Cup of Coffee

March 24, 2014: Shaking My Head

65 Comments

It's annoying to have to make apologies for other people in my department; it's worse to ask the customer which employee gave them misinformation and already know who it's going to be.

65 thoughts on “March 24, 2014: Shaking My Head”

  1. speaking of shaking one's head, I am winding my way through the infernal maze that is PROFILE Online, and then turning to FAFSA. It is a wonder that anyone ever manages to complete these goddamn things even remotely correctly. The instructions suck and the informational demands are high. Because Money.

    I'm finally wising up and creating a series of tables in a Libreoffice document to track the lies, damned lies, and statistics that I'm reporting each year. Hopefully this will ease my pain in each of the next five years I'll have to do this.

  2. Scot and I are both going to the Drive-By Truckers/Blitzen Trapper concert this Thursday and are tying to get a preshow mini-caucus together. If anyone else will be at the show or downtown between 5-7pm on the 27th and is interested in having a beer & burger, respond here and we can get something on the calendar.

  3. Checking in from the new office. These digs are a huge improvement from my Brutalist grad student bunker, and are in fact much nicer than most faculty offices in my old building.

    1. I don't know a whole lot about the various movements in architecture, but I do know Brutalism it's my least favorite. I've never seen a Brutalist structure I liked. The arts building and connected library at Trinity is this gawd-awful monstrosity right in the middle of this otherwise beautiful old campus. At least the movement nailed it with the name.

      1. Brutalist architecture is well-named, both in the intended and unintended meanings. I hate it. The architect who designed the Humanities building here (where I had my old office) also designed the federal prison in downtown Chicago.

        2. Oh yeah, I hate that humanities building too. (only seen it from the outside, though.) It looks like an unfinished, dumpy plot of land.

      2. I really like Brutalism, and my time at SJU (and in D.C.) has me partial to Marcel Breuer.

      3. This is the front square at Trinity

        This is the Arts Block and one of the libraries* (respectively)

        *There are like 4, I don't remember which one this is, besides it's not the Old Library, which is gorgeous:

          1. No, I do like #1. It's just comparison for how incongruous #s 2&3 are on campus. They straight up do not fit at all.

          2. I don't mind looking at #3, but I bet it's a terrible place to work in, day in and day out. I'd never heard of brutalism before, but it fits the T-wing of the University of Washington Health Sciences Center. Everyone I've met who worked there would trade buildings in a heartbeat with essentially any other building on campus.

            1. I can see that they might be less-than-fun places to work, particularly if they're some of the ones that are low on the natural light.

              1. My office was in this rat maze for seven years. Not-so-affectionately known as the "Death Star". (We never found the womp rat-sized exhaust port, however)

                there's even a somewhat amusing if grainy video on "how to get to the History Department TA offices" on youtube:

                httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42rWJhM6nwY

        2. Having spent a fair bit of time on Trinity's campus I can attest to the out of place quality to the arts block. I do like the library (the modern one, and the old one ain't bad either), though. Dr. Chop stole a cobble stone from the main entrance so that we could always have a piece of Dublin at home.

          1. The best part of the cobblestone entrance is watching drunk girls in ridiculous heels try to walk when it's wet out (which, is pretty much all the damn time).

  4. The Rochester Red Wings facebook page tells me the Twins have released Matt Guerrier. Wish that could've worked out, although I never really expected it to.

    1. Also Brian Herrrrrmannnn assigned to AAA club. Whew -- there were rumors yesterday that Gardy was going to bring 3 catchers up again.

      2. Why Fryer over Hermann, though? Rewarding an organization man's loyalty? Is the difference between their defense really that appreciable? Hermann's at least serviceable as a fill-in/fifth outfielder.

        1. Who knows? Herrmann is probably a little better prospect than Fryer, but I have a hard time seeing either of them as good big-league ballplayers, so I can't really get too worked up about it.

        2. Fryer was sent down during the last round of cuts. Sounds like the Twins will have Suzuki was the main backstop with Pinto playing twice a week.

            1. I'd honestly rather have him playing every day at Rochester. Grady won't DH him, so he's not going to be seeing enough live pitching if he's just catching twice a week.

              1. I don't think ANY catcher should be playing "everyday" as such, but it doesn't take much to go from twice a week to three and four times a week, which is close to everyday for a catcher. I think he's well enough liked as a prospect that he'll get the benefit of the doubt, if overcome Suzuki's veterany presence. Does Suzuki have any kind of platoon potential? Nevermind, I forgot that Gardy doesn't know how those work in any case.

  5. How do folks feel about accidental death & dismemberment insurance? I have the option to buy a cheap policy, but I'm wondering if it's worth it. I will already have income continuation insurance if I get too sick or hurt to work, and I've been working on building a proper life insurance portfolio. Pops Hayes always said you could never have too much life insurance, and unfortunately he was proven right. I do wonder about AD&D, though.

    1. My feeling is no, if you are talking about something supplemental beyond a basic term life policy.

      You have life insurance to provide for your spouse and dependents after your death, at least for a transition period. When you are young and healthy, you can get term life really cheap. Why get anything else? Instead, put the money you would have spent on premiums into investments (401k, IRA, Roth IRA, or even a taxable account, such as a no-load, broad-market index mutual fund).

      Insurance policies (e.g., whole life and such) generally are terrible investment instruments for the investor/policy holder, and great ones for the sales people.

      1. I think it's a timing thing. There was a time in our lives that one of us couldn't have carried the mortgage, and if one of us died it would have forced the other to move.

        We got insurance to cover that scenario.

        Later, once we paid off the mortgage, we cancelled the insurance.

  6. I'm in Omaha, so I'm phoning it in. Here's the most famous of Twins autographs.

    ID the AU -- name the Twins HOF'er player (current or former) whose beautifully legible signature this is:
    AU

    Hint SelectShow
    Answer SelectShow

  8. Puig gonna Puig. Between him and Scully narrating the action, I am officially pumped for baseball

  10. so, what's the interpretation here? Traders are "blowing" their earnings in the middle period, but too busy making bank to buy ice in the early and late periods?

  11. I'm making dinner for a date tonight. Lots of cutting veggies on the bias so as to look extra fancy.

      1. "Brrrrrrriinnnnnnng . . . ."

        Hoiberg: (looks at caller ID on cell phone) Aww, cripes . . .
        Hoiberg: (answering phone) Uhh . . . hello?
        Flip: Hello, is this the Hoiberg residence?
        Hoiberg: No, this is my cell phone.
        Flip: Oh, sorry. I’ll try you at home.
        Hoiberg: No, that’s okay. This is Fred Hoiberg.
        Flip: Oh, good. You’re the person I’m trying to reach. This is Flip Saunders from the Minnesota Timberwolves, as far as being a team that is in the NBA. As you remember, we like to switch coaches every half-season or so, and we’re long overdue for a change, coachingwise. We’re considering asking you if you want to come in for an initial interview to tell us why we should even think about considering hiring you for the job that will be coaching players for the Timberwolves, during games, practices, riding the plane to other games, you know, transportation, logistics, wearing a suit and . . .
        Hoiberg: Look, Flip, I’m flattered that you contacted me, but I’m in the middle of the NCAA Tournament right now and . . .
        Flip: I know, we’re watching the games right now to decide who to pick as far as the draft. But we only have antenna TV, so we’re limiting our focus to players on teams that play games that are broadcast on WCCO. Say, who is that tall guy on Kentucky? I can’t quite make out his jersey number, because the damn rabbit ears keep falling over.
        Hoiberg: That’s Will Cauley-Stein.
        Flip: Oooh—a Jewish center. I’m not sure the NBA is ready for that. Although with that whole Jason Collins thing I think . . .
        Hoiberg: Flip, I’m really happy at Iowa State. I grew up here, was a hero in college, now I’m taking this team farther than they have any right to expect. I hope to coach here my whole life.
        Flip: Okay, I know bluffing and negotiation when I see it. My wife and I watch The Voice all the time as far as reality shows go. What if we were to DOUBLE your salary?
        Hoiberg: I make about two million a year right now.
        Flip: (gulps, tugs collar on dress shirt) No way! Okay this is more bluffing and negotiation, isn’t it? What if I were to tell you that I would be making all of the draft decisions, and Mr. Taylor’s ex-son-in-law has lots of control over the organization, as far as all decision-making?
        Hoiberg: Okay, I’ve gotta get ready for our next game, but it’s been real nice talking with . . .
        Flip: Still negotiating? Ooo . . . you’re good. Okay, what if I tell you that you get to sit next to Mr. and Mrs. Taylor at all of the home games? He’ll offer words of advice, and she’s REAL pretty . . .
        Hoiberg: I’m hanging up now, thank you . . .
        Flip: I’M WARNING YOU, I CAN BLUFF, TOO! MY NEXT CALL IS TO RYAN SAUNDERS . . .

        (dial tone)

        PoorDick

        (I got yer back, Corn--I chuckled aloud throughout.)

        1. Thanks for the assist

          (hmm...link works for me. Within the context of that whole thread (GOSO "what do we do about next year?"), PoorDick's post was just what I needed to brighten the mood).

          1. ahh, now I see it. I was looking in the article, not the ENDLESS comments. WTF, does Canis always channel the WGOM, or is that just the Bootsy artwerks talking?

    1. Nice, I definitely enjoyed my visit back at Thanksgiving. I'm not sure how often my cousin works there, but I thought it was a fun little place.

  14. I know that bashing college basketball makes for good sport around these parts, but the Kentucky-Wichita State game yesterday was as good as anything I've seen since last years NBA Finals. (Iowa State-North Carolina was not far behind.) Just tremendously played, hard fought basketball games.

    Unlike, say, the Woofs in Mempis this evening.

    1. 15 points in the first quarter and I didnt pay much attention after that.

      But agreed with your first paragraph. Those were tremendous game.

  15. Scott Baker was released by the Mariners by his request after he was told he wouldn't make the team. He's more than a year removed from TJ surgery. Hopefully, it's just a matter of him getting some innings in to strengthen his arm and retrain it, etc. He was really good for the Twins in 2011 before getting hurt. He only had 3 starts last year, so hopefully he'll regain much of what he was. That would really suck if his career was over so young.

    2. This also makes me sad. Light Rail was my favorite player when he was here, and I was really hoping that he'd do well in the NL.

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