As I mentioned last week, I’m switching things around. HOWEVAH, before I do that, I need to catch up on the pics that you all have posted.
Therefore, today’s Sexy Friday features 25 (not 11) pics that you have posted in the last few weeks.
On to Balls’ Thoughts O’ Da Week!
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Balls’ Book Corner
I’m not as avid a reader as many of you are. Honestly, I don’t have the time. However, I like to pick up a new book from time to time that you all have recommended to see if it strikes my fancy.
Recently, King Hippo posted about the “Fractured Europe” series by Dave Hutchinson. It’s a series set in a not-so distant future where a global pandemic from China (talk about great timing!) has ravaged the world, nationalism and regionalism have taken over, and the European Union and indeed entire countries have been broken up into many tiny states or “polities” as they are described in the books.
I saw that the first book, “Europe in Autumn”, was on sale in paperback on Amazon for $12 so I decided, fuck it, let’s see how it is.
I read it in two days. And that was only because the fucker is 425 pages long and I had other shit to do. If I had started in the morning, I might have finished it in one day.
Hutchinson does a great job of world-building, using the present (the book was written in 2017) and the past to frame a future that makes sense if the dominoes fall a certain way. There are major sci-fi elements to the story but it’s grounded enough in a plausible reality that you don’t necessarily find yourself going, “Oh fuck you!”
The writing keeps you on your toes as Hutchinson does not follow a traditional story-telling technique. There are flashbacks and when one chapter ends and you think the next chapter will follow the action, it ends up going in a completely different direction. However, the threads are well-tied together so you are able to follow what is happening.
The thing that I enjoyed most about the book is that it is accessible and challenging at the same time. You have to keep track of characters and actions but you get the satisfaction of seeing how they all fit in the more you read. There is a little bit of suspension of disbelief that you need to have (due to the sci-fi element) but I think it’s a credit to the writer that it doesn’t seem that far-fetched. He knows human nature well and all the characters’ reactions and motivations are perfectly rational.
Perhaps the best thing I liked about the book is that Hutchinson doesn’t reveal everything. It’s very similar to real life in that we never truly know the whole story of anything. We piece together what we can out of the information we are given and then react to it. He allows the reader to fill in the blanks and ride along with the protagonist in figuring out exactly what the hell is going on with him.
The ending shocked me because it’s not really an ending, more of a beginning. Hutchinson clearly meant this to be a series from the start. In fact, the paperback I bought has a couple of chapters of the next book in the series in it.
The next book is “Europe at Midnight” and I will be buying it from Amazon for $12 on paperback, which I guess is the highest form of praise I can give this book.
If you like sci-fi deeply grounded in reality and a read that flies by while at the same time making you use your brain, this is the book for you. I’ll let you know how the next one goes when I finish it…
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Recommended Viewing
For those of you that read our English Premier League preview and were wondering, like me, what the hell a Crystal Palace is, watch the video below:
Joolz is another great Youtuber that I like. His videos are informative and interesting and he takes you places you might otherwise not go to.
The Crystal Palace video is a great example as I’ve been to London many times and never thought about going to Crystal Palace or seeing that area. Having seen the video makes me interested in, if I’m lucky enough to go back, checking it out for myself.
I highly recommend a subscription to his YouTube channel if you do that sort of thing. He’s great!
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La Liga Update
For some anglo-centric and biased reason (certainly not food-based!), the DFOers love themselves some English Premier League. I, contrarian that I am, am much more interested in La Liga, Spain’s top league. Yes, I have my own biases on this, but this was the league of Messi and Ronaldo and some of the best teams of the last two decades.
Well, Messi is now in Paris, Ronaldo is still in Turin, and the humongous amount of money that ESPN paid to get the US rights to La Liga away from BeIn Sports and to ESPN+ seems to have been wasted.
HOWEVAH, I beg to differ. La Liga started last weekend, just like the EPL, and I watched several of the games. Here are some notes:
- Barcelona will be just fine without Messi. Heck, they may actually be better.
- Real Madrid is still Real Madrid. Bale and Hazard are now the backbone of the team, as weird as that may sound.
- Atlético Madrid look good to defend their championship.
- There were a lot of red cards given out. Valencia-Getafe and Celta-Atlético both ended 10 against 10. Rayo Vallecano and Villarreal also ended up with 10 against Sevilla and Granada, respectively.
- Everyone else is pretty even and any team can beat any other team on any given week.
Now, I ask you, doesn’t that an exciting league make? La LIga is shown on ESPN+ in the States and on BeIn Sports in Canada. Over the course of the season, I’ll provide updates and let you know of any matches that would be good for you to watch.
This weekend’s Match To Watch is Barcelona visiting Athletic Bilbao at 1:00 PM Pacific on Saturday. Barcelona traditionally struggles at the San Mamés, so it will be a close and exciting match. As I’ve mentioned before, San Mamés is an absolutely gorgeous stadium and y’all should go to a game there if you have the opportunity.
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For those of you prudes that don’t like cheesecake or beefcake, click HERE to skip to the music videos.
Here are your pictures of the week.
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YOU’RE-A-PRUDE
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And now, for the music!
As I mentioned before, I’ve decided that I must take up the mantle that tWBS ran with and help to make this world a better place. I will do this in the one way he couldn’t: By introducing you to good music!
Today we are back to the puzzles! As always, I will give up to three hints in the comments at your request. You try to determine the hidden theme or link between all the songs. Good luck!
Song Number One:
Canción Número Dos:
Chanson Numéro Trois:
Canzone numero quattro:
Canção número cinco
Seigarren zenbakia:
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That’s all for this week, folks! Be good to each other and fly low and avoid the radar.
Popped by a Longmont brewery called 300 Suns, mixed bag. The yuzu gose was not great, the blue corn cream ale is decent, and I’m hoping the imperial toffee brown is better.
Because otherwise it’s scotch time.
So free, single and beer-less in Denver on Tuesday August 31st.
If you know a body.
And when will you be in Boulder?
Checks abacus…
Left Hand Brewery has the best local beer in my opinion.
Incorrect but not a terrible answer
Book wise, Dok recommended “The Bad Muslim Discount” by Syed M. Masood and it’s wonderful.
The author does incredible characters and it’s an insight to an unfamiliar culture that is warm, approachable and deeply empathic that helps the reader truly understand the struggle of even wanting to be Muslim in America.
Great stuff.
Full recomendation.
Beer me
Will accept!
So jelly
I’ve only got this reserve bottle of freezer vodka.
You’re welcome.
I was trying to find out who the nude skier was for…reasons, and I stumbled, (seriously, I am not trying to make a pun here), on this double amputee paraolympian.
Goddamn.
I am now fully outfitted with new cargo shorts and disposable poncho liners.
Fuck it. I’m going to Denver.
No. I’m going to Red Rocks.
I bought these tickets 2 years ago.
I’ll be fully masked up and am already fully vaxxed.
Let’s see the Black Crowes for the third or fourth time, I forget these things.
Let’s go to Red Rocks.
Two years ago who among us ever put a single thought to the phrase “Crippling anxiety?”
Today, who among us hasn’t.
My last great memory from the “Before Time” was seeing David Byrne play at Red Rocks.
https://doorfliesopen.com/2018/10/02/boots-on-the-ground-things-to-do-in-denver-when-youre-drunk-pt-2-red-rocks/
I’m gonna get my mind right, Boss.
I’m gonna get my mind right..
Was that the American Utopia thing? I saw that show three times when he toured it, back in the Before Times. Can’t even remember if that was ’18 or ’19…
It was! The acoustics were incredible!
Here’s another submarine story. I hope these don’t bore you.
This is the Deep Submergence story.
Ordinarily we would cruise at 400 feet. That was our “sweet spot.” No matter how bad the weather and the seas were upstairs, we didn’t feel a thing. Surface ships are getting the shit kicked out of them; we are down below drinking coffee and watching movies.
However, we always had to be able to listen to radio messages. We didn’t broadcast (radio silence) but we always had to hear, and this was a big deal. If our main listening device malfunctioned (which was seemingly always) we had to cruise at 150 feet to use our “floating wire.”
Sometimes we would go deep, and I don’t know why but I can tell you that I hated it. If we got down to 700 feet the only word I can use to describe it is “spooky.” Back in engineering we had four seawater cooling systems and they were going nuts due to the extreme seawater pressure. There were weird noises everywhere. It was like we were on the edge of death.
Please please please let’s go back up to 150 feet.
As a recreational diver who has never gone past 110 feet or so, I am just familiar enough with the effects of pressure to be incredibly freaked out by the idea of being at 700 ft.
Dok’s comment brings up a good question. Forgive my ignorance, but I was never in the armed forces and don’t have a clue about submarines.
Was everyone that served in a submarine required to be an advanced swimmer and/or diver?
We were required to be handsome.
Damn, must’ve been rough when you got demoted to Marines.
I assume not, because if something does happen at 700 feet you are almost certainly fucked no matter what training you have. Even at 400, you would need specialized equipment and the time to get into it, along with the training. Much easier to just build subs that can handle those depths.
At a minimum, you would probably need a LOT of helium tanks sitting around, and that would take up space that doesn’t exist
You are confusing a nuclear submarine with scuba diving.
I’m thinking of trying to dive out of a sub that had some sort of critical failure at depth. As far as I know that has never happened
There’s no escape. The beauty of submarines is that everyone gets killed instantly and simultaneously. However, we were in the killing business. We were not in the “getting killed” business.
We were rated for 1350 feet, but we never went there on my six patrols, and I’m glad we didn’t.
I understand that people do underwater dry welding up to 1300 ft, which is crazy to me.
I enjoy the podcast “Hidden Brain” but I kind of wish there was another podcast called “Hidden Brian” about obscure and not so obscure people named Brian through the ages
Looks like it’s time to launch a podcast
In slightly less horrible news, today I learned that Princess Diana once pushed her elderly stepmother down a flight of stairs
Just once? Between that and her charity work she’s an even better person than I had previously thought.
Wait, do most people push old women down stairs a bunch of times?
Random old women? Perish the thought. Stepmothers? Absolutely.
This Last Night in Montreal is excellent. Thank you, Hippo.
The Dr. Mrs. is watching the CW version of Kung Fu. It’s aggressively bad.
Is that better or worse than watching the Jaden Smith version of Karate Kid where Jackie Chan teaches him… kung fu?
I presume it’s approximately equal.
There was a roundtable discussion about Afghanistan on the radio, and they found a really horrible woman to be on the panel. She was 10 when 9/11 happened and somehow came to the conclusion that it was a couple guys with laptops who independently executed the whole thing, Afghanistan had no link whatsoever, and they clearly didn’t like Democracy that much anyway, because if they really cared about it they would have martyred themselves and potentially their whole families in some sort of idealistic last stand instead of going home when the Taliban was advancing. And I think she’s supposed to be the far-left voice. She did at least say she didn’t think we should genocide Muslims, so good for her I guess?
Still a better take on Afghanistan than Biden has.
That we don’t have any moral responsibility and should just leave all the Afghans who worked with us to be killed because they don’t like us enough? I dunno, I think I prefer the poorly executed airlift idea
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/the-fall-of-kabul-washington-and-the-guys-at-the-fancy-magazines
I agree with most of that, although we never really invested in state building in Afghanistan and it seems we did expect the government to collapse, just not so quickly. If we didn’t expect them to stand on their own two feet, then why not try to evacuate a significant portion of people ahead of time?
Too much wine for a serious discussion of this right now, so I’m going to pull some cowardly shit where I post an opinion and then go to bed, [Stephen A. Smith voice]…BUT…evacuting people and the government collapsing went hand and hand. Jake Tapper has been beating the drum for evacuating translators for a good solid month. When it finally started happening, the collapse of the government happened *very* quickly thereafter. The two are intimately connected. Once the first started happening, the second was inevitable.
And not just inevitable – *immediately* inevitable. It’s like pulling a load-bearing leg out of a jenga tower – once it’s out, the other pieces are coming down in a tumble of chaos and there’s no amount of planning or yelling or firing guns you can do that will make them go down calmly and orderly.
I don’t downvote hardly ever but this is such a dismissive, snarky, youtube comment-informed hot teak-I had no choice.
Found her twitter, she’s from Arlington, Texas and describes herself as “Christian. Mother. Avid partisan of humankind.”
Lol
This tabloid media nonsense is what they report as analysis.
Well, she’s solely an opinion writer, and its just a discussion show, so at least in this case it wasn’t presented as anything like analysis
I hate when I’m right but wrong.
Well, since she is so awful, she probably thinks she is doing analysis, so close enough
These Washington Reserves are going for the knees so much, Tonya Harding is starting to get a little turned on.
Sydney vs Gold Coast on FS2 in 40 minutes
You know a team has been weak at kicker for a while when social media is freaking out over a 50 yard field goal that splits the uprights.
This was a pretty big pop.
https://twitter.com/aewontnt/status/1428900657696628736?s=21
4th String QB Alert!
This Patterson rb playing on Team looks to be a viable handcuff to Gibson. I’m writing off McKissic because Fitz is not a dumpoff pass guy.
I see the Bengals Defensive Secondary is in midseason form.
Is my refrigerator running? No, no it is not.
Apparently something called a “CM Punk” is back.
I don’t watch wrestling.
Uh… in football terms, this is like Joe Montana being traded to Kansas City.
Ah, gotcha.
The CM stands for Cock Magnet.
That’s the extent of my wrestling knowledge.
Hey, that’s more than I know. My wrestling knowledge ended around the time of the Ultimate Warrior and Hulkamania.
The only ultimate Warrior I know is
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47y5bo8wtqM
One thing about 80’s videos was that creative minds were given almost complete free reign with relatively little corporate interference. For every Take On Me, Thriller, Sledgehammer, Don’t Come Around Here No More, Land of Confusion and Once In A Lifetime there were dozens and dozens of videos like the above. Here’s another one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sV7w5TaYjRA&ab_channel=KateBushMusic
This is definitely un-sexy:
https://twitter.com/JoshMandelOhio/status/1428784031638949899
I’m sure the patrons would LOVE to find out they were served by a sick waitress…
Could this qualify as slander due to the damage it’s going to do to their business? Assuming they are willing to lie and say that she wasn’t sick and he made the whole thing up.
Probably depends on the findings of the Wood County Health Board. I feel quite certain that place will get a visit in the next 24-36 hours.
Ironic, given that after the civil suits are settled you could buy the business for five cents on the dollar.
I thought we hated the NFL though?
They’re both white players.
Take from that what you will.
Josh Mandel is a fucking idiot.
REDSHIRT YOU WATCHING THIS?
CM Punk? Yes. I’m happy for him.
It was grand
https://twitter.com/aewontnt/status/1428900657696628736?s=21
Music guess – these are all songs voted Music That Will Most Likely Make You Experiment With The Same Sex At A Foam Party In Ibiza?
Excellent guess. Not quite, though.
Unless they make the playoffs, I guess this is the only time I will see the Bengals on national TV this season.
People are big on Burrows.
Can’t say I remember the last guy who missed most of his first season with an improving team and came back to kick ass though.
Found a funny;
[texting family]
me: we live in a cruel world. i welcome the sweet release of death
me, twenty minutes later when my stomach feels better: disregard that last text
There’s a little spot in rural Michigan that began wishing for the sweet release of death right around the time I stopped.
Halftime. Time to see if Joe Burrow is so desperate to play that he jumps the 3rd String QB and steals his uniform at Halftime.
re: TD review-Is an elbow the same as a knee?
Depends on if it’s your team.
Bungles’ lineup always seems to resemble a college football playoff game from 2-4 years ago
You misspelled “cupcake game squad”.
I heard Cupcake Squad got even worse reviews than it’s Suicide cousin. The FNU* is absolute trash, imo.
*Food Network Universe
I remember when the Food Network showed actual cooking shows, and not various competitions/reality shows. That format needs to come back
I remember when the History Channel wasn’t floating out ‘documentaries’ about Hitler fleeing to Argentina in a submarine.
What I’m trying to say is that I’m old.
I remember when the History Channel was called the Shit’s Happening Right Now Channel. I too am old.
There was a sister channel in Germany?
Aw, hell. That ball hit the ground. Where’s an MLB Umpire when I need him?!
Mecoledown!
(talking with friends)
Friend #1: “When do you think CM Punk will debut tonight?”
Friend #2: “The real question is will Bryan Danielson debut the same night? What do you think, Redshirt?”
Me: “I’m just wondering how long the Bengals will have Brandon Allen play with the #1s tonight.”
It’s my first delicious alcohol drink in 15 (nobody’s counting!) days. And just when my liver was starting to talk to me again…
Gotta keep it in line.
I went to take a leak last night and my liver was already in the bathroom, puking in the toilet…
It’s a long way down scrambling-wise from Kyler to Colt McCoy.
This is a hard watch, even with Theeeeesman muted
Think of it as an early morning London tilt. #mandatory
COVID test came back negative, woot woot
Better have a drink to be sure. Alcohol does kill germs after all…
Cud is a hoax.
Throw it to Gawking-Ganderballs again, Grandpa!
Yay! Sexy Friday!
Give me Amy Pond/Nebula or give me death
good golly, that’s some nice shoulders
Hey there’s a Scotch/Hippo Derby first game of the season. Neither team can afford that 0-1 start out of the gate.
I finally paid off my #ShameBet with DonT, so I am open to the concept again.
How long exactly did you have to wear underwear on your head during Zoom calls? I can’t remember.
Hippo right now:
Jamarr Chase is smart or has alligator arms. Pick one.
Sure, I’ll pick one. The camera won’t notice! – Chase Y., Landover, MD
Alligatored a 2nd. Good thing WKRP passed on that generational left tackle to snap him up!
The Scounting Department Guy, All the Coaches, the Homeless Guy Who Lives on the Concourse, JaMarr Chase may have liked New Age Anthony Munoz. But Joe Burrow wanted his friend. Or Chase is the same blood type as he is.
I have not been paying that much attention, have they shown how many folks are in the stands?
Mahomes only has eyes for a Hardman.
Christ, that’s Theisman, isn’t it?
OH SNAP! IT IS!
But enough about Joe’s tibia!
WAY TO RUIN MY JOKE!
is tonite’s theme, yo!
Speaking of awkward boners…when Chase Young makes Joe Burrow ded (in about 80 seconds) – will Redshirt’s tOSU penis get hard before his Team WKRP heart breaks?
WAY TO RUIN MY JOKE, fuckadoos holding out Joe Burrow tonight.
Me first comment was going to be about it being patently unfair for Team’s starting D to play against Brandon Allen.
just fielding 11 defenders is unfair to that dude
https://twitter.com/CraigWeekend/status/1428854609032921094
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhfpBW-nUWk