Related, anyone ever buy a car from Carvana or Carmax? I don't love the idea of just clicking a button to buy a car I've never seen in person. But they have the inventory I'm looking for and the VW dealership doesn't.
we bought the Subaru WRX from Carmax. they do have a test drive or "try it for 7 days" feature.
the strange thing was that in NY the rules are a little different. i ended up going to CT after finding a suitable car and having it shipped there for test drive.
i ventured out there on the train, test drove it, bought it, and drive it home. all pretty seamless.
I have a friend that bought a Kia EV6 from Carmax I think and it turned out well. I'm not sure I'd every but a car from Carvana. The good thing with Carmax is if the car you want is not in the area, you can pay to have it shipped but still not buy it. I'm not sure if you get refunded the shipping. And shipping within their system is pretty cheap, certainly much cheaper than you find an independent shipper.
Either way, I'd never buy a car without first getting a PPI. Wherever you decide to get a car, dealer, private, etc, always get a PPI and if the person or place says no to the PPI, run.
The electric VW bus is cute, but so expensive. I'm not sure I'd ever buy a german car. Repairs can be crazy expensive. Not sure if the electric cars are different maintenance-wise, but I imagine repairs on them are also crazy expensive.
The thing about electric cars, as I've been told at least, is that there's much less to break. I hear people saying they've had their electric car for like five years and all they've done is rotating/replacing the tires and wipers.
My cousin has had the VW ID.Bus for about 5 years. He raves about it.
I hear the same things about electric cars. Also, hybrids are surprisingly reliable, considering they have two power sources and therefore greater complexity.
Champagne Problems (9/19, Netflix, WNB). A predictable and pretty awful rom-com. The only redeeming feature is Minka Kelly, who stealthily has a Parisian-sized rack.
i am not going today but the Met is also closed on Wed and it is a good day to walk around and see stuff w/o throngs of people. you need No 1 to walk you around though, so it is a nice perk we try to take advantage of while we can
even standard things like the Egyptian temple (of Dendur) are amazing when you have the whole place to yourself.
Just got back from France. It is settled. I'm moving to Bordeaux in January. It beat out Toulouse, which was very cool - but there are far too few expatriates there for me to be comfortable. Lyon was a distant third.
Jan 17th. I'll be in Faro Portugal the week before to finish up my residency permit (which I won't be using, but will be keeping since I already paid for it) then will fly to Bordeaux to start my new life. Luckily for me, there is a direct flight from Faro to Bordeaux on EasyJet. We've decided to go under a retirement visa, so I'll have to figure out what to do with myself.
only a short 2 hr drive to La Rochelle which is where the Huguenots came from and founded and settled in our hometown of New Rochelle. in fact, the school mascot are the Huguenots
went to Citi Field last night w/ HAG and son. the game was unremarkable. the best part of the night was an excursion to Queens to Filipiniana Restaurant.
off the charts Filipino food. would 100% recommend.
Someone just turned me on to this one. It’s tricky, you have to strategize which flag/country gets the most points. If you don’t think ahead you’ll wish you saved that one flag for the category that came later
‘I’m Not That Informed on National Security,’ Graham Says in South Carolina Debate
Senator Darline Graham made the remark in a debate against Representative Ralph Norman, her opponent in the runoff election to succeed her brother, Lindsey Graham. Here are five takeaways from the debate.
i was supposed have a work meeting today at CBP (Customs and Border Protection) in DC but the meeting got abruptly moved. since i am on vacation next week, i guess i wont be going to that one.
the strange thing is that the organizers just moved the meeting invite to another day without checking w/ the people that were traveling from out of town if it would work for them or not.
Rio is maybe the most beautiful city in the world when seen from above, like from the Christ the Redeemer mountaintop monument. Gets a little more dicey at street level.
Still, it's fun to have a giant city on a beach because you'd be walking around in a city with tons of people going about their workday, and then you'll see someone in a thong, which feels quite out of place. But then you'll turn the corner and realize the beach is right there.
when i was 6 we lived right on the beach in Rio for 6 months. for some reason we lived in a hotel the whole time. 1 mo on Copacabana, 1 mo on Ipanema, 1 mo at the private beach at the Sheraton.
we were taken out of school and just did a nominal amount of schoolwork each day.
vivid memories of Rio include, soccer game at Maracana, authentic churrascaria dinner, my parents getting us a babysitter for one of the only times in our life to they could go experience Carnival, some of the most amazing fresh fruit i have ever had in my life, almost drowning at the beach due to an undertow current (saved by my uncle), eating out for dinner almost every night (pretty great for a 6 yr old), Christ the Redeemer.
on the way way home we traveled thru much of S and Latin America, Iguazu falls, Buenos Aires, Lima and Machu Picchu, and Mexico City and Aztec pyramids.
HAG's younger sister was one of the leading roles in a middle school production and we all laughed a lot. i can still remember her voice saying these lines.
Padres beat Mets in a game that we attended in person.
the most memorable moment of the night is when Lindor hits a would-be grand slam over right field fence and Tatis Jr jumps up and catches it about a foot above the wall.
Tatis Jr also hit 2 HR's himself and single-handedly won this game for them (aside from the pitching part of the game)
MODESTO, CA – In one of the best-pitched games of the season, the Oakland Ballers (37-42, 15-16) failed to break through with the bats in a 1-0 loss to the Modesto Roadsters (55-24, 28-3) on Tuesday night from Modern Woodmen Field.
One week after his best start of the season, Carson Whisenhunt wasn’t fooling anyone on the Cleveland Guardians. Especially not Jo Adell.
Adell drove in six runs in his first three trips to the plate, setting a career high in the game’s first four innings. He hit Cleveland’s longest home run of the season (455 feet) to give the Guardians a 3-0 lead three batters into the game, delivered a two-run single in the 2nd inning, and hit another RBI single in the 4th as the Guardians cruised to an 8-1 win.
The Dodgers scored in four different innings, including a three-run fourth inning and held on to beat the Colorado Rockies 7-6 on Tuesday night at Coors Field in Denver.
Looking forward to the week zero games in just 10 days! The season opens in Ireland with Sonny Dykes vs Bill Belichick.
It's been ten years...are we allowed to root for TCU in that game? I think I will be. Two reasons: 1) Screw creepy bill and his child bride, and 2) I have not forgiven UNC for being the primary voice against Cal to the ACC or their soccer coach who said Cal should be allowed to "die on the vine." Not ready to let that go quite yet.
I'm getting uncomfortably excited for Cal football. I think the offense is gonna hum. We'll see about all the new names on defense - hopefully they gel quickly.
I'm so optimistic that they stomp fUCLA, but vegas seems to think it's close to a pick'em. That makes me nervous.
The question that crosses my mind every year right before Cal football season that always tempers my enthusiasm: how's the offensive line? IMHO, a good, even decent, offensive line is the key to a productive offense. We haven't had a good line for what seems like a while. Hopefully knowing that we have one of the premier quarterbacks in the country will put some focus on the players that actually protect him (not to mention our running backs, too).
Car Talk
Related, anyone ever buy a car from Carvana or Carmax? I don't love the idea of just clicking a button to buy a car I've never seen in person. But they have the inventory I'm looking for and the VW dealership doesn't.
we bought the Subaru WRX from Carmax. they do have a test drive or "try it for 7 days" feature.
the strange thing was that in NY the rules are a little different. i ended up going to CT after finding a suitable car and having it shipped there for test drive.
i ventured out there on the train, test drove it, bought it, and drive it home. all pretty seamless.
I have a friend that bought a Kia EV6 from Carmax I think and it turned out well. I'm not sure I'd every but a car from Carvana. The good thing with Carmax is if the car you want is not in the area, you can pay to have it shipped but still not buy it. I'm not sure if you get refunded the shipping. And shipping within their system is pretty cheap, certainly much cheaper than you find an independent shipper.
Either way, I'd never buy a car without first getting a PPI. Wherever you decide to get a car, dealer, private, etc, always get a PPI and if the person or place says no to the PPI, run.
Anyone have any opinions about the VW ID-4 electric car? Thinking about getting one of them. Would probably be a low-mileage 2023 version.
The electric VW bus is cute, but so expensive. I'm not sure I'd ever buy a german car. Repairs can be crazy expensive. Not sure if the electric cars are different maintenance-wise, but I imagine repairs on them are also crazy expensive.
The thing about electric cars, as I've been told at least, is that there's much less to break. I hear people saying they've had their electric car for like five years and all they've done is rotating/replacing the tires and wipers.
My cousin has had the VW ID.Bus for about 5 years. He raves about it.
I hear the same things about electric cars. Also, hybrids are surprisingly reliable, considering they have two power sources and therefore greater complexity.
DBD AV Club
Love Death & Robots (S4, Netflix, WNB, 7/19). This is easily their worst season. Nothing memorable.
Wedding Season (Netflix, WNB, 4/19). JFC, why did I watch this? Terrible.
Champagne Problems (9/19, Netflix, WNB). A predictable and pretty awful rom-com. The only redeeming feature is Minka Kelly, who stealthily has a Parisian-sized rack.
Passengers (Netflix, WB, 13/19). A pretty formulaic Robinson-Crusoe-in-Space show. Fine for a plane ride. Mindless and fluffy.
DBD Lunch
defrosted a weisswurst and put it w/ a tortilla wrap, swiss cheese, and cucumber.
I had a bibimbap from https://boxyard.rtp.org/vendors/bulkogi/
11/19. It was basically sweet & sour beef, rather than traditional. Whatever. It filled my belly.
Visiting No 1 and having lunch at the NY MET employee cafeteria. No 1 said that the food is good and is subsidized.
Ended up getting Jerk chicken over coconut rice with cabbage salad and Plantains. It was really good.
i am not going today but the Met is also closed on Wed and it is a good day to walk around and see stuff w/o throngs of people. you need No 1 to walk you around though, so it is a nice perk we try to take advantage of while we can
even standard things like the Egyptian temple (of Dendur) are amazing when you have the whole place to yourself.
Non-digital Diversions
Hey Cal Alumni. GO!
Just got back from France. It is settled. I'm moving to Bordeaux in January. It beat out Toulouse, which was very cool - but there are far too few expatriates there for me to be comfortable. Lyon was a distant third.
BEARS
yoooowhhhoooo. when is this happening?
Jan 17th. I'll be in Faro Portugal the week before to finish up my residency permit (which I won't be using, but will be keeping since I already paid for it) then will fly to Bordeaux to start my new life. Luckily for me, there is a direct flight from Faro to Bordeaux on EasyJet. We've decided to go under a retirement visa, so I'll have to figure out what to do with myself.
my friend from Toulouse says
> Is he into wine ? Because for all the rest, we are better ! 😂😂😂
> It’s just that we in Toulouse don’t like people from Bordeaux. There is a big rivalry.
congrats and exciting.
only a short 2 hr drive to La Rochelle which is where the Huguenots came from and founded and settled in our hometown of New Rochelle. in fact, the school mascot are the Huguenots
https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/scorestream-team-profile-pictures/12394/20250305002435_854_mascot300.png
never been to either so i am looking forward to planning a trip when you say you are ready
Does the retirement visa mean you can't work? We'll have to have Cal play a Europe game.
went to Citi Field last night w/ HAG and son. the game was unremarkable. the best part of the night was an excursion to Queens to Filipiniana Restaurant.
off the charts Filipino food. would 100% recommend.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/zSpbfvS1Zcppog749
That place was so good.
Digital Diversions
Geozee
Someone just turned me on to this one. It’s tricky, you have to strategize which flag/country gets the most points. If you don’t think ahead you’ll wish you saved that one flag for the category that came later
Geozee #42 — 715/785 · top 19% 🌍
🇲🇼🇧🇹🇻🇺🇹🇰🇵🇰🇸🇪🇧🇮🇱🇦🇬🇦
🟩🟩🟩
🟨🟩🟩
🟩🟨🟩
https://geozee.earth?ref=share
right. i played this once. was ok.
i was also mediorce-ly just ok at it
Travle
Oops. Thought one of those countries was bigger
#travle #1344 +0
✅🟩✅
https://travle.earth
#travle #1344 +1
✅🟩🟧✅
https://travle.earth
I made an extra stop
#travle #1344 +0 (1 hint)
🟩🟩✅
https://travle.earth
Ended up going backwards
what does the hint do?
Depends. The first one is outline of the next country. I couldn't quite remember where the origin was so I used it.
i went backwards too - not sure how that happened.
#travle #1344 +0
🟩🟩✅
https://travle.earth
Globle
🌎 Aug 19, 2026 🌍
🔥 33 | Avg. Guesses: 7.29
⬜⬜🟥🟥🟩 = 5
https://globle-game.com
#globle
🌎 Aug 19, 2026 🌍
🔥 10 | Avg. Guesses: 7.51
🟧🟨🟥🟥🟥🟥🟩 = 7
https://globle-game.com
#globle
lucky today on 2nd and 3rd guess
🌎 Aug 19, 2026 🌍
🔥 2 | Avg. Guesses: 7.19
⬜🟥🟥🟩 = 4
https://globle-game.com
#globle
🌎 Aug 19, 2026 🌍
🔥 2 | Avg. Guesses: 5.79
🟧🟨🟥🟥🟥🟩 = 6
https://globle-game.com
#globle
Worldle
The little quail feather reminds me of the looney toons cartoon where he kept trying to blow the feather out of his face
#Worldle #1671 (19.08.2026) 1/6 (100%)
🔥 Current Win Streak: 22 days
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🎉
https://worldle.teuteuf.fr/share
#Worldle #1671 (19.08.2026) 1/6 (100%)
🔥 Current Win Streak: 4 days
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🎉
https://worldle.teuteuf.fr/share
the answered dawned on me after my first guess.
#Worldle #1671 (19.08.2026) 2/6 (100%)
🔥 Current Win Streak: 2 days
🟩🟩🟩🟨⬜➡️
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🎉
https://worldle.teuteuf.fr/share
#Worldle #1671 (19.08.2026) X/6 (95%)
🔥 Current Win Streak: 0 days
🟩🟨⬜⬜⬜↖️
🟩🟩🟩🟨⬜↘️
🟩🟩🟩🟨⬜➡️
🟩🟩🟩🟩⬜➡️
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟨⬇️
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟨↘️
https://worldle.teuteuf.fr/share
Didn't quite know the shape
it is a good west-to-east connector country in Travle
Octordle
Daily Octordle #1668
7️⃣🕚
🕛4️⃣
8️⃣🔟
9️⃣3️⃣
Score: 64
Today’s NYT Strands has a Spangram that is a UC Berkeley culinary institution!
Quordle
🙂 Daily Quordle 1668
6️⃣5️⃣
4️⃣8️⃣
m-w.com/games/quordle/
Should've gotten it in 7
🙂 Daily Quordle 1668
4️⃣6️⃣
7️⃣8️⃣
m-w.com/games/quordle/
I feel the same way.
it was down to a 50/50 guess to get it in 7
🙂 Daily Quordle 1668
7️⃣4️⃣
5️⃣6️⃣
m-w.com/games/quordle/
Wordle Bot: You beat me, and made the top 67% of today's players.
Wordle 1,887 4/6*
⬛⬛🟨⬛⬛
⬛⬛⬛🟨⬛
⬛🟩🟩⬛🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
WordleBot
Skill 89/99
Luck 40/99
Wordle 1,887 4/6
⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜
⬜🟩🟩⬜⬜
⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
WordleBot
Skill 83/99
Luck 52/99
I had eliminated all but one vowel on the first two rows.
Wordle 1,887 3/6
🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜
⬜🟨⬜⬜🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
Wordle 1,887 4/6*
⬛⬛⬛🟨⬛
⬛🟩⬛⬛⬛
⬛🟩🟩⬛🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
WordleBot
Skill 92/99
Luck 46/99
Dumb Government
‘I’m Not That Informed on National Security,’ Graham Says in South Carolina Debate
Senator Darline Graham made the remark in a debate against Representative Ralph Norman, her opponent in the runoff election to succeed her brother, Lindsey Graham. Here are five takeaways from the debate.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/18/us/politics/south-carolina-senate-runoff-debate-graham-norman.html?unlocked_article_code=1.6lA.5sLY.Avtes2NEWOG_&smid=url-share
i guess it doesnt matter if you have Trump backing you ...
I also saw a clip where she said South Carolina has fifty million people when it actually has five.
nobody cares about facts anymore. you can more or less say whatever you want as long as it aligns w/ the views of the people you are talking to
i was supposed have a work meeting today at CBP (Customs and Border Protection) in DC but the meeting got abruptly moved. since i am on vacation next week, i guess i wont be going to that one.
the strange thing is that the organizers just moved the meeting invite to another day without checking w/ the people that were traveling from out of town if it would work for them or not.
Brazil
Rio is maybe the most beautiful city in the world when seen from above, like from the Christ the Redeemer mountaintop monument. Gets a little more dicey at street level.
Still, it's fun to have a giant city on a beach because you'd be walking around in a city with tons of people going about their workday, and then you'll see someone in a thong, which feels quite out of place. But then you'll turn the corner and realize the beach is right there.
when i was 6 we lived right on the beach in Rio for 6 months. for some reason we lived in a hotel the whole time. 1 mo on Copacabana, 1 mo on Ipanema, 1 mo at the private beach at the Sheraton.
we were taken out of school and just did a nominal amount of schoolwork each day.
vivid memories of Rio include, soccer game at Maracana, authentic churrascaria dinner, my parents getting us a babysitter for one of the only times in our life to they could go experience Carnival, some of the most amazing fresh fruit i have ever had in my life, almost drowning at the beach due to an undertow current (saved by my uncle), eating out for dinner almost every night (pretty great for a 6 yr old), Christ the Redeemer.
on the way way home we traveled thru much of S and Latin America, Iguazu falls, Buenos Aires, Lima and Machu Picchu, and Mexico City and Aztec pyramids.
"where the nuts come from"
- Charley's Aunt
HAG's younger sister was one of the leading roles in a middle school production and we all laughed a lot. i can still remember her voice saying these lines.
I was just about to post this. I had forgotten the name of the play.
other memorable middle school productions, Ten Little Indians and Harvey.
more recently i have seen Harvey on Broadway where Jim Parsons played the lead. was amazing.
PRO
Padres beat Mets in a game that we attended in person.
the most memorable moment of the night is when Lindor hits a would-be grand slam over right field fence and Tatis Jr jumps up and catches it about a foot above the wall.
Tatis Jr also hit 2 HR's himself and single-handedly won this game for them (aside from the pitching part of the game)
Valkyries host the Minnesota Lynx tonight
I’ll be there!
#1 vs #2 in WNBA standings ... should be a good one.
Day’s scoreless start wasted in shutout loss to Roadsters (Ballers lose to the Roadsters 1-0)
https://www.oaklandballers.com/sports/bsb/2026/releases/20260819555msb
MODESTO, CA – In one of the best-pitched games of the season, the Oakland Ballers (37-42, 15-16) failed to break through with the bats in a 1-0 loss to the Modesto Roadsters (55-24, 28-3) on Tuesday night from Modern Woodmen Field.
Adell rolls Giants into the deep (Guardians win 8-1)
https://www.mccoveychronicles.com/san-francisco-giants-scores-standings/110581/adell-rolls-giants-into-the-deep
One week after his best start of the season, Carson Whisenhunt wasn’t fooling anyone on the Cleveland Guardians. Especially not Jo Adell.
Adell drove in six runs in his first three trips to the plate, setting a career high in the game’s first four innings. He hit Cleveland’s longest home run of the season (455 feet) to give the Guardians a 3-0 lead three batters into the game, delivered a two-run single in the 2nd inning, and hit another RBI single in the 4th as the Guardians cruised to an 8-1 win.
Dodgers find more offense, hold on to beat Rockies again (7-6)
https://www.truebluela.com/dodgers-scores-standings/122332/dodgers-offense-shohei-ohtani-teoscar-hernandez-tommy-edman-rockies
The Dodgers scored in four different innings, including a three-run fourth inning and held on to beat the Colorado Rockies 7-6 on Tuesday night at Coors Field in Denver.
CAL
GO BEARS!!
a little more than 2 wks till football season opener
Looking forward to the week zero games in just 10 days! The season opens in Ireland with Sonny Dykes vs Bill Belichick.
It's been ten years...are we allowed to root for TCU in that game? I think I will be. Two reasons: 1) Screw creepy bill and his child bride, and 2) I have not forgiven UNC for being the primary voice against Cal to the ACC or their soccer coach who said Cal should be allowed to "die on the vine." Not ready to let that go quite yet.
Not sure that UNC was the "primary voice," that was probably FSU. They were the last-minute wishy-washy turncoat, though.
I don't have a lot of hard feelings about Sonny Dykes. He was a poor fit in California but he wasn't terrible or anything.
too soon!
i appreciate you have to root for someone so i'd go w/ TCU too
I'm getting uncomfortably excited for Cal football. I think the offense is gonna hum. We'll see about all the new names on defense - hopefully they gel quickly.
I'm so optimistic that they stomp fUCLA, but vegas seems to think it's close to a pick'em. That makes me nervous.
The thing is that UCLA also has an interesting new coach so there is a lot of uncertainty here for the oddsmakers.
The question that crosses my mind every year right before Cal football season that always tempers my enthusiasm: how's the offensive line? IMHO, a good, even decent, offensive line is the key to a productive offense. We haven't had a good line for what seems like a while. Hopefully knowing that we have one of the premier quarterbacks in the country will put some focus on the players that actually protect him (not to mention our running backs, too).
Being excited for Cal football shouldn’t be uncomfortable. But I know what you mean.