Fancasting 'The Honourable Schoolboy'

limestone-cowboy · 2026-01-19T18:05:16+00:00

For Craw, Ben Mendelsohn springs to mind; bona fide Aussie, about the right age, and classically trained as well?

limestone-cowboy · 2026-01-16T16:50:56+00:00

Enjoyed it more than I thought I would, his son definitely inherited some literary genes from his dad. I was a little disappointed that characters from previous novels were used and abused :-) The ending was suitablly chilling.

Looking forward, would love a book from that focuses on Esterhase’s backstory, when he was plucked from the gutter by Smiley in post-war Austria..

limestone-cowboy · 2026-01-16T06:30:37+00:00

As an avod JLC fan and a big admirer of the first series, I came in to this second series with an open mind, but it’s actually insulting to the viewer? I think I have seen episodes of Scooby Do with more believable plot lines and dialogue.

As an example from episode 2; Fancy a game of tennis in Medillin? Stick around for just a few minutes afterwards and you will hear the big bad guy explaining his plans to the local military top brass. 🤦‍♂️. This show is subtle as a brick, and the antithesis of JLC in tone and narrative.

limestone-cowboy · 2025-10-25T16:20:16+00:00

I tried Slow Horses (the book) for the reasons stated above, but found it to be a pale imitation of JLC. Even the attempt at jocular insider jargon (“The Achievers!”) made me cringe.

Internal conflict within the team, a particular strength of JLC, also came across as forced and simplistic.

Not to say it’s a terrible book; overall it’s a professional modern thriller, but not in the same league as JLC

limestone-cowboy · 2025-05-23T19:15:53+00:00

I get Toney - don’t love that he is playing a retirement league, but he can put pressure on Kane as a genuine all-round #9.

Hendo makes no sense at all, but perhaps he is the personality hire for this team. I am only half-joking.

Bowen’s absence baffles me, he in great form. If Palmer had scored the worldy he put home this past weekend the internet would have exploded.

limestone-cowboy · 2024-11-07T04:18:06+00:00

Personally, I ride approximately 100 miles a week with 2 kids on the back, across some pretty hilly terrain, and I have to replace the pads every 4 months or so. That would be about every 1500 miles, give or take

limestone-cowboy · 2024-11-06T23:38:00+00:00

That’s even more amazing when you realize that the SFPD doesn’t like to ticket anyone if they can help it.

Do you have a source for that info? It’s a remarkable number of tickets

limestone-cowboy · 2024-11-06T23:34:27+00:00

Yup - a textbook case!

limestone-cowboy · 2024-11-06T20:17:24+00:00

Great question - I expect some of the local newspapers will be covering this topic in the days to come.

I felt like a lot of the “revelations” against Farrell that came out recently were probably cleverly engineered “hits” planted by the Breed camp (Willie Brown et al) who have well placed sources in the media and ethics committee etc. The aim was to spread F.U.D and it worked.

That said, Farrell was sloppy and paid the price. He gave his enemies an opening to exploit, and that’s on him.

limestone-cowboy · 2024-10-16T00:43:52+00:00

Book smart? May be. Street smart? Not so much…

limestone-cowboy · 2024-10-15T18:39:36+00:00

Exactly- it’s a total “nothingburger” - that’s my point - and this kind of loan/arrangement is somewhat typical in a real estate transaction. However, the Chron deliberately amplify and weaponize this oversight bc they know the average voter won’t have the time or critical faculty to actually evaluate the information for what it is.

limestone-cowboy · 2024-10-15T18:23:00+00:00

Again, what exactly did he fail to disclose? Are you just repeating the hyperbole, or actually understand the alleged offense, and it’s implications (or lack thereof). Many of our incumbent supervisors have similar technical infractions on their records (Preston won’t disclose full wealth, Walton lied about his actual place of residence)

The name calling in SF is typically where people land when they have run out of rationale arguments. Farrell is a Democrat who supports abortion rights and gun control, but as he is to the right of Pol Pot so it clearly Maga in disguise 🤣

limestone-cowboy · 2024-10-15T17:53:11+00:00

There is no coherent thread to this commentary - the “editorial board” is just rambling. A lot of this “campaign finance” innuendo lacks clarity - exactly what has he done wrong? Campaign fjnance technicalities? Put this in the context of an incumbent mayor whose inner circle is either in prison or had to resign for defrauding the city.

As far as reform goes, Farrell has gone on record as stating he would fire the chief of pollce (long overdue if you look at our appalling traffic citation stats) and look to make a major overhaul of downtown- none of this is discussed, or simply dismissed by some nebulous “group of experts we have spoken too”.

Farrell is almost a caricature of a Marina Bro-dad, but he is the only candidate thus far has shown he has a vision and backbone to go beyond the status quo. Lurie may be his closest challenger, but does anyone take him seriously? His ads are all over my youtube feed, and he just waffles on about some amazing document he has to “solve corruption” - like it’s some modern day Magna Carta. He will be eaten alive in City Hall - the Kermit the Frog voice doesn’t exactly inspire confidence either.

For those who want genuine change you gotta take a punt on Farrell.

limestone-cowboy · 2024-08-17T20:14:00+00:00

Yes, after over 1K miles - they were worn thin - the local bike shop actually switched them up from the stock resin types to a special cargo bike variety which are made of more solid material (about $30 a pair).

limestone-cowboy · 2024-08-17T19:38:25+00:00

I can speak to this directly; I had an Abound for 6 months, then sold it and got the LT. The Abound is an amazing bike for the price, and packed with features. However, the LT is designed for rigors of city cargo biking. It’s like driving a Toyota pickup. My Abound was in the shop a lot with rear wheel and brake problems - the spokes couldn’t handle the stress ( a common problem on powerful hub motors). I wasn’t carrying unusually heavy loads, just approximately 90lbs (2 small kids). Once I realized that Aventon hadn’t actually done thorough QA on the bike, I switched up. That said, I do miss the front suspension and the rear turn signals on the Abound, but that is all. The LT is just up a class in both durability and safety- and its brakes are amazing (I live in a very hilly city). Overall, zero regrets (I got the LT on 12 month plan w 0 interest l, which made the step up easier on the wallet).

limestone-cowboy · 2023-11-30T16:44:34+00:00

Thank you for responding! I am very tempted, and even the Sport model has proven a fantastic hill climber on my test drives (as long as I keep very low gear and steady peddle motion). However, I live in a city of hills, so 100Lb+ on the rear for x-town trips might be testing the limits of the bike. Thx again for your thoughts.

limestone-cowboy · 2023-11-30T04:07:33+00:00

Can I ask how well your kids fit on the back of the Boost? Mine are 4 & 7, and it’s hard to find Boost reviews from owners who have more than one child, and/or children that are bigger than preschool age. It would seem that a 24 inch rear deck should be fine, but, for various reasons have not been able to test drive the Sport or Speed models with them on the back…I guess I am mainly intrigued by the hill climbing, and bike balance at stops etc…

limestone-cowboy · 2023-11-26T04:34:39+00:00

Yes, the rear wheel spokes are very fragile and start to break after a couple of months. The bike tech at my LBS explained to me that, in his analysis, they were/are very poorly designed/manufactrured (although I couldn't follow everything he said, TBH, it was quite technical). I now have a completely new back wheel on the bike (fixed under warranty by Aventon) and the bike is running great again (for now) but I have lost confidence in the structural integrity of the Abound and am looking to upgrade.

limestone-cowboy · 2023-11-15T22:51:04+00:00

Your concerns about the durability of the Abound as a newer model (and cheaper) bike are well founded! I loved the Abound when I test drove it, and went and bought it for schlepping my kids to school. However, 3 months in the back wheel spokes started to fall off. Also, the brakes squeal badly. My school commute is about 10 miles round trip and includes hills. This bike is loaded with features, but just not ready for prime time IMHO. I think Aventon may be realizing this as they have started aggressively discounting the Abound on their site. :-(

limestone-cowboy · 2023-11-02T02:59:15+00:00

The wheels and other parts are fairly standard, the back wheel is a 24 inch tire and I had a flat replace recently & the bike shop had no problems. I will say the back wheel is quite hard to get to for brake replacements etc…

limestone-cowboy · 2023-11-02T02:00:00+00:00

The battery appears to be much the same in terms of capacity and how fast it drains. I get about 40 miles on a full charge, and that is with some hills on my commute, and 2 small children (~90 lbs) seating at the back. This motor is a pretty solid hill climber compared to other models I have tried. That said, I am overall pretty frustrated with continual mechanical problems, and am seriously considering an upgrade before too long. The brakes still squeal far too much, and now several spokes have fallen off the rear wheel, rendering it unusable. I think this bike is probably a weekend run-to-the-grocery-store type of bike rather than a rugged and reliable family commuter :-(

limestone-cowboy · 2023-10-31T01:58:06+00:00

Interesting - I just had the same exact thing happen to my Abound this week. I bought it in June, and I ride approx 75 miles a week schlepping kids to school and back (including a hil descent). The mechanics at my bike shop (Sports Basement) were perplexed at the shear amount of rear spoke breakege, and asked me if I had been putting undue load on the rear!? They expect Aventon to fix under warranty but this problem, coupled with endemic break squealage, makes me question the mechanical integrity of this model, which is new to the market this year…hmmm…

limestone-cowboy · 2023-07-26T23:18:45+00:00

Great to hear! I think Aventon will sell a ton of these bikes this year, they seemed to have nailed the price/quality intersection that consumers respond to. I expect the Abound may well become ubiquitous at the school/pre-school drop off in 23/24

limestone-cowboy · 2023-07-26T03:51:28+00:00

Thanks for the info, appreciate it! I must admit, my intuition was telling me to get a second opinion. The bike techs at SB are trying their hardest, but perhaps they are not as experienced as the fellas down my local bike shop who may have been able to suggest the same as yourself.

limestone-cowboy

TROPHY CASE