@HSB: (re: Charleston). #1 is to eat your way across the town, which is impossible because there's so much good food there. #2 is a walking tour of old town w/ a guide because there is so much hidden history that you'll miss without one, #3 Magnolia Plantation Tour, #4 Old Slave Museum - far better than it sounds, #5 walking on Battery Point looking at the old houses with Ft. Sumter in the background. Things to avoid: City Market, the Nathaniel Russell House.
My favorite from the tour was the idea that the North used to be the home of the Puritans, Quakers, and other super holy rollers - so New England was the Bible Belt. It was the South that had the more liberal (values-wise) folks in it.
I have an 8 month old Australian Cattle Dog mix. I'd heard that breed was high energy, but nothing could've prepared me for what that means. I've gotta take her to the park 2x day with a lot of running or swimming, plus mid day yard activities, just to maintain a base level of sanity. Super smart, super needy, attached at my ankles anywhere I go. Wouldnt trade her for the world now, but if I'd understood in advance I wouldve gone with a lower energy breed.
My pups loved the trip to Ft Worth, tho it was a titch ambitious to bring the puppy on a 3 week road trip. Someday Newellbany will learn that he can't just leave his flip flops around on the floor of the AirBnB, willy nilly....just saying.
twice a week - I have the worst level of facial hair. Never enough to grow a plausible mustache or beard, but enough that in a professional setting I need to shave at least every other day, if not daily. (I'm in a semi-professional setting hence the not-daily shaving)
I shave every workday. If I'm not going in the office, my daughters will start giving me a hard time after a day or two. They're super about pointing out whatever it is I'm doing wrong.
If I have a long weekend, I might shave on the middle day of that weekend. I do not look forward to shaving 4 days after the last shave. It takes more work and at 5 AM in the morning, not something I look forward to.
even though i shave less often these days, it is easier and nicer to shave more often. the longer it goes, the more of a pain it becomes in a non-linear way
we adopted a ~6 year old Russian Blue last year. She's a little odd but after a year is now deigning to be in physical contact with us. Not having to walk a cat is a nice plus.
Mrs Slug and I have two cats - Cricket and Mommy. Mommy is literally Cricket's mother.
Before Mommy (and Cricket and littermates), we had cats that we took in for various reasons. At one point we had nine (9) cats. All of them lived to ages estimated between 16 and 20 years old. We thought we were done with cats until Mommy showed up across the street, treed in a neighbor's yard.
I have a tuxedo cat, Stormy. Acts like a dog. Rolls onto her back to get her belly rubbed. On cold nights crawls under the covers to lie around my legs or lies so the top part of her body is on my stomack or back depending if I'm sleeping on my back or stomach.
LONDON — Prime Minister Boris Johnson put British army troops "on standby" to work as truck drivers to haul fuel to gas stations where supplies have been emptied by panic buying and labor shortfalls — not to mention Brexit and the coronavirus pandemic.
Supply chain disruptions and attendant shortages of goods are hitting countries around the globe, including the United States. But Britain appears on the forefront of the chaos — where recovery from the pandemic is colliding with steep labor shortages, driven by the end of free movement of workers from Eastern Europe who were handling the low-wage jobs Britons take a pass on — in nursing homes, slaughter houses and on the highways.
(CNN)Donald Trump is escalating his fight against Republican Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia, and state Republicans fear it will give Democrats a stronger foothold in the key swing state as next year's midterm elections loom.
The former President's criticism of Kemp now includes hyping Democrat Stacey Abrams as a preferable alternative to the GOP governor, whose crime against Trump was staying out of his attempt to overturn the Georgia 2020 election returns.
"Having her, I think, might be better than having your existing governor, if you want to know what I think," Trump said Saturday at his rally in Perry, adding later, "Stacey, would you like to take his place? It's OK with me."
SAN FRANCISCO -- Golden State Warriors swingman Andrew Wiggins said that his decision not to get the COVID-19 vaccine to this point is a "private" matter, bristling Monday when the topic of potential lost salary was broached in a somewhat tense back-and-forth with reporters during the team's media day.
"It's my problem," Wiggins said of the possibility of lost earnings. "Not yours."
Wiggins' current stance on the COVID-19 vaccine was the main talking point throughout news conferences with players and coaches all day. While the organization continues to be outwardly optimistic regarding Wiggins' ability not to miss any regular season games this season, the stance becomes trickier given the restrictions about to be imposed within the city.
I have a similar sentiment about folks employed by my employer. Except that, instead of trading them, the issue is termination.
I also feel the same about cops, firefighters, and paramedics or anyone else employed by the City of Berkeley - if you won't be vaccinated due to personal belief, then you forfeit your job.
I saw a story where a bunch of Mass cops quit rather than get vaccinated. Many of the comments were that these cops are the ones you want off the force anyways.
What I don't get about this is the last sentence of that excerpt -
"While the organization continues to be outwardly optimistic regarding Wiggins' ability not to miss any regular season games this season, the stance becomes trickier given the restrictions about to be imposed within the city."
If Wiggins can be excluded from playing basketball because he is not vaccinated, then what about unvaccinated players from visiting teams?
Deciding not to vaccinate stopped being a private matter when it became a matter of public health.
He is right about one thing, though. The potential loss of pay is his problem, not that of journalists or anyone else, except maybe someone dependent on him. In other words, nunya beeswax, snoops.
The Oakland A’s scored the first three runs on Monday! But then they went on to allow 13 after that.
The A’s lost to the Seattle Mariners yet again, this time by a 13-4 blowout in the opener of a series at T-Mobile Park. That same 13-4 margin also represents Seattle’s record against Oakland in 17 meetings this season.
The first two innings went really well. The A’s hit a three-run homer in the 1st, and they held that lead until the bottom of the 3rd. Then the Mariners tied it, and added five more in the 4th, and three more in the 6th, and finally two more in the 7th to turn the game into a rout.
I also do not like Howard Terminal for a lot of reasons, the first being that Lew Wolff was right - it's a bad site and not just because of toxic waste.
But put aside the idea of bridging I-980 for a moment. The best site, hands down, is the Coliseum site. Or, if you wish, either the North parking lot (A Lot) or the South parking lot (B Lot).
Consider -
it does not need an EIR under CEQA.
it has freeway access from I-880 both northbound and southbound with two exits in each direction.
It has public transportation (BART, AC Transit)
it has acres of parking
There is more than one way to approach the issue of building/rebuilding/renovating the Coliseum, this time as a baseball only stadium.
1) Build a new ballpark either in A Lot or B Lot. Start with a blank slate and go from there. Demolish the Coliseum when finished.
2) Play one or two seasons at Oracle Park while demolishing the Coliseum and then building a baseball only ballpark at the same site. It would be a very different configuration than the Coliseum. It would also be great if the views to the outfield also included the Oakland Hills.
3) Dismantle/demolish Mt. Davis, restore the outfield bleachers, and dismantle the 3rd deck. This is almost certainly the least expensive choice and might also be possible to accomplish without having to relocate the team. If the A's wanted to keep some of the 3rd deck for reasons related to capacity, pull it back from the outfield wall towards the infield.
I would absolutely love that, but as I understand it there are questions about whether a stadium would fit, traffic disruptions, and about the cost of such a structure.
Don't kid yourself: the A's and their fanbase need new ownership. Oakland and the Greater East Bay needs new A's ownership.
Dave Kaval and John Fisher can jump off the Bay Bridge for all I care. These are evil men doing evil things because they have control over a MLB franchise and they're greedy, selfish bastards.
I will note that most of the good ideas from the last several years (A's Access, etc.) were from Chris Giles, who is a Cal guy. Kaval is a Stanfurd guy. We should have known the wheels would come off the bus when Giles left.
Random internet photo. Given her roundness, I suspect that she's pregnant. Regardless, her ears are forward and her eyes are relaxed, so it appears that she is not under any stress.
Our next door neighbor in Austin had a cat with super-long red hair that would get fiercely tangled and matted. This cat was a sweetheart, so her owner and also Dr. Ms. Newellbany would brush her constantly, but she was a walking dreadlock. And all kinds of leaves and twigs and stuff would get caught in there - I mean, it was a mess.
One day, she showed up like that picture. I think it was the vet's idea and her owner agreed they just needed to clean the slate and start grooming anew. But for a while, the cat was the funniest thing I've ever seen.
@HSB: (re: Charleston). #1 is to eat your way across the town, which is impossible because there's so much good food there. #2 is a walking tour of old town w/ a guide because there is so much hidden history that you'll miss without one, #3 Magnolia Plantation Tour, #4 Old Slave Museum - far better than it sounds, #5 walking on Battery Point looking at the old houses with Ft. Sumter in the background. Things to avoid: City Market, the Nathaniel Russell House.
some sort of historic tour seems to be in the cards
My favorite from the tour was the idea that the North used to be the home of the Puritans, Quakers, and other super holy rollers - so New England was the Bible Belt. It was the South that had the more liberal (values-wise) folks in it.
Dogs
It is my dream to have a Goldie. A lazy, floppy, cuddly, dumb-as-rocks goldie.
we had a series of 3 golden retrievers when I was growing up - they are not the swiftest, but they are very agreeable.
I have an 8 month old Australian Cattle Dog mix. I'd heard that breed was high energy, but nothing could've prepared me for what that means. I've gotta take her to the park 2x day with a lot of running or swimming, plus mid day yard activities, just to maintain a base level of sanity. Super smart, super needy, attached at my ankles anywhere I go. Wouldnt trade her for the world now, but if I'd understood in advance I wouldve gone with a lower energy breed.
I would take a Goldie as well.
Harriet is being turned into a children's book; Harriet and Her Yellow Blanket.
My pups loved the trip to Ft Worth, tho it was a titch ambitious to bring the puppy on a 3 week road trip. Someday Newellbany will learn that he can't just leave his flip flops around on the floor of the AirBnB, willy nilly....just saying.
while i am not looking to get a dog, if i got one i think i would like a medium to large sized dog. one that you could go on hikes with.
i also dont ever want to carry my dog anywhere ...
I agree. I don't want a dog I can put into a bag and carry around. I want one that I can throw a tennis ball with.
How about a dog that can carry you around?
TBB is already laying the groundwork for the viral marketing campaign for Clifford the Big Red Dog
That would work as well. As I get older then I can get a dog to take me for a walk
I would love a Border Collie but don't have the space for them to run around.
Shaving: how often do you shave?
twice a week - I have the worst level of facial hair. Never enough to grow a plausible mustache or beard, but enough that in a professional setting I need to shave at least every other day, if not daily. (I'm in a semi-professional setting hence the not-daily shaving)
Since I've always had a beard of varying lengths for more than forty years I'd have to say not very often.
couple of times/week
Daily unless camping.
before These Unprecedented Times - typically every other day unless it's beard season. Now, anywhere from 3 - 10 days between shaves, depending.
Daily.
Every day.
shaving face does not seem nearly as inconvenient as shaving legs. but i could be wrong ...
couple times a week, sometimes more.
Twice a week
I shave every workday. If I'm not going in the office, my daughters will start giving me a hard time after a day or two. They're super about pointing out whatever it is I'm doing wrong.
You do give them a lot of softballs...
fair
EVERY work day. And sometimes on a weekend day.
If I have a long weekend, I might shave on the middle day of that weekend. I do not look forward to shaving 4 days after the last shave. It takes more work and at 5 AM in the morning, not something I look forward to.
even though i shave less often these days, it is easier and nicer to shave more often. the longer it goes, the more of a pain it becomes in a non-linear way
haven't in 6 years
Every other day. Must keep neck beard at bay.
Same.
Me too.
the hair still grows fast enough but times have changed ...
worked in finance - 2-3 times a week
pre-coronavirus times, about 1-2 times a week
now - once a week or less
I use a beard trimmer and shave maybe once a week. Asian!
Daily. I'm Japanese, so I can grow a full beard in 3 weeks.
Maybe I should've said, Chinese!!
Asian, and I've fully adopted my pandemic beard and mustache.
Cats
We have a ten year old tabby and a three year old tortie. The tabby has ridden the property of rats and the tortie provides adoring attention indoors.
we adopted a ~6 year old Russian Blue last year. She's a little odd but after a year is now deigning to be in physical contact with us. Not having to walk a cat is a nice plus.
walk a cat? My ex-MIL got a harness for her Maine Coon and tried to take him for a walk. That didn't last too long.
Never seen the point of cats. Dogs, I get.
To their credit, cats don't give a shit what you think.
...and that's why
Mrs Slug and I have two cats - Cricket and Mommy. Mommy is literally Cricket's mother.
Before Mommy (and Cricket and littermates), we had cats that we took in for various reasons. At one point we had nine (9) cats. All of them lived to ages estimated between 16 and 20 years old. We thought we were done with cats until Mommy showed up across the street, treed in a neighbor's yard.
we have three. an old (15-ish) luxurious long haired black female, and two grey short hairs that are about 2 yrs old.
The Newellbanys have two: Marshawn Hemmingway and Maeve Fontaine. They're siblings and they're both polydactyl. Good kitties, mostly.
I have a tuxedo cat, Stormy. Acts like a dog. Rolls onto her back to get her belly rubbed. On cold nights crawls under the covers to lie around my legs or lies so the top part of her body is on my stomack or back depending if I'm sleeping on my back or stomach.
Democracy that is crumbling at this very moment
Brexit, what a great idea:
LONDON — Prime Minister Boris Johnson put British army troops "on standby" to work as truck drivers to haul fuel to gas stations where supplies have been emptied by panic buying and labor shortfalls — not to mention Brexit and the coronavirus pandemic.
Supply chain disruptions and attendant shortages of goods are hitting countries around the globe, including the United States. But Britain appears on the forefront of the chaos — where recovery from the pandemic is colliding with steep labor shortages, driven by the end of free movement of workers from Eastern Europe who were handling the low-wage jobs Britons take a pass on — in nursing homes, slaughter houses and on the highways.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/britain-truck-driver-fuel-crisis-army/2021/09/28/0f94bd3e-203e-11ec-a8d9-0827a2a4b915_story.html
Trump's spiteful support for Abrams over Kemp sparks midterms fear from Georgia Republicans
https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/28/politics/trump-georgia-stacey-abrams-brian-kemp/index.html
(CNN)Donald Trump is escalating his fight against Republican Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia, and state Republicans fear it will give Democrats a stronger foothold in the key swing state as next year's midterm elections loom.
The former President's criticism of Kemp now includes hyping Democrat Stacey Abrams as a preferable alternative to the GOP governor, whose crime against Trump was staying out of his attempt to overturn the Georgia 2020 election returns.
"Having her, I think, might be better than having your existing governor, if you want to know what I think," Trump said Saturday at his rally in Perry, adding later, "Stacey, would you like to take his place? It's OK with me."
Pro
Random stat: DeSean Jackson is tied for the most 75+ yd TD reception in NFL history with 9.
Belt fractured a thumb...tough news for the Giants
Ugh, hit by a pitch in the last game, really bad luck.
Golden State Warriors' Andrew Wiggins 'not uncomfortable' with attention of being unvaccinated
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/32294708/golden-state-warriors-andrew-wiggins-not-uncomfortable-attention-being-unvaccinated
SAN FRANCISCO -- Golden State Warriors swingman Andrew Wiggins said that his decision not to get the COVID-19 vaccine to this point is a "private" matter, bristling Monday when the topic of potential lost salary was broached in a somewhat tense back-and-forth with reporters during the team's media day.
"It's my problem," Wiggins said of the possibility of lost earnings. "Not yours."
Wiggins' current stance on the COVID-19 vaccine was the main talking point throughout news conferences with players and coaches all day. While the organization continues to be outwardly optimistic regarding Wiggins' ability not to miss any regular season games this season, the stance becomes trickier given the restrictions about to be imposed within the city.
Trade his ass. I don't care if we get a pocketful of lint for him at this point.
I agree.
I have a similar sentiment about folks employed by my employer. Except that, instead of trading them, the issue is termination.
I also feel the same about cops, firefighters, and paramedics or anyone else employed by the City of Berkeley - if you won't be vaccinated due to personal belief, then you forfeit your job.
I saw a story where a bunch of Mass cops quit rather than get vaccinated. Many of the comments were that these cops are the ones you want off the force anyways.
The wording of that headline/tweet was really poor - it said "dozens" but the Staties are over ~2200 in number so it's like 1-2% are quitting.
I think the commentary is probably right. Those cops did the public a huge favor.
What I don't get about this is the last sentence of that excerpt -
"While the organization continues to be outwardly optimistic regarding Wiggins' ability not to miss any regular season games this season, the stance becomes trickier given the restrictions about to be imposed within the city."
If Wiggins can be excluded from playing basketball because he is not vaccinated, then what about unvaccinated players from visiting teams?
Fair is fair.
Deciding not to vaccinate stopped being a private matter when it became a matter of public health.
He is right about one thing, though. The potential loss of pay is his problem, not that of journalists or anyone else, except maybe someone dependent on him. In other words, nunya beeswax, snoops.
Moron
Game #157: A’s walloped by Mariners 13-4
https://www.athleticsnation.com/2021/9/28/22697864/oakland-as-game-157-seattle-mariners-score-result
The Oakland A’s scored the first three runs on Monday! But then they went on to allow 13 after that.
The A’s lost to the Seattle Mariners yet again, this time by a 13-4 blowout in the opener of a series at T-Mobile Park. That same 13-4 margin also represents Seattle’s record against Oakland in 17 meetings this season.
The first two innings went really well. The A’s hit a three-run homer in the 1st, and they held that lead until the bottom of the 3rd. Then the Mariners tied it, and added five more in the 4th, and three more in the 6th, and finally two more in the 7th to turn the game into a rout.
Pretty much put a fork in the A's. They're done.
Yup, and given that, I want this very painful season to be over. Stop the pain.
especially because the most important thing the A's are doing is off the field: Howard Terminal (and if that doesn't work out, new ownership)
I think bridging 980 would be better than Howard Terminal for a LOT of reasons.
I also do not like Howard Terminal for a lot of reasons, the first being that Lew Wolff was right - it's a bad site and not just because of toxic waste.
But put aside the idea of bridging I-980 for a moment. The best site, hands down, is the Coliseum site. Or, if you wish, either the North parking lot (A Lot) or the South parking lot (B Lot).
Consider -
it does not need an EIR under CEQA.
it has freeway access from I-880 both northbound and southbound with two exits in each direction.
It has public transportation (BART, AC Transit)
it has acres of parking
There is more than one way to approach the issue of building/rebuilding/renovating the Coliseum, this time as a baseball only stadium.
1) Build a new ballpark either in A Lot or B Lot. Start with a blank slate and go from there. Demolish the Coliseum when finished.
2) Play one or two seasons at Oracle Park while demolishing the Coliseum and then building a baseball only ballpark at the same site. It would be a very different configuration than the Coliseum. It would also be great if the views to the outfield also included the Oakland Hills.
3) Dismantle/demolish Mt. Davis, restore the outfield bleachers, and dismantle the 3rd deck. This is almost certainly the least expensive choice and might also be possible to accomplish without having to relocate the team. If the A's wanted to keep some of the 3rd deck for reasons related to capacity, pull it back from the outfield wall towards the infield.
I would absolutely love that, but as I understand it there are questions about whether a stadium would fit, traffic disruptions, and about the cost of such a structure.
Don't kid yourself: the A's and their fanbase need new ownership. Oakland and the Greater East Bay needs new A's ownership.
Dave Kaval and John Fisher can jump off the Bay Bridge for all I care. These are evil men doing evil things because they have control over a MLB franchise and they're greedy, selfish bastards.
Rant over.
I will note that most of the good ideas from the last several years (A's Access, etc.) were from Chris Giles, who is a Cal guy. Kaval is a Stanfurd guy. We should have known the wheels would come off the bus when Giles left.
Please explain why that poor feline was shorn save her head and paws. Who would do such a thing to a docile cat and for what purpose?
Random internet photo. Given her roundness, I suspect that she's pregnant. Regardless, her ears are forward and her eyes are relaxed, so it appears that she is not under any stress.
Our next door neighbor in Austin had a cat with super-long red hair that would get fiercely tangled and matted. This cat was a sweetheart, so her owner and also Dr. Ms. Newellbany would brush her constantly, but she was a walking dreadlock. And all kinds of leaves and twigs and stuff would get caught in there - I mean, it was a mess.
One day, she showed up like that picture. I think it was the vet's idea and her owner agreed they just needed to clean the slate and start grooming anew. But for a while, the cat was the funniest thing I've ever seen.
Cal
Go Bears!!!