I didn't see one for 12.23 when I checked this morning's W4C schedule, so here we are. We'll be back to SGBear's regularly scheduled programming tomorrow morning.
I closed my chapter on scuba diving after 25 years this morning. I wanted to do a last one with my kid and then call it a career. Various physical ailments mean that the cons now equal the pros and I am off to discover some other activity. I'm sad that the chapter is closed, but I will remember the sights that I've seen until my dying day.
The state of MD sent me a bill for a toll, except the plate wasn't mine (same plate but with a V instead of a Y). I could have paid the $1.43, but I'd rather not set a precedent for paying for someone else's tolls. So I sent the bill back to them with a note about the plate mixup.
Disappointing we’re not in the top 8, tho completely understandable..meanwhile, in not unrelated news, I wish a mild case of scabies upon Mike Williams, and worse upon house of Wyking...
<rant> I do my mom's taxes and this year the FTB taxed her social security earnings, which is not what they are supposed to do. After paying a few thousand bucks she got a letter stating that AGI was much higher than it should have been, hence she got a tax bill for a few thousand dollars on top of what she paid. After several letters and phone calls we could not get resolution. Instead I sent a cranky letter saying that she was paying under protest and we expected a refund. The funny thing is that the same thing happened last year and she did get a refund. </rant>
That's hella annoying - my son had to pay Virginia state taxes because his employer goofed on the address on one pay check, and it was just easier to pay than to try to fight.
Really enjoyed it. It was a great game all along, and really dispels the nonsense about "too many meaningless bowls that nobody cares about". Looked like it meant something to a lot of people there who appeared to care about it, both ways.
I watched Carnage A Trois (latest Grand Tour). I enjoyed the cars as I have a soft spot for French cars in all their glory, but most of those jokes were stale in the 70s. Which tracks for Clarkson's cultural touchpoints. I thoroughly enjoyed the French office assistance going berserk on the race course though.
I found it intriguing and liked the direction it went. As far as recent reboots/sequels, it was much better than SW: TFA but slightly below Mad Max Fury Road.
I really enjoyed the movie and thought it was a great sequel/soft reboot of the series. I would absolutely watch any new movies to see where this goes.
In a reverse from 2 and 3, I thought the storyline and plot were the strength of the movie and the action sequences were a bit disappointing and weak. Cinematography was excellent. This was more of a sci fi romance movie than sci fi action movie.
Interesting, I can't comment since I haven't seen the film, but I wonder if people who have agree with this take.
“The Matrix” is one of the most iconic, influential sci-fi franchises of the modern era, but one of its most lasting legacies is among the most unexpected: It changed politics, almost entirely by mistake.
The mind-blowing conceit of the original 1999 film — and warning, spoilers will be coming thick and fast here — is that that the “real world” is a fiction, and a few chosen people get the chance to see behind the curtain. In the movie’s pivotal moment, the protagonist gets a choice: Swallow a blue pill, which will return him to his comfortable reality, or take a red pill that will forever awaken him to “reality,” which happens to be an alien hellscape.
In the past two decades, the idea of a “red pill” has taken on a life of its own in American culture, most prominently at first in an infamous misogynist subreddit, and then more broadly as a symbol of any kind of political awakening, almost always on the right. The idea has proliferated wildly throughout politics, and especially the darkest ideological corners of the internet, in which to be “red-pilled” means to realize that American society has been hopelessly debased by liberals, requiring a total rethink of its premises. The neo-reactionary blogger Curtis Yarvin, a Tucker Carlson guest and favorite of Steve Bannon’s, deployed it influentially on his blog; Conservative YouTube star Candace Owens called her own conservative awakening the “Black Red Pill.”
The premise to this statement is that the stock market is supposed to reflect the reality of the economy. Some would say it is not supposed to reflect the state of the economy, but rather what the market prices stock prices.
The standard Christmas Even hors d'oeuvres and dessert tomorrow night (sausage stuffed mushrooms, baked brie, pigs in a blanket(!) from my kitchen, cheese fondue from my brother -- it's like a 70s dinner party over here), no idea on Christmas because for once I'm not the hostess.
We bought some Tofu dogs at TJ’s today. Actually, these need veggie breakfast sausages, right? Damn, I have to go back to yesterday’s DBD to remember what they are. Dueling definitions, iirc
just for pigs in blanket. TBB doesn't eat meat from land sources but I was hoping she would be able to enjoy pigs in a blanket from more renewable sources, like sustainable seafood or meat substitutes.
I didn’t realize that. I thought that everyone here was pretty hardcore into meat based on the test kitchen threads ;-)
Was heartened a couple of months ago by the veggie and alt-meat threads popping up, I think due to “I’m old and the doctor says I should cut back”…allowed me to finally contribute to the DBD Test Kitchen!
This will prob get lost as an end-of-day/holiday link, but an interesting article about MSG, including a bit about the racism and info on the new taste sense: kokumi.
we're having 2 festivals of carryout (Thai tonight, Indian tomorrow) and then a super basic "ham / roasted potatoes / yorkshire pudding / green beans" dinner on Christmas day.
I would propose that yorkies go with everything, but the main thing was that nobody wanted turkey or beef, so ham was the only vote getter. I don't especially want ham either, but I didn't have a better idea.
Have a roast that will go into the crockpot first thing tomorrow morning (after a thorough rubdown). Got some red potatoes to serve with gravy made from the roast juices to go with it, plus plenty of sourdough bread.
In honor of yesterday's conversation, made pigs in a blanket for breakfast this morning. Would have saved a plate for Scootie, but the drive north over the pass is probably a bit too much right now. (Didn't consider saving a plate for Newalbany though.)
Unusual combination of ingredients in that stuffing. I'm trying to imagine what it might taste like. (Not that its directly applicable; after this past summer drought, I haven't seen dates in the local stores here in NW Oregon at all this season. Which is unusual, and unfortunate.)
Apparently Mike Pompeo gave a talk in a Tri-Valley area Chinese restaurant; people are quite heated on both sides. Ostensibly it was a "defend hong kong" thing, but I have my personal doubts as to the depth of knowledge and passion with which right wingers understand the Hong Kong situation. I am also less than enthused about the the embrace of right wing US politicians from HKers.
Trump is really pushing the vaccine lately. He told his crazies that he got boosted and was booed by them. He did an interview with Crazy Candace Owen where he basically said the vaccine works and that all those who have been dying since the vaccine became available are due to them being unvaccinated.
Perhaps he realizes it will be harder to win a close election if his voters keep dying.
More good news on Omicron. Seems like every country deep into an outbreak is showing a much lower hospitalization rate as compared to Delta. The trend is impossible to dismiss at this point.
Maryland making adjustments in hospitals b/c of rising hospitalizations, but as far as I can tell, the general trend of positive tests vastly outpacing hospitalizations is holding.
Got an alert last night. In the 6 counties in the area Hospital district, there are no available ICU beds, and 1% of non-ICU beds are available. It would be a really bad idea to get sick or hurt, as we are teetering on the edge of every hospital being on divert with no where to divert to unless its something that can get patched up at an urgent care clinic.
Wrote Justin Wilcox an e-mail of encouragement via the generic football email address a few weeks ago, and got a legit short reply from his iphone today telling me thank you.
Dueling DBD today? A sectarian split? Which is the Judean Peoples’ Front?
I didn't see one for 12.23 when I checked this morning's W4C schedule, so here we are. We'll be back to SGBear's regularly scheduled programming tomorrow morning.
STOP THE STEAL!
Oh man, we haven't had dueling DBDs since the old days!
And I seem to still have the only comment over there. Surprised nobody went there before here.
Aluminum poles
interesting topic. did i miss some obvious reference?
our cheaper (kids) ski poles are aluminum. i have some nicer carbon fiber ones.
the aluminum ones are cooler looking though
Festivus!
I watched a lot of Seinfeld. Still, it did give me the feeling, what do third world countries think of the US after watching Seinfeld?
i am not a Seinfeld watcher. i have seen a handful of them.
Boo this man!! ;-)
Same. I never got into Seinfeld. I think that puts us in a very small minority.
Boo this man too.... ;-)
My dad sometimes watches Seinfeld reruns, then recaps them to me...in detail...
living in rural China with my co-worker Matt, every other conversation began "hey do you remember that Seinfeld episode . . . "
WUTT???
Neither did I. But, I will watch Curb Your Enthusiasm, which is not the same as Seinfeld, but kinda similar.
I love Curb. This season is Gold Jerry! Gold!!
Too busy with work at the time.
Festivus miracles
The rain stopped as soon as I got to work today.
We're two days from the festival of Sol Invictus.
Feats of strength
I closed my chapter on scuba diving after 25 years this morning. I wanted to do a last one with my kid and then call it a career. Various physical ailments mean that the cons now equal the pros and I am off to discover some other activity. I'm sad that the chapter is closed, but I will remember the sights that I've seen until my dying day.
Parenting.
Airing of grievances
If I hear Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas" one more time...
Do people actually think this is a bad song are are we just sick of hearing it? I think it's a damn good song.
It’s a good song that I want to throw into the sun
it's a fine song that is waaaayyyy over played (like most christmas pop) this time of year.
The answer to that is more good Christmas music to mix into the playlist.
You also adore Weezer...
The first two albums, yes. Is that bad?
It’s that time of year. https://youtu.be/ab5WvwfLuLM
I cringe at Bruce Springsteen’s “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”
I will smile. Again.
The state of MD sent me a bill for a toll, except the plate wasn't mine (same plate but with a V instead of a Y). I could have paid the $1.43, but I'd rather not set a precedent for paying for someone else's tolls. So I sent the bill back to them with a note about the plate mixup.
I sold my car like a year ago but forgot to turn off the autopay on the tolls until like a month later. Someone got some free rolls out of me! Ah well
That is to say, I took the pass out but didn’t realize I had to delink the plate number from my acct
Should have paid it forward.
I got a lot of problems with you people....
Kruger! You couldnt smooth a silk sheet if you had a date with a hot babe... I lost my train of thought.
“What do you mean, ‘you people’?”
"What do YOU mean, 'you people'?"
I’ve been meaning to rewatch for awhile. Need to hunt for where it is available.
Yogi Stewart's son is declaring his commitment tomorrow and Stanford is in the final 8 schools and we aren't. Odds favor Duke, apparently.
Disappointing we’re not in the top 8, tho completely understandable..meanwhile, in not unrelated news, I wish a mild case of scabies upon Mike Williams, and worse upon house of Wyking...
<rant> I do my mom's taxes and this year the FTB taxed her social security earnings, which is not what they are supposed to do. After paying a few thousand bucks she got a letter stating that AGI was much higher than it should have been, hence she got a tax bill for a few thousand dollars on top of what she paid. After several letters and phone calls we could not get resolution. Instead I sent a cranky letter saying that she was paying under protest and we expected a refund. The funny thing is that the same thing happened last year and she did get a refund. </rant>
That's hella annoying - my son had to pay Virginia state taxes because his employer goofed on the address on one pay check, and it was just easier to pay than to try to fight.
Other college
The Black Knights of the Hudson squeak by Mizzou.
https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/2021-bowl-games-college-football-scores-live-updates-army-edges-missouri-in-armed-forces-bowl/live/
That was quite the exciting ending.
Really enjoyed it. It was a great game all along, and really dispels the nonsense about "too many meaningless bowls that nobody cares about". Looked like it meant something to a lot of people there who appeared to care about it, both ways.
DBD AV club
I watched Carnage A Trois (latest Grand Tour). I enjoyed the cars as I have a soft spot for French cars in all their glory, but most of those jokes were stale in the 70s. Which tracks for Clarkson's cultural touchpoints. I thoroughly enjoyed the French office assistance going berserk on the race course though.
Ha! I watched this as well, forgot that show existed until G.O. posted about it - it was very much like comfort food.
she was hilarious. cursing and giving the finger to everyone she passed
I don't care if it was planned, she sold that so hard I believed it anyway.
The new Matrix movie sssssuuuuuuuuccccckkkkksssssss
That's disappointing. I guess this continues the pattern where each one is worse than the previous one.
I found it intriguing and liked the direction it went. As far as recent reboots/sequels, it was much better than SW: TFA but slightly below Mad Max Fury Road.
I had the opposite reaction and really liked it. The only thing that disappointed me was the action sequences didn’t come close to the sequels.
This is really interesting. I'm seeing about an equal number of people in my feeds who loved it or hated it.
I really enjoyed the movie and thought it was a great sequel/soft reboot of the series. I would absolutely watch any new movies to see where this goes.
In a reverse from 2 and 3, I thought the storyline and plot were the strength of the movie and the action sequences were a bit disappointing and weak. Cinematography was excellent. This was more of a sci fi romance movie than sci fi action movie.
I thought it was disjointed and plodded along trying to make a case for some semblance of a plot. The ending felt very rushed
as expected
Interesting, I can't comment since I haven't seen the film, but I wonder if people who have agree with this take.
“The Matrix” is one of the most iconic, influential sci-fi franchises of the modern era, but one of its most lasting legacies is among the most unexpected: It changed politics, almost entirely by mistake.
The mind-blowing conceit of the original 1999 film — and warning, spoilers will be coming thick and fast here — is that that the “real world” is a fiction, and a few chosen people get the chance to see behind the curtain. In the movie’s pivotal moment, the protagonist gets a choice: Swallow a blue pill, which will return him to his comfortable reality, or take a red pill that will forever awaken him to “reality,” which happens to be an alien hellscape.
In the past two decades, the idea of a “red pill” has taken on a life of its own in American culture, most prominently at first in an infamous misogynist subreddit, and then more broadly as a symbol of any kind of political awakening, almost always on the right. The idea has proliferated wildly throughout politics, and especially the darkest ideological corners of the internet, in which to be “red-pilled” means to realize that American society has been hopelessly debased by liberals, requiring a total rethink of its premises. The neo-reactionary blogger Curtis Yarvin, a Tucker Carlson guest and favorite of Steve Bannon’s, deployed it influentially on his blog; Conservative YouTube star Candace Owens called her own conservative awakening the “Black Red Pill.”
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/12/23/matrix-resurrections-review-red-pill-america-526038
ironic since they entire thing is a trans-allegory. I mean one of the characters is named Switch. The whole move away from dead names.
The red pill-ers are SO CLOSE to getting it…alas
I agree with this and knew about conservatives/QAnon co-opting the whole red pill.
Actually, one plot point in the new movie is about facts, misinformation, and peoples abilities to create their own realities.
I thought Hawkeye ended well, a lot of story lines to tie up.
I’m gonna have to watch next week. Hawkeye didn’t really do much for me in the movies. Hoping the series is better.
Way better.
Hot take: I enjoyed Hawkeye more than Loki.
I wasn’t super excited about Hawkeye, and I really enjoyed Loki. I’ll have to check it out.
That's not a Hot take, if you said it was *better*, that would be a hot take. It was a lot of fun.
In my opinion, Hawkeye was better than Loki.
I disagree, I think Loki was a deeper, more interesting show, but I'll easily grant you that Hawkeye was more fun, and more goofy fun.
Beforeigners. Anyone watched? Interesting original concept.
The missus really enjoyed it, which means basically nothing to you, but that's what I've got.
I’ve watched two eps. Not totally grabbed yet, but will try a couple more. A stretch that the “Vikings” are able to learn fluent Norwegian.
It's on my watch list...I started Station Eleven instead....
DBD finance
SP 500 back in record territory shrugging off EVERYTHING
At what point is it just completely divorced from reality
The premise to this statement is that the stock market is supposed to reflect the reality of the economy. Some would say it is not supposed to reflect the state of the economy, but rather what the market prices stock prices.
if it keeps going this way maybe i won't need to find a job.
Some time in the late 70's.
Dranks on HSB!!!
I know who's paying for drinks at Notre Dame.
Nasdaq up to 15673.29
I guess people like what they are seeing with omicron in South Africa.
DBD test kitchen
Feast of the seven fishes tomorrow, so we'll be cooking all day in the Bk97 household.
nobody in my house seems interested in this. i am just going to escape to Italia by myself one of these years ...
It's a lot of planning and prep, but it's well worth it. And it's a great way to stay busy all day.
Also, you can have something like cioppino and knock out a few of the seven all at once. Doesn't have to be seven courses.
The standard Christmas Even hors d'oeuvres and dessert tomorrow night (sausage stuffed mushrooms, baked brie, pigs in a blanket(!) from my kitchen, cheese fondue from my brother -- it's like a 70s dinner party over here), no idea on Christmas because for once I'm not the hostess.
no gorgonzola artichoke?
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1242512/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_7
Blue Nun to drink? You should catch the Supersizers Are Go! episode about the 70's
Asian dumpling soup and samosas to start last night, some pasta dish tonight.
@Terence: I've had some kind of shellfish corndog in Chicago that was quite delicious, and yes, I eat Beyond and Impossible products.
time to make some veggie pigs in a blanket.
We bought some Tofu dogs at TJ’s today. Actually, these need veggie breakfast sausages, right? Damn, I have to go back to yesterday’s DBD to remember what they are. Dueling definitions, iirc
just for pigs in blanket. TBB doesn't eat meat from land sources but I was hoping she would be able to enjoy pigs in a blanket from more renewable sources, like sustainable seafood or meat substitutes.
I didn’t realize that. I thought that everyone here was pretty hardcore into meat based on the test kitchen threads ;-)
Was heartened a couple of months ago by the veggie and alt-meat threads popping up, I think due to “I’m old and the doctor says I should cut back”…allowed me to finally contribute to the DBD Test Kitchen!
this is a Berkeley affiliated community. if we didn't embrace meat substitutes and vegetarian/vegan meals, who would?
Michael Mina, he of SF Aqua fame, used to have a lobster corn dog on a menu at one of his restaurants in San Jose
That was Arcadia, attached to the Marriott, if my memory serves. Is that place still there?
ah yes, that was his during his exile period.
That sounds delicious
Rib roast for Xmas eve. Leftovers will be turned into carne en su jugo on Xmas day
Sigh
to each their own cugel. to each their own.
That's what we normally have! I want!
Fishing for an invite?
Eh, in this environment? No, just sad, we're having roast chicken.
This will prob get lost as an end-of-day/holiday link, but an interesting article about MSG, including a bit about the racism and info on the new taste sense: kokumi.
https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v43/n17/daniel-soar/the-sixth-taste
we're having 2 festivals of carryout (Thai tonight, Indian tomorrow) and then a super basic "ham / roasted potatoes / yorkshire pudding / green beans" dinner on Christmas day.
Do ham and yorkies even go together?
I would propose that yorkies go with everything, but the main thing was that nobody wanted turkey or beef, so ham was the only vote getter. I don't especially want ham either, but I didn't have a better idea.
no votes for lamb?
Sounds like it would at least be worth a taste test. This is a "test kitchen" thread.
Have a roast that will go into the crockpot first thing tomorrow morning (after a thorough rubdown). Got some red potatoes to serve with gravy made from the roast juices to go with it, plus plenty of sourdough bread.
Eating a gift pasty for breakfast - quite good.
In honor of yesterday's conversation, made pigs in a blanket for breakfast this morning. Would have saved a plate for Scootie, but the drive north over the pass is probably a bit too much right now. (Didn't consider saving a plate for Newalbany though.)
for Xmas eve dinner i am making - Sourdough Stuffing With Kale and Dates - to go w/ a ham.
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016909-sourdough-stuffing-with-kale-and-dates
have not been to Suzanne Goin's restaurant in LA but i have her cookbook and while everything is quite time consuming, it always turns out great.
Unusual combination of ingredients in that stuffing. I'm trying to imagine what it might taste like. (Not that its directly applicable; after this past summer drought, I haven't seen dates in the local stores here in NW Oregon at all this season. Which is unusual, and unfortunate.)
Sounds good. Here, beef bourguignon
Crumbling democracies
[Michael Flynn] "I am suing you, the US government, the stop releasing my phone records becau..."
[US District Judge Scriven] No. Next.
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/12/22/politics/michael-flynn-january-6-lawsuit/index.html
isn't this like the third time he's filed the same request for injunction or blocking subpoenas?
Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) and wife to divorce. I mean, it was a long, difficult eight months.
https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/in-the-know/587043-rep-madison-cawthorn-and-wife-to-divorce
But the sanctity of marriage.
She's is quite attractive. Unfortunately, she is equally a right wing loon, so pass.
Apparently Mike Pompeo gave a talk in a Tri-Valley area Chinese restaurant; people are quite heated on both sides. Ostensibly it was a "defend hong kong" thing, but I have my personal doubts as to the depth of knowledge and passion with which right wingers understand the Hong Kong situation. I am also less than enthused about the the embrace of right wing US politicians from HKers.
Republicans are trying to pin the ‘Big Lie’ on Stacey Abrams
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/12/23/republicans-big-lie-stacey-abrams-525987
Today in the 'rona
Trump is really pushing the vaccine lately. He told his crazies that he got boosted and was booed by them. He did an interview with Crazy Candace Owen where he basically said the vaccine works and that all those who have been dying since the vaccine became available are due to them being unvaccinated.
Perhaps he realizes it will be harder to win a close election if his voters keep dying.
More good news on Omicron. Seems like every country deep into an outbreak is showing a much lower hospitalization rate as compared to Delta. The trend is impossible to dismiss at this point.
https://twitter.com/EricTopol/status/1473760403050041345
Still unclear as to why. Because of existing immunity? The new variant is just less virulent? Some combination of both?
Apparently omicron affects the upper portion of the lungs, so it does less damage.
Isn’t this what happened with the Spanish Flu? It didn’t magically just disappear.
Yup, pretty similar. The later mutations made it more contagious but less deadly. And of course, more people had immunity by then.
More immunity or died.
Exactly, vaccination and death selects for less virulent strains
But also more contagious
Maryland making adjustments in hospitals b/c of rising hospitalizations, but as far as I can tell, the general trend of positive tests vastly outpacing hospitalizations is holding.
Got an alert last night. In the 6 counties in the area Hospital district, there are no available ICU beds, and 1% of non-ICU beds are available. It would be a really bad idea to get sick or hurt, as we are teetering on the edge of every hospital being on divert with no where to divert to unless its something that can get patched up at an urgent care clinic.
The latest on the coronavirus pandemic and Omicron variant
https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/omicron-variant-coronavirus-news-12-23-21/index.html
Pros
Staples Center ends on Thursday
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/32911019/the-biggest-moments-staples-center-history-nba-nhl-wnba-ufc-boxing-more
Coming soon... the Houston Flames?
https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/32925303/calgary-flames-pull-deal-city-new-arena
Cal
Wrote Justin Wilcox an e-mail of encouragement via the generic football email address a few weeks ago, and got a legit short reply from his iphone today telling me thank you.
That’s actually pretty cool!
Right? I had zero expectations and was just hoping to put some positivity out there.
Whatever super serum you’re taking I need some. Positivity is in short supply for me these days.
Men's bball wins again
https://twitter.com/CalMBBall/status/1473818540616544256
Are they good?
define good.
Maybe 7-5 in football terms kinda good
Thank you for using terms I can understand
More like 6-6 I'd say
Okay, that's decent. Way above my expectations.
(I have not watched Cal basketball in two years)
Go Bears!
Cal alumna Joan Didion died this morning in New York, from Parkinson's.
She was just praised on CNBC.