191 Comments

when will the game time of the Big Game (11/20) be released? is it 6 days out? I hate our TV deals.

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I'm hoping it isn't the 12:30 slot.

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I'm hoping it's not evening or night..

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So 3:30-4 it is!

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The last 3+ ingredient cocktail you had

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I had never had a Boulevardier and it was freaking delicious. Rye, Campari and sweet Vermouth... so much yum

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that is a great drink, a negroni where you swap out the gin for rye/bourbon.

that is a local favorite

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we have one of those almost every night.

last night's concoction .. a sweet negroni

- 2x gin

- 1x punt e mes

- 1x orange liqueur

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Surfer on Acid: Malibu rum, pineapple juice, and jaegermeister in equal parts. Sounds disgusting, but is really good.

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Does a cherry count? Because then it's a Manhattan

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Caipirinha

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Speaking of cocktails. Anyone here have a bar cart that they would recommend?

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Campari, grapefruit juice, gin and a splash of champagne. It's my go to.

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Sounds delicious.

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I like tequila, lime flavored bubble water and a fresh squeezed lime. Sometimes I’ll add a dash of Juaritos or Squirt if I have it.

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Where I live, that drink is called a Ranch Water. We take tequila, Topo Chico mineral water, squeeze a lime or two and put a couple slices of jalapeño and a dash of salt in a glass. Stir it a little. Then, pour it back into the Topo Chico bottle and drink it like a beer. Refreshing, bubbly, spicy.

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You must live in Texas. I only heard they drink referred to as Ranch Water this year and that was only due to me seeing it in a RTD can at Wholefoods and the companies name is Ranch Water.

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That’s right. The Spicy Ranch Waters that you can buy in a can at Whole Foods are not half bad. I know the packaging says Ranch Water, not sure if that is generic or they really got the trademark. Obviously, the “real” ranch waters (using Topo Chico - there is something about the mineral content in the topo water that “reacts” well with the tequila), are considerably better. Tasty. Spicy. No sugar, which is a plus. Ladies love them. They, drink them / hold them like a beer.

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I typically use and prefer the twist of grapefruit or twist of lime Topo Chicos when making this drink but will use any bubble water on hand.

On a side note, I was very disappointing in the Topo Chico seltzers.

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FiatSlug's version of a Vesper martini -

3 parts Bombay Sapphire

1 part Monopolowa vodka (available at TJ's)

1/2 part lemon juice *

Stir. Strain. Served up.

* any other citrus can be substituted for the lemon juice. Mrs Slug and I like limes and oranges since we keep those in the house anyhow.

Usually sipped on the front porch on warm days. Sometimes in front of the Dining Room picture window looking at the view of San Francisco after sunset during late fall and winter.

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vodka and gin? i thought people usually go w/ one or the other.

willing to give it a try ...

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I would think so, too. I often drink gin, but not vodka. A Vesper is my exception and it's a nice change of pace. Kind of like a Rusty Nail would be with scotch and Drambuie.

I was inspired by the Casino Royal (Daniel Craig) scene where he orders a Vesper for the first time. Kina Lilet is generally not available and very pricey if you can find it. So, we've improvised with that part of the recipe.

Mrs Slug prefers the reverse proportions (3 parts vodka to 1 part gin), which we refer to as a Reverse Vesper. She says that she tastes the gin just fine and that it enhances the vodka.

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I usually have straight liquor, but the missus made zombies on Halloween for obvious reasons.

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when I saw Zombies the first thing I thought about were the high school snacks the cafeteria offered in the East Bay. MMM...soo good.

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Not my jam, I like my liquor straight.

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check out Mr Reno Fancypants here

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to be fair, we went to some EXCELLENT fancy cocktail bars in Reno.

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An overrated celebrity chef

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all of them.

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Paul Prudhomme. His recipes were nothing special, apart from being the only recognizable face of the delicious cajun/creole style. His restaurants were disastrous. It's one thing to be able to cook good food. It's another thing to be able to run a good business - train subordinates, understand restaurant management, set up a culture of excellence, not cut corners. He sucked at running restaurants, so his food was consistently underwhelminging.

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holy crap, I always thought he and Dom DeLuise were the same person

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Salt Bae is the easy answer to being overrated. I've read recently that Wolfgang Puck is way overrated (at least in recent times). Nigella Lawson - here recipes are meh.

I'll defend Rachael Ray. She never claimed to be a high-falutin' chef (calls herself a cook when asked). Her food is solid middle-of-the-road comfort food.

Underrated = Tyler Florence, several Portland chefs who should be more famous.

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Wolfgang was innovative in the late 70s and early 80s - expanding the definition of what can go on a pizza - something he could do as an Austrian in Los Angeles

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I ate at a Spago for the first time this past weekend in Maui. Surprisingly good.

Salt Bae is not just overrated, but also unsanitary. And ridiculous with his covering a steak in gold leaf.

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Clapdoc, if you go back to Maui Spago, ask for the whole fried fish - not on the menu, but they have it. You may have to ask for it the morning of the day that you go (they get a whole snapper from the market and will cook it for you that night). It’s fantastic. Crispy, spicy, delicious.

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Will have to let my brother know. He's currently at the condo in Kehei he and his wife bought not long ago for periodic visits.

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GOD DAMN IT

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Clap, is that comment “good” cause I am going to get the fish! Or, is it “bad’ because it sounds great, but I have been kicked out of Spago and asked not to return.

Hungry and curious.

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Bad since I didn't research before I went but good because now I know

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Interesting that you defend Rachael but don't like Nigella. I'd argue that Nigella is a slightly more cosmopolitan, high rent Rachael, with exactly the same branding -- not a chef, just a cook. I'm not particularly a fan of either, but don't see much difference between them.

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That's a good comparison, hadn't thought about it that way before. For me, I have one cookbook from each of them. Rachael's food was exactly what I thought it would be. Nigella's was a little more work and not as good. I guess I view Nigella as more high end and expected more. I need to lower my expectations :-)

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Her food is straight garbage.

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Her sloppy joe's recipe is a go-to recipe for the kids and I. We don't aim much higher than that for her stuff.

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PREACH. It is my favourite Nigella recipe BY FAR.

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I love parts of her too!

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pqtm

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where to start...

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Heh, should be catnip for you.

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Computer set-up update. A while back, I obsessed over setting up a case that would prop my laptop screen up at an ergonomically correct height, keep wires set in place so that set-up and break-down are super quick, and allow a keyboard attachment. The goal was to have a little wooden suitcase that I can take to can take in my car and work from anywhere.

Well, I built it. It's essentially a box, where the sides/back are 1x4 cedar boards. Cedar to be a bit stronger than pine, won't warp, and looks a little less ghetto. The top & bottom are hardboard pegboard where the holes allow for me to use zip ties and bolts to secure things. There was one design flaw, where the pegboard does not quite have enough tensile strength to hold everything up without sagging, so I'm working on an upgrade that attaches a hinged font door that will support the front part of the top & bottom when it's closed, plus secure everything inside in a neater looking case. I also need to add more metal loops to act as cable management because all tables are different, which means all the mouse, keyboard, and power cabling needs to be adjustable. All in, it cost about $50 and works like a charm. My internet at home went down, so I'm using it now as I work remotely.

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Cool! I'd love to see pictures!

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Nice. I appreciate the insight. If I remember correctly, your fiber line was severed--how long until they get that fixed?

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cool. nice update about all the thought that went into it

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Ghostbusters

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Why is there another Ghostbusters movie coming out? That's less of a question and more of a lament.

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My big question (based on the previews) is why they seem to have forgotten that Ghostbusters is a comedy?

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I didn't especially care for the Melissa McCarthy one - not because of the woman thing - I find all four main actresses very funny - but the movie wasn't great. But apparently it made $$$.

This one is by Ivan Reitman's son.

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I agree with this. I thought the McCarthy one was average and forgettable. All the actresses are funny and the movie had some good moments but was a bit underwhelming.

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Yeah, it was okay and had its moments, but the key about the original movie is that it has a horror/fantasy plot that tracks pretty well from start to finish. The improv style of this reboot clashed with that.

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A dumb movie from my early teenage years...

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Dumb? Dumb?!?!?! First one is a great movie!

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i agree. the first one was great.

a couple years back i was at some fancy Manhattan party. the people had one of the original Ghostbusters energizer packs (or whatever they are called) on display like a piece of art.

was super cool.

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It's either a proton pack or an unlicensed nuclear accelerator depending on which part of the movie you're in

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Dana

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Jacobson. Another under-utilized by CBS talent.

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Vollmer. 5x Gold Medalist

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White. UFC head honcho. Interesting character, in that Joe Rogan/Bill Maher kinda way.

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Did he ever catch that illegal streamer?

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Yeah, that's a rabbit hole I did not foresee diving into today. But it appears his efforts led to his main target shutting down earlier this year.

https://www1.villanova.edu/villanova/law/academics/sportslaw/commentary/mslj_blog/2021/ClosingtheStreamingLoophole.html

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Scully. The X-Files was an incredibly groundbreaking show for its day.

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Point. I always hit traffic there when driving to San Diego.

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Not today...LA was a schitt show tho

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... Gould. A very good stand-up comic who excels and movie/TV references.

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Saw him live at Cobb's/Punchline many times in the 90's. Him, Greg Proops and Margaret Cho were always great shows. Had a good set of jokes about being young and poor and living above an erotic bakery, and having to live off of day-old leftovers and castoffs from the bakery.

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yeah, that was a great era. Jake Johansson, Johnny Steele, Warren Thomas, Tom Kenny, David Feldman, the list goes on...but it was a very white male world.

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I remember watching the comedy show hosted by Alex Bennett (Live 105) on PBS every Fri (?) night when I was in middle and high school. They had many of these people on. Bobby Slayton who made fun of everyone. lots of great SF comedians in the late 80s and 90s.

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Speaking of Slayton, I was at a Tubes NYE show in 1982(?) at the Kabuki (before it became cinema) and Bobby opened for them. He got booed off the stage and fell out of the SF scene for quite awhile.

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Comedy Tonight

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Held at the Great American Music Hall I believe. One morning my friend and I went to the studio to watch Alex Bennett Live. It was kinda fun.

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saw him live with Bobcat Goldthwaite at the Moontower festival. Didn't know what to expect going in but the show was absolutely phenomenal. Both of them are hilarious and they riff off each other almost perfectly

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OMG...that was amaze-balls. I need to (later) watch the series of interviews he does.

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.. Carvey

one of the best ever from SNL.

party on.

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He also sued his surgeon for a botched heart bypass maybe 25 years ago.

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Delany in China Beach could get it. I don't care how unfortunate some of those hairstyles were.

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She's good looking, but can't act worth a damn. Re-watched Tombstone not that long ago, forgot she was in it - for good reason.

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I mean when I was 18 I wasn't really interested in seeing her Lady MacBeth

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Judgement free zone on that topic...

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O'Connell from Northern Exposure was similarly my jam

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Yup.

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DBD Test Kitchen

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Broth. I've made homemade dashi, vegetable stock, rooster chicken stock, and roasted pork bone stock and frozen them in various sized containers. At any given time, I'll have 2 or 3 of the containers defrosted in my fridge. It is handy to deglaze, steam, and otherwise hydrate your cooking. Dashi and roasted pork bone stock are two of my secret ingredients that add umami, but nobody can put a finger on what it actually is.

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Spaghetti Squash with Marinara and Roasted Pepper Garlic Sausages

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Bullinada (Catalan Fish Stew With Aioli)

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1022687-bullinada-catalan-fish-stew-with-aioli

made this last night for an easy weeknight dinner. simple and easy and was really fantastic.

served w/ a green salad, toasty baguette, and a bottle of Sancerre that we had open. probably a wine that paired w/ heat of the dish would have been a little better.

my children did not provide any baked goods for dessert.

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"my children did not provide any baked goods for dessert." 😂

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I caught that as well...

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DBD AV Club

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On the A side, going to see Idles at The Fonda on Friday. I've been enjoying getting back into live punk/rock shows. We also saw Mannequin Pussy at Lodge Room last month, and if you have the chance to see them live, I'd highly recommend it.

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For Halloween (technically the night before) we watched "Son of Frankenstein" - 7/19 WNB - I feel like was tricked into watching this by Nexflix, which described it as the basis for Mel Brooks "Young Frankenstein" - which it clearly was, but that didn't make it good enough to watch. Also, for the most part, not bad enough to be funny.

BTW the original & Bride of Frankenstein are truly great movies.

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Madeline Kahn's bride in Young Frankenstein is magnificent.

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Madeline Kahn on Saturday Night Live (when she was promoting Young Frankenstein) singing "I Feel Pretty"

https://twitter.com/itsmargarethall/status/1454827673478471688?s=20

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Rurouni Kenshin - The Beginning (Netflix 13/19 WB). Formulaic ronin flick w/ swords, machismo, and lots of blood. I was craving a samurai flick when I was hit with some insomnia. Not super deep or unique, but it was well done. Japanese w/ subtitles. It's based on a manga and the movie was one of five in a series.

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Anyone else watching Midnight Mass on Netflix? We started it over Halloween weekend, 3 episodes in so far (7 eps total). Exceptional world building, though I can see where the horror story aspects will end up.

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Watched and finished. My takeaway is you can always find a way to justify your actions, not matter how heinous they may be if you claim it’s in the name of god.

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decided it's time to dip into local culture and get more familiar with go-go. Started with "Bustin Loose" by Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers. Perfectly fine.

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A white friend of mine here is from the DMV area - and one time when he was in school at James Madison he and a buddy went to a George Clinton and P-Funk concert. Being white dudes in the early 90s, they showed up in flannels and jeans - they did not know that black folk DRESS UP for George Clinton.

A lesson I learned when I went to go see Prince in Houston, myself

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As a general rule of thumb, I assume that black people in the DMV are going to be making more of a sartorial effort pretty much across the board.

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Ex and I went to Luther Vandross at the Oakland Coliseum. I can confirm that everyone is dressed up. It was a great concert.

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Our Crumbling Democracy

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I've seen analysis (from both sides) that Tuesday's good GOP showing was because Dems aren't getting things done and some moderate/independent voters were showing their displeasure with the Dems. So the way to show your displeasure is to reward the party that is obstructing the policies you supposedly favor?

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To be fair, the current obstruction is largely through a couple of moderate Dem Senators.

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Voting Rights?

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largely through

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The majority of the US voting population are both bipolar and ignorant. Throw in the big, bad CRT boogeyman and it is a recipe to drive out people to vote for the GQP.

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CRT is just the latest nonsense right-wing boogeyman that managed to gain purchase through sheer repetition, but I feel like the school reopening debate during COVID may have had some effect. I don't know what the situation was in Virginia, but out here in California I saw a lot of nonsense coming from the left about why schools had to remain closed, against the majority of medical/scientific guidance. Parents get more hyper-focused on what's happening in schools and school boards and they become more susceptible to dumb arguments about CRT.

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A lot of people don't vote on logic, only feeling.

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I wonder if they voted GOP or just didn't vote.

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probably just didn't vote. Turnout for these kinds of off year things are usually abysmal.

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And that's what happens when you don't vote.

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2 federal judges are poised to quietly begin unlocking reams of Jan. 6 secrets for Congress

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/11/04/federal-judges-reams-jan-6-secrets-congress-519232

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the sooner the better. I'm sure there's tons of crap to wade through and getting trumpers held in contempt of congress for non-compliance will take time.

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Today in Covid 19

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oh brother...

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Just got the email...

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I wonder how many dudes wont travel

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I feel like I missed a meeting here...

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Bet Zona to cover! jk or maybe not

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I'm guessing a positive test within the FB team so we'll be short players for Az? I hope not but that's my guess.

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did someone meet up with A-Rod?

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or we have some Rubenzers on the team

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its all rumor and conjecture, someone said a large outbreak has occurred and multiple players wont travel. As of now it appears the game is still playable but apparently, we're not talking 1 or 2 players

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Not a rumor. Covid outbreak affecting the Cal FB team will sideline multiple players this weekend.

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well at least it's Arizona and not $C next weekend.

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seriously

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Pro

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I'm kinda bummed about that. ESPN Classic is where I first saw the 1982 Big Game (the actual football game) as opposed to just The Play.

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That would be--weirdly enough--Hulu for me. They carried it when I was in undergrad. Not sure if they still do.

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I didn't realize it still existed. It long since disappeared from both my satellite and streaming lineups.

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Aaron Rodgers Unvaccinated, a Failure of Leadership

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/11/04/nfl-aaron-rodgers-vaccine/

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Never seen the Cal fanbase so roiled up and ready to dump someone (the best ever to play at the school too!) the only Cal alum on twitter with even some sympathy I saw was Mike Silver.

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I honestly don't care. I love him as a football player and he's the best in the league. I never cared about his personal life. He'll be back after he tests negative and eligible to return.

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Brady and his six rings might have something to say about Rodgers being the best in the league. Rodgers is one of the top ten QBs of all-time, and yet its still Brady's world--which must kill him.

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Well, there can be more than one best player in the league. But I agree that Brady can really get it done no one can deny that.

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By definition there can only be one "best".

But wins aren't a quarterback stat.

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Maybe this will be the end of the blind hero worship that is Cal’s former glory players.

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I just saw Marshawn in a commercial and now I'm going to buy some Subway sandwiches.

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Marshawn, on the other hand, is such a lovable guy. He grew into a fan favorite. I don't think anyone knows he had some legal troubles at the start of his NFL career at Buffalo.

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Naw. Sunshine pumping does not recognize dark clouds as a deterrent.

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I'm not sure why he needs sympathy. Doesn't seem like he's in any grave peril yet and he did deceive with intent and let a lot of folks down in the process--a lot of folks I'm pretty sure he doesn't give to shits about. With regards to Cal, it feels like he rarely lifts his head unless it's to criticize something. He fancies himself as the smartest guy in the room, but he apparently is quite susceptible to bunk science, which is not exactly befitting of graduates of the greatest research university in the country. I don't wish him anything bad, but at the same time, I'm just done with the dude, however brilliant a football player he is and how much I cherish the memories of watching him in blue and gold.

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Well he does actually have covid

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A friend pointed out, and I think she's right, that Aaron Rodgers is like Julia Roberts' character in Runaway Bride. They don't know themselves or their interests, so they just take on the interests and beliefs of their partners.

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Aaron Rodgers is Ann Perkins?

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Hmmmm

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That might mean something had I seen the movie.

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They don't know themselves or their interests, so they just take on the interests and beliefs of their partners.

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Yeah, I can respect him as a player but it's pretty hard to respect his decisions on COVID.

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Nov 4, 2021Liked by Berkelium97

I think some of this is because you all don't expect to be disappointed by your alumni in the NFL. I have no such expectations ;)

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I have several unrelated thoughts:

1) a number of those entries are inaccurate - not in the sense that the players in question weren't up to no good, but that the details are wrong.

2) I think recent events have proven that Keyshawn Jackson was right about Gruden, and I think he deserves consideration for chasing down Justin Bieber (while Johnson was driving a Prius and Bieber a Ferrari) and threatening to kick his ass for unsafe driving

3) not perhaps the most enlightened thinking I've ever seen about substance abuse and sustained CTE injuries.

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"chasing down Justin Bieber (while Johnson was driving a Prius and Bieber a Ferrari)"

I don't know about this, am intrigued, and have many questions!!!

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Given the current culture/political scene, it totally makes sense: he has betrayed the Cal fanbase by his actions.

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On the football field, we've seen Rodgers get trapped in a seemingly impossible situation, and sometimes manage to get a first down or even TD out of it. Can he do that here? I would be amazed. But then, I like to be amazed.

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He sure couldn’t do that in last season NFC CG in the red zone.

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only if he has 37 sec to do so ...

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What a numpty. I've lost all respect for him.

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No more State Farm ads, I would surmise

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Other College

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Sark says Gia the Monkey is not a distraction

https://twitter.com/anwarrichardson/status/1456296638620778502

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not related to this post but in general, Anwar Richardson is generally considered to be an idiot by most of the Texas fanbase. I suspect only Chip Brown and possibly Geoff Ketchum have worse reputations amongst the $9.95ers

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Any given monkey is probably less of a distraction for Sark than it would be for most.

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College football rankings: UMass retains No. 1 status in The Bottom 25 as critical stretch begins

https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/college-football-rankings-umass-retains-no-1-status-in-the-bottom-25-as-critical-stretch-begins/

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Arizona holds steady at #5 and Colorado climbs a couple spots to #20

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Cal

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go bears!!

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Smokey is required to go shirtless in International Falls, MN -- like a 26 foot tall Putin.

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2021/10/29/international-falls-votes-to-no-longer-dress-up-its-famous-smokey-bear-statue

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For some reason I always remember him being shirtless

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That’s how the song goes

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..."With a Ranger's hat and shovel

and a pair of dungarees,

you will find him in the forest

always sniffin' at the breeze...."

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