Last winter it was regularly raining inside my living room. The contractor had the wall and ceiling torn apart for a couple of months and then declared that he couldn't figure out where the leak was coming from and patched it all back up so we can do it again this winter.
Getting much work done this week. My work computer won't connect to the internet if I sign into our VPN, but I can't access email/MS Teams/MS One Drive/etc unless I authenticate while signed into the VPN...and authentication requires internet connectivity. I spent some time with IT this morning. They say they've never seen this before and after several hours they've given up and decided to re-image the machine. I have some stuff I can work on with my personal laptop (and it will be nice to be technically unable to join meetings or check email), but I'm pretty limited as to what I can do this week
Yep. Since covid/work-from-home my collared shirts get so rarely used that they're often a bit wrinkly when I take them out. Rather than iron them, I usually throw a sweater on over it
I had to give up running due to knee problems. Stairmaster, elliptical and fast walking on the treadmill having. to fill the void. (Fast walking is difficult.)
I've been a UNC BB fan since about 80-81. Back then, the only games on TV were the Sat game of the week. Not rooting of UCLA, ND, Indiana. So Heels it was.
I'm waiting for the announcement of the UNC/Dook BB roadtrip.
My Chapel Hill time overlapped with the game Cal played at UNC back in the late 90s, such a bonus to see Cal there. I never made it to a men's game at Cameron, just women's, so hoping my good Dook friend will take pity on me to help me get in for upcoming Cal game (zero chance she would do that for Carolina game, ha).
I probably should give up on BB after tearing my achilles for the 2nd time. But will still try and got out there and play, though maybe not as hard as I used to.
Actually the rehab for this one was worse. same ankle, except this time it was off the heel bone instead of about an inch up. Since it required an anchor into the bone, I couldn't start rehab until later and it is still sore sometimes.
HAG and I have nearly identical stories w/ Achilles repair. my 1st and 2nd tears on the same side were in the same spots.
i wouldnt be able to tell i had the 1st repair, but i can still feel the insertion point for the anchor on the 2nd one even though it is not really painful.
semi-related. I had assumed HAG had given up skiing for good from years and years of not doing it. when we used to go skiing at HS/Cal he was definitely a better skier than i was.
so, i happy am to see that he has not completely given it up. we went skiing last year at Palisades/Northstar for a couple days for the first time in many years.
retired from outdoor cycling even though i still "identify as a cyclist".
after 2 flip-the-bike and break-collarbone injuries for no apparent good reason, it seems to be the wise course of action.
i still pay my cycling coach to give me indoor workouts and stay motivated to ride and stay in shape. in fact i had my best of the year last week w/ decent sustained power numbers.
however, being retired does cut out 1000s of great rides and a ton of fun cycling oriented travel that i had eventually planned to do all over the US/world.
Blackhawks waive five-time NHL all-star Corey Perry for " conduct that is unacceptable, and in violation of both the terms of his standard player's contract and the Blackhawks' internal policies intended to promote professional and safe work environments".
GM Davidson directly rejects wild rumors that Perry was in trouble for seducing another player's mother. ESPN said it was an indicident with a team employee the day before a game
W's were up by 20+ points in this one. but the lead was ebbing away as i was falling asleep after midnight ET last night. only found out this morning that they lost.
What happened to him? He was a national championship-winning coach with numerous top-five FCS finishes and his teams consistently were a thorn in the side of any FBS program that dared to schedule them. He seemed like an offensive mastermind. Then he jumped to FBS and it's been nothing but disappointment since, even during his second FCS stint.
Brace yourself. Bobby Petrino back at Arkansas as OC. No word on whether his contract prohibits riding motorcycles or colleagues that are 26 years his junior.
An internal hire is probably the best they could hope for given the uncertainty around the program right now. Fortunately for them their defenses have been great under Bray
I'd pick Oregon to cover. Since UW beat Oregon they've played 5 common opponents over the last 6 games. UW averaged a 6-point victory in each of those games while Oregon averaged a 22-point win. Oregon is on another plane of existence right now
Still, the level of disrespect UW is facing is rare. 12-0 in a Conference that saw 9 of 12 teams ranked in the AP top-20 at some point this year…
Close wins over Utah, at Oregon St. and then your rivalry game and suddenly you’re 9.5 point ‘dogs to a team you beat and OUT of the CFP with an L? Boy.
they beat Oregon because of a deeply stupid 4th down decision by Oregon. Washington are fun to watch but I think the line is because they are both talented and also lucky as hell - sometimes that's enough to be a championship team, though.
Not discounting that the Ducks are certainly passing the eye test more than the Huskies of late and are likely to turn the tables on UW, but they’ve nonetheless won 19 straight and probably shouldn’t be double-digit underdogs on a neutral field to a team they’ve beaten each of the past 2 seasons.
Dorothy Gale is back . . . and she’s not the sweet little heroine of Oz anymore. She’s power-hungry and vicious, and she leaves a trail of destruction beneath her spike-heeled, magical shoes. But behind the scenes, there’s someone else pulling the strings. Someone who doesn’t want fame or glory—just control.
First day of real winter feeling weather. Got below freezing last night and still only 34 as we approach noon. Not much wind but still had to layer up some when I went out this morning.
I saw some snow flurries when driving through Baltimore early yesterday morning, and this morning my weather station hit 18.1 degrees. Too soon. I'll be glad when the temps get back near 60 this weekend.
I'm thinking in about 3-5 years. Until then, I'm thinking of moving overseas again for a temporary stint - like Costa Rica, Portugal, Spain, or somewhere else for like a six months... because why not?
I will have just turned 59. I have had all I can take! My employer has retirement criteria that if you hit them (10 years of service and over 55) you get to keep your unvested stock and healthcare, so that's the goal.
Don’t give up! After several years of debating with myself I finally logged off for good, disabled the badge, killed the phone, shipped out the laptop. It’s been two and a half months. New found freedom, no regrets.
Looking forward to it with a certain amount of, well, uncertainty. I'm not certain I will want to. Not that I can't for financial reasons. Just that I'm not sure how easy it will be to turn it off.
i think retirement can mean many things these days. and there is also the semi-retirement phase where financially you are fine, but still have plenty of gas in the tank for work.
things i think i might do in semi-retirement
- teach HS physics
- teach just about anything else
- fix bikes and make espressos
- run a little framing shop
things i might imagine doing in retirement
- chasing around little grandkids
- hiking every day
- play tennis and piano
but perhaps what you are trying to say, that i also think, is that it is a little hard to imagine having "infinite amounts of free time'
Danielli was the Spanish teacher that HAG and I had at Campo. She finally retired 35 yrs after we left. The accolades are certainly well deserved but I think she was good for some and not for others.
As she was passing tests back out, she would literally tell the entire class what grade you got along w/ some commentary. I think it was meant to be positive reinforcement for some and encouragement for others. In retrospect it seemed particular harsh for those who were not the top students.
That time that some contractor/subcontractor cut a corner on your house
Last winter it was regularly raining inside my living room. The contractor had the wall and ceiling torn apart for a couple of months and then declared that he couldn't figure out where the leak was coming from and patched it all back up so we can do it again this winter.
What have you completely given up on (besides Rose Bowl before you die)?
Getting much work done this week. My work computer won't connect to the internet if I sign into our VPN, but I can't access email/MS Teams/MS One Drive/etc unless I authenticate while signed into the VPN...and authentication requires internet connectivity. I spent some time with IT this morning. They say they've never seen this before and after several hours they've given up and decided to re-image the machine. I have some stuff I can work on with my personal laptop (and it will be nice to be technically unable to join meetings or check email), but I'm pretty limited as to what I can do this week
Ironing.
https://media.giphy.com/media/QUd70yd950JR6/giphy.gif
Yep. Since covid/work-from-home my collared shirts get so rarely used that they're often a bit wrinkly when I take them out. Rather than iron them, I usually throw a sweater on over it
Scuba diving. The degenerated discs in my neck and wobbly sailing legs means I'm done for this lifetime.
Finding a life partner that isn’t just a completely dreadful person.
I had to give up running due to knee problems. Stairmaster, elliptical and fast walking on the treadmill having. to fill the void. (Fast walking is difficult.)
My current modalities are the spin bike and the rower, for as long as my knees allow me to use those.
Heels (except UNC Tar Heels, my other institution).
Same, yet I am struggling to give away all the beautiful heels I have in my closet even though there's no way I'm wearing them again.
It's hard to give up something in which you have invested time, money, or your heart. Even harder if it's all three.
Me three. I’ll probably offer them to a high school theatre costume closet.
Ha, me too- lots of pretty shoes to admire in the closet...
I've been a UNC BB fan since about 80-81. Back then, the only games on TV were the Sat game of the week. Not rooting of UCLA, ND, Indiana. So Heels it was.
I'm waiting for the announcement of the UNC/Dook BB roadtrip.
My Chapel Hill time overlapped with the game Cal played at UNC back in the late 90s, such a bonus to see Cal there. I never made it to a men's game at Cameron, just women's, so hoping my good Dook friend will take pity on me to help me get in for upcoming Cal game (zero chance she would do that for Carolina game, ha).
I'm hoping that we can get tickets through the ATO. Otherwise, yeah, not sure how I'm going to get them.
I probably should give up on BB after tearing my achilles for the 2nd time. But will still try and got out there and play, though maybe not as hard as I used to.
The first achilles tear is the worst one, amirite?
Actually the rehab for this one was worse. same ankle, except this time it was off the heel bone instead of about an inch up. Since it required an anchor into the bone, I couldn't start rehab until later and it is still sore sometimes.
Painwise it was probably the same.
Ouch.
HAG and I have nearly identical stories w/ Achilles repair. my 1st and 2nd tears on the same side were in the same spots.
i wouldnt be able to tell i had the 1st repair, but i can still feel the insertion point for the anchor on the 2nd one even though it is not really painful.
luckily it all seems good and strong now.
semi-related. I had assumed HAG had given up skiing for good from years and years of not doing it. when we used to go skiing at HS/Cal he was definitely a better skier than i was.
so, i happy am to see that he has not completely given it up. we went skiing last year at Palisades/Northstar for a couple days for the first time in many years.
Since I couldn't cancel my Epic pass, going to try to go over No 3's spring break.
retired from outdoor cycling even though i still "identify as a cyclist".
after 2 flip-the-bike and break-collarbone injuries for no apparent good reason, it seems to be the wise course of action.
i still pay my cycling coach to give me indoor workouts and stay motivated to ride and stay in shape. in fact i had my best of the year last week w/ decent sustained power numbers.
however, being retired does cut out 1000s of great rides and a ton of fun cycling oriented travel that i had eventually planned to do all over the US/world.
Good on you for staying committed despite going indoor-only. That would definitely put a damper on my motivation
OUR CRUMBLING DEMOCRACY
A motion was set in play to expel back-to-back-to-back Brazilian Jiu Jitsu champion George Santos from Congress.
https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2023/11/28/congress/santos-expulsion-house-vote-00128899
Does it matter? He will just keep on claiming he is in Congress.
Exactly.
PRO
Blackhawks waive five-time NHL all-star Corey Perry for " conduct that is unacceptable, and in violation of both the terms of his standard player's contract and the Blackhawks' internal policies intended to promote professional and safe work environments".
https://www.nhl.com/news/corey-perry-stepping-away-from-chicago-blackhawks
GM Davidson directly rejects wild rumors that Perry was in trouble for seducing another player's mother. ESPN said it was an indicident with a team employee the day before a game
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akiWMIxy1ng&t=41s
https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/38999666/blackhawks-waive-corey-perry-unacceptable-conduct
The player's mom's story would've been peak Perry. Dirty player
Corey Perry and Delonte West should be friends.
💀
https://twitter.com/VinnyBonsignore/status/1729602532345876816
It's about 5 years too late for that to be an exciting hire
Which is why it might happen. Has Mark Davis made an exciting head coaching hire? Jon Gruden included.
EDIT: Willie Shaw, David's father, was Oakland Raiders DC 1998-1999. Just sayin'.
Nope...nope.
Mark Cuban is selling his majority share in the Mavs for a tidy profit
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/39000963/adelson-family-advanced-talks-buy-significant-stake-dallas-mavericks
no more keffiyeh for kyrie
Warriors fall 124-123 to Kings
https://www.espn.com/nba/game/_/gameId/401584148
W's were up by 20+ points in this one. but the lead was ebbing away as i was falling asleep after midnight ET last night. only found out this morning that they lost.
They were up by two possessions in the last minute but turned it over twice in a row and let the Kings take the lead.
This kind of felt like the final straw for this group; they are done as a contender.
Yeah, Klay in particular seems done
No way he gets the max contract he wants.
Isn't he in his mid-30s? Getting to be a little long in the tooth for a max contract.
They should not give him any contract! I would just let him go; he is done. He’s just taking up a roster spot
I hope GP2's calf injury isn't bad. Looked like an achilles to me the way he grabbed it and was hobbling. Maybe the achilles off the calf muscle.
I think CP3's calf muscle isn't as bad. I saw he was grabbing at it during a dead ball stoppage so hopefully it is just a minor tweak.
Aaron Rodgers returns to practice.
Perhaps he knows something about special healing.
I'll have what he's having
DBD AV CLUB
Watched S3E1 of Slow Horses on AppleTV. Gary Oldman remains great.
I just started season 2 last night because I didn't realize 3 was coming out
still great
Same! He is so good, and this is extremely well done!
oh I need to watch this. I love the series.
Not sure if I sent this last week but I finished Lupin. Really liked the last season.
On the last episode of Leverage:Redemption. I've been spreading out the 2nd and final season since I don't want it to end.
ELSEWHERE IN COLLEGE
We could use a #2 RB
https://twitter.com/AllCardinal/status/1729661345539473733?
related, I did not realize Ron Gould had moved to the Rams.
Wondering why he got demoted.
Beau Baldwin lost his play calling duties midway through the season. He has apparently been let go by ASU.
https://twitter.com/PeteThamel/status/1729869009422868503
What happened to him? He was a national championship-winning coach with numerous top-five FCS finishes and his teams consistently were a thorn in the side of any FBS program that dared to schedule them. He seemed like an offensive mastermind. Then he jumped to FBS and it's been nothing but disappointment since, even during his second FCS stint.
a familiar refrain for former Cal coaches turned ASU OCs.
Brace yourself. Bobby Petrino back at Arkansas as OC. No word on whether his contract prohibits riding motorcycles or colleagues that are 26 years his junior.
https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/39000680/bobby-petrino-arkansas-offensive-coordinator
Hue Jackson fired by Grambling after having a Hue Jackson-esque record there.
https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/39000730/grambling-state-fires-football-coach-hue-jackson-2-seasons
SDSU looking at Sean Lewis. This would be good for SDSU, bad for us as we play them next year
https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/39000135/sean-lewis-emerges-top-target-san-diego-state
Iowa's over/under for the first half (vs. Michigan) is 0.5 and it's even money. https://twitter.com/jared_leeper/status/1729527702196039976
Oregon State promotes DC Trent Bray to HC
https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/39002205/oregon-st-promotes-dc-trent-bray-replace-jonathan-smith
An internal hire is probably the best they could hope for given the uncertainty around the program right now. Fortunately for them their defenses have been great under Bray
Lane Kiffin's girlfriend is about 6 years older than his oldest daughter
https://twitter.com/SallyRychlak/status/1655978556302958593
This is hi-larious https://x.com/strait_vibinn/status/1729171839044522230?s=46&t=5tBV7hvjw2wHjIpnmBTXhQ
The dog in the 4th picture is saying “You guys don't think I'm going to chase after you, do you?”
Oregon favored by 9.5 over UW in Pac12 championship.
i would definitely have thought Oregon was favored on a neutral field, but 9.5 seems like a lot!
I'd pick Oregon to cover. Since UW beat Oregon they've played 5 common opponents over the last 6 games. UW averaged a 6-point victory in each of those games while Oregon averaged a 22-point win. Oregon is on another plane of existence right now
they're going to cut off Dan Lanning's headset every time that there is a chance of a 4th down "go for it" call
As they should.
Still, the level of disrespect UW is facing is rare. 12-0 in a Conference that saw 9 of 12 teams ranked in the AP top-20 at some point this year…
Close wins over Utah, at Oregon St. and then your rivalry game and suddenly you’re 9.5 point ‘dogs to a team you beat and OUT of the CFP with an L? Boy.
they beat Oregon because of a deeply stupid 4th down decision by Oregon. Washington are fun to watch but I think the line is because they are both talented and also lucky as hell - sometimes that's enough to be a championship team, though.
"I'd rather be lucky than good."
If I had a dollar for every time I've heard that sentence.
Not discounting that the Ducks are certainly passing the eye test more than the Huskies of late and are likely to turn the tables on UW, but they’ve nonetheless won 19 straight and probably shouldn’t be double-digit underdogs on a neutral field to a team they’ve beaten each of the past 2 seasons.
I assume that part of the line is to draw more bets, tbh, b/c those are fair points you make
CAL
[WBB] Ioanna Krimili is out with a menisucs tear
https://twitter.com/calwbball/status/1729584763982250255
Ben Finley in the portal
https://twitter.com/bfin_5/status/1729633982545788952
the first of many
Any thoughts of who else? I assume Sam Jackson is gone (I feel like he should change positions to slot receiver and stay!)
Tyson McWilliams in the portal
https://twitter.com/tysonmac5/status/1729921115936714822
Jackson would need a waiver if he transferred again.
This is just my take and I have no inside knowledge. But I look at the non-6th years who walked on Senior Night:
https://calbears.com/news/2023/11/7/football-bears-host-cougars-on-senior-day.aspx
The biggest risks/impact are:
Offense: Jeremiah Hunter, Driscoll, Rhome, Sessions
Defense: JOHNSON, Jernigan
Jernigan probably will for more PT. McCulloch is going to get those snaps.
Time for Cal football woulda shoulda coulda.
If we had made our field goals against Auburn and not fumbled repeatedly against U$C, then we would have:
Swept our rivals for the first time since 1958
Finished with 8 regular season wins for the first time since 2009
Finished with a winning record in conference for the first time since 2009
Finished ahead of both UCLA and U$C in the final Pac 12 standings, tied for fourth place
Had a 5-1 home record
Had a chance for nine wins overall for the first time since 2008
Been feeling much better about Justin Wilcox as our head coach
This is all true.
But if the 1975 Cal team had beaten UCLA, we would have outright conference champions (instead of co-champions) and gone to the Rose Bowl.
Having been there, that was my first innoculation against Cal woulda shoulda coulda.
Also, if John McKay's USC Trojans had kicked a tying FG against UCLA in 1975, Cal would have gone to the Rose Bowl. McKay politely refused.
Can we guarantee a win at UCLA if we were 6-5 and not desperate for bowl eligibility?
If Moore was UCLA's QB? Absolutely. Dude was lost out there.
yes because it is what is right
Had Geoff MacArthur not slipped in 04 against USC.
Had Desean Jackson's shoe been slightly smaller or Lavelle Hawkins didn't trip on the line.
It wasn't Geoff MacArthur. It was Lavelle Hawkins who slipped.
Wasn't it Jonathan Makkonen?
Yes it was Makonnen that slipped on 4th down.
But IIRC, MacArthur did let the 1st down pass go through his hands in the end zone.
Yeah Makkonen
Yes, it was Makonnen. I still don't know why I sometimes confuse Makonnen and Hawkins.
What? 133 comments? Where did that come from?
Surrender
...Dorothy
https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-apps/imrs.php?src=https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/ZC2V7WE6UAI6BDAASKHZQ4UN6Y.jpg&w=1200
(it's a picture of a bridge over the DC beltway near the Mormon temple, on which some wags painted "surrender Dorothy")
i recently read a fun new take on the story called Dorothy Must Die:Stories.
https://www.goodreads.com/series/111885-dorothy-must-die
what i read some something of prequel to the novels. was planning to read at least a couple more next year.
Dorothy Gale is back . . . and she’s not the sweet little heroine of Oz anymore. She’s power-hungry and vicious, and she leaves a trail of destruction beneath her spike-heeled, magical shoes. But behind the scenes, there’s someone else pulling the strings. Someone who doesn’t want fame or glory—just control.
WEATHER
First day of real winter feeling weather. Got below freezing last night and still only 34 as we approach noon. Not much wind but still had to layer up some when I went out this morning.
I saw some snow flurries when driving through Baltimore early yesterday morning, and this morning my weather station hit 18.1 degrees. Too soon. I'll be glad when the temps get back near 60 this weekend.
there has been a good chill in the air here in NYC for the last few days. overnight low temps hovering around 32F and occasionally at bit lower.
Retirement
I'm thinking in about 3-5 years. Until then, I'm thinking of moving overseas again for a temporary stint - like Costa Rica, Portugal, Spain, or somewhere else for like a six months... because why not?
April 2026. Cannot wait.
that is soon!
I will have just turned 59. I have had all I can take! My employer has retirement criteria that if you hit them (10 years of service and over 55) you get to keep your unvested stock and healthcare, so that's the goal.
Don’t give up! After several years of debating with myself I finally logged off for good, disabled the badge, killed the phone, shipped out the laptop. It’s been two and a half months. New found freedom, no regrets.
I tried retirement once. It lasted three months. Suppose I'll eventually have to give it another go in a few years. Meanwhile love teaching part-time.
Looking forward to it with a certain amount of, well, uncertainty. I'm not certain I will want to. Not that I can't for financial reasons. Just that I'm not sure how easy it will be to turn it off.
i think retirement can mean many things these days. and there is also the semi-retirement phase where financially you are fine, but still have plenty of gas in the tank for work.
things i think i might do in semi-retirement
- teach HS physics
- teach just about anything else
- fix bikes and make espressos
- run a little framing shop
things i might imagine doing in retirement
- chasing around little grandkids
- hiking every day
- play tennis and piano
but perhaps what you are trying to say, that i also think, is that it is a little hard to imagine having "infinite amounts of free time'
Those are things to ponder, contemplate, or otherwise consider.
Your last sentence encapsulates the essence of the concept: "What now?"
is the plural of espresso espressi
The plural of espresso is espresso. Kind of analogous to bison or salmon.
no
although upon some internet research it seems ambiguous ..
espressos or espressi both seem to get some votes.
this is what i'm saying
hope springs eternal
After 58 years at the same school, legendary Moraga teacher celebrated for her illustrious career
https://www.ktvu.com/news/after-58-years-at-the-same-school-moraga-teacher-celebrated-for-her-illustrious-career
Danielli was the Spanish teacher that HAG and I had at Campo. She finally retired 35 yrs after we left. The accolades are certainly well deserved but I think she was good for some and not for others.
As she was passing tests back out, she would literally tell the entire class what grade you got along w/ some commentary. I think it was meant to be positive reinforcement for some and encouragement for others. In retrospect it seemed particular harsh for those who were not the top students.
Glücklichen Ruhestand
I suddenly realized that this teacher has been teaching at ONE SCHOOL longer than Scootie has been breathing.
Shocking.
Didn't like her at all. Her tests were the worst.