Welcome to the “Daily Bear Dump” - Write For California’s community space - where one can talk about pretty much anything. In the days of Covid, if you can’t get out too much - it’s a nice place to have a friendly chat. Welcome.
Today’s starter topics are: best Girl Scout cookies, backpacks, favorite “cheap” meal, and expressionist painters.
trying to find a nice Spanish-speaking place to go w/ the 14 yr old that is sunny, warm but still some good culture and stuff to do.
Sayuilta is Mexico is on the list too mostly because we have a friend who lives there. but i have been duly warned about travel the week before Easter when it is more crowded than average.
When I was living in Philly, it was definitely the Halal trucks who do a full platter (enough for most people to eat for two meals although I generally eat it as one) with a soda for just $5 (then it became $6 or even $7 for people not paying cash). There were a couple that I regularly go to, but they are basically everywhere in downtown.
There used to be a good little halal cart on the corner of California and Montgomery in SF, where you got a ton of food for $10. I hope it comes back at some point.
I have never found Top Dog to be that "cheap", particularly in Berkeley with so many other cheap food options, like the somewhat questionable express Chinese food (not in the Asian Ghetto but on Channing) for $1 or $1.50 back in the early 2000s (when Top Dog is more like $3-$4).
We just recently discovered Krispy Krunchy Chicken, which I understand is a nationwide chain of fried chicken outlets mostly housed in gas stations. Comparable to Popeye's, but cheaper. Had it for the first time in Phoenix earlier this year and it was fantastic!
i know there are semi-religious discussions about what is the perfect order. i usually get one Kielbasa and one Bratwurst .. but sometimes i will go off-script.
Garlic and a hot. Must eat the garlic before the hot link. You can't taste the garlic sausage if you eat the hot link first...I learned that the hard way.
Costco 1.50 hot dog and drink. It was better before covid when they used to still have deli mustard and onions. Also why do California Costcos not have Mountain Dew?
When my kids were still playing little league, it was a $1 McChicken down the street from the ballpark.
Our costco membership has lapsed, and we haven't had a reason to renew it over the past 6months. But, I still flash my card to go in to the food court and get the cheapo slice of pizza or hotdog for lunch. My wife think's I'm cheating the system. Until they check membership status at the food court I'd say it's OK.
Gas alone would put me over, even now just filling up 2-3 times a month.
BTW you don't need to flash your card to get food. I think it's illegal to check membership for the food court. Similar to not checking membership when buying alcohol there. Though that may be a state by state law.
"The change will not affect Costco’s policy allowing non-members to purchase alcohol in its stores or use its pharmacy, which are mandated by state and federal law."
I think you can just tell the exit monitors that you're going to the food court and they should let you in. You could even walk through and get the samples. it isn't like they should be scared you'll shop there since you need to show a valid membership to buy.
I've never had food there. I think I did try a sampler of the meatballs which were fine. I usually get the KAFFEREP cookies, the oat chocolate sandwich ones and the Pear soda. They haven't had the Pear soda for at least a year and a half. And just recently got the cookies back in.
Also when driving cross country, I'd almost always fill up at either Costco or Sam's Club. At Costco I would get the asian chicken wrap and could eat for 2 days, There were 2 full wraps cut in half so I would just sit in the costco parking lot during lunch-ish and get gas and eat 1/2 of a wrap then eat the other half for dinner.
i like to stop at Cracker Barrel during cross country drives. some leftover remnants of grad school when this one guy insisted on it.
in fact we had the US map w/ all the interstates that you could get from Cracker Barrel and we would plan out the day's drive based on where was we could stop appropriate for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
No 3 and I were talking about Breakfasts when we were up at tahoe and said we missed Huddl House. He said he also missed Cracker Barrel and I had to tell him there aren't any West of New Mexico (I think it is).
you mentioned Ogio. I've been using this one and still can't beat it, especially for the price considering the other brands you mentioned are more expensive:
I have been using a Nomatic travel backpack for the past five years, and it pretty much blows all of its predecessors away. I had mostly switched to messenger bags after undergrad, but when I started at Haas they issued us a pretty good OGIO that convinced me that two straps were better for carting a laptop around. I also had a Samsonite and a Victorinox after that, each lasting for a few years. The Nomatic is just ridiculously functional, with tons of features that are actually useful. It has a bag of holding effect in how it aligns its contents very vertically along your back and doesn't stick out very far behind you even when it's overstuffed. It's also light but super-sturdy, and the company has excellent customer service.
For personal travel, I flied a lot Spirit (only direct flight between Pittsburgh and Los Angeles) where I only bring my backpack as the free personal item. Pushing the backpack to the max meant that it finally ripped from being overstuffed. My replacement, found a cheap one via Amazon over what is available at sporting stores or REI, has not yet got a lot of use yet.
Fitting a backpack for backpacking can be a nightmare for me. I have a waist suited for a small but a torso for a medium. Gregory backpacks have been my go to as almost all their packs have an exchangeable wait belt.
i have a Gregory backpack as well for backpacking adventures. while i dont have any major fitting problems, i think that their waist belts are the best i have ever experienced.
Baseball used to be so much more lenient about this than NFL/NBA but then COVID and the whole not touching things rule gave them the excuse to change all that.
Dakine makes a damn good backpack, I've had the same once since 2007 in college and it's been my carry-on for almost every trip since. Only now is it starting to show some signs of wear.
i have a bunch of every variety and for every purpose. some might even say i have an excessive number ..
my current daily backpack is by AER. it has space for laptop, some accessories and a separate compartment for gym clothes and shoes. good all purpose city-gym-commute bag.
After college, I started using a laptop bag. No 1 convinced me to get a North Face backpack when we were at the outlets maybe 6 years ago and recently I've been using that when I'm not traveling for work. When I travel for work I bring my large Timbuk2 bag because I bring two MacBook Pros (personal and work).
I got a big one that fits two. Last time I was at the outlets they had a clearance on a smaller one where I can get a single 15" MBP so I got that as well. I only have two so I don't think I have a problem...yet...
I use backpacks all the time, but I think it has literally been 3 decades since I've bought one since I've been getting them as corporate freebies. I keep the ones with the least obtrusive logos.
We have a DCS range (bought in '02). The oven door hinges needed replacing because I managed to tweak the right side hinge a few years back. Consequently, the door didn't seal quite right and it leaked heat from the oven.
Recently, I bought a new set of hinges off of Amazon. I thought about doing the replacement myself. Then I got the hinges and realized that while I probably could do it, if I effed it up we'd be back to square one. We got a repair tech out to replace the hinges; he did a really good job.
The repair tech told Mrs Slug that while DCS ranges are quality products, Fisher & Paykel (the successor company) produces inferior product (you can substitute more colorful language). Mrs Slug loves this range, not least of all the grill. As I have often said, the grill was the best money I have ever spent on an appliance. I only hope we can keep it going for another 20 years.
I love making pizza since I got my Ooni. It's an art now. And I found that making the dough at least a day or two before makes it that much better with the Caputo Type 00 Flour.
Jambalaya in the pressure cooker, except I added carrots instead of sugar and substituted shrimp for chicken. Used homemade chicken broth. My wife didn't want me to make this because it is rice-based. Everyone went back for thirds.
I watched the Eyes of Tammy Faye last night and I really enjoyed it. As a child of the 80s, I wasn’t all that familiar with Tammy Faye, her husband and the PTL stuff.
In the several days that I spent having Is It Cake in the background last week, I found myself having a couple of nightmares where things I was using and even people I was talking to get suddenly stabbed by a knife to be revealed as cakes.
Watched Harder They Fall this weekend and Power of the Dog last weekend. Harder They Fall was pretty damn good, great acting, great casting, great soundtrack. Power of the Dog, I don't know if that would be categorized as a Western. I really liked the story line but had issues with Cumberbacht, so hard to not think about him as Sherlock. I also thought the costumes for the ranch hands and extras was not really on point. The biggest disappointment was watching it and realizing it was not shot in Montana.
Saw Jawbreaker at the Fillmore Saturday with Jawbox & Team Dresch - Jawbreaker was in fine form. (not that they're in the center of my musical taste, but I appreciate a good performance)
DMZ...meh. Had definite potential, and I love Rosario Dawson, but the character was kind of silly. Fascinating premise, tho the poor reviews seem accurate. Only 4 episodes, tho. Hope I look as good as Benjamin Bratt when I'm nearly 60 tho.
I can't wait for things to come full circle (probably not even that many years from now), when someone wins an Oscar for playing Will Smith in a biopic that included this moment.
Chris Rock's joke was extremely distasteful and the audience let him know this. Will Smith should not have reacted as he did. Totally over the top. I too had a view of Smith being a bit of a happy guy. I also view actors such as him as having more self control. Reaching the fame he has, you imagine folks like him being tested in public frequently and developing an advanced skill for self control.
Absolutely it was! Expecting to be the subject of a joke doesn't make a distasteful joke somehow less distasteful and it is hard to fathom that he knew she was bald without knowing why. Jada being openly vulnerable, by choosing not to wear a wig, might be the worst time to joke about it. I am certainly not arguing it warranted the reaction it did. Nor am I arguing that the joke is cause to dislike Chris Rock. Most comedians push the line and that means some jokes will be found distasteful. No problem with that.
I agree it was a distasteful joke. I don’t think making fun of a woman’s appearance is ever tasteful. It is Donald Trump/Andrew Dice Clay type material.
BUT BUT BUT getting up there and slapping him for it is an absolutely insane reaction. I have no idea what Smith was thinking. He can and maybe should be blackballed over this.
So what happens now? Does “slapping” become the new norm when you feel aggrieved? I can’t imagine this was scripted and I struggle to believe that this was totally spontaneous. I’m actually pissed that nothing was done to Will Smith. Actions should have consequences.
What's wild to me is that there was a full on joke about his marriage earlier in the show that they didn't react to, because they both fuck their way around Hollywood on the regular. And then Chris Rock makes a GI Jane joke, Will Smith LAUGHS AT IT, notices his wife is annoyed and then decides to go up on stage and slap him? Dude, get a grip.
I hope Chris Rock rips him a new one in every show from here to eternity.
That is a good point - he almost has to do a bit on it.
I suppose I am not really in the know about such things but I always thought of Will Smith as like a nice happy guy. Certainly not like a Chris Brown or Charlie Sheen type troubled dude or something. This is definitely a fork in the road for his reputation
I agree Smith lost his mind, and is the one in the wrong. But I don’t really agree with the feminist take that he was somehow demeaning women. If someone insults a loved one of yours, whether it be a spouse, a friend, a child or whatever, you can be independently angry about it without making some statement about the patriarchy. If afterwards, he said he had to defend his wife’s honor or something, then ok he is now talking about the patriarchy. But just being angry bc some guy mocks your wife’s physical appearance is not necessarily some grand anti feminist statement.
Yes, and if Chris Rock had tried to physically assault Jada then I would fully understand Will Smith's actions. A bad joke about her bald head? Oh boy.
The crazy thing from Smith’s POV is they were about to announce the best actor and he was favorite. Can you not just keep your shit together for like 2 mins???
Yeah, that's the thing that really stunned me. I thought Will Smith had more self control than that. He had basically been on his best behavior for all these months while campaigning to win the Oscar. Then he throws all his goodwill away at the 11th hour.
I thought so too bc I didn’t think he actually made contact originally...tv was on mute, and then ABC edited the telecast. I then saw the international feed on Twitter & knew it was real.
Will Smith was so out of line. Dude is approaching Mel Gibson level drama and insanity...maybe it’s the cucking....
Yeah, I don’t think that guy is being serious. Perhaps if it is was just a slap but once Will starting yelling after he sat down makes it clear this wasn’t staged.
US Defense Department official says that Russian "advances" have stalled throughout the country, meanwhile they continue to launch missile and long range artillery attacks on the population.
WASHINGTON — A federal judge ruled on Monday that former President Donald J. Trump and a lawyer who advised him on how to overturn the 2020 election most likely committed felonies, including obstructing the work of Congress and conspiring to defraud the United States.
The judge’s comments marked a significant breakthrough for the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, which had laid out in a civil filing the crimes it believed Mr. Trump might have committed as it weighs making a criminal referral to the Justice Department.
“The illegality of the plan was obvious,” wrote Judge David O. Carter of the Central District of California. “Our nation was founded on the peaceful transition of power, epitomized by George Washington laying down his sword to make way for democratic elections. Ignoring this history, President Trump vigorously campaigned for the vice president to single-handedly determine the results of the 2020 election.”
And is it just cases, or are people actually getting (really) sick/hospitalized? I've lost interest in cases...just want to know if I'm gonna have something debilitating.
Friend had a stomach bug this past week that was worse than anyone (vaxxed) I know that had omicron.
I had Covid early on, nowhere near bad enough to be hospitalized, but it took me out for damn near a year and a half. Reduced lung capacity (like having to sit down after walking a block), no taste/smell etc. It truly, truly sucked, and I don't believe that you just bounce back to normal after that. So the new focus only on hospitalizations really worries me, especially now with the study that showed that one has a 40% increased chance of a diabetes diagnosis after having Covid. It messes you up in ways we don't even know yet.
@Scootie: early on = pre-vax, I presume? If so: (1) Sorry that you had to go thru that!! but (2) your vax would hopefully have avoided (most) those crap symptoms, yes?
I agree about the "don't even know yet", but I suspect that some number of us vaxxed folks *have* had covid (omicron) and just didn't know it? so maybe we're all in that "mess you up" boat, but along the way, I'd prefer to not be hospitalized/go thru what you did. Which seems to be the positive aspect of omicron: Test positive: yes; get sick: no.
Texas are the defending NCAA Champs (they won the 1st title in program history last year) and they poach head coach Dave O'Neill from Cal (where he was for 16 years and won back-to-back titles in 2005/2006) back in 2015.
Cal won the Friday game via mercy rule. When they went up in T6 of Game 3 on Sunday, I thought they were going to get another Pac-12 series win. Still, this is back-to-back promising results for Chelsea Spencer's team. Cal might finally be dangerous in regional play again.
USC inside WR coach Dave Nichols passes away, reportedly due to cancer. Our condolences to the Nichols family, his friends, and colleagues. Cancer sucks.
Verstappen wins the Bahrain GP. Tough break for Checo who was leading the race then pitted shortly before a yellow flag/ safety car and lost his position, and falls to 4th.
TIL: Banana Ball exists - 2 hour limit. No walks, bunts, mound visits, stepping out. If a fan catches a foul, it's an out. Most runs in an inning gets a point, most points wins. You can steal first, which doesn't make much sense until you hear about the "no walks" rule. On ball 4, all 9 defensive players have to touch the ball for it to be live - which means this can happen:
Yup, this all but clinches it. Costa Rica hasn't scored more than 2 goals in ANY match during qualifying. Seems impossible they'd be able to do it against one of the top teams in the group.
this could go under DBD AV: History Channel has an interesting series The Food that Build America. S3 E5 describes the rise of Wonder Bread and Pepperidge Farms.
I love all sorts and the variety I eat tends to be seasonal. Lately, my mid-day pick-me up is the thin, lemon cookies from TJ's paired with a cup of earl grey. So delicious!
2. The Shortbread ones. And I guess I never noticed that the Bay Area ones are different. Maybe if I can remember what the ones in Louisville tasted like.
4. Shortbread, but only if made by the baker that doesn't sell in the Bay Area. The ones we get taste like chemicals. The other ones taste like Lorna Doones
So, respectfully, Scootie...I tried a mint It's-It recently...and I can't get behind it. The mint overpowers the taste of the oatmeal cookie...I stand by the cappuccino, 100%...it's almost like a divine breakfast sandwich...oatmeal, coffee, dairy...delicious.
Actually better than vanilla are the chocolate covered oatmeal cookies by themselves. They used to have them at the outlet but haven't seen it since Covid.
I'm OK if you're not a mint It's-it fan, so long as you are not an It's-It hater in general. I personally don't like cappuccino or pumpkin or matcha ones -- everyone has to find their own flava.
I was going to buy another box or two to store in the freezer the last weekend of their sales. The weather was bad that weekend so none of the troops showed up at their scheduled locations. Either that or they were already sold out.
Why gas and food cost twice as much under Brandon.
Who is Brandon?
Must be Crawford or Belt. He did say "under Brandon," so I guess "below the Belt" DON HERING TRYING TO TAKE US TO DBD AFTER DARK HERE
I mean the Giants need to somehow may for Crawford's new contract when he overachieved. GBBR
I am pretty sure he is talking about Brandon Mebane as this is a Cal site
And he was a big guy, so he ate a lot of food, which gave him gas.
Well if we're talking Cal, it could be Brandon Smith, or Chauca (shudders remembering the NCAA game in Spokane in 2016).
Cartagena .. anyone been? suggestions?
trying to find a nice Spanish-speaking place to go w/ the 14 yr old that is sunny, warm but still some good culture and stuff to do.
Sayuilta is Mexico is on the list too mostly because we have a friend who lives there. but i have been duly warned about travel the week before Easter when it is more crowded than average.
Puerto Rico
Expressionism
Which? German or Abstract?
Favorite cheap meal
Top Dog and the carnitas tacos at Sinaloa.
Ramen
I love the Tokatsu Ramen and Shin Black Ramen that Costco has.
in the olden days a slice of cheese at Blondies was $1.
When I was living in Philly, it was definitely the Halal trucks who do a full platter (enough for most people to eat for two meals although I generally eat it as one) with a soda for just $5 (then it became $6 or even $7 for people not paying cash). There were a couple that I regularly go to, but they are basically everywhere in downtown.
There used to be a good little halal cart on the corner of California and Montgomery in SF, where you got a ton of food for $10. I hope it comes back at some point.
Back in the day, when I was a poor college student, it was either Top Dog (& a top dog since that was the cheapest one) or ramen.
I have never found Top Dog to be that "cheap", particularly in Berkeley with so many other cheap food options, like the somewhat questionable express Chinese food (not in the Asian Ghetto but on Channing) for $1 or $1.50 back in the early 2000s (when Top Dog is more like $3-$4).
This was long ago, they used to be a lot cheaper.
i remember Top Dogs for $1.50 and about the cheapest thing you could get that would actually fill you up.
but i agree that they seem to have gone up in price more than other things ...
If I'm tired when I get home from work, a simple bowl of buttered white rice or pasta will do just fine for dinner.
I think No 2 could live on butter, salt, pepper noodles. He uses Barilla Rotini.
...
Hey man, I don't have two women cooking full meals for me every night. If it's on the table it's because I made it.
Sorry, but white rice & butter was just in a discussion I had a week ago about things you eat only when you were a small child.
No. 1 at In-N-Out animal style everything
Freebird’s burritto.
We just recently discovered Krispy Krunchy Chicken, which I understand is a nationwide chain of fried chicken outlets mostly housed in gas stations. Comparable to Popeye's, but cheaper. Had it for the first time in Phoenix earlier this year and it was fantastic!
Pho
Top Dog
i know there are semi-religious discussions about what is the perfect order. i usually get one Kielbasa and one Bratwurst .. but sometimes i will go off-script.
Bratwurst and a Calabrese. Don't get me wrong, though. I do love the Louisiana Hot links.
Chicken Apple and Hot Link, in that order. This is the way.
this is the way
Garlic and a hot. Must eat the garlic before the hot link. You can't taste the garlic sausage if you eat the hot link first...I learned that the hard way.
I do a Hot and if I get a second I get a Kiel.
Costco 1.50 hot dog and drink. It was better before covid when they used to still have deli mustard and onions. Also why do California Costcos not have Mountain Dew?
When my kids were still playing little league, it was a $1 McChicken down the street from the ballpark.
This is the way
Our costco membership has lapsed, and we haven't had a reason to renew it over the past 6months. But, I still flash my card to go in to the food court and get the cheapo slice of pizza or hotdog for lunch. My wife think's I'm cheating the system. Until they check membership status at the food court I'd say it's OK.
Gas alone would put me over, even now just filling up 2-3 times a month.
BTW you don't need to flash your card to get food. I think it's illegal to check membership for the food court. Similar to not checking membership when buying alcohol there. Though that may be a state by state law.
they check now. https://www.latimes.com/food/story/2020-03-03/costco-food-court-membership. confirmed when I bought a slice of pizza on Friday.
Well, they don't check at the Costco at Pacific Commons in Fremont. At least not over the lastg4 months.
Not only do they check, but my Costco scans your membership before ordering.
I wonder how they handle the self checkout machines in the food court. You only need to scan a CC.
Interesting. Didn't know that.
alcohol and pharmacy still excepted
"The change will not affect Costco’s policy allowing non-members to purchase alcohol in its stores or use its pharmacy, which are mandated by state and federal law."
I used the alcohol loophole a lot while at Cal and during NYE.
They make you pay cash though.
I think you can just tell the exit monitors that you're going to the food court and they should let you in. You could even walk through and get the samples. it isn't like they should be scared you'll shop there since you need to show a valid membership to buy.
We were at Ikea over the weekend, and pre-dinner, wife and daughter were hungry. $1 veggie dog, apparently.
Which Ikea? Emeryville meetup???
it was Emeryville, yes. What is meant by "meetup"? Are you proposing an IRL DBD Ikea happy hour? ;-)
Yes! Or outdoor!
I was going to say DBDMBHH (Meatball not MoriBear :)
Emeryville is the one I go to. If I go it's usually before I go to the new Berkeley Bowl and then maybe Gilman Happy Donuts.
And if it's early enough on the weekends I'll stop off at Arizmendi.
I've never had food there. I think I did try a sampler of the meatballs which were fine. I usually get the KAFFEREP cookies, the oat chocolate sandwich ones and the Pear soda. They haven't had the Pear soda for at least a year and a half. And just recently got the cookies back in.
we need to go back pretty frequently to stock up on "essentials" since we are "part Swedish"
the Swedish meatball platter at the cafe is a pretty good deal, and tasty too.
they are tasty but i get a stomach ache afterwards all too frequently ..
They give me the trots (TMI?).
Costco hot dog for the win.
Also when driving cross country, I'd almost always fill up at either Costco or Sam's Club. At Costco I would get the asian chicken wrap and could eat for 2 days, There were 2 full wraps cut in half so I would just sit in the costco parking lot during lunch-ish and get gas and eat 1/2 of a wrap then eat the other half for dinner.
i like to stop at Cracker Barrel during cross country drives. some leftover remnants of grad school when this one guy insisted on it.
in fact we had the US map w/ all the interstates that you could get from Cracker Barrel and we would plan out the day's drive based on where was we could stop appropriate for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
No 3 and I were talking about Breakfasts when we were up at tahoe and said we missed Huddl House. He said he also missed Cracker Barrel and I had to tell him there aren't any West of New Mexico (I think it is).
From my travels Fuul wrapped in Pita Bread, costs 1 Egyptian pound or about 6 cents.
Mashed fava beans with olive oil. Goes great with a fine chianti
Backpack
you mentioned Ogio. I've been using this one and still can't beat it, especially for the price considering the other brands you mentioned are more expensive:
https://www.ogio.com/backpacks/renegade-rss-laptop-backpack/spr4704946.html
I have been using a Nomatic travel backpack for the past five years, and it pretty much blows all of its predecessors away. I had mostly switched to messenger bags after undergrad, but when I started at Haas they issued us a pretty good OGIO that convinced me that two straps were better for carting a laptop around. I also had a Samsonite and a Victorinox after that, each lasting for a few years. The Nomatic is just ridiculously functional, with tons of features that are actually useful. It has a bag of holding effect in how it aligns its contents very vertically along your back and doesn't stick out very far behind you even when it's overstuffed. It's also light but super-sturdy, and the company has excellent customer service.
I carry a Timbuk2 computer shoulder bag. Though it is getting old, and starting to show some serious wear.
For personal travel, I flied a lot Spirit (only direct flight between Pittsburgh and Los Angeles) where I only bring my backpack as the free personal item. Pushing the backpack to the max meant that it finally ripped from being overstuffed. My replacement, found a cheap one via Amazon over what is available at sporting stores or REI, has not yet got a lot of use yet.
Fitting a backpack for backpacking can be a nightmare for me. I have a waist suited for a small but a torso for a medium. Gregory backpacks have been my go to as almost all their packs have an exchangeable wait belt.
i have a Gregory backpack as well for backpacking adventures. while i dont have any major fitting problems, i think that their waist belts are the best i have ever experienced.
one strap or two? - that whole bit slayed me in 21 Jump Street
Not allowed at Nats Park. This year the rule was upgraded to require that any tote bag you bring in has to be clear plastic or vinyl.
Baseball used to be so much more lenient about this than NFL/NBA but then COVID and the whole not touching things rule gave them the excuse to change all that.
Dakine makes a damn good backpack, I've had the same once since 2007 in college and it's been my carry-on for almost every trip since. Only now is it starting to show some signs of wear.
Mouse Finbar: Backpack guy.
i have a bunch of every variety and for every purpose. some might even say i have an excessive number ..
my current daily backpack is by AER. it has space for laptop, some accessories and a separate compartment for gym clothes and shoes. good all purpose city-gym-commute bag.
https://www.aersf.com/duffel-pack-3-black
I have version 1.5 (the one after their Kickstarter got funded). I thought about the 3 but noticed it's actually just a bit smaller now
Stevie Johnson
After college, I started using a laptop bag. No 1 convinced me to get a North Face backpack when we were at the outlets maybe 6 years ago and recently I've been using that when I'm not traveling for work. When I travel for work I bring my large Timbuk2 bag because I bring two MacBook Pros (personal and work).
i like the Timbuk2 brand a lot. i just couldnt find the right shape and size last time i was looking for one.
I got a big one that fits two. Last time I was at the outlets they had a clearance on a smaller one where I can get a single 15" MBP so I got that as well. I only have two so I don't think I have a problem...yet...
Mine is 11 years old and still in good condition. Has been all over the world
I use backpacks all the time, but I think it has literally been 3 decades since I've bought one since I've been getting them as corporate freebies. I keep the ones with the least obtrusive logos.
Corporate ones always seem to fall apart after a couple uses. Poor stitching and shitty zippers.
DBD Kitchen
We have a DCS range (bought in '02). The oven door hinges needed replacing because I managed to tweak the right side hinge a few years back. Consequently, the door didn't seal quite right and it leaked heat from the oven.
Recently, I bought a new set of hinges off of Amazon. I thought about doing the replacement myself. Then I got the hinges and realized that while I probably could do it, if I effed it up we'd be back to square one. We got a repair tech out to replace the hinges; he did a really good job.
The repair tech told Mrs Slug that while DCS ranges are quality products, Fisher & Paykel (the successor company) produces inferior product (you can substitute more colorful language). Mrs Slug loves this range, not least of all the grill. As I have often said, the grill was the best money I have ever spent on an appliance. I only hope we can keep it going for another 20 years.
F&P makes those dishwasher drawers, which sound great in theory but I have two friends that have them and they've been nothing but problems.
Me as well, wife loved them, but they needed a repair, and a year & half after the repair, died for good.
Such a bummer. It's definitely a market that could use a good entrant.
That's too bad. It sounds like a great idea. Poor execution can kill a great idea, though.
Homemade pizza last night. Generally, better than store bought, except for the prep work.
I love making pizza since I got my Ooni. It's an art now. And I found that making the dough at least a day or two before makes it that much better with the Caputo Type 00 Flour.
I had a pizza yesterday with mortadella and burrata, sprinkled with pistachios. It was SCRUMPTIOUS. https://www.instagram.com/p/CZksrovvc5z/
That. Looks. Amazing!
Asian ribs, slow cooked - so tasty. 2013 Wind Gap Grenache was a decent pairing.
This cannibalism trend has gone TOO FAR
haha, it was pork ribs, Asian style. American pork no doubt.
Jambalaya in the pressure cooker, except I added carrots instead of sugar and substituted shrimp for chicken. Used homemade chicken broth. My wife didn't want me to make this because it is rice-based. Everyone went back for thirds.
https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/instant-pot-chicken-and-sausage-jambalaya/
SGB, what rice do you use for Jambalaya? I'm trying to remember what type of rice I've had in New Orleans but I can't remember.
Meatball sandwich last eve.
DBD AV
I watched the Eyes of Tammy Faye last night and I really enjoyed it. As a child of the 80s, I wasn’t all that familiar with Tammy Faye, her husband and the PTL stuff.
I liked the performances, but it is definitely a big-time whitewash of the Bakkers and their enterprise.
So was he just a grifter and how was he any different than Uncle Pat and Jerry Falwell.
In the several days that I spent having Is It Cake in the background last week, I found myself having a couple of nightmares where things I was using and even people I was talking to get suddenly stabbed by a knife to be revealed as cakes.
Watched Harder They Fall this weekend and Power of the Dog last weekend. Harder They Fall was pretty damn good, great acting, great casting, great soundtrack. Power of the Dog, I don't know if that would be categorized as a Western. I really liked the story line but had issues with Cumberbacht, so hard to not think about him as Sherlock. I also thought the costumes for the ranch hands and extras was not really on point. The biggest disappointment was watching it and realizing it was not shot in Montana.
I liked Harder They Fall…good stuff.
Saw Jawbreaker at the Fillmore Saturday with Jawbox & Team Dresch - Jawbreaker was in fine form. (not that they're in the center of my musical taste, but I appreciate a good performance)
DMZ...meh. Had definite potential, and I love Rosario Dawson, but the character was kind of silly. Fascinating premise, tho the poor reviews seem accurate. Only 4 episodes, tho. Hope I look as good as Benjamin Bratt when I'm nearly 60 tho.
Winning Time was fun - finally got to the basketball.
The Oscars happened
Jesus, what did I miss...
He committed a crime onstage and then sat down like it was nothing and the show went on. So weird!
I mean what if some rando off the street snuck in the theater and slapped Rock in the face? That guy would have spent the night in jail
For slapping The Rock in the face I think he spends the night in the hospital.
Will Smith
I can't wait for things to come full circle (probably not even that many years from now), when someone wins an Oscar for playing Will Smith in a biopic that included this moment.
Congratulations to Jaden Smith.
pqtm
Chris Rock's joke was extremely distasteful and the audience let him know this. Will Smith should not have reacted as he did. Totally over the top. I too had a view of Smith being a bit of a happy guy. I also view actors such as him as having more self control. Reaching the fame he has, you imagine folks like him being tested in public frequently and developing an advanced skill for self control.
Was it really?
1. That assumes that Rock knew about her hair loss condition.
2. She isn’t suffering from cancer and just got out of a chemo treatment.
3. If she feels that insecure about her hair, she could wear a wig.
4. It is an award show in which people in attendance are often at the receiving end of jokes, so it is somewhat expected.
5. The audience and Will all seemed to laugh at the joke.
Absolutely it was! Expecting to be the subject of a joke doesn't make a distasteful joke somehow less distasteful and it is hard to fathom that he knew she was bald without knowing why. Jada being openly vulnerable, by choosing not to wear a wig, might be the worst time to joke about it. I am certainly not arguing it warranted the reaction it did. Nor am I arguing that the joke is cause to dislike Chris Rock. Most comedians push the line and that means some jokes will be found distasteful. No problem with that.
I agree it was a distasteful joke. I don’t think making fun of a woman’s appearance is ever tasteful. It is Donald Trump/Andrew Dice Clay type material.
BUT BUT BUT getting up there and slapping him for it is an absolutely insane reaction. I have no idea what Smith was thinking. He can and maybe should be blackballed over this.
Very, very unlikely.
So what happens now? Does “slapping” become the new norm when you feel aggrieved? I can’t imagine this was scripted and I struggle to believe that this was totally spontaneous. I’m actually pissed that nothing was done to Will Smith. Actions should have consequences.
I have a hard time believing this spills out into some societal epidemic of violence.
But Dana Loesch may point out that if Rock were packing heat he would not have been slapped 😊
Ha!
What's wild to me is that there was a full on joke about his marriage earlier in the show that they didn't react to, because they both fuck their way around Hollywood on the regular. And then Chris Rock makes a GI Jane joke, Will Smith LAUGHS AT IT, notices his wife is annoyed and then decides to go up on stage and slap him? Dude, get a grip.
I hope Chris Rock rips him a new one in every show from here to eternity.
I hope Rock signs on for a Netflix standup show and just spends the 2 hours roasting them.
There's history between Rock and the Smiths, so that probably played a role. No love lost.
I agree
That is a good point - he almost has to do a bit on it.
I suppose I am not really in the know about such things but I always thought of Will Smith as like a nice happy guy. Certainly not like a Chris Brown or Charlie Sheen type troubled dude or something. This is definitely a fork in the road for his reputation
Best take on it I've seen https://twitter.com/rickperlstein/status/1508288978675703812?s=20&t=m58uvPzWfx6W7n_OVV9c3A
I agree Smith lost his mind, and is the one in the wrong. But I don’t really agree with the feminist take that he was somehow demeaning women. If someone insults a loved one of yours, whether it be a spouse, a friend, a child or whatever, you can be independently angry about it without making some statement about the patriarchy. If afterwards, he said he had to defend his wife’s honor or something, then ok he is now talking about the patriarchy. But just being angry bc some guy mocks your wife’s physical appearance is not necessarily some grand anti feminist statement.
Oh really? Then I stand corrected!
On a related note, his acceptance speech was bonkers. Was incoherent nonsense
Yes, and if Chris Rock had tried to physically assault Jada then I would fully understand Will Smith's actions. A bad joke about her bald head? Oh boy.
The crazy thing from Smith’s POV is they were about to announce the best actor and he was favorite. Can you not just keep your shit together for like 2 mins???
Yeah, that's the thing that really stunned me. I thought Will Smith had more self control than that. He had basically been on his best behavior for all these months while campaigning to win the Oscar. Then he throws all his goodwill away at the 11th hour.
Question - do you guys think Smith and Rock somehow make up? I think ball is in Smith’s court
I don't think they ever make up. There apparently was already some bad blood between them.
As a comedian I think Chris Rock think's it's a joke and he doesn't have anything to apologize for. Though maybe he'll reach out.
I really thought that whole thing was staged.
It was staged until proven otherwise.
Will Smith just apologized in writing. Seemed like a real apology. If this was staged, it is now gotten pretty elaborate.
I thought so too bc I didn’t think he actually made contact originally...tv was on mute, and then ABC edited the telecast. I then saw the international feed on Twitter & knew it was real.
Will Smith was so out of line. Dude is approaching Mel Gibson level drama and insanity...maybe it’s the cucking....
I suppose cucking will drive a man crazy eventually. Sometimes people will go the extra mile to defend a rocky relationship.
He for sure seemed unglued but was hard to tell if it was because of something in his life or because of the event specifically
It's almost like he's still in character as Richard Williams
maybe it was...
https://twitter.com/RadishHarmers/status/1508280576779898880?s=20&t=p-trTi5i4PISj5n-qoqn5w
Yeah, I don’t think that guy is being serious. Perhaps if it is was just a slap but once Will starting yelling after he sat down makes it clear this wasn’t staged.
At first I thought so, but as it went on it seemed pretty clear it wasn't.
I was thinking this as well.
Slap
https://twitter.com/DiscussingFilm/status/1508270932934209539
Damn...I guess I should've watched the Oscars. Chris Rock must've taken some punches when he was young. That punch didn't seem to phase him much.
Open handed slap, but it was a good one.
Hard to believe that Chris Rock just stood there. Not even a touch of his cheek.
Russia vs Ukraine
I am surprised at how many Russian generals have been KIA in Ukraine.
Surprised they are putting so many officers at that standing in the hierarchy in potential harm's way. And don't understand why.
It's what happens when troops aren't properly led by lower level officers.
This is really a shocking failure by the Russian military. Hard to believe how badly they are blowing this.
US Defense Department official says that Russian "advances" have stalled throughout the country, meanwhile they continue to launch missile and long range artillery attacks on the population.
Anonymous dumps data from Russian FSB (fka KGB). Ukraine mines it, publishes where 620 FSB spies are across Europe.
https://gur.gov.ua/content/sotrudnyky-fsb-rossyy-uchastvuiushchye-v-prestupnoi-deiatelnosty-stranyahressora-na-terrytoryy-evropy.html
Crumbling Democracies
WASHINGTON — A federal judge ruled on Monday that former President Donald J. Trump and a lawyer who advised him on how to overturn the 2020 election most likely committed felonies, including obstructing the work of Congress and conspiring to defraud the United States.
The judge’s comments marked a significant breakthrough for the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, which had laid out in a civil filing the crimes it believed Mr. Trump might have committed as it weighs making a criminal referral to the Justice Department.
“The illegality of the plan was obvious,” wrote Judge David O. Carter of the Central District of California. “Our nation was founded on the peaceful transition of power, epitomized by George Washington laying down his sword to make way for democratic elections. Ignoring this history, President Trump vigorously campaigned for the vice president to single-handedly determine the results of the 2020 election.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/28/us/politics/trump-election-crimes.html
Adams stepping aside without a big fuss after losing to an opposing party was also just as significant.
DC Maga truck convoy dispersing.
https://twitter.com/ZTPetrizzo/status/1508100487970795529
LDE: low diesel energy.
Today in Covid
SF Covid cases up by 50% in the last two weeks! FML.
FML = F*** My Life?
And is it just cases, or are people actually getting (really) sick/hospitalized? I've lost interest in cases...just want to know if I'm gonna have something debilitating.
Friend had a stomach bug this past week that was worse than anyone (vaxxed) I know that had omicron.
I had Covid early on, nowhere near bad enough to be hospitalized, but it took me out for damn near a year and a half. Reduced lung capacity (like having to sit down after walking a block), no taste/smell etc. It truly, truly sucked, and I don't believe that you just bounce back to normal after that. So the new focus only on hospitalizations really worries me, especially now with the study that showed that one has a 40% increased chance of a diabetes diagnosis after having Covid. It messes you up in ways we don't even know yet.
@Scootie: early on = pre-vax, I presume? If so: (1) Sorry that you had to go thru that!! but (2) your vax would hopefully have avoided (most) those crap symptoms, yes?
I agree about the "don't even know yet", but I suspect that some number of us vaxxed folks *have* had covid (omicron) and just didn't know it? so maybe we're all in that "mess you up" boat, but along the way, I'd prefer to not be hospitalized/go thru what you did. Which seems to be the positive aspect of omicron: Test positive: yes; get sick: no.
Not just SF either. Generally going up all over.
Do they know if it's the new variant or just Omicron?
This I do not know.
we're going to HI in a few weeks (TBB: don't plan DBD Ikea HH for mid-April!), with things looking good. no testing or anything needed.
was the same last August, but while we were there, HI started clamping down more on things. But that was Delta and that was "no kid vacs" yet.
Cal
Go Bears!!!
[WROW] Bears finish 2nd at the San Diego Crew Classic behind Texas
https://calbears.com/news/2022/3/27/womens-rowing-bears-finish-san-diego-crew-classic-strong.aspx
Texas are the defending NCAA Champs (they won the 1st title in program history last year) and they poach head coach Dave O'Neill from Cal (where he was for 16 years and won back-to-back titles in 2005/2006) back in 2015.
[BVB] #11 Bears go up 2-0, but then lose next 3 matches to get upset by UW, but then blank Oregon 5-0.
https://calbears.com/news/2022/3/27/beach-volleyball-cal-splits-sunday-doubleheader.aspx
[LAX] Bears lose to CU, fall to 0-11.
https://calbears.com/news/2022/3/27/lacrosse-cal-falls-at-colorado-16-10.aspx
Nikki Zaccaro now owns the Cal career assist record...I would mention this IF I ever get around to write about Cal Lacrosse.
[SB] Bears win on Friday vs. #12 Oregon, but lose the next 2 games by a combined 3 runs.
https://calbears.com/sports/softball/schedule
Cal won the Friday game via mercy rule. When they went up in T6 of Game 3 on Sunday, I thought they were going to get another Pac-12 series win. Still, this is back-to-back promising results for Chelsea Spencer's team. Cal might finally be dangerous in regional play again.
[BASE]
Friday: Bullpen falters, Bears lose 4-10 vs. Beavers
Saturday: Bullpen blows a 6 run lead in the top of the 9th, but win via walk-off homer in the bottom of the inning
Sunday: Bullpen falters as last five pitchers give up 8 runs, lose 9-13
https://calbears.com/sports/baseball/schedule
the bullpen is trash
[MSWIM] NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!!!
(from the Front Page)
https://writeforcalifornia.com/p/cal-mens-swimming-2022-ncaa-champs?s=w
https://writeforcalifornia.com/p/cal-bears-mens-swimming-2022-ncaa-champs?s=w
Other College
Duke and Stanf*rd have made their respective final fours so I hate sports forever.
USC inside WR coach Dave Nichols passes away, reportedly due to cancer. Our condolences to the Nichols family, his friends, and colleagues. Cancer sucks.
https://trojanswire.usatoday.com/2022/03/26/usc-receiver-coach-dave-nichol-dies-at-age-45/
Narduzzi signs extension with Pitt through 2030
https://pittsburghpanthers.com/news/2022/3/28/football-pat-narduzzi-signs-new-pitt-pact-through-2030.aspx
The Final Four is set
Villanova vs Kansas
Duke vs UNC
After all the weirdness and upsets, this is one of the most blue-blooded Final Fours ever.
Haha...Kentucky couldn't hold up their end of the deal.
If St Peters played anyone else but UNC I'd have been full Peacock-mode.
Man it would be great to beat Dook on both Coach K love-fest day and his last game EVER.
If the Tarheels could have beaten Virginia Tech in the ACC semis, this Final Four could have been their fourth UNC/Duke game this year.
Pro
Holy Week of Cycling in Flanders ..
- Gent-Wevelgem this past Sun
- Dwars door Vlaanderen on Wed
- Tour of Flanders (2nd monument) on Sun
good excuse to break out some of that Rodenbach (Flemish sour ale) that i have just for these occasions. maybe make a hearty beef stew ..
normally the Paris-Roubaix would follow the next weekend but schedules are still messed up w/ coronavirus times ..
Verstappen wins the Bahrain GP. Tough break for Checo who was leading the race then pitted shortly before a yellow flag/ safety car and lost his position, and falls to 4th.
and points for Haas! I have to wonder if Haas would be in the position it is now if Mazepin were still the driver
Surely no. Mazepin could become a good driver, but he's definitely not that experienced. Even Mick has struggled in the first two races.
Haas is one of the few beneficiaries of the Russian invasion.
Stupid Nicholas Latifi and him crashing at just the right/wrong time to change race results and, of course, the championship result last year
all in on F1 now. the latest season of Drive to Survive was awesome
A's sign ageless Jed Lowrie to one year deal
https://www.athleticsnation.com/2022/3/25/22997275/oakland-as-sign-jed-lowrie-contract
I'm stopping my fandom until this ownership group sells
When he does sell Fisher will get a 10x return on investment.
I don't think he's selling. He's in the club and doesn't need the money.
TIL: Banana Ball exists - 2 hour limit. No walks, bunts, mound visits, stepping out. If a fan catches a foul, it's an out. Most runs in an inning gets a point, most points wins. You can steal first, which doesn't make much sense until you hear about the "no walks" rule. On ball 4, all 9 defensive players have to touch the ball for it to be live - which means this can happen:
https://twitter.com/TheSavBananas/status/1507743392209461255
There was an article on this on ESPN last year? (Apparently it was ESPN Insider content). https://www.espn.com/mlb/insider/insider/story/_/id/31589713/the-most-fun-at-ballpark-mlb-learn-savannah-bananas
A bit too gimmicky to me, but I am also apparently too much of a baseball purist.
No 2 told us about the Savannah Bananas. Was hoping they'd be in the west coast sometime this year. Love this comment thread in the tweet.
⚾️RetroJay74👨🦼
@RetroJay74
·
Mar 26
Replying to
@TheSavBananas
Please don’t give Manfred any ideas…
Savannah Bananas
@TheSavBananas
·
Mar 26
Hope he’s taking notes so maybe MLB games will be more fun ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Tim Brennan
@tlbrennan4
·
Mar 27
How was this not part of MLB’s CBA?
Dave Roberts says Doyers will win World Series 2022.
https://twitter.com/dpshow/status/1507043327698427907
No chance. They only win in pandemic-influenced 60-game seasons when the entire postseason is played without fans in neutral ballparks....
;-)
Bold
Pujols signs with Cards again to be their DH vs. lefties
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/33613528/albert-pujols-signing-one-year-deal-st-louis-cardinals
Was hoping the Dodgers would resign Tio Albert but there just weren't enough roster spots.
USMNT smokes Panama 5-1 on the back of Pulisic's hat trick. US would have to lose by 6 goals vs. Costa Rica to not qualify.
https://www.espn.com/soccer/report?gameId=606048
Yup, this all but clinches it. Costa Rica hasn't scored more than 2 goals in ANY match during qualifying. Seems impossible they'd be able to do it against one of the top teams in the group.
So it was in their best interest to score 5 I guess.
Well, as many as possible. They knew going in that goal differential would matter for the final match.
yeah I guess that's what I meant.
Cookies
this could go under DBD AV: History Channel has an interesting series The Food that Build America. S3 E5 describes the rise of Wonder Bread and Pepperidge Farms.
See what I did there?
I love all sorts and the variety I eat tends to be seasonal. Lately, my mid-day pick-me up is the thin, lemon cookies from TJ's paired with a cup of earl grey. So delicious!
1. Thin Mint
2. The Shortbread ones. And I guess I never noticed that the Bay Area ones are different. Maybe if I can remember what the ones in Louisville tasted like.
That's it.
1. Thin Mint
2. Peanut butter sandwich cookies
3. Peanut butter patties
4. Shortbread, but only if made by the baker that doesn't sell in the Bay Area. The ones we get taste like chemicals. The other ones taste like Lorna Doones
I don't really like the rest.
So, respectfully, Scootie...I tried a mint It's-It recently...and I can't get behind it. The mint overpowers the taste of the oatmeal cookie...I stand by the cappuccino, 100%...it's almost like a divine breakfast sandwich...oatmeal, coffee, dairy...delicious.
Mint/Chocolate
Vanilla
Haven't tried cappuccino.
Actually better than vanilla are the chocolate covered oatmeal cookies by themselves. They used to have them at the outlet but haven't seen it since Covid.
I'm OK if you're not a mint It's-it fan, so long as you are not an It's-It hater in general. I personally don't like cappuccino or pumpkin or matcha ones -- everyone has to find their own flava.
Never tried the pumpkin…I’m a vanilla & cappuccino guy, but I respect the It’s-It and consider it to be a damn-near perfect dessert.
You, on the other hand -- dead to me.
It's It makes those too, called Chips It!
Daughter made chocolate chip ones yesterday.
Same!
Girl scouts peanut butter cookies
1. Caramel deLites (fka Samoas)
2. Thanks-A-Lot (fka All Abouts)
3. PB Patties (fka Tagalongs)
4. PB (fka Do-Si-Dos)
5. Shortbread (fka Trefoil)
6. S'mores
7. Lemonades (fka Lemon Chalet Cremes)
8. The chocolate covered toothpaste-flavored ones that people like to put in the freezer
my man
I heard this in Denzel's voice.
What. The. Fuck.
Who hurt you?
Thin Mints or bust
Thin mints are yucky. Mostly because I don’t like mint.
Just so I don’t sound like a complete hater, I like Tagalongs the best. They’re also very good when chilled.
I was going to buy another box or two to store in the freezer the last weekend of their sales. The weather was bad that weekend so none of the troops showed up at their scheduled locations. Either that or they were already sold out.