‘The Omelete Is Closed’

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From a profile of Johnny Mac.

“The tennis commentator Mary Carillo, a fellow New York native and his mixed doubles partner for their win at the French Open in 1977, recalled an 18-year-old McEnroe losing his temper with a waiter at a Paris cafe that spring. McEnroe spent several minutes yelling ‘omelet du fromage, which was the only French he spoke, at a waiter who ignored him. The waiter finally wandered over and quietly, but dismissively told McEnroe, ‘The omelet is closed.’

‘To this day when we’re arguing about something and I’m done with it, I just say, ‘the omelet is closed,’ said Carillo. . . .”

Monday Required Reading

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School starts tomorrow, so time to buckle down. Plus, Scottie loves assigned reading.

  1. I want one.
  2. Turns out, it’s really hard to scare a seal. Bonus trivia, the Byrnes clan is celebrating the fact that eldest daught lives 5 miles from the Ballard Locks as of today.
  3. Effective altruism has gone mainstream.
  4. The six forces that fuel friendship.
  5. How does it feel to be a teacher right now?
  6. Guilty as charged.

School Is Back In Session

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This was a slide from a “Student Mental Health” presentation yesterday. 

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In light of these findings I’m thinking of reinstituting one of my fave parts of kindergarten—nap time. Sleep pads will not be provided, bring your own. Class is one hour and forty-five minutes long. How much time should I designate for napping? 

Also, I am going to begin class by announcing that everyone is going to get an “A”. 

Here’s hoping these adaptations and being my normal chill self promote improved student mental health.

 

Paragraphs To Ponder

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“In 2021, the average American could expect to live until the age of 76, federal health researchers reported on Wednesday. The figure represents a loss of almost three years since 2019, when Americans could expect to live, on average, nearly 79 years.

The reduction has been particularly steep among Native Americans and Alaska Natives, the National Center for Health Statistics reported. Average life expectancy in those groups was shortened by four years in 2020 alone.

The cumulative decline since the pandemic started, more than six and a half years on average, has brought life expectancy to 65 among Native Americans and Alaska Natives — on par with the figure for all Americans in 1944.”

US Life Expectancy Falls Again in ‘Historic’ Setback.

Looking Into Our Electric Vehicle Future

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On the roads of Norway.

“In March this year, 16,238 passenger cars were registered in Norway. Of those, 13,983 were battery-electric vehicles. That’s an amazing 86% of all cars registered that month. Meanwhile in the US, according to the Argonne National Laboratory, sales of light-duty vehicles with plugs (including hybrids) made up just 5.85% of the market in March. That was nearly a 40% increase over the previous year, but still floundering in the single digits.

Why the disparity? Is Norway just a utopia of forward-thinking EV zealots? Not exactly. Where state and federal governments in the US have engaged in a haphazard collection of half-assed, confusing incentives to spur EV adoption, scattering a middling collection of carrots here and there over the years, the Norwegian government has instead chosen the biggest of sticks: taxes. Want to buy a gas-powered machine? Be prepared for a painful whack.”

The “greatest country in the world” is getting its ass kicked. Again.

Fake News?!

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It’s almost impossible to believe a Trump business is failing. But that’s what Slate is reporting, “Truth Social is strapped for cash and struggling to find new users.” 

“Earlier this week, Fox Business reported that the company stopped paying RightForge, a conservative internet infrastructure company, in March and now owes the vendor at least $1.6 million in backdated payments. While RightForge CEO Martin Avila has said that the company is ‘committed to servicing’ Truth Social, the platform could lose its hosting services if it continues to withhold payments.”

And dig this:

“Trump himself seems unconcerned by the issues. On Monday, he posted dozens of messages promoting blatant conspiracy theories like QAnon, which are largely banned on mainstream platforms.”

The Former Guy is talking QAnon and demanding that he be reinstated. But Biden is the one who is slipping?!

In related news, the Portland Trailblazers want the NBA to correct the no-foul call that was gifted the Lakers in the closing seconds of the 2000 Western Conference Finals. And I want a recount of the 1977 Lexington Junior High student body President election. All I need is 11,670 votes.  

Related.

Why Do People Have To Live Outside?

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I receive a weekly culture/media newsletter from the Guardian’s Gwilym Mumford. This weeks highlighted Chat Pile’s new album. I’m not a heavy or “agit-metal” fan, but after reading Mumford’s description of their song “Why” I gave it a listen.

Damn right the protest song is alive and well. Give it a listen below.

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Come On Reggie!

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Man a live, the humble blog goes way back. I searched the archives for “Reggie Miller” to see if I ever shared my Reggie Miller story, and sure enough I did in a 2009 “Friday Fitness Update”. Here it is again.

In my fifth year at UCLA, while working on my MA, I got a job tutoring athletes. After my first session, bossman asked if Reggie Miller showed. I said no so he told me to call him up in the dorms and ask him where he was. “Reggie, this is Ron. . .” “Oh man,” he interrupted, “I thought you were a woman!” I told him there wasn’t much I could do about that and he never showed. Not sure if he passed Western Civ, but he’s done okay for himself.

Fast forward to Reggie’s post NBA life. Miller works as an NBA commentator for TNT and college basketball analyst for CBS Sports. More interestingly, he’s become a serious cyclist, he has an affinity for mountain bikes in particular. Recently, he competed in a 100 mile gravel race in Colorado.

I read a Wall Street Journal article about his turn to cycling and it referenced his Strava account, a personal fitness app that my friends and I use to keep tabs on one another’s athletic doings (and Dan, Dan, The Transpo Man’s lawn mowings). After reading the WSJ article, I put in a “follow” request on Reg’s Strava page and as you can see below, he has yet to accept.

Come on Reg, accept the request! Class of 84′ and 85′ and your former assigned tutor. You ghosted me then, don’t ghost me now.

Once this post goes viral, he’ll have no option but to accept. I will be sure to let you know as soon as Reg and I are Strava friends.

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Holmgren To Miss 22-23 NBA Season

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With a foot injury suffered at an exhibition at Seattle Pacific University last weekend. Begs a couple of questions.

1) Is the fact that it happened in Seattle some sort of sad (sick) cosmic payback for Oklahoma City stealing the Sonics?

2) Who will have the longer NBA career, Chet Holmgren or Bill Walton? Due to numerous foot and other injuries, Walton played in 468 games over 10 seasons. I hope Holmgren fully recovers, but I think I will take the under.