20 thoughts on “September 8, 2022: A Fork”

1. I pre-emptively gave up just prior to this series.

   1. It feels like the writing has been on the wall for a while, but the optometrist just clicked the lenses into place that bring it into focus.

      Falvey & Levine have made significant improvements over the prior front office. For all that progress, their teams seem to have consistent Achilles heels that get overexposed, and I think it’s time we see them adapt their approach to recognize the weaknesses in their philosophy (especially around acquiring pitching). I wonder if they might also need to look at their athletic training staff and compare them against league-wide outcomes.

      1. And baserunning is awful.

      2. Commenters on other news articles have already identified that the reason we have so many injuries is that we give guys too many days off early in the season. The injuries this team has incurred is just plain crazy. To even be above .500 while missing a LOT of key pieces is just as crazy. My opinion is to give them another year to see what happens. If we once again go pear shaped for the season, then I may support regime change.

         1. I agree with this - I think there are definitely spots for improvement - hitting coach, base running, medical - but they took a bigger step this year than they were supposed to, and I don't disagree with the moves the team has made generally, just too-rigid day-to-day operational philosophy.

         2. Giving this team credit for being over .500 is really grading on a curve. They are under
            .500 outside the division. If they were in any other division, they wouldn't even be sniffing the playoffs.

            1. If they had anything close to a healthy roster, I would not be happy with their record. Being that the list of players who are out with injuries is a stronger roster than the current active roster, I feel just being in contention is reasonable.

               1. If you assume the injuries are luck and not a sign of either poor scouting or poor training, I agree.

            2. Well, the balanced schedule will solve the grading curve problem.

2. This fall I’m moving my work space into a room on the main floor of my house after three years of working in the basement. I haven’t sat at a desk to work in over three years*, so, I’m building a motorized standing desk. I purchased a welded steel frame made in Michigan that uses mid-tier motors & control electronics from the largest Asian supplier of those products (Bosch wasn’t in the budget), and I’m using a 60”x30”x1.5” beech butcher block for the top.

   The top is unfinished. I’m not the world’s handiest man, but I’m capable of serviceable work in some areas. After some basic research and thought about what I’m going for, I think I’ll either go with a finish using a combination linseed oil & beeswax, or a coat or two of tung oil, followed by a blend of tung oil & spar urethane. I don’t own an orbital sander, and if I’m sanding the whole thing 5.5x (80, 100, 120, 150, 180, 220 top only), I suppose my arms would really prefer I get one. I plan to mount surge protectors & cable management to the bottom, so I don’t need the finish to be perfect down there. I’ll test out my finish and technique there first.

   Any suggestions from Citizens who enjoy woodworking or who have tackled a similar project before?

   *

   SelectShow

   For the last three years, I’ve been working out of the basement bar, which has no direct HVAC and one small, roughly 12”x24” window at ceiling level. I’ve had a standing desk on campus all along. When COVID started I was dealing with a back injury, so I found the only place in the house that I could set up and work standing. It’s relatively quiet down here, but I’m standing on an un insulated concrete slab with tile laid over it, on a restaurant-grade rubber mat. Without direct heat, it gets pretty cool down here in the winter — I’m usually wearing a wool shawl-collar sweater over a button-up shirt, a toque, and thick wool socks and wool shoes. Another winter down there is...not appealing. The Poissonnière is moving into the current guest bedroom across the hall, which is actually the largest bedroom in the house. I’ll take over her old room, which is the smallest.

   1. Couple of questions…. What is your goal with finishing the top? Do you usually leave your coffee on your desk / cold drinks / anything that will leave a condensation ring? Do you plan on eating at your desk (not recommended when you have the option to watch judge Judy in your own couch while consuming your lunch) what is your appetite for refinishing in the future?

      1. My goal is to have a finish that is relatively easy to apply, somewhat resistant to normal wear & tear, highlights the wood’s natural features, and can be refinished without stripping (if possible). I’d like a lighter finish. I might drink an occasional coffee at the desk or have a can or bottle of of seltzer water during the afternoon, but I don’t mind using coasters for drinks. (I also don’t mind having to refinish the surface in several years’ time if I stain or scratch it.) Lunch is an opportunity to get away from the desk, so I’m not likely to eat there often.

   2. I’m not the world’s handiest man
      I read this with a Kinks song playing in my head...

      I'm with meat here, but in a pinch, a glass laid across the top can serve as protection for the surface and allow you some woodworking leeway.

      And I'll tell anyone who does stand up work - get a good kitchen gel mat from Bed Bath and Beyond or wherever. Lifesaver

      1. Yep, a mat is key for standing. I bought a 1/2”-thick restaurant-grade nitrile honeycomb mat for working in the basement. A periodic rinse with the power washer keeps it clean.

   3. A few years ago we made a table that became an extension of our counter-top. We made the top ourselves with a herringbone pattern of small wood pieces, then my wife stained and sealed it. We also attached some power strips to the legs, to give a really nice, wired surface to cook on.

      After we glued and nailed all the pieces together, she sanded it (multiple rounds, stepping down the grit as she went), then stained it, then put on a wipe-on polyurethane. Going with the wipe-on poly means you have to do more coats (with some fine-grit hand-sanding in between coats). She said it probably took longer to do it that way, because of the multiple rounds, but that she picked that because it was more forgiving for a beginner. If something doesn't go quite right on one layer, you can always sand a bit more and try again.

      She said for sanding, an orbital sander was very helpful for getting it smooth before staining. But, if you don't want to buy one, you could always rent one at Home Depot or something. The sanding in between adding layers of the polyurethane had to be done by hand anyway, since it takes a light touch to avoid taking away all the previous layers.

      In the end, it turned out really well. We wanted the polyurethane coating to make it waterproof, since it would be used as a kitchen counter top. So, I don't know if that's exactly what you'd need for a desk, but that was better for what we needed.

3. The Queen has died.

   1. It feels like there should be a comment here, but "wow." and "huh." are about all I can muster right now.

      1. I do genuinely feel bad for Elizabeth Windsor's family who lost a mom, grandma or auntie (Not sure how the daughters-in-law feel :/ )

         But as to Her Majesty, well I feel nothing for the institution of the monarchy

   2. She had a good run.

      1. That she did. Mrs Runner, a big Anglophile, ordered the Queen's favorite drink* from the hotel bar, and visited with a few folks from the UK who were there near us

         *gin and something or other; it was alright

Comments are closed.