I'd like to ski one more time this year, though probably not likely given the warm weather in Tahoe. I'm out next 2 weekend in Thailand so I was hoping No 3 and I could make it up there the last weekend in March. Probably unlikely with how warm it has been. 60s and 70s in South Lake Tahoe. I could see Northstar and Heavenly closing in a couple of weekends. Heavenly maybe a little later than Northstar.
from the MRI > The anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments are intact. There is high-grade partial tear of the superficial medial collateral ligament proximally with associated soft tissue edema.
i guess w/ a partially torn MCL the best idea is not to ski downhill (at least not the hard stuff). maybe i'll take a lesson on carving or something like that. or maybe i'll just go XC skiing nearby Snowbird (where the family is skiing)
If you go skiing (!) with a known MCL tear, your orthopedic surgeon will send you a Thank You note! Your insurance agent will have a somewhat less enthusiastic reaction.
A partial tear in most cases will heal, but its a ~1 year process, IME.
I can't decide which is more fascinating: people talking about their Wordle scores, their fantasy sports team or (and this one's coming up) their NCAA brackets. Always riveting.
I sorta don't mind bracket talk because I love the tournament so much. What I mind is the people who fill out nine brackets so they can say "I called that" to anything. I'm a big believer of having a "sheet of integrity", to use the old Mike and Mike term.
i used to do Spelling Bee almost every day. now i have sort of taken a break. NYT Crossword is the main thing and now back to doing Wordle because of DBD.
I have found that Wordle is not allergic to using double letters or the same letter twice in the same word. My first turn was a valuable clue, indeed. At that point, it was guessing the 2nd letter, as confirmed by the 2nd try.
I haven't seen an explicit rule against plurals, so I think that plurals are allowed. If it weren't allowed, then if you attempted a plural, entering it would get you the shake which means it's not an accepted word. Or so I would think.
I would get the dreaded Wordlebot message which goes something like “xxxxx is a valid word, but it’s not something that’s generally allowed in Wordle.” So you can give it a plural and it will be accepted, but it will never be the correct answer.
One strategy is to guess a plural at the outset to see if the letter "S" is part of the correct word, knowing that if "S" is part of the word, it must occupy a different position.
"MARKS" is both a plural noun and a verb. I wonder how Wordle would treat it.
Been trying to get into a few of my father’s favorites from his massive collection of works by 20th Century novelists (a rather big category, I know, but he is discerning). Recently finished a colorful short story by William Styron based on the writer’s youth in rural Virginia. Right now, enjoying Saul Bellow’s Herzog.
my dad had a lot of books but didnt seem to read too much. i think perhaps he did once
my mom on the other hand is always reading. in fact when she comes to visit she finishes whatever she is reading and then grabs something off our shelf and starts reading that.
Just finished “The Endurance Artist” about the guy behind the Barkley Marathons (truly bananas ultrarunning race). Very interesting book and surprisingly moving at times.
One of my favorite moments in my decades of Cal fandom was the 1999 NIT Championship. Some might find that a little pathetic, but let me take the DBD for a stroll down memory lane...
Cal had a phenomenal team two years earlier, going to the NCAA Sweet 16 in coach Ben Braun's first year. But just about everyone on that team graduated (or in the case of power forward Tony Gonzalez, left early for the NFL). The question was whether Braun and Cal would be able to build a roster to sustain the momentum.
There were major hurdles in that quest. First, for two years, Cal would be transforming Harmon Gym into Haas Pavilion. The team would be practicing off-campus every day and playing its games at the Arena in Oakland and the Cow Palace. Second, the NCAA put us on probation, banning Cal from the 1998 postseason, for violations that occurred under the prior coach. Who could Ben possibly get to come to Cal to play under those circumstances?
Braun recruited a trio of junior transfers: Geno Carlisle, Thomas Kilgore, and Mike Gill. Back then, transfers had to sit out a year, so they hadn't played the previous season. Braun also brought Sean Lampley, a freshman who would go on to win Pac-12 player of the year.
These guys bought into Cal and what Ben was selling. In 1998-99, their second year together, they finished 22-11, 8-10 in the Pac-10, and they earned a spot in the NIT. Given all they had to overcome and sacrifice, this was an enormous accomplishment.
Cal gave their fans two NIT wins on their "home" court at the Arena in Oakland, and another win at DePaul to earn their trip to The World's Most Famous Arena. At MSG, they beat Oregon in the semifinal and then Geno Carlisle had to hit an enormous free throw to beat Clemson by 1 and win the NIT.
That team not only put a banner in the rafters of brand new Haas Pavilion, they were a bridge to what we all believed was going to be a golden era of Cal basketball. (Even if they didn't get back to the sweet sixteen, they went to the NCAA tournament 9 times in the subsequent 17 seasons, so it WAS a golden era!) It was a significant moment and I cried like a baby. I will never poo-poo the NIT because this was a very meaningful championship, and the guys f'ing earned their ring.
This year's Cal team has the same chance to win a championship, hang a banner, and be a bridge to the next golden year of Cal basketball. And I'm here for it.
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. - California junior Geoffrey Vavistsas and senior Josh Thai each punched tickets to the 2026 NCAA Championships on Wednesday. Thai placed fourth in the 1-meter dive and ninth in the 3-meter event while Vavitsas was fourth in the platform dive at the NCAA Zone E Championships at Northern Arizona University.
— Cal and North Carolina are meeting for just the second time ever with the first game between the teams a 21-7 Tar Heel victory last season in the Bears' final road game of the season in Chapel Hill on April 13.
— Six of the seven goals scored by Cal in last season's contest with the Tar Heels were by players on the 2026 roster including two each by Emily Moes and Ashleigh Masterson, as well as one apiece from Jane Middleton and Courtney Wong.
The No. 5 California men's swimming & diving team had 13 student-athletes selected to compete at the 2026 NCAA Championships on Wednesday, including six swimmers who will participate in at least two different events. The Golden Bears feature 11 top-10 seeds with seven individuals and four relays.
The Lead: After defeating Virginia Tech at home last Sunday, the California men's tennis team will host Boston College, Saint Mary's College and No. 47 SMU this weekend.
After a strong showing at the MPSF Coast To Coast Classic last weekend, the No. 10 California beach volleyball team (8-5) returns to Southern California this week for the East Meets West Invitational on Friday and Saturday at the Manhattan Beach Pier. The Golden Bears will face yet another challenging slate of opponents, featuring No. 12 LSU and No. 8 Arizona State on Friday followed by FIU and No. 5 Texas on Saturday.
California women's gymnastics (13-4, 4-1 ACC) will host a double-feature in Haas Pavilion this weekend as the Golden Bears put on the Cal Tri Meet on Friday, 7:30 p.m. PT before hosting the Cal Quad Meet on Sunday at 2 p.m. in what will be their regular-season finale.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The No. 9 seed California men's basketball team was unable to overcome a rough first half in tonight's ACC Tournament Second Round, taking a 95-89 loss to No. 8 seed Florida State at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Golden Bears got the margin down to single digits late, but first-half turnovers and hot-shooting Seminoles spelled doom for Cal in the loss. The Bears are now 21-11 overall, while FSU goes to 18-11.
We all wanted to see Cal back in the NCAA tournament, but my goal going into the season was for Cal to appear on the bubble (after 8 seasons in which they didn't even sniff it) and to stay in the bubble conversation all the way into March.
This team delivered, and I'm so appreciative and proud of them.
It's worth remembering that Cal was picked to finish 16th in the ACC. They overachieved by any measure.
The business of obtaining donations is interesting. It seems that different people respond to different stimuli: snail mail, email, phone calls, special events, sweepstakes and contests. Did I miss any? And so all approaches are employed.
Cal employed a program called S.H.A.R.E.S. Cal Champions that was a card you would give to the clerk (or swipe it at the register) every time you shopped at Lucky or any of it’s family of supermarkets. Roughly three percent of what you payed for your purchase would go to Cal Athletics, if memory serves. It was promoted/marketed in 2013, not sure if it’s still in effect.
Kroger has something similar. You can get Kroger to donate to a 501c3 when you shop there with your Kroger number. I think No 3's travel baseball team would get something like $50/quarter, so not too bad.
That's a good one. Did something similar with the local Von's, for the kids's schools. They also had school night at places like Baja Fresh, similar sort of deal.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday that the Iran national soccer team is "welcome" to compete at the FIFA World Cup in the United States, but advised the team not to participate for "their own life and safety."
The last two days temperatures were in the 80s. Today it’s mid to high 30s and snowing and beginning to stick on the grass and cars but not the streets and sidewalks. Welcome to March.
DBD (not) skiing
I'd like to ski one more time this year, though probably not likely given the warm weather in Tahoe. I'm out next 2 weekend in Thailand so I was hoping No 3 and I could make it up there the last weekend in March. Probably unlikely with how warm it has been. 60s and 70s in South Lake Tahoe. I could see Northstar and Heavenly closing in a couple of weekends. Heavenly maybe a little later than Northstar.
from the MRI > The anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments are intact. There is high-grade partial tear of the superficial medial collateral ligament proximally with associated soft tissue edema.
i guess w/ a partially torn MCL the best idea is not to ski downhill (at least not the hard stuff). maybe i'll take a lesson on carving or something like that. or maybe i'll just go XC skiing nearby Snowbird (where the family is skiing)
Ouch! You can come blue trail skiing with me! I assume you aren't going to get surgery and just take it easier on your knee going forward.
yes i guess so
If you go skiing (!) with a known MCL tear, your orthopedic surgeon will send you a Thank You note! Your insurance agent will have a somewhat less enthusiastic reaction.
A partial tear in most cases will heal, but its a ~1 year process, IME.
On no! What mountain?
i hurt it at Sugarbush. we are flying out to SLC next week to ski at Snowbird.
musings on AI
this is basically me
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/12/magazine/ai-coding-programming-jobs-claude-chatgpt.html
and a friend of mine wrote something along these lines
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/you-claude-code-virgin-aziz-sunderji-ekpqe/
anyone use OpenClaw? what does one do with it?
i am trying to figure out its usefulness
i did have it do some stuff today. ie read an email and make 3 calendar entries from the dates.
it seems to just tell claude code what to do! trying to figure out what it is good for??!!
Word games
I can't decide which is more fascinating: people talking about their Wordle scores, their fantasy sports team or (and this one's coming up) their NCAA brackets. Always riveting.
Spock and Data would agree, humans are strange.
I sorta don't mind bracket talk because I love the tournament so much. What I mind is the people who fill out nine brackets so they can say "I called that" to anything. I'm a big believer of having a "sheet of integrity", to use the old Mike and Mike term.
Spelling Bee
i used to do Spelling Bee almost every day. now i have sort of taken a break. NYT Crossword is the main thing and now back to doing Wordle because of DBD.
Wordle.
5 again today.
Wordle 1,727 4/6*
🟩⬛⬛⬛🟨
🟩⬛🟩⬛⬛
🟩⬛🟩🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
Wordle 1,727 4/6
🟩🟨⬜⬜🟨
🟩⬜🟩🟩🟩
🟩⬜🟩🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
I have found that Wordle is not allergic to using double letters or the same letter twice in the same word. My first turn was a valuable clue, indeed. At that point, it was guessing the 2nd letter, as confirmed by the 2nd try.
is there a rule against plurals? a word like SPOTS
Test Wordle to see if plurals are not allowed: try a word that ends in "S" and see if the word is accepted.
I haven't seen an explicit rule against plurals, so I think that plurals are allowed. If it weren't allowed, then if you attempted a plural, entering it would get you the shake which means it's not an accepted word. Or so I would think.
I would get the dreaded Wordlebot message which goes something like “xxxxx is a valid word, but it’s not something that’s generally allowed in Wordle.” So you can give it a plural and it will be accepted, but it will never be the correct answer.
right. i guess i was asking if it was ever a correct answer.
Fascinating.
One strategy is to guess a plural at the outset to see if the letter "S" is part of the correct word, knowing that if "S" is part of the word, it must occupy a different position.
"MARKS" is both a plural noun and a verb. I wonder how Wordle would treat it.
Wordle 1,727 4/6
🟩🟨⬜⬜🟨
⬜⬜🟨🟨⬜
🟩⬜🟩🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
Books and reading
Happy Jack Kerouac's birthday to those (like me) who celebrate.
Been trying to get into a few of my father’s favorites from his massive collection of works by 20th Century novelists (a rather big category, I know, but he is discerning). Recently finished a colorful short story by William Styron based on the writer’s youth in rural Virginia. Right now, enjoying Saul Bellow’s Herzog.
my dad had a lot of books but didnt seem to read too much. i think perhaps he did once
my mom on the other hand is always reading. in fact when she comes to visit she finishes whatever she is reading and then grabs something off our shelf and starts reading that.
I've become a fan of tsundoku, which many, including me, interpret as having more books than you can read is a healthy thing.
yes. that is 100% me
slow start this year. i dont even think i set a GoodReads reading challenge like i normally do.
in this Odyssey book club thru Cal DAGRS (formerly Classiscs dept) that meets tonight ahead of the movie this summer.
Just finished “The Endurance Artist” about the guy behind the Barkley Marathons (truly bananas ultrarunning race). Very interesting book and surprisingly moving at times.
https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Endurance-Artist/Jared-Beasley/9798990795822
Cal
bad loss in ACC hoops tournament means we can go back to talking about football!
Let's not sleep on the NIT!
One of my favorite moments in my decades of Cal fandom was the 1999 NIT Championship. Some might find that a little pathetic, but let me take the DBD for a stroll down memory lane...
Cal had a phenomenal team two years earlier, going to the NCAA Sweet 16 in coach Ben Braun's first year. But just about everyone on that team graduated (or in the case of power forward Tony Gonzalez, left early for the NFL). The question was whether Braun and Cal would be able to build a roster to sustain the momentum.
There were major hurdles in that quest. First, for two years, Cal would be transforming Harmon Gym into Haas Pavilion. The team would be practicing off-campus every day and playing its games at the Arena in Oakland and the Cow Palace. Second, the NCAA put us on probation, banning Cal from the 1998 postseason, for violations that occurred under the prior coach. Who could Ben possibly get to come to Cal to play under those circumstances?
Braun recruited a trio of junior transfers: Geno Carlisle, Thomas Kilgore, and Mike Gill. Back then, transfers had to sit out a year, so they hadn't played the previous season. Braun also brought Sean Lampley, a freshman who would go on to win Pac-12 player of the year.
These guys bought into Cal and what Ben was selling. In 1998-99, their second year together, they finished 22-11, 8-10 in the Pac-10, and they earned a spot in the NIT. Given all they had to overcome and sacrifice, this was an enormous accomplishment.
Cal gave their fans two NIT wins on their "home" court at the Arena in Oakland, and another win at DePaul to earn their trip to The World's Most Famous Arena. At MSG, they beat Oregon in the semifinal and then Geno Carlisle had to hit an enormous free throw to beat Clemson by 1 and win the NIT.
That team not only put a banner in the rafters of brand new Haas Pavilion, they were a bridge to what we all believed was going to be a golden era of Cal basketball. (Even if they didn't get back to the sweet sixteen, they went to the NCAA tournament 9 times in the subsequent 17 seasons, so it WAS a golden era!) It was a significant moment and I cried like a baby. I will never poo-poo the NIT because this was a very meaningful championship, and the guys f'ing earned their ring.
This year's Cal team has the same chance to win a championship, hang a banner, and be a bridge to the next golden year of Cal basketball. And I'm here for it.
[MSWIM] Two Bears Qualify For NCAA Championships
https://calbears.com/news/2026/3/11/mens-swimming-diving-two-bears-qualify-for-ncaa-championships.aspx
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. - California junior Geoffrey Vavistsas and senior Josh Thai each punched tickets to the 2026 NCAA Championships on Wednesday. Thai placed fourth in the 1-meter dive and ninth in the 3-meter event while Vavitsas was fourth in the platform dive at the NCAA Zone E Championships at Northern Arizona University.
[LAX] al Hosts Top-Ranked North Carolina
https://calbears.com/news/2026/3/11/lacrosse-cal-hosts-top-ranked-north-carolina.aspx
CALIFORNIA-NORTH CAROLINA LACROSSE HISTORY
— Cal and North Carolina are meeting for just the second time ever with the first game between the teams a 21-7 Tar Heel victory last season in the Bears' final road game of the season in Chapel Hill on April 13.
— Six of the seven goals scored by Cal in last season's contest with the Tar Heels were by players on the 2026 roster including two each by Emily Moes and Ashleigh Masterson, as well as one apiece from Jane Middleton and Courtney Wong.
[MSWIM] Cal Qualifies 13 Individuals, All Relays For NCAAs
https://calbears.com/news/2026/3/11/mens-swimming-diving-cal-qualifies-13-individuals-all-relays-for-ncaas.aspx
The No. 5 California men's swimming & diving team had 13 student-athletes selected to compete at the 2026 NCAA Championships on Wednesday, including six swimmers who will participate in at least two different events. The Golden Bears feature 11 top-10 seeds with seven individuals and four relays.
[MTEN] Men’s Tennis Hosts Tripleheader at Home
https://calbears.com/news/2026/3/11/mens-tennis-mens-tennis-hosts-tripleheader-at-home.aspx
The Lead: After defeating Virginia Tech at home last Sunday, the California men's tennis team will host Boston College, Saint Mary's College and No. 47 SMU this weekend.
[BVB] No. 10 Bears Head South For East Meets West Invitational
https://calbears.com/news/2026/3/11/beach-volleyball-no-10-bears-head-south-for-east-meets-west-invitational.aspx
After a strong showing at the MPSF Coast To Coast Classic last weekend, the No. 10 California beach volleyball team (8-5) returns to Southern California this week for the East Meets West Invitational on Friday and Saturday at the Manhattan Beach Pier. The Golden Bears will face yet another challenging slate of opponents, featuring No. 12 LSU and No. 8 Arizona State on Friday followed by FIU and No. 5 Texas on Saturday.
[WGYM] Bears Host 2 in Haas Pavilion
https://calbears.com/news/2026/3/11/womens-gymnastics-bears-host-2-in-haas-pavilion.aspx
California women's gymnastics (13-4, 4-1 ACC) will host a double-feature in Haas Pavilion this weekend as the Golden Bears put on the Cal Tri Meet on Friday, 7:30 p.m. PT before hosting the Cal Quad Meet on Sunday at 2 p.m. in what will be their regular-season finale.
[MBB] Cal Falls To Hot-Shooting Florida State In ACC Second Round
https://calbears.com/news/2026/3/11/mens-basketball-cal-falls-to-hot-shooting-florida-state-in-acc-second-round.aspx
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The No. 9 seed California men's basketball team was unable to overcome a rough first half in tonight's ACC Tournament Second Round, taking a 95-89 loss to No. 8 seed Florida State at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Golden Bears got the margin down to single digits late, but first-half turnovers and hot-shooting Seminoles spelled doom for Cal in the loss. The Bears are now 21-11 overall, while FSU goes to 18-11.
We all wanted to see Cal back in the NCAA tournament, but my goal going into the season was for Cal to appear on the bubble (after 8 seasons in which they didn't even sniff it) and to stay in the bubble conversation all the way into March.
This team delivered, and I'm so appreciative and proud of them.
It's worth remembering that Cal was picked to finish 16th in the ACC. They overachieved by any measure.
Before the season started I would've been happy sniffing the NIT. Definitely agree they overachieved.
BIG GIVE
presumably your inbox in innundated w/ pleas for donations.
how much do people give to Cal in these moments? i typically have a cadence where i give closer to the end of the year so i try to avert my eyes.
This is one of those instances when it's nice that I didn't actually go to Cal. They can't find me. (I periodically give to UCSC, where I did go.)
Hmm...mailto:biggive@berkeley.edu. From: newellbany
The business of obtaining donations is interesting. It seems that different people respond to different stimuli: snail mail, email, phone calls, special events, sweepstakes and contests. Did I miss any? And so all approaches are employed.
GoFundMe?
Cal employed a program called S.H.A.R.E.S. Cal Champions that was a card you would give to the clerk (or swipe it at the register) every time you shopped at Lucky or any of it’s family of supermarkets. Roughly three percent of what you payed for your purchase would go to Cal Athletics, if memory serves. It was promoted/marketed in 2013, not sure if it’s still in effect.
Kroger has something similar. You can get Kroger to donate to a 501c3 when you shop there with your Kroger number. I think No 3's travel baseball team would get something like $50/quarter, so not too bad.
That's a good one. Did something similar with the local Von's, for the kids's schools. They also had school night at places like Baja Fresh, similar sort of deal.
Go Bears!!!
PRO
U.S. President Trump: Iran should skip World Cup 'for their safety'
https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/48184550/us-president-trump-iran-skip-world-cup-safety
U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday that the Iran national soccer team is "welcome" to compete at the FIFA World Cup in the United States, but advised the team not to participate for "their own life and safety."
WTF?? Isn't it your job to keep them safe??!!??
Jonas Vingegaard wins 2 hilly stages at Paris-Nice to take commanding lead.
Pogacar is racing other places so it is hard to get a sense of how good JV is going in terms of the looming showdown at Le Tour de France.
Giants beat the Royals, 5-2
Dodgers had a day off
The last two days temperatures were in the 80s. Today it’s mid to high 30s and snowing and beginning to stick on the grass and cars but not the streets and sidewalks. Welcome to March.
i hear there might be some snow flurries in these NYC parts as well.
Can some of that snow be redirected to Tahoe? Though I guess it isn't snowing hard enough to make a difference.