August 2021 Banter

[George BM]

August. Have fun. Avoid cheep beer and fly into the eyewall of a major cane off the coast in your Weenie-O aircraft...

 

 

...

 

 

I got nothing.

[snowfan]

Out in the rain this morning

[H2O]

Coming to ask DMV people about how to get snow in a snowless area is like asking the Orioles to win the WS this year

[WxWatcher007]

[PhineasC]

10 hours ago, MegaTurtl said:

Hi guys,

I've been lurking for a while now, and I love the discussions you guys have!! Really insightful for a bloke like me.

Just wondering, do you guys have any advice on how I can get it to snow here in Sydney? We've been in a snow drought for about 200 years and it's been pretty tough...

Anything I could do to artificially induce snow conditions??? I'm up for anything, my connections go deeeep into the national government and secret services. 

This could be a really cool global scale experiment, we could achieve great things.

Let me know if any of you have any ideas.

Cheers,

Frankie.

Try leaving your house first. 

[mappy]

Loving today’s rainy gray day, perfect to nurse sore muscles and a hangover following yesterday’s softball tourney/party

[H2O]

16 minutes ago, mappy said:

Loving today’s rainy gray day, perfect to nurse sore muscles and a hangover following yesterday’s softball tourney/party

[fourseasons]

When I saw this while looking for something else I immediately thought of @H2O

https://www.portablepress.com/books/dad-jokes-word-search-9781645177333/

 

 

[CAPE]

Ravens sign Justin Houston. Thought it would have happened sooner. Very solid pickup. Needed a legit edge rusher after losing Judon.

[blueberryfaygo]

Fells point has been completely destroyed.. I dont understand how this could happen.. 

[SnowenOutThere]

6 minutes ago, blueberryfaygo said:

Fells point has been completely destroyed.. I dont understand how this could happen.. 

?

[CAPE]

6 hours ago, SnowenOutThere said:

?

He must be referring to all the gentrification.

[mattie g]

On 7/31/2021 at 4:33 PM, H2O said:

Was a very nice morning to watch NVSL allstars and then spend 2 hours mowing weeds and hay this afternoon

Did you have a kid swimming on Saturday?

[H2O]

34 minutes ago, mattie g said:

Did you have a kid swimming on Saturday?

Not this year.  We just went to support friends and hang out.  My youngest has been twice tho.

[mattie g]

49 minutes ago, H2O said:

Not this year.  We just went to support friends and hang out.  My youngest has been twice tho.

That's dedication right there.

Our little ol' pool had three kids (including one of our coaches) in All-Stars this year. All good kids, too, so it was great to see them get the recognition they deserve.

[NorthArlington101]

3 hours ago, mattie g said:

That's dedication right there.

Our little ol' pool had three kids (including one of our coaches) in All-Stars this year. All good kids, too, so it was great to see them get the recognition they deserve.

the benefit (or negative, depending on perspective) of a smaller league like the CSL is that the better teams have 40+ kids showing up to all-stars. Less of an accomplishment I suppose, but makes it a great team environment. 

[toolsheds]

Anyone ever had to shop for a stairlift for a parent/older relative?  

 

My MIL is looking for one and the company which came in with an estimate was at $10K for one which curves around a landing and $7500 for two straight ones which meet on a landing.

 

Wanted to see if these were outrageous prices or not. 

[WinterWxLuvr]

32 minutes ago, toolsheds said:

Anyone ever had to shop for a stairlift for a parent/older relative?  

 

My MIL is looking for one and the company which came in with an estimate was at $10K for one which curves around a landing and $7500 for two straight ones which meet on a landing.

 

Wanted to see if these were outrageous prices or not. 

Sounds pretty outrageous to me. The installation of something like that should be pretty straightforward and you probably could do it yourself if you have any construction experience.

[mbm2044]

Just arrived in North Carolina's outer banks islands, and looking at the coming QPF has me 

What's driving this crazy rain fall? I'm not aware of any tropical depressions, but haven't been following closely this summer.   Thanks for any feedback on what I can expect this week!

 

[GramaxRefugee]

1 hour ago, toolsheds said:

Anyone ever had to shop for a stairlift for a parent/older relative?  

 

My MIL is looking for one and the company which came in with an estimate was at $10K for one which curves around a landing and $7500 for two straight ones which meet on a landing.

 

Wanted to see if these were outrageous prices or not. 

Don't remember what we paid, but I do recall that selling it back, (or to anyone), when preparing the house for sale, was not a good deal. Meaning...the used market is good for these if you are able to find one and are willing to remove it and install it yourself. This was about 2009/10 and I recall selling the stairlift for $500 back to the company that originally sold/installed it. There were a few on Craigslist back then, about the same price. Worth a look.

Edit: Yeah, here's one in MoCo only used a few times....$500:

https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/mld/for/d/olney-bruno-stair-lift-sre-2010-electra/7356894670.html

[mattie g]

1 hour ago, NorthArlington101 said:

the benefit (or negative, depending on perspective) of a smaller league like the CSL is that the better teams have 40+ kids showing up to all-stars. Less of an accomplishment I suppose, but makes it a great team environment. 

I can certainly see that being the case in regards to the team environment. I figure it's still an accomplishment to make any all-stars, even if it's "watered down" in relative terms.

I'm sure the teams in the top few NVSL divisions have lots of kids in all-stars (especially one or two teams in particular). I'm guessing that CSL all-stars are kind of a middle road between NVSL divisionals and all-stars. Divisionals was a little crazy and still had a real team vibe, but it was a ton of fun.

[toolsheds]

2 hours ago, GramaxRefugee said:

Don't remember what we paid, but I do recall that selling it back, (or to anyone), when preparing the house for sale, was not a good deal. Meaning...the used market is good for these if you are able to find one and are willing to remove it and install it yourself. This was about 2009/10 and I recall selling the stairlift for $500 back to the company that originally sold/installed it. There were a few on Craigslist back then, about the same price. Worth a look.

Edit: Yeah, here's one in MoCo only used a few times....$500:

https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/mld/for/d/olney-bruno-stair-lift-sre-2010-electra/7356894670.html

Thanks!  I'm looking into this right now.   I'll let you know how it goes. 

[vastateofmind]

4 hours ago, mattie g said:

I can certainly see that being the case in regards to the team environment. I figure it's still an accomplishment to make any all-stars, even if it's "watered down" in relative terms.

I'm sure the teams in the top few NVSL divisions have lots of kids in all-stars (especially one or two teams in particular). I'm guessing that CSL all-stars are kind of a middle road between NVSL divisionals and all-stars. Divisionals was a little crazy and still had a real team vibe, but it was a ton of fun.

I wonder, in retrospect, if leagues like CSL might be a better experience. NVSL All Stars always seemed dominated by the top 5-7 teams in the top two divisions, at least a decade or so ago when our two sons were still swimming. At that time, our neighborhood pool's team typically fell anywhere in the Division 9-11 range...and when my youngest son, who was the "better" swimmer in the family, made All Stars (which happened every year in his mid-late teens), he was often "alone" when it came to his "team." Although, in fairness, he made friends from those above-mentioned 5-7 teams from year-round swimming (e.g., Curl-Burke, NCAP)...who made it a more welcoming experience for him.

[nj2va]

6 hours ago, mbm2044 said:

Just arrived in North Carolina's outer banks islands, and looking at the coming QPF has me 

What's driving this crazy rain fall? I'm not aware of any tropical depressions, but haven't been following closely this summer.   Thanks for any feedback on what I can expect this week!

 

That’s some crazy high QPF.  From the NWS forecast discussion, looks like a stalled front is draped over the region allowing multiple lows to ride up along it.  Hopefully y’all still have a good time despite the weather and there are some better days later this week.  

https://forecast.weather.gov/product.php?site=MHX&issuedby=MHX&product=AFD&format=CI&version=1&glossary=1&highlight=off

At least you’re on vacation!  Could be worse I guess

[mattie g]

14 hours ago, vastateofmind said:

I wonder, in retrospect, if leagues like CSL might be a better experience. NVSL All Stars always seemed dominated by the top 5-7 teams in the top two divisions, at least a decade or so ago when our two sons were still swimming. At that time, our neighborhood pool's team typically fell anywhere in the Division 9-11 range...and when my youngest son, who was the "better" swimmer in the family, made All Stars (which happened every year in his mid-late teens), he was often "alone" when it came to his "team." Although, in fairness, he made friends from those above-mentioned 5-7 teams from year-round swimming (e.g., Curl-Burke, NCAP)...who made it a more welcoming experience for him.

There certainly is a decent argument to be made for that.

I didn't do any real research into who was in NVSL all-stars this year, but I assume it's just as you mention, since the leaderboard was mostly populated during the season with swimmers from the same teams (in divisions 1 and 2). In a way, I'm kind of OK with that, since I figure that Divisionals serve as a kind of mini-all-stars for the remainder of the divisions, and it's only the elite from those other teams that make the league all-stars. My main issue is that (I can only assume) the top teams "recruit" the top swimmers to swim for them. For me, summer swim is about community, about having fun. I figure that the real competitive swimming takes place the rest of the year. If you have the top teams poaching from all the other local pools, then it just doesn't really sit well with me - they might as well just form their own elite league at that point.

[vastateofmind]

2 hours ago, mattie g said:

There certainly is a decent argument to be made for that.

I didn't do any real research into who was in NVSL all-stars this year, but I assume it's just as you mention, since the leaderboard was mostly populated during the season with swimmers from the same teams (in divisions 1 and 2). In a way, I'm kind of OK with that, since I figure that Divisionals serve as a kind of mini-all-stars for the remainder of the divisions, and it's only the elite from those other teams that make the league all-stars. My main issue is that (I can only assume) the top teams "recruit" the top swimmers to swim for them. For me, summer swim is about community, about having fun. I figure that the real competitive swimming takes place the rest of the year. If you have the top teams poaching from all the other local pools, then it just doesn't really sit well with me - they might as well just form their own elite league at that point.

You make an excellent point about NVSL Divisionals -- making it to that level is an awesome achievement, but one that often gets overshadowed (my .02 cents) by the overwhelming/relentless focus on the top swimmers who will be breezing through Divisionals and heading to All Stars. But the nice thing is...standout kids from ALL divisions with the drive and talent (and often at the top of their age bracket!) CAN make it to All Stars. And those are the kids I root for the most.

I know we have several accomplished NVSL coaches and/or swimmers who contribute to this sub, a couple who (I think?) hail from some of the top performing NVSL teams, and I don't mean to crap on them, their talent or their experience, or generalize about their teams. Our family has known a few families over the past 15 years from a few of the teams in those top performing 2-3 divisions in the NVSL, although I admittedly have little time nor respect for the kinds of summer programs some of those elite teams tend to run. Because to one of your bolded points above, some of those elite teams drive much of the FUN out of summer swim, instead focusing on the cutthroat, bloodthirsty competition that hones in on which team is gonna get bumped out of Division 1 to Division 2 NEXT year.

But worst of all? The attitudes that some parents (AND league officials) bring to the table. I'll never forget one of the first years that our youngest son made it to All Stars in free/fly and when they announced his name/our pool, a gaggle of the obnoxious NVSL Division 1 team mommies sitting near us (mommies who showed up as soon as the grounds opened so they could stake out half of the entire seating area with their clipboards, timer watches, iced Starbucks half-caf skinny lattes and Louis Vuitton totes) contemptibly sneered, "Who the HELL ever heard of 'Hayfield Farm'??" Several years after that, our pool hosted the NVSL All Star Relay Carnival, when lots of those same parents and league officials from the "elite" teams deigned to grudgingly travel to the southeastern corner of FfxCo for the competition...and while we heard a few positive comments, there was far more negative feedback provided regarding our pool, the deck area, its parking lot, the team areas, the quality of available food, and parking availability in the general neighborhood. Our team and community families worked their asses off staging that event...and that stung.

That last experience permanently soured me on all things NVSL, which is fine since our youngest finally aged out of the league seven years ago. Obviously, I don't miss any of it...but I'm always glad to hear that there's a lot of folks here who still manage to find FUN in any summer swim program, let alone the NVSL.

[mattie g]

1 hour ago, vastateofmind said:

You make an excellent point about NVSL Divisionals -- making it to that level is an awesome achievement, but one that often gets overshadowed (my .02 cents) by the overwhelming/relentless focus on the top swimmers who will be breezing through Divisionals and heading to All Stars. But the nice thing is...standout kids from ALL divisions with the drive and talent (and often at the top of their age bracket!) CAN make it to All Stars. And those are the kids I root for the most.

I know we have several accomplished NVSL coaches and/or swimmers who contribute to this sub, a couple who (I think?) hail from some of the top performing NVSL teams, and I don't mean to crap on them, their talent or their experience, or generalize about their teams. Our family has known a few families over the past 15 years from a few of the teams in those top performing 2-3 divisions in the NVSL, although I admittedly have little time nor respect for the kinds of summer programs some of those elite teams tend to run. Because to one of your bolded points above, some of those elite teams drive much of the FUN out of summer swim, instead focusing on the cutthroat, bloodthirsty competition that hones in on which team is gonna get bumped out of Division 1 to Division 2 NEXT year.

But worst of all? The attitudes that some parents (AND league officials) bring to the table. I'll never forget one of the first years that our youngest son made it to All Stars in free/fly and when they announced his name/our pool, a gaggle of the obnoxious NVSL Division 1 team mommies sitting near us (mommies who showed up as soon as the grounds opened so they could stake out half of the entire seating area with their clipboards, timer watches, iced Starbucks half-caf skinny lattes and Louis Vuitton totes) contemptibly sneered, "Who the HELL ever heard of 'Hayfield Farm'??" Several years after that, our pool hosted the NVSL All Star Relay Carnival, when lots of those same parents and league officials from the "elite" teams deigned to grudgingly travel to the southeastern corner of FfxCo for the competition...and while we heard a few positive comments, there was far more negative feedback provided regarding our pool, the deck area, its parking lot, the team areas, the quality of available food, and parking availability in the general neighborhood. Our team and community families worked their asses off staging that event...and that stung.

That last experience permanently soured me on all things NVSL, which is fine since our youngest finally aged out of the league seven years ago. Obviously, I don't miss any of it...but I'm always glad to hear that there's a lot of folks here who still manage to find FUN in any summer swim program, let alone the NVSL.

Couldn't agree more about how all kids with the drive and natural ability - regardless of division - can make it to all-stars. I mentioned our one coach, who is a 17-year-old graduating from Lake Braddock this year...he has always swum for our neighborhood pool (Burke Station Square), despite our never being higher than Division 14. That's not to say that he'd have been able to swim for one of those top NVSL teams, but I imagine he could have. Instead, he swam with our little team/his neighborhood team for over a decade and got to partake in all the activities and the dancing and the meets as an 8&U to ultimately handing out paper plate awards and being made into an ice cream sundae by his team this year.

It sounds like you...ummm...have a lot of experience with NVSL . We're just getting into the swim thing, but I sincerely hope I don't came across too much of what you experienced over the years. It's not terribly surprising to hear some of your anecdotes, though it's truly Karen-esque for someone to sh*t on a local pool that's just trying to put its best foot forward for the league. I mean...the pool that hosted our division relays is tiny, old, and decrepit, and while my wife and I (and some other families) definitely talked about it among ourselves, we wouldn't have dared to think of demeaning them.

Our pool is really a tight-knit community. It draws mostly from our HOA (which isn't all that big), but there are families who live outside the subdivision who are part of our little family, too. Fun is the first thing we shoot for. Anything else is gravy. We're in Division 16 - we have no delusions of grandeur, even if some of the kids are incredibly talented and work really hard - so fun is first and foremost. And while I want my girls to be competitive and I would love them to be superstars(!), if that means we have to deal with some of what you mentioned, then I'd probably have to think twice about that!

[H2O]

Oh man. The stuff I know about how the top few divisions act and behave. Those pools are….something. And I have had a TON of similar experiences with not just those pools but many more commenting on how my pool looks compared to theirs. We are blue collar and not frilly. Our dues reflect our people. We don’t pay thousands per year like some do. 
 

The climb we have had the last few years to go from div 16 to where we are now has exposed us to the flat out ugliness and snobbery the “rich” pools feel entitled to share with others they don’t see as worthy

[MillvilleWx]

Man. Is there anything more annoying than taking care of a barrage of emails and logistical stuff when you get back from a vacation? Even one that was 4 days long, came back to an avalanche of focal duty stuff and an assortment of "News". Can't wait to do it again in September after my 2 week getaway 

[MacChump]

I need christopher guest to make a movie about summer swim teams