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I went to Japan on my…

I went to Japan on my honeymoon a few years back--focused mostly on Kyoto and Tokyo, and day trips nearby.

 

Kyoto has lots of stuff to see, but it's a sleepy city. While Tokyo doesn't have as many "sights", I liked riding the JR, visiting the main areas (e.g., Shibuya, Shinjuku, etc.), and walking around a lot.

 

Others will have better reccos I think, but I really like day trips to Kobe and Osaka. Would recommend those.

I've definitely signed up…
  • I've definitely signed up for lessons on Day 1 (Saturday) - should I sign up again for Sunday too, is multiple days beneficial?  (or just get a lift ticket and see how it goes?)
    • I'd recommend signing up for lessons both days if you can afford it. Maybe halfday on Sunday if that's an option, so you can save yourself some money, and considering you might be wrecked. But make no mistake, you'll be on the beginner hill still.
  • Are private lessons --- which of course are costlier, but I can afford it --- worth it?  Or being part of a group lesson sufficient?
    • I think group is fine, especially for day 1. You can almost always find someone willing to give a private lesson, but getting into the groups is harder (although that's for kids--I doubt the adult groups fill up as fast).
  • How sore will I be after Day 1?  To the point that Day 2 could theoretically be a non-starter?  How steep is the learning curve?
    • Hard to say. You will certainly be sore, and do wear padding on your ass/lower back. Getting into the hot tub and icing will help a lot, like any other activity.
  • Any other advice?
    • Below!

1. Wear a helmet.

2. Wear a helmet! Seriously. Everyone on the mountain, regardless of sport and experience, should absolutely wear one. Pay to rent if you have to.

3. Do your best to make sure your boots fit properly (understanding that this is all new to you). They should be pretty snug, and you don't want much extra room past your toes, or above them (a/k/a the toe box). There are a few keys to board setups, but the transfer of power from your body to the board is probably my single biggest one. With respect to boots that means not losing any power from your feet/legs to the boot. I own my own boots that have BOAs (ratchet wheels) instead of laces. A nice feature, but not necessary. But if your boots don't feel right, go back to the shop and tell them to give you another pair. It may be a size issue, or try another brand. It's sports footwear after all.

4. If your feet are hurting, loosen the laces/BOAs on your boots and ratchet down on the bindings (the binding is what connects your board to your boots). I wouldn't recommend "clicker" bindings to anyone doing serious riding, but for a beginner it's definitely an option and convenient.

5. Consider buying a pair of ski/snowboarding socks. I know it sounds ridiculous, but it makes a difference and worst case scenario, you now own a pair of technical, warm, and thin socks. Regardless, nothing goes in your boot but your socks (i.e., no snowpants, no baselayers--roll or hike 'em up).

6. Not sure what you have for ski gear, but layers and having water repellant outerwear are important. I'm a big baselayer guy, and if you can sneak away to a store or buy online you should go for it. Otherwise, some Under Armour or similar athletic wear will do. Key things are moisture wicking and warmth. If you decide to get your own, Hot Chillys are a great brand. Borrowing from friends is great to save money and have good gear.

7. Goggles--you don't need anything fancy for the beginner hill, but you'll likely want something, even if it's the $50 pair from the ski shop at the base.

8. Stay warm and dry, have fun. If you need a break, take a break. Get a bite to eat. Have a beer.

 

Happy to answer more questions. Just let me know and we can take it out of the thread, to spare the rest of MGoBlog lol!   

What is the college hockey…

What is the college hockey equivalent of the B1G and SEC forming an advisory group? Because those conferences should do that.

I rewatched the Bama game…

I rewatched the Bama game last night and Paige really popped on the screen. He was awesome.

 

The other guy that really stood out on rewatch was Kenny G. He was playing for the last drive of regulation and OT. Jenkins sprinkled in, but KG was the man next to Graham. Having them both next year (along with Moore and Stewart, who were also on the field for the biggest plays at the end) is tantalizing.

No, Warde does not have…

No, Warde does not have unlimited authority on contract negotiations, but if he was in JH's corner against the regents then it's HIS JOB to emphasize just how fucking important JH is to the program and by extension the school. That's why giving in on contract demands late in the game hurts so bad--if this aspect of the deal was in fact negotiable, they should've gave in earlier and given themselves a better chance of retaining JH.

 

I was personally ready to give JH the AD role--I think he's way ahead of the curve on player rights and relations, and I would imagine this would benefit all athletes, not just the football program. I still hope he comes back one day to do this role. JH is a real visionary in his field.

Tampeños!

Tampeños!

Too many comments to sift…

Too many comments to sift through, but the way a looming deadline like the 02/15 one referenced in OP is dealt with is by waiting to do the deal until after it passes, so you don't have to address it.

 

i.e., if 02/15 (the end of the NFL hiring cycle) is so important to a potential JH-Michigan deal, then just keep JH's current deal in place until then. It makes negotiating and drafting a potential new JH-Michigan deal much easier. The exception to this general principle is if Michigan is trying to protect some interest for the next month, but if JH wants to interview and solicit NFL jobs, there's not much Michigan can do about it. If they want to raise the buyout for the next month it's gonna cost them. 

Really hope Minter stays. Do…

Really hope Minter stays. Do our guys know if NIL played a big part of getting Moore, Paige, Stewart, et al. back?

When they beat OSU in the…

When they beat OSU in the Shoe

When is the weather supposed…

When is the weather supposed to be bad enough to potentially cause delays in Houston?

 

I'm scheduled to fly Tampa --> IAH on Monday late morning, but booked a backup late night flight tomorrow. Not sure how much at risk I am.

The strongest amongst us (or…

The strongest amongst us (or those on the west coast) will eagerly await the great longhorns fans unloading of 2024

Or 1.5x?

Or 1.5x?

First and foremost, GO…

Edit: double pOst

 

GO BLUE!!

First and foremost, GO…

First and foremost, GO EFFING BLUE!!

 

second, Like many others , looking for 2 tix to ncg!

 

lennydos@gmail.com

617-775-5051

c/o 2008, lsa 

 

flights and accommodations booked!

Emailed you!

Emailed you!

Obviously a long shot, but…

Obviously a long shot, but iso 2 tix for ncg together, for less than 1000 each ideally? Tia!

flight and hotel booked.

 

lennydos@gmail.com

 

617-775-5051

c/o 2008

Yeah, I can't say I agree…

Yeah, I can't say I agree with this. You can find a bunch of different justifications for when to stir vs. shake. Mine has nothing to do with the liquors, but rather 1) whether the cocktail contains fruit juice and 3) the desired consistency.

 

More specifically, I generally stir boozy cocktails (i.e., little to no fruit juice) and shake others. So I stir my old fashioneds, Manhattans, etc., and I shake my Margs, Daquiris, etc. The other thing about stir vs. shake for me is whether I want more or less dilution. Shaking a cocktail will dilute it more than stirring it.

 

Happy cocktailing!

Love the history behind this…

Love the history behind this one! I'm also surprised you're using Eagle Rare in cocktails. Around here (FL), Eagle Rare is hard to come by.

 

MGOBLOG PEDANTIC ALERT: I think you forgot to add "top with ginger beer" to your recipe. I don't mind, but if you're collecting these for a project (you should!), it would drive me crazy if I missed that.

 

Cheers!!

This team is experienced and…

This team is experienced and good, so even if Bama comes ready to play, I think the coaches have shown they'll adjust quickly and then it's up to the players to execute. While I haven't been so confident of the latter in years past, this team took a lot of hits (look no farther than the JH suspension, and losing Zinter and Will Johnson against OSU) and kept winning. That's what gives me hope.

 

All that said, and I still think this is a 50-50 game. 

But isn't the point that he…

But isn't the point that he IS a matchup problem? So in those sets where he starts out wide and has a LB on him in man, well that's a matchup JJ should attack? If they put a safety out there, then the D is lighter in the box, so try to run him in those situations?

 

I mean, at some level you're absolutely right. We shouldn't complain about the O too much, when you look at our results and only see one game (OSU) when the result was ever really in question. OTOH, we're about to enter the playoffs where the opponent (and hopefully opponents!) are on a level we've only faced once (again, OSU) and we might need to generate more offense than we've needed throughout the season.

 

To me, it's more matchup specific. In other words, if we think Bama's LBs are weak in coverage, then we should absolutely be drilling plays that get Edwards in those situations. Sure, you can scheme those for the TEs too, but having a variety of ways to attack that weakness has to be a good thing. Especially when any scouting will show that JJ loves finding his TEs.

 

At the risk of belaboring the point, if I'm Bama, I try my best to take away Corum and Loveland, and make the rest of the skill players beat me. We should be ready for that.

Catching Ferentz' expression…

Catching Ferentz' expression as Semaj breaks the return is perfection. Bravo!

This is just an awesome…

This is just an awesome series Seth, thx for putting these together. I like how the tactics are explained broadly, but each player's decision is also broken down.

 

At some point, I'd love to hear some really nitty gritty details comparing our OL. Like, I can understand Jones' strengths and weaknesses relative to Barnhart's at RT (i.e., Jones is stronger and probably quicker/faster, but KB IDs defenders faster), but is Barnhart better at certain blocks than Jones? It would also be really interesting to me to try and better understand how the OL plays with Zinter-Barnhart vs. Barnhart-Trente.

[starts reading OP, nods in…

[starts reading OP, nods in agreement.]

[Time passes, camera pans to text reading: Not to be a Debbie Downer, but we are simply not going to be competitive with OSU for a long, long time and that's depressing.  I'm 42 years old.]

[Starts counting on fingers. Breathes big sigh of relief]

Logged in to upvote lol

Logged in to upvote lol

Huh, never heard of this. I…

Huh, never heard of this. I rarely if ever use vodka. Screw Maryland. I'll make Preakness cocktails instead, but YMMV.

This is right in my…

This is right in my wheelhouse. I'm gonna make the shit outta this drink. Cheers!

Logged in to upvote. Bravo.

Logged in to upvote. Bravo.

There was another post back…

There was another post back in the day in a similar vein during a bye week, where the opponent was the honey-do list. There was a bit breaking down the leaves on the lawn that I still crack up about to this day.

I hope SEC shorts does a…

I hope SEC shorts does a take on this too

Vieux Carre's are a top…

Vieux Carre's are a top cocktail for me too! I'm one of those rare breeds that prefers rye to bourbon, so any rye cocktails are going to perk my ears up. How do you pronounce the name?? I suspect most people go for a 'Murrica 'voo-cah-ray', but I took 3 years of French in middle school and I'm a native Spanish speaker so I typically say something more along the lines of 'view-cah-ray'. What say you @mbrummer3??

As for my wife's cocktail of choice, she's always down for a Paloma or Aperol Spritz. The latter is always a huge crowd pleaser.

This looks like a really fun…

This looks like a really fun drink, I'm gonna give it a shot (but not in the tunnel). Cheers!

I love Domaine and it's such…

I love Domaine and it's such a pretty bottle I keep it on my precious display! Try messing with pureed carrots sometime--definitely advanced mixologist skills required, but you're the MGoCocktail guy! 

 

Cheers

I feel like the Jersey…

I feel like the Jersey Turnpike cocktail should be the only cocktail ever featured for Rutgers in this series. For those unaware, a Joisey Turnpike "cocktail" is merely grabbing the mat from the drink-making station and dumping it into a shitty glass and serving it once enough liquid has been collected. You can add bitters if you like for added Joisey accuracy. Cheers!

@Seth

 

It's 'tenets', not…

@Seth

 

It's 'tenets', not 'tenants', unless the offensive scheme has 3 occupants living in there.

 

[/mgoblog pedantry]

Logged in to upvote, thank…

Logged in to upvote, thank you for doing the yeoman's work.

 

That's bad tackling form, and I never played the sport in an organized setting. He went high against a defenseless player who wasn't a runner.

 

NCAA is just sticking it to Michigan because they're run by petty imbeciles and their MO is stupidity first, second, and third.

"isn't hard to miss" --> "is…

"isn't hard to miss" --> "is hard to miss"

3 comments in and I'm not the first?!? We're slippin' y'all

Apologize?!?? Take my upvote…

Apologize?!?? Take my upvote, I'd give you 2 if I could.

Last matchup in the Elite 8…

Last matchup in the Elite 8 was the hardest for me. I think I voted for the current loser in 2 of the remaining 3. This is not easy work, which is why we hafta do it.

Much tougher matchups this…

Much tougher matchups this round. This is where only the best GIFs get to compete. Thanks again Mr. Elbel!!

lol love you man

lol love you man

Logged in to upvote

Logged in to upvote

Do we know where Weiss is…

Do we know where Weiss is ATM? 

You set a lot of these…

You set a lot of these matchups intentionally, you cheeky bastard.

 

Thank you for doing this, so much fun! I felt guilty picking against Blake a few times, but fortunately he was in every other matchup so I got to vote for him puh-lenty anyway.

That's not how I read JUB's…

That's not how I read JUB's qualifier at all. He basically said, 'yes, these guys have been seen together in public. But the concept of they're not talking still holds'. 

Tough call on who to believe…

Tough call on who to believe here--John Bacon, or...4godkingandwol...

Despite everyone thinking…

Despite everyone thinking this is a gag, I'm a booze hound with kids, so I drink at home. During COVID, the bar cart got pretty heavy. Going of Michfan777's response:

 

  • Gin: Monkey 47 / Gray Whale / Drumshambo (+1 for Monkey and Gray Whale! Not familiar with Drum. You may want something cheaper for cocktails though. I like Bombay Sapphire plenty).
  • Tequila: El Tesoro (Casador, Jimador, Hornitos, Corazon, Espolon, Tres Agaves, there's lots of good tequila! If you're going for cocktails, get a blanco as opposed to anejo or reposado)
  • Vodka: Hangar 1 (But Vodka is Vodka). (I don't care for Vodka, but I keep Goose stocked as a result. Still haven't gone thru my first bottle yet).
  • Rum: Brugal 1888. (If you can, stock a light and a dark rum. Flor de Cana, Mount Gay, Palms, all good).
  • Bourbon (cocktails): Larceny is my top choice, but you kinda need to try em and figure out what you like. Bulleit, Four Roses, Knob Creek, Woodford Reserve, Old Forester.
  • Rye (cocktails): Redemption, Old Overholdt, Bulleit.
  • Other Spirits I highly recommend to stock: Cointreau (Margs), Aperol, Sweet Vermouth (Carpano Antica Formula (keep refrigerated after opening, so buy small), Amaro (I prefer Nonino for Paper Planes! but this is a whole world most people don't know about).
  • Angostura bitters (although I love Peychauds), pre-made simple syrup (I make my own sometimes, but it's nice to have the easy stuff)
  • Biggest piece of advice I can give you is buy a couple of lemons and limes at the store when you shop. Fresh citrus makes a huge difference.
  • Luxardo cherries--stupidly expensive, and yet somehow worth it.
He's gonna follow Biff down…

He's gonna follow Biff down to Charlotte, sad for Michigan but happy for the kid to keep chasing his dream however he deems best.

 

Q re the portal: does putting your name in mean you are 100% out, or is it like putting your name out there for other schools to offer you? IOW, could he put his name in the portal, but ultimately decide to return to Michigan? If a player puts their name in the portal, does anything else happen automatically--like does his scholarship get revoked?

Thanks for the heads up!…

Thanks for the heads up! Like OP or someone else said above, hearing you guys talk Xs and Os helps me process, since I don't have the chops to assess run lanes and blown assignments (amongst MANY other things), certainly not in real time. Hope you enjoyed the holidays...well, other than THAT.

Agree with most of what you…

Agree with most of what you said, but I think it's best for everyone involved if GGG moves on, after maaaaaaybe a short extension while they find a manager. The soccer "cycle" of team-building is a real thing, and managers either get blind spots for the guys they trust, or they lose the team for cutting some of the same guys. The guys also tend to tune out a manager after some time, and either the players need a refresh or the manager does.

 

I'd rather that GGG leave on good terms now, so he can continue to develop as a manager. It also makes bringing him back later on a nicer proposition.

How very Emerald Nuts of you…

How very Emerald Nuts of you! Great ad campaign BTW