Cup of Coffee

November 16, 2011: My First

181 Comments

So, this is what it's like to brew a pot. This is a lot of pressure to come up with something to try to generate some day long conversation. But, there was no time to get beans ground and get the french press going, so you're stuck with Maxwell House from a drip today.

181 thoughts on “November 16, 2011: My First”

  1. Weird...I was stuck with Maxwell House a couple of days ago because I had no more beans left. Maxwell House is still terrible, in case anyone was wondering.

    1. I went with Maxwell House because that's what I've been drinking that past month now that my wife wants to drink coffee in the mornings. If she's going to dump a bunch of flavored creamer in there, no way am I making $9/lb coffee. So I agree, Maxwell House is quite terrible and I, unfortunately, did not have to wonder.

      1. I put one pump of Torani Hazelnut in just about every cup I drink, but when I drink Maxwell House I need more than that to detract from the whole Maxwell House thing.

          1. Well, I do drink it black more often than I let on, but yeah, I'm pretty addicted to the Hazelnut stuff. The thing is, I always love black coffee (the non-Maxwell House stuff) when I drink it so Hazelnut has become a superfluous expense, but I can't break the habit.

            1. The smell alone puts me off. I alternate between black, and adding a little 2% if I wanna quaff it. My iced coffees get skim milk and a packet or two of raw sugar.

              1. I think it goes back to the way I was introduced to coffee, and that was with the pump of Hazelnut. I'm not one for nostalgia most of the time, but Hazelnut sort of represents my change from some awful addictions to some manageable ones.

      2. I always put in just a splash of milk and a fair bit of sugar in, but I still can't abide Maxwell House. We usually get Colombian coffee from Costco and grind it pretty much immediately before we use it, and it definitely makes a difference.

          2. Yea, the coffee and Miniwheats (our primarly cereal) provide a pretty great savings. Combine that with the cash rewards from the Amex card and it really is pretty cheap to be a Costco member.

            1. Hmm, there is one right near where I work. I've considered getting a membership, but haven't pulled the trigger. Maybe I should for cheap coffee and Kirkland's beer.

              1. ma got one for us while she was visiting Pete when he first came. if we'd paid for it, i'm pretty sure we would have gotten our money's worth already.

                i haven't tried the house beer yet. any good, bS?

                1. I'm not bS, but I can BS...Kirkland beer is adequate. I got a huge load of it for my birthday from Costco. It's about on the level of Red Hook or Pyramid...drinkable, but unspectacular, with a hint of the metallic in their lesser brews.

                  1. Huh. I haven't really noticed a "metallic" tang. But I think your assessment is about right. I prefer the Kirkland offerings to most Red Hook or Pyramid equivalents because the quality is similar (or slightly -- slightly better in some instances) and the prices are much better.

                    the stuff is contract-brewed by Gordon Biersch (at least on the Left Coast).

                    1. Yes, prices are the difference here, and I have access to better beer at similar prices (my place of work is right next to a Total Wine, which is a dangerous layout for a beer and wine enthusiast). Like those I mentioned, I have nothing against these brews if offered, but I don't feel the need to buy them again.

                      The metallic hint was only in one of the four offerings I tasted, and I can't remember which it was right now. The Amber, maybe? Their IPA was low on hops, which was odd for a west coast beer, but I suppose there are non-hopheads out here who have to be served too...

                      Interesting, that Gordon Biersch connection. From what I remember, beers under the Gordon Biersch banner are considerably better than Kirkland, but it's been a while so I might be guessing.

                    2. I think the winner in the mixed case is the Belgian-style White Ale. The Amber, Pale, and IPA are ok. The White Ale is "good".

                    3. Yes! I couldn't even remember the fourth, although I knew it was the best of the bunch. It was the one I was expecting to like the least, too, since it's not my usual style.

              2. Costco has the best "cheap" cakes around, too. Seriously. You can get a huge cake for like $17 and they are quite good. If you need cake for a party, it's the way to go!

                    2. A house type of brand is definitely what I'd be looking for, although now that my wife has gotten back to work, we can probably go back to affording the better stuff. Really, it's me trying to balance my desire to drink coffee that tastes reasonably good black while not feeling bad that I spent too much money on something my wife is going to make taste like pumpkin pie.

                      I wish I could remember the name of the stuff I used to get. I always just called it Communist coffee because it had a red fist on the bag.

                    4. I always get the Colombian Supremo and am quite happy with it. At first, I was a little hesitant to get so much coffee at one time, but we've gone through 3 bags or so in the past ~2 years and it stays reasonable fresh throughout it's life cycle. I remember buying it at less than the cost pictured, but it may have gone up since we bought our last bag...

                  2. The wife and I go through a comically large amount (at least a gallon a week a piece), and it is a really great deal. The only downside is the oddly shaped cartons they sell them in. Also, Target is close enough and the prices are similar enough that Costco isn't worth just a milk run.

                    1. ?? We buy milk from Costco frequently, in two-packs of plastic gallon jugs packaged in a cardboard box. Just regular ol' gallon jugs.

              4. I'm not sure what the law is where you live, but in MN, it's against the rules to have members only liquor sales, so you don't actually need to be a member to buy Costco beer or liquor. Just go in and as long as you have the proper ID, you should be good to go.

                Also, they have been known to have great deals on Smithwicks around St. Patties Day (last year, it was 2 - 12 bottle cases for $20.00 - the resulting purchase certainly weighted down my Honda Fit...), so it pays to check often to see what they have in stock.

                1. picking a nit, not with rpz, but with the downsizing culture of modern business. A "case" is 24 bottles of beer. Twelve is a 12-pack, not a case. It drives me irrationally insane to see advertizers call a 12-pack a "case" of beer.

                  2. I don't know if this will make you more or less annoyed, but my first thought when I think of cases of beer is 24 cans, which is why I typically don't buy cases. My phrasing was mainly an attempt to clearly get across the deal offered, though I see why you are annoyed (but don't be mad at Costco: they were selling them in 24 bottles per pack).

            2. Does Costco search every customer's bags after checkout? I think that's why I dropped our membership.

              1. I imagine they do. That's the same thing Sam's Club does, finger through your stuff and check your receipt.

              2. They glance through your cart, yes. It's specified on the membership application you sign, which makes it legal. It is, however, illegal for non-membership retailers (Target, Dayton's and the like) to require you to show a receipt or proof of ownership when leaving the store.

                  1. I just bought a laptop there yesterday, paid for it in the laptop area, and walked past the guy at the door. He never even looked twice, and I didn't even have it in a bag. Of course, I've had them check my receipt before too, so I am not trying to refute your point or anything.

                  2. They do it because people let them. Next time, tell them they can detain you if they think you've stolen something, but otherwise you're leaving the premises with your property. I've gotten some dirty looks and comments from doing that, but nobody's ever lifted a finger to stop me.

                    1. Exactly. They can't require it, but it's well within their rights to ask.

                      For the most part, I think people whine because they greatly underestimate the amount of theft at Best Buy. It's through the roof.

                    2. On the other hand, Costco folks sometimes discover that you paid for two of an item, but only one is in your cart because the checkout folks left it sitting there at the checkout.

                      I don't have a problem with it. They do it to every customer.

                    3. This, too. We've also had situations where the customer specifically wanted a black dryer to match their washer, but they were given the wrong box. Instead of a lost customer and a long, annoying second trip to the store, the problem was solved immediately.

                    4. I think people whine because they greatly underestimate the amount of theft at Best Buy. It's through the roof.

                      More likely, they whine because Best Buy has no right to challenge their ownership of their own property. Still, Best Buy is just like most police interactions in which most people (either out of trustworthiness or stupidity) provide consent to a search.

                    5. Why is it "stupidity" to consent to a search when you know you have nothing to hide?

                      Those kinds of interactions - where the customer cites as many possible reasons as they can to avoid a search - are what put them on a policeman's watchlist. I'm not saying that's fair - at ALL - but that's life. I just don't see how anyone can defend their stance of throwing a tantrum when an employee wants to hold them up for five seconds to ensure they're leaving with the right product.

                    6. Those kinds of interactions - where the customer cites as many possible reasons as they can to avoid a search - are what put them on a policeman's watchlist.

                      True, and yet the police, attorneys, etc. are often the most willing to exercise their rights in those situations. Speaks volumes.

                    7. For me it's courtesy. If I spend money at a store, I don't feel I should be required to be subject to search. I think it's poor customer service. I'm not going to whine about it. I'm just not going to shop there.

                    8. The search is because the person at the door can't possibly be certain that you actually spent money to get what you're walking out of the store with.

                      People steal HDTVs and desktop computers when people aren't at the door making sure this doesn't happen. There's no item too big that people won't steal it. It isn't personal, UW. The companies are just trying to be sure they get ripped off as little as possible. Under your idea of great customer service, the stores are easily subject to theft of big box items. Courtesy doesn't come into it.

                    9. More likely, they whine because Best Buy has no right to challenge their ownership of their own property.

                      I genuinely don't understand the legal point here, Will. A (potential) customer goes to the exit of a store hauling a product in a box. Until demonstrated otherwise, why wouldn't the universe assume that the product in a box is the store's property and not the (potential) customer's?

                      Invasively searching an individual's person or (obviously) personal effects (e.g., a purse) is a different kettle of fish. But looking through a shopping cart (which belongs to the store)??? I don't understand how an individual has an obvious right to privacy to the contents of the shopping cart in this context. So what is the legal story here?

                    10. I understand the policy. I'm not sure why I have a visceral reaction to the search as I leave the store. It has something to do with being treated like a thief when I know that I wouldn't steal anything. Of course, the store doesn't know that, but I think the presumption is running the wrong way when your policy is to look in all your customers' bags.

                      I can get the equivalent to what I would buy at Costco on a trip to Target, and I won't get searched as I leave. I might spend more money, but, to me, it is entirely worth it.

                      strategery's probably got it right, as I am a lawyer. But I would have reacted the same way before I went to law school. So maybe it has less to do with attorneys and cops exercising their rights and more to do with individuals who have a pain-in-the-ass disposition gravitating toward those fields. I could accept that.

                    11. It's pretty much the same thing as being carded for age or identification. People complain about that all the time when they should be glad the store is making sure that someone can't steal your credit card and use it, or they should feel complimented that they actually look too young to buy something. At WalMart, if you have something not in a bag, they ask to see a receipt and I never once even considered why I wouldn't let them see it other than I forgot to keep my receipt out and have to retrieve it from my wallet, which takes three seconds. So, once in a while a minor annoyance, but if it helps keep the prices down, who cares?

                    12. It's not remotely the same as being carded. With products which have legally mandated minimum age requirements for purchase, stores card people to protect themselves from liability (this is especially true for alcohol sales). You can refuse to provide them official identification which will confirm your age, thus ensuring you may legally own the item(s) you are attempting to purchase, but they have the right to then refuse the sale. You have no legal right to force them to sell you the product which they presently own, especially if that sale could cause them to lose their license, become legally responsible for your misuse of the purchased product, or worse.

                      On the other hand, if you have paid for your purchase, you have no obligation to provide documentation of your ownership upon exit of the store unless you have either previously contractually agreed to such a policy or the store wishes to claim you stole the item(s). Technically they must have reasonable suspicion of your intent to steal the product(s) in question before they can initiate a sequence of events to confirm your ownership, which generally necessitates the involvement of law enforcement.

              4. i've never had them do more than glance at my stuff. that said, we live in a smallish place, and costco's right nearby, so we never have any massive purchases.

                1. AuntieWalt didn't mind but I flew into irrational rage when they searched our stuff on my first trip. I should probably reconsider.

              5. This has obviously been well covered, but they don't tend to be very intrusive (they never actually touch anything). Basically, they do a quick count of the items to make sure everything matches up, and I've never had any issues with them demanding to go through a diaper bag or anything.

    1. That's a really bizarre story. I have to imagine that he'll end up with some pretty stiff legal charges resulting from this, in addition to his baseball career likely being done.

      How in the world do you figure you won't get caught when you do something like this?

  4. I'm telling people, just make the french press (cold-brew) the day before. finish pot, make new. Of course, nothing can solve the Maxwell equation.

    2. I like the general idea of having 15 teams in each league with an interleague series going on during the entire season, but it seems odd to have two AL teams in one state (even in a state as large as Texas). Other than that, I think this makes a lot of sense, especially if the division champ is the primary gate into the postseason.

      1. California has two AL teams though. Admittedly the NL only has one state with two teams, but it does have a state with three teams.

        1. So, for some reason, I completely spaced that whole California=lots of MLB teams thing. Oh, and that Pittsburg and Philly are both in Pennsylvania... All in all, I'm on board now.

      2. it seems odd to have two AL teams in one state

        It's already happening in that very division! I actually like it, and a couple of the teams in the East have to be even closer to one another than the Texas teams are, yeah?

        1. 257 mile drive from Arlington to Houston according to Google Maps. Depending on which route you take, it is anywhere from 214 to 232 miles from Boston to New York City. It is anywhere from 187 to 193 miles from Baltimore to New York City. From Detroit, it is 231-248 miles to Toronto (admittedly not same division anymore) or 169-177 miles to Cleveland.

          1. Not AL, obviously, but it's just 92 miles between Milwaukee and Chicago, and 298 miles between Chicago and St. Louis.

          2. More importantly, Windsor is just across the Detroit River. I'm mainly basing my hunch on hockey fandom, but I would guess Windsorites are more likely to root for the Blue Jays than the Tigers.

    3. I heard this kicked around by fans, but fans kick around all manner of ridiculous solutions (sometimes when there isn't even a problem), so I thought nothing of it. The article mentions that one side effect is that at least one interleague series will be going on nearly every night of the season. That makes those matchups feel even less special to me, but whatever.

    4. It's too bad that there aren't more teams in the mountain/pacific time zones. That is, if there are going to be 10 teams in the "West" divisions which play each other 19 times each, it would be more convenient if there weren't two in the central time zone, both for the teams in the moutnain/pacific time zones and the central time teams stuck in the west. Certainly having about 30 games in the pacific time zone plays against the Rangers' TV ratings/revenue.

    1. I read that yesterday and was thoroughly amused. Also, when Gwen threw up as she was getting into bed last night, I didn't try to catch it, so something stuck.

    2. Thanks for this one brian...my wife and I both had a few laughs (and it proved to her that this site isn't just a Twins blog).

          1. Though that doesn't help in the "wife convincing", I think I prefer Yvonne...no, Yvette. Wait, which one is Yvnonne?

            1. D'oh! Magazine...this is an online magazine. Wait, it's the World's Greatest Online Magazine...sorry to be so loose with the language.

      1. Worse is that that image is borderline if it needed any text at all, and worse case only needed the line below it.

        2. Although I really want to like The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen more than I do, they had to unnecessarily explain the inside wink-wink lines, which totally killed them. Reminiscent of the line below the photo above is almost too much as it is even without the title at the top.

          1. On the other hand, they did a much better "Hulk" than either of the Hulk films. 😉

            Dorian Gray was a great character. And I enjoyed Sean Connery's character's assessments of Tom Sawyer's style of shooting.

            Allan Quatermain: Now, would you like to learn to shoot?
            Tom Sawyer: I can already.
            Allan Quatermain: Oh, I saw. Very American. Fire enough bullets and hope to hit the target.

            1. What stood out to me from the third of that film that I saw was the extreme variance in acting ability. If there are going to be bad actors in a movie, I'd almost prefer they were all bad. Instead the good ones around them really drove the point home.

      2. in fairness, i believe that's ron white, and i wouldn't exactly consider him a catchphrase comedian (though he's usually lumped in with the worst of them).

        1. He's far and away the best of those four, from what I've heard, which isn't much. Maybe it's just a line he uses once that took on a life of its own.

          1. that's exactly what it was, in fact. i must admit to liking a lot of his material. it's a shame he gets pigeonholed with the rest of those ass-clowns.

            1. When I typed that comment, I was thinking "Ya Can't Fix Stupid" was the joke ad nauseum for Bill Engvall. Now I remember that Engvall is "Here's Your Sign."

              Ugh.

          3. Let's avoid bagging on comedians since humor is so subjective and that kind of conversation can quickly turn into a political type of argument or even worse since there is no right or wrong involved, just subjective taste, especially when those in question are obviously extremely popular based on their gross revenues.

            1. It's not really political so much as it is "Stones v Beatles" in nature (which is also of a forbidden zone nature), which I would deem more of a religious kind of difference than a political one.

            2. I completely disagree with the idea that humor is "so" subjective. Even if something is funny - as the humor of those clowns is sometimes - it shouldn't be as accepted as funny if it's done twelve billion times.

              1. Oh, please. They wouldn't be doing it 12 billion times if a lot of people didn't think it was funny. Repetition is a constantly done in comedy. Ever hear of a running gag or a schtick? What about Laurel and Hardy, Abbot and Costello, or Martin and Lewis? Same thing every time, but millions are begging for more. Since the Blue Comedy Tour was mentioned, Foxworthy and Engvall don't even do their usual schtick in their individual stand-up. They just talk about funny stories from their families or their lives and get huge laughs throughout, then they get to the end when they all come out together and the audience is literally begging for them to do "Here's Your Sign" and "You Might Be a Red Neck." If I were trying to be a comedian, I'd be looking for some sort of schtick or catch phrase that people would be wanting to see over and over so I could make the big money and have control of my career, then I could do whatever creative stuff I wanted and people would still come and see me and continue to pay big bucks for it, at least for a while.

                1. First: drop the "Oh, please." We can do better than that here. That's why I love this place. (By the way: I know I've said it. I shouldn't, though)

                  Secondly, alright, so you'd be looking for a catchphrase or schtick. You have to realize, though, that there are a lot of comedians who don't have one, and it's not for lack of trying - it's because they think catchphrases are for hacks. I've even seen interviews where comedians say they've stepped into a catchphrase without trying, and they fight it every step of the way even though they know it might mean money; for some - and now, the Blue Collar guys are a recent example - a catchphrase means they have to do this all the time, whether they want to or not. A gimmick or catchphrase might mean money, but it also, for many, signifies the end of a career or the beginning of a long career they don't want. Ray Jay Johnson is one completely unhip example.

                  1. As mentioned below, Dan Whitney indicated to me that he HATES being Larry the Cable Guy, but the money is too much to pass up.

                    1. I knew that about him, because I met him. I actually took over the role he was supposed to play in a movie. It's a very weird connection, since his style and body type couldn't be much more different from mine.

                  2. "Oh, please" just got enshrined in the Hall of Phrases here at the WGOM.

                    Humor is pretty personal. I don't really get much of the slapstick stuff, for example. Millions of people apparently think that "America's Funniest Home Videos" is funny enough to watch, particularly when someone gets kicked in the groin or knocked on his @ss or whatever. I do not enjoy violence-as-humor, for the most part. But sometimes.

                    An academic friend of mine likes to say "you can't go to the Preference Store." He was defending his preference for Budmilloors Extraicedrylitelight, but it applies pretty broadly.

                    Deriding other people's tastes is a common activity, precisely because humans are social animals with quasi-exclusive mating opportunities. So, complain about my tastes if you like, but I just might kill you for trying to sleep with my wife.

                  3. A lot of those guys without a catchphrase or schtick are also without a career, or at least much of one. It may be "hackish" but it works because it is funny to many, many people.

                    1. We're talking about different things, socal.

                      I know it "works." That's not what I'm talking about at all. I don't care what works. Being good looking and likable in interviews works too, but Kevin Costner still isn't a good actor. My entire point is that a person can become incredibly famous despite having no more than a minute of memorable material, and in many cases, the entertainers are more annoyed by this than anyone.

                    4. Movies and music are totally different from standup comedy because there is so much that goes into the first two than can contribute to the main entertainer's success that just isn't there for comedians. Special effects, writing, choreography, having the right fellow entertainers with you can hide the flaws of actors and musicians, but a standup comedian is pretty much out there on his own. If he's funny, he'll be successful and vice versa. There's not much getting around it. This is what the whole conversation was started over, about what is funny and if it is subjective. I just don't like it when some refer to a comedian as unfunny and talk about him as if it is a given that everyone agrees he is unfunny no matter how many millions he's made. If you don't like a guy, fine you don't like him. I couldn't care less. But don't act like its a given that everyone will agree with you because obviously someone finds the guy funny and will feel like you're looking down on their sense of humor or their subjective tastes. There's a big difference between "I don't find that guy funny at all" and "That guy is not funny at all."

                    5. There's a big difference between "I don't find that guy funny at all" and "That guy is not funny at all."

                      I know there is. I said what I meant.

                      I didn't say it was a given - you created that from what you read. You've been defensive to a degree that is unreasonable and unwarranted. Nobody attacked you, and if you read what I wrote - all of it - I think you'll find that I didn't even really attack anyone. If you're still taking it personally, socal, I think you need to take comedy less seriously. That's the differentiator between this and politics - I think this should be allowable here because, really, who cares?

          4. Ron White is easily the creepiest of the four. When my old facility hosted a filming of one of the Blue Collar events, he basically ogled a co-worker of mine well beyond any bounds of decency. Of course, I had a good time talking Nebraska football (and hating on Bill Callahan) with Larry the Cable Guy until he was called to the stage. Then, he turned to me and said, "Guess I better get in character for these [bertin'] retards who think Larry is actually [bertin'] funny." Good times.

            2. I hope that, someday, Mr. Whitney is able to find it in his heart to forgive all those "[bertin'] retards" who find what he does to be funny, and so have enabled him to have a successful career in show business.

        2. Speaking of worst comedians, can it get worse than Jeff Dunham? Good god. Anytime he's on a commercial or I see an "Achmed the Dead Terrorist" t-shirt I see red.

          Thankfully, while trying to remember that idiots name I was reminded of the excellent Mr. Show sketch about ventriloquists. Be warned: there's some strong language.

          httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ne0RrK5qJ-k

          1. When Dunham's DVDs started selling, I had him pegged for about one year of fame before that fell apart. I'm usually right about those things, having watched pop culture trends closely for a while now, but that one was a huge miss.

            1. i've mercifully seen little of his work but i've seen enough to know that he's awful. just awful.

              1. He was on 30 Rock once, essentially playing himself, and the situation was funny - a tricky proposition, considering that he isn't. I was amazed that they managed to put him onscreen for 2-3 minutes and not make me run away in horror.

            2. My Sister-in-law insisted we watch a DVD of Dunham last thanksgiving. i sat stone faced for about 15 minutes then asked to leave and instead read some magazines they had laying around.

              1. I admit to laughing quite a bit the first time I watched him. Then the second time I laughed less. And less. And now I can't stand watching his stuff. For a while I thought he was trying to be ironic with his racist jokes. Now I think he's either racist himself, or just pretending to be one to pull in money from those who are and those who think he's trying to be ironic.

                I will say that his ventriloquist skills ain't bad.

                1. My kids thought he was The. Funniest. Person. Evah. I thought his schtick was pretty funny the first couple of times I saw it, then I moved on, just as the kids have.

                2. Now I think he's either racist himself, or just pretending to be one to pull in money from those who are

                  This is why I avoid him. Either is deplorable.

  9. according to a few twitter reports, the Twins resigned Phil Dumatrait. So we got that going for us

        1. I almost picked up the entirety of The Wire when a Blockbuster was going out of sale, and then almost picked it up again on Black Friday last year. In the end I decided I don't watch many things a second time, so why bother? Now I want to watch The Wire a second time, so I wish I'd bothered.

          1. It gets way, way better the second time. As does Deadwood. Both shows had such a steep learning curve for how to watch an episode, that I inevitably missed quite a bit the first time.

            1. Holy smokes, I was just reading some of Alan Sepinwall's recaps from season 1 and Jim Beaver, the actor who plays Ellsworth, has been stopping by and sharing his memories.

              Spoiler SelectShow

              1. Well, the death scene certainly works, so I'm not going to complain. That's not the first time I heard of a scene meant to demean someone that turned out to be a series-defining moment.

                I love going over to Sepinwall's site when I think about it, but I rarely think about it because he's preaching to the converted. I get the sense that all the things he's pointing out are all the things I've already noticed because I think like a writer. Still, Sepinwall's presentation is fantastic.

  12. Okay. I'm in Irealnd. I've printed a small edition of prints, and have another one ready to print tomorrow, but I've run into some crazy. The owners of the shop have just informed me that I am to be their edition printer. This was never mentioned in any of our many e-mail prior to departing from my fair texas. If they had mentioned that I would be responsible for being their edition printer I would have declined the offer to come here, and, instead, would currently be sleeping my way to the top from the mail room of the small university Dr. Chop works at. Now, I'm stuck. If I tell them to get bent (which I politely did today) they can kick me out, or guilt me, or punch me in the face. If I do the work I won't have much time for my own work, and to be honest, I'm not prepared to be an edition printer for them (or anyone for that matter). An edition printer would be paid handsomely for this work, and I mean really, really well, like several thousand euro, and it's become clear that they want me to do this work for free. My friends who were paid employees here tell me today via e-mail that they're sorry, and that they didn't see this coming, but that this is these folks MO. Fuck.

    I'm a two hour walk to the bus stop for a 4 hour ride to dublin. With my brother coming to visit on the 4th of december, and dr. chop scheduled to be here in late january, I am going to try to stick this out until then. I have a printer friend (from my program) living in Wales, and may end up crashing at her house for a bit. I didn't see this coming, and now feel very foolish. They've given me a list of duties, and a schedule, like I'm an employee that is essentially paying them for the priviledge. Oy. Vey.

    The feeling that I am a fraud, and a fool, is pretty palpable.

    1. I'm in a similar work position (in that the job was misrepresented to me) but if I quit, I'm still with my family. Your situation is horrible, and I want to punch your bosses (is that terminology accurate?) in the face.

      Be well, meat.

    2. I wish I could do more than growl "bad form!" and threaten them with punches à la spookymilk. I also wish I could suggest that you needn't feel foolish, but there again, you'll feel however you feel. Good luck with the sticking it out and don't forget that you're not a fraud - they ambushed you.

      Oh yeah, remember too that you're a part of this community and we'll I'll do anything we can to help, even if it's only an offer to supply a few euros for a ride to Dublin.

      1. I think he needs to do some miniature alterations to the prints. Just some teeny, sophisticated "f you"s somewhere.

    4. that blows goats, meat.

      for the uninitiated, uh, what's an edition printer? a quick google search just brought up a bunch of printers (like the mechanical, EPSON/HP, etc. kind, not the, um, meat kind).

    5. That's harsh meat, sorry to hear that. If it does come to punching them in the face, I don't think anyone here will judge you.

    8. You're not a fraud. That's classic bait and switch.

      The only solution is we all get Sons of WGOM leather jackets, fly over to Ireland and rescue meat on motorcycles.

      1. somebody needs to design a Sons of WGOM leather jacket logo pronto.

        meat, you just deliver this line to the mooks: "Nobody tells me what to do. You keep needlin' me, if I want to, I'm gonna take this joint apart and you're not gonna know what hit you."

    9. That really blows. My question would be, if you don't do it, what would they do? Not to you, but how would they get the edition printed? Can they do it themselves or would they be stuck? Just wondering how much leverage you might have to make some demands yourself.

  13. We're all old:

    SethTweets Seth Stohs
    With a 5/15/81 birthday, Justin Morneau is the THIRD oldest player on the #Twins 40 man roster. Only Carl Pavano & Jamey Carroll are older.

    2. The Rays have an absurdly long active streak of games started by players under 30. The last time someone 30 or older started a game for them was May 24, 2007. Unless Shields gets traded, he'll end the record.

      1. Huh, wow. I'm wracking my brain, but no exceptions come to mind.

        Crawford has to be close, right? Maybe they jettisoned him to keep the streak alive...

        1. The streak just refers to starting pitchers. They've had their share of over-30 position players during that time (especially rotating through DH: Cliff Floyd, Pat the Bat, etc., and Pena turned 30 while he was still with them.)

    3. Reusse predicted the Twins would be bad last year because they were too old. In a way, he turned out to be correct because they did break down, but not because of their age as much as bad luck and/or training staff.

  14. Tonight on the tv, 1995 Eastern Conference Finals game 4, Magic/Pacers (Shaq/Penny/Smits/Miller) and 2011 Anchor Steam Christmas in my belly. Orlando out to a quick 15 to 3 lead. I hope this game lives up to to the Hardwood Classics title NBA TV has bestowed upon it. As for the Anchor Steam, well, it is a little green yet. The store had them refrigerated so I might just need to let it breathe for a little while. As it stands now though 2009>2008>2010>2007>2011. I bought four 6 packs, or a case worth, so I will keep the nation updated.

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