One of my happiest memories was working for the LA Times selling newspapers in front of the equestrian venue (Santa Anita Race Track) and the field hockey venue (East LA City College) during the '84 games. My dad worked in the street sales division of the Times at the time and was able to get my sister and me the jobs. I was 12 and my sister was 11. Most of the money we made was from tips from people who thought it was quaint that children were selling newspapers like we were. We made pretty good money, but we also were able to do lots of Olympic pin trading with people. I still have all of my pins and they are among my most treasured possessions. My dad suggested that we could work at the closing ceremonies at the Coliseum, but my mom vetoed that idea quick.
Those two weeks are among the last vivid memories I have of my dad, who died less than one year later.
I remember the pin trading. People got really obsessive about it. Thanks for sharing your memory about your pops. That's a great lasting one. One of my last great memories with my dad was meeting him at LA Memorial for the 2004 USC / Cal game. I came out from Chicago and he came down from the Bay. Despite the close loss it was such a great trip. I went back to Chicago and saw him once or twice after, but he died a year later.
Pin trading is giant giant business - during the winter olympics in Beijing (2022) one of the projects I was working on - that was ultimately scrapped because the client was unsure if there would be spectators at all - was setting up the official pin trading center.
(I don't remember her as Mary Decker Tabb, but definitely knew her only as Mary Decker or Mary Decker Slaney - and the 84 Olympics was the first big sporting event I remember)
There was a soccer prelim at Harvard stadium that I went to. Canada vs somebody. All the way across the country, but they still played the Olympic theme, and Sam the Eagle was there.
We have a giant pine in our backyard that we have to pay a fortune to trimmer every two years to scale it so it's branches don't fall on the neighbors houses', which is an increasing concern due to the drought. Also, tracking in all those pine needles every fall is no fun either.
No way. It's super old and rather majestic, even if an expensive pain in the rear. It's claim to fame is that it's apparently in the background of a scene in Mrs. Doubtfire.
Renovate my bathroom to an Art Deco style to match the home's character. The previous owners renovated the two bathrooms and kitchen after a main line water break and it seems that my bathroom was the last room done and was completed rather poorly. Currently I have lots of failing grout between the floor tiles and the small space was not done very efficiently so it feels particularly tight in there.
My favorite restaurant in the world is probably Katie Button's Cúrate in Asheville NC. I normally hate tapas, but hers are exquisite. I own her cookbook and am a pretty good home-cook, but I cannot recreate even a fraction of the magic that her kitchen makes. She and her restaurant are perennially nominated for James Beard awards, including winning the 2022 US Hospitality award.
Maybe the Bull Valley Roadhouse in Port Costa. When I was younger it would have been Warehouse Cafe, right across the street. My all-timer may have been Spenger's for purely sentimental reasons. That was often where my parents would take us after games.
Bull Valley is a legit great restaurant worth a visit. The Warehouse food is just fine (they only serve food on the weekends and only steak and crab I think), but the best ambiance anywhere and a ridiculous beer selection.
Yes, also my favorite as a student! Hot plate of curry chicken lunch special with hot and sour soup for $6.95 or something like that. No longer on Solano unfortunately.
for me and my crew, it'd be bean curd potstickers (even for the carnivores), mu shu tofu, szechuan string beans, and ??? (escapes me at the moment...garlic spicy noodles? was that a thing there?). And ya got the free sesame bean sprouts as a starter!
He has another restaurant in Napa called the Charter Oak. Chris is an old friend from way back, even before he was the chef at Chez TJ down on the peninsula.
Had my 10th anniversary dinner there. Managed to be incredibly classy without being snotty, and the food was both inventive and delicious. I would say it is probably the best meal I have ever had.
UC Davis is 1-17 against current Pac-12 members. The Aggies beat Arizona nearly 100 years ago. They are 0-10 vs. The Golden Bears. Their head coach is ex-CU HC Dan Hawkins. Dan has already been with the Aggies for 5 seasons and has earned a 31-22 record there.
I think the last time I was there was when I watched the Cal @ Oregon game in 2007. Great day in history! I am not aware of anything that happened to Cal football since that day, but I am pretty sure we have multiple Rose Bowls and National Titles under our belt, right? Is the ten story Tedford statue finally complete?
I agree with that. But to paraphrase Socrates it takes an astounding amount of ignorance to be certain of your position in a field in which you have zero expertise. These guys like Wiggins, Irving, Aaron Rodgers claim “to do their own research” but in reality if they had even a scintilla of understanding they would grasp that they do not have any idea what they are talking about. You might call it the Jared Kushner principle - that self-certainty requires enormous amounts of ignorance.
I read that article and I just can’t wrap my head around his thinking process. But, I’m happy he had a great year and hope he stays healthy and gets paid! Warriors could stand to keep him.
I'm digging the liver & onions luncheon (Not). Now they know that eating liver is not exactly healthy as it can lead to vitamin A toxicity and other problems.
CAL
Go Bears!!!
2028 Olympics in LA are set for July 14-30th
https://www.espn.com/olympics/story/_/id/34264527/los-angeles-olympic-games-begin-july-14-2028
Hoping I can attend some events, particularly the sailing events if they revamp the Long Beach race course
I went to the '84 one in LA in Memorial Coliseum. Mary Decker Tabb got tripped by Zola Budd. Big controversy. Seems quaint today.
One of my happiest memories was working for the LA Times selling newspapers in front of the equestrian venue (Santa Anita Race Track) and the field hockey venue (East LA City College) during the '84 games. My dad worked in the street sales division of the Times at the time and was able to get my sister and me the jobs. I was 12 and my sister was 11. Most of the money we made was from tips from people who thought it was quaint that children were selling newspapers like we were. We made pretty good money, but we also were able to do lots of Olympic pin trading with people. I still have all of my pins and they are among my most treasured possessions. My dad suggested that we could work at the closing ceremonies at the Coliseum, but my mom vetoed that idea quick.
Those two weeks are among the last vivid memories I have of my dad, who died less than one year later.
I remember the pin trading. People got really obsessive about it. Thanks for sharing your memory about your pops. That's a great lasting one. One of my last great memories with my dad was meeting him at LA Memorial for the 2004 USC / Cal game. I came out from Chicago and he came down from the Bay. Despite the close loss it was such a great trip. I went back to Chicago and saw him once or twice after, but he died a year later.
Pin trading is giant giant business - during the winter olympics in Beijing (2022) one of the projects I was working on - that was ultimately scrapped because the client was unsure if there would be spectators at all - was setting up the official pin trading center.
I didn't attend any events but had a friend and fellow runner who made it to the semis in the 5,000 meters.
Mary Decker Slaney?
Yeah, Decker Tabb at the time.
She was already divorced in 1983.
(I don't remember her as Mary Decker Tabb, but definitely knew her only as Mary Decker or Mary Decker Slaney - and the 84 Olympics was the first big sporting event I remember)
Ahh, anyways, that's the name I remember her by.
There was a soccer prelim at Harvard stadium that I went to. Canada vs somebody. All the way across the country, but they still played the Olympic theme, and Sam the Eagle was there.
If you could instantly change one thing about your house/apartment, what would it be?
Mature trees. The developers cut down all trees in the backyard after we bought the lot so that they could replace it with sod.
Man you just made me wish my trees were about 15 years older
We have a giant pine in our backyard that we have to pay a fortune to trimmer every two years to scale it so it's branches don't fall on the neighbors houses', which is an increasing concern due to the drought. Also, tracking in all those pine needles every fall is no fun either.
Why not just take it out? Possibly replace it with a different tree? How many trims would pay for simply removing the tree?
No way. It's super old and rather majestic, even if an expensive pain in the rear. It's claim to fame is that it's apparently in the background of a scene in Mrs. Doubtfire.
Maybe a 3-car garage vs a 2-car garage.
Holy cow, this is my exact wish too
Bigger main bathroom for me and my wife.
It could use a good rehab, there’s really no one thing that would be a massive improvement
I've also always wanted a little diner-style corner nook in the kitchen, replete with a b/w tile floor and silver built-in stools.
Renovate my bathroom to an Art Deco style to match the home's character. The previous owners renovated the two bathrooms and kitchen after a main line water break and it seems that my bathroom was the last room done and was completed rather poorly. Currently I have lots of failing grout between the floor tiles and the small space was not done very efficiently so it feels particularly tight in there.
Another spare room to use as an office/guest room.
For it to be tidier (this is on me).
Get the cat to do some work.
Well any responsible cat owner knows we work for them and not the other way around.
I'd like an open kitchen with more storage space. Our kitchen is small and closed off.
We have an open kitchen and I love it.
I have 3 kids and an open kitchen and I sometimes wish the kitchen were off in a corridor somewhere so my monkeys weren’t always on top of me 😃
Your favorite restaurant
My favorite restaurant in the world is probably Katie Button's Cúrate in Asheville NC. I normally hate tapas, but hers are exquisite. I own her cookbook and am a pretty good home-cook, but I cannot recreate even a fraction of the magic that her kitchen makes. She and her restaurant are perennially nominated for James Beard awards, including winning the 2022 US Hospitality award.
I've got a reservation next month and can't wait.
https://curatetapasbar.com/bar-de-tapas/
i find that favorites are more about memories and familiarity as opposed to the "best food in the world"
currently in NYC ... Il Buco Alimentari & Vineria in Soho - not fancy, but good Italian and great negronis.
in fact SG Bear and i are having lunch there today!
Maybe the Bull Valley Roadhouse in Port Costa. When I was younger it would have been Warehouse Cafe, right across the street. My all-timer may have been Spenger's for purely sentimental reasons. That was often where my parents would take us after games.
Bull Valley is a legit great restaurant worth a visit. The Warehouse food is just fine (they only serve food on the weekends and only steak and crab I think), but the best ambiance anywhere and a ridiculous beer selection.
As out of the way as Warehouse Cafe is. It's directly across the street.
House of Prime Rib.
Honorable Mention: Peg's Glorified Ham & Eggs in Reno, NV (best breakfast on the planet).
2nd Honorable Mention: La Fondue in Saratoga, CA.
Mrs Slug and I have a reservation during the week after Christmas.
I still have never been to the HoPR.
It was surprisingly good, but we were also a bit lit since it was dinner for a bachelor party
In college (lo those many years ago), it was Liu's Kitchen (just thru the tunnel in Albany).
Not sure that I have a favorite these days. It's too dependent on the mood.
Yes, also my favorite as a student! Hot plate of curry chicken lunch special with hot and sour soup for $6.95 or something like that. No longer on Solano unfortunately.
for me and my crew, it'd be bean curd potstickers (even for the carnivores), mu shu tofu, szechuan string beans, and ??? (escapes me at the moment...garlic spicy noodles? was that a thing there?). And ya got the free sesame bean sprouts as a starter!
I don’t know that I really have one these days.
Top…Dog
Or Tadich
Tsim Chai Kee on Wellington in Hong Kong
https://guide.michelin.com/us/en/hong-kong-region/hong-kong/restaurant/tsim-chai-kee-wellington-street
Australia Dairy Company
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia_Dairy_Company
Current favorites
Bombera in Dimond district
Snail Bar in Temescal
Popoca, currently a pop up with brick and mortar coming to Old Town this fall
Best place I ate at in Napa burned down a couple (3?) years ago - lots of good places in Paris.
Meadowood?
Yup, stayed there for a weekend for the wife's birthday.
He has another restaurant in Napa called the Charter Oak. Chris is an old friend from way back, even before he was the chef at Chez TJ down on the peninsula.
Had my 10th anniversary dinner there. Managed to be incredibly classy without being snotty, and the food was both inventive and delicious. I would say it is probably the best meal I have ever had.
ELSEWHERE IN COLLEGE
UC Davis
UC Davis is 1-17 against current Pac-12 members. The Aggies beat Arizona nearly 100 years ago. They are 0-10 vs. The Golden Bears. Their head coach is ex-CU HC Dan Hawkins. Dan has already been with the Aggies for 5 seasons and has earned a 31-22 record there.
I thought they beat Furd, though maybe they just scared them.
2005 - they did.
https://ucdavisaggies.com/news/2005/9/17/UC_Davis_Stuns_Stanford_For_Improbable_20_17_Win.aspx
I stand corrected. I used the wrong data box from UC Davis' record books.
https://ucdavisaggies.com/documents/2021/2/26//_20_21_FB_Record_Book.pdf?id=17454
I was in the now-gone Raleigh’s pub when Adam Duritz stood up and announced that the Aggies beat the Furd--what a glorious night
I think the last time I was there was when I watched the Cal @ Oregon game in 2007. Great day in history! I am not aware of anything that happened to Cal football since that day, but I am pretty sure we have multiple Rose Bowls and National Titles under our belt, right? Is the ten story Tedford statue finally complete?
Raleigh’s closed?!
"U C Davis" clap clap clapclapclap
I was living in atherton in 2005 and went to the game. The fandom, such as it is - was shocked.
Bossy Cow Cow
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZZbkrUcQNg
They have a brewmaster program in addition to wine making.
OUR CRUMBLING DEMOCRACY
Yeah, Meadows, we all heard that "prowess", you lickspittle.
#Hamberders.
https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1549567075097665539
MD GOP has apparently chosen Dan Cox, an election denier, in the gubernatorial primary.
https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/19/politics/maryland-primary-election/index.html
Steve Bannon is losing his contempt case badly. His verdict should come tomorrow and it seems likely that he'll lose.
https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/19/politics/bannon-takeaways-day-2/index.html
Does anyone think he’ll actually receive a punishment? Maybe if he turns into a fall guy?
I do. But contempt of Congress is a minor offense - so we're looking at a month or perhaps a few months of jail.
And probably not the Office Space kind of jail
The Inspector General requested a month worth of texts from 24 Secret Service officers. They received exactly one text. One.
https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/19/politics/secret-service-text-messages-january-6-inspector-general/index.html
The word I’m using about this is “de-baathification”
Note to self to remember to clear some old messages to free up space on the phone.
Sure, but you’re not legally required to maintain them
Obviously, the Secret Service needs to be purged of fascists.
Obviously.
Investigate them all.
PRO
Off the back of their mini-oval race in LA, NASCAR is going to do a street race - New Chicago Drift
https://www.nascar.com/news-media/2022/07/19/nascar-reveals-chicago-street-race-on-tap-for-2023-cup-series-seasons-july-1-2-weekend/
Andrew Wiggins regrets getting vaccinated
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/34268790/golden-state-warriors-andrew-wiggins-regrets-getting-covid-19-vaccine-all-star-title-season
Gawd, he comes off as an immature brat. Same as Kyrie Irving. Not a team player.
Yeah, but the difference is that he got the shot and played the whole season, while Kyrie didn't.
...and yet he still whines. Very disappointing.
At this point I honestly don't care if a guy complains loudly about having to get vaccinated if he also ultimately does it.
I agree with that. But to paraphrase Socrates it takes an astounding amount of ignorance to be certain of your position in a field in which you have zero expertise. These guys like Wiggins, Irving, Aaron Rodgers claim “to do their own research” but in reality if they had even a scintilla of understanding they would grasp that they do not have any idea what they are talking about. You might call it the Jared Kushner principle - that self-certainty requires enormous amounts of ignorance.
I definitely don't understand the attitude. But once they get the shot, I don't have to.
I read that article and I just can’t wrap my head around his thinking process. But, I’m happy he had a great year and hope he stays healthy and gets paid! Warriors could stand to keep him.
Is that even a question? TOP DOG!!!!!! I'm ordering them for the Cal-Notre Dame game in September.
i guess i dont consider Top Dog a "restaurant" but i guess technically it might be ...
When you serve the "champagne" of gourmet hot dogs, you are a restaurant, except with no bathrooms.
It is an anarchist propaganda library first, yes. Then a restaurant.
I just found out you can get a free trip by buying a Volvo https://tourist.volvoprograms.com/
Oh that sounds like a lot of fun.
Hmm that's very interesting
Teachers' names https://twitter.com/IHideFromMyKids/status/1549516602827227137?s=20&t=KdZM5f-syaTq73EtrtSFTw
I'm digging the liver & onions luncheon (Not). Now they know that eating liver is not exactly healthy as it can lead to vitamin A toxicity and other problems.