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Your oldest pair of shoes

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I have a pair of 20 year old water-proof black wingtips. I bought them specifically to go on factory/site visits when I was an equity analyst. I don't do that anymore and they're too hot to wear normally so they don't get a lot of usage. So I've got the world's fanciest rain shoes that still work great and I'm not about to throw them out.

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well splayed.

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I have a pair of Churches' brogues that I got in 1990, they're in fine shape because they became "weddings, interviews, and funerals" shoes, but changes in my foot shape from old age (I assume) mean they aren't very comfortable. Same is true of the white bucs I got that summer. After that, a pair of Doc Martens boots from ~1994 which I was never able to break in at the heel but which are very useful for yard work especially with power tools.

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Generally, feet splay as we age. Is that why those shoes are less than very comfortable?

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that's probably most of it

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I have wide feet; always have. It's been a challenge for me as long as I can remember.

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1980s navy blue leather pumps that launched my career in financial services. I still have the SF FiDi navy blue suit and maybe a DiFi bow tie. Yeah, time to purge!

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Still have a pair of Jordans from high school (maybe around '95 or so). I'm sure they'll crumble if I try to use them again.

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Probably some dress shoes that are in the 30 years range. I mostly wear work boots these days which last two or three years before the soles need attention.

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Hunting boots I got in college, which became hiking boots when I stopped going hunting, and now are somewhere in my garage fostering spiders

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I have two pairs of prada loafers I bought in 1997. More than likely, I have something older than that but I'm not going through them to see.

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My dress loafers are about a dozen years old. Only wear them four or five times a year.

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I have a pair of dress shoes that I bought 30+ years ago. I barely wear them once a year.

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I've had other pairs that were nicer, but these are the most comfortable. I also think I lost a couple of pairs in various moves.

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CAL

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Go Bears!!!

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Nunie Tuitele in the portal. He was buried in the OLB depth chart, so that's understandable.

https://twitter.com/TuiteleNunie/status/1737186314494022123

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You know what Cal needs? The third Tre Watson. So a Trey of Tre. Tres bien.

https://twitter.com/thetr3watson/status/1736972136198144327

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But the second Tre Watson isn't necessary

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Dec 19, 2023·edited Dec 19, 2023

Some Cal football fun facts for the conclusion of the season. 2023 marks the first time the Golden Bears have ever finished with a record of 6-7. California has now played four teams twice in bowl games. They are 2-0 vs. Air Force, 0-2 vs. T Tech and 1-1 against Ohio State and Iowa. The Bears have a .500 record in bowl games, 12-12-1. The Sturdy Golden Ones are 17-7-1 in Big Games in years they have gone bowling. Lastly Saturday's loss means another losing season for the program. There have only had four winning seasons in the last fourteen years ('11, '15, '18 '19).

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Dec 19, 2023·edited Dec 19, 2023

Prior to the current run of four winning seasons in 14 mentioned above, the Bears had enjoyed eight consecutive winning season ('02-'09) under Jeff Tedford. Prior to THAT, the Bears had but four winning seasons in 22 years ('82 '90, '91 and '93). So even with the Tedford years Cal has only 16 winning records in the last 44 seasons.

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Thanks for sharing. Interesting stuff.

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Probably bought by Miata owners hoping it will fit.

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Dec 19, 2023·edited Dec 19, 2023

"...Complete with Afterburner"

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That thing that used to be everywhere and then was suddenly gone

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Wordle

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still do it everyday (as do several of my co-workers). And friend does it with his fam.

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Wordle and Connectios, also NYT, are part of my morning routine.

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Connections has surpassed Wordle in terms of interest. I’ll make sure I do that each day.

But NYT doesn’t track connections via my account like it does with wordle.

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Bob R's comments

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He was banned for a week. Again.

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Correction: he was banned for a month because it was strike 2.

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I wonder what specifically triggered the second ban. I am aware of most of his comments.

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Being obstreperous and (deliberately) obtuse goes a long way towards others not wanting to have anything to do with a person.

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Dec 19, 2023·edited Dec 19, 2023

But his wife came to his defense last time. You'd think she'd talk some common sense into the ol' chap.

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There's a limited amount of reception capable by some folks past a certain age or change in condition. Long-suffering football widows are still a thing for some folks.

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He does really like the Bears, which I respect. He just gets a bit too worked up - probably would be easier to corral him and get him to chill if you were talking in person with him, but on the web people are just lobbing grenades in the dark

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LOL!

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pqtm

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100-photo albums of parties uploaded to Facebook because who cared since no adults were on Facebook

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In like 2008, I had to call a guy that I barely knew to ask him to remove some photos of me from an album of a mutual friend’s wedding. He was pretty nice about it!

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Dec 19, 2023·edited Dec 19, 2023

Big photo album Facebook (circa 2006-2008) was the best Facebook, followed by single-university Facebook (2004).

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This is peak internet.

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Not behaving badly in public because of a sense of social shame

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Pay phones

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Phone books.

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Office workers

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Public restrooms

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Sears

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Mervyns (at least in Ca)

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Emporium Capwell's, which was a Bay Area institution. They used to run big ads in the SF Chronicle.

In Berkeley, a department store called Hink's. Also a Berkeley institution of sorts, the Berkeley Daily Gazette.

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hmm, i've never heard of or seen Mervyns. Just looked it up, but still doesn't trigger anything.

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Maybe it was a Northern Ca thing?

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Hmm could be

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Oh man I'd forgotten all about those

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It was a prime ("tentpole"? not "flagship"..."anchor"?) tenant at Broadway Plaza in Walnut Creek with I was a kid.

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As was Bullocks. Only Bullocks reference these days is from Lincoln Lawyer (books, not movie/TV show)

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Don't forget about Service Merchandise, BEST, and Consumer Distributors.

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Newspaper racks.

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A fantastic movie that you never want to watch again

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The first Spiderman.

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Most kids movies, except maybe for some Pixar ones

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Probably Eraserehead...altho I saw it so long ago (like 35+ years) that I don't recall that whether it was "fantastic". I'm making the assumption since Lynch.

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Grave of the Fireflies

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What is the lowest probability event you have seen in person?

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Dec 19, 2023·edited Dec 19, 2023

Cal running back a kick off on the final play of the game using five laterals with the opposing school's band on the field.

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The Play

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Cal beating U$C in football.

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I saw this too. Awesome.

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My wedding.

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I didn't think the probability of it happening was low. But (in retrospect) the probability of it succeeding was.

(Says the person who's never met you, but read like 1000s of your comments here ;-)

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That’s accurate.

:-)

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Witnessing the source of a 40,000+ acre wildfire when it was primarily a smoldering stump. This was after hiking out of the Trinity Alps Wilderness in 2021 and the River Complex Fire of that year, consisting of numerous fires caused by lightning strikes that merged.

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probably Wayne Rooney scoring for DC United from his own half... or SC managing to come back to win the '17 Rose Bowl against Penn State

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PRO

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Mitchell Schwartz and wife expecting a baby. She must be standing on a box or a step or something, because he's 6'5"

https://www.instagram.com/p/C1ASOjZPuKE/

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Or, she could have been standing on a step above the one he was standing on

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This photo seems to better represent their actual heights.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cw8eC5VPgAo/

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Giants QB DeVito's agent - who dresses like he's Keith Richards trying to dress like a mafioso for Halloween - apparently also is trying to act like one

https://www.nj.com/giants/2023/12/giants-qb-tommy-devitos-event-canceled-after-agent-pulls-fast-one-nj-restaurant-says.html

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Steelers' Damontae Kazee suspended for remainder of regular season without pay for repeated violations of dangerous play, the latest being this egregious hit on Michael Pittman Jr. Kazee had been fined five times prior this season.

https://twitter.com/mchappell51/status/1736818446120235442

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Seahawks - behind backup QB Drew Lock due to Geno Smith's groin injury - came from behind in thrilling fashion to beat the skidding Eagles 20-17.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/recap/_/gameId/401547601

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49ers now have effectively a two-game lead on each of the 10-4 teams trailing them for the 1 seed in the NFC (they hold tiebreakers over each).

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SF has looked like a juggernaut of late. The 49er have too many offensive weapons. Dallas and Philly, meanwhile, have struggled on the field.

If SF defeats Baltimore next Monday night, they'll effectively wrap the No. 1 seed with their remaining schedule against Washington and LA Rams. And still, the 49ers have a tie-breaker edge on both Philly and Dallas.

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Rams have also been good lately. But yes, if the 49ers win at least two of the remaining three games they will have the 1 seed. They are also far ahead of Detroit in a potential tiebreaker scenario, which for them would be conference record; the 49ers have 9 conference wins to the Lions' 6.

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Dec 19, 2023·edited Dec 19, 2023

I could see the Rams giving Philly or Detroit fits in rd 1.

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Yeah I think the Rams were banged up earlier in the season when they took their worst losses. They are better now.

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OUR CRUMBLING DEMOCRACY

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The most action seen in the Senate since the clown caucus took over the House.

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Fetterman vows to block sale of US Steel to foreigners. Politics is a circle.

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/4366073-fetterman-says-hell-work-to-block-absolutely-outrageous-us-steel-sale/

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my 12 seconds of scanning gave me the impression that it's just subsidy seeking (for the buyer)

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The six Nevada fake electors plead not guilty. Good luck with that, traitors.

https://thenevadaindependent.com/article/nevada-gop-fake-electors-plead-not-guilty-to-felony-charges-in-las-vegas

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DBD AV CLUB

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Finished Lawmen: Bass Reeves.

Thoroughly enjoyed it. Solid western.

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ELSEWHERE IN COLLEGE

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Dante Moore - frustrated with sitting on the bench at UCLA - has decided that he'd prefer to be frustrated and sitting on the bench for the Oregon Ducks instead

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/39143197/oregon-lands-transfer-qb-dante-moore-ucla-source-says

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I hope they play him. He's terrible. I can't believe he was rated so high as a prospect. Atroscious pocket presence.

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I’m a little surprised Oregon isn’t just going with their prior back up, instead chasing guys in the portal. I thought he looked really good

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Dillon Gabriel could be solid there.

What’s Dante’s end game? NIL money, sit a year behind Gabriel, and then he’s heir apparent in ‘25?

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Dec 19, 2023·edited Dec 19, 2023Author

Eric Montross ends his battle with cancer at age 52

https://www.wralsportsfan.com/tar-heel-legend-eric-montross-dies-at-52-after-cancer-diagnosis/21200861/

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WKU comes from 28 behind to beat ODU 38-35 in OT

https://www.espn.com/college-football/recap/_/gameId/401551469

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Spent last night watching an eight-year old contest featuring Grinnell versus Illinois College mens basketball. Grinnell somewhat famously runs a radical system that I realized I had never actually seen, but thanks to you YouTube could watch full games. Grinnell subs in five-men rotations every minute. They press constantly and take the first shot available, racking points like a pinball machine. It's pretty wild to witness. Illinois College held their own, but ultimately succumbed 132-126, in what amounted to a pretty modest shootout by Grinnell's standards.

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How is it possible to sub in a complete rotation every minute? When do the breaks occur that allow for such a frequent set of substitutions?

And how much time does it take to play one regulation 40-minute game?

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2 hours. No tv timeouts.

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And there you have it. Why it won't be adopted in Division I: no TV timeouts.

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Basically they seem to sub at every whistle, even if in quick succession. It’s super weird.

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That is weird. It's also what I intuited, which is why I asked.

That also means a set could be out on the court for a lengthy period of time if there are no breaks in the action from a called foul or violation.

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DBD LOGISTICS

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Dec 19, 2023·edited Dec 19, 2023Author

New rule: No jerks allowed. Even the DBD has standards.

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Dec 19, 2023·edited Dec 19, 2023

Why would we ban a single quick motion of short duration?

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the derivative of acceleration, iirc

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I can grasp organic chemistry easier than the concept of the DBD having standards. And I vaguely remember scoring 12/100 on a midterm.

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What am I going to do now?!?!?! I don’t know enough about video games to go to Reddit

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since when

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Another example of FAFO.

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well this is a how-do-you-do.

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Take that Bob R!

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