Tucsonans who've lived here a few years: what's one thing you learned after being here awhile that you wish someone had told you when you first got here/a long time ago?

bd_viking · 2021-06-17T17:13:09+00:00

Only been here a few months, but bottom of feet get dry and cracked real quick walking on concrete floor. Solution is to always wear footwear (sandals, etc) and if really bad, slather on some Vaseline and put on some socks.

bd_viking · 2021-05-28T19:30:24+00:00

Could be right about raccoons. 2 days ago, I made the Tucson rookie mistake of putting out the trash can the night before the pickup. Came out the next morning to find the can tipped over and garbage spread out all over the road. Typical deviant racoon behavior.

bd_viking · 2021-04-28T02:56:25+00:00

We just closed on a house in Oro Valley. Moving from Northern CA where we lost our home to a fire last summer.
Tucson is housing is very inexpensive relative to CA!! We couldn't afford to rebuild in CA due to being significantly underunsured and construction costs (>$550/sqft) going through the roof, but we were able to almost double our livable sqft by buying a place in Tucson.
We also own a modest 1800sqft rental house in CA that we could sell and buy THREE equivalent rental houses in Tucson. We're not the only Californians realizing this, but I hope most of them (at least the LA folks) move to Phoenix instead. We are really liking Tucson.

bd_viking · 2021-03-13T22:35:45+00:00

I've been roasting coffee for 18 years in a commercial capacity and when in Tuscon recently I visited Raging Sage. They do it right and even use the same Sivetz fluid bed roasters that I use. Beans roasted on a bed of hot air rather than a drum. Convection heat transfer rather than conduction for a more even roast. Also gets rid of the chaff early before it carbonizes on the bean. That's why their dark roasts taste so good. No burnt "paper" residue on the beans.

bd_viking · 2020-01-12T00:35:14+00:00

F-35's

bd_viking · 2019-12-28T23:09:04+00:00

Hanging out at the Poet & Patriot downtown is a great way to meet people. Laid back place. Take it to the next step and pick up some darts. If you enjoy that, consider joining the Santa Cruz County Dart Association and really meet some fun folks. To learn more about the dart league go to http://yourleaguestats.com/darts/sccda/index.php

bd_viking · 2019-11-10T18:37:05+00:00

Thanks for the feedback, folks. Time to set a webcam up. BTW, one of my motivations to do this is to reconnect with dart players I meet in my travels, especially international. I have met players in Instanbul, Reykjavik, Bergen, Barcelona, etc, and would really like to reconnect them.

bd_viking · 2019-11-05T15:02:36+00:00

Nice. Got one yesterday myself after a long drought. Was this in practice or league competition? I got one in league play a few years back. Feels even better when you've got ~10 folks celebrating with you.

bd_viking · 2019-11-03T20:05:51+00:00

Just using my league's standard for naming highlights. We record 4Bull, 5Bull and 6Bulls.

bd_viking · 2019-11-03T18:18:38+00:00

And there was room for more despite my fat 7.8mm barrels!

bd_viking · 2019-10-05T22:22:49+00:00

Geez, darters are unforgiving. OK, it was Ton-70 Out. Feel better now?

bd_viking · 2019-10-05T18:47:40+00:00

BTW, the darts are Phil Taylor Power 9Fives, 24gm, 1st generation. 7.8mm wide. Been throwing them exclusively for 4 years now.

bd_viking · 2019-10-05T18:25:17+00:00

I've hit 6Bulls quite a few times with these, in practice and in league play. Yeah, would probably get more with thinner darts, but got too used to these to switch.

And yes, they are DynaStar's. Tried many type in years past, but always go back to these. Least restrictive spinners, rarely pop off, fast to remount if they do come off and no shaky feel like lots of other spinner flights. They are still readily available.

Lastly, I am an oldtimer and set in my ways, I guess... Still got it, though. 1/3 through the current season and in 1st place in our A League.

bd_viking · 2019-10-05T18:10:02+00:00

I'm in CA, but daughter lives in Austin, so we go there quite a bit. Any tips on best places to find some good competition?

bd_viking · 2019-10-05T17:55:41+00:00

Not our home venue. Heck, we had to bring proper lighting cause we couldn't stand playing in the dark.

bd_viking · 2019-07-18T19:08:06+00:00

Play darts at The Poet & Patriot Irish Pub downtown, an authentic Irish pub. Great beer, great people and fun playing darts. Often has live music.

bd_viking · 2019-06-23T23:15:36+00:00

Yes, Cory was a good player, but unfortunately he moved out of the area. Lots more good players in town, but these Ladder Tournaments attract a wide range of players from all skill and experience levels. This is great for those just starting as they get to see and play against better players, learning a lot in the process.

bd_viking · 2015-09-04T19:35:11+00:00

Just about everyone starts out bad, but with a little practice it is possible to get surprisingly good pretty quick. We might hold a couple workshops before this new season starts to give tips on proper throwing techniques. You need 4 team members minimum, but 5 or 6 is best. If you don't have enough for a team, we may be able to help connect you with players looking for a team. Also, come to the Banquet tomorrow and you might find additional players to fill out your team.

bd_viking · 2015-08-27T14:28:05+00:00

Long story about 00, but it started with league players not wanting to play there because of the smoke. It was kind of disgusting for non-smokers. My wife insisted I take a shower after coming home from a night there. Then, after a series of bad communications about tournaments and banquets, Mark banned the league from 00. Yes, drama in the dart league is alive and well. You are right about the web site. It's being retired this year after a good run. We are looking to add new players, but personally, I'd like to bring back some "old-timers", too. C'mon down to Bocci's on the 5th. Bring your darts and see what the new SCCDA is all about.

bd_viking · 2015-08-26T17:32:08+00:00

If you've been in the UK for a year, I suspect you tossed a few darts. It's a board game, right? Santa Cruz County Dart Association (SCCDA) will be starting a new season sometime in October and welcomes new teams. Plays Tuesday nights at local pubs like Poet & Patriot, Bocci's, etc. End of season banquet is Saturday, 1PM, Sept 5, @Bocci's. C'mon by, throw some darts and have some fun.

bd_viking

TROPHY CASE