64 thoughts on “October 20, 2014: Hodgson’s Bitter End IPA”

  1. A list of every president's favorite drink.

    John F. Kennedy
    JFK drank lots of different stuff, so it’s hard to pick a favorite. Some were trendy drinks of the rich — daiquiris, Bloody Marys, and (considered at the time a big deal because it was imported) Heineken beer.

    1. Heineken is awful. I actually drank more Budweiser in Dublin than I have in my life otherwise because every tap in Dublin seems to be Bud, Guinness, Carlsberg, and Heineken. A pint or two of Guinness is fantastic, but you can't go out all night drinking the stuff and the latter two not good at all.

      1. A pint or two of Guinness is fantastic, but you can't go out all night drinking the stuff

        I beg to differ. Been there, done that many times in my (comparative) youth. On draught, it's only 4.2% ABV, so it's very sessionable. It's not like you are drinking Old Rasputin.

    1. Good for Chili - he struck me as a pretty good presence as a player, and seems to have done well as a hitting coach.

      Chili's replacing former twin Greg Colbrunn, who apparently retired after a serious health scare. Not sure what happened, but hopefully Colbrunn's okay.

          2. Uffda. Like Doc, I had no idea Chili was like that. I wouldn't welcome that kind of presence, either.

            1. I had no doubt that you didn't have knowledge of that incident. (Did I get my double negative right?)

          3. Since we're sharing appellate court opinions, check out this douzy from the MN Court of Appeals today. Parents, don't let your children grow up to be that guy. The disdain of the Court when having to side in his favor is palpable.

  3. Sleater-Kinney is reforming, has a new album coming out in January, and is playing First Ave on Valentine's Day.

    I'm going to need a presale code for this one, free.

      1. Well I'll be refreshing that link at noon on Friday.

        Now I get to cross my fingers for four months that the weather holds.

        1. If you need a couch to crash on, I'm in the NW burbs, about 5% of your way back to the FM Metroplex.

  4. I just finished an appointment with a student who has lost her voice and had been diagnosed with mono two weeks ago. I pointed out that maybe she shouldn't be in my office if she's still sick, but she insisted we continue. Yes, I know mono is only spread via saliva. I stand on principle - if you're sick, have some consideration for others and reschedule your appointment.

    2. So, cancer?

      I have had mono. It is exhausting and can wipe you out for weeks. But not particularly transmittable unless you are really trying.

      1. Just this semester I've had students in my office with pink eye, strep, and mono. Yes, some of those are more immediately communicable than others, but there's no reason for them to be in here if they're contagious. We offer Skype and phone appointments, so they can certainly get advising that way if it's a pressing issue, but most of the time it's something like major exploration or course selection for a future semester. These things can wait until a student is feeling better. I have enough students passing through my office every day that I don't need the sick ones spreading illnesses around to the others. And I don't want pink eye or strep!

        1. yar, pink eye is nasty, strep is nasty.

          a Skype appointment for an ill student seems like a very accommodating accommodation.

        2. Its nice you are offering skype meetings. It isn't something offered at either of my institutions. I still stand by the broad stroke analogy.

          1. I will admit to being more sensitive about this subject than most; my brother's immunodeficiency has heightened my awareness of how cavalier people can be about spreading illness.

            I do think it's a respect thing, too, though. There are very few issues that require immediate attention when it comes to a student's academic plan, and almost all of those involve larger-than-school events. I'm not going to turn a sick student away who needs to figure out if they have to withdraw because of a death in the family. But a sick student who wants to plan for a study abroad semester in Spring 2016 (currently a hot topic, believe it or not)? I think it's fair to ask them to reschedule for a time when they're feeling better, the same way it's fair for schools or day care centers to ask that parents of children with chicken pox or measles keep their kids at home during the contagious period. Nobody likes it when someone in the office won't take a sick day* and winds up spreading something around the office. Asking that students reschedule is partially an opportunity to educate them about what is courteous workplace behavior.

            *Yes, not all offices - even in white collar industries - are enlightened about sick time. This is the first job I've ever had that has such a provision. The point still stands.

            1. Right. But the question becomes "what illnesses?"

              The principle seems to be "don't threaten other people's health by your choices." Not "don't gross other people out."

              Sneezing, snotty, and coughing? Stay home. Feverish? Stay home.

              Got a nasty stye on your eyelid, swollen to the size of a football? Umm, well, it IS a staph infection. But is it an infectious illness that threatens other people? Not really (with your specific concern about your brother's condition a possible exception).

              As for mono, according to kidshealth.org,

              People who have already been infected with the virus that causes mono — Epstein-Barr virus or EBV — probably won't get reinfected because they develop immunity. (Although it is possible for the virus to "reactivate," it's not because someone infects you all over again. It's because in rare cases the original virus can flare up and cause symptoms a second time).

              About 95% of adults have been infected with EBV and 50% of kids are infected before age 5. So you may very well have already had mono and not known it.

              1. In my experience, having a cold is often considered "not sick enough to not miss work" for a lot of folks. I realize how busted it is but I drag my ass to work like that all the time. I'm just too busy to take sick time. It's awful. I'd much rather just lay in bed.

                When I had strep a couple years back, I laid in bed and felt like absolute death for five straight days. My boss at the time was wondering why I wasn't in at work. I was furious. I very very rarely take sick time. I needed to rest, dude.

                1. The problem with a cold is you're usually able to function well enough to so you're work won't suffer (and it won't lead to worse illnesses) and it usually takes a while to get over it, such as a week or more. People may not be all that sick with the flu, but they know it usually is a 24-hour thing, so they'll have to miss just one day of work and they'll feel a lot better after that and avoid contact with co-workers when they are most contagious. With a cold, if you miss one day for it, you might as well miss a week or more. Most people can't or don't want to be gone that long when they're able to function sufficiently. Also, there is the stigma of missing multiple work days for "just" a cold. I'm fortunate that I work from home, so I don't risk spreading illness to co-workers, so it's basically up to me if I'm able to function well enough to work. Of course, as an independent contractor, I don't get sick pay, so I'm much more motivated to work when not feeling my best.

                  1. Flexible hours and remote work options rule. I'm a grown-up, I know when I'm physically able and unable to function at work. I like the respect that's bestowed by not having that questioned.

                    1. I'm very thankful that the fellow who questioned me being out with strep is no longer my manager. I can play good soldier, but I can't deal with straight up stupidity or micromanagement and he employed both in spades. In the position I'm in now I have a lot more of that autonomy, but I've spent the previous 8 years being told that working from home was a last resort, etc. I'm still trying to acclimate to that.

                2. As a manager overseeing mostly professionals, I see all types. Some of my staff are earner/burners who manage to be sick a day or so per month. Others are more like me -- only out when they are deathbed-ill. I have missed about four weeks of work in seven years (sick time). A week with a giardia infection, two weeks with pneumonia, and a week after shoulder surgery.

    2. He shrugs about what to do so the best team finishes either first or second, but there is something that can be done: re-do scheduling and alignment. A single league is one way, but more creative methods are possible.

    3. The era of interleague play every day and begs the Big Question: why have a World Series at all?

      If teams from the AL play teams from the NL every day of the regular season, then an extended series between an AL team and an NL team in late October/early November isn't particularly special.

      If the fifth-best team in the AL plays the fifth-best team in the NL in late October/early November, how much does that really mean? Exactly what are the "World Series Champions" champions of?

      This is a fundamental criticism of Selig's tenure as Commissioner. The man took the most valuable baseball event of the year and managed to substantially devalue it in two different ways, simultaneously. Bud Selig made the "tournament" of the Postseason more important as a Baseball Event than the World Series. And that tournament happens at the time of year when the country is at its most football-stupid.

        1. What Rhu didn't say.

          The Good Ol' Days of having separate leagues that only interacted in pre- and post-seasons was cool. But it doesn't stop the World Series today from being special. Even with Joe Buck being involved.

      2. FFS, mobile interface. The comment above should read:

        The era of interleague play every day and the extended wild card begs the Big Question: why have a World Series at all?

  9. SOURCE: Sandy Alomar Jr. has been told he's OUT. Reported last week same on McEwing. Toronto Sun reports Demarlo Hale out too. #mntwins— Darren Wolfson (@DarrenWolfson) October 21, 2014

    We might know who the next Twins manager is before the end of the World Series just by a process of elimination.

    1. Who was the guy who allegedly nailed his interview?

      I kind of feel like this is one of those situations where the Twins want to interview people outside the organization as an affirmative action sort of thing, even though they really don't feel comfortable hiring a non-Twin.

        1. That's a lot of outside candidates (plus Chip Hale) if it's just for appearances. It makes sense that internal candidates might be favored - they liked them enough to hire them before.

          But it's also worth pointing out that Dougy Baseball and Molitor both would have been semi-outside candidates just a year (or two?) ago.

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