Jump to content

Ghost of LL

Certifiably Surly
  • Posts

    6713
  • Joined

  • Days Won

    1

Everything posted by Ghost of LL

  1. Not only that, but it's Dr. Pepper products only. And Dr. Pepper makes a shitty mixer.
  2. Strong agree. The Stars probably have the best in-game presentation in the business.
  3. I did that a couple years ago when we were in Africa. The pool itself doesn't have just a whole lot of flow over it. It's kind of like an infinity pool with just about a half-foot of water going over the rock that separates the pool from the Falls. So to go over, you'd probably have to purposefully slide yourself over. Even so, there's a reason the camera doesn't show her feet. That's because there are two guides with her, one holding each ankle. And then there's a third guy back there just as an extra hand. Getting that photo isn't the dangerous part. The dangerous part is getting out to Devil's Pool. That's where you're walking out on very slippery rocks that have about a foot of flow going over them. One misstep there, and you can go for a tumble and be swept just a little bit downstream over the Falls. That's where you really rely on your three guides. They've been doing this since they were kids, and they know exactly where to step (and, more importantly, where not to step). They lead the way. You have one guy holding each hand while you take a step. And then between steps you grab the hand of the next guy. So anytime you're taking a step, you have two guys holding you. But anyway, you get out there and look down, and the view is amazing. This video doesn't even really do it justice. I went at a somewhat higher flow time (early July), so the flow was such that you couldn't see anywhere close to the bottom. All you see is the mist, which is actually coming back up towards you. It's just staring into a wild maelstrom with a background roar that is almost deafening.
  4. And my point is that Gen Z doesn't care about college football. It certainly doesn't care what makes college football "special." It's here for the gimmicks. And that "bloat" is needed to attract them.
  5. But here's the thing: there are a lot of things that aren't working at other schools. Take a look a college football attendance around the country. It's down markedly over the last ten years. And that reduction is led by the student sections. There's a big reason why Texas and a whole lot of other schools are experimenting with "filler." There are a lot of reasons to opt for the couch rather than going to the game. Texas, and every other athletic department in the country, is looking at that "filler" to provide a reason to get off the couch and come to the game. But for a lot of our students and younger alumni, the game isn't a draw at all. For them, there are a lot of reasons to go do anything else on a Saturday. The "filler" is intended to provide a reason to go to a game that they otherwise have no interest in.
  6. I have really bad news for you and the rest of us old guys out there--the Athletics Department is not going to cater to "fans of college football" to the exclusion of "a broader audience." Because the students today are broadly not fans of college football. I don't know if you've been paying attention to the interests and viewing habits of Gen Z, but they're not into watching sports (college or professional). And if all you have on offer is 1) football and 2) a band playing Wabash Cannonball (fucking seriously?), you're not going to attract a whole lot of students. And that means in ten years, you're not going to have a whole lot of people making donations to the LHF and sitting in those expensive west side stands. So yeah, Milo--
  7. But therein lies the problem for the GQP. That means they're primarying almost all of the GQP members of the House. And that's a real problem for them because that means they're going to end up with a lot of unelectable general-election candidates. The House districts are tiny. There are 150 house districts. That means that each House district only represents about 200,000 people. With districts that small, it is hard to put into place a very effective gerrymander. That's reflected in the partisan makeup of the chamber: there are 83 Republicans, which at 55% pretty closely matches Abbott's share of the vote. That also means that you have a lot of districts that are close-ish. And in those close-ish districts, you have moderate Republicans, who are the only kinds of Republicans who are going to win that district. I mean, you can primary Morgan Meyer if you want. You can replace Morgan on the general-election ballot with the biggest MAGA crazy you can find. That'll show Morgan--that RINO cuck. Oh, but then a Democrat is going to win that seat in November. Because that district isn't voting for a MAGA crazy. So yeah--this GQP civil war is going to be fun.
  8. And now Patrick says he wants to audit the House's expenditures on the impeachment trial. The GQP civil war is here, friends. It's going to get ugly.
  9. Two observations here: 1) LIU may have the best look in college football. First, you got the "Sharks." That's just a great mascot. Who the fuck isn't scared of sharks? And it's a mascot that works for Long Island--right, Chief Brody? But beyond that, those uniforms are fucking great. Yellow is an underutilized color in sports uniforms. But when it's used--see generally, the Oakland A's, Los Angeles Lakers--it works. But see Nashville Predators. And matching yellow with that light blue works well. 2) That LIU running back is just painfully slow.
  10. Army. Baylor lost to Texas State in Week 1. Then Texas State lost to UTSA in Week 2. And the Roadrunners then lost to Army on Saturday.
  11. This next special is going to be fire. Abbott and Patrick want vouchers. I don’t think the House is in much of a mood to do deals.
  12. Georgia is just getting their asses kicked.
  13. Georgia looks like ass.
  14. So that is to say that as things currently stand, there are the votes to convict?
  15. If Russia were a society of free people, this would cause popular sentiment to swing against continuing the war. But since Russia is a society of slaves, . . . .
  16. How in the literal fuck? I mean, seriously--he must be one charming motherfucker.
  17. I've come around to really liking the 11:00 kick. I just remember being absolutely exhausted after a 2:30 kick and unable to do anything that evening. But with an 11:00 kick, you can run that day-drinking marathon a lot easier. I still would like to see a 7:00 PM kick one day. I just think that'd be a blast. I mean, we might all die. But it'd still be fun.
  18. I don't think they're really worried about getting the goat off.
  19. Would there possibly be any other type of power struggle in Chechnya?
  20. Mrs.LL is a UCF alumna, and now I have to go find some citronaut gear for her for Christmas. Because that is awesome. Before now, I didn't know that I needed an anthropomorphic orange in a space helmet in my life. But it turns out that I totally needed an anthropomorphic orange in a space helmet in my life.
  21. On the difference between Kyoto and Tokyo, I guess it comes down to size. Tokyo is the largest city in the world, and it feels like that when you're there. There are a ton of people, a ton of places to eat, a ton of places to shop, and a ton of things to see. But beyond that, it's also a city of contrasts. You can be in an ancient temple one minute and feel like you're in the future the next. You can wander around the Imperial Palace grounds, parts of which are nearly deserted, and then go down the street and be in Tokyo Station, which will be packed. Kyoto is much smaller. The buildings are capped at (I think) ten stories. There are a thousand temples and shrines, allowing more time for quiet and reflective sightseeing. And as you walk along through the Gion, it's just a very pretty city. On the bento box, I don't have any real suggestions. At the station, there are a bunch of different shops that will be selling snacks. You can just peer around and see what strikes your fancy. Even if you're running late, there's always a little shop on the platform that is going to have a decent selection of bento boxes and beers. That's honestly the bit about Japan that takes the least planning or thought.
  22. Wait, what? What Anastasis carnage did I miss?
  23. I find your familiarity with these drugs to be . . . unsurprising.
  24. Yes/No/Kinda-sorta. There are three main close-in neighborhoods where I think most tourists stay: Shinjuku, Shibuya, and Roppongi. Those are sated going counterclockwise from due west of the Imperial Palace/Tokyo Station. As I said previously, I think for kids I might do Shibuya due to the proximity to a few major parks (e.g., Yoyogi Park and the Shinjuku Gardens). We stayed over at the Conrad in Shiodome, which is pretty close to the Tsukiji Outer Market (which I highly recommend for breakfast or an early lunch), the Ginza (for Mrs.LL's shopping), and an easy walk to Shimbashi, which was a great neighborhood for evening eating/drinking and a big center for transit. But that's not exactly any of what you're there for. But I hear you on the AirBNB's. We did that a lot when our kids were young. I'll just observe, though, that Japanese apartments are typically very small, and may not give you the type of accommodation you're accustomed to in the United States. What about two connecting hotel rooms for you/wife and MIL, with the kids in with MIL while you two are out? So I really preferred Tokyo; Mrs.LL greatly preferred Kyoto. So it really is a matter of taste. We skipped Osaka, and I have been under the distinct impression that that was the way to go. Kyoto was something that was really unique, as it is the former capital and the only city that wasn't bombed during the war. But I really wish we had found enough time to go down to Hiroshima and explore Miyojima.
×
×
  • Create New...