As I'm again the first one here I'd like to welcome everyone. Hope you had a nice weekend. Speaking of weekends, the weekend edition of the DBD has really been hopping lately. Co-hosted by Psychotic Oski and Kathmandu Bear, this weekend there was face painting, cooking displays and Rob R came by to offer tips on sharing Wikipedia links. Come by next weekend and enjoy the fun!
We had Cf98's third birthday party on Saturday. It was a great time (even despite the surprise thunderstorm moving everything inside for a bit), but, man, kids' parties are a lot of work.
My son just turned 3 in June and it is a lot of work. At least holding them at home, versus at a park makes it a bit easier as you don’t have to transport stuff.
We did have a nice weekend, and a great dinner last night, a fresh Bolognese my wife made. Since not everyone was here, I stuck with the decent wine (but rare!) already open from Spain, but it went well.
I will never not love watching Pee wee's Big Adventure. A couple things I didn't know until decades and dozens of viewings later:
1) Pee wee's Big Adventure is an homage to The Bicycle Thief
2) The map on the wall in Pee wee's basement where he presents his "evidence" is of San Francisco
The relatively recent Pee-wee's Big Holiday is also hilarious and well worth a watch. After I saw it, it prompted me to rekindle one of my oldest friendships that had gone dormant for over a decade. In Middle School, we used to hang out in his basement with a third friend and watch Pee-wee's Playhouse and laugh our asses off. We now meet up annually to catch up and reminisce. We almost got the third to join us this year but he couldn't make it. Hopefully next year.
i think i had a bday party there once. i am not that good at most of the games, but nearly invincible at Whack-a-Mole. but i always wanted to win the one where you squirt water at a target and explode the balloon.
this seems to be more and more common these days. my just-finished-freshman-year daughter doesnt seem to care much either even though she has drank some and been to a handful of parties.
I didnt til I was 21 either. The fam just got back from Costa Rica... Junior has always turned his nose up at drinking but we got lots of rum and had our own pool and after about 3 tall rum and cokes I believe the quote was "I don't know what I was thinking, I was so wrong. Drinking is amazing!" Hasn't asked for it since we got home but the attitude def shifted. He is 19 at present
this was the first year i watched most of the stages. being only 8 stages long there was a literally one mountain stage where the Tour was decided. Demi Vollering, up and coming super star, crushed everyone on the Col du Tourmalet, which is one of the classic climbs in the Pyrenees. further extended her advantage on the final day time trial.
The culture shock game of the year has to be Auburn traveling to Cal on Sept. 9, the first meeting ever between the teams. At Auburn, they've been known to roll trees with toilet paper after big wins. At Cal, they've been known to strip naked and climb trees to save them. It's a 2,438-mile trip for the Tigers and only Auburn's third regular-season game ever on the West Coast. The Bears are 9-1 at home in nonconference games under Justin Wilcox. The hardwoods will be watching.
Which conference will extend an invitation to Cal? Seriously. B1G hasn't done it. Big XII seems like they're getting their targeted institutions. Not a peep from the SEC or the ACC.
Cal is in danger of seeing its Athletic Department decimated due to simple inaction and a history of studied indifference resulting in being out of position to adjust in the current realignment climate.
Remember, the requirements to remain an FBS program are to sponsor 15 sports including the following - football, men's basketball, women's basketball, and women's volleyball. Also, an institution that receives federal dollars MUST adhere to Title IX on one of three prongs -
Prong 1 - the number of athletic roster spots must mirror enrollment of the undergrad population within a range of +/- 5%
Prong 2 - the number of athletic roster spots for the under-represented sex must be continually expanding
Prong 3 - the institution must not have complaints from the under-represented sex about a lack of opportunities to participate in a sponsored sport (I know of no institution where this is the case).
Failure to meet those requirements means drastic cuts to the number of sponsored sports and the Athletic Department. The best chances to meet those requirements exist with the B1G or the Big XII because they can offer the kind of annual cash payments which make it possible to keep the sponsored program afloat and service the stadium debt.
As I'm again the first one here I'd like to welcome everyone. Hope you had a nice weekend. Speaking of weekends, the weekend edition of the DBD has really been hopping lately. Co-hosted by Psychotic Oski and Kathmandu Bear, this weekend there was face painting, cooking displays and Rob R came by to offer tips on sharing Wikipedia links. Come by next weekend and enjoy the fun!
We had Cf98's third birthday party on Saturday. It was a great time (even despite the surprise thunderstorm moving everything inside for a bit), but, man, kids' parties are a lot of work.
My son just turned 3 in June and it is a lot of work. At least holding them at home, versus at a park makes it a bit easier as you don’t have to transport stuff.
lots of thunderstorms in DC area over weekend.
we lost power one night in our Airbnb and just had to deal w/ a night of restless sleep because of the heat.
A friend about a mile away lost power for about a day and a half. It's a rough time of year to be without AC
Not ideal
in DC for the weekend. spent Sat being tourists, walking around the Mall, getting lunch by Navy Yards, seeing some Asian art.
Sun went for a vigorous 10 mi hike up Old Rag Mt. a classic hike in Shenandoah with a challenging and fun rock scramble near the top
https://photos.app.goo.gl/PiRc9w2QFf7Rybx68
We did have a nice weekend, and a great dinner last night, a fresh Bolognese my wife made. Since not everyone was here, I stuck with the decent wine (but rare!) already open from Spain, but it went well.
OTHER COLLEGE
DBD AV CLUB
RIP a legend https://twitter.com/HistoryMuppet/status/1686062109094821912?s=20
I will never not love watching Pee wee's Big Adventure. A couple things I didn't know until decades and dozens of viewings later:
1) Pee wee's Big Adventure is an homage to The Bicycle Thief
2) The map on the wall in Pee wee's basement where he presents his "evidence" is of San Francisco
The relatively recent Pee-wee's Big Holiday is also hilarious and well worth a watch. After I saw it, it prompted me to rekindle one of my oldest friendships that had gone dormant for over a decade. In Middle School, we used to hang out in his basement with a third friend and watch Pee-wee's Playhouse and laugh our asses off. We now meet up annually to catch up and reminisce. We almost got the third to join us this year but he couldn't make it. Hopefully next year.
Shit. I know this is a cliched and overused phrase, but in this case . . . a piece of my childhood actually just died.
My wife and I started Jury Duty over the weekend and we are really enjoying it.
at first it was thinking ... "it seems so unlikely that you 2 would both get called for jury duty at once"!!
I finished it on Fri. So good. The stories are all so good.
Chuck
Chuck Chuck Bo Buck
Taylor
Muncie
Norris
I have a roofer contractor who's name is Chuck.
When he's on the roof, you can always ask him, What's up, Chuck?
Ha!
E Cheese
i think i had a bday party there once. i am not that good at most of the games, but nearly invincible at Whack-a-Mole. but i always wanted to win the one where you squirt water at a target and explode the balloon.
E's in love
“I will tell your recorder so you don’t forget. This is Chuck, reminding Bill to shut-up…”
MISCELLANEOUS SHENANIGANS
My older daughter is having her 21st birthday today which doesn’t seem correct at all, I could have sworn she just started kindergarten
you know how some people buy wine when their children are born and age it for 21 yrs or more?
after a nice experience, i am thinking i should age things like Campari and amaro. my kids even like that stuff.
i had a vintage Cynar from 1980 at an Italian restaurant in DC. the bartender tells me they have a Cynar from 1960's as well, among other things.
Good grief. Stunning how time flies and the kids grow up, isn't it?
I was terrified to realize on her last birthday that older daughter is now older than I was when she was born.
My oldest will hit that milestone in a little less than 3 years and 10 months.
Wish her happy birthday from all your friends at WFC….remind her to hydrate if she hits the town tonight, and pop a couple of Tums. ;-)
She basically doesn’t drink which is kind of wild to me
this seems to be more and more common these days. my just-finished-freshman-year daughter doesnt seem to care much either even though she has drank some and been to a handful of parties.
They don't drink and don't drive. What's even the point of growing up?!?
Adam Ant, anyone?
Oh! the irony of that phrasing.
"yet". You forgot that key word
I dunno man they have booze at college and she just doesn’t bother
I didnt til I was 21 either. The fam just got back from Costa Rica... Junior has always turned his nose up at drinking but we got lots of rum and had our own pool and after about 3 tall rum and cokes I believe the quote was "I don't know what I was thinking, I was so wrong. Drinking is amazing!" Hasn't asked for it since we got home but the attitude def shifted. He is 19 at present
Good for her.
UC BERKELEY PERSON OF THE YEAR
POLITICAL AND LEGAL MAYHEM
PRO
Tour de Frances Femmes
this was the first year i watched most of the stages. being only 8 stages long there was a literally one mountain stage where the Tour was decided. Demi Vollering, up and coming super star, crushed everyone on the Col du Tourmalet, which is one of the classic climbs in the Pyrenees. further extended her advantage on the final day time trial.
great to watch
CAL
2023 CFB superlatives: Who has the hardest, easiest schedule (ESPN)
https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/37963670/2023-college-football-schedule-superlatives-hardest-easiest
Clash of cultures
The culture shock game of the year has to be Auburn traveling to Cal on Sept. 9, the first meeting ever between the teams. At Auburn, they've been known to roll trees with toilet paper after big wins. At Cal, they've been known to strip naked and climb trees to save them. It's a 2,438-mile trip for the Tigers and only Auburn's third regular-season game ever on the West Coast. The Bears are 9-1 at home in nonconference games under Justin Wilcox. The hardwoods will be watching.
Go Bears!!! In whatever conference we land in.
What if there is no conference affiliation?
Could they cram us in to the NFC West?
Independent?
Eek!
It's a distinct possibility.
No it’s not. Cal does not have the resources ($$$) or cachet to go independent, nor a national brand
See my reply to Fire Starkey.
Put another way, what's better - membership in a mid-major conference or independence as an FBS program?
I dont think so. Too expensive to run as an independent with the department size and debt we have
Which conference will extend an invitation to Cal? Seriously. B1G hasn't done it. Big XII seems like they're getting their targeted institutions. Not a peep from the SEC or the ACC.
Cal is in danger of seeing its Athletic Department decimated due to simple inaction and a history of studied indifference resulting in being out of position to adjust in the current realignment climate.
Remember, the requirements to remain an FBS program are to sponsor 15 sports including the following - football, men's basketball, women's basketball, and women's volleyball. Also, an institution that receives federal dollars MUST adhere to Title IX on one of three prongs -
Prong 1 - the number of athletic roster spots must mirror enrollment of the undergrad population within a range of +/- 5%
Prong 2 - the number of athletic roster spots for the under-represented sex must be continually expanding
Prong 3 - the institution must not have complaints from the under-represented sex about a lack of opportunities to participate in a sponsored sport (I know of no institution where this is the case).
Failure to meet those requirements means drastic cuts to the number of sponsored sports and the Athletic Department. The best chances to meet those requirements exist with the B1G or the Big XII because they can offer the kind of annual cash payments which make it possible to keep the sponsored program afloat and service the stadium debt.
Cal is headed for a financial cliff in athletics.