137 Comments
author

DBD Street Journal

Expand full comment
author

Let's check in on the guy who bought a lifetime pass for flights on United for $290k back in 1990.

https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2023/jun/25/new-jersey-man-lifetime-united-airlines-pass

Expand full comment
author

Russia/Ukraine

Expand full comment
author

Prigozhin takes his Wagner forces to depose top Russian generals. He then stops and goes into exile in Belarus. Wagner forces disbanded/folded into Russian DOD, leaving the world with blue balls.

https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-wagner-prigozhin-belarus-deal-6782455ddc4234816bfb2d7d388d8a9a

Expand full comment

Eh, I don't think we know yet what is really going on.

Expand full comment

I agree. I don't think we know what's going on and I don't think it's over yet.

Expand full comment

Prigozhin may be in exile in Belarus, but his life will be in danger to his dying day. Doesn't matter if Putin is deposed or not. Prigozhin's actions threaten other oligarchs who have benefited from Putin's rule. I also wouldn't put it past Lukashenko to have a reason to kill Prigozhin. Conditions are just a mite chaotic in Russia.

Expand full comment

The other side of this is that Prigozhin coming so close to the capital shows that Putin is as weak as he's ever been as a leader. Some of the other oligarchs might start thinking they can make a run at the throne.

Expand full comment

Possible. I think it also likely they review their untraceable assets and figure out how to retire gracefully somewhere warm and give up on the 'oligarch' thing.

Expand full comment
author

This is subjective... an athlete that was a magnitude more famous that everyone else in their sport at their peak

Expand full comment
author

Ali, Pelé, Bolt

Expand full comment

Gretzky, Jordan.

Expand full comment

there was a time when people would say .. "you should try to go see the following people play live while you have a chance: Jordan, Montana, Bonds and the Great One."

clearly Gretzky was even a magnitude more famous than the other greats of each respective sport.

Expand full comment

the story of our attempt to see the Great One ...

it was my 1st or 2nd yr in grad school in Bloomington IN (1992-4 or so). a friend and i got tickets to see the Blackhawks vs the LA Kings to see Gretzky play at Chicago Stadium maybe(?)

i was the ONLY game he missed all season because of sore thumb or something!!!

Expand full comment

I remember when we were at Cal and we talked about going at the last minute to an A's/Rangers game because Nolan Ryan was pitching . We never ended up going and that was one of his no hitters.

The closest I've come was a Nomo 1-hitter at the Stick when there was a slow roller and the Dodgers SS couldn't get the runner at first.

Expand full comment

I actually got lucky and got to see Jordan Zimmermann throw one on the last day of the 2014 regular season.

Expand full comment

Lance Armstrong

Expand full comment

I get a TV guide for the week with my Sunday paper. Yesterday's brought the reminder that the TDF starts Saturday.

Expand full comment

starts in Basque country in Spain on Sat before heading into France.

Expand full comment

Stanfurd product Tiger Woods

Expand full comment

I remember the Big Game at Stanfurd where they announced that he was going to be inducted into the Stanfurd athletics HOF. He was there with his family on the field to accept this great "honor". I was in the stands that day in a corner of that God-forsaken excuse of an erector set stadium with other Cal fans and tried to start the "Overrated" chant. Nobody joined me, but I did have several people give me the side-eye probably wondering what kind of mind-altering substance I was on. I laughed it off...

That Big Game was on the traditional Saturday before Thanksgiving. Well, just a few short days later (the day after Thanksgiving, IIRC) Tiger's wife apparently found out about his secret social agenda. The rest, as they say, is history.

I do feel somewhat vindicated.

Expand full comment

I was at the 2009 Big Game. Didn't we boo him all throughout his half-time speech?

I remember the joke amongst the Cal faithful was that we instigated his downfall

Expand full comment

OH YEAH - we boooooooed like crazy. (Cal fan area)

Expand full comment

Am I remembering it incorrectly? I thought we all shouted "DROOOOOOPPPPP OOOUUUUTTTT"

Expand full comment

That TOO!

Expand full comment

It's sometimes hard to realize that was in 2009, more than 13 years ago.

Mike Mohamed! Shane Vereen!

Expand full comment

Babe Ruth is as close as baseball has come to having such a figure.

Expand full comment

Ruth was def that guy! All time leader in WAR by a decent amount, and the comparison to the guys in his own era makes him look even better. Also unlike Bonds he was a two way player and also was not on steroids

Expand full comment

I would argue Barry Bonds was that player in baseball much more recently, especially as he chased the all-time HR record.

Expand full comment
author

Pennant

Expand full comment
author

What was going on in your life when you were 38?

Expand full comment
author

I was grinding away for my third investment bank in Singapore. I was leaving for work before my kid/wife woke up and came home after they fell asleep. People say that on your deathbed, you regret that you worked so much. I regret this period, but I had no choice at the time.

Expand full comment

How did you pull off that downshift? Asking for a friend! 😀

Expand full comment
author

I am not going to lie. It was not fun. There is a period of profound sandness when one realizes that your career is over. I moved countries, moved to a smaller city, and fell back on a previous skill/experience. It took me a year of busting my hump to find a job, which is a dead-end role. The loss of job status/salary was very humbling. That being said, I am very happy in my dead-end role. I don't want any raises/promotions and prefer to keep a low profile to ride the role out as long as I can until they "cost synergy" my butt and I get involuntarily dumped into semi-retirement. And I'm at peace with that inevitability. Meanwhile, I now I have time to work out, cook a pan of brownies, DBD, and generally muckity muck around during the day -- and I am all the happier for it.

Expand full comment

Appreciate your DBD contributions!

Expand full comment

Now I know why your nickname is Sturdy.

Expand full comment

Dude, makes total sense! All you have is time, and especially via a vis my kids, I feel like they will be in college before I know it and my opportunity to spend time with them will be gone

Expand full comment

i side-shifted from investment bank jobs to more data and machine learning jobs. it was and continues to be less $$ than before. but infinitely more stable and less stress inducing for the family in terms of hours and salary fluctuations.

overall it has been great as the era of AI is upon us. i cant claim to have had any particular foresight. i just was tired of becoming more of an asshole working in finance and working in an industry, while personally profitable and intellectually challenging, just didnt get me excited about larger purpose of the work i was doing.

Expand full comment

I'll let you know when I get there

Expand full comment

Are you there yet?

Expand full comment

Don’t brag! 😀

Expand full comment

Working for my own company, traveling alot, taking care of and losing mother, still single and no kids, and typing this on DBD. Now

Expand full comment

We'll find out in a year and 16 days, 38 (or really 39) has always stood out as a milestone in my mind since my dad died at 38 of a heart attack. Hard to believe it's right around the corner

Expand full comment

38 was a DELIGHTFUL year for me. I was blissfully in love (possibly the most blissfully in love year of my life), had just started a new job in a new industry that I was great at, was making new friends, in shape, solvent, traveling around the best bits of Europe a lot on the company dime.

Expand full comment

Wow, can't 100% say just one thing, still trying to make it as a famous artist, but also subletting lots of units (about 26,000 sq ft.) to make $$$.

Frustrated trying to be famous.

Expand full comment

CREDIT CRISIS!!!

i was working in a string of investment bank jobs as a quant analyst as well. i left Barclays (stable) for Merrill Lynch (non-stable) right before the crash. when bonus time came around, i was one of the lucky few to have a contractually guaranteed bonus the first year.

Expand full comment

Lived through a powerful earthquake that scared me and everyone else for weeks.

Expand full comment

In a blur of taking care of children and working. So same as always!

Expand full comment

Was in year 2 of living in Phoenix, definitely the worst place I have ever lived, and was working as GM at one of 23 pizza/pasta/sub restaurants owned by a despicable family, definitely the worst job I have ever had…I would meet the former Mrs. Jimmy Chitwood shortly thereafter…wow, just a real f-cking bang up time in my life!!! Thanks for the reminder SGB.

;-) ;-)

Expand full comment
author

🤷‍♂️

Expand full comment

Pretty much working all the time. Still some overhang from deals done in the dotcom or ASP (application service provider) eras that needed to be merged into other entities, e.g. 6-7 year holds sometimes for a gain, sometimes breakeven. Still the markets began to recover at that point. Some deals had to be written off entirely though.

Expand full comment

I had two small children, was in my sixth year as a full-time teacher, the missus and I were going through a rough patch and I wasn't terribly excited that Keith Gilbertson was the new head coach at Cal.

Expand full comment
author

Zero

Expand full comment
author

Rose

Expand full comment
author

When I was 3-5 years old, I had an elderly baby sitter who wore an overwhelming amount rose-water perfume. To this day, I kinda cringe when I smell roses.

Expand full comment

____ Street in Berkeley.

Runs from the intersection with Hopkins Street at its west end to Scenic Ave. There is also a disconnected segment that runs about two blocks from LeRoy Ave to below the elevated roadway of LaLoma Ave.

Expand full comment

Stop and smell them! I've made a point to almost always stop and smell my various neighbor's roses while on dog walks. There is such a variety in scents and I'm always surprised at how many variants have had the scent removed entirely (like 99.99% of store bought roses)

Expand full comment

Berkeley ____ Garden. Less than 1/4 mile from Casa de Slug as the crow flies. When walking, it's more like 4/10ths of a mile using city streets and sidewalks.

Expand full comment

A really great place to do shrooms.

Expand full comment

Heh

Expand full comment

I also remember my parents taking me there when I was little. Did the big slide across the street in the park and also the big slide in the small corner park up from Euclid (?) from the Rose Garden.

Expand full comment

The Concrete Slide at Codornices Park. Best sliding is if you can get waxed cardboard. This slide is the more famous of two concrete slides in Berkeley.

You're probably also remembering the concrete slide at Dorothy Bolte Park downhill from Spruce Street at Michigan Ave. That slide is steeper that the Codornices Slide, but shorter.

Expand full comment

Slide further up are much better IMO.

Expand full comment

Yes to both of those. Those are the two that I remember.

Expand full comment

My brother just went here and said it was really pretty https://www.visitoakland.com/listing/morcom-rose-garden/220/

Expand full comment

I used to live about a block way from the upper part, on Vernon St. I used to take No 1 there many Thursdays after dinner because my ex volunteered at a juvenile non-violent felon detention center.

The rose garden is a really nice place. I even kind of remember my parents taking me there when I was young.

Expand full comment

Bowl. Something that has been changed irrevocably by the new playoff plan. Throughout my youth and into middle age and beyond dreamed of seeing Cal in the grandaddy of all bowl games against the Big Ten champs. Really exemplifies how the powers that be have f*cked up college football.

Expand full comment
author

Alabama

Expand full comment

Home of the original Space Camp.

Expand full comment

My nephew is about to start his senior year at the University of Alabama. First, however, he is going to spend about 6 weeks (which is the equivalent of one quarter) studying abroad in London. At first, my sister and I thought it odd that he wouldn't do the study abroad term during the school year until his counselor pointed out that nobody at Alabama studies abroad during the fall semester...football is too important.

Expand full comment

Lived there a couple of years, didn't actually hate it. My sister was given a free ride there (Bama), set many athletic records, some of which lasted a long time. I think shot throwing was the best one.

Expand full comment
author

ZIP

Expand full comment
Jun 26, 2023·edited Jun 26, 2023

Drive- 100mb per disk! Good for those undergrad Powerpoints that didn't fit on a 3.5" floppy :)

Expand full comment

Code.

Mine's 94709. My workplace is 94607. What's yours?

Expand full comment

NO REAL ZIP CODES!

Expand full comment

I also worry that some bot is gradually scraping up all our personal information.

Eventually they will be able to recreate our personalities.

Expand full comment

92620

Expand full comment

94703 is home. 94704 is work.

Expand full comment

Home: 92123

Work: 92082

Expand full comment

94556. Company zip code is 40207.

Expand full comment

line

Expand full comment
author

OUR CRUMBLING DEMOCRACY

Expand full comment
author

Its been three years since MS changed their state flag to not include the stars and bars. State Senator Kathy Chism wants to bring back the previous flag because "a lot of our people fought and died under that flag". Never mind that the previous state flag was adopted 3 decades after the the end of the Civil War. For goodness sake people, the Portsmouth Spartan pro football team lasted longer than the Confederacy - but at least the Spartans had a winning record.

https://www.mississippifreepress.org/34094/senator-calls-for-return-of-old-mississippi-flag-our-people-died-under-that-flag

Expand full comment
author
Jun 26, 2023·edited Jun 26, 2023Author

The Parkland HS resource officer is on trial now - the first cop charged of a crime related to a school shooting. He is charged with numerous felony child neglect charges for hiding behind a building for 40 minutes with his pistol drawn but not moving as a school shooter went on a rampage.

https://ktla.com/news/nexstar-media-wire/nationworld/headlines/closing-arguments-set-in-trial-of-florida-deputy-accused-of-failing-to-stop-school-shooter/

Expand full comment

Not that what he did is excusable, but the real blame here lays further up the chain. I feel like tagging the rent a cop for being useless (what a shocker) is just a way to divert attention away from the fact that what really needs to happen is that we need to repeal the Second Amendment

Expand full comment

Repeal? Nah, but apply only to an organized defense group? Yeah sure.

Expand full comment
author

The grift continues. I thought he was a billionaire.

https://www.rawstory.com/trump-legal-bills-2661833824/

Expand full comment
author

NBC Poll: Trump leads DeSantis 51-22. Also, Biden's numbers remains steady - but steadily in the toilet. Actually, everyone's numbers are in the toilet. It's just that Joe Biden's are floating on the top.

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23858265-230169-nbc-june-2023-poll_625-first-release

Expand full comment

IMO, Biden's poor approval numbers include a lot of people on the left who want someone younger and/or more leftist, but will also never vote for a Republican.

Expand full comment

I read it the same way. The United States is moving through a vast rearrangement of its electorate that has been in motion since 2010. Probably the biggest change will happen as 18-25 year olds become more politically active, grow older, get married and have kids, while the oldest most conservative segments (lot of Boomers!) die off. A changing of the guard is underway. We have only begun to see that change.

Most pundits, though, will deny this kind of change is occurring. Much of what pundits think is happening is based on past electoral trends and performance. Punditry cannot adequately account for the effects of COVID, the existential threat of climate change, and the backlash to the assault on civil rights represented by Dobbs.

Expand full comment

You just have to watch what has happened with the Millennial generation (who are not even 18-25 anymore; the oldest ones are pushing 40): they started out supporting Obama and the Dems by like 30 points, and though they've gotten a bit more conservative like most generations do, they are still consistently +10 to +15 Democratic. That's going to be a massive hill to climb for the GOP as they become the dominant voting generation.

And to be clear, I don't mean "permanent Democratic majority" or something silly like that. Political parties adjust to stay competitive, or if they don't then they die and a new party takes their place. But the Trumpist approach of the current Republican Party is on the clock right now, because it's clear they haven't turned around Millennials or Gen Z at all.

Expand full comment
author

California Assembly Bill 252

Expand full comment

seems like a poorly thought through idea that will get passed and then end up in court for 25 years.

Expand full comment

its soooooooo dumb. "I'll take Reactionary and Poorly Thought Out Takes for $200, Alex"

Expand full comment
author

PRO

Expand full comment
author

Welcome to the Mile High city, LA. Angels went up 23-0 in the top of the fourth versus the Rockies, eventually winning 25-1.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/boxscore/_/gameId/401472160

Expand full comment
author

The Rockies have a 6.11 ERA at home. They have the second worst ERA in the majors. The worst is Oakland at 6.08.

Expand full comment

And of course the next day the Rockies won 4-3. So over all, the Rockies were outscored 32-12 but won 2 of 3.

Expand full comment
author

FYI: we are 3 games into the CFL season. Kenny Lawler has been suspended thus far in the season because he got a DUI in October 2021 and has immigration issues because of it.

Expand full comment

Kenny Lawler had one of the most disappointing NFL careers. I thought he would have a Marvin Jones type career.

Expand full comment
author

In the arms race of Saudi pro football league, this is what the opposition is up against

https://twitter.com/photosofootball/status/1672206407653814273

Expand full comment
author

There are 16 teams in the Saudi Pro League. Since 1976, non-Riyadh or Jeddah teams have appeared in the finals only five times.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saudi_Professional_League

Expand full comment
author

LeBron tears down his 13,000 square foot mansion for a full rebuild

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/lebron-james-knocking-down-37-190400084.html

Expand full comment

That's just dumb...and hypocritical when you tout your "sustainability" bonafides. The article also engages in both sidesing by discussing not only LBJ's environmental creds, but also his progressive creds. This is a freaking press release, not reportage.

Very disappointing.

Expand full comment
author

Mets take a 6-3 lead into the bottom of the 8th. Then they give up 4 runs on 1 hit, lose.

https://twitter.com/harperisgoaded/status/1673125263377420288

Expand full comment
author

CAL

Expand full comment
author
author

If you encounter a bear - back away, wave arms above head, do not look it in the eyes, speak calmly to bear.

If bluff charge, hold ground. Do not run.

If real charge, fight black bear with everything you got. If brown/grizzly, play dead. If they continue attack while playing dead, fight back.

https://www.nps.gov/articles/bearattacks.htm

Expand full comment

I've been thinking about this some lately since a bear has been seen around north Arlington lately. It's also almost the anniversary of the day almost thirty years ago that a mother and son I knew in Alaska were killed by a brown bear on a run/hike near Anchorage. In that case the bear was protecting a moose carcass and the folks I knew where wrong place/wrong time.

Expand full comment

Is a Golden Bear a grizzly?

That's why our opponents on the gridiron play dead.

Unfortunately they usually fight us with everything they've got. Hence, those rock fight games.

Expand full comment

So I don't offer all bears a beer with a drinking tube?

Expand full comment

Go Bears!!!

Expand full comment
author

[PTSD flashback of pushing sleds in summer]

https://twitter.com/CalFootball/status/1672702578008920064

Expand full comment
author

Recruiting Twitter is blowing up! INCOMING COMMITMENTS!

Expand full comment
author

Cal lands the commitment of Dayday Aupiu (3* ATH)

https://twitter.com/aupiu45/status/1673433978722996226

Expand full comment
author

DBD AV CLUB

Expand full comment

Past Lives: might wind up being the best film of the year.

Expand full comment

I thought it was quite good but not best of the year good

Expand full comment

We saw Dungeons & Dragons this weekend - generally I thought it was ok and fun, but hardly great. Very good special effects, a lot of fun acting (and over-acting).

Expand full comment

Saw the new Wes Anderson film, Asteroid City, with the missus Saturday. I think it's his best since Moonrise Kingdom. I hesitate to recommend it because not everyone digs Anderson's style. If you do, go see it. Pronto.

Expand full comment

Moonrise Kingdom is my favorite Wes Anderson movie so I will have to see this.

Expand full comment

I want to see it!

Expand full comment
author

ELSEWHERE IN COLLEGE

Expand full comment
author

In the arms race of college football, we're up against program offering kids who just graduated from the 8th grade. He already had an offer from Georgia. Speaking of Georgia, the Bulldogs have also offered another kid of his grade.

https://twitter.com/AmarriIrvin1/status/1672833218264068096

Expand full comment
author

This kid was on the varsity as an 8th grader.

Expand full comment
author

Game 1 of CWS: LSU and Florida went back and forth before going into extra innings. In the top of the 11th, Florida top reliever Brandon Neely leaves a fastball in the middle of the plate and big boy DH Cade Beloso feasts on it.

https://twitter.com/roadtocfb/status/1672793271762812929

Expand full comment
author

LSU takes a quick lead and then Florida scores 3 touchdowns and a field goal to force game three in the College World Series Championship.

https://www.espn.com/college-baseball/boxscore/_/gameId/401553552

Expand full comment
author

In the arms race of college football, this is what we're up against

https://www.instagram.com/p/CnNno4UJD7Q/

Expand full comment

Exhibit A why colleges should not be in the intercollegiate athletics business without serious guidelines and limitations. If the NFL wants minor leagues, let them fund it.

Expand full comment