Cup of Coffee

July 21, 2015: What I Missed

70 Comments

I was out for 15 days at work. One co-worker was in a car accident, and her arm is shredded. Another was t-boned by a driver who blew a stop sign (and died in the ensuing crash). One of my two managers lost a sister suddenly.

I need to never leave again, I guess.

70 thoughts on “July 21, 2015: What I Missed”

  1. Spooky, think of what will happen when you leave permanently to go back to Minnesota. The HUMANITY!!!!1!!!

  2. Last night I purchased my ticket to GEN CON in Indianapolis. This will be my first ever trip to the con. So looking forward to it. I will probably hold off on my games post until after I get back, so I can report on all the fun games I played.

    1. The little brother and his new wife are going too. It will, as far as I know, be both of their first times as well.

  3. AMR . . . wow. I didn't read the first note the moment I picked it up, so I did have to turn back, but I was able to do so without attracting much notice so far as I could tell.

    1. When I crossed Washington, I realized the first note had blown off the top of the can.
      Hope I didn't make you late for work.

      1. More: Have watched some of the program "Granite Flats" with the kids. (It's HPR's favorite.)
        This (without the first note) was a method that the actual KGB spies used in that show.

      2. I had a sense there might be something to find, so when I didn't see anything on the top of the can, I looked down and noticed that small and unassuming scrap of paper on the ground. It looked too clean to be a random piece of trash.

        My workplace is very flexible about when people arrive and leave. But in any case, the delay this morning couldn't have been more than about 30 seconds.

    2. I haven't had the luxury to witness these dealings, but I'm wondering how they would go if you guys were black and were wearing hoodies.

      1. I've no doubt the color of our skin, our age, the way we're dressed, and the time of day all help in allowing us to play this game.

      3. Not very differently, I think. The point is to be discreet.
        Perhaps the hoodies would draw too much attention?
        Maybe if we were simultaneously loitering? But just passing through?

        Time of day and location is big. 9pm next to a nuclear power plant and we'd've both learned a lot of law terms by now. Or industry of employ. (Like if either was a nuclear power plant employee.)
        Age, dress, gender, and race would play a small point in either of those situations. Ethnicity (say, Russian, Persian, or Arab) though...

    3. I see these exchanges on here all the time, but I still don't know what all you are doing. (I'm so out of the loop, that's what I get for living in the wrong Twin Cities)

      1. Ok, I guess I would not have ever come up with that one. I see it once I know the answer, but would never have gotten there myself.

  5. DAY GAME ALERT: Chattanooga is hosting Montgomery right now. They're in the second inning.

    2. Pretty sure my Aunt lives near Cashmere, Oregon.

      Here is where I shall proudly claim my "master of none" status.

  7. Consecutive tweets on my feed: a story about erectile dysfunction, and a story about Obama ordering flags to half mast.

    #humorintragedy

  9. I ate anchovies last night for the first time ever. A surprising depth of flavor there. Unfortunately, that flavor was anchovy.

    1. Fresh or canned? They are very different.

      I love canned anchovies in caesar salad. They also add a depth of flavor to long-cooking tomato sauce (and no fishy flavor).

      You can tone them down a bit by soaking for a while in milk, then squeezing dry in paper towels before use.

      1. Canned.

        I actually didn't hate them at first, but the aftertaste that stuck with wasn't awesome.
        After just trying them as-is, I did melt them into some tomato sauce and served over pasta for dinner last night. I didn't notice them one way or the other in that form.

      2. I know Outback's caesar salad sauce is anchovy-based; a bit strong for my tastes. When in doubt, I go to the experts - J. Geils Band
        httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9QWQ_vAxhU

        1. I submit that it should not be called ceasar dressing if it isn't anchovy based.

            1. From the repository:

              According to Rosa Cardini, the original Caesar salad (unlike his brother Alex's Aviator's salad)[5] did not contain pieces of anchovy; the slight anchovy flavor comes from the Worcestershire sauce. Cardini was opposed to using anchovies in his salad.[9]

              Dammit. Well, things get redefined all the time...

              1. Yea, well, germans invented "hamburger" and "frankfurters" too, but they were perfected in the U.S.

                Of course, I like to use raw egg yolk in my caesar dressing, but the mrs refuses to eat it (despite it being thoroughly "cooked" by the acids in lemon juice and olive oil....), so there's that.

                    1. Fun fact: the English word for the New-world species "Turkey" comes from the fact that it was believed to be a species of Guineafowl (which actually are Africa), but were at the time believed to be from Turkey.

                    4. People with funny hats and curved swords... that invaded parts of Europe shortly before the formative years of most modern languages.

    2. So, this discussion reminded me of a recipe I wanted to try. I even went so far as to buy some anchovies. Then, I forgot what the thing I wanted to make was called and (eventually) forgot about it all together. I still have the anchovies and a vague recollection of what I wanted to make.

      I think it was something along the lines of this. Not sure, but that recipe, used for something like this, looks good enough that even if I'm wrong, I think I'll be right.

      1. I thought you were gonna give me a tapenade link, but bagna cauda sounds pretty good too.

    3. And Tulowitzki?

      My guess (and hope) is they get catching depth to split time with Suzuki and some bullpen help without giving up anything significant.

      1. "Without giving up anything significant" are the key words for me. I'd much rather they do nothing at all than give up one of their good young players just to make a run this year.

        1. It depends. It seems like they have an abundance of 1b/dh/corner of. I could see them trading Arcia or Vargas. As long as it isn't a rental, I could be ok with it.

          1. I suppose I could be, too. It depends on what you get back. I just have a hard time thinking they'd get enough back for Arcia or Vargas to make it worth it to me.

        2. I thought the going rate for a solid catcher was a mediocre reliever.

          #gitrdonebilly

      2. Would the Twins have interest in acquiring other pieces from the Rockies? Both LaTroy Hawkins and John Axford could be valuable additions to the Twins bullpen.

  11. For the first time, when listening to a minor league game, I heard a "pace of play" violation. Gwinnett pitcher Williams Perez was called for not being ready at the start of the inning, meaning Danny Ortiz started with ball one. He struck out anyway.

  13. Seen on nytimes.com:

    ESPN, Battling Costs, Faces Talent Drain

    Bill Simmons, Keith Olbermann and Colin Cowherd are leaving the sports network as it contends with increases in production costs and rights fees.

    Some would consider this addition by subtraction. Alternate headline:

    2006 Minnesota Twins, Battling Costs, Face Talent Drain

    Tony Batista, Juan Castro, and Rondell White are leaving the sports team as it contends with increases in salary and reduced ticket sales.

    1. Bill Simmons: "Everybody doesn't like the way I write. But everybody likes the results."

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