The Night Agent (Season 3, Netflix, 18/19). Just finished up Season 3 of The Night Agent. Really good. If you're into spy type shows, you'll really like this show. Action, suspense, mystery.
NYT Crossword .. building my streak back up. 7 days now.
i will say that my confidence is somewhat shaken. when i was on the long streak i felt i was eventually going to figure it out.
a few days, after missing a Sun crossword and breaking my streak, i missed on a Fri as well. so now i am not so sure. when it starts to get hard or i am stuck at the end i am more likely to give up or think i am not going to get it.
who knew there were such mind games in solving the NYT crossword!
Dude...it took me like five years of being a committed Monday-Thursday solver before I regularly even tried Friday and Saturday. They're wicked hard! If you jumped right in to those, you're a badass!
My streak is hanging in there for now - 47 days. My previous record was twenty-something days, so I'm on a heater. During this streak my strategy for Friday and Saturday has been to force myself to take a break when I'm stuck instead of getting frustrated, and when I come back to it a little later, I'm open to seeing things in new ways.
yes, taking a break is definitely a good strategy. that seems to work well for me too.
the hardest part for me is the last letter or two where you are sort of guessing a little. however, if you have even one mistake somewhere else, no amount of random guessing will help.
i would say that i am coming up on a year of trying to solve every day, including Fri and Sat. at the beginning it was rather disheartening to leave 3/4 of the puzzle blank. i just assumed it was something that was just too hard for me.
I like to remind crossworders that Will Shortz - the world's ultimate authority on the NYT Crossword - is of the opinion that looking up answers is not "cheating" but rather a form of learning that improves skills. So don't be so hard on yourself.
My own personal standard, and everybody is entitled to make their own or to have none at all, is that I can ask for help from anyone in the room (Dr. Ms. Newellbany can be helpful as a puzzle closer), and once I finish the grid but there appears to be a spelling error, I might eventually look up how to spell a word. And of course, we all plug in letters where we think the error is until we get that magic jingle.
i agree. when i first started doing Fri and Sat more seriously i used to look stuff as a way to learn new words and patterns that were eluding me. eventually when i got regularly good at that i decided to not look up stuff in advance.
what i allow myself - lets say by row/across process-of-elimination i figure out what an answer should be, but i dont really know that word. i will type it in to see what it means to verify that i got the right thing.
eg. on Wed, a Japanese belt is an obi. this is a word that comes up often enough but not something i remembered. so once i determined it was "obi" i looked in up and it said
An obi (帯) is a traditional Japanese sash or belt worn with clothing like kimonos and martial arts uniforms,
so mostly verifying as opposed to finding the answer on the internet.
Obi, BTW, is a frequent flyer in the NYT crossword because it's a three letter word with two juicy vowels. Like how Oreo makes so many appearances with its three juicy vowels.
Trump Announces He Is Replacing Noem With Oklahoma Senator
The president said he would replace Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, with Senator Markwayne Mullin, after Ms. Noem was grilled by Republicans at a congressional hearing.
I continue to be surprised when people in good jobs like in the US Senate agree to join Trump's cabinet. Every single person who has done that ends up regretting it. Almost nobody who served in his cabinet in his first term endorsed him in 2024, for example.
He micromanages his secretaries, he makes them defend the indefensible, he throws them under the bus when something goes wrong, and then he throws them out of MAGA's good graces. Nobody is spared.
Sen Mullin, like all the others, thinks he'll be different. He thinks he'll be smart enough to navigate the stormy seas where others have failed. But it'll go poorly for him, too, and he'll come to regret leaving the Senate. Just like all the others.
I also think the legislative branch can be frustrating to some people who like to be in charge. They don't feel like they're getting anything done, there. So when the chance comes to run a federal agency, they jump.
Process, process, process—the results of a spring training game matter most when they validate certain processes and reinforce an idea. The Dodgers scored a boatload of runs in a 14- 13 walk-off loss against the Reds; one of their expected regulars, Max Muncy, went yard, but what mattered more than anything else was the validation of Santiago Espinal’s case to make the Opening Day roster as a utility bat off the bench.
California men's gymnastics will share the gym with the nation's top team this weekend, meeting No. 1 Oklahoma at the McCasland Field House on Saturday afternoon in Norman, Oklahoma. The first rotation will begin at 4 p.m. PT/6 p.m. CT, with live streaming and live scores from the competition to be broadcast on Virtius.
The California men's rowing team will race on home waters for the first time in 2026 this weekend as the Golden Bears welcome crews from Oregon State, Stanford, UC San Diego, Santa Clara and San Diego for the Redwood Shores Invitational. Cal will have six varsity eight crews taking on the visiting programs in the two-day event.
DULUTH, GA – After going into halftime down 21 points, the California women's basketball team fought back and cut the deficit to just four points with over four minutes left in the game but ultimately fell to seventh-seeded Syracuse 70-59 in the second round of the ACC Tournament at Gas South Arena in Duluth, Georgia on Thursday evening. The comeback would have been the largest in ACC Tournament history.
California rugby returns home to Witter Rugby Field following a bye week to celebrate Homecoming and National Championship Reunions as the Golden Bears take on the United States Naval Academy Midshipmen on Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. PT, with a reserve-grade match to follow.
— Saturday's game will be the first between the teams in Berkeley and the first anywhere since Boston College was a 16-6 winner on April 14, 2012, at the Newton Sports Complex in Newton, Massachusetts. The Eagles also won their only other meeting (9-8) on April 6, 2003, at Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.
— Both previous contests were nonconference games.
The California men's golf team continues its 2026 spring season Monday, hosting the Desimone Invitational. The inaugural tournament honors Cal's former legendary men's golf coach, Steve Desimone.
Desimone coached the Golden Bears for 37 years, taking over a program that had lost varsity status in 1979 and getting it reinstated as an NCAA sport. By the time he retired following the 2015-16 season, Cal had become a sustained power and Desimone was a larger-than-life pillar of college golf, in Berkeley and beyond.
California women's gymnastics (12-4, 4-1 ACC) will return to Berkeley for a three-meet homestand to close out the regular season schedule when the Golden Bears host the Boise State Broncos for a dual meet on Saturday at 4 p.m. PT. The competition will be shown live on ACC Network Extra, with live results also available on Virtius.
DBD AV Club
The Night Agent (Season 3, Netflix, 18/19). Just finished up Season 3 of The Night Agent. Really good. If you're into spy type shows, you'll really like this show. Action, suspense, mystery.
Games and diversions
NYT Crossword .. building my streak back up. 7 days now.
i will say that my confidence is somewhat shaken. when i was on the long streak i felt i was eventually going to figure it out.
a few days, after missing a Sun crossword and breaking my streak, i missed on a Fri as well. so now i am not so sure. when it starts to get hard or i am stuck at the end i am more likely to give up or think i am not going to get it.
who knew there were such mind games in solving the NYT crossword!
https://photos.app.goo.gl/PmgY1Ze4BWywB2XAA
Dude...it took me like five years of being a committed Monday-Thursday solver before I regularly even tried Friday and Saturday. They're wicked hard! If you jumped right in to those, you're a badass!
My streak is hanging in there for now - 47 days. My previous record was twenty-something days, so I'm on a heater. During this streak my strategy for Friday and Saturday has been to force myself to take a break when I'm stuck instead of getting frustrated, and when I come back to it a little later, I'm open to seeing things in new ways.
yes, taking a break is definitely a good strategy. that seems to work well for me too.
the hardest part for me is the last letter or two where you are sort of guessing a little. however, if you have even one mistake somewhere else, no amount of random guessing will help.
i would say that i am coming up on a year of trying to solve every day, including Fri and Sat. at the beginning it was rather disheartening to leave 3/4 of the puzzle blank. i just assumed it was something that was just too hard for me.
sticking with it has definitely helped.
I like to remind crossworders that Will Shortz - the world's ultimate authority on the NYT Crossword - is of the opinion that looking up answers is not "cheating" but rather a form of learning that improves skills. So don't be so hard on yourself.
My own personal standard, and everybody is entitled to make their own or to have none at all, is that I can ask for help from anyone in the room (Dr. Ms. Newellbany can be helpful as a puzzle closer), and once I finish the grid but there appears to be a spelling error, I might eventually look up how to spell a word. And of course, we all plug in letters where we think the error is until we get that magic jingle.
i agree. when i first started doing Fri and Sat more seriously i used to look stuff as a way to learn new words and patterns that were eluding me. eventually when i got regularly good at that i decided to not look up stuff in advance.
what i allow myself - lets say by row/across process-of-elimination i figure out what an answer should be, but i dont really know that word. i will type it in to see what it means to verify that i got the right thing.
eg. on Wed, a Japanese belt is an obi. this is a word that comes up often enough but not something i remembered. so once i determined it was "obi" i looked in up and it said
An obi (帯) is a traditional Japanese sash or belt worn with clothing like kimonos and martial arts uniforms,
so mostly verifying as opposed to finding the answer on the internet.
Quite fair. Beyond fair, really.
Obi, BTW, is a frequent flyer in the NYT crossword because it's a three letter word with two juicy vowels. Like how Oreo makes so many appearances with its three juicy vowels.
Wordle
Wordle 1,721 5/6
⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨
⬜🟩🟩⬜🟩
⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
Ugh
Wordle 1,721 5/6*
⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛
🟨🟨⬛⬛⬛
⬛⬛🟨🟨🟨
⬛🟩🟩🟨🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
lots of close guesses, could have been 3 or 6
Wordle 1,721 5/6*
⬛⬛⬛🟨🟨
🟩🟨⬛⬛⬛
🟩🟩🟩⬛🟩
🟩🟩🟩⬛🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
I got the last four one row earlier but then guessed the first letter wrong the rest of the way. Ugh, indeed.
I've been doing In-5 through the McCovey Chronicles lately.
SB Nation in-5 March 6, 2026
❌❌❌✅⬛ (4/5)
I should have guessed it in 3 but was blanking on the era
https://www.sbnation.com/games/in-5/mlb/03-06-2026
SB Nation in-5 March 6, 2026
❌❌✅⬛⬛ (3/5)
maybe this is a spoiler, but I didn't realize he played for the Giants.
GBBR!
I don't think it's a spoiler. I, a Giants fan, don't remember that either.
Oh I just went back to the page. It is just MLB player not Giants player. That makes way more sense.
Political stuff goes here
Trump Announces He Is Replacing Noem With Oklahoma Senator
The president said he would replace Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, with Senator Markwayne Mullin, after Ms. Noem was grilled by Republicans at a congressional hearing.
i cant remember from 1st term, if the cabinet replacements were frequent or the people equally ineffective
I continue to be surprised when people in good jobs like in the US Senate agree to join Trump's cabinet. Every single person who has done that ends up regretting it. Almost nobody who served in his cabinet in his first term endorsed him in 2024, for example.
He micromanages his secretaries, he makes them defend the indefensible, he throws them under the bus when something goes wrong, and then he throws them out of MAGA's good graces. Nobody is spared.
Sen Mullin, like all the others, thinks he'll be different. He thinks he'll be smart enough to navigate the stormy seas where others have failed. But it'll go poorly for him, too, and he'll come to regret leaving the Senate. Just like all the others.
"I can change him!"
Perhaps those people are in a situation where things will go bad for them if they refuse.
I also think the legislative branch can be frustrating to some people who like to be in charge. They don't feel like they're getting anything done, there. So when the chance comes to run a federal agency, they jump.
That’s what she gets for testifying Trump approved of her grift ad campaign.
He relatively quietly provided for a soft landing, after first ensuring a media circus.
PRO
Giants took the day off.
Santiago Espinal is cementing his place on the Dodgers roster
Santiago Espinal stole the show with a pair of home runs as the Dodgers dropped a close one against the Reds
https://www.truebluela.com/los-angeles-dodgers-news-notes/110811/santiago-espinal-leads-dodgers-slugfest
Process, process, process—the results of a spring training game matter most when they validate certain processes and reinforce an idea. The Dodgers scored a boatload of runs in a 14- 13 walk-off loss against the Reds; one of their expected regulars, Max Muncy, went yard, but what mattered more than anything else was the validation of Santiago Espinal’s case to make the Opening Day roster as a utility bat off the bench.
St Jimmy Backbone = Santiago Espinal
Game 62 wrap: Deep Bench Dubs stun Rockets in road OT, moohahahaha
https://dubnationhq.com/p/game-62-wrap-no-spoiler-title
No idea how the Ws beat the fully healthy Rockets. Kerr and the Ws really have hexed the Rockets.
No Steph, Jimmy B, Moody, GP2, Seth, Will Richard. Dray really did a number on KD. And Al is finally healthy.
Cal
[MGYM] Bears Head East To Meet No. 1 Oklahoma
https://calbears.com/news/2026/3/6/mens-gymnastics-bears-head-east-to-meet-no-1-oklahoma.aspx
California men's gymnastics will share the gym with the nation's top team this weekend, meeting No. 1 Oklahoma at the McCasland Field House on Saturday afternoon in Norman, Oklahoma. The first rotation will begin at 4 p.m. PT/6 p.m. CT, with live streaming and live scores from the competition to be broadcast on Virtius.
[MROW] Cal Opens Home Slate With Redwood Shores Invitational
https://calbears.com/news/2026/3/6/mens-rowing-cal-opens-home-slate-with-redwood-shores-invitational.aspx
The California men's rowing team will race on home waters for the first time in 2026 this weekend as the Golden Bears welcome crews from Oregon State, Stanford, UC San Diego, Santa Clara and San Diego for the Redwood Shores Invitational. Cal will have six varsity eight crews taking on the visiting programs in the two-day event.
[WBB] Cal Nearly Completes Record Comeback, Falls To Syracuse
https://calbears.com/news/2026/3/5/womens-basketball-cal-nearly-completes-record-comeback-falls-to-syracuse.aspx
DULUTH, GA – After going into halftime down 21 points, the California women's basketball team fought back and cut the deficit to just four points with over four minutes left in the game but ultimately fell to seventh-seeded Syracuse 70-59 in the second round of the ACC Tournament at Gas South Arena in Duluth, Georgia on Thursday evening. The comeback would have been the largest in ACC Tournament history.
[RUGBY] Bears Host Homecoming Celebration Against Navy
https://calbears.com/news/2026/3/5/rugby-bears-host-homecoming-celebration-against-navy.aspx
California rugby returns home to Witter Rugby Field following a bye week to celebrate Homecoming and National Championship Reunions as the Golden Bears take on the United States Naval Academy Midshipmen on Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. PT, with a reserve-grade match to follow.
[LAX] Cal Starts 4-Game Homestand Against No. 10 Boston College
https://calbears.com/news/2026/3/5/lacrosse-cal-stats-4-game-homestand-against-no-14-boston-college.aspx
CALIFORNIA-BOSTON COLLEGE LACROSSE HISTORY
— Boston College leads the all-time series, 2-0.
— Saturday's game will be the first between the teams in Berkeley and the first anywhere since Boston College was a 16-6 winner on April 14, 2012, at the Newton Sports Complex in Newton, Massachusetts. The Eagles also won their only other meeting (9-8) on April 6, 2003, at Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.
— Both previous contests were nonconference games.
[MGOLF] Bears Prepare To Host Inaugural Desimone Invitational
https://calbears.com/news/2026/3/5/mens-golf-bears-prepare-to-host-inaugural-desimone-invitational.aspx
The California men's golf team continues its 2026 spring season Monday, hosting the Desimone Invitational. The inaugural tournament honors Cal's former legendary men's golf coach, Steve Desimone.
Desimone coached the Golden Bears for 37 years, taking over a program that had lost varsity status in 1979 and getting it reinstated as an NCAA sport. By the time he retired following the 2015-16 season, Cal had become a sustained power and Desimone was a larger-than-life pillar of college golf, in Berkeley and beyond.
[WPOLO] 3-Game Home Stretch Ahead For No. 4 Cal
https://calbears.com/news/2026/3/5/womens-water-polo-three-game-home-stretch-ahead-for-no-4-cal.aspx
BEAR BITES
California starts a three-game homestand this week as the Golden Bears look for win No. 10 on the year.
• Cal (9-3, 1-1 MPSF) plays host to San José State this week, facing the Spartans (6-9, 1-3) at 1 p.m. PT on Saturday at Spieker Aquatics Complex.
[WGYM] Bears Begin Homestand With Dual Versus Broncos
https://calbears.com/news/2026/3/5/womens-gymnastics-bears-begin-homestand-with-dual-versus-broncos.aspx
California women's gymnastics (12-4, 4-1 ACC) will return to Berkeley for a three-meet homestand to close out the regular season schedule when the Golden Bears host the Boise State Broncos for a dual meet on Saturday at 4 p.m. PT. The competition will be shown live on ACC Network Extra, with live results also available on Virtius.
MBB Bubble Watch
Almost conference tournament time, when we gotta start worrying about bid thieves.
We need Miami (Oh) to win the MAC because they deserve an at-large if they don't.
We need Utah State to win the MWC as they're a lock for an at-large if they don't.
We need St. Louis to win the A10 because they're likely in as an at-large.
We need the Zags or St. Mary's to win the WCC.
Then we just can't have a lower-half team win the ACC/B1G/big12/sec/Big East tournament.
Would St Mary's get an at-large bid? I saw they beat Gonzaga recently I think, but I don't know how they're doing this season.
Consensus seems to be yes.