I had a wisdom tooth removed yesterday. It was a fully exposed one opposite a fully exposed one that I had removed a while back. If I moved my mouth right, I could feel that my left side had that extra tooth and it was a tiny bit annoying. That bad boy got yanked out yesterday and now I'm enjoying that I again have symmetry.
The good old marine layer returned to the Bay Area yesterday evening and cleared out the smoke real nice. Still pretty smoky in the mid-afternoons through.
Apparently there are cooler weather patterns approaching from the northwest that should help with the air quality statewide, and also with firefighting.
Harley Quinn (the two existing seasons can be found on HBO Max) was really enjoyable. It's quite funny (lots of great one-liners) and I don't mind the over-the-top gore (unlike similar gags for Star Trek: Lower Decks - which I have only watched one episode). It's definitely a different take on the Batman world, and highlight some fun (previously) minor rogue characters.
Ted Lasso (Apple TV) is surprisingly earnest and good in the first few episodes released. This is the same character that was made a few years ago for the NBC Premiere League coverage (it's about an American Football coach going to manage an EPL team). I think the Scrubs/Cougar Town creator is the showrunner for this.
Finally, because of the lack of travel, I'm finally learning more about Pittsburgh and surrounding history. This led me to watch the History Channel's The Men Who Build America series (6 episodes, available on Amazon Prime). I learned a bit about the Robber Barons but the show was super repetitive (particularly without commercial breaks). I also really cringe when they use Trump (this was made in 2012) as a business expert in some of the interviews.
I definitely enjoyed the later seasons more than the first one (and the show overall, despite it taking a lot of historical liberties). During its actual run, I didn't know about it until the lead actress complained about George HW Bush grabbing her butt at an event.
I'm enjoying Lovecraft Country. Each of the two episodes goes absolutely off the rails by the end, leaving no suggestion as to where it's going in the next episode. And you can't go wrong with a pointed combination of Lovecraft's imaginative monsters and subversion of 1950s racial norms.
While I was flipping channels I saw The Replacements on and had to watch the rest. Then I realized Gene Hackman was in two of the best sports movies ever. (ok maybe 1 of the top-3 ever)
ha...I guess I said top 3 spontaneously. I'd say in for me No 1 is The Natural.
Then in no particular order Hoosiers, Hoop Dreams, Field of Dreams, Major League, and maybe Bull Durham. I like Bull Durham but it doesn't rank as high for me as for others. Oh, @and the Replacements@. Of these, Major League and maybe The Natural may be the only one on the list that is, watch the rest of the movie even if it's 2 AM.
There are some that I haven't seen yet like Eight Men Out and Bang the Drum Slowly.
Yeah, I'd probably pick Hoosiers as the best. Seems like it has exactly the perfect structure for the underdog sports narrative (though I guess some of the implicit racism in the story hasn't aged well, even though it's basically a historical truth).
It's interesting how much baseball dominates the list of great American sports movies.
Watched the documentary Boys State on AppleTV+ over the weekend. It's well-done, and also a depressing picture of how much our politics is just about winning elections and very little to do with implementing policy.
I started watching Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales with my mother more than a week ago, but she was tired so we paused halfway through and she's been too busy to watch the second half since then. I can't watch it without her because that'd mean I don't love her enough to wait to share the experience with her, but, urg, I don't like waiting.
We just discovered "The Magicians" on Netflix last week and we love it, especially my wife, who loves magic. The only downside is that, 10 episodes in, we made the difficult decision that our 11-year-old son can no longer watch it. Lots of swearing and "that sex stuff" (as my son puts it).
Nope. We just saw the preview on Netflix and decided that it looked fun...of course, we didn't notice the TV-MA rating or the "Violence, substance abuse, nudity" warnings before we started watching.
My covid mask. It has lobsters on one side and lobster traps on the other.
My wife just got me a new wedding ring for our 10th anniversary. It's carbon fiber on the outside and redwood on the inside. I think it's still in the process of being made, but I'm really looking forward to getting it in the next week or two.
I just bought a housewarming gift of a watercolor in the shape of NC for my neighbor who just moved here from AZ. Like me, he bought his house site-unseen.
...in boxes? The coffee table was one big piece with only the wooden legs detached, so I just had to screw them in. It was shipped in a nice protective shell. The bench is pretty small, but it also came with the metal pipe legs detached and I screwed them in. Really simple and straightforward, I'd have no hesitation ordering furniture like that on Etsy again.
World-record sprinter and eight-time Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt has tested positive for the coronavirus and is self-isolating at his home in Jamaica after celebrating his 34th birthday with a mask-free party last week.
ESPN has been replaying last season's Wazzu-UCLA game. I forgot how bonkers that one was. Wazzu takes a 49-17 lead and then gives up FIFTY points in the final 20 minutes. Pac-12 After Dark at its finest.
A bunch of us were in a group together in Mississippi for the Cal-Ole Miss game, and a few of us saw the end of it at the AirBNB. It was absolutely amazing.
This is referring to Ben Shapiro’s claim in response to WAP that Megan Thee Stallion and Cardi B might need medical attention if they indeed have wet ass pussies, and the general online roasting that followed suggesting that Mrs Shapiro leads an understimulated life
Further clarifying, Mrs Shapiro is an MD and assured her husband that the only way a woman would have a WAP is if they had a yeast infection or STD and normal, good women would never.
Barca is such a mess right now. I think there are legal ways for the team to retain him against his will for this next season...something about the normal opt-out date has already passed (but this is a weird year schedule-wise due to COVID).
I think his contract runs through 2021 so they can cash in now or get nothing in 12 months. The $825M buyout is a non issue because of his age and remaining contract length. Wouldn't be surprised for him to go for $100M or even a bit more though
thats been the rumor since the tonking they got. Man City is working out a deal is what I've heard. I mean, he only makes like $75M a year in salary. What's a few mil between friends?
that's his approximate after tax salary ($610k/wk). His total income for 2019 was almost $130M including endorsements but Spain's tax bracketis more than 50%. I believe his actual pre tax salary is in the $75-80M range
The Oakland A’s played a game Monday night, but we’re not going to talk about most of it here. We’re fast forwarding straight to the 9th inning.
The box score says the A’s lost 3-2 to the Texas Rangers, and it says that relief pitcher Rafael Montero earned the save. In reality, the credit should go to home plate umpire Lance Barrett, who unleashed one of the most appallingly terrible strike zones in recent memory only in the top of the 9th inning. Oakland loaded the bases in spite of the disadvantage, but were robbed of the chance to complete another of their signature late comebacks against a closer that was doing everything in his power to blow the save.
Started the new book by Christopher Buckley that's a satire of the Trump administration. One of the dedications is to the Deep State with thanks for its service. The author's note says its a work of satirical fiction and that names, characters, places and events are a product of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. It goes on to say that any person finding any resemblance between themselves and persons depicted herein should probably be ashamed.
I noticed a pretty thick layer of fog rolling in over SF during my drive. There were lots of cars at the lookout points on Grizzly Peak. Definitely much cooler today.
Squaw Valley changing its name. No replacement yet.
https://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more-sports/ny-squaw-valley-name-change-olympics-20200825-ph63qhizkner3azxt36fdw7bre-story.html
Ah, didn't think of that, but now that I do, it's obvious.
Something you are enjoying today
Symmetry.
I had a wisdom tooth removed yesterday. It was a fully exposed one opposite a fully exposed one that I had removed a while back. If I moved my mouth right, I could feel that my left side had that extra tooth and it was a tiny bit annoying. That bad boy got yanked out yesterday and now I'm enjoying that I again have symmetry.
Weather: Low 80s, blue skies, light breeze. Perfect. So abnormal for an NC summer.
The good old marine layer returned to the Bay Area yesterday evening and cleared out the smoke real nice. Still pretty smoky in the mid-afternoons through.
Apparently there are cooler weather patterns approaching from the northwest that should help with the air quality statewide, and also with firefighting.
That's the same conditions as in western Oregon. Where that's about what's normal this time of year. Definitely enjoying it!
Neighbor dropped off a loaf of homemade Japanese milk bread and it is like eating a pillow with jam. Mmmm
DBD AV Club
Harley Quinn (the two existing seasons can be found on HBO Max) was really enjoyable. It's quite funny (lots of great one-liners) and I don't mind the over-the-top gore (unlike similar gags for Star Trek: Lower Decks - which I have only watched one episode). It's definitely a different take on the Batman world, and highlight some fun (previously) minor rogue characters.
Ted Lasso (Apple TV) is surprisingly earnest and good in the first few episodes released. This is the same character that was made a few years ago for the NBC Premiere League coverage (it's about an American Football coach going to manage an EPL team). I think the Scrubs/Cougar Town creator is the showrunner for this.
Finally, because of the lack of travel, I'm finally learning more about Pittsburgh and surrounding history. This led me to watch the History Channel's The Men Who Build America series (6 episodes, available on Amazon Prime). I learned a bit about the Robber Barons but the show was super repetitive (particularly without commercial breaks). I also really cringe when they use Trump (this was made in 2012) as a business expert in some of the interviews.
I was surprised at how adult the Harley Quinn show was. I'm usually not a fan of the grown-up cartoons, but I liked it a lot.
Big Mouth is an absolute fave.
Ted Lasso's already been renewed for a S2
Turn (S2). S1 was establishing characters, so it's nice to be in a season that is story-driven
I definitely enjoyed the later seasons more than the first one (and the show overall, despite it taking a lot of historical liberties). During its actual run, I didn't know about it until the lead actress complained about George HW Bush grabbing her butt at an event.
The Civil War spies show? Once it got going, that was definitely better than I expected it to be
Also, Hard Knocks this season is pretty interesting due to 1) covid and 2) big name Bears (Goff and Allen).
I'm enjoying Lovecraft Country. Each of the two episodes goes absolutely off the rails by the end, leaving no suggestion as to where it's going in the next episode. And you can't go wrong with a pointed combination of Lovecraft's imaginative monsters and subversion of 1950s racial norms.
While I was flipping channels I saw The Replacements on and had to watch the rest. Then I realized Gene Hackman was in two of the best sports movies ever. (ok maybe 1 of the top-3 ever)
The Natural, Bad News Bears, Major League, Bull Durham
I assume the original Bad News Bears with Walter Matthau.
Yep
What is the third of your top 3? Clearly two of them are The Replacements and Hoosiers.
ha...I guess I said top 3 spontaneously. I'd say in for me No 1 is The Natural.
Then in no particular order Hoosiers, Hoop Dreams, Field of Dreams, Major League, and maybe Bull Durham. I like Bull Durham but it doesn't rank as high for me as for others. Oh, @and the Replacements@. Of these, Major League and maybe The Natural may be the only one on the list that is, watch the rest of the movie even if it's 2 AM.
There are some that I haven't seen yet like Eight Men Out and Bang the Drum Slowly.
Do you consider Kingping a sports movie?
If we're including docs like Hoop Dreams, then I think When We Were Kings needs to be near the top too.
Yeah, I'd probably pick Hoosiers as the best. Seems like it has exactly the perfect structure for the underdog sports narrative (though I guess some of the implicit racism in the story hasn't aged well, even though it's basically a historical truth).
It's interesting how much baseball dominates the list of great American sports movies.
Eight men out is good. Naked Gun is my favorite sports movie.
Watched the documentary Boys State on AppleTV+ over the weekend. It's well-done, and also a depressing picture of how much our politics is just about winning elections and very little to do with implementing policy.
Having been to California Boys State in my misspent youth, I don’t think I need to watch that film but I might torment myself anyway
This one is in Texas, so probably even more depressing for libs like us.
I started watching Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales with my mother more than a week ago, but she was tired so we paused halfway through and she's been too busy to watch the second half since then. I can't watch it without her because that'd mean I don't love her enough to wait to share the experience with her, but, urg, I don't like waiting.
I now empathize with all the people who complain about watching shows with their significant others.
We just discovered "The Magicians" on Netflix last week and we love it, especially my wife, who loves magic. The only downside is that, 10 episodes in, we made the difficult decision that our 11-year-old son can no longer watch it. Lots of swearing and "that sex stuff" (as my son puts it).
Oh, definitely not appropriate for an 11 year old.
Have you guys read the books?
Nope. We just saw the preview on Netflix and decided that it looked fun...of course, we didn't notice the TV-MA rating or the "Violence, substance abuse, nudity" warnings before we started watching.
Something you have gotten on Etsy
My covid mask. It has lobsters on one side and lobster traps on the other.
My wife just got me a new wedding ring for our 10th anniversary. It's carbon fiber on the outside and redwood on the inside. I think it's still in the process of being made, but I'm really looking forward to getting it in the next week or two.
I just bought a housewarming gift of a watercolor in the shape of NC for my neighbor who just moved here from AZ. Like me, he bought his house site-unseen.
I didn't purchase it but No 1 got me a Miata keychain from Etsy.
I collect ancient coins. Bronze follis of the emperor Severus II, 305-307 A.D.
I read that as EBay and had lots of answers.
Haven't bought anything from Etsy yet.
I don’t think I’ve ever bought anything using Etsy.
My rad coffee table, a sweet industrial-looking hallway bench, some coasters, some logos for my guitar project....
how were the larger items shipped? or were they local and you picked them up?
...in boxes? The coffee table was one big piece with only the wooden legs detached, so I just had to screw them in. It was shipped in a nice protective shell. The bench is pretty small, but it also came with the metal pipe legs detached and I screwed them in. Really simple and straightforward, I'd have no hesitation ordering furniture like that on Etsy again.
Oh I guess i was picturing them shipped intact, but that doesn't make any sense at all.
Today in CV19
Usain Bolt tests positive for coronavirus, self-isolating at home
https://www.espn.com/olympics/story/_/id/29735482/usain-bolt-tests-positive-coronavirus-self-isolating-home
World-record sprinter and eight-time Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt has tested positive for the coronavirus and is self-isolating at his home in Jamaica after celebrating his 34th birthday with a mask-free party last week.
I wonder if he'll suffer the effects on his respiratory system long term that others are seeing.
That would be an even more significant issue for him than most.
Yes that's what I'm thinking.
Elsewhere in college
ESPN has been replaying last season's Wazzu-UCLA game. I forgot how bonkers that one was. Wazzu takes a 49-17 lead and then gives up FIFTY points in the final 20 minutes. Pac-12 After Dark at its finest.
Maybe the most epic Cougin' It ever.
It was amazeballs
A bunch of us were in a group together in Mississippi for the Cal-Ole Miss game, and a few of us saw the end of it at the AirBNB. It was absolutely amazing.
Missed that one. Sounds worse than our Arizona hail mary debacle.
Re-live the memory
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAVP88SXQw8
Gaaaaaaaah. Too soon.
https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/016/968/e7a.png
Iowa State: 8-week long entry test (1,849 positive). First week of school: another 130 positive.
https://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2020/08/24/covidweeklyupdate
Meanwhile, at U Michigan...
https://twitter.com/daniella_raz/status/1297728800948736006
I mean, they aren’t wrong.
531 U of Alabama students caught Covid in 1 week. Does not include 310 students who tested positive on entry.
https://uasystem.edu/covid-19-dashboard/
Ken Montgomery says fuck those kids, Play Ball
I wonder how he is enjoying the TNCC this week?
I'm sure if you're his facebook friend you'll know soon.
TNCC?
https://twitter.com/revrrlewis/status/1298239237473566721
And the band played on. It will take multiple players being hospitalized or dying for them to suspend their season.
didn't see that coming at all
My daughter is learning for the first time what it’s like to live in housing with no a/c and she’s not enjoying it.
Poor baby.
Not being able to open the windows is a fair cause for complaint, I should add
No a/c but you can't open the windows? That's weird.
NC State pauses all athletic activities after 27 athletes test positive.
Ken Montgomery says fuck those kids. Play Ball
Those kids are getting paid good money to play football so just shut up, don’t kneel during the anthem and play sports!
didn't see that coming at all
OUR CRUMBLING DEMOCRACY
My favorite tweet of the week: https://twitter.com/RachelYoder/status/1297952742678441984
I think this would be funnier if I knew anything about Ben Shapiro's wife.
This is referring to Ben Shapiro’s claim in response to WAP that Megan Thee Stallion and Cardi B might need medical attention if they indeed have wet ass pussies, and the general online roasting that followed suggesting that Mrs Shapiro leads an understimulated life
Further clarifying, Mrs Shapiro is an MD and assured her husband that the only way a woman would have a WAP is if they had a yeast infection or STD and normal, good women would never.
Based on the memes and remixes on Twitter I plainly missed a doozy of a speech from Kim Guilfoyle last night
I had forgotten she was married to Gavin Newsom. I don't remember where she resided on the crazy/hot graph.
She used to be smokin' hot. Victoria's Secret model. As with all of us, age catches up and the crazy is left.
https://starbiz.com/hollywood/donald-trump-jr-girlfriend-portrait-of-an-intelligent-woman-behind-a-successful-man-12891
I think she is still physically attractive but her soul is completely rotten.
Well she’s certainly channeling “crazy” pretty hard with that delivery
It was so over-the-top that I wonder if it was her deliberately trying to be ridiculous...
Link for the lazy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=6&v=p8jEZ8SBjWc&feature=emb_logo
From something I read on twitter it sounds like Don Jr. and Kimberly were on cocaine.
Hahahaha. That was the first thing that came to mind when I saw some clips of their speeches.
Don Jr had moist, red, glassy eyes with dilated pupils despite stage lights. Certainly looks like booger sugar.
https://twitter.com/ashleyfeinberg/status/1298086130466922496
PRO
Messi wants out
https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1298317869730738185
Barca is such a mess right now. I think there are legal ways for the team to retain him against his will for this next season...something about the normal opt-out date has already passed (but this is a weird year schedule-wise due to COVID).
I think his contract runs through 2021 so they can cash in now or get nothing in 12 months. The $825M buyout is a non issue because of his age and remaining contract length. Wouldn't be surprised for him to go for $100M or even a bit more though
thats been the rumor since the tonking they got. Man City is working out a deal is what I've heard. I mean, he only makes like $75M a year in salary. What's a few mil between friends?
Messi *only* makes about $35M per year, but his buy out clause is very high.
that's his approximate after tax salary ($610k/wk). His total income for 2019 was almost $130M including endorsements but Spain's tax bracketis more than 50%. I believe his actual pre tax salary is in the $75-80M range
That’s borderline seismic
Lakers' first-quarter lead turns into a Mamba Day tribute
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29734819/lakers-first-quarter-lead-turns-mamba-day-tribute
4:51 left in the 1Q. Lakers 24 Blazers 8
Heh
Oakland A’s Game #30: A’s have 9th-inning comeback ripped away by bogus umpiring
https://www.athleticsnation.com/2020/8/24/21400478/oakland-as-game-30-texas-rangers-lance-barrett-robot-umps-now
The Oakland A’s played a game Monday night, but we’re not going to talk about most of it here. We’re fast forwarding straight to the 9th inning.
The box score says the A’s lost 3-2 to the Texas Rangers, and it says that relief pitcher Rafael Montero earned the save. In reality, the credit should go to home plate umpire Lance Barrett, who unleashed one of the most appallingly terrible strike zones in recent memory only in the top of the 9th inning. Oakland loaded the bases in spite of the disadvantage, but were robbed of the chance to complete another of their signature late comebacks against a closer that was doing everything in his power to blow the save.
I welcome our robot overlords
CAL
Go Bears!!!
🙁
https://twitter.com/bigbeq12/status/1298040375706230786
I wonder if he'll get to play at Boston College. At this rate, no one will be playing here pretty soon
The linked tweet shows: It’s always #GoBears forever!!!❤️🐻
Did he transfer to BC?
Started the new book by Christopher Buckley that's a satire of the Trump administration. One of the dedications is to the Deep State with thanks for its service. The author's note says its a work of satirical fiction and that names, characters, places and events are a product of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. It goes on to say that any person finding any resemblance between themselves and persons depicted herein should probably be ashamed.
Spectacular trove of gold coins unearthed in Israel
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-israel-archaeology-gold-coins/trove-of-1000-year-old-gold-coins-unearthed-in-israel-idUSKBN25K0US
Enjoying the fog after 10+ days of hot weather.
I noticed a pretty thick layer of fog rolling in over SF during my drive. There were lots of cars at the lookout points on Grizzly Peak. Definitely much cooler today.
Enjoying a nice staycation with the family this week.
Coronado beach yesterday, La Jolla shores today, Moonlight Beach on Thursday.