I logged onto TurboTax yesterday and it tried to tell me I was going to owe the Feds $12K. Managed to get it down to $6K by the time I filed, but that still hurts. What pisses me off is that I withhold what the IRS tells me to withhold, and I do not have any substantial income that is not subject to that withholding. I really wish they would fix their very broken withholding tables. They've been fucked up ever since the tax "cuts" (increase) of a few years ago.
I upped my withholding to cover the couple thousand I owed to the feds in 2019 and was still in the red in 2020. Ever since that tax "cut" I've been unable to get a refund.
maybe the best "tax benefit" is opening a 529 and having an additional tax deferred investment scheme assuming you have maxed out all the other ones you are eligible for.
Same here for state tax, but not a huge check. Also got the bill for the first installment of real estate tax over the weekend so paid that too. Not a great day for my bank account.
Surprisingly we will be getting some money back. COVID was a solid down year financially in the Cruzin household, but this was a nice surprise on Thursday last week.
Already sent in for 2020. I'm old fashioned and fill out the 1040 and attachments by hand. Had an unexpected tax bill for 2019 which the IRS just notified me of two weeks ago. So the capital outlay was more than I expected for the last two years.
I still fill it in by hand too. But for a period of time writing the 1040 and instructions and some of the attachments was my job so for me it's a bit of nostalgia and wanting to see how things are changing.
AMT is still messing with me! And in general, it's very out of date (the trigger is from like the 60s?) and punishes those in higher cost-of-living states (at least that's my non-econ understanding). It was designed to get money from like 1,000 people (rich) and now it affects millions (not poor, but)...
Whatever we owed was covered by last year's refund, so I wasn't out of pocket, but our accountant recommended that I change my withholding, which makes the pay check balance that little more depressing.
The Oakland A’s found themselves competing against both their opponent and the umpiring crew on Sunday, but they overcame both in a game that had no shortage of odd moments.
The A’s fell behind early but came back, then blew a save but retook the lead, for a 7-6 victory over the Minnesota Twins in their series finale at Target Field. In an appropriate piece of symbolism, the winning run scored on a wild pitch.
We’ve already complained about umpires a lot this year, and it always feels weak to do so. But my goodness, it has become too glaring of a problem to ignore.
We had the game in for about 10 min before the Warriors game started. Saw the Laureano throw home. I thought on replay it looked like the right call. But what a throw.
The umps absolutely should be censored for missing the call on Chapman where he wasn't even tagged, similarly the Miguel Sano at bat where the ball hit the pommel of the bat, went into fair territory and was in fact a double play turned by the A's. Instead the umps ruled that Sano was struck on the hand. Chris Bassett, visibly distraught, allowed a homer (3 run shot) to the next batter.
The bullpen gave the Dodgers nine strong innings, but the offense couldn’t provide more than two runs as LA dropped the series finale to the Marlins, 3-2.
For the game, LA actually out-hit Miami 10-6, but they failed to capitalize on opportunities when given them. They stranded eight runners on base and were 3-for-8 with runners in scoring position.
The true difference maker in the game was an error from Sheldon Neuse in the fifth inning. Marlins pitcher Pablo Lopez reached to leadoff the inning thanks to an error from Neuse, who took Chris Taylor’s spot in the lineup right before first pitch. Instead of one out and nobody one, Miami had a baserunner. With two on and two out, Adam Duvall crushed (and I mean crushed) a homer to left field, putting Miami up 3-2. Duvall should have never been up, as the inning should have been over the batter prior.
The Los Angeles Lakers' repeat title bid will commence with LeBron James facing a familiar foe in the Golden State Warriors during the play-in tournament, led by James' pick for MVP, Stephen Curry.
"I mean, just look at what he's done this year," James said after L.A.'s 110-98 win at the New Orleans Pelicans, coupled with a Denver Nuggets loss on Sunday, locked the Lakers into the No. 7 spot. "I don't know anything else if you're looking for an MVP. If Steph is not on Golden State's team, what are we looking at?
"We get caught up in the records sometimes. We get caught up in the, OK, who has the best record, instead of just saying who had the best season that year. And Steph has had, in my opinion, the best season all year."
Ugh I was so ready to pony up some $$$ to go to the Staples Center, but I have to work Wednesday evening and also third level is ~$400, second is ~$800 per ticket. Too rich for my blood.
It will probably be too soon for NYC to start allowing full capacity, but I'd love to see MSG packed for this series. It's been a long, painful 21st century for Knicks fans.
I spent $155 dollars to see the Spurs beat the Nets in game 5 of the Finals. I think the most I've spent for a ticket to anything has been like $200 to Taylor Swift in Shanghai.
As I was getting ready for bed I had the Sunday night baseball game on. The last play was virtually the same as the one from a couple weeks ago where the pitcher picks up a squibber down the first base line and tosses to the first baseman for the out. Amazingly, this time the ump didn't call interference on the pitcher and the out was recorded.
Been following the Palisades Fire down here. Looks like they've arrested two suspects for arson. I guess with it burning away from homes LAFD, LACFD and Cal Fire changed their approach to letting the fuel burn since they hadn't had a fire there in 50+ years. I was surprised that it flared it up again on Sunday (adding 600 acres) after heavy mist and some rain Sunday morning.
we haven't had much rain for the last couple of weeks & the forecast is dry so apparently that means we're heading for "technical" drought conditions. I know all the California residents reading this will be terribly concerned on behalf of Maryland.
my wife has been wandering around the neighborhood uploading pictures of the early arrivals to some tracking app. I found the first one on our property on Saturday and perhaps predictably it was stuck on its back because they are DUMB and unstable.
There aren't many around yet. I found some on our maple tree yesterday morning when I started out. Then I went quite a ways up in Rock Creek park and back and only saw a few just outside the zoo but nothing else.
while not exactly the same, when you order Sicilian pizza around here people have strong preferences for corner vs side piece because of the amount of yummy crust you get.
Golden Boy pizza off Columbus....I recall a thoroughly enjoyable corner slice as being quite solid after drinking away a full Saturday at Columbus Cafe...more than once.
Golden Boy is what I was thinking of during the Pi Day Happy Hour (down an alley off Durant, and the Square Roots – I think that was the name of the acoustic duo – would play there)
There was a short lived trend in college where people were taking an oath to do ten push ups whenever they ever said the word "mine". It was supposed to be a lifetime oath and I think people stopped doing it after about six months. Made for some entertaining scenes in class, in stores and at parties, but boy did it get old quickly.
Greenberg pleads guilty to 6 counts with minimum 12 years in jail in exchange for dismissing another 27 counts and rolling over on Gaetz and potentially others
between the alternating "you shouldn't be wearing a mask outside" and "the CDC fucked it on mask messaging," quasi-liberal technocratic twitter has been having a normal one.
Personally, I'm sticking with the idea that with vaccination rates as they are I'm okay with the CDC recommending things opening up a little faster. I don't think this decision will ultimately matter that much.
That said, for the pandemic as a whole the public-health messaging has definitely been haphazard.
The potential disastrous thing is that the continual spreading of COVID hastens the development of a current vaccine-immune variant. But this line of thought is apparently too global for individuals to care about (and the anti-vax people probably don't understand biology well enough to get it). What is particularly frustrating is that wearing masks does not hurt the economy.
Possibly true, but it seems to me that this would most likely happen outside of the US's borders, and the CDC can't control policy for other countries. If a new variant threatens the US then they'll probably change recommendations.
Well, more people getting and spreading the disease, even if they have protection against the worst symptoms thanks to the existing vaccines, can also accelerate this, especially given the large US population.
This is why even if you want to be cynical and say that you don't give a damn about the unvaccinated and unmask part of the US population, those people spreading the disease are also bad for the human race as a whole.
I'd be happier if states were doing a better job of getting to folks - like shift workers - who can't get to 'business hours' vaccination sites or get time off, and I fear this is going to spike infection rates in children because people have absorbed "children don't get COVID" as opposed to "a smaller percentage of children suffer severe consequences of of COVID." In any case the emphasis should be shots shots shots
With children, the thing I've internalized is that the rates of death and serious illness from COVID are below that of the flu, and I never before had outsized fears about kids catching the flu. So in general I think they'll be fine.
yeah, I think the downside if you happen to be the kid who "hits the lottery" of long term issues, but you're probably at greater statistical risk from riding around in the family minivan.
I'm hoping to see the days of safe handshakes and hugs return. People have been becoming more distant, and the necessities of the pandemic significantly accelerated it. It has contributed to the troublesome divides that have been so difficult to overcome.
This is interesting to me. I see it as the opposite--when people were taking measures to *physically* distance to protect themselves, each other, and their communities, I viewed it positively, a "we're all in this together" mindset.
I don't discount the need for physical touch, but I don't think hugs and handshakes are necessary to form connections, and I appreciate the extra level of consent that the pandemic has engendered.
I'm not a handshake fan, but have developed/been roped into hug culture, mostly by female friends. I'll hug both male and female, altho perhaps a "handshake, pull into a hug" for dudes (with the obligatory fist taps on the back).
that being said, I'd be all over a "let's just do a bow or head nod" policy in lieu of the contact...elbow taps were ok at the beginning, but I think they are acknowledged as just being a placeholder for handshakes or hugs.
Maybe fist bumps (terrorist-style or otherwise)? a bit of contact, but not so personal and mush less germ-y.
Most of MD opened up completely this past weekend (100% capacity, no mask requirements indoors or outdoors). Several shops around my area still require masks, but that will probably change by Memorial Day.
Boston was really respectful. About three-quarters of people either wore masks or put them on masks if it looked like you'd pass each other on the streets. Every private business required them and everyone complied. Hanging out with people who were vaccinated was great. Finding out that one of them did it because of social pressure and doesn't believe vaccines are safe
Yes. Ate and drank my way across Beantown with 3 guys. Bars were really hard to get into because the weather was perfect. What made it harder was that we're 50 y.o guys, so there would be a waitlist when we showed up and it would inevitably be full. But the inevitable gaggle of early 20s ladies that show up right after us would get in. And the places that would let us in gave us 60 and 90-minute windows before they kicked us out, including 10-minute incremental count downs. I get it... there' trying to keep the places hip by keeping us out. So we ended up getting a bag of ice and bottled pre-mixed manhattans & margaritas and sat on top of the Harborwalk terminus and got pretty toasty.
Last year, we grilled the Florida guy about online dating stories, which included interesting NSFW data trends. This year, we grilled the divoriced guy from Boston. Apparently, there are plenty of young women in Boston who don't have daddy issues/looking-for-sugar-daddies but still don't mind dating 50-year-old guys. He gave up dating 20-somethings because he physically couldn't keep up with their appetites.
Taiwan's spike has reached 335 cases, so they're no longer open to visitors and starting to implement a lockdown (mostly in Taipei and the surrounding county).
We'll see. My trip is supposed to be in November, and I don't know if they can contain the spread, but I hope they do. I can still get in, of course, it's just a matter of whether it's ethical for me to do so and whether my cousin can still have her wedding.
Did you see the news about how one of the two clusters is centered around . . .energetic seniors who went to visit a senior oriented shop made for . . .senior comfort?
strictly speaking, yesterday in COVID-19: we went over to have dinner with some friends and ate inside the house! Because everyone had been vaccinated! It was delightful but I was exhausted with having to pay sustained attention to everyone.
I have seen a University of Utah ad centered around their successful Ski program at a PA ski place (which is just a hill).
In the co-ed era, Utah's 14 NCAA titles is most of all schools. Denver has 10 and Colorado (another Conference of Champions) has 8. Vermont has 5. Dartmouth somehow won in 2007. Wyoming and New Mexico has a title apiece.
The cheerleader who was also a TV star and sat behind me in chemistry went to Utah to try out for the ski team. She didn't make it but she did enjoy her time at Utah.
Something's not right in NCAA softball. Half the host cities are SEC, including Georgia - which had a sub-.300 conference record and wasn't the top seed in the bracket.
Georgia is NOT the highest seed in their region though. NCAA pre-determine 20 sites as hosts but Duke was not one of them. Since that list relied heavily on the last NCAA tournament in 2019 when every SEC team made it...lots of SEC hosts this year.
good for him. Indiana seems like they're on the upswing so maybe he can get some consistent coaching / touches and get something out of his senior year.
It's weird that the voting is for each individual name. They should be named as a package deal (Fauci, Corbett, Kariko or Whitney, Shasta, Lassen, etc.). It's not going to make much sense if there's a Fauci, Temescal, and Frightful.
Even with the two home wins over Stanford, Cal's RPI only increased from 105 to 101. They can get a bigger boost if they win today's road game at Stanford, even if it's non-conference.
For the Pac-12 title, Cal is 12-12 while Oregon is 17-7 with 6 games left. Cal does play UCLA and Oregon in their remaining games, but it would be hard to win the Pac and get the automatic bid.
Tax Day 2021
I thought that having a baby would improve our tax situation but we still owed the feds. The state refund mostly balanced it out, though.
I logged onto TurboTax yesterday and it tried to tell me I was going to owe the Feds $12K. Managed to get it down to $6K by the time I filed, but that still hurts. What pisses me off is that I withhold what the IRS tells me to withhold, and I do not have any substantial income that is not subject to that withholding. I really wish they would fix their very broken withholding tables. They've been fucked up ever since the tax "cuts" (increase) of a few years ago.
I upped my withholding to cover the couple thousand I owed to the feds in 2019 and was still in the red in 2020. Ever since that tax "cut" I've been unable to get a refund.
I've had to have additional withholding for years to deal with this issue is a less impactful way, and it is a nuisance.
I have added about 20% of what the proposed amount is and i'm close each year now.
Refunds abound!
#TeamNoKids
children are overrated as a tax management mechanism
... and they just cost a LOT of $$$.
maybe the best "tax benefit" is opening a 529 and having an additional tax deferred investment scheme assuming you have maxed out all the other ones you are eligible for.
filed an extension and sent in some large check to cover expected taxes. will deal w/ it in a few months
Same here for state tax, but not a huge check. Also got the bill for the first installment of real estate tax over the weekend so paid that too. Not a great day for my bank account.
eldest texted me at 9 pm last night "do you have my W2?"
oh dear
fortunately before i could freak out that I didn't have it, she found it and admitted to procrastinating on doing her taxes.
the first text was the admission
Owed the Feds about $10k but I’m getting about $7k back from the State so that will help.
Surprisingly we will be getting some money back. COVID was a solid down year financially in the Cruzin household, but this was a nice surprise on Thursday last week.
Gotta write a large check to the Feds. I guess I'll go to the Post Office to certify the mailing.
Already sent in for 2020. I'm old fashioned and fill out the 1040 and attachments by hand. Had an unexpected tax bill for 2019 which the IRS just notified me of two weeks ago. So the capital outlay was more than I expected for the last two years.
I still fill it in by hand too. But for a period of time writing the 1040 and instructions and some of the attachments was my job so for me it's a bit of nostalgia and wanting to see how things are changing.
i use TurboTax to file online but i have a multi-tab Excel spreadsheet where i calculate and reconcile tax bill
this is mostly so i understand what affects my taxes, how AMT works, etc etc
AMT is still messing with me! And in general, it's very out of date (the trigger is from like the 60s?) and punishes those in higher cost-of-living states (at least that's my non-econ understanding). It was designed to get money from like 1,000 people (rich) and now it affects millions (not poor, but)...
Your writing touched so many people!
I'm not sure they all appreciated it. :)
Whatever we owed was covered by last year's refund, so I wasn't out of pocket, but our accountant recommended that I change my withholding, which makes the pay check balance that little more depressing.
Pro
Game #42: Ball Don’t Lie! A’s overcome bad calls in 7-6 win over Twins
https://www.athleticsnation.com/2021/5/16/22439268/oakland-as-game-42-minnesota-twins-score-result
The Oakland A’s found themselves competing against both their opponent and the umpiring crew on Sunday, but they overcame both in a game that had no shortage of odd moments.
The A’s fell behind early but came back, then blew a save but retook the lead, for a 7-6 victory over the Minnesota Twins in their series finale at Target Field. In an appropriate piece of symbolism, the winning run scored on a wild pitch.
We’ve already complained about umpires a lot this year, and it always feels weak to do so. But my goodness, it has become too glaring of a problem to ignore.
We had the game in for about 10 min before the Warriors game started. Saw the Laureano throw home. I thought on replay it looked like the right call. But what a throw.
The umps absolutely should be censored for missing the call on Chapman where he wasn't even tagged, similarly the Miguel Sano at bat where the ball hit the pommel of the bat, went into fair territory and was in fact a double play turned by the A's. Instead the umps ruled that Sano was struck on the hand. Chris Bassett, visibly distraught, allowed a homer (3 run shot) to the next batter.
Giants win 4-1
Alex Wood's 5th win. 6 IP, 1 ER, 1 R, 6 K, 1 BB, 100 pitches. Now has 1.75 ERA.
Yaz returns to the line-up, hits 2 run insurance HR
Buster Posey goes 3 for 4, now batting .382/.466/.685
Dodgers drop series finale to Marlins
https://www.truebluela.com/2021/5/16/22439434/los-angeles-dodgers-miami-marlins-game-recap
The bullpen gave the Dodgers nine strong innings, but the offense couldn’t provide more than two runs as LA dropped the series finale to the Marlins, 3-2.
For the game, LA actually out-hit Miami 10-6, but they failed to capitalize on opportunities when given them. They stranded eight runners on base and were 3-for-8 with runners in scoring position.
The true difference maker in the game was an error from Sheldon Neuse in the fifth inning. Marlins pitcher Pablo Lopez reached to leadoff the inning thanks to an error from Neuse, who took Chris Taylor’s spot in the lineup right before first pitch. Instead of one out and nobody one, Miami had a baserunner. With two on and two out, Adam Duvall crushed (and I mean crushed) a homer to left field, putting Miami up 3-2. Duvall should have never been up, as the inning should have been over the batter prior.
Dodgers keep getting hurt. Seager has a broken hand after an HBP. At least Bellinger may be back soon and David Price is back today.
LeBron James makes MVP case for Stephen Curry as Lakers ready for play-in showdown with Warriors
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/31459442/lebron-james-touts-stephen-curry-mvp-lakers-ready-play-showdown-vs-golden-state-warriors
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The Los Angeles Lakers' repeat title bid will commence with LeBron James facing a familiar foe in the Golden State Warriors during the play-in tournament, led by James' pick for MVP, Stephen Curry.
"I mean, just look at what he's done this year," James said after L.A.'s 110-98 win at the New Orleans Pelicans, coupled with a Denver Nuggets loss on Sunday, locked the Lakers into the No. 7 spot. "I don't know anything else if you're looking for an MVP. If Steph is not on Golden State's team, what are we looking at?
"We get caught up in the records sometimes. We get caught up in the, OK, who has the best record, instead of just saying who had the best season that year. And Steph has had, in my opinion, the best season all year."
Is this just LeBron priming an excuse when the Lakers lose to the Warriors?
Probably. No one wants a play-in game against the Dubs, especially if Steph has another game like he had yesterday.
true, but i wouldnt want one vs LeBron either.
or maybe self-serving for when they beat the Warriors ...
Yes
Ugh I was so ready to pony up some $$$ to go to the Staples Center, but I have to work Wednesday evening and also third level is ~$400, second is ~$800 per ticket. Too rich for my blood.
going to try to go to a Knicks playoff game, but might end up w/ same issues. MSG is already notoriously expensive even when the Knicks are terrible
It will probably be too soon for NYC to start allowing full capacity, but I'd love to see MSG packed for this series. It's been a long, painful 21st century for Knicks fans.
I spent $155 dollars to see the Spurs beat the Nets in game 5 of the Finals. I think the most I've spent for a ticket to anything has been like $200 to Taylor Swift in Shanghai.
this last second goal by the Liverpool goalkeeper is quite something https://twitter.com/NBCSportsSoccer/status/1394090555144089600?s=20
As I was getting ready for bed I had the Sunday night baseball game on. The last play was virtually the same as the one from a couple weeks ago where the pitcher picks up a squibber down the first base line and tosses to the first baseman for the out. Amazingly, this time the ump didn't call interference on the pitcher and the out was recorded.
so the right call. Not the Umpire trying to show he's bigger than the game call.
Spelling
Octopuses, not octopi
https://nerdist.com/article/merriam-webster-octopuses-octopi-debate/
Matrixes, not matrices (at least when referring to my car)
I assume it's Priuses, not Prii
Do you want to be set on fire? Because that's how you get set on fire.
https://twitter.com/TheSun/status/1394062605568839693
What will it look like when he's 70?
aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
That guy's never getting laid again.
Don’t like guys with tat’s?
he could just keep his shirt on, or only date Goth chicks.
100% would hit with bat first, check later
Drought
Been following the Palisades Fire down here. Looks like they've arrested two suspects for arson. I guess with it burning away from homes LAFD, LACFD and Cal Fire changed their approach to letting the fuel burn since they hadn't had a fire there in 50+ years. I was surprised that it flared it up again on Sunday (adding 600 acres) after heavy mist and some rain Sunday morning.
we haven't had much rain for the last couple of weeks & the forecast is dry so apparently that means we're heading for "technical" drought conditions. I know all the California residents reading this will be terribly concerned on behalf of Maryland.
On top of that we'll be knee-deep in 17-year cicadas after this week's heat wave.
Jenjamin cycling with the cicadas (Twitter has proposed this be the new portmanteau for Bennifer, aka Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck)
did either of them really have to come back into our consciousness :-/
my wife has been wandering around the neighborhood uploading pictures of the early arrivals to some tracking app. I found the first one on our property on Saturday and perhaps predictably it was stuck on its back because they are DUMB and unstable.
There aren't many around yet. I found some on our maple tree yesterday morning when I started out. Then I went quite a ways up in Rock Creek park and back and only saw a few just outside the zoo but nothing else.
Flaming Hot BS?
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/man-didnt-invent-flamin-hot-120021601.html
marketing people and self promotors full of crap? no way! /sarcasm
Edge piece or center piece?
Cake: edge (more frosting from the side of the cake)
Brownies: center
It does depend on the frosting. If it's buttercream I'll take an edge. If it's the crappy cool whip type frosting I'll take the middle.
Interesting, I am the opposite! We would be good baked goods buddies.
I'd also be a complementary back goods partner...I don't like the crunchy brownie edges.
"baked"! Gotta reads things better since there's no Edit function...
while not exactly the same, when you order Sicilian pizza around here people have strong preferences for corner vs side piece because of the amount of yummy crust you get.
i like the side pieces generally.
Does your wife know?
Golden Boy pizza off Columbus....I recall a thoroughly enjoyable corner slice as being quite solid after drinking away a full Saturday at Columbus Cafe...more than once.
Golden Boy pizza off Columbus is so good, I miss it.
Golden Boy is what I was thinking of during the Pi Day Happy Hour (down an alley off Durant, and the Square Roots – I think that was the name of the acoustic duo – would play there)
Lasagna, center
Florida State vs Santa Clara in the womens soccer final lets get it
Since BTown85's daughter is a junior starting defender on Santa Clara, they've got my support in this match.
ICYMI: USC, UCLA, and Dook all got knocked out on PK shootouts.
https://www.ncaa.com/brackets/soccer-women/d1/2021
Mine
https://media4.giphy.com/media/kLk1Qa8mrYdQA/200.gif
Empire in Nevada City. Beautiful park and grounds.
Enemy
Solid movie
There was a short lived trend in college where people were taking an oath to do ten push ups whenever they ever said the word "mine". It was supposed to be a lifetime oath and I think people stopped doing it after about six months. Made for some entertaining scenes in class, in stores and at parties, but boy did it get old quickly.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorado_School_of_Mines
They kept sending me schollie offers in high school. Had no interest in going there.
Our Crumbling Democracy (and others around the world!)
Greenberg pleads guilty to 6 counts with minimum 12 years in jail in exchange for dismissing another 27 counts and rolling over on Gaetz and potentially others
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/05/17/joel-greenberg-matt-gaetz-488993
they must have him on all of it if he pleads to 12 years in jail, and must have already rolled like a pie crust.
JFC
https://www.axios.com/off-the-rails-trump-military-withdraw-afghanistan-5717012a-d55d-4819-a79f-805d5eb3c6e2.html
unsurprising, but wow.
Rise of a megadonor: Thiel makes a play for the Senate
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/05/17/peter-thiel-senate-megadonor-488799
Trash human.
I can't wait to see you in an ad describing how you saw him eating his buggers.
careful, talking about him eating buggers is what got Deadspin sued to oblivion
BOOOGGGERS
between the alternating "you shouldn't be wearing a mask outside" and "the CDC fucked it on mask messaging," quasi-liberal technocratic twitter has been having a normal one.
Personally, I'm sticking with the idea that with vaccination rates as they are I'm okay with the CDC recommending things opening up a little faster. I don't think this decision will ultimately matter that much.
That said, for the pandemic as a whole the public-health messaging has definitely been haphazard.
The potential disastrous thing is that the continual spreading of COVID hastens the development of a current vaccine-immune variant. But this line of thought is apparently too global for individuals to care about (and the anti-vax people probably don't understand biology well enough to get it). What is particularly frustrating is that wearing masks does not hurt the economy.
Possibly true, but it seems to me that this would most likely happen outside of the US's borders, and the CDC can't control policy for other countries. If a new variant threatens the US then they'll probably change recommendations.
Well, more people getting and spreading the disease, even if they have protection against the worst symptoms thanks to the existing vaccines, can also accelerate this, especially given the large US population.
This is why even if you want to be cynical and say that you don't give a damn about the unvaccinated and unmask part of the US population, those people spreading the disease are also bad for the human race as a whole.
I'd be happier if states were doing a better job of getting to folks - like shift workers - who can't get to 'business hours' vaccination sites or get time off, and I fear this is going to spike infection rates in children because people have absorbed "children don't get COVID" as opposed to "a smaller percentage of children suffer severe consequences of of COVID." In any case the emphasis should be shots shots shots
With children, the thing I've internalized is that the rates of death and serious illness from COVID are below that of the flu, and I never before had outsized fears about kids catching the flu. So in general I think they'll be fine.
yeah, I think the downside if you happen to be the kid who "hits the lottery" of long term issues, but you're probably at greater statistical risk from riding around in the family minivan.
Anyone forced to ride around in a minivan certainly is at outsized risks of several issues.
Today in Covid 19
https://twitter.com/ann_leckie/status/1393243376598781960?s=21
The CDC says fully vaccinated people can just walk into Mordor.
Frankly, I'm going with vaccines, masks, and social distancing. But... if it works for you...
https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/bjp-mp-pragya-thakur-says-i-drink-cow-urine-every-day-so-dont-have-covid-2443399
ew. just the article title. not clicking that link.
Hey, TBB, Scootie...
https://nationalpost.com/news/world/hugs-are-coming-back-not-everyone-is-thrilled
i have realized that i am a "huggy" person and really like that touch-contact with people. IMO men don't do enough of that ..
I'll take a hug over a handshake any day
I'm hoping to see the days of safe handshakes and hugs return. People have been becoming more distant, and the necessities of the pandemic significantly accelerated it. It has contributed to the troublesome divides that have been so difficult to overcome.
This is interesting to me. I see it as the opposite--when people were taking measures to *physically* distance to protect themselves, each other, and their communities, I viewed it positively, a "we're all in this together" mindset.
I don't discount the need for physical touch, but I don't think hugs and handshakes are necessary to form connections, and I appreciate the extra level of consent that the pandemic has engendered.
I'm not a handshake fan, but have developed/been roped into hug culture, mostly by female friends. I'll hug both male and female, altho perhaps a "handshake, pull into a hug" for dudes (with the obligatory fist taps on the back).
that being said, I'd be all over a "let's just do a bow or head nod" policy in lieu of the contact...elbow taps were ok at the beginning, but I think they are acknowledged as just being a placeholder for handshakes or hugs.
Maybe fist bumps (terrorist-style or otherwise)? a bit of contact, but not so personal and mush less germ-y.
NO THANK YOU
I had a thought about you...
I sent this article to my friends over the weekend. 😐
strong no-thanks on the hug front
I'm still wary of touching other people. or Oski forbid, them touching me.
Most of MD opened up completely this past weekend (100% capacity, no mask requirements indoors or outdoors). Several shops around my area still require masks, but that will probably change by Memorial Day.
not the people's republic of MoCo - but equally we won't be too far behind
Boston was really respectful. About three-quarters of people either wore masks or put them on masks if it looked like you'd pass each other on the streets. Every private business required them and everyone complied. Hanging out with people who were vaccinated was great. Finding out that one of them did it because of social pressure and doesn't believe vaccines are safe
Also, downtown Boston was younger, whiter, and more buxom than I remembered from the past.
so you survived your wild and crazy weekend?
Yes. Ate and drank my way across Beantown with 3 guys. Bars were really hard to get into because the weather was perfect. What made it harder was that we're 50 y.o guys, so there would be a waitlist when we showed up and it would inevitably be full. But the inevitable gaggle of early 20s ladies that show up right after us would get in. And the places that would let us in gave us 60 and 90-minute windows before they kicked us out, including 10-minute incremental count downs. I get it... there' trying to keep the places hip by keeping us out. So we ended up getting a bag of ice and bottled pre-mixed manhattans & margaritas and sat on top of the Harborwalk terminus and got pretty toasty.
https://goo.gl/maps/K92Hj3g7UpYvo8Rb6
I can also report that Pizza Regina in the North End is legit.
Last year, we grilled the Florida guy about online dating stories, which included interesting NSFW data trends. This year, we grilled the divoriced guy from Boston. Apparently, there are plenty of young women in Boston who don't have daddy issues/looking-for-sugar-daddies but still don't mind dating 50-year-old guys. He gave up dating 20-somethings because he physically couldn't keep up with their appetites.
That's sad.
Pizza Regina! there's a blast from the past
Taiwan's spike has reached 335 cases, so they're no longer open to visitors and starting to implement a lockdown (mostly in Taipei and the surrounding county).
I assume this throws a big wrench into personal plans?
We'll see. My trip is supposed to be in November, and I don't know if they can contain the spread, but I hope they do. I can still get in, of course, it's just a matter of whether it's ethical for me to do so and whether my cousin can still have her wedding.
Did you see the news about how one of the two clusters is centered around . . .energetic seniors who went to visit a senior oriented shop made for . . .senior comfort?
And that one guy is now called the Lion King :P
strictly speaking, yesterday in COVID-19: we went over to have dinner with some friends and ate inside the house! Because everyone had been vaccinated! It was delightful but I was exhausted with having to pay sustained attention to everyone.
Is that where they give you a free drink for getting vaccinated?
Other College
USC beats UCLA for the women's water polo title. USC also beat UCLA a couple of weeks ago for the beach volleyball title.
Other Pac-12 NCAA champs this year:
Skiing - Utah
Men's Water Polo - UCLA
Women's Basketball - Stanford
Men's Gymnastics - Stanford
Men's Indoor Track and Field - Oregon
TIL Utah has a skiing program.
I have seen a University of Utah ad centered around their successful Ski program at a PA ski place (which is just a hill).
In the co-ed era, Utah's 14 NCAA titles is most of all schools. Denver has 10 and Colorado (another Conference of Champions) has 8. Vermont has 5. Dartmouth somehow won in 2007. Wyoming and New Mexico has a title apiece.
The cheerleader who was also a TV star and sat behind me in chemistry went to Utah to try out for the ski team. She didn't make it but she did enjoy her time at Utah.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO (*gasp*) OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
Something's not right in NCAA softball. Half the host cities are SEC, including Georgia - which had a sub-.300 conference record and wasn't the top seed in the bracket.
https://www.ncaa.com/brackets/softball/d1/2021
Georgia is NOT the highest seed in their region though. NCAA pre-determine 20 sites as hosts but Duke was not one of them. Since that list relied heavily on the last NCAA tournament in 2019 when every SEC team made it...lots of SEC hosts this year.
Maybe COVID-related bc of more lenient fan requirements in those states? Dunno.
Sam Houston State wins an exciting FCS Championship game versus South Dakota State.
https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/31457712/late-touchdown-lifts-sam-houston-bearkats-south-dakota-state-first-fcs-title
USC RB Stephen Carr to Indiana
https://twitter.com/yt_deon/status/1394088992572809220
good for him. Indiana seems like they're on the upswing so maybe he can get some consistent coaching / touches and get something out of his senior year.
Cal
Campanile falcon chicks naming finalists w/ vote. Naturally, all the fun ones were not finalists.
https://calfalcons.berkeley.edu/names/
It's weird that the voting is for each individual name. They should be named as a package deal (Fauci, Corbett, Kariko or Whitney, Shasta, Lassen, etc.). It's not going to make much sense if there's a Fauci, Temescal, and Frightful.
Nobody liked my Marshawn, Aaron, and Jared suggestions on Facebook
Go Bears!!!
Cal beats Stanford 8-5 at Evans Diamond. The Bears (26-22) still are in the hunt for the postseason.
Even with the two home wins over Stanford, Cal's RPI only increased from 105 to 101. They can get a bigger boost if they win today's road game at Stanford, even if it's non-conference.
For the Pac-12 title, Cal is 12-12 while Oregon is 17-7 with 6 games left. Cal does play UCLA and Oregon in their remaining games, but it would be hard to win the Pac and get the automatic bid.
Go Bears!