Saucy

Oops, we’re on the verge of running out of ketchup. Whatever will we do‽

Go to buy some more of this stuff, that’s what!

A cupboard full of sauces, condiments, cans and stuff to be cooked. Of particular interest are the sweet chilli and garlic sauce, chipotle sauce and Tabasco & sriracha sauce bottles.
A cupboard full of sauces, condiments, cans and stuff to be cooked. Of particular interest are the sweet chilli and garlic sauce, chipotle sauce and Tabasco & sriracha sauce bottles.

Pocket Calculator

I just acquired a Casio fx-102 (Reddit r/calculators link) calculator – a device rooted firmly in the days when the display illuminated without a backlight such that it could be read at night. So you can’t see the buttons, so what?!

Buttons.

A Casio fx-102 calculator resting on its slip case. The display reads 5318008 - something familiar to anyone who's ever turned a calculator upside-down.
A Casio fx-102 calculator resting on its slip case. The display reads 5318008 – something familiar to anyone who’s ever turned a calculator upside-down.

And it’s not exactly pocketable, it’s wi-iiide. And sadly it does not play a little melody when pressing down a special key. So much for me trying to fashion an easy link to the Kraftwerk song (from 1981).

Ok, it has a 12-digit green LED display and it’s quite frankly awesome. The input method is straightforward for most people (it’s not RPN). It’s old-school operand-operator-operand… and there’s no computer algebra system, no brackets, no built-in constants apart from pi (and e), no persistent history or memories…

Speaking of memories…

My dad bought our family’s first pocket calculator in the 1970s – also a Casio, also with a green LED. I bought Casio calculators until the late 1980s, at which time TI and HP…

…so anyway, this, the new-to-me fx-102, is from 1976.

It’s 50 this year.

Fifty!

Happy Birthday to you… 🎵

Degrees

My oldest daughter started a Sociology degree last year.

My wife started a Law and Ethics in Nursing degree last year.

My youngest daughter i well on with her GCSE courses and will take her final high school exams this year prior to going to 6th form college and then maybe University?

It wouldn’t surprise me if Mollie & Stella cats and Pumpkin dog undertake some kind of rigorously academic course shortly.

Mollie, a black and white domestic shorthair cat. She's relaxing on a bed and is of venerable age and so easy to defer to on most things.
Mollie, a black and white domestic shorthair cat. She’s relaxing on a bed and is of venerable age and so easy to defer to on most things.

Me, I wouldn’t be displeased if my Browns vs Fibonacci and linked posts become the pinnacle of my academic endeavours. (No degrees).

Unless… I convert it into something resembling a scientific paper. It could be a life’s work, what of it I’ve got left at least. Hmmm… maybe I could become even more famous!

My inspiration:

  1. Study Examines Schadenfreude in Football Fans (CSUSM article)
  2. Qualitative Inquiry on Schadenfreude by Sport Fans (The paper itself at ResearchGate, by Vassilis Dalakas, Joanna Phillips Melancon and Tarah Sreboth)

January 60th

Will this accursed month never end‽

A child's watch with an opened back exposing the inner mechanism. The primary colour is pink, the primary mode of operation is 'broken'.
A child’s watch with an opened back exposing the inner mechanism. The primary colour is pink, the primary mode of operation is ‘broken’.

Browns vs Fibonacci 2026

Last year I believed the 2025 NFL season would be poor for my Cleveland Browns – and I was right. I also believed that 2026 would bring another playoff appearance for my Cleveland Browns. Why? Fibonacci numbers don’t lie! Well, their interpretation might count…

Ok, I first wrote a longish, tortuous piece, with a correction added shortly after, and then a shorter but more fact-based followup. Probably not worth reading now.

A Fibonacci-like spiral, the bubbles after stirring a sachet of powdered tea into a small mug filled either cold water.
A Fibonacci-like spiral, the bubbles after stirring a sachet of powdered tea into a small mug filled either cold water.

This year I’m presenting a table and not much else to support my notion that Browns seasons go by even Fibonacci numbers – in other words, things go our way every 3 years.

Season W-L-T Fibonacci #, coach
2018 7-8-1 1 (HJ,GW)
2019 6-10-0 1 (FK)
2020 11-5-0 2 (KS)
2021 8-9-0 3 (KS)
2022 7-10-0 5 (KS)
2023 11-6-0 8 (KS)
2024 3-14-0 13 (KS)
2025 5-12 21 (KS)
2026 Super Bowl! 34 (TM)

Hey, it doesn’t take much effort to believe, does it now.

Close

Last June I bought an electric shaver to replace the Braun foil thing I never really liked because of its general ineptitude at shaving and trimming – a thing that replaced the Phillips OneBlade, a device that excelled at trimming but didn’t even tout itself as a close shaver – that thing in turn replacing the Gillette All In One trimmer/shaver (think vibrating blades and the closest of shaves).

/me takes a moment to breathe

It’s a “Philips Shaver Series 7000 – Wet & Dry Electric Shaver in Ice Blue with 1 x Integrated Pop-up Trimmer, Beard Trimmer, Travel Case, Quick Clean Pod and Charging Stand (Model S7882/54)”.

(Copied from the Amazon listing).

I’ve not figured out the charging stand but hey, it’s the least of things.

The shaver kit mentioned in the post. Lots of bits. And some cleaning stuff.
The shaver kit mentioned in the post. Lots of bits. And some cleaning stuff.

The 3 rotating heads rid me (a scruffy old man) of the most stubborn of long hairs with only a few passes, and shave close enough that I’m no longer worried about snagging lint or stray cats on my face.

(We have 2 cats, only one of whom was once a stray).

So, the shaver with the improbably long listing title gets Baz’s seal of approval. 🦭

Test 2026-01-17

Erm… my Python script is borked. Will posting this clear it?

Edit: no.

Edit2: the first failure I have a date for was December 20 2025. Not sure if I have the need or desire to debug.

Stray

We walked Pumpkin dog before lunch today – later than normal. Halfway round we came across an unattended dog, a labrador-spaniel cross. No name tag on the collar. He was very friendly, more so when he figured out we had a small bag containing Pumpkin’s treats. We asked people around if they’d seen anyone looking for lost dog – it was little early to call it a stray. Nope.

A labrador-spaniel mix dog. Ralph (microchip name Percy/Percival). He's younger than he looks in my photo.
A labrador-spaniel mix dog. Ralph (microchip name Percy/Percival). He’s younger than he looks in my photo.

He followed us and continued to follow us until we got close to home. Uh-oh.

So on the lead he went and we invited him inside. I looked through local Facebook groups, nothing. Decided to post. As far as I know the posts still haven’t been approved.

Rang the local RSPCA. Number rang out 3 times, no opportunity to leave a message.

Looked on the local authority site, found a number of a national dog collection service, rang it, left a message.

We filled a water bowl, got an old and way-too-small dog bed down and I gave him some food. And treats.

Rang the 24 hour vet, asked if they checked microchips. Yes. And they could fit us in even though it’s emergencies only today and until the holiday weekend ends.

Half an hour later we were at the vet. Luckily the dog was indeed. Chipped, yeah. A local-to-us owner then, the vet receptionist rang and left a message…

About an hour later we got a call, the owner was on his way…

Turns out their teenagers left the door open while the adults were preparing for a family thing later. Anyway, grateful owner took the dog off our hands, and it seems my comment about ensuring the dog got a name tag flew right over his head. It seems they think he’s safe out of doors on his own – he’s ‘usually’ to be found on the area between the countryside and housing estates. And now we know they don’t care enough to get a tag they can secure on his collar – ‘it’s always coming off’.

Anyway, at least we know what to do next time.

Should we have reported the owner for their dog not having a tag – a legal requirement here in the UK?

Instant

A colleague gave me a sachet of guava chilli instant tea earlier. Just add its contents to 200ml of water, stir until dissolved, add an ice cube. Easy.

The ingredients: sachet, small mug, teaspoon. You'll have to imagine the ice cube, it's still in the freezer at this point.
The ingredients: sachet, small mug, teaspoon. You’ll have to imagine the ice cube, it’s still in the freezer at this point.

What’s special about this one? The company is owned by my colleague’s friend’s cousin.

Nearly ready:

Part-way through stirring.
Part-way through stirring.

Just before offering it round my family for tasting:

Bubbles!
Bubbles!

It’s really rather refreshing, without any kind of aftertaste that often accompanies instant drinks, and so gets Baz’s seal of approval.

I wish I’d looked at the ingredients on the box now, but maybe that’d have spoiled the experience?

Followup November 7: The hibiscus tea given to me today isn’t as easy to dissolve, another colleague said it’s a bit ‘bitty’. I tried.

Weight

For the first time in years I’ve lost weight to the point it shows – to others and to the waistline of my stretch jeans. Sure it’s only 10lbs/4.5 kg so far, but I’m impressed. I don’t care how long it’s taken.

The only negative for this Brit, I’ve one less thing to moan about – that I can’t lose weight no matter what I try. 🙂

A prepackaged, microwave/oven-cookable veggie burrito. Beans, cheese & roasted peppers.
A prepackaged, microwave/oven-cookable veggie burrito. Beans, cheese & roasted peppers.

So how?

More frequent and longer dog walks, and I’ve started jogging with Pumpkin dog (1 year old now) during them. The jogs are only a few hundred yards/metres at a time though, mainly because she needs to stop to sniff things. It’s honestly worth the aching muscles.

Although I’ve eaten more healthily for a couple of years now (health scare) this time around there’s been no measurable change in diet.

So, exercise not extra fries.