A mews is a row or courtyard of stables and carriage houses with living quarters above them, built behind large city houses before motor vehicles replaced horses.
London seems to label every lane, courtyard, and avenue. I saw a bunch of mews and I was like WTF is a mews?
I learned what a mews was/is from reading James Herriott ("All Creatures Great and Small", "All Things Bright and Beautiful", etc.). Though in Herriott's case it was in the Yorkshire countryside, not in a city, like London.
I won't recount here Rickey's accomplishments as one of the best ever Major League Baseball players. But I will say that he was easily my favorite Oakland Athletic of all time, hands down.
One of my favorite moments was not when he wore an Oakland A's uniform, but when he was a member of the Toronto Blue Jays. He single-handedly disrupted a game by walking, stealing 2nd, getting into the pitcher's head and screwing up that pitcher's delivery to the batter. This basically was the scenario that led to Mitch Williams giving up a walk-off 3-run HR to Joe Carter that delivered Toronto the 1993 World Series championship in Game 6.
Rickey's advantage was unfair. His batting stance was a crouch unlike any other. His strike zone was what was described by a teammate as the size of Hitler's heart. He walked frequently and used it to his advantage by then stealing 2nd. If he felt that he had the advantage after stealing 2nd, Rickey would steal 3rd. Rickey often got into the head of the opposing pitcher because he could be disruptive on the basepaths.
Rickey also hit more leadoff homers (81) than any other player in MLB history. #2 on the list is George Springer, with 60 leadoff HRs. Henderson's batting stance contributed to his leadoff HR record. Small strike zone to begin with, tremendous power in the crouch.
Rickey was one of the most dynamic, exciting players ever to put on a uniform. I feel privileged for having seen him play.
It strikes me that we don't see players like him anymore. Except for maybe Jose Altuve, I guess, but he isn't nearly the base-stealer that Rickey was. And he kept it going all the way into his 40s! What a unicorn.
I could never figure out how he got so much power from that stance. Trying it while playing baseball and whiffle ball with the neighborhood kids, I almost could never even hit the ball.
Oh snap. That's a great idea. There isn't enough water in the chickpeas & lemon juice alone. Water + cold in a fat & starch environment + vigorous mixing will create an emulsion. If I blend it longer = super creamy hummus.
I used to make hummus like that before I knew you shouldn't put the plastic bits of a food processor through the dishwasher. I found working with Tahini to be a bit of a pain. Another good, simple food processor food is pesto. Basil, pine nuts, parm, garlic, salt, olive oil. Maybe I'll ask Santa for a new food processor.
Yesterday, I made a small batch of patatas bravas. The sauce was good. I went through the effort of soaking, blanching, and drying out my potatoes. But I went home-cook on the potatoes, choosing to roast them tossed with oil. There is no substitute for double frying, which meant the crunchiness was disappointing.
Clear and sunny, temp in the high 30s, but climbing to around 50. Best day in weeks. To Celebrate, a new storm is coming tonight, and the rest of the week will be soggy, 3+ inches of rain the rest of the week.
Cold start to the morning. Bright blue skies but temp right at 20 degrees. Fortunately no wind. I’m going have to bundle up to go out and exercise. No white Christmas for DC this year.
When I was at Cal, I had a roommate who proclaimed that France was superior to all things American, particularly in science and technology. As examples he gave the Concorde (which no longer flies) and the Citroen.
I brought this topic up before, but French baked goods are so good that it literally makes me angry at our stupid, tasteless, expensive, convenient American versions.
The ubiquitous "Le Parisien" is a fresh half-baguette + ham + butter - but often comes with a slice/schmear of ripe cheese made from raw milk. And it's maybe EUR5. It is perfect. American sandwiches are made from bread that is pillowy/sugary. Our mayo is tasteless. Yellow mustard is perhaps the worst version of mustard ever created. Veggies go soggy on a sandwich. Our ham is cheap, not good. Our cheese is - by law - created from pasteurized milk, so we add it for fat content, not flavor. I swear to Oski, American sandwiches are for convenience, bulk, and cost in mind - not enjoyment.
The French keep retail open to a reasonable time. Not keeping banking hours like the Germans. But not keeping places open late to bow down to consumers like Americans. It gives you a small window to go shopping after work, but doesn't force low-paid staff to wait around late or require a second shift of workers. It seems humane.
"But not keeping places open late to bow down to consumers like Americans."
Ultimately, that's bowing down to oligarchs in other economic sectors as it allows for the expectations of staying at your workstations until you're released to live *your* life, not the business's.
By flying home, I instantly went from being the fattest 1% to the healthiest 1%. The French eat incredibly rich food at every meal. Butter is seemingly in everything and they eat bread with everything - but they are not fat.
For one, portions are reasonable and there is no social pressure for gluttony. No BOGO or Super-Sizing. You get a small portion of something rich and being stuffed isn't a goal. A single croissant for breakfast. A small piece of meat with some sort of butter-based sauce.
Secondly, French table service pioneered the term "entrée" and hors d'oeurve. Entrée - which literally means entry/start in French, but is used in America to mean the main meal. It's usually a soup, salad, or something small/rich like terrine. It's meant to be quick service that takes the edge off while you wait for your main plat. You're supposed to eat it while talking and waiting. Americans used to be a bit more Francophile in the mid-20th century. It was almost standard going into any mid-to-fine dining situation that you would automatically get an entree of soup or salad with some bread. In the 80s, that soup & salad went away but bread remained and appetizers were something that was back-to-back with your dinner. Appetizer prices and portion sizes got bigger, becoming major profit centers for restaurants.
As part of my push to de-program myself, I have started making fresh soups and having small salads at the beginning of every dinner and much smaller main portion sizes. No choices. You get what I serve. I think this will reduce the urge for people (ie, me) to go back for seconds.
I think some of the not fat is due to how much walking they do. When I was there we did a lot of walking. To the Metro, From the Metro to wherever we're going, which sometimes was up to a half a mile. Around whatever we were seeing. Then back.
Other than my sightseeing day in Athens, I think each day in Paris was more steps in a day than since my work trip to Seoul.
The one in LA? I had never heard of this one until a friend started teaching there. And then one of my PT interns is also from there. They have a nursing and PT program.
Interior Chinatown (Hulu, Pilot, 17/19). I had never heard of this until two days ago. Perhaps it's just me and my experiences, but this one seemingly really get some of the Asian-American experience in ways non-Asian Americans perhaps won't understand. What it's like being "invisible" to caucasian-Americans, blatant glass ceilings, familial responsibility, and fighting/leveraging stereotypes. Jimmy O Yang and Ronny Chieng are doing a pretty good job. Chloe Bennet is a hot Eurasian detective, but I think the story would have been better if she was some full Asian actress who isn't hot because one of the tropes is trying to gain respect by merit and having her be smoking hot doesn't help.
Ghosts (CBS, 18/19). My family and I love this show, but the 2024 Christmas episode (1 hr long) was amazing. The writing is always so clever and the characters bring their own uniqueness to the stories. I don't have MAX, so I haven't seen more than the first season of the British original, but, in my opinion, the American version is what can be great about American sitcoms.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. Surprisingly good. Anya-Tyalor-Joy exceeded my expectations as an action hero. It's a good prequel to the even better Fury Road. There is something about having the linearity of point-A-to-point-B action films that creates an easy to understand drama.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. (airplane 7/19 WNB). What if you were a burned out director/writer who peaked in the 90s. You'd create a sequel that was very much like the original, cast essentially the same people who now have much less energy/charisma, create a role for your wife, and then pump it out regardless of quality. Skip it.
Rust & Bone (airplane but I think it's available on Prime, 15/19 WB). Two people stumble into a relationship. It's not a traditional love story. It's flawed, traumatized people who have a messy relationship without wine & roses. But it is still love. Marion Cotillard has something - not a traditional beauty, but she is... [makes tiger claw motion]... meow.
Cal gets #8 for best ejections in 2024. It was regarding that chippy Cal vs. Louisiana softball game, which included racists shit from the Cajun fans in that same series.
How's this as a new NCAA rule. Coaches get one pink flag. If they throw it, they can challenge a call. If the call is called incorrectly, the call doesn't get reversed but the coach can have a free open-hand swing at the ref's belly with a wet hand. And it goes the other way too for the coach if he's wrong. At the end of the game, the ref/coach has to show the bright red handmark on the jumbotron. They literally have skin in the game.
In the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, Fresno State (6-6) is leading Northern Illinois (7-5) 13 to 3 at the half. Fresno State does not have its first string QB, who transferred to Michigan, but is winning with its two backups. If Fresno wins, they could end the season with a 7-6 record.
NIU won in double overtime. It was a battle of placekicker problems. Fresno’s placekicker missed 3 FGs, any of which could have won the game. But NIU’s PK missed an extra point which kept Fresno in the game.
DBD 12-24-2024
PRO
Chiefs play the Steelers tomorrow at 10 am on Netflix. Remigio of Cal/Fresno State should be playing.
On Thursday, Seahawks are at the Bears. Keenan Allen for the Bears. Also Jake Curhan, Elijah Hicks.
DBD 12-24-2024
Holiday season
Hanukkah and Christmas-New Years are coincidental this year. Apparently this happens every 15 years or so.
Apparently no Christmas Eve for Dumping Bears?
I guess we have to create one!
JERKY
Don't read or watch The Road.
Just sayin'
MEWS
Gen Z incel culture brain poison: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mewing_%28orthotropics%29
(“Enhance (‘looksmaxx’) your jawline via tongue exercises so you can be a ‘chad’.”))
A mews is a row or courtyard of stables and carriage houses with living quarters above them, built behind large city houses before motor vehicles replaced horses.
London seems to label every lane, courtyard, and avenue. I saw a bunch of mews and I was like WTF is a mews?
I learned what a mews was/is from reading James Herriott ("All Creatures Great and Small", "All Things Bright and Beautiful", etc.). Though in Herriott's case it was in the Yorkshire countryside, not in a city, like London.
APOLLO
Theater. One of the Kennedy Center honorees this year.
Rickey Henderson, 1958-2024
I won't recount here Rickey's accomplishments as one of the best ever Major League Baseball players. But I will say that he was easily my favorite Oakland Athletic of all time, hands down.
One of my favorite moments was not when he wore an Oakland A's uniform, but when he was a member of the Toronto Blue Jays. He single-handedly disrupted a game by walking, stealing 2nd, getting into the pitcher's head and screwing up that pitcher's delivery to the batter. This basically was the scenario that led to Mitch Williams giving up a walk-off 3-run HR to Joe Carter that delivered Toronto the 1993 World Series championship in Game 6.
Rickey's advantage was unfair. His batting stance was a crouch unlike any other. His strike zone was what was described by a teammate as the size of Hitler's heart. He walked frequently and used it to his advantage by then stealing 2nd. If he felt that he had the advantage after stealing 2nd, Rickey would steal 3rd. Rickey often got into the head of the opposing pitcher because he could be disruptive on the basepaths.
Rickey also hit more leadoff homers (81) than any other player in MLB history. #2 on the list is George Springer, with 60 leadoff HRs. Henderson's batting stance contributed to his leadoff HR record. Small strike zone to begin with, tremendous power in the crouch.
Rickey was one of the most dynamic, exciting players ever to put on a uniform. I feel privileged for having seen him play.
RIP
It strikes me that we don't see players like him anymore. Except for maybe Jose Altuve, I guess, but he isn't nearly the base-stealer that Rickey was. And he kept it going all the way into his 40s! What a unicorn.
I could never figure out how he got so much power from that stance. Trying it while playing baseball and whiffle ball with the neighborhood kids, I almost could never even hit the ball.
If you had thighs like Rickey and an upper body like Rickey, you'd get the power.
He was a physical specimen who kept in shape, even into his 60s.
So, 2 reasons I'm not a pro athlete?
It ain't just you, bro!
DBD COOKING ACADEMY
Yesterday, I made homemade hummus. Tahini, salt, lemon juice, a can of garbanzo, garlic powder in a food processor. Easy. Way better than Sabra.
Mrs HSB gave me a recipe and its key was to put in an ice cube just before finishing the mix in the food processor. It does make a difference.
Oh snap. That's a great idea. There isn't enough water in the chickpeas & lemon juice alone. Water + cold in a fat & starch environment + vigorous mixing will create an emulsion. If I blend it longer = super creamy hummus.
I used to make hummus like that before I knew you shouldn't put the plastic bits of a food processor through the dishwasher. I found working with Tahini to be a bit of a pain. Another good, simple food processor food is pesto. Basil, pine nuts, parm, garlic, salt, olive oil. Maybe I'll ask Santa for a new food processor.
Yesterday, I made a small batch of patatas bravas. The sauce was good. I went through the effort of soaking, blanching, and drying out my potatoes. But I went home-cook on the potatoes, choosing to roast them tossed with oil. There is no substitute for double frying, which meant the crunchiness was disappointing.
Double frying is a game changer for crispiness.
WEATHER
Finally a couple clear days in Seattle. Calling for another inch of rain on Christmas Day though.
Clear and sunny, temp in the high 30s, but climbing to around 50. Best day in weeks. To Celebrate, a new storm is coming tonight, and the rest of the week will be soggy, 3+ inches of rain the rest of the week.
Drizzly this morning in Berkeley at 6:30 a.m. on my way to BART.
Currently gray and 57 deg. F on the edge of Oakland Chinatown.
Today looks to be the warmest day for the next 10 days.
A classically rainy Bay Area winter. Which I suppose is good; we need that for our local climate.
Cold, dry, still blue skies. It's a perfect day for me to stay indoors all day clad in my pajama bottoms, socks, and my Write-for-California hoodie.
Cold start to the morning. Bright blue skies but temp right at 20 degrees. Fortunately no wind. I’m going have to bundle up to go out and exercise. No white Christmas for DC this year.
FRANCE
When I was at Cal, I had a roommate who proclaimed that France was superior to all things American, particularly in science and technology. As examples he gave the Concorde (which no longer flies) and the Citroen.
He had never been to France.
Coneheads
We are from Remulac! In France!
I brought this topic up before, but French baked goods are so good that it literally makes me angry at our stupid, tasteless, expensive, convenient American versions.
My experience is that you can walk into any random shop in France and order a sandwich or a pastry and it will be absolutely delicious.
The ubiquitous "Le Parisien" is a fresh half-baguette + ham + butter - but often comes with a slice/schmear of ripe cheese made from raw milk. And it's maybe EUR5. It is perfect. American sandwiches are made from bread that is pillowy/sugary. Our mayo is tasteless. Yellow mustard is perhaps the worst version of mustard ever created. Veggies go soggy on a sandwich. Our ham is cheap, not good. Our cheese is - by law - created from pasteurized milk, so we add it for fat content, not flavor. I swear to Oski, American sandwiches are for convenience, bulk, and cost in mind - not enjoyment.
The French keep retail open to a reasonable time. Not keeping banking hours like the Germans. But not keeping places open late to bow down to consumers like Americans. It gives you a small window to go shopping after work, but doesn't force low-paid staff to wait around late or require a second shift of workers. It seems humane.
"But not keeping places open late to bow down to consumers like Americans."
Ultimately, that's bowing down to oligarchs in other economic sectors as it allows for the expectations of staying at your workstations until you're released to live *your* life, not the business's.
By flying home, I instantly went from being the fattest 1% to the healthiest 1%. The French eat incredibly rich food at every meal. Butter is seemingly in everything and they eat bread with everything - but they are not fat.
For one, portions are reasonable and there is no social pressure for gluttony. No BOGO or Super-Sizing. You get a small portion of something rich and being stuffed isn't a goal. A single croissant for breakfast. A small piece of meat with some sort of butter-based sauce.
Secondly, French table service pioneered the term "entrée" and hors d'oeurve. Entrée - which literally means entry/start in French, but is used in America to mean the main meal. It's usually a soup, salad, or something small/rich like terrine. It's meant to be quick service that takes the edge off while you wait for your main plat. You're supposed to eat it while talking and waiting. Americans used to be a bit more Francophile in the mid-20th century. It was almost standard going into any mid-to-fine dining situation that you would automatically get an entree of soup or salad with some bread. In the 80s, that soup & salad went away but bread remained and appetizers were something that was back-to-back with your dinner. Appetizer prices and portion sizes got bigger, becoming major profit centers for restaurants.
As part of my push to de-program myself, I have started making fresh soups and having small salads at the beginning of every dinner and much smaller main portion sizes. No choices. You get what I serve. I think this will reduce the urge for people (ie, me) to go back for seconds.
I think some of the not fat is due to how much walking they do. When I was there we did a lot of walking. To the Metro, From the Metro to wherever we're going, which sometimes was up to a half a mile. Around whatever we were seeing. Then back.
Other than my sightseeing day in Athens, I think each day in Paris was more steps in a day than since my work trip to Seoul.
MERRY/MARY/MARRY...
Festivus.
It's December 23rd, for the observant.
I got a lotta problems with you people!
Why ya buggin?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgmyVLheqkQ
Merry Christmas!
According to Wikipedia, there are 17 St. Mary's College in the US. The one that is currently in Moraga pre-dates the University of California.
The other one I've heard of is Mount St. Mary's, though in looking it up it seems like there are multiples of them as well!
The one in LA? I had never heard of this one until a friend started teaching there. And then one of my PT interns is also from there. They have a nursing and PT program.
Isn't there one in PA?
I think the one I've heard of is in Maryland, as it's the other D1 school.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_St._Mary's_University
Merry & Pippin from the Lord of the Rings are nicknames. Their full names are Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took.
DBD AV CLUB
Interior Chinatown (Hulu, Pilot, 17/19). I had never heard of this until two days ago. Perhaps it's just me and my experiences, but this one seemingly really get some of the Asian-American experience in ways non-Asian Americans perhaps won't understand. What it's like being "invisible" to caucasian-Americans, blatant glass ceilings, familial responsibility, and fighting/leveraging stereotypes. Jimmy O Yang and Ronny Chieng are doing a pretty good job. Chloe Bennet is a hot Eurasian detective, but I think the story would have been better if she was some full Asian actress who isn't hot because one of the tropes is trying to gain respect by merit and having her be smoking hot doesn't help.
I read the book as well as at least one other book by the same author, Charles Yu. Very unusual style. I wonder what Yu is like in person.
Ghosts (CBS, 18/19). My family and I love this show, but the 2024 Christmas episode (1 hr long) was amazing. The writing is always so clever and the characters bring their own uniqueness to the stories. I don't have MAX, so I haven't seen more than the first season of the British original, but, in my opinion, the American version is what can be great about American sitcoms.
Widow Cliquot (Netflix, 15/19 WB) is an easy-to-consume drama about the founders of the Veuve Cliquot champagne empire. I totally recommend it.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. Surprisingly good. Anya-Tyalor-Joy exceeded my expectations as an action hero. It's a good prequel to the even better Fury Road. There is something about having the linearity of point-A-to-point-B action films that creates an easy to understand drama.
Deadpool & Wolverine (airplane 17/19 WB). Perfectly cromulent superhero film. Not the best Deadpool film, but this ain't high art.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. (airplane 7/19 WNB). What if you were a burned out director/writer who peaked in the 90s. You'd create a sequel that was very much like the original, cast essentially the same people who now have much less energy/charisma, create a role for your wife, and then pump it out regardless of quality. Skip it.
Rust & Bone (airplane but I think it's available on Prime, 15/19 WB). Two people stumble into a relationship. It's not a traditional love story. It's flawed, traumatized people who have a messy relationship without wine & roses. But it is still love. Marion Cotillard has something - not a traditional beauty, but she is... [makes tiger claw motion]... meow.
PRO
How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice
https://x.com/Cambeezy_/status/1871020526061367807
Sean Maneaea gets paid after a good season with the Mets
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/43121569/sean-manaea-new-york-mets-agree-3-year-75-million-deal
Raiders win 19-14 but only because they played the terrible Jaguars
https://www.espn.com/nfl/recap/_/gameId/401671673
And to think I selected against the Raiders.
Niners eliminated and now have the 11th pick in the draft after losing to the Dolphins 29-17
https://www.espn.com/nfl/boxscore/_/gameId/401671874
I also selected against the Niners. My schadenfreude vis-a-vis Jed York runs rampant today.
Detroit Goffs defeat da Bears 34-17, helped by this brilliant "Stumble Bum"
https://x.com/Lions/status/1870978165947981900
What a great play. I read that originally they wanted Goff to actually fumble but he suggested just faking it.
The old Goff-a-rooski.
Commanders upset the Eagles 36-33 as Hurts & Pickett get hurt
https://www.espn.com/nfl/recap/_/gameId/401671717
I watched off and on. Neither team impressed.
CAL
Women's basketball team moves up to #21 in this week's rankings. https://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/rankings
Great news!
I wondered when they show up on radar.
Go Bears!!!
Per 247, Mikey Mathews in the portal
Cal gets #8 for best ejections in 2024. It was regarding that chippy Cal vs. Louisiana softball game, which included racists shit from the Cajun fans in that same series.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-JyZJS6V18
Wow.
"That's f'ing bullsht!"
I swear some umps/refs, especially, the more poor collegiate level umps may have skin in these games.
Just sayin.'
"What targeting? No, targeting (but only when it's happening to these hippie, left coast people)."
How's this as a new NCAA rule. Coaches get one pink flag. If they throw it, they can challenge a call. If the call is called incorrectly, the call doesn't get reversed but the coach can have a free open-hand swing at the ref's belly with a wet hand. And it goes the other way too for the coach if he's wrong. At the end of the game, the ref/coach has to show the bright red handmark on the jumbotron. They literally have skin in the game.
Yeah, that'd work.
Or..or.. they could vet officials better.
There is some potential entertainment value to the pink flag approach.
POLITICS
Trump threatens to annex the Panama Canal is his typical style of "negotiating" to try to reduce rates
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c98l9wj67jgo
It’s going to be a rough four years.
Dana White gets rewarded for his support of Trump with the latter quipping that he wants to ban women's boxing
https://www.mediaite.com/trump/trump-vows-to-very-quickly-end-the-sport-of-womens-boxing-who-can-watch-women-get-beat-up/
ELSEWHERE IN COLLEGE
In the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, Fresno State (6-6) is leading Northern Illinois (7-5) 13 to 3 at the half. Fresno State does not have its first string QB, who transferred to Michigan, but is winning with its two backups. If Fresno wins, they could end the season with a 7-6 record.
Having some Deja vu about this situation.
NIU won in double overtime. It was a battle of placekicker problems. Fresno’s placekicker missed 3 FGs, any of which could have won the game. But NIU’s PK missed an extra point which kept Fresno in the game.
More Deja vu..
Crap commentary from the usual talking heads about how all of the 1st Round CFP games were duds.
Maybe the CFP field should have been only 8, Ace. Not 12.
How Superbowls have been boring blowouts?
"Are we not entertained?"
-Gladiator Guy
Tonight:
UTSA (-13.5) @ Myrtletucky on ESPN in the Myrtle Beach Bowl
NIU (-3.5) vs Fresno State in the Idaho Potato Bowl
tOSU destroys Tennessee 42-17
But...but...SEC team....
Penn State smashes SMU 38-10
It was hard to watch.
Jennings was looking more like Peyton Thorne than Kevin Jennings.
Texas beats Clemson 38-24
Best game with the best chance of an upset.
Florida smokes Tulane 33-8
Notre Dame waxes Indiana 27-17
Cinderella's carriage turned back into a pumpkin.
Well done, Cig.
Best of luck rebuilding IU and, probably, with Nando.