Peeps are marshmallows sold in the United States and Canada that are shaped into chicks, bunnies, and other animals. There are also different shapes used for various holidays. They are made from sugar, corn syrup, gelatin, various food dyes, and salt.
I take it you're in a more northern latitude than the Bay Area (close to Seattle, perhaps?). In Berkeley this morning the sun rose at 7:22 AM and will set at 4:54 PM.
With only about 8 hrs 20 mins of daylight between sunrise and sunset, I bet you're looking forward to longer days. I know I am.
fun fact: the latest sunrise and the earlier sunset are not on the solstice, and how far they are from the solstice depends how far you are from the equator
The solstice is global, not aligned to a specific place, meridian, or latitude.
But if the solstice is global, then the second part of your statement cannot be true, because when the solstice occurred most of the globe was in darkness or light at times other than close to sunrise or sunset.
In other words, the winter solstice for 2021 started at 15:59, December 21 UTC (GMT). In Tokyo, the solstice was at 12:59 AM, December 22, basically in the middle of the night. For Tokyo, the solstice has no apparent relation to sunrise and sunset.
That's a more specific elaboration than what was written originally. I interpreted what was written earlier as not specific to location per se, when, in fact, that was how it was intended.
Anyone have any thoughts on NATO? I believe they should rebrand and change their primary goals and mission.
They should change to something like the Democratic Nations Treaty Organization and their mission should be to defend and economically support other truly Democratic nations. This would obviously mean militarily support but also mean only entering into economic agreements with one another and not with authoritarian regimes.
We would also have to kick out Hungary, Turkey and possibly have to kick the US out after 2024.
It is still useful as Russia has returned as a menace. On principal it makes sense to add Australia, Taiwan, SKorea, Japan and expand mission as you say but that would be an escalation w China so seems foolish. I think they just need to coordinate with countries in Pa Indic given the fact that Russia and China seem to be buddies again. They had been buddies in the 50s but then their relations really soured in the 60s to the point where some Soviet leaders saw China as a bigger issue than the USA. However Xi and Putin seem to be buddies again, just with the big bro little bro dynamic now flipped. If we could cleave them apart that would be good obviously
I agree and that’s why I would expand NATO to be all democratic nations. China is also expanding into the South China Sea and of course they will eventually make a move on Taiwan.
You would also need these nations to assist with NK as well.
Lastly, I think you need all these nations to help counter the disinformation campaign.
Also, when is the scheduled insertion into the Larange point, and when is the first scheduled test of the telescope? Not that the launch isn't nervewracking, but there are several other milestones that are just as important?
We used have an activity called peep jousting. Two peeps were outfitted with toothpicks and placed in the microwave facing each other. The microwave would be started and they would expand and whoever's champion was able to stab the other was the winner. As food, I think they're disgusting.
in my family, the thing to do is to leave them out on the counter for a few days to make them a little stale on purpose. it gives a slightly tougher exterior which everyone seems to love.
in general i find them strange tasting even though i like marshmallows
When I was young, such as when I was at Cal, I used to very fond of peeps. Marshmallow was one of my favorite candies, and "peep was a funny name, and you could do things like bite the head off.
Some of my friends were surprised to learn that marshmallows used to be made from mallow plants which grew in marshlands.
My office has a collection of Peeps. There's an entire book shelf display. (All still in the packaging, thank goodness.) This must have been a thing a long time ago because nobody ever adds to the collection or really knows why it started. But there they are.
That release reminded me that I never watched "Loch down," their previous travel special in Scotland. After so long between specials, I forget how genuinely funny that show is.
No, my wife and I were planning on having a movie date night this Saturday and going to see this but with the rise of omicron we have decided against going to the movies. We haven’t been to the movie theater in over 2 years.
Want to hear a grim statistic? Normally, one in 13 high school freshmen in North Carolina does not get promoted to sophomore. This year, we're on pace for 1 in 6. In the county 3 miles to the west of me (Chatham), it's 1 in 4. Absenteeism is a critical contributor.
We are failing our kids. We've got resources for missiles, walls, and prisons - but not our children.
Bidens welcome puppy "Commander" to the White House. A cat will be adopted in January. These pets replace Champ, who died this last summer and Major, who was sent to reform school in Connecticut due to two biting incidents.
TIL my extended family & wife are insane/selfish and for context they ALL health care workers. (not that i am surprised)
given the current outbreak you would think we'd get some at-home tests and possibly test before/during ski trip to CO especially if anyone has any symptoms.
their reason for "not testing" is that they dont want to know and possibly get stuck/quarantined in CO or even at home for 10+ days mostly so they
1 - dont have to miss work
2 - dont have to deal w/ kids at home who have tested positive
3 - dont have to tell their nanny not to come to take care of their kids
nobody actually cares about stopping the spread ...
I don't agree, but I am sympathetic to 2 & 3. If your kids test positive it can be a MASSIVE hassle for any parent, particularly if they're not actually sick or showing symptoms.
To be fair, there's a VERY strong bias toward presenteeism in healthcare (except among unionized staff at state institutions). We're tired and have mostly just given up at this point and have just accepted that we're all going to get it from either our patients or colleagues and will just be asked by administration to work through our illness anyway because of shortages.
It's not selfishness. We've just given up.
That being said, we also know tests are also going to be hard to come by. Plus Omicron ramps up faster so you have to test in a very narrow window. Essentially, the two options are "get vaccinated and boosted and get your eligible kids vaccinated and live your life" or "bunker down until February." Will add that empathy I've had for people who choose to be unvaccinated for any reason beyond legitimate medical advice is long gone.
we are still slated to fly to Denver and then ski all week in Steamboat. presumably we'll be outdoors mostly, but i am sure there will be apres ski drinking and some restaurants as well.
at this point i am thinking i am just going to get it eventually, why even try that hard? and w/ 3 shots i doubt i'll die ...
I didn't. Going to visit my sister in Iowa over New Year's and decided to stick with it. She's in a small town so my only real exposure will be airport and in flight. Decided it was worth that small gamble.
I never travel for Xmas, but I haven't changed any holiday plans at all. The only thing that would convince me to do so would be if local hospitals start to become overwhelmed. Given the high vaccination rates in the Bay Area that seems unlikely to happen.
Meanwhile, everyone in my family who can be vaccinated has been. We are gathering for Christmas.
Yeah - I put away my snowboarding gear to get ready to ship it to the US. Originally I had thought I'll take a long weekend up at Beidahu or some other Chinese ski resort - but I'm staying put until it's time to go.
This was a sobering story from Marin County. All guests were required to be vaccinated and tested the day of the party. Maybe had boosters. 28 tested positive.
My travel is to see my family that all live in SD. Parents, brothers family and sisters family will gather in the morning for Christmas breakfast and gift exchange. Then heading to my grandpas house for dinner with aunts and uncles. All the adults at both gatherings are fully vaccinated and the majority have gotten their boosters. All the children 5 and up are also vaccinated.
Since we are in San Diego, the windows will be open and fans on.
We didn't have any travel planned, but are not gathering in a big group for Christmas. My brother and I will go see my Mom on Christmas morning, but we are avoiding any sizable groups.
I'm not changing my plans to see the family in SoCal. They're all boosted. We're driving so we'd have a car (the rental situation is just silly right now). Haven't been on a plane for almost 2 years but I'd be ok taking a short flight that didn't require meal service. Heck, I'm getting stir crazy enough that I'd travel internationally if there was somewhere I could go that wouldn't carry the risk of things being closed, flights cancelled, or getting me somehow trapped in another country. Everyone I know who has gone internationally recently has run into some issue.
I'm where you are. 3 shots and just move forward. I'm convinced that this is the new normal (or close to it once the antiviral gets approved) and we're privileged in the US to be able to reach it before most of the world.
My buddy took a selfie when he was sitting at the 49ers game. You could see a whole section’s worth of faces – perhaps 100 people. I counted. 4 masks on. Almost everyone was wearing them as chin straps.
How much does outdoor really help when you're sitting touching the person next to you and everyone's shouting? (that's a real question, I am super curious about it)
I would worry more about the people behind me shouting in my general direction. Depending on where you sit, there could be hundreds or thousands. Or none.
You might as well maximize your time in HK, because if you try to go back, they have a 21-day quarantine, so enjoy it while you can before you come back!
Yeah - we weren't traveling for the holidays anyway, so I was thinking about picking a time to visit my mother in Portland... her birthday is mid February which I'm guessing will be on the downslope of this wave, so I'll go then (NB she's on dialysis & my 4 year old niece, who lives near my mother, won't be 5 until March, so I'm being mindful of various exposure risks)
college just added the booster to its vaccine requirements. The stickers on my card from the first two shots were applied a little sloppily so the booster details were hastily scrawled on the back by the nurse; hopefully that won't be a problem!
You should be able to get an official record from the state (digital or otherwise) just in case. Truth be told, if I saw that I'd be convinced it was genuine since no forger would make it look like that but I am not a bureaucrat.
we are staying in Denver Xmas day and this is one of the few places that i could find that was open for dinner. it happens to be in our hotel as well which is convenient.
i think some Cal attire would be appropriate right?
HSB....when they bring the check, you should totally pull an Elway and cry and say the kitchen ruined your last Christmas dinner in Denver and that this was an insult to Christmas Dinners...a farce, even, and that this Christmas dinner was one you'll have to live with for the rest of your life....
....Shocked and grief-stricken Stanford players and coaches reacted with bitterness and anger at what one of them termed a robbery in the 85th Big Game. "This was an insult to college football," quarterback John Elway said after Cal's unbelievable 57-yard, five-lateral kickoff return gave the Bears a 25-20 triumph on the last play of the game. "It was just a farce. The officials didn't have control of the whole game. They ruined my last game as a college player. It was a very bittersweet ending. I did not want it to end this way. It's something I'll have to live with for the rest of my life."....
There is a hypothesis among some in the medical field that states Omicron variant is more transmissible but less virulent than Delta or any earlier variant. The thinking is that like the flu, the worst versions were the earliest version (think the Influenza pandemic of 1918). They think that Omicron may not result in hundreds of thousands of deaths in part because a much higher percentage of the population is vaccinated than in earlier variants besides being weaker.
At the same time, they don't know just how strong (virulent) Omicron is.
Rams/Sea-chickens and WFT/Philly...both at 4 pst I believe.
Chicago was positively awful yesterday in most facets, tho they were hit with 2 awful calls that had the broadcast crew scratching their heads....not that they would've scored anyways, as they self-destructed in the red zone.
I had the Bears +7.5, so Fields throwing a touchdown as time expired, thus rendering the XP moot and ending the game 17-9 hurt...a lot.
I certainly didn't expect the outcome of last night's game.
I went off to bed just after Carr threw a pick to Cleveland because Derek Carr is not a good QB and I couldn't see wasting time to see what I just knew would happen.
Well! That'll teach me to sell the Raiders (and Carr) short.
Kinda turtled on O? I think you're being kind. ;-)
Both teams have shown me that they do not belong in the playoffs. Especially the Raiders. It took a critical failure on offense from their opponent (missing starters due to COVID) to give them an opening to win the game when their starting QB made an error that should have killed their chances.
I can't tell you how pleased I am to be getting back to low stakes embarrassing news about the football program, as opposed to the array of gross institutional mismanagement of the last several years
I just thought of something. The CCSM QB teammate of incoming WR Mason Starling - Luke Bottari - has the same family name as Vic Bottari. I'm wondering if there is any relation.
Vic is Luke's 4th Uncle. (His dad's Insta is the most wholesome thing I've seen in a very long time. Seeing his pride makes me extra happy for Luke and his family.)
I don't know why anybody would be shitting on this, like I'm reading below. Why wouldn't you celebrate alumni support of the football program? Wouldn't you rather football have more resources to be able to compete? Investing in the assistant coaching pool, recruiting, and the experience of the team members seems to me like the exact right things to put money towards. It's the infrastructure!
It sounds like the complaint is that this isn't nearly enough and it simply won't turn Cal into Alabama overnight. Folks, please. Incremental progress is still progress. Cal is better positioned to compete in the Pac-12 over the next decade than it was before this announcement. What's not to like?
Sorry did not intend to knock this initiative. At this point we need all the efforts we can get, just thinking out loud about how Cal might improve the success of the fundraising, given that academically the university has been reaching its fundraising goals in the past couple of years.
No, no. That comment was directed at me. I own it.
Newellbany's point is well taken. Hell, I've made the same argument in the past (though not the recent past).
I want more; much more from the Cal administration. The whole thing strikes me as half-hearted, uncertain, and without conviction. That's why I'm "shitting" on that announcement/initiative.
Seems like a good idea that probably needed to happen a long time ago (though is especially necessary now with a defanged NCAA). Knowing how this works, the shown donation levels are effectively just the entry fee. It's less about getting people to pay than cultivating a relationship with those who have that kind of disposable income who can pay even more down the line when asked. There's ALWAYS another ask.
Presumably these donors will be given personal attention and not just the usual flood of mailings and emails.
What might help the struggling Athletic Department is including a donation option on the constant flood of fundraising letters we receive from the University and its various departments/colleges, you know, X amount for Cal sports. Integrating this would show that the University is supporting Athletics. Otherwise it is the lame marketing and fundraising efforts of Cal Athletics.
Frankly, I wish Cal would either $h!t or get off the pot w/r/t athletics. If you (Cal) really have an aversion to athletics, be honest about it: cut the revenue sports, withdraw from the Pac-12 and FBS football and shut down most (if not all) of your athletic programs.
But if you're not going to do that, make a full commitment to being an FBS program. Commit resources to vying for Pac-12 championships and being in the national conversation in football, MBB, WBB, volleyball, crew, rugby, water polo, etc., etc.
That's precisely how I'd expect a cardiothoracic surgeon's house to look, at least the ones who aren't paying alimony. Kinda sad to know the disappointingly mundane truth.
Winter Solstice started at 7:59 am PST.
We have started the long march back to the Summer Solstice.
Time to eat rice balls https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dongzhi_Festival
Waaayyyyy ahead of you.
Sun rose today at 8 and sets at 4:20… Looking forward to some longer days.
Shanghai: Sunrise 6:49am and Sunset 4:56pm
I take it you're in a more northern latitude than the Bay Area (close to Seattle, perhaps?). In Berkeley this morning the sun rose at 7:22 AM and will set at 4:54 PM.
With only about 8 hrs 20 mins of daylight between sunrise and sunset, I bet you're looking forward to longer days. I know I am.
I didn't realize how close DC and the Bay Area are. DC sunrise today 7:23, sunset 4:49.
fun fact: the latest sunrise and the earlier sunset are not on the solstice, and how far they are from the solstice depends how far you are from the equator
Yep. Our earliest sunset was back on the 7th, but the sun will keep rising later until early January.
The solstice is global, not aligned to a specific place, meridian, or latitude.
But if the solstice is global, then the second part of your statement cannot be true, because when the solstice occurred most of the globe was in darkness or light at times other than close to sunrise or sunset.
In other words, the winter solstice for 2021 started at 15:59, December 21 UTC (GMT). In Tokyo, the solstice was at 12:59 AM, December 22, basically in the middle of the night. For Tokyo, the solstice has no apparent relation to sunrise and sunset.
Ok, let's look at it specifically for the northern hemisphere and the winter solstice.
earliest sunset for Berkeley, CA: December 6th (15 days before solstice)
shortest day for Berkeley, CA: December 21st
latest sunrise for Berkeley, CA: January 5th (15 days after solstice)
comparing to Boston, MA, which is further north:
earliest sunset is December 8th (13 days before solstice)
latest sunrise is January 3rd (13 days after solstice)
Oh.
That's a more specific elaboration than what was written originally. I interpreted what was written earlier as not specific to location per se, when, in fact, that was how it was intended.
Does this have to do where you located within a time zone? If every place had their own time zone, this wouldn't be true.
Fiat lux in about 3 months.
Full screen maximize this one.
"Hey, that looks like funnnnwwwwHHOOOOOA FUUUUUUUUU!!!!" [3 minutes of puckering]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmrUJhY9teE
Kedon Slovis to Pitt
Weird but okay. Why not stay in Cali!
As Michael Corleone told Tom Hagen in The Godfather, "it's the smart move."
Pitt has a dynamic passing offense with a solid WR crew, led by future first round draft pick Jordan Addison...he'll get East Coast publicity, too.
Good landing spot to rehab his draft profile...not a lot of places in CA could he go to that would do that.
Anyone have any thoughts on NATO? I believe they should rebrand and change their primary goals and mission.
They should change to something like the Democratic Nations Treaty Organization and their mission should be to defend and economically support other truly Democratic nations. This would obviously mean militarily support but also mean only entering into economic agreements with one another and not with authoritarian regimes.
We would also have to kick out Hungary, Turkey and possibly have to kick the US out after 2024.
IDK, it was created to block Soviet territorial expansion - and seems like blocking Russian territorial expansion is still needed.
Also, some modernization is in order, to include cyber-threats and the undue influence of Russia on social media memes.
This as well.
It is still useful as Russia has returned as a menace. On principal it makes sense to add Australia, Taiwan, SKorea, Japan and expand mission as you say but that would be an escalation w China so seems foolish. I think they just need to coordinate with countries in Pa Indic given the fact that Russia and China seem to be buddies again. They had been buddies in the 50s but then their relations really soured in the 60s to the point where some Soviet leaders saw China as a bigger issue than the USA. However Xi and Putin seem to be buddies again, just with the big bro little bro dynamic now flipped. If we could cleave them apart that would be good obviously
Countries in Pacific I meant to say
I agree and that’s why I would expand NATO to be all democratic nations. China is also expanding into the South China Sea and of course they will eventually make a move on Taiwan.
You would also need these nations to assist with NK as well.
Lastly, I think you need all these nations to help counter the disinformation campaign.
The ironic humor is appreciated.
JWST thoughts
Good Lynch for a Good Launch
I've been absent for a while; did we retire good rodgers?
Yes, but also Lynch and launch works nicely
I support that!!
What time is launch? Is it on tv/web?
NASA youtube channel live...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nT7JGZMbtM
3am EST on the 24th...
I think it's 7:20 EST with a webcast live at 6 EST.
Also, when is the scheduled insertion into the Larange point, and when is the first scheduled test of the telescope? Not that the launch isn't nervewracking, but there are several other milestones that are just as important?
The whole thing has to unfold and there are numerous delicate operations which have to be performed successfully. Fingers crossed.
Thank you!
You… better… work
They had one job...
Peep
Stella! Another one of these damn kids just jumped in front of my car!
Isn't he dreamy?
We used have an activity called peep jousting. Two peeps were outfitted with toothpicks and placed in the microwave facing each other. The microwave would be started and they would expand and whoever's champion was able to stab the other was the winner. As food, I think they're disgusting.
Peeps are nasty.
Peeps are gross. I find nothing redeemable about them.
Actually, the only good thing about them is that you can microwave them and they'll grow to five times their size.
slate peeps --
in my family, the thing to do is to leave them out on the counter for a few days to make them a little stale on purpose. it gives a slightly tougher exterior which everyone seems to love.
in general i find them strange tasting even though i like marshmallows
When I was young, such as when I was at Cal, I used to very fond of peeps. Marshmallow was one of my favorite candies, and "peep was a funny name, and you could do things like bite the head off.
Some of my friends were surprised to learn that marshmallows used to be made from mallow plants which grew in marshlands.
TIL...
Never encountered these.
WUT
My parents (my mom, really) never bought them, she used to hide little foil wrapped chocolate eggs around the house for an indoor Easter egg hunt.
But you still never have seen peeps? Not even your friends?
Well yeah, I think I must have seen them, pretty sure I've never eaten one.
The mind boggles.
I almost didn't see the small avian in that picture because I was focused on the big brown canine eyes.
Pure sugar. Nope
My office has a collection of Peeps. There's an entire book shelf display. (All still in the packaging, thank goodness.) This must have been a thing a long time ago because nobody ever adds to the collection or really knows why it started. But there they are.
How's the peeping Tommy? Tommy .. . how's the peeping?
DBD Not Financial Advice
Markets recover a bit today, rough few days there...
DBD Test Kitchen
Thai chicken curry...very good
DBD AV Club
A Thousand Fangs (Mil Colmillos) on HBO Max....ZOIKS.
A series that seems heavily inspired by Predator & Aliens, at least the first few episodes.
Been watching all creatures great and small.
Watched the Grand Tour's "Carnage a Trois" last night. Very funny look at the French and French made cars.
That release reminded me that I never watched "Loch down," their previous travel special in Scotland. After so long between specials, I forget how genuinely funny that show is.
I only find them funny when they are mocking other nationalities 🤨
Then you’ll definitely love the new episode
Has anyone seen Liquorice Pizza yet?
No, my wife and I were planning on having a movie date night this Saturday and going to see this but with the rise of omicron we have decided against going to the movies. We haven’t been to the movie theater in over 2 years.
Our Crumbling Democracy
Want to hear a grim statistic? Normally, one in 13 high school freshmen in North Carolina does not get promoted to sophomore. This year, we're on pace for 1 in 6. In the county 3 miles to the west of me (Chatham), it's 1 in 4. Absenteeism is a critical contributor.
We are failing our kids. We've got resources for missiles, walls, and prisons - but not our children.
https://www.wral.com/1-in-6-nc-9th-graders-didn-t-make-it-to-10th-grade-this-fall/20038925/
Bidens welcome puppy "Commander" to the White House. A cat will be adopted in January. These pets replace Champ, who died this last summer and Major, who was sent to reform school in Connecticut due to two biting incidents.
https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1473048795697012738
Alex Jones sues Jan. 6 committee, indicates plan to plead the Fifth
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/12/20/alex-jones-sues-jan-6-committee-indicates-plan-to-plead-the-fifth-525770
Today in Omicron
TIL my extended family & wife are insane/selfish and for context they ALL health care workers. (not that i am surprised)
given the current outbreak you would think we'd get some at-home tests and possibly test before/during ski trip to CO especially if anyone has any symptoms.
their reason for "not testing" is that they dont want to know and possibly get stuck/quarantined in CO or even at home for 10+ days mostly so they
1 - dont have to miss work
2 - dont have to deal w/ kids at home who have tested positive
3 - dont have to tell their nanny not to come to take care of their kids
nobody actually cares about stopping the spread ...
I don't agree, but I am sympathetic to 2 & 3. If your kids test positive it can be a MASSIVE hassle for any parent, particularly if they're not actually sick or showing symptoms.
To be fair, there's a VERY strong bias toward presenteeism in healthcare (except among unionized staff at state institutions). We're tired and have mostly just given up at this point and have just accepted that we're all going to get it from either our patients or colleagues and will just be asked by administration to work through our illness anyway because of shortages.
It's not selfishness. We've just given up.
That being said, we also know tests are also going to be hard to come by. Plus Omicron ramps up faster so you have to test in a very narrow window. Essentially, the two options are "get vaccinated and boosted and get your eligible kids vaccinated and live your life" or "bunker down until February." Will add that empathy I've had for people who choose to be unvaccinated for any reason beyond legitimate medical advice is long gone.
thanks for that. i could definitely be more "empathetic"
It's totally fair to set rules for family trips, though, regardless of their reasoning.
are people changing Xmas/travel plans?
we are still slated to fly to Denver and then ski all week in Steamboat. presumably we'll be outdoors mostly, but i am sure there will be apres ski drinking and some restaurants as well.
at this point i am thinking i am just going to get it eventually, why even try that hard? and w/ 3 shots i doubt i'll die ...
I didn't. Going to visit my sister in Iowa over New Year's and decided to stick with it. She's in a small town so my only real exposure will be airport and in flight. Decided it was worth that small gamble.
I never travel for Xmas, but I haven't changed any holiday plans at all. The only thing that would convince me to do so would be if local hospitals start to become overwhelmed. Given the high vaccination rates in the Bay Area that seems unlikely to happen.
Meanwhile, everyone in my family who can be vaccinated has been. We are gathering for Christmas.
Not yet, the goal is to get locked down in Maui after 12/26
Yeah - I put away my snowboarding gear to get ready to ship it to the US. Originally I had thought I'll take a long weekend up at Beidahu or some other Chinese ski resort - but I'm staying put until it's time to go.
This was a sobering story from Marin County. All guests were required to be vaccinated and tested the day of the party. Maybe had boosters. 28 tested positive.
https://www.ktvu.com/news/covid-outbreak-at-holiday-party-in-marin-county
Driving up to Napa Thursday for the Xmas holiday with Ma Chitwood.
My travel is to see my family that all live in SD. Parents, brothers family and sisters family will gather in the morning for Christmas breakfast and gift exchange. Then heading to my grandpas house for dinner with aunts and uncles. All the adults at both gatherings are fully vaccinated and the majority have gotten their boosters. All the children 5 and up are also vaccinated.
Since we are in San Diego, the windows will be open and fans on.
We didn't have any travel planned, but are not gathering in a big group for Christmas. My brother and I will go see my Mom on Christmas morning, but we are avoiding any sizable groups.
I'm not changing my plans to see the family in SoCal. They're all boosted. We're driving so we'd have a car (the rental situation is just silly right now). Haven't been on a plane for almost 2 years but I'd be ok taking a short flight that didn't require meal service. Heck, I'm getting stir crazy enough that I'd travel internationally if there was somewhere I could go that wouldn't carry the risk of things being closed, flights cancelled, or getting me somehow trapped in another country. Everyone I know who has gone internationally recently has run into some issue.
I'm where you are. 3 shots and just move forward. I'm convinced that this is the new normal (or close to it once the antiviral gets approved) and we're privileged in the US to be able to reach it before most of the world.
My buddy took a selfie when he was sitting at the 49ers game. You could see a whole section’s worth of faces – perhaps 100 people. I counted. 4 masks on. Almost everyone was wearing them as chin straps.
Yeah but at least it is an outdoor event.
How much does outdoor really help when you're sitting touching the person next to you and everyone's shouting? (that's a real question, I am super curious about it)
I would worry more about the people behind me shouting in my general direction. Depending on where you sit, there could be hundreds or thousands. Or none.
This sounds like a normal Sunday supper for the extended Chitwood family
I don’t know and that’s a good question. I’m sure they have a breeze at the stadium, so I imagine that helps.
I assume but don’t know, an outdoor/open air stadium would be better than a NBA or NHL arena.
dominant strain...that was quick. Santa Clara U requiring booster by March.
By March the peak will be past, I bet
Maybe even sooner than that.
Fauci was saying this morning that the rapid ascension of positivity rates (doubling every 3 days) suggests this wave should fall off pretty quickly.
US: hold my beer
Yup, that's also what South Africa's experience suggests.
Should I stay in HK (free place to sleep, movable plane ticket without penalty) until the wave dies down? Currently targeting end of Feb.
You might as well maximize your time in HK, because if you try to go back, they have a 21-day quarantine, so enjoy it while you can before you come back!
Yeah - we weren't traveling for the holidays anyway, so I was thinking about picking a time to visit my mother in Portland... her birthday is mid February which I'm guessing will be on the downslope of this wave, so I'll go then (NB she's on dialysis & my 4 year old niece, who lives near my mother, won't be 5 until March, so I'm being mindful of various exposure risks)
college just added the booster to its vaccine requirements. The stickers on my card from the first two shots were applied a little sloppily so the booster details were hastily scrawled on the back by the nurse; hopefully that won't be a problem!
You should be able to get an official record from the state (digital or otherwise) just in case. Truth be told, if I saw that I'd be convinced it was genuine since no forger would make it look like that but I am not a bureaucrat.
Got some new KN-95 masks that offer more protection than a cloth mask and surgical mask layered one over the other. Thanks Omicron.
Pro
Elway's restaurant in Denver
we are staying in Denver Xmas day and this is one of the few places that i could find that was open for dinner. it happens to be in our hotel as well which is convenient.
i think some Cal attire would be appropriate right?
HSB....when they bring the check, you should totally pull an Elway and cry and say the kitchen ruined your last Christmas dinner in Denver and that this was an insult to Christmas Dinners...a farce, even, and that this Christmas dinner was one you'll have to live with for the rest of your life....
....Shocked and grief-stricken Stanford players and coaches reacted with bitterness and anger at what one of them termed a robbery in the 85th Big Game. "This was an insult to college football," quarterback John Elway said after Cal's unbelievable 57-yard, five-lateral kickoff return gave the Bears a 25-20 triumph on the last play of the game. "It was just a farce. The officials didn't have control of the whole game. They ruined my last game as a college player. It was a very bittersweet ending. I did not want it to end this way. It's something I'll have to live with for the rest of my life."....
Somehow you have to figure out how to leave a $25.20 tip without screwing over your server.
Split cash and credit card tips.
i guess i could have put this in the "other college" or Cal section as well, but Denver x Elway seemed more like Pro
Do you have a The Band is on the Field t-shirt?
no .. these are the times i wish i do
Make your ringtone the Cal fight song and have someone in the family call you before and after each course of the meal.
And when they bring the meal, you absolutely have to say "What a BONANZA."
Or, "There will be no extra Bite!" after you're done eating.
I think ALL Cal attire would be appropriate!
maybe i can get the WHOLE family to wear some Cal clothes!
Always
Cops had to forcibly remove a Mexican Baseball League umpire who appeared to be hammered drunk during a game.
https://twitter.com/Beisbolpuro/status/1472933747737698311
Grabbing someone for balance and disguising it as a bro hug is universal.
It’s the universal language.
ICYMI: Jaguars scored on a 2 yard run as Trevor Lawrence elected to not throw to someone uncovered on the play.
https://twitter.com/NFLonPrime/status/1472643136476254212
NHL postponed games for a week, not sure why a week, maybe it's a wait and see thing
NHL also pulls out of Beijing Olympics, fearing that their players might get stuck there if there is a major outbreak.
https://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/opinion/2021/12/21/nhl-pulling-out-of-beijing-olympics-nobody-can-be-blamed-but-something-important-is-likely-lost-forever.html
This isn't surprising. There already were some concerns by the players, which probably led to this decision.
Probably expecting enough outbreaks that could affect the playoffs. They just changed the return policy so will use the time to assess.
That's my guess.
There is a hypothesis among some in the medical field that states Omicron variant is more transmissible but less virulent than Delta or any earlier variant. The thinking is that like the flu, the worst versions were the earliest version (think the Influenza pandemic of 1918). They think that Omicron may not result in hundreds of thousands of deaths in part because a much higher percentage of the population is vaccinated than in earlier variants besides being weaker.
At the same time, they don't know just how strong (virulent) Omicron is.
Jared Goff has the rona.
The way he played on Sun, maybe he should have to rona every Sunday.
Rona is the new roids.
More importantly, Jared Goff's girlfriend probably also has the rona....
Lions 2-1 since the photo shoot....just saying.
[NSFW] This photoshoot, right? If not, I'll keep looking until I'm successful, for journalism's sake.
https://twitter.com/SInow/status/1467854935022702594
perhaps she likes him because he can't get too handsy with his teeny paws
Never thought Goff's small hands would be more of an issue at home than on the football field.
Yes, that photoshoot...I totally endorse you keep looking, however.....all in the name of journalistic integrity...
;-)
Whoa, NSFW
There were a lot of NFL games yesterday - only watched some of the Vikings - Bears, man was that a stinky game.
https://twitter.com/HecklerChiBears/status/1473133522416246785
i fell asleep watching. didnt even know what happened until today ..
Two more today as well right?
I think so.
Rams/Sea-chickens and WFT/Philly...both at 4 pst I believe.
Chicago was positively awful yesterday in most facets, tho they were hit with 2 awful calls that had the broadcast crew scratching their heads....not that they would've scored anyways, as they self-destructed in the red zone.
I had the Bears +7.5, so Fields throwing a touchdown as time expired, thus rendering the XP moot and ending the game 17-9 hurt...a lot.
NFL 2022 draft order, team needs: Jaguars have top overall pick after trading places with Lions in Week 15 (may take Kayvon Thibidoux (sp?)
https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-2022-draft-order-team-needs-jaguars-have-top-overall-pick-after-trading-places-with-lions-in-week-15/
RAIIIDDDEEEERRRSSSSSSS
we won...but we really lost lol
I certainly didn't expect the outcome of last night's game.
I went off to bed just after Carr threw a pick to Cleveland because Derek Carr is not a good QB and I couldn't see wasting time to see what I just knew would happen.
Well! That'll teach me to sell the Raiders (and Carr) short.
I thought for sure they were done after that ill-advised throw. He got lucky the D held and Cleveland kinda turtled on O.
Kinda turtled on O? I think you're being kind. ;-)
Both teams have shown me that they do not belong in the playoffs. Especially the Raiders. It took a critical failure on offense from their opponent (missing starters due to COVID) to give them an opening to win the game when their starting QB made an error that should have killed their chances.
Other College
Former USC player Abdul-Malik McClain was arrested on fraud related to Covid loans. The arrest was related to activity when he was a Trojan.
https://twitter.com/ryan_kartje/status/1473121380338069505?s=21
I can't tell you how pleased I am to be getting back to low stakes embarrassing news about the football program, as opposed to the array of gross institutional mismanagement of the last several years
College football picks, bowl games: San Diego State vs. UTSA, Missouri vs. Army highlight best bets
https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/college-football-picks-bowl-games-san-diego-state-vs-utsa-missouri-vs-army-highlight-best-bets/
Cal
Cal MBB is guaranteed a winning record heading into conference play
Hopefully we'll be 8-5 after tomorrow, then 9-5 after we beat Stanford.
Thanks?
https://twitter.com/CalAthletics/status/1473346107295952897
Damn...and I just paid a total of $30 for 3 tickets through stubhub
Put it down as a charitable contribution.
I just thought of something. The CCSM QB teammate of incoming WR Mason Starling - Luke Bottari - has the same family name as Vic Bottari. I'm wondering if there is any relation.
https://twitter.com/CalBearsHistory/status/1473344812069703683
Someone on BI said there is a connection but did not state what that connection is.
Vic is Luke's 4th Uncle. (His dad's Insta is the most wholesome thing I've seen in a very long time. Seeing his pride makes me extra happy for Luke and his family.)
https://www.instagram.com/lukeanddantesdad/p/BmcjrwGALoA/?utm_medium=copy_link
He confirmed it himself . . . but also did not state what that connection is.
https://twitter.com/acline97/status/1473481796327129090?s=20
Cal launches an initiative to financially support the football team’s recruiting, support staff, and player’s food.
https://calbears.com/news/2021/12/20/championship-caliber-initiative-to-support-cal-football.aspx
I don't know why anybody would be shitting on this, like I'm reading below. Why wouldn't you celebrate alumni support of the football program? Wouldn't you rather football have more resources to be able to compete? Investing in the assistant coaching pool, recruiting, and the experience of the team members seems to me like the exact right things to put money towards. It's the infrastructure!
It sounds like the complaint is that this isn't nearly enough and it simply won't turn Cal into Alabama overnight. Folks, please. Incremental progress is still progress. Cal is better positioned to compete in the Pac-12 over the next decade than it was before this announcement. What's not to like?
Sorry did not intend to knock this initiative. At this point we need all the efforts we can get, just thinking out loud about how Cal might improve the success of the fundraising, given that academically the university has been reaching its fundraising goals in the past couple of years.
No, no. That comment was directed at me. I own it.
Newellbany's point is well taken. Hell, I've made the same argument in the past (though not the recent past).
I want more; much more from the Cal administration. The whole thing strikes me as half-hearted, uncertain, and without conviction. That's why I'm "shitting" on that announcement/initiative.
Seems like a good idea that probably needed to happen a long time ago (though is especially necessary now with a defanged NCAA). Knowing how this works, the shown donation levels are effectively just the entry fee. It's less about getting people to pay than cultivating a relationship with those who have that kind of disposable income who can pay even more down the line when asked. There's ALWAYS another ask.
Presumably these donors will be given personal attention and not just the usual flood of mailings and emails.
I have no words.
The search for more money...
On it's face, it is that. This is also a weak attempt at institutional support. There must be more. MUCH more.
What might help the struggling Athletic Department is including a donation option on the constant flood of fundraising letters we receive from the University and its various departments/colleges, you know, X amount for Cal sports. Integrating this would show that the University is supporting Athletics. Otherwise it is the lame marketing and fundraising efforts of Cal Athletics.
That would help.
Frankly, I wish Cal would either $h!t or get off the pot w/r/t athletics. If you (Cal) really have an aversion to athletics, be honest about it: cut the revenue sports, withdraw from the Pac-12 and FBS football and shut down most (if not all) of your athletic programs.
But if you're not going to do that, make a full commitment to being an FBS program. Commit resources to vying for Pac-12 championships and being in the national conversation in football, MBB, WBB, volleyball, crew, rugby, water polo, etc., etc.
Mckade Mettauer enters the portal....why?
Hey Scootie - look at Mettauer's parent's house, especially their bedroom carpet. McKade's room is something else too.
https://www.chron.com/news/article/Woodlands-mansion-gets-a-glam-makeover-4645849.php
"maximalist touch".
I suppose it is that. Nothing succeeds like excess, LOL.
I would stay at Cal just so I wouldn’t have to live at home and in that house.
Yeesh.
That's precisely how I'd expect a cardiothoracic surgeon's house to look, at least the ones who aren't paying alimony. Kinda sad to know the disappointingly mundane truth.
Because Cal can’t have a good OL.
Cal's OL seem to play better in the NFL than they do at Cal....rather surprising.
perhaps pairing up NFL-level OL talent from Cal with other NFL-level OL talent is a rising tide.
I prefer that take to the one that says they underachieve in Berkeley....
Covid and the COB
Mysterious indeed
Go Bears!!!
That dog is looking into the transfer portal.
what about the owl?
Who?
actually LOLed ... so thanks for that
The owl is annoyed that an upperclassman who plays the same position transferred in
The owl appears to be photoshopped into the picture.
They are the pets of photographer Tanja Brandt. The dog is "Dio" and the owl is "Shröder"
https://www.instagram.com/tanja_brandt/?hl=en
"See my friend here? He'll rip you to shreds if you take him for granted."