I think I mentioned earlier this week that my pickup truck died while I was in line at a Costco gas station. The truck is 25 years old, I've had it for 22 going on 23 years, and I no longer trust it.
We're trying to buy a used vehicle through CarMax and had ordered a vehicle that needs shipping from Southern California to the CarMax Pleasant Hill location. The transfer journey started on Monday evening. It's still in transit. I feel my enthusiasm waning.
The only thing that keeps me in this ballgame is that Mrs Slug likes the exterior/interior color combo, the miles (52,000+ miles on a 2021 Honda CR-V EX-L), and the gas mileage (28/34). Otherwise, I might just jettison this charade and look elsewhere.
The one thing I've heard with CarMax is that it's super cheap to get a car moved from another location. And maybe you don't pay for it until you buy the car. 52K on a 2021 Honda is good. 12Kish per year.
We're also happy with the low miles on this vehicle that is 5 years old. In my searches, I've seen other 5 year old vehicles with 90,000 miles or more. One CR-V based on Southern California was a 2020 model year and had 124,000 miles on it.
Hondas are reliable and not expensive to operate and own as we've found out by buying new and owning a 2005 Honda CR-V, which we are keeping. To show you our brand loyalty, our oldest, CeeJay, bought a 2012 Honda Accord in 2017 (about 18 months out of school). He owned it until 2023 when he bought a Subaru Forester, new. That Accord was transferred to us and then transferred later to our youngest, Double D, who still owns it. He's had to replace the torque converter a few months back.
The irony in this whole thing is that both boys used the same Ford Ranger that died on me when they were in college at Cal Poly SLO and after they had graduated when they returned to the East Bay. The Ranger was reliable when the boys needed it, but it has suffered mechanical decline in the last two years and I had the indignity of an attempted theft by screwdriver just before Thanksgiving 2024. Just thinking about it still makes me angry because it was so unnecessary. The truck never moved from in front of the house because the a$$hat didn't have a key.
It is remarkably cheap to move a vehicle 350 to 500 miles (estimates only) seeing as it costs the consumer $99 (!). However, you pay the shipping fee up front to get the vehicle moved from Point A to Point B. My credit card has already been charged for the shipping fee and, as far as I know, the vehicle hasn't yet arrived at its intended destination.
I imagine that it's probably some combination of tractor-trailer configurations that allow up to 8 or so vehicles on one trailer on two levels and travel by freight train. That's purely speculative based on observations made while riding or driving California highways. Moving vehicles from the East Coast through, can be up to $1,999, which rules out many vehicles.
Registering cars from out of state is its own hassle as I've found through the DMV website. They have requirements and forms to file, and I have no inclination to jump through those hoops when I can find what I want in my home state.
When I moved back, I had to have the smog check and then the DMV inspection. Didn't end up being as bad as I thought it would be. They didn't tag my tinted front windows, which I think is still illegal, and didn't even check that my front lights don't have the DOT stamp. It was just all the lights blink and you don't have mods in your engine
And obviously these days you have to have a factory ECU tune and can't have engine mods.
There is no vehicle inspection in California except for what you're describing. NJ bragged on it's safety record per million miles driven and attributed it , in part, to the annual vehicle inspections. I suspect that the better safety records and features of recent model years across the industry has vastly improved that record over time.
I can bring up my OBD2 reader when I come up this weekend and we can scan the code.
No 1 bought new wheels and used that for his summer tires and his old wheels for his winter tires. He was sick of paying $60+ for having someone swap his tires.
Jack Ryan Ghost War, with John Krasinski is available on Prime Video. I watched the first 3 seasons which were episode shows. For season 4, they did a movie instead.
the Mandalorian out in theaters today. let hope it is good. the previews make it seem pretty bad. the series is serious and soulful, and the movie seems like a fast paced action film.
Flying up to Burlington Sun night to hang with HSB and family. Then flying to Milan Sat for work for about 8 days. Then flying to NYC to hang a couple of days with HSB and family before they leave for traitor daughter's graduation. I'll then stay at their house so I can see No 1 for a few days. In all, I'll be gone for about 20 days.
My luck ranking was earned. Very frustrating to have guesses 3 and 4 be oh so close but not close enough. After my 2nd guess, WordleBot said that I had three possible words left. I had to eliminate the other two to get to the solution.
Twenty-one members of the California track & field team have earned berths to the NCAA West Regionals next week, as announced by the NCAA on Thursday. The Golden Bears will compete next Wednesday-Saturday at John McDonnell Field in Fayetteville, Arkansas, with individuals needing to place in the top 12 in their respective events to book a spot at next month's NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
California women's water polo boasts five Golden Bears with All-America status, all of whom are first-time All-Americans with this year's announcement from the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches. Junior Julia Bonaguidi leads the way as Cal's 18th All-America First Team honoree, while three Bears – Despoina Drakotou, Eszter Varró and Feline Voordouw – are on the Second Team. Senior Abbi Magee has earned Honorable Mention.
A trio of Golden Bears from the California men's rowing team – Alexander Baroni, Gennaro di Mauro and Pablo Moreno – have been awarded MPSF All-Conference honors, announced by the conference office on Thursday. The recognition follows Cal's runner-up performance at the conference championships last weekend.
Got a non-bear Go Bears last night. I was leaving the Kennedy Center and a group of sales and customer service workers were handing out leaflets because they were fired last month even though there are still shows going on through early July. One of them saw my Cal t-shirt and gave an enthusiastic Go Bears. He didn’t go to Cal but grew up in El Cerrito and spent a lot of time in Berkeley. Specifically mentioned Telegraph. That’s two days in a row with unsolicited Go Bears greetings.
POLITICS, SCHMOLITICS...
Tulsi Gabbard is resigning as director of national intelligence
https://www.cnn.com/2026/05/22/politics/tulsi-gabbard-resigns
Claims it's because her husband is sick with a rare form of bone cancer.
I have no reason to doubt the stated reason. I only note that she's been on the hot seat with His Majesty for some weeks now.
DBD Car talk
I think I mentioned earlier this week that my pickup truck died while I was in line at a Costco gas station. The truck is 25 years old, I've had it for 22 going on 23 years, and I no longer trust it.
We're trying to buy a used vehicle through CarMax and had ordered a vehicle that needs shipping from Southern California to the CarMax Pleasant Hill location. The transfer journey started on Monday evening. It's still in transit. I feel my enthusiasm waning.
The only thing that keeps me in this ballgame is that Mrs Slug likes the exterior/interior color combo, the miles (52,000+ miles on a 2021 Honda CR-V EX-L), and the gas mileage (28/34). Otherwise, I might just jettison this charade and look elsewhere.
The one thing I've heard with CarMax is that it's super cheap to get a car moved from another location. And maybe you don't pay for it until you buy the car. 52K on a 2021 Honda is good. 12Kish per year.
We're also happy with the low miles on this vehicle that is 5 years old. In my searches, I've seen other 5 year old vehicles with 90,000 miles or more. One CR-V based on Southern California was a 2020 model year and had 124,000 miles on it.
Hondas are reliable and not expensive to operate and own as we've found out by buying new and owning a 2005 Honda CR-V, which we are keeping. To show you our brand loyalty, our oldest, CeeJay, bought a 2012 Honda Accord in 2017 (about 18 months out of school). He owned it until 2023 when he bought a Subaru Forester, new. That Accord was transferred to us and then transferred later to our youngest, Double D, who still owns it. He's had to replace the torque converter a few months back.
The irony in this whole thing is that both boys used the same Ford Ranger that died on me when they were in college at Cal Poly SLO and after they had graduated when they returned to the East Bay. The Ranger was reliable when the boys needed it, but it has suffered mechanical decline in the last two years and I had the indignity of an attempted theft by screwdriver just before Thanksgiving 2024. Just thinking about it still makes me angry because it was so unnecessary. The truck never moved from in front of the house because the a$$hat didn't have a key.
It is remarkably cheap to move a vehicle 350 to 500 miles (estimates only) seeing as it costs the consumer $99 (!). However, you pay the shipping fee up front to get the vehicle moved from Point A to Point B. My credit card has already been charged for the shipping fee and, as far as I know, the vehicle hasn't yet arrived at its intended destination.
I imagine that it's probably some combination of tractor-trailer configurations that allow up to 8 or so vehicles on one trailer on two levels and travel by freight train. That's purely speculative based on observations made while riding or driving California highways. Moving vehicles from the East Coast through, can be up to $1,999, which rules out many vehicles.
Registering cars from out of state is its own hassle as I've found through the DMV website. They have requirements and forms to file, and I have no inclination to jump through those hoops when I can find what I want in my home state.
You probably also know that East Coast cars tend to have more rust damage.
Oh, hell yes. I still have images burned in my brain of rust damage from road salt.
When I moved back, I had to have the smog check and then the DMV inspection. Didn't end up being as bad as I thought it would be. They didn't tag my tinted front windows, which I think is still illegal, and didn't even check that my front lights don't have the DOT stamp. It was just all the lights blink and you don't have mods in your engine
And obviously these days you have to have a factory ECU tune and can't have engine mods.
There is no vehicle inspection in California except for what you're describing. NJ bragged on it's safety record per million miles driven and attributed it , in part, to the annual vehicle inspections. I suspect that the better safety records and features of recent model years across the industry has vastly improved that record over time.
i figured it would be easier to get an appt at Volvo up here in VT for some minor check engine light.
turns out it is "tire season" when everyone is switching winter tires to summer ones and there are no appts for a couple weeks.
I can bring up my OBD2 reader when I come up this weekend and we can scan the code.
No 1 bought new wheels and used that for his summer tires and his old wheels for his winter tires. He was sick of paying $60+ for having someone swap his tires.
DBD AV club
Jack Ryan Ghost War, with John Krasinski is available on Prime Video. I watched the first 3 seasons which were episode shows. For season 4, they did a movie instead.
the Mandalorian out in theaters today. let hope it is good. the previews make it seem pretty bad. the series is serious and soulful, and the movie seems like a fast paced action film.
Memorial Day
Flying up to Burlington Sun night to hang with HSB and family. Then flying to Milan Sat for work for about 8 days. Then flying to NYC to hang a couple of days with HSB and family before they leave for traitor daughter's graduation. I'll then stay at their house so I can see No 1 for a few days. In all, I'll be gone for about 20 days.
Kegger at HSB's house after they leave!
Not going to be good for outdoor activities. Rain is forecast every day through next Wednesday.
bummer
some local Burlington food truck festival tonight.
Sat not sure. probably put furniture together
Sun gravel riding w/ a friend.
Younger child and HAG are here starting on Mon.
this looks more fun that initially advertised
https://getdownvt.com/
DBD Logsitics. no post on Mon. extra discussion today to make up for it.
Word(le) Games
Travle
lots of farting around in other non-essential countries
#travle #1255 +5
🟧🟩🟧🟧🟩🟧🟩🟧✅
https://travle.earth
#travle #1255 +2
✅🟧🟧✅✅✅
https://travle.earth
Worldle
#Worldle #1582 (22.05.2026) 2/6 (100%)
🔥 Current Win Streak: 8 days
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟨↖️
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🎉
https://worldle.teuteuf.fr/share
maybe we had the exact same guess??!!
#Worldle #1582 (22.05.2026) 2/6 (100%)
🔥 Current Win Streak: 3 days
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟨↖️
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🎉
https://worldle.teuteuf.fr/share
more than likely
Globle
🌎 May 22, 2026 🌍
🔥 10 | Avg. Guesses: 8.33
⬜🟨🟥🟩 = 4
https://globle-game.com
#globle
I realize that there are certain areas of the globe that I do not know well at all.
i kinda cheated by starting on the continent that i guessed you were referring to
🌎 May 22, 2026 🌍
🔥 4 | Avg. Guesses: 8.2
🟥🟩 = 2
https://globle-game.com
#globle
#Worldle #1582 (22.05.2026) 5/6 (100%)
🔥 Current Win Streak: 2 days
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟨↙️
🟩🟩🟩🟨⬜⬅️
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟨↖️
🟩🟩🟩🟩⬜⬇️
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🎉
https://worldle.teuteuf.fr/share
I didn't realize this country looked like this. Trying to be vague
Quordle
Daily Octordle #1579
4️⃣6️⃣
🕚9️⃣
7️⃣5️⃣
8️⃣🕐
Score: 63
What do those clock things mean? Run out of time?
they're 10, 11, and 12 since there aren't graphics for 2 digit numbers.
Daily Octordle #1579
4️⃣8️⃣
🔟7️⃣
6️⃣3️⃣
5️⃣9️⃣
Score: 52
Quordle
🙂 Daily Quordle 1579
7️⃣8️⃣
4️⃣5️⃣
m-w.com/games/quordle/
Fail
🙂 Daily Quordle 1579
4️⃣🟥
9️⃣6️⃣
m-w.com/games/quordle/
not great. i suspected that another not-so-nice 5-letter-word was not the answer - but that would have been amazing!
🙂 Daily Quordle 1579
7️⃣8️⃣
5️⃣3️⃣
m-w.com/games/quordle/
Wordle
tough one today from looking at the scores ...
Wordle 1,798 5/6
⬜🟨🟨⬜⬜
🟨⬜🟨⬜⬜
⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩
⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
WordleBot
Skill 96/99
Luck 46/99
My luck ranking was earned. Very frustrating to have guesses 3 and 4 be oh so close but not close enough. After my 2nd guess, WordleBot said that I had three possible words left. I had to eliminate the other two to get to the solution.
I tied WordleBot today.
Wordle 1,798 6/6*
⬛⬛🟨⬛⬛
🟨⬛⬛⬛⬛
⬛🟨🟨⬛⬛
🟨🟩⬛⬛🟨
🟨🟩⬛🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
WordleBot
Skill 77/99
Luck 26/99
Wordle 1,798 5/6
⬜🟨🟨⬜⬜
🟨🟩⬜⬜⬜
⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩
⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
WordleBot
Skill 98/99
Luck 43/99
Good skill, bad luck. Another rabbit hole
some days you're the Louisville Slugger, and some days you're the ball.
Wordle 1,798 6/6*
🟨🟨🟨⬛⬛
🟨🟨⬛🟨⬛
⬛⬛🟩🟩🟩
⬛🟩🟩🟩🟩
⬛🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
WordleBot
Skill 58/99
Luck 49/99
But you got it in 6, so there's that.
Cal
[T&F] Cal Track & Field Sends 21 To NCAA West Regionals
https://calbears.com/news/2026/5/21/cal-track-field-sends-21-to-ncaa-west-regionals.aspx
Twenty-one members of the California track & field team have earned berths to the NCAA West Regionals next week, as announced by the NCAA on Thursday. The Golden Bears will compete next Wednesday-Saturday at John McDonnell Field in Fayetteville, Arkansas, with individuals needing to place in the top 12 in their respective events to book a spot at next month's NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
[WPOLO] Cal Lands 5 On ACWPC All-America List
https://calbears.com/news/2026/5/21/womens-water-polo-cal-lands-5-on-acwpc-all-america-list.aspx
California women's water polo boasts five Golden Bears with All-America status, all of whom are first-time All-Americans with this year's announcement from the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches. Junior Julia Bonaguidi leads the way as Cal's 18th All-America First Team honoree, while three Bears – Despoina Drakotou, Eszter Varró and Feline Voordouw – are on the Second Team. Senior Abbi Magee has earned Honorable Mention.
[MROW] Cal Trio Awarded MPSF All-Conference Honors
https://calbears.com/news/2026/5/21/mens-rowing-cal-trio-awarded-mpsf-all-conference-honors.aspx
A trio of Golden Bears from the California men's rowing team – Alexander Baroni, Gennaro di Mauro and Pablo Moreno – have been awarded MPSF All-Conference honors, announced by the conference office on Thursday. The recognition follows Cal's runner-up performance at the conference championships last weekend.
Got a non-bear Go Bears last night. I was leaving the Kennedy Center and a group of sales and customer service workers were handing out leaflets because they were fired last month even though there are still shows going on through early July. One of them saw my Cal t-shirt and gave an enthusiastic Go Bears. He didn’t go to Cal but grew up in El Cerrito and spent a lot of time in Berkeley. Specifically mentioned Telegraph. That’s two days in a row with unsolicited Go Bears greetings.
Go Bears
PRO
Knicks beat the Cavs, 109-93
Dodgers and Giants meh the off-day.
Valkyries controlled the entire game against the NY Liberty.
Giro stage 13 - passes some beautiful countryside today and nostalgic because we have been there
The Lake & Intermediate Sprint: Riders hit the western shore of Lake Maggiore and contest the intermediate sprint in Stresa (around km 155).
nice shots of Lake Maggiore, Stresa, and Isola Bella
Knicks go on big run in 3rd quarter to seal 2-0 lead.
Josh Hart was doing it all and Burson had 14 assists.