter levels despite being a job that requires a decent amount of experience/skill/discipline, the stress, the unpredictability of it. I've come to the conclusion that the entire industry is based upon exploitation and it needs reform. Tips should be banned and prices should be higher.
it seems that certain industries such as med school. finance, law have gone thru a reform on how to have more humane hours and treatment of people. then it somehow is forgotten or lost as either the old people grumble that "this is not how i did it in the old days" or just the sheer pressure of making $$ makes them realize that perhaps those old ways we somewhat necessary even if inhumane.
If playing hard mode, yes. It's a setting you can turn on. Hard mode requires green letters to be locked in place, and yellow letters to be used somewhere. And then when you post your grid, it gives you a little star for hard mode.
Do people do the hard way or the easy way? I used to do the easy way. Basically throw words out there without regard for what letters were successfully found previously. I never even knew there was a hard way. At the bluetooth events, someone started posting Wordle results in the slack and I got "shamed" for using the easy way.
I didn't do Wordle for a while for no real reason but I've been trying the hard way since.
My crew plays in hard mode, but this month we're also all starting with the prior day's word and we go from there. Takes some of the luck out. Lowest total score wins the month.
Each month we do a different month-long competition. Some combination of wordle, connections, and sports wordle.
My eldest sister and I have gotten into Pips. We usually solve and share our scores in the morning.
She introduced me to the game soon after Thanksgiving. A synopsis: There is a board and a group of dominoes. The board will be marked to show conditions that must be met.
For instance, all of the domino halves in a color group must all be the same value (=; that is all domino halves are either 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6), or they must add up to a number or be less than (<) or greater than (>)a number or none of the domino halves can be the same as any other domino half in the same color group (not = sign). Sometimes there will be solitary domino half with a specific value or preceded by either < or >.
Players play against the clock.
There are three levels: Easy, Medium, Hard.
I haven't yet seen a puzzle that requires using 28 dominoes (which would be a full set). Many times, dominoes will overlap two color group areas.
They have two Oscars, for this and writing the song for Coco. "Let It Go" also won some Grammys. They also won an Emmy for writing "Agatha All Along" for WandaVision.
The husband, Robert Lopez, is a full EGOT: he wrote the songs for Avenue Q and The Book of Mormon and won Tonys for both. Songwriting powerhouse!
Honorable mention goes to Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter, who wrote the lyrics to Ripple, Brokedown Palace, and To Lay Me Down on the same day.
He had a case of Retsina (which I gather is some weird type of wine) in his hotel room. He said that he only drank half of one bottle, but it was very important that the whole case was there.
Lake Champlain is 100% frozen over as discussed before. this weekend we were able to walk out to the lighthouse (and possibly beyond). was quite a fun and different experience. the little nieces had a fun time.
there were literally 100s of people out on the lake this weekend, all mostly just out for a walk.
Potomac is still mostly frozen but you can see it’s very thin. The river was never thick enough to go out on but I did see someone skating on the C&O canal last week.
Super excited. September is a beautiful time in Upstate New York, and the Dome is a fun place to see a game. Mostly looking forward to having my Cal homies in the Empire State!
According to Chinese astrology, Horse is confident, agreeable, and responsible, although they also tend to dislike being reined in by others. They’re fit and intelligent, adoring physical and mental exertion; they’re decisive but also easily swayed and impatient.
More about it: If you’re looking for a Chinese New Year greeting to say to students, look no further. “Hok yip jun bou” will give them all the blessings they need to do better at school, and perhaps even get straight As!
4. 快高長大 Fai Gou Jeung Dai
Pronunciation: fai gou jeung dai
Meaning: Grow taller and bigger quickly
More about it: Know a kid who just can’t wait to grow taller? Greet them with “fai gou jeung dai” and they’ll thank you for your blessings!
Mark Madsen's team is dangerous from beyond the arc, with four players making at least 40 3-pointers this season. That perimeter shooting was critical in the Golden Bears' biggest wins against North Carolina, UCLA and at Miami. Life in the ACC has been a bit of a roller coaster, with five of their 12 conference games having been decided by one possession or in overtime.
Did you know Ebuka Okorie trails only A.J. Dybantsa and Carlos Boozer in points per game (22.5) among freshmen? He has scored 30-plus points five times, including 40 against Georgia Tech. The Cardinal have home wins against Louisville and North Carolina, and Stanford handed Saint Louis its only loss of the season. Losing Chisom Okpara for the season was a big blow, but Stanford's ability to limit opponents from beyond the arc has helped it remain competitive in ACC play.
LAS VEGAS - California Football General Manager Ron Rivera has been selected to the Hispanic Football Hall of Fame as a member of the inaugural Class of 2026, the organization announced Tuesday. The historic class of seven iconic figures will be honored during the Celebración de Fútbol on May 5 at the Las Vegas Raiders headquarters and Intermountain Health Performance Center in Henderson, Nevada.
SANTA CLARA— Defensive mistakes plagued the California baseball team in its 10-4 series-finale loss to Santa Clara on Monday at Stephen Schott Stadium.
PHOENIX - California rugby closed out their Arizona road trip with an impressive 76-14 victory over Grand Canyon Monday. The Bears played complete rugby in the victory, with eight different players scoring 11 tries. Cal made seven changes from their Arizona lineup, getting the day off Brice Muller, Oliver Teague, Solomon Williams, Filip Edstrom and Emmett Cook.
PALM DESERT – The California women's golf team used a strong final round to place fourth at the Alice & John Wallace Classic at Monterey Country Club.
The Golden Bears shot 1-under par as a team Monday – the third-lowest team score of the day among the 16 teams in the field. Cal finished at 22-over par for the tournament and registered its third top-5 finish of the season.
The No. 6 California men's swimming & diving team is set to compete in its second-ever ACC Championships this week at the McAuley Aquatic Center in Atlanta, GA.
The No. 5 California women's swimming & diving team is set for its second-ever ACC Championship this week at the McAuley Aquatic Center in Atlanta, Georgia. The competition is already underway with diving events beginning yesterday. The swimming events begin tomorrow with relays.
• California is back in Berkeley for a three-game home stand in ACC action.
• The Golden Bears (18-8, 6-7 ACC) square off against rival Stanford for the second time this year, hosting the Cardinal (16-10, 5-8) at 3 p.m. on Saturday at Haas Pavilion.
• Dating back to the 1911-12 season, Cal leads the all-time series record against Stanford 157-135.
• The Bears snapped a five-game losing skid to the Cardinal with Cal's 78-66 win last month at Maples Pavilion.
I don't see Okorie missing lots of bunny shots either. I think he can get into the lane whenever he wants to against any of our defenders. I'm sure Furd will have a plan to counter our hedging.
DBD Logistics
Thanks to HAG and HSB taking over DBD.
we are having a great time (so far). also w/ 2 people it is easier.
An update, I'm about one-third the way through my hell-semester. Decided to keep my full time job for now, plus carry a full-time student load at culinary school, plus my 20-30 hour work load at my second job as a fine-dining cook. However, one of my colleagues got injured so I had to pick up some of his hours, so I did over 40 hours this past 7 days. It's up at 6am work on one job a bit, go to school, eat canned chicken out of a can, down an energy drink, go to my second job, get home near midnight, do homework, do some more work on my full time job, then sleep at about 2 am and then rinse-lather-repeat. Valentine's day weekend (and Mothers Day) are the infamous weekends in fine-dining. We got absolutely hammered with volume and my body is physically wrecked. I don't know how people do it full time.
Damn...That's quite the schedule. Impressed!
sounds rough. hopefully an end in sight soon.
how is the coking gig, aside from the hours and toil of it?
I think COKING is how he has to get through the day!
It's a mixed bag. On one hand, I'm learning something. On the other hand, it was a short, sharp lesson in knowing that it isn't for me. I've already been reprimanded for talking back at the Chef de Cuisine (essentially the head chef since the #1 is a passive owner rather than ever cook) because he is a notorious dick and when he finally was, I was like "oh, okay, alrighty then". It's one thing to be corrective, it's but you don't have to be a dick - I don't care what industry tradition and history say that it is okay. I got a talking to in the walk-in.
It is very much The Bear. The insane hours, expectations of perfection, the daily cuts/burns, the physicalness of it, a line of people out the door waiting to do what I do, the people who are there getting absolutely rocked by the job and not having time to recover or take care of their personal life, the wages that are like Walmart greeter levels despite being a job that requires a decent amount of experience/skill/discipline, the stress, the unpredictability of it. I've come to the conclusion that the entire industry is based upon exploitation and it needs reform. Tips should be banned and prices should be higher.
it seems that certain industries such as med school. finance, law have gone thru a reform on how to have more humane hours and treatment of people. then it somehow is forgotten or lost as either the old people grumble that "this is not how i did it in the old days" or just the sheer pressure of making $$ makes them realize that perhaps those old ways we somewhat necessary even if inhumane.
Yeah, perhaps I've got PTSD from investment banking. This, plus not being a source of meaningful $ means I've got very little patience for fuckery.
i am (hopefully) on the verge of landing a full time job after 1 full year of not working FT. i am sure i will feel the same.
WHOA. Dude...
Wordle
not Wordle but NYT crossword.
currently on a 19 day streak! previous high was 5 or 6.
once you break thru Fri-Sat-Sun then you get a few cupcakes to help pad the streak.
Same! This week I should hit a month-long streak for the first time ever.
Weird...I'm not getting a copy results option today. Hacking together results from yesterday.
Wordle 1,704 3/6
🟩⬛🟨⬛⬛
🟩⬛⬛🟩⬛
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
Oops..missed a line.
Wordle 1,704 4/6
🟩⬛🟨⬛⬛
🟩⬛⬛🟩⬛
🟩🟩🟩🟩⬛
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
Do you restrict yourself to keeping the same spot for the correct letter? For example, would you consider my method cheating in your rule book?
Wordle 1,704 3/6
🟩⬜🟨⬜⬜
⬜⬜⬜🟨🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
If playing hard mode, yes. It's a setting you can turn on. Hard mode requires green letters to be locked in place, and yellow letters to be used somewhere. And then when you post your grid, it gives you a little star for hard mode.
I didn't know there was a hard mode setting. I just keep green locked in place and use yellow somehwere else.
yeah, when you open up Wordle in the NYT Games app, it's in that little gear-looking icon on the top
Oh I see. Thx
Do people do the hard way or the easy way? I used to do the easy way. Basically throw words out there without regard for what letters were successfully found previously. I never even knew there was a hard way. At the bluetooth events, someone started posting Wordle results in the slack and I got "shamed" for using the easy way.
I didn't do Wordle for a while for no real reason but I've been trying the hard way since.
My crew plays in hard mode, but this month we're also all starting with the prior day's word and we go from there. Takes some of the luck out. Lowest total score wins the month.
Each month we do a different month-long competition. Some combination of wordle, connections, and sports wordle.
oh that's interesting. prior day's word is a good challenge.
the hard way ... "this is the way"
Another NYT puzzle - Pips
My eldest sister and I have gotten into Pips. We usually solve and share our scores in the morning.
She introduced me to the game soon after Thanksgiving. A synopsis: There is a board and a group of dominoes. The board will be marked to show conditions that must be met.
For instance, all of the domino halves in a color group must all be the same value (=; that is all domino halves are either 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6), or they must add up to a number or be less than (<) or greater than (>)a number or none of the domino halves can be the same as any other domino half in the same color group (not = sign). Sometimes there will be solitary domino half with a specific value or preceded by either < or >.
Players play against the clock.
There are three levels: Easy, Medium, Hard.
I haven't yet seen a puzzle that requires using 28 dominoes (which would be a full set). Many times, dominoes will overlap two color group areas.
Anyhow, I've found it fun and relaxing.
DBD AV CLUB
Oh heck. TIL that Anthony Hopkins was only 52 when he filmed Silence of the Lambs.
Wilford Brimley was just 50 when he filmed Cocoon. FIFTY!
He's probably looked 60 since he was 30.
Frozen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVVTZgwYwVo&list=RDYVVTZgwYwVo&start_radio=1
Disney killed it with this one song. pretty amazing the effect it had on a whole generation
Song was written by a husband and wife songwriting duo. I find that to be incredible.
My wife and I are a great pair in life, but there's no chance that we could write songs together. It would end terribly.
They have two Oscars, for this and writing the song for Coco. "Let It Go" also won some Grammys. They also won an Emmy for writing "Agatha All Along" for WandaVision.
The husband, Robert Lopez, is a full EGOT: he wrote the songs for Avenue Q and The Book of Mormon and won Tonys for both. Songwriting powerhouse!
Biggest songwriting feat of all time belongs to Dolly, who wrote "Jolene" and "I will always love you" ON THE SAME DAY.
I think about that once a week.
Honorable mention goes to Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter, who wrote the lyrics to Ripple, Brokedown Palace, and To Lay Me Down on the same day.
He had a case of Retsina (which I gather is some weird type of wine) in his hotel room. He said that he only drank half of one bottle, but it was very important that the whole case was there.
Lake Champlain is 100% frozen over as discussed before. this weekend we were able to walk out to the lighthouse (and possibly beyond). was quite a fun and different experience. the little nieces had a fun time.
there were literally 100s of people out on the lake this weekend, all mostly just out for a walk.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/WZV42GW2Bdq68HC59
was able to get a photo of our house from the middle of the lake (the tall and skinny red and grey one)
Potomac is still mostly frozen but you can see it’s very thin. The river was never thick enough to go out on but I did see someone skating on the C&O canal last week.
Olympics
I got a late start to my run today because they were showing biathlon then Nordic combined. Anything with cross country skiing gets my attention.
Having such a great time watching curling. I should rejoin the Schenectady Curling Club and get back into it.
How excited are you for the Cal @ Syracuse game?
Super excited. September is a beautiful time in Upstate New York, and the Dome is a fun place to see a game. Mostly looking forward to having my Cal homies in the Empire State!
You're just happy you can drive to a game. BC last year and Cuse this year.
It's luxurious, for sure.
PRO
Not much pro sports when both the All Star game and the Olympics are going on at the same time.
NBC is really having a moment, between the Super Bowl, the Olympics, and the NBA All Star Game.
Lunar New Year
Fire Horse! This is my year. Go Bears.
I'm a Dog, as is No 1. No 2 is year of the Golden Dragon (2000). His name is Cambodian (and also told Hindi) for Golden. No 3 is Goat.
According to Chinese astrology, Horse is confident, agreeable, and responsible, although they also tend to dislike being reined in by others. They’re fit and intelligent, adoring physical and mental exertion; they’re decisive but also easily swayed and impatient.
i am none of these things, so it is fitting that i am Dog
in case you are wondering what is a normal/traditional greeting (like i was)
Top Lunar New Year Wishes for 2026
Gong Xi Fa Cai (恭喜发财): "Wishing you great prosperity and wealth".
Xin Nian Kuai Le (新年快乐): "Happy New Year".
Nian Nian You Yu (年年有鱼): "May you have abundance year after year".
Wan Shi Ru Yi (万事如意): "May everything go as you wish".
Shen Ti Jian Kang (身体健康): "Wishing you good health".
Year of the Horse Special: "May the resilience of the horse bring you strength and vitality in 2026".
it is also appropriate to say Go Bears to a Cal alum
Chi Sin Gweilo (黐線 鬼佬)
Cantonese versions:
1. 恭喜發財 Gong Hei Faat Choy
Pronunciation: gong hei faat choy
Meaning: Wishing you wealth and prosperity
2. 新年快樂 Sun Nin Fai Lok
Pronunciation: sun nin fai lok
Meaning: Happy new year
3. 學業進步 Hok Yip Jun Bou
Pronunciation: hok yip jun bou
Meaning: Improvement in studies
More about it: If you’re looking for a Chinese New Year greeting to say to students, look no further. “Hok yip jun bou” will give them all the blessings they need to do better at school, and perhaps even get straight As!
4. 快高長大 Fai Gou Jeung Dai
Pronunciation: fai gou jeung dai
Meaning: Grow taller and bigger quickly
More about it: Know a kid who just can’t wait to grow taller? Greet them with “fai gou jeung dai” and they’ll thank you for your blessings!
5. 大吉大利 Dai Gut Dai Lei
Pronunciation: dai gut dai lei
Meaning: Good luck and may things go smoothly
6. 年年有餘 Nin Nin Yau Yu
Pronunciation: nin nin yau yu
Meaning: Surplus year after year
7. 生意興隆 Saang Yi Hing Lung
Pronunciation: saang yi hing lung
Meaning: Flourishing business
8. 龍馬精神 Lung Ma Jing Sun
Pronunciation: lung ma jing sun
Meaning: As full of energy as a horse
https://www.hongkongfoodietours.com/chinese-new-year-greetings/
Cal
We're 63!! We're 63! Even though Bilas is a Dookie, I think he does a good job as a color guy on the top ESPN games.
The Bilas Index: The best 68 men's basketball teams in 2025-26
https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/47940627/jay-bilas-index-mens-college-basketball-rankings-top-teams-2025-26
63. California Golden Bears
Mark Madsen's team is dangerous from beyond the arc, with four players making at least 40 3-pointers this season. That perimeter shooting was critical in the Golden Bears' biggest wins against North Carolina, UCLA and at Miami. Life in the ACC has been a bit of a roller coaster, with five of their 12 conference games having been decided by one possession or in overtime.
And we're 1 ahead of Furd who is #64.
64. Stanford Cardinal
Did you know Ebuka Okorie trails only A.J. Dybantsa and Carlos Boozer in points per game (22.5) among freshmen? He has scored 30-plus points five times, including 40 against Georgia Tech. The Cardinal have home wins against Louisville and North Carolina, and Stanford handed Saint Louis its only loss of the season. Losing Chisom Okpara for the season was a big blow, but Stanford's ability to limit opponents from beyond the arc has helped it remain competitive in ACC play.
My furdie friend is resigned to the idea that Okorie will leave for a bag after one year on the farm.
yeah no way he stays next year. He is a very good PG.
Cal really needs Miami to beat Va Tech tonight. It's a big game for ACC bubblewatchers.
[FB] Ron Rivera Selected To Hispanic Football Hall Of Fame
https://calbears.com/news/2026/2/17/ron-rivera-selected-to-hispanic-football-hall-of-fame.aspx
LAS VEGAS - California Football General Manager Ron Rivera has been selected to the Hispanic Football Hall of Fame as a member of the inaugural Class of 2026, the organization announced Tuesday. The historic class of seven iconic figures will be honored during the Celebración de Fútbol on May 5 at the Las Vegas Raiders headquarters and Intermountain Health Performance Center in Henderson, Nevada.
I read that and was like, "well it's about freaking time!"
And then saw that this is the inaugural class, so I'm gonna go take a lap.
What about Joe Kapp?
He was my first thought.
SNUBBED! Now I'm upset again!
[BASE] Miscues Plague Bears In Series Finale
https://calbears.com/news/2026/2/16/baseball-miscues-plague-bears-in-series-finale.aspx
SANTA CLARA— Defensive mistakes plagued the California baseball team in its 10-4 series-finale loss to Santa Clara on Monday at Stephen Schott Stadium.
[RUGBY] Bears Roll Past GCU
https://calbears.com/news/2026/2/16/rugby-bears-roll-past-gcu.aspx
PHOENIX - California rugby closed out their Arizona road trip with an impressive 76-14 victory over Grand Canyon Monday. The Bears played complete rugby in the victory, with eight different players scoring 11 tries. Cal made seven changes from their Arizona lineup, getting the day off Brice Muller, Oliver Teague, Solomon Williams, Filip Edstrom and Emmett Cook.
[WGOLF] Strong Final Round Lifts Bears To Fourth-Place Finish
https://calbears.com/news/2026/2/16/womens-golf-strong-final-round-propels-bears-to-fourth-place-finish.aspx
PALM DESERT – The California women's golf team used a strong final round to place fourth at the Alice & John Wallace Classic at Monterey Country Club.
The Golden Bears shot 1-under par as a team Monday – the third-lowest team score of the day among the 16 teams in the field. Cal finished at 22-over par for the tournament and registered its third top-5 finish of the season.
[MSWIM] No. 6 Bears Ready For Second ACC Championships
https://calbears.com/news/2026/2/16/mens-swimming-diving-no-6-bears-ready-for-second-acc-championships.aspx
The No. 6 California men's swimming & diving team is set to compete in its second-ever ACC Championships this week at the McAuley Aquatic Center in Atlanta, GA.
[WSWIM] No. 5 Cal Set For ACC Championships
https://calbears.com/news/2026/2/16/womens-swimming-diving-no-5-cal-set-for-acc-championships.aspx
The No. 5 California women's swimming & diving team is set for its second-ever ACC Championship this week at the McAuley Aquatic Center in Atlanta, Georgia. The competition is already underway with diving events beginning yesterday. The swimming events begin tomorrow with relays.
[MBB] Cal Squares Off With Stanford At Haas Pavilion
https://calbears.com/news/2026/2/16/mens-basketball-cal-squares-off-with-stanford-at-haas-pavilion.aspx
BEAR BITES
• California is back in Berkeley for a three-game home stand in ACC action.
• The Golden Bears (18-8, 6-7 ACC) square off against rival Stanford for the second time this year, hosting the Cardinal (16-10, 5-8) at 3 p.m. on Saturday at Haas Pavilion.
• Dating back to the 1911-12 season, Cal leads the all-time series record against Stanford 157-135.
• The Bears snapped a five-game losing skid to the Cardinal with Cal's 78-66 win last month at Maples Pavilion.
In Maples, the Bears held Okorie to 1-16 shooting. That's unlikely to happen again, so the guys are gonna have to bring it.
I don't see Okorie missing lots of bunny shots either. I think he can get into the lane whenever he wants to against any of our defenders. I'm sure Furd will have a plan to counter our hedging.
I really hope Lee Dort is back. We have zero rim protection without him.
Five regular season MBB games left. Must win at least 4 to stay on the bubble, and all five are winnable.
Uh oh
the Bear does not quit. however, the Bear historically does not respond well to such odds.
Hey, I'm just happy to be talking about the bubble in the back half of February. But it'd be really freaking awesome if they could pull it off.