call the exchange of money what you will, you are correct that the cost of college has gone up dramatically since the 70s at a higher rate than incomes or inflation. Today, about 60% of UCD students receive “free” base tuition from the regents based on income... a value of about $12k per year, and a figure the brass like to tout. But that doesn’t make things affordable, unless maybe you live with your parents. Books, food, fees, rent... dorm contracts alone are pushing $20k per year now. So not the kind of thing the 15 hours a week at Unitrans will pay for. The rub is that if you go out and write your essays and earn scholarships, the regents reduce your tuition waiver by that amount. So in essence you can’t start to cover your non tuition expenses with scholarships until you’ve earned at least $12k. Donors should be aware that most students benefit from a $500 Safeway gift card under the table more than a $1000 scholarship through Dutton Hall.

Good points, all. I also think you need at least 10 years to get the retiree health package, unless this is somehow negotiable for executives. Anyhow, didn’t mean to start politics about pensions. Probably lots of reasons why Humboldt doesn’t get long-tenured visionary executives these days. At any rate, it’s kind of a shame that D2 west of Texas is basically gone. CA high schools probably generate enough players to stock a D2 conference and at least one more FCS team, but I guess there’s not a good financial model to make it work.

agreed. Not sure if it’s our eyes or the LED headlights that so many new cars have. Nothing like getting blinded in all three mirrors at once.

The stuff from ski shops comes on wipes. It leaves a slight haze but I used it for years on glasses under goggles. RainX leaves some slight speckles but also helps liquid sweat roll off. Learned this from storm troopers. Apply to both sides of lenses. No idea if this voids lens warranty so maybe try it on an older pair of glasses first. FWIW, I had been considering laser surgery for years and finally did it a few months ago. I don’t regret it at all. You might consider it if your doctor thinks you’re a candidate.

I can relate to fogged glasses. Ski shops sell anti fog treatments but a hack long used by entertainers in full body costumes is a little RainX on the glasses and it works beautifully.

Yeah a lot of Eastern fans are screaming about the refs. The FG was probably a botched call but ultimately irrelevant because it was a 7 point game. The rest of the game the officiating wasn’t perfect but it was consistent and balanced with generous spots and an eye for PI. Eastern’s defensive strategy is holding and PI to the max and they didn’t adapt to refs that are going to nail that. Barriere only put up 14 (7 scored on defense), so despite Idaho having an immobile QB with <.5 pass completion rate, their offense made 2x the trips to the end zone. One poster questioned if they have too many DBs turned WRs who can’t catch.

SUU and NAU were close. EWU and Idaho were close. My guess is a lot of parity between all four but I guess we’ll find out soon enough how we stack up. I’m thinking Weber may be the toughest.

I’m sure nobody at NDSU is celebrating right now, but I remember after we played them tough there were some comments on their board that they needed more tough wins and some losses to make it interesting again, as the feeling inevitability had stated to become boring.

I watched the EWU-Idaho game. Lot of parity but Idaho pulled it out in the 4th quarter. Idaho maybe seemed better than previous years but their QB transfer from UConn is no gift. On the EWU side it was just normal EB3 but not as explosive offense of previous years. A one-trick pony mobile QB that Idaho adjusted to at halftime. I think they have young guys up front. Most amusing moment was when EWU missed a well aimed field goal attempt that hit the ceiling and bounced out of the uprights. Kicker threw a four alarm tantrum that it should count but they couldn’t review because none of the cameras had the top of the goalpost in frame.

no doubt. I’m hoping for a dual threat QB. Our blind spot has been eloquent passers that need a ton of time and space in the pocket to work their magic, a luxury that Midwest corn-fed teams won’t give you. Looks like some young talent coming in on the line. I had to read twice, there are two freshmen, one OL and one DL who are around 360. They got 100lbs on some guys. Those are big men.

Fan and athlete sportsmanship is kind of interesting how it ebbs and flows. Montana and Sac State have long proud histories of being low-brow. I've been up to Eastern for games (fog-out game 2005) and it used to be pleasant there with nice fans. Then they won a championship in 2010, painted the field red, and the athlete and fan behavior changed for the worse. There are few keyboard warrior Eagles fans that would do well to put the Natural Ice down and step away from the internet. Coincided with the Beau Baldwin years and has continued under Best. Not sure to what degree the fan culture is on the coach, but hopefully Cal Poly doesn't trend that way under Baldwin. I can remember in the Ellerson years, the Cal Poly stadium experience had kind of become a pit of frat boys throwing cans the way Hornet Stadium was in the mid-90s, but in the Walsh era became a more family friendly experience, at least from this visitor's perspective.

UCD has opened vaccines to all employees now, so presumably the coaches and staff have or shortly will have the ability to receive it. So a step in the right direction.

Yep, that's the season! The first time we played EWU, their athletic QB rolled us. But in the quarterfinal game, we had their number and then let a 4th quarter drive get away from us with a gassed defense. I of course hope we win out this year. Hard to say how anyone compares at this point some, so I'm not sure how well I could predict outcomes. Possibly the team I would most hope to beat is EWU because I really do not like Aaron Best & Co's attitude and lack of sportsmanship, but I will never overlook a win over Poly. Looks like all the games are noon or 1pm. Good for me watching in eastern time but it's a bummer to have nothing under the lights. March might be brisk, but mid-April in Davis can either be winter or summer weather.

By sitting out, this may be Northern Colorado's best season in FCS yet. At 0-0, I suppose that will put them at 50% for the first time.

I think what made 2018 feel so good was that aside from Jake, the team was primarily Gould recruits. It kind of proved that we had the talent all along and it was in fact a coaching issue that was now solved. We were quite likely one missed tackle away from going to Frisco, which stung even more when we played NDSU tough in 2019. But the rest of 2019 was so inconsistent. It might have been time for some fresh ideas on offense, so we shall see what Cody brings. As long as we break from the tradition of 32-second drives against teams with pass defense defined by 2 incomplete passes, a power run up the middle for 1 yard followed by a punt.

Perhaps the unanswered question is if the 2018 campaign was a flash-in-the-pan fluke or the new normal. 2019 was comparatively uninspired; was THAT a fluke or just regression to the mean? Turnover of key athletes and assistants is a routine test of an HC’s reinvention and pick ‘em skills. I’m not sure we will have a definitive verdict this year, because win, lose, or draw, 2020-21 will have an asterisk by it.

I’ve heard the national average rejection rate is around 30%, so if UCD health is inside 10%, that means some other hospitals must have a lot more refusals to pull that average up. I wonder if patients have the right to demand to only see providers who have been vaccinated or to know what percentage of staff have been vaccinated? I guess we don’t know for sure if the vaccines prevent transmission, but if we find out they do, I would certainly rather go to a well-vaccinated hospital than the alternative. Also, did anyone else find the nurse’s voice a little grating?

Is it most likely that a decision is made in the next few days and that's the guy, or we likely to see multiple guys get some reps this spring before settling on someone for the fall? Would we potentially see one person leading this spring and someone else for the fall if there is renewed competition over the summer? There is technical skill and then the intangible of personal leadership. I remember I think Biggs tried a co-quarterback thing at some point in the 90s and it didn't work very well.

I found a low resolution drawing and to me it looks like the hydrotherapy facility that has been mentioned. Looks like they dug a basement and are then building the pools into it so the deck is at ground level but they have an underground service corridor below the deck to get at the piping, which is likely extensive if these tubs are heavily jetted. I'm guessing the room with double doors is the mechanical room and the stairway highlighted actually goes down to the service basement. I circled what looks like stairs and possibly 2-story mechanical room in the photo.

Iron workers usually don't mess around. And at the hourly rate crane operators get, neither does the person paying them. This part always seems to go fast compared to the civil work or interior fit out. It usually feels like it takes longer to commission the fire alarm and HVAC systems than to build the building. Should be a nice facility.

I don't have strong feelings about either team. But I really don't care for Tom Brady or his egomaniac GOAT narrative, so I was half rooting for the Chiefs. KC had a bad night and I think the second string OL was a big part. They also got destroyed on holding calls at critical moments... some deserved, others maybe not so much. It was not a very fun game, because it was basically over at halftime. Nail-biters are more fun when you are at the pinnacle of the season. First Super Bowl with a female on the ref squad, really no reason more women shouldn't get involved with the NFL in ways that don't involve go-go boots.

The halftime show seemed to be pretty divisive this year, with a lot of love and hate online. I rate it middle of the road but definitely overhyped by the artist ahead of time. It wasn't my taste in music and I thought parts were too dark to really see the artist, but it was more entertaining than the bands that just stand there. Pregame, the ASL interpreter was the star of the show, but otherwise it was one of my least favorite renditions of the Star Spangled Banner. Ads were below average this year, but to be expected because some of the key advertisers took the year off, big budget ad productions were probably difficult this year, and advertisers seemed keen to avoid pushing the envelope into controversial waters.

Well, they wouldn't have been wrong! The part through the arboretum is more a dammed off retention pond than creek and the equestrian center used to wash their byproducts into the water, so it was pretty foul in the more stagnant spots. Over the past 5 years, they've been building a pump and filter system to clean up the water.

If DeLuca was a contender, should we be happy or not? I don’t know anything about him.

I spent a year living in a trendy 1905-era downtown apartment with no laundry hookups, so I had to use a laundromat. What a... cultural experience. But yeah, they were definitely washing more than clothes there.