It's my Department Christmas party during lunch time. I'm not sure what we're having, but I'm going to do a bit of light day drinking. We also always have white elephant gift exchange. This year, I brought a shower curtain printed with Han Solo frozen in carbonite.
I know my co-workers. If I try, there will be blood - which is why I'm proud of my gift. I've been consistently good at buying the $25 gifts. One year, I brought votive candle with our departmental boss as a saint printed on it, plush dinosaur nuggets, a bottle of Eagle Rare before Covid tripled its price, a tortilla blanket, a regift of two chromed Boston bulldog statuettes, Exploding Kittens, and a full kit to make Deep Eddy Ruby Red Greyhounds.
I don't know. I made too much rice with dinner the other night, so I've got plenty of leftovers. Maybe I'll make a couple over-easy eggs on a bed of rice.
I went to Cotogna for lunch with two friends and we split an order of gnoccho fritto with prosciutto, pickled onions and gorgonzola dolce, and then I had the tagliolini with chanterelles and creme fraiche. It was delightful.
I chose Butter Chicken again for lunch today. The other one wasn't bad. Obviously not as good as the restaurant.
I have a nasty chest cold (tested negative again and missed the Monet museum last night), but hopefully I do steak and frites tonight or Raclette. Not sure.
The Monk movie comes out today in Peacock. I didn't even know they were making a Monk movie but I saw Tony Shaloub was on Seth Meyers (I think) a couple of days ago promoting it. Mr. Monk's Last Case: A Monk Movie includes Natalie, Captain Stottlemeyer, Randy, and Dr Kroger. I'm excited. I loved Monk when it was on NBC and USA Network.
I saw that Tower of Power is having a Christmas concert in SF. Probably would be pretty cool.
Off Topic, I bought Green Day tickets for next Sept at Pac Bell Park. Sitting toward the front of the 2nd level over behind home plate. Stage is out in CF. I really don't care about being super close. It isn't like I'm going to have a problem hearing the music.
YouGov/Economist poll shows that 1 in 13 Americans is a straight up Holocaust denier and 1 in 4 say it was exagerated. The weird twist: it ain't white people who think this. Extra weird twist: it ain't Trump voters who think this
Bookmarking this to read at lunch. In another life, I'd be working in polling. I took several courses on polling, survey design, statistical sampling, etc in undergrad and grad school, but never really went in that direction professionally.
Special Counsel indicts Hunter Biden on second set of charges, this time about taxes. The first won was Federal gun charges because he lied on a gun purchase form that he wasn't addicted to drugs.
A Texas court granted a 20 year old woman with a non-viable fetus. As a reaction, AG Paxton wrote a personal letter to all the area Houston hospitals threatening jail and personal prosecution if they perform the court-allowed abortion
Trump's hired "expert witness" in the NY case says there is no evidence of fraud and his financial statements were not materially misstated, which is weird defense because there is a mountain of evidence and his guilt has already been ruled upon - we're at the measuring damages phase
I think there's been one tournament court design that I liked (I don't remember who, but it was the most subtle one I've seen). The rest were far too bold
BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) Yvonne Ejim scored 21 points and Brynna Maxwell scored 18 points and 23rd-ranked Gonzaga took control in overtime and beat California 78-70 on Thursday night at Haas Pavilion.
The Bears held the Zags to just 25.6% shooting in the first half and took a six-point lead into the break. Marta Suarez and Ila Lane both paced Cal with nine points each in the half.
Heartbreaking loss. The Bears had the last possession in regulation starting with 31 seconds to go. Point guard Lelain McIntosh held the ball way too long starting her drive with four seconds remaining. Nonetheless she drew a foul but the refs called it a held ball. Refs didn't have the guts to make the right call. After a great 40 minutes the Bears collapsed in OT. Cal still missing three injured players, they could have been the difference.
Wait just one second. Missing injured players does NOT impact how a team plays! You MUST ignore injuries and assume that the team is as good without those players as with them. *side eye to Tallahassee*
Jaydn Ott was named as one of 10 finalists for the Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award on Thursday. The award is presented annually to the most outstanding college football player of Polynesian ancestry who epitomizes great ability and integrity.
The winner will be announced Dec. 14 and the formal presentation of the award will be held at the 2024 Polynesian Football Hall of Fame Celebration dinner to take place at the Sheraton Waikiki in Honolulu on Jan. 20, 2024. The winner will also be recognized at the Polynesian Bowl played the previous day at Kunuiakea Stadium.
Cade Uluave and Jack Endries of the California football team added to their All-Freshman recognition Thursday with selections to Freshman All-American teams selected by The Athletic. Uluave was named as a first-team linebacker, while Endries was chosen as a second-team tight end.
BERKELEY – The California men's basketball team will make the trek east to Indianapolis for its first true road game of the season against Butler on Saturday. Tipoff from inside historic Hinkle Fieldhouse is scheduled for 9 a.m. PST/noon EST with FS1 televising the action.
MacKenzie Scott - like a maniac - exposes herself as being a generous philanthropist
https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/07/business/mackenzie-scott-donated-usd2-15-billion-to-hundreds-of-charities-this-past-year/index.html
I think someones should contact her about Cal's NIL.
TIL: MacKenzie Scott studied under Toni Morrison at Princeton. Morrison said she was one of her best creative writing students.
This kid has picked an interesting niche
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crgpjpr35nko
with an unexpected origin story...
"When I was younger, I looked at my great grandad's prisoner-of-war diaries and I just love everything about the period"
Other Colleges
DBD Lunch
It's my Department Christmas party during lunch time. I'm not sure what we're having, but I'm going to do a bit of light day drinking. We also always have white elephant gift exchange. This year, I brought a shower curtain printed with Han Solo frozen in carbonite.
I think you should steal it back if someone gets it before you.
I know my co-workers. If I try, there will be blood - which is why I'm proud of my gift. I've been consistently good at buying the $25 gifts. One year, I brought votive candle with our departmental boss as a saint printed on it, plush dinosaur nuggets, a bottle of Eagle Rare before Covid tripled its price, a tortilla blanket, a regift of two chromed Boston bulldog statuettes, Exploding Kittens, and a full kit to make Deep Eddy Ruby Red Greyhounds.
That is an excellent array of gifts. Just weird enough, but still useful and amusing.
Weird and somewhat useful is my specialty
while i generally dislike shower curtains, this seems to be the best on you can get.
i have a Xmas party type thing tonight where i am invited mostly to make smoked cocktails for the other guests.
i was going to wear my Hoth planet themed Xmas sweater
https://www.merchoid.com/star-wars-hoth-christmas-sweater
I don't know. I made too much rice with dinner the other night, so I've got plenty of leftovers. Maybe I'll make a couple over-easy eggs on a bed of rice.
I went to Cotogna for lunch with two friends and we split an order of gnoccho fritto with prosciutto, pickled onions and gorgonzola dolce, and then I had the tagliolini with chanterelles and creme fraiche. It was delightful.
Square pizza and beer at Lazzaras.
Italian place in NYC that I have been coming to for years. Nice Fri afternoon treat
The best part is the tomato and red onion salad. Not sure what they do to it, but nearly impossible to replicate for such few ingredients
I chose Butter Chicken again for lunch today. The other one wasn't bad. Obviously not as good as the restaurant.
I have a nasty chest cold (tested negative again and missed the Monet museum last night), but hopefully I do steak and frites tonight or Raclette. Not sure.
THE MEESHURE WILL HAVE THE ROCKLETTE, MERCY BUCKETS
DBD AV Club
Jury Duty with James Marsden is f-cking great. Hilarious.
The Monk movie comes out today in Peacock. I didn't even know they were making a Monk movie but I saw Tony Shaloub was on Seth Meyers (I think) a couple of days ago promoting it. Mr. Monk's Last Case: A Monk Movie includes Natalie, Captain Stottlemeyer, Randy, and Dr Kroger. I'm excited. I loved Monk when it was on NBC and USA Network.
Adrian Monk (UC Berkeley, 1981 - unknown degree)
Horns
Mess with the bull, get the
I saw that Tower of Power is having a Christmas concert in SF. Probably would be pretty cool.
Off Topic, I bought Green Day tickets for next Sept at Pac Bell Park. Sitting toward the front of the 2nd level over behind home plate. Stage is out in CF. I really don't care about being super close. It isn't like I'm going to have a problem hearing the music.
Theme: good things from the East Bay that end up making money in San Francisco
Government ineptitude
Jesus Christ on a Ritz.
YouGov/Economist poll shows that 1 in 13 Americans is a straight up Holocaust denier and 1 in 4 say it was exagerated. The weird twist: it ain't white people who think this. Extra weird twist: it ain't Trump voters who think this
https://t.co/NuOg68aNzt
See pages 103-104
One nice thing about not working in polling is not having to be reminded daily of how pathologically insane a portion of the populace is
fully agree. My observation is that about 30% of the population is simply and objectively wrong.
Chris Christie amends his financial disclosure, which shows which companies are trying to fight Trump's re-election
https://www.rawstory.com/raw-investigates/chris-christie-mets-disclosure/
Hopium Chronicles does an interesting post about the inexact science of political polling
https://www.hopiumchronicles.com/p/more-notes-on-polling-and-why-i-am
Bookmarking this to read at lunch. In another life, I'd be working in polling. I took several courses on polling, survey design, statistical sampling, etc in undergrad and grad school, but never really went in that direction professionally.
Special Counsel indicts Hunter Biden on second set of charges, this time about taxes. The first won was Federal gun charges because he lied on a gun purchase form that he wasn't addicted to drugs.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/07/politics/hunter-biden-criminal-case/index.html
A Texas court granted a 20 year old woman with a non-viable fetus. As a reaction, AG Paxton wrote a personal letter to all the area Houston hospitals threatening jail and personal prosecution if they perform the court-allowed abortion
https://twitter.com/andreagrimes/status/1732852564410921270
Paxton is objectively a horror of a human being. How does a person learn to be such an objectively horrible person? Honestly.
The Court gave the woman a non-viable fetus???
The court granted a court order for an abortion to end an unviable pregnancy.
Trump's hired "expert witness" in the NY case says there is no evidence of fraud and his financial statements were not materially misstated, which is weird defense because there is a mountain of evidence and his guilt has already been ruled upon - we're at the measuring damages phase
https://www.yahoo.com/news/donald-trump-attend-york-civil-152311767.html?
PRO
Patriots: If we play our cards right, we can get the #2 pick in the draft.
Baily Zappe: NOT ON MY WATCH
https://www.espn.com/nfl/game/_/gameId/401547578
Bills Head Coach McDermott used who as an example of good teamwork?
https://www.mediaite.com/sports/buffalo-bills-head-coach-reportedly-told-his-team-to-come-together-like-the-9-11-terrorists/
In season tournament
Haliburton and the Pacers take out the Bucks 128-119. Kings looking more and more like fools trading him when he wanted to be there.
LeBum and the Lakers take out the Pelicans 133-89.
i tried watching for a while but got a headache w/ the bold color scheme of the courts.
I think there's been one tournament court design that I liked (I don't remember who, but it was the most subtle one I've seen). The rest were far too bold
CAL
Go Bears!!!
[WBB] Bears Edged In OT By No. 23 Gonzaga, 78-70
https://calbears.com/news/2023/12/7/womens-basketball-bears-edged-in-ot-by-no-23-gonzaga-78-70.aspx
BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) Yvonne Ejim scored 21 points and Brynna Maxwell scored 18 points and 23rd-ranked Gonzaga took control in overtime and beat California 78-70 on Thursday night at Haas Pavilion.
The Bears held the Zags to just 25.6% shooting in the first half and took a six-point lead into the break. Marta Suarez and Ila Lane both paced Cal with nine points each in the half.
Heartbreaking loss. The Bears had the last possession in regulation starting with 31 seconds to go. Point guard Lelain McIntosh held the ball way too long starting her drive with four seconds remaining. Nonetheless she drew a foul but the refs called it a held ball. Refs didn't have the guts to make the right call. After a great 40 minutes the Bears collapsed in OT. Cal still missing three injured players, they could have been the difference.
Wait just one second. Missing injured players does NOT impact how a team plays! You MUST ignore injuries and assume that the team is as good without those players as with them. *side eye to Tallahassee*
[FB] Ott Finalist For Polynesian College Football Player Of The Year
https://calbears.com/news/2023/12/7/ott-finalist-for-polynesian-college-football-player-of-the-year.aspx
Jaydn Ott was named as one of 10 finalists for the Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award on Thursday. The award is presented annually to the most outstanding college football player of Polynesian ancestry who epitomizes great ability and integrity.
The winner will be announced Dec. 14 and the formal presentation of the award will be held at the 2024 Polynesian Football Hall of Fame Celebration dinner to take place at the Sheraton Waikiki in Honolulu on Jan. 20, 2024. The winner will also be recognized at the Polynesian Bowl played the previous day at Kunuiakea Stadium.
[FB] The Athletic Names Uluave, Endries Freshman All-Americans
https://calbears.com/news/2023/12/7/football-the-athletic-names-uluave-endries-freshman-all-americans.aspx
Cade Uluave and Jack Endries of the California football team added to their All-Freshman recognition Thursday with selections to Freshman All-American teams selected by The Athletic. Uluave was named as a first-team linebacker, while Endries was chosen as a second-team tight end.
[MBB] Cal Heads East To Face Butler
https://calbears.com/news/2023/12/7/mens-basketball-cal-heads-east-to-face-butler.aspx
BERKELEY – The California men's basketball team will make the trek east to Indianapolis for its first true road game of the season against Butler on Saturday. Tipoff from inside historic Hinkle Fieldhouse is scheduled for 9 a.m. PST/noon EST with FS1 televising the action.
Oh this game is in Hinkle Fieldhouse. I wish I was back in Louisville so I could go to this game. Would be pretty amazing seeing a game there.
never saw a game there despite living there for a couple years. we saw the Pacers play at both their new and old arenas in Indi
[MGYM] Cirlincione Signs With Bears
https://calbears.com/news/2023/12/7/mens-gymnastics-cirlincione-signs-with-bears.aspx