February 14, 2018: XOXO

Drink to me only with thine eyes,

And I will pledge with mine;

Or leave a kiss but in the cup,

And I’ll not look for wine.

The thirst that from the soul doth rise

Doth ask a drink divine;

But might I of Jove’s nectar sup,

I would not change for thine.

 
I sent thee late a rosy wreath,

Not so much honouring thee

As giving it a hope, that there

It could not withered be.

But thou thereon didst only breathe,

And sent’st it back to me;

Since when it grows, and smells, I swear,

Not of itself, but thee.

38 thoughts on “February 14, 2018: XOXO”

  1. Curling tonight!
    6:05 pm central: Women's
    CAN (Homan!) vs Korea (first match for both)
    DEN (0-1) vs JPN (1-0)
    CHN (1-0) vs OAR (0-1)
    GBR (1-0) vs USA (0-1)
    Sitting out: SUI (0-1) and SWE (1-0).
    Gosh, Homan's debut on the CBC opposite the US vs Muirhead on the BBC. (Muirhead demolished the Russians last night).

    11:05 pm central: Men's
    USA (1-0) vs ITA (1-1)
    NOR (0-1) vs CAN (2-0)
    GBR (1-1) vs JPN (1-0)
    DEN (0-1) vs SUI (0-2(
    Sitting out: KOR (0-2) and SWE (2-0) sit out.
    If I stay up, should I watch USA or Scotland?

    5:05 am central: Women's
    CHN vs GBR
    CAN vs SWE!!!*
    USA vs SUI
    KOR vs JPN
    Sitting out: OAR and DEN.
    *I don't know how this Swedish team is ranked, but these two countries have met for the gold medal the last two olympics, have 4 of the five gold medals in this event, and only once did either not make the podium (2002: Sweden was in a 3-way tie for fourth after the round-robin, but lost the first tiebreaker). So I assume this is the premier matchup of the round-robin stage.

    I forgot how much longer regular play is vs mixed doubles. As the morning games are ending around 8am Central, I don't intend to spoiler anything unless someone says they're intending to watch one on delay.

    1. The Swedish women's team is, I believe, ranked third on the World Curling Tour. (after a quick check, I am correct) So yeah, that should be a fun match.

      I don't know if it was nerves or what, but that first match against Japan was brutal. Based on the final score, it looked like they did a little better, but I gave up after 3 ends because they were getting absolutely nothing out of the second and third's stones.

      If you want my recommendation on the men's late draw, I'd go with the US-ITA match.

      1. We are thrilled for him. It is a tough, tough business to break into. Hopefully, this is the year he gets into the winner's circle on one of these competitions, meaning he gets a job in a writer's room somewhere.

  2. So...was looking at career K/BB leaders, and while none of the top 25 were Twins, can you guess the six from 25-50:

    Actual Spoiler SelectShow
  3. A couple days ago, someone posted a 1-of-1 parallel card of Brett Graves for sale on eBay. While I have been "supercollecting" him since his first cards came out a few years back, this particular gem is about 3x what I would grudgingly pay for it. I would put in a best offer, but I'm afraid it will be seen as low balling him. I think I'll wait the 20+ days for his posting to expire and then make an offer when he relists it, but there's some risk to that, too. Feeling a little like the FO right now...

  4. Treading Lightly...

    Today being Ash Wednesday, and the start of Lent, I find myself with some genuine questions for non-believers. For myself as a Catholic, Lent is a time to grow. By giving things up, I develop more will power. By taking time to reflect on my failings, I find paths to address them. By recognizing and working on my weaknesses, I grow into a stronger person. By going without, I ensure others don't have to. Etc.

    For me, this is both recommended by my religion and a point of personal growth. Having a time set aside each year for this type of thing has a lo of appeal to me. It makes sure I'm actually doing the "hard work" of becoming a better person, not just subscribing to a vague notion of self-improvement (not that I mean to imply that for others... I just know myself that I tend to not do what I intend to do towards self-improvement a lot of the the time).

    So I'm curious what non-religious people do in this regard? Are there specific sacrifices you make? At certain times? Do you set try to focus on this type of thing, or do you go about it differently?

    I look forward to learning more, if you're willing to share. Thanks!

    1. I don’t count myself among the demographic you’re inviting for conversation, but I am interested in the exchange. For posterity, I kinda feel Iike this might be stand-alone post-worthy.

  5. I know it's not movie day but I just finished Rectify a couple days ago. In my opinion, top 5 drama of this era.

    Others I would include in my top 5: The Wire, Sopranos, Breaking Bad.

      1. There are so many characters that are fully developed in that show that it is hard to believe it was only 4 seasons long.

        1. And short seasons at that.

          I can’t think of another show that made me weep as often, and it was because the characters had become so real to me. A tremendous acting achievement all around.

    1. Oh man, all four Koreans are Kims. And so is their alternate. And so is their coach.
      Kim Eun-Jung is the skip.

      1. And another 3 in the ninth??? What is happening to Homan's team?
        Down 4 with the hammer in the 10th.

    2. China and Russians in an extra end.
      China's got the hammer. China's skip's glasses aren't as cool as Korea's.

      1. She just needed to draw into the 8-foot, but had enough weight to get to the backline.
        The Russians steal it.
        Russian 2nd (Arsenkina) also has great glasses... purple-rimmed.

  6. Thirty-one years ago today I got a letter from Mrs. Twayn telling me that she had broken up with her cheating boyfriend and was looking for a new Valentine. I called her up and asked her out, we had our first date a week later and still celebrate the anniversary every 2/21.

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