Welcome to Thursday. Let’s talk holiday placement, as it pertains to work vacation scheduling.
So Christmas falls on a Sunday this year, and I think that’s objectively the worst day possible. It gives certain companies the excuse to not give any days off around Christmas, if they’re open Monday-Friday only. I’ve worked at places like that, and it’s never fun. I think Friday is the best option, as that also offers the potential for a 3.5 or 4-day weekend two weeks in a row.
Last year, they fell on Friday, meaning with well-placed vacation days, you could perhaps get 10 or so days off in a row while only using 4 days of PTO/vacation/whatever. Throw in the potential for a partial day on Christmas Eve, and maybe a partial day on New Year’s Eve, and that’s 3 days of PTO. It’s the holy grail of corporate work calendar finagling. And friends, last year, I had it. It was locked in. I couldn’t believe no one else at my office had figured it out. I took a picture of the vacation calendar and everything. My job satisfaction had never been higher, and it was basically a year before I’d get to take that time off.
And then I switched jobs and moved to Denver, and everyone at the new office had figured that out already. So I had to take the week before instead.
It was a low point.
Grayson Allen trips another kid
Sigh. Grayson Allen was at it again, tripping Elon’s Steven Santa Ana.
Here’s the video:
A lot of people were comparing Allen to Draymond Green, whose kicks have been scrutinized heavily. I think Draymond does do some of what he does with a bit of intent; he’s at least negligent. But I also think there’s something to his claims that he just moves differently. Now, he should still be penalized and policed, of course. Kicking people in the groin is bad form, and he can’t just get away with it.
But there is a difference between what Draymond does and what Grayson Allen has now done three times within the last calendar year. Allen is a dirty player. There’s no way around it. Three tripping incidents and plenty of other moments have led us to this inarguable conclusion. Hopefully he’s suspended for the latest incident.
Cindy Stowell’s run came to an end on Jeopardy!, but what a run it was
Cindy Stowell captured our attention with her amazing six-day streak as Jeopardy champion, her episodes airing after she passed away from cancer. Her run came to an end last night, though she played a very solid game in defeat, as we have come to expect.
Jeopardy handled things with class throughout; you wouldn’t have known she was ill until after the end of tonight’s episode, when this message from Alex Trebek came up following the credits:
https://twitter.com/xmasape/status/811738199022305281
As with all great stories, Cindy’s is laced with happiness and sadness. Sadness, of course, for someone losing her life before her time. Happiness because, well, my goodness, what an example of perseverance, in the face of just about the toughest circumstances.
Here’s how Cindy described her experience on Jeopardy:
Jeopardy! contestant Cindy Stowell passed away prior to her shows’ airings. Here is her Jeopardy! story, in her own words. pic.twitter.com/MYFzJfxpAJ
— Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) December 22, 2016
Just amazing.
Quick Hits
-What you’re looking at there is what happens when you decide to park across multiple spaces. Frankly, the offender got off easy. If the lot were more snow-covered, it’d be an understandable mistake; it’s tough to see the lines, and when one person gets a bit off-center, the entire parking lot can get out of order very quickly. But this looks more like they didn’t want to have to step into the pile of slush in that space on the right, so the driver bridged the gap.
This has been Parking Analysis with Jay, which is now a regular Thursday morning feature. (It’s not.)
-Cal banked a pass off a ref last night. It’s pretty great.
-BYU scored a touchdown last night via a ball that was batted around multiple times in the end zone. It’s pretty great.
-Hey, remember how that video of the golfer hitting a shot from a frozen pond was a fantastic representation of Murphy’s Law? Here are some morons trying to fiddle with a chandelier who provide further demonstration:
-A Georgia Tech lineman is going to skip his senior season of football to pursue his dream of working in NASCAR, starting on a pit crew. It’s a really cool story.
-A Bayern Munich player saw a guy in red streaking wide open down the sideline and decided to spray a pass out wide. Unfortunately, that guy turned out to be a virtual Santa, part of an advertising board. Still great vision to see the field like that, though.
-Jon Gruden said he has no intention to coach. Right now.
-Also stating his desire to remain out of the NFL: Calvin Johnson. (For the record, I’d be much more interested in Calvin Johnson coming back than I would Gruden.)
-Fun look at how San Diego State is stealing Boise’s Mountain West thunder.
-Shut it down, this is the most Canadian story ever: a man drove a zamboni to a Tim Horton’s in Alberta.
-Here are the 10 most LOL sports moments of 2016. I’ll add one of my own here, too; at the British Open, Zach Johnson to acknowledge the warm welcome he was receiving from the gallery. Just one problem:
Even the pros shank their #TourSauce sometimes @NoLayingUp pic.twitter.com/3zfXRc1lZV
— A Good Talk Spoiled (@AGoodTalkGolf) July 16, 2016
-Alec Baldwin’s Donald Trump impression might not be long for SNL.
-Here’s a really cool swingset:
That’s awesome.
Fake news headline I wish was real
“It’s really heavy,” Says Mom About To Hand You 8-lb Package
One final glorious moment of procrastination
Here’s three minutes or so of a panda playing with a giant snowman. It’s well-worth your time, I promise you.
