Cup of Coffee

December 12, 2011: Jerked Around, Sort Of

125 Comments

I got to work yesterday to find out my work schedule for the week had completely changed. I tried to be angry, but I had no plans and the changes were sort of to my liking, so I left the anger to other employees.

125 thoughts on “December 12, 2011: Jerked Around, Sort Of”

    1. paging AMR...

      I only know Massive Attack from 'The Jackal' soundtrack and the 'House' opening theme. Although Mezzanine is supposed to be a pretty good album.

    3. The theme used on House, M.D. is just an instrumental mix of "Teardrop" from their album Mezzanine, which predates the TV show by about six years. If you're going to own one Massive Attack album, that's the one to have.

    4. Yeah, what others have said.
      Mezzanine is very good, 100 Windows is not very good, and I rank the rest like this:
      2. Protection, 3. Blue Lines, 4. Heligoland.
      Fave songs: Risingson, Protection, Safe From Harm*, Karmacoma, Five Man Army

      *Which does sound like 1991 though.

  2. The good news, spooky, is that if all goes well, in a couple of months those people won't be able to jerk you around any more. You'll still probably get jerked around sometimes, but at least it'll be while you're doing something you love.

    1. Yeah, the biz as a rule jerks people around far more than my current place of work ever could, but I'll enjoy the privilege.

      Plus, this situation was at least flattering. They had to cut a lot of labor, so they cut it from the not so great employees, and shifted my start times to cover the gaps.

  3. because the Wolves dont have enough guards

    daldridgetnt David Aldridge
    Source: Timberwolves finalizing four-year deal with J.J. Barea. Check the Hang Time Blog.

    1. oooh. I'm surprised that Dallas let him go. The dude has jets and can be very dynamic off the bench.

    2. When two of your guards are Ridnour and Ellington, I think picking up Barea is a good idea. Besides, I love watching NBA players that are shorter than me running around out there.

    2. The guy's already learning:

      Will marriage affect his baseball?

      "No. (Maddie's) the one who got me through last year," Mauer said. "If anything, she's going to make me better. We were really close (friends) in '09, too."

      Nice save, Joe.

    2. Yeah, their seasons always leave you wanting more, whereas our seasons on network TV can be bloated (dramas in particular). The sweet spot seems to be that 12-13 range. Most of my favorites seem to settle there.

    1. Haven't yet, but probably will in the next couple of nights. I'm sure Hitman will have something to say, too.

    2. All of my patience with Boardwalk Empire has been rewarded the past 3-4 weeks. I am full on in again.

      Spoiler SelectShow

  7. YAHBA (Yet Another Higgs Boson Article).

    The important part is at the end:

    As for that "God particle" moniker, Marcelo previously reported that:

    "As some of you may know, The God Particle is the title of a popular science book by Nobel Prize winner Leon Lederman, who was Fermilab's director for many years and thus my boss when I was a postdoctoral fellow there. According to Leon, he wanted to call the book The Goddamn Particle because nobody could find the thing. However, his editor discouraged him from the title, suggesting that The God Particle would sell many more copies. This is the story that Leon tells us."

        1. She really has been a boon to this place, hasn't she? I keep thinking we've run out of ways to use her, but we keep finding holes...

          ...nope, that one's for Casa de Leche.

        1. There was a report recently of tachyons. The story Moss saw said they were forbidden by Einstein's theories. That is counter to Moss' understanding -- there's no prohibition on v>c, only on v=c and therefore likely the v<c to v>c transition. Tachyons had been speculated a long time ago. But it's been awhile since Moss was up-to-date on the theories of physics, so maybe tachyons are frowned upon now.

      1. That's a pretty good made-up word, butcept for the fact I had never heard of it before.

          1. Oh, I think "mayhaps" is pretty common. "Butcept," on the other hand, that's a new one to me, and I celebrate it's birth.

      1. I like Cuddyer as a person and would be disappointed if he left, but if the Twins can get Willingham for less money and still get a couple draft picks, even a protected one from the Rockies, I think that is a big win-win for he Twins. If the Twins truly wanted to bring back Nathan and Cuddyer, get neither and replace both with cheaper players, would that mean they would have the money to still bring back Kubel? Or maybe they would be able to sign or trade for more relief or starting pitching? Of course, the Twins all along have talked of wanting to bring in another starting pitcher, so maybe they can have more to spend in that area if they bring in Willingham?

        1. You like Cuddyer as a person or you like the fictional character "Michael Cuddyer" which has been portrayed to us through the same lens as "Joe Mauer, Good-for-nothing Bum"?

          1. Cuddyer as a person (in my interactions) truly is a nice guy. The media stuff is annoying and over-the-top, but there is definitely a kernel of truth to his portrayal.

            1. At some point the idea was planted in my head that Cuddyer is a good candidate for Top Jimmy's source on all of his Mauer sucks propaganda and I can't get that out of my head. I'm too cynical to ever believe we really know anything about what these guys are like as people.

              Now, if someone likes the Cuddyer character as portrayed by the media and wants to keep that character around, it's just a big soap opera anyway, so I wouldn't begrudge that. I just get uncomfortable when we start to feel like we know what these guys are like as people, since what we don't know is so much more than what we do know.

              1. Cuddyer is as accessible guy as there is in baseball. He does numerous interview outside of the TC media and has a Twitter account that he appears to frequently use for more than just promoting his own interests. No, we're not going to truly know any players as they really are, but who do we truly know outside of our own family and close, personal friends? Do we really know co-workers or business associates or is that a front they are putting on as a public face? Can we not decide we "like" or "dislike" someone because we don't "truly" know them? This isn't a trust relationship. And let's face it, athletes probably have less to gain by putting on a false public front than say a businessman. All I know is his public face, and I'm just saying I like that public face, which is what he chooses to be.

                As for someone being a source for Mauer bashing, maybe you should look to a different departed veteran.

              2. I trade BB cards with a guy that grew up with Cuddy. By all I've heard, he's a really nice guy. That doesn't mean he did or didn't say disparaging remarks about Joe though, fwiw. (or that media twisted it that way)

                1. What I remember is that there was a story about Mauer not being in the lineup the same day Cuddyer was hurt but was still going out to play and after a quote from Mauer not being able to play, the story was written so Cuddyer was quoted immediately after that saying something like if I can drag myself out on the field, I'm going to play. He never mentioned Mauer or anyone else, but the story was written to make it look like he was bashing Mauer or other players who weren't playing through injuries. I think Cuddyer may have apologized for his comments being taken out of context, but I can't find it right now. I know Gardy did defend Mauer after that story or one like it. The amazing part is people actually buy that Mauer wouldn't play through pain. If that were true, he wouldn't make it through 10 games in the minors as a catcher, let alone the majors.

                  1. I sent an email to a Twins collector looking into a BB card trade, and threw in a little chit-chat, and his reply included some "Mauer is a p*ssy" sentiment, which immediately soured any potential trade talks.

                    1. One of the people playing Spookymilk Survivor was talking to me offsite and said something to the effect of "My friend has bilateral leg weakness...except it's real." My respect for him immediately dwindled.

                      Where does that particular response come from, anyway? If you acknowledge that bilateral leg weakness is real, how do you immediately draw the conclusion that Mauer's lying about having it? I thought the only morons with that sentiment were the "it sounds made up" crowd.

          3. It will be interesting with Nathan gone and if Cuddyer leaves. The media will actually have to do some real interviewing for the first time since early in Torii's MLB career, if not before that. They can't just go up to Cuddyer and ask "How's it going?" and get all the quotes they need.

            1. That could be interesting. It would be nice if no one person emerges as the media's quote crutch. On the other hand, we could wind up with even more Gardy quotes. We'll see, I guess.

              1. We don't get any useful information from Gardy quotes, but at least he says nothing with pizzaz:

                Perk is throwing the living lights out of the ball.

                Someone much smarter than me will need to quantify the "living lights" versus the "everliving fire" as I'm really curious how they stack up.

                1. "They'll pitch where we tell them to pitch. And Perk will be fine, he likes the ball and wants to help. It's about winning, and we're going to try to get rid of all of the, 'I want to do this, I want to do that' stuff."

                  No matter what it does to their arm, right?

                  2. we're going to try We traded Kevin Slowey to get rid of all of the, 'I want to do this, I want to do that' stuff."

                    FTFY

                2. My favorite Gardy quote from that interview.

                  About Morneau-

                  He feels good about the way he's feeling and all those things.

      2. Good, I say. I hope they sign him soon so the Twins can make some moves before all the good players are off the board.

    4. Hoey isn't the only one off the 40-man. From Joe C:

      The Twins have trimmed their 40-man roster to 38 players.

      They placed Jim Hoey on waivers, and he was claimed by the Blue Jays. They also assigned shortstop Pedro Florimon outright to Class AAA Rochester after claiming him on waivers last week from the Orioles.

      1. Did Florimon have to go on the 40-man, at least for a little while, in order for the Twins to claim him? If not, it seems odd to put him there just to outright him a week or two later.

        1. Yes, he had to go on the 40-man for them to claim him off waivers. They did several waiver claims and signings about the same time. They may have claimed him and then someone else became available. At least he still is in the organization. They most likely overestimated the interest in him or they could have waited to sign him as a minor league free agent.

  9. Twins announce their minor league staffs. You already know about the changes at AAA, and other than that not much is changing. Ivan Arteaga is promoted to Elizabethton pitching coach, replacing the retired Jim Shellenback, and Henry Bonilla replaces Arteaga as pitching coach for the GCL Twins.

      1. Well, it does say at the top that it's a press release. At least someone didn't put a byline on it and regurgitate someone else's press release.

    2. Man City played with 10 men for the last half hour. To me, it looked like Chelsea was playing for a tie and was fortunate to get a handball that led to a PK.
      I had no rooting interest in the match, just had it on in the background, but still entertaining

      1. Chelsea could do with some more strikers, or just more aggressive play from the ones they have. They often look like they're playing for a draw, and I think it's because their strikers are so conservative.

    3. Went to my local for this one. Just got home (2:20 AM here). What a shite match. I hate both teams with a passion, so I didn't much want either to win.

      1. I hate both teams with a passion, so I didn't much want either to win.

        You know Mags, your love of Everton is cute and all, I mean who doesn't root for the lovable losers? But isn't it time to back a real team? Of course you can't root for our Manchester overlords and practically everyone else who's cool enough not to follow ManU follows the Spurs. So they're out. I suppose you could follow Arsenal or Liverpool -- sure they'll show some brilliance sometime, but you know they're middle of the packers. That leaves you with Chelsea. I know they have a petro-rich Russian owner who buys players like a fantasy league owner but at least they will be competitive throughout the entire season, and probably bert it up sometime in the end or have a horrible stretch in mid-season from which they can't escape. Also those kits are the best in the EPL, by far. Embrace your inner wanker Mags, come follow the Blue.

        3. Cool story, Bro, except for the part where Magoo cheers for the group formerly known as Fulhamerica.

  12. So, I'm sitting in my office, minding my own business, when the phone rings. It's Mrs. S. A fat envelope has arrived from the alma mater, addressed to The Boy. (early decision letters are due from them by the 15th)

    It. Is. Killing. Her. Not. To. Open. It. even though the sheer heft of the package is pretty damned suggestive as to its answer on the early decision thing.

    #joysofhavingahighschoolsenior

      1. and to the Nation because it means the Old Perfesser might be making a few more trips to the area in the next few years meaning more chances to partake in some beverages

            1. Funny story, a friend of mine moved out to Minneapolis recently. He came back last month for the wedding. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to speak to him too much. He and his wife sent us a holiday card recently, in which he wrote "I hope you enjoyed the Surly I dropped off for you". I went to Ms Buffalo and asked, did someone bring us beer for the wedding? She mentioned that she thought my brother bought me crappy beer be as a gift. She said it was a four pack of pounders with goofy graphics so they have just been sitting in the car this whole time. Turns out there has been a few Benders sitting in my van for a month.

              1. That. Is. Awesome.
                I wish my wife would tell me there's Surly in my car that I didn't know about.

              2. I don't know if you've actually had the Bender before, but that is a fine treat to discover, indeed.

                1. If my memory serves me correctly Stick and I shared a couple of benders together about a year and a half ago.

          2. I almost had a Furious yesterday from Big Ten based on previous discussions, but I ended up opting for water instead...

          1. All: I look forward to being back in the Fatherland next fall to deposit The Boy at the Alma Mater. He's in and will be accepting imminently (early decision). The tentative financial aid package he/we received was sufficiently generous that we will not have to sell our house and live in a van down by the river next to Spoons and his actor friends.

            Thanks to all for the good wishes, although I'd happily accept cash, checks, or donations of food or beer.

            1. Sorry, you'll have to settle for good wishes. Congratulations to your son, and may he go on to a long and successful career in whatever he chooses to do.

              1. word to Spoons and the Nation -- the Boy has his heart set on a career in film (behind the camera, be it writing, directing, producing, or all of the above).

                In other news, the Mrs. has no plans to convert the Boy's bedroom to anything.

                so, I got that going for me. Which is nice.

            2. Congratulations! Didn't want to say anything until you shared the news...it's been that kind of month.

            3. Congrats to the boy. I can congratulate him further by sending his father beer once I have a stock of bottled brews.

              1. I too could join in the sending of beer, though I'll need some "instruction" on packaging the bottles from the more experienced brewers in the nation.

                1. Wrap each bottle in bubble wrap, put them all in plastic bags (in case they do break), use a box that's a bit bigger than you think you'll need, and stuff it tight with whatever you can (newspaper, air bags, bubble wrap, etc. The idea is to make sure they can't move.)

                  Finally, whatever you do, do not ship USPS.

                  1. that reminds me of this:

                    I love my FedEx guy cause he's a drug dealer and he doesn't even know it...and he's always on time.
                    -mitch hedberg

                    1. I'll have to get a new package, the ones I was going to send you got drinked in a pinch, and then I promptly forgot. I've got a few more, I'll get 'em packaged up and sent out to ya.

              1. That might be a pretty good gimmick. Batch size and seating capacity might be a barrier to profitability, though.

    3. My brother is applying to dental schools, and my mother is having this same reaction with anything that comes addressed to him lately.

    4. Congrats to you all!

      Once more, my trip to Omerha has opened the floodgates to packages arriving in my absence. This time, one is a box of >200 Twins cards I ordered from a guy for a really great price (that was supposed to arrive Friday). I always joke with Mrs. Runner on the phone about taking a dolly to the mailbox to wheel all the mail back to the house.

    1. I honestly don't mean to offend or to invoke Godwin's Law or anything like that, just to pass on what I've learned here in Prague, but what I've heard is that the Jewish ghetto near Prague - called Terezín- that was a staging area for concentration camps used emissions from the crematoria here to generate energy for the city.

      1. I did not know that.

        I do know that Mrs. S's relations are, best I can tell, rather sensitive about the whole concept of cremation.

      2. I went to Terezín, and I did not hear that story. The following is all from memory:
        It wasn't really a ghetto, but a camp built for the Jews in (near?) the Sudetenland, although there was a town there that the camp was built next to. (Teresen-Stadt or something like that in German.)
        I don't remember there being mention of mass executions at that camp, it was a "family" camp, where Jewish families were kept together (at least for a time) so the Nazis had something to show the rest of the world. "Look how nice things are for the Jews we've rounded up."

        It could be that as the war progressed and the Nazis had no more need for the propaganda that mass executions occurred there, but I remember that they were then put on trains and sent to other camps like Auschwitz.

        I remember the sign over the gate "Arbeit Macht Frei": "Work Makes [you] Free."

        Okay, here are the actual facts. I guess it was a ghetto, but that seems in contrast to my understanding of the term.

        I also went to a synagogue in the Jewish quarter of Prague with the walls covered in the names of the dead. Similar in effect to the Vietnam memorial in DC.

        Pinkas Synagogue

        1. I didn't go to Terezin myself, two friends went and relayed that story. So I may not have used "ghetto" or "camp" or whatever term correctly.

          1. Oh, I didn't mean to challenge you. Wikipedia calls it a ghetto. I thought of that more as a section of a city where a minority was concentrated due to other places being unavailable, while Terezín was a place where a minority was forcibly relocated to. I also didn't remember that the camp was inhabited before the relocation, an old military camp. I thought that the place had been built as a concentration camp.

            Also from reading the Wikipedia, it sounds that thousands died there from the conditions, rather than from planned mass executions like at Auschwitz. So it's possible that the bodies of the dead were burned as fuel to heat the houses of the living.

            Are you back from Czechland* for good in December, or is it a temporary trip home? I'd recommend visiting both Terezín (though you probably won't be able to fit that in), and Pinkas Synagogue (which might take an hour, depending upon where you are in the city).

            *Czechia? Bohemia & Moravia? The place needs a name separate from its form of government. I dislike this about the Dominican Republic as well.

  14. hmmm (twitter from the Twins)

    Twins
    #Twins non-tender LHP Jose Mijares. Roster now stands at 37 players.

    1. This seems like a bad idea. I'd rather they cut bait with the other roster filler they have added in recent weeks, rather than someone who, while terrible in 2011, has been a very effective LOOGY since he was called up.

      I'm going to guess he'll end up on the Rays and be ridiculous, since that seems to be where trash heap relievers go to flourish.

    2. I thought this might be a money-saving move, but it won't save the Twins much more than a couple hundred grand. I don't get that. I just wonder if there is a pressing need for roster space. It sounds like the Twins needed to make a decision in regards to tendering contracts today. I wonder if they will be looking to pick up nontenders with the extra roster spots. Still, clearing three spots on one day in December makes me think they expect to be making some moves real soon.

    4. I find myself less upset at Mijares leaving than I thought I'd be, but it seems like if they didn't want him any more, they should've been able to get something for him.

  15. When we bought our house 3.5 years ago, we were basically told that if we used our fireplace, then we would burn the house down. This summer, we finally had the chimney and fireplace repaired and tonight was the first fire. Amazing.

    1. I wouldn't have been able to resist trying it for 3 and a half years. I probably would have burnt my house down. Stupid pyromania.

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