42 thoughts on “December 23, 2019: Festivus”

  1. Grievance: no child care today. I'd scheduled the day off planning to do ALL the holiday prep and then found out there was no child care.

    Our next door neighbor (who has a son in kindergarten and a younger son) didn't realize there was no child care until a conversation she and I had this weekend, and she and her husband both have to work today. Their daycare for the younger one is open, so the older one is coming to our house while she and her husband are working. So I guess I'm at least building up some good karma?

    1. This has snuck up on us a few times. For example, the local park run summer program just ends like 3 weeks before school starts. We had to scramble to get the boy into the local YMCA for the remainder.

  2. So I changed my tune on grievances. I don't have any. Life's too short to let "grievances" -- that may not really have any real impact on your life -- get you down.

    Oh, and Cancer Sucks!

    1. Ditto on Cancer Sucks! Our 9 year old Frenchie, has stomach cancer, we are getting a feeding tube put in today in the hopes that she will start eating again and we can comfortably extend her life. We have opted out of a surgical biopsy and the ensuing chemo, I just couldn't put her through that.

  3. I'll get started by giving a hearty eff you to common core math. Whatever weird way they do problems doesn't make any damn sense which makes it basically impossible too help muy eight year old daughter. The only thing it held with is as an efficient way to get frustrated and end up in an argument.

    Could golden retriever puppies not be so frickin destructive? Chew on your kong instead of any and all pieces of paper, please.

    Sell the team, Glen.

    FZ SelectShow

    I'm going to see RotS in a bit, so I may have more later today.

    1. Here's what I've found. I think pretty much the same way that they try to teach cc math. I work around engineers a lot and when I do calculations, they all look at me like I'm weird. I just say, this is always the way I've thought.

      That's how strange I am, CT. CC math seems logical to me.

      1. I'm am engineer, so that's almost certainly a part of my problem. My main issue with it is that i think that, because it's so convoluted it causes problem issues with parents trying to help with homework (well, most parents, anyway) and leads to kids losing confidence in their ability to math.

        My other big issue with it is

        fz SelectShow

        .

      2. Yes, what I've seen of CC Math makes sense to me. But it's hard to tell people to think of the eight ways to get to the same answer.
        Especially people who only learned math applying rules in a specific way to get the answer asked for, rather than getting it and internalizing it. Which is apparently most people.
        I have no opinions on whether CC Math, "New" Math, or what came before them is the most pedagogically sound for most kids.

    2. I haven't had to deal with Common Core math yet, but all of the examples I've seen are about breaking apart the problem in different ways in order to understand it. Most of them time it's similar to how I would have done it so it make sense. Many of the issues seem to come from parents not being able to do it the same way and not able to fit it into the one method they know. But, it's not hard for me to imagine teachers having a similarly difficult time in teaching it.

      1. Yeah, so far I'm a fan. The way I learned was rote memorization which made it easy for me to get A's and win a state math competition because I'm good at memorization, and I'm really bad now at anything beyond very basic algebra

      2. I don't know how I feel about CC math. On the one hand, I like that it makes you think about things in different ways. On the other hand, it's still kind of a pain in the ass for all concerned. I am often not sure what exactly they're looking for in an answer. That might go back to parents being unfamiliar.

    3. I was right, I'll add JJ Abrams to the list. That guy is an asshole and went out of his way to trash every decision made in the far, far superior TLJ.

            1. Even when they don't share their battle strategies with their best fighter pilot, and wait until they are down to their final ship to finally take out the star destroyer?

              1. I was fine with all that and think she was right to cut him out considering his actions in the movie to that point and that they weren't trying to take out the thing, they were just trying to get away. It's a good movie that also happens to be the most visually impressive of any star wars movie.

              2. You could point out obvious strategic and tactical warfare errors in all the Star Wars film, if you want. The Last Jedi went some cool places and Skywalker just walked back from all of them.

                1. I don't know about the rest of you, but when I go to a movie like Star Wars (any), Lord of the Rings, Avengers, Mad Max, etc, I am just looking for a fun ride. I thought all 3 of these newest episodes were overall pretty good. This final film left me satisfied. Not blown away, not particularly wowed, just satisfied. It wrapped up what I wanted to see wrapped up. It was a fun ride. I especially felt that Daisy Ridley did a really nice job in all 3 films. I agree that the previous film was a bit better for the reasons cheap and free mention above.

                  But overall, let's be honest here. The first 3 movies were ground breaking at the time, but when you watch them today a lot of it is cringe worthy. The next 3 movies were pretty awful. These last 3 movies were actually pretty good compared to the first 6. The 3 main actors were quality. The overall feel of the movies felt more real than the feel of the previous 3. In the end, I did not expect Academy Award quality films. It was just a fun ride.

                  1. Thank you, zooms. I have been a longtime fan and very much enjoyed (much of) the Expanded Universe. And the latest films. I look forward to seeing and enjoying the RoS when we return to the states, and find myself a bit befuddled by so much of the criticism. They were designed as homages to Saturday afternoon serials and they deliver on that promise. People take this stuff way too seriously.

                    That said, I am sure I will bitch about some of the choices.

                    1. I'm less upset by the choices made in RoS (although they are very bad) as I am in how they were handled. There's two parts to this. First, JJ went out of his way to say fuck you to Rian Johnson. It's an extensive passive aggressive flick and it was pretty much the weirdest possible way to walk back what was since I TLJ. In other words, it was mean spirited.

                      Second, and probably more important, if was caving in to Twitter trolls. The worst was giving in to the harassment Kelly Marie Tran got. Like, if they weren't going to let her go on the adventure, they could have at least given her something important to do. Instead, she stays behind to basically do paperwork that never amounted to anything. The more I think about it, the more angry I get about it.

                      Boba Frik was cool as hell, though,if I had to say one nice thing.

  4. I'm a bit irked with our millennial. How she can be independent and then get all over us for not telling here a winter storm was coming so bring your work home -- there's an app for that.

  5. The Twins front office’s execution of its stated top priority this offseason. SelectShow

    Additional grievances:

    - Rob Manfred: Hey champ, your sport has zero confidence in the consistency of its ball, a nefarious cheating scandal still brewing, the reintroduction of gambling on the game, declining attendance, perverse incentives for teams, an obsequious reliance on corporate sponsors, a hostile relationship with the people who give it meaning, a contemptuous relationship with its host cities, a fratricidal relationship with Minor League Baseball, & near-total disregard for serfs on the farm; this is not healthy. But hey, go worry about pitch clocks, mound visits, & limiting shifts.

    - Leaders who proclaim their leadership, rather than act as leaders & let the proof show in the pudding.

    - Micromanaging senior officials.

    - Crohn’s disease.

    FZ SelectShow
  6. Yeah, most of my grievances are forbidden zone so I will pass on those. Tough year for those around me and I am tempted to go in the "life's not fair" direction, but just can't do it. As a result, I don't have much.
    - Kids who have flown the coop, and come back from college for breaks, and fail to spend time with parents. I know I was that way too, but it's rough.
    - Employees who you bend over backwards to support, develop and provide for, who go off the deep end the one time they don't get their way.
    - Twins FO with the Bah Humbug. Don't you know we want the big moves before Christmas??

    1. When I came home from college I spent a lot of time with my parents. Though I had no girlfriend and not a ton of friends. And the friends I did have were spending time with their parents.

  7. The whole of 2019 is my grievance basically. I'm glad we only have 8 days left of this year. Hoping for better in 2020.

    - Getting laid off, getting a pay cut at my new job, and then getting laid off a second time.
    - Getting through an interview process and having a job pulled at the last minute since they weren't registered in my state.
    - Medical complications due to poorly performed procedures as an infant.
    - The continued existence of the New York Yankees.
    - Chronic medical conditions (to wit: depression, anxiety, IBS-D) and how much more they impact your life when normalcy is upended.

    FZ SelectShow
  8. 1. Blustery, aggressive North Country lawyers who manage to fight about things that aren't even in dispute.

    2. My regression with healthy eating and exercise habits since June.

    3. This stupid Mardi Gras thing for which the outlaws signed up Honest Abe. I don't need my children to be part of New Orleans society.

    4. Bases loaded, no one out and no runs?!

    5. Marco Silva.

      1. my favorite thing about this song is, one night, when we were all very into our whatever, without listening, i figured out how to play it on guitar in about 5 minutes so we could all caterwaul it. good times...

  9. Grievances, List of:
    1. Age discrimination in the workplace and employment market. It's real and it sucks. Now get off my lawn.
    2. Bad genes that pass on hereditary diseases and conditions from one generation to the next.
    3. The never-ending battle against truth, justice and the American way.
    4. Intolerance.
    5. The Minnesota Twins' post-season performances since 1991.
    6. The St. Cloud State University hockey team's post-season performances since the program began.
    7. The Cleveland Browns' complete lack of post-season performances since 2003, and all of their post-season performance I can remember before that.
    8. Internet advertising and click-bait content. Another good thing ruined by greed.
    9. Willful ignorance.
    10. Propaganda masquerading as news and infotainment.

  10. 1. Three Rivers Park District. This hurt and lack of trust isn't going away soon.
    Put your f'ing toilets where you say you're going to. Don't release plans with toilets in locations too prone to flooding to be there.
    And as I mentioned, it's adding to marital friction. Sudden bifurcation in our long-term plans. Is this our "forever house"? Opinions differ.

  11. Snowblower update:
    Yesterday I started the process of reassembling the snowblower. I had all the parts and tools I needed, and last week I picked up the valves from the machine shop where I had them ground. The valves were the first thing and I had a small problem. When you grind the face of the valves it removes material, so when they are reseated the shafts are too long and need to be ground down to a 10/1,000th of an inch clearance. But I have no bench grinder. Instead, I used a small grinding wheel in my drill, which I clamped down in my Workmate to make a reasonable facsimile of a bench grinder. It's a precision job, you don't want to take off too much length so you grind a bit and check the length in the block using a feeler gauge. Grind and check, grind and check until you get the right length and clearance. Then you compress the valve springs using a spring compressor and reattach them to the valves. I used a wire brush to clean up the top of the block and the inside of the head, there was a lot of carbon build up. I also noted that on one side of the head there was a lot of carbon, so I most likely had a leaky head gasket on that side which contributed to the poor performance. Next I put on the intake manifold and new carburetor and reconnected all the linkages, then remounted the muffler. By then it was supper time so I called it a day. Today I replaced the rotted gas primer hose, put on the rear flywheel cover and on the side opposite the carburetor I mounted the electric starter and the gas tank. This is where I ran into a new issue. Two of the mounting holes for the starter are stripped out, so for now I'll have to rely on the recoil starter and at some point drill out the starter mounting bolt holes and tap in some new threads. For now I've got it in place with just one bolt, which won't be sufficient if I want to use it. The good news is that she started right up on the first pull and seems to be running like a champ with no flames spitting out of the exhaust. I'll have to adjust the carburetor governor because I can only get about 3/4 throttle but that's a minor thing. I'll do that, adjust the fuel mixture, put the cover back over the carb and I'll be done for the time being. Then we'll see how she does under a load when we get our next decent snow. So that's all good. One less thing.

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