Traveled to Japan for two weeks for work. Towards the end, I drove through Shiretoko national Park in Hokkaido, known to be home for many bears.
"The Shiretoko Peninsula in Hokkaido, Japan, supports one of the highest densities of brown bears in the world. An estimated 400 to 500 brown bears roam the 70 km-long peninsula."
Anyway I didn't go deep. Just drove through the main road hoping to see some wild bears. Unfortunately I couldn't find any on the road. I did run into a Cal alum at the visitor center. Not the bear I was looking for but it was nice to see a Cal Bear at least.
There is a testing event in Kyoto the first week of March. Looking forward to it. Going to go down to Hiroshima to check it out and go to the Mazda Museum. May end up going back to Tokyo for a few days or just fly back. Can't wait.
Nice. I started my trip in Hiroshima too. Went to Miyajima Island with friends and it was a lot of fun. Very beautiful if you take the ropeway to the top. My first day was off but it was all work after that until the last day.
Three hours. I drove to Asheville to eat in Katie Button's Curate restaurant. And I ate there for three dinners in three nights. I generally dislike tapas, but this is my favorite restaurant in the US.
traditional Danish spherical pancake balls, often served as a Christmas treat, made in a special pan with indentations, and typically dusted with powdered sugar and served with jam.
While the name means "apple slices," modern versions often omit apples, though they can be filled with fruit, cheese, or chocolate, and are known for being light and fluffy.
i think we have the special Æbleskiver pan. i havent made them in a while.
My daughter bought an aebleskiver pan to my protest because I said she would use it once, it would take up pantry space until she decided that she didn't want to make anymore, and then I'd be the bad guy for eventually asking to throw it away. That comment made me the bad guy. I was proven exactly right years later, but a jerk nonetheless.
BERKELEY – Olivia Pichardo, who in 2023 became the first woman ever to appear in an NCAA Division I baseball game, has joined the California softball team for the 2027 season.
BERKELEY- California rugby will welcome 12 newcomers to Berkeley for the 2026-27 academic year as the Golden Bears embark on their 145th season in program history. The Bears have a mix of seven in-state student-athletes, one out-of-state, and four international.
Jordon Hudson is going after Pablo Torres for that leaked video that caught Calgorithm's eye and set off perhaps the funniest event of 2025. People behind the trolling may or may not be a part of the W4C community.
The Golden State Valkyries led by as many as 24 points and never trailed in their 78-58 victory over the Los Angeles Sparks at Chase Center on Monday. The Valkyries had a balanced attack with four players scoring in double figures — Gabby Williams (16 PTS), Kaila Charles (13 PTS), Veronica Burton (12 PTS) and Cecilia Zandalasini (10 PTS) — and nine different players contributing in the scoring column. Golden State did a stellar job defending the Sparks' go-to scorers. They held the WNBA's leading scorer Kelsey Plum, averaging 26.6 points per game heading into Monday's contest, to nine points on 3-for-10 shooting and Nneka Ogwumike, who ranks fourth on the all-time scoring list with over 7,500 career points to nine points on 3-for-9 shooting. Collectively, Los Angeles shot just 3-for-21 (14.3 3PT%) from behind the arc and 20-for-60 (33.3 FG%) overall — their 58 points are the fewest allowed by the Valkyries this season.
LATEST June 16, 10:55 a.m. MLB has sent out an additional statement about warning the San Francisco Giants players who wrote on their Pride Night hats, one day after the league’s initial statement.
During the Giants’ annual celebration of San Francisco’s LGBTQ+ community on Friday night, four players protested the team’s special hats that had a rainbow-colored “SF” logo. Three of the pitchers — Landen Roupp, JT Brubaker and Ryan Walker — wrote a Bible verse on their Pride Night hats, all referencing similar passages in Genesis.
Kershaw did the same thing during the Dodgers pride night and wrote the bible verse on his hat. Bla-Q Treinan and Alex Call didn't wear the pride hats.
Bunch of Jerks win the Stanley Cup. It's wild that a city in the South is so enamored with ice hockey, partly because nearly everyone who lives here is a transplant from someplace cold.
Traveled to Japan for two weeks for work. Towards the end, I drove through Shiretoko national Park in Hokkaido, known to be home for many bears.
"The Shiretoko Peninsula in Hokkaido, Japan, supports one of the highest densities of brown bears in the world. An estimated 400 to 500 brown bears roam the 70 km-long peninsula."
Anyway I didn't go deep. Just drove through the main road hoping to see some wild bears. Unfortunately I couldn't find any on the road. I did run into a Cal alum at the visitor center. Not the bear I was looking for but it was nice to see a Cal Bear at least.
i have not been to Hokkaido. hoping to fix that next year on a ski trip
There is a testing event in Kyoto the first week of March. Looking forward to it. Going to go down to Hiroshima to check it out and go to the Mazda Museum. May end up going back to Tokyo for a few days or just fly back. Can't wait.
Nice. I started my trip in Hiroshima too. Went to Miyajima Island with friends and it was a lot of fun. Very beautiful if you take the ropeway to the top. My first day was off but it was all work after that until the last day.
how far would you drive for a good meal?
Lunch on route 66
https://photos.app.goo.gl/aDk13eUnppysdNzX6
Route 66 would be a great road trip.
people say it is less exciting because of all the stops and starts through the little towns. it used to be more wide open.
i guess if you are not in a rush it would great
I flew to Hawaii to eat poke.
I never had poke before and decided to try it. It was my first time in Hawaii and flew back the next day.
Was it a mileage run?
No, it was towards the end of Covid, but before I could travel like normal. I was tired of staying home and wanted to go somewhere.
I've had poke many times since. Some good ones, some so so ones. My first attempt in Honolulu definitely left a good impression.
I bet poke in Hawaii is amazing. Have you had it since?
Three hours. I drove to Asheville to eat in Katie Button's Curate restaurant. And I ate there for three dinners in three nights. I generally dislike tapas, but this is my favorite restaurant in the US.
I suspect that I will probably go to Catalan area in Spain specifically to eat. So a long time.
Michelin rating system
1 star - you should go if you are in the area
2 star - worth a detour
3 star - worth a special journey
i have the cookbook but never eaten at Rancho de Chimayó. it is just north of Santa Fe and would be a 1.5 hour drive tomorrow afternoon.
https://www.ranchodechimayo.com/
Copa Mundial
all 4 games yesterday end in a tie. first time ever
Cape Verde goalie will never buy his own drink ever again.
NM poll .. do you like green chile or red chile or Xmas?
Red
What is Xmas chile?
My guess is that Xmas means red and green.
ahh...yes. whoosh over my head
Yes
i usually ask for the one that is less spicy and it seems to vary from place to place. i never order Xmas
Pancakes
Æbleskiver
traditional Danish spherical pancake balls, often served as a Christmas treat, made in a special pan with indentations, and typically dusted with powdered sugar and served with jam.
While the name means "apple slices," modern versions often omit apples, though they can be filled with fruit, cheese, or chocolate, and are known for being light and fluffy.
i think we have the special Æbleskiver pan. i havent made them in a while.
https://www.webstaurantstore.com/de-buyer-mineral-b-element-10-9-16-carbon-steel-aebleskiver-pan-5612-16/904561216.html
My daughter bought an aebleskiver pan to my protest because I said she would use it once, it would take up pantry space until she decided that she didn't want to make anymore, and then I'd be the bad guy for eventually asking to throw it away. That comment made me the bad guy. I was proven exactly right years later, but a jerk nonetheless.
As we used to say at work, your problem is that you’re trying to be reasonable.
Digital Diversions
Globle
Got real close but couldn't remember all the countries nearby
Same
Worldle
#Worldle #1607 (16.06.2026) 1/6 (100%)
🔥 Current Win Streak: 1 days
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🎉
https://worldle.teuteuf.fr/share
#Worldle #1607 (16.06.2026) 2/6 (100%)
🔥 Current Win Streak: 2 days
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟨↘️
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🎉
https://worldle.teuteuf.fr/share
Went with the country next door but the shapes were different.
Octordle
Daily Octordle #1604
8️⃣9️⃣
4️⃣7️⃣
🕛🕐
🕚🔟
Score: 74
Daily Octordle #1604
🔟7️⃣
5️⃣6️⃣
🕛🕚
9️⃣8️⃣
Score: 68
Quordle
🙂 Daily Quordle 1604
3️⃣9️⃣
7️⃣8️⃣
m-w.com/games/quordle/
started well, finished barely
🙂 Daily Quordle 1604
4️⃣6️⃣
8️⃣5️⃣
m-w.com/games/quordle/
🙂 Daily Quordle 1604
4️⃣8️⃣
5️⃣7️⃣
m-w.com/games/quordle/
Wordle
Wordle 1,823 5/6*
⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩
⬜⬜🟩⬜🟩
⬜⬜🟩⬜🟩
⬜⬜🟩⬜🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
Wordle 1,823 4/6
⬜⬜🟩⬜🟩
⬜⬜🟩⬜⬜
⬜⬜🟩⬜🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
WordleBot
Skill 65/99
Luck 52/99
Tried to avoid the rabbit hole and partially succeeded.
Wordle 1,823 5/6*
⬛⬛🟩⬛🟩
⬛⬛🟩⬛🟩
⬛⬛🟩⬛🟩
🟩⬛🟩⬛🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
WordleBot
Skill 49/99
Luck 45/99
i guess that was ok. wordlebot took 5 today.
Wordle 1,823 4/6*
⬛🟨⬛⬛⬛
⬛⬛🟩⬛⬛
⬛⬛🟩🟨⬛
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
WordleBot
Skill 81/99
Luck 52/99
I was the same for the first three rows. Took me to the last to get it.
Cal
Got 3 different Go Bears in the Newark airport on Sat. Got 1 in Milan.
[SB] Cal Softball Signs Trailblazer Olivia Pichardo
https://calbears.com/news/2026/6/15/cal-softball-signs-trailblazer-olivia-pichardo.aspx
BERKELEY – Olivia Pichardo, who in 2023 became the first woman ever to appear in an NCAA Division I baseball game, has joined the California softball team for the 2027 season.
[RUGBY] Rugby Adds 12 To Fall Recruiting Class
https://calbears.com/news/2026/6/15/rugby-adds-12-to-fall-recruiting-class.aspx
BERKELEY- California rugby will welcome 12 newcomers to Berkeley for the 2026-27 academic year as the Golden Bears embark on their 145th season in program history. The Bears have a mix of seven in-state student-athletes, one out-of-state, and four international.
Jordon Hudson is going after Pablo Torres for that leaked video that caught Calgorithm's eye and set off perhaps the funniest event of 2025. People behind the trolling may or may not be a part of the W4C community.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2026/06/16/jordon-hudson-unc-records-request-foia-bill-belichick-girlfriend-banned-north-carolina/90558592007/
https://www.sfgate.com/collegesports/article/cal-trolls-bill-belichick-jordon-hudson-unc-21108792.php
PRO
Ballers Cal Day tonight. Anyone else going? I'm going with tbb and No 3.
Cam Jordan is back in New Orleans for his apparent final season
Valkyries Led by as Many as 24 Points in Wire-to-Wire Victory Over Sparks (78-58)
https://valkyries.wnba.com/news/gameday-recap-20260615
The Golden State Valkyries led by as many as 24 points and never trailed in their 78-58 victory over the Los Angeles Sparks at Chase Center on Monday. The Valkyries had a balanced attack with four players scoring in double figures — Gabby Williams (16 PTS), Kaila Charles (13 PTS), Veronica Burton (12 PTS) and Cecilia Zandalasini (10 PTS) — and nine different players contributing in the scoring column. Golden State did a stellar job defending the Sparks' go-to scorers. They held the WNBA's leading scorer Kelsey Plum, averaging 26.6 points per game heading into Monday's contest, to nine points on 3-for-10 shooting and Nneka Ogwumike, who ranks fourth on the all-time scoring list with over 7,500 career points to nine points on 3-for-9 shooting. Collectively, Los Angeles shot just 3-for-21 (14.3 3PT%) from behind the arc and 20-for-60 (33.3 FG%) overall — their 58 points are the fewest allowed by the Valkyries this season.
Giants have an off-day.
The backlash to SF Giants players' Pride Night protest isn't going away
https://www.sfgate.com/giants/article/sf-giants-pride-protest-22306839.php
LATEST June 16, 10:55 a.m. MLB has sent out an additional statement about warning the San Francisco Giants players who wrote on their Pride Night hats, one day after the league’s initial statement.
During the Giants’ annual celebration of San Francisco’s LGBTQ+ community on Friday night, four players protested the team’s special hats that had a rainbow-colored “SF” logo. Three of the pitchers — Landen Roupp, JT Brubaker and Ryan Walker — wrote a Bible verse on their Pride Night hats, all referencing similar passages in Genesis.
Kershaw did the same thing during the Dodgers pride night and wrote the bible verse on his hat. Bla-Q Treinan and Alex Call didn't wear the pride hats.
Miguel Rojas hits clutch pinch-hit home run in win over Rays (4-3)
https://www.truebluela.com/dodgers-scores-standings/118390/dodgers-rays-game-recap
The Dodgers started their homestand on a strong note, as home runs from Kyle Tucker and Miguel Rojas helped defeat the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday.
Bunch of Jerks win the Stanley Cup. It's wild that a city in the South is so enamored with ice hockey, partly because nearly everyone who lives here is a transplant from someplace cold.
https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/49063240/nhl-2026-playoffs-stanley-cup-final-carolina-hurricanes-win-championship-rod-brindamour-eric-tulsky
NBA finals again
i didnt post yesterday. after the game i was thinking that Brunson scored 45 or the Knicks 94 points in the final game. that is nuts!