I seem to remember someone doing this a few years back and really enjoying it, so I thought I'd give it a shot with the condensed schedule leaving so many games on the schedule each night. I'm ranking each game in three categories: competitiveness, importance, and style points/storylines (which includes star power, the style of basketball, and any intriguing stories to watch). I'll include a survey at the end where you can predict the winners of each game!
Let me know if this is something you'd like to see again!
10) Milwaukee Bucks (1-1) vs. New York Knicks (0-2) at 7:30 pm EST
Where to Watch: League Pass
Spread: Milwaukee -11
Last Meeting: January 14th, 2020. RJ Barrett drained five threes and Bobby Portis scored 20 off the bench, but the Bucks dominated the Knicks at Fiserv Forum 128-102. The two teams combined for a whopping 79 points in the third quarter.
The Bucks have won their last five meetings with the Knicks, with the last New York win coming in an overtime thriller at the Garden in December of 2018.
Competitiveness: A championship contender that dismantled the Warriors by 40 facing the Knicks on the tail end of a back-to-back. Not much else to say here. 1.5/10
Importance: This game is essentially a scheduled win for the Bucks, and a chance for the Knicks to test their young guys and let them grow up a little. Unfortunate that Obi Toppin will be on the sidelines for this one. 2/10
Style Points: The high-flying Bucks offense has been off to another hot start, topping the 120 point mark in both of their games. The Knicks' young guns have shown promise and made so flashy plays, but they also turn the ball over a lot. Neither team tends to foul a lot or shoot a ton of free throws, which will help game flow.
Some might keep an eye on Giannis' free throw shooting, but the real story to watch is RJ Barrett's three point accuracy. He lit it up from distance against Indiana, but struggled mightily against Philly. Can he take a step forward in that department this season?
Bonus points for the MSG crew calling this game. 6/10
Overall Rating: 3/10
9) Brooklyn Nets (2-0) vs. Charlotte Hornets (0-2) at 7:00 pm EST
Where to Watch: NBA TV
Spread: Brooklyn -7.5
Last Meeting: February 22nd, 2020. The Nets used a third quarter explosion to turn a comfortable win into a rout as they won 115-86. Luwawu-Cabarrot led the team in scoring with 21, while Garrett Temple of all people snagged eleven boards.
Competitiveness: The Nets have steamrolled over their competition so far, blowing out the Warriors and Celtics by 20+ points. The Hornets have struggled with two losses to non-contenders, and come into this game on the wrong end of a back-to-back. 1.5/10
Importance: A contending Nets team cannot afford to drop games like this one, especially in the early part of the season when there are so many eyeballs on KD and Kyrie. The Hornets could really use a positive performance to get their season headed in the right direction. 4/10
Style Points: The Nets have stars all over the court and have looked like a juggernaut early this season, making them one of the most intriguing teams to watch, and a fun one too, as they've played fast and made lots of threes. Charlotte ranked last in pace of play last season but seems to be trying to pick things up. You'll get the Charlotte crew for this game on NBA TV, and they call a fun game.
Terry Rozier and Gordon Hayward are two guys to pay attention to- Rozier dropped 42 on a Cavs team that sucks at defending point guards. Is he headed for a breakout season? Hayward was shut down by the Thunder last night and will look to get things going. Plus LaMelo Ball! 8/10
Overall: 4.4/10
8) Golden State Warriors (0-2) vs. Chicago Bulls (0-2) at 8:00 pm EST
Where to Watch: League Pass
Spread: Golden State -2.5
Last Meeting: December 6th, 2019. Glenn Robinson III made the go-ahead layup with a minute left and a very different looking Warriors team beat the Bulls 100-98 in Chicago. Denzel Valentine was ejected in the third quarter for yelling at the Warriors' bench.
Competitiveness: The Warriors have been blown out by two great teams so far. The Bulls have been blown out by two mediocre teams and just played a deflating contest against the Pacers last night. 4.5/10
Importance: Both teams could really use their first win of the season. The Warriors cannot afford to lose to teams like the Bulls if they're going to contend for the playoffs. This probably still figures as a matchup of two non-contenders, though. 5.5/10
Style Points: The Bulls have lots of exciting young players, but they seem turnover-prone and have struggled to score. Neither team has been able to stop literally anyone on defense so far (lol thanks Golden State for taking Wiggins), so there's a chance this turns into one of those ridiculous shootouts where both teams top 70 in the first half.
Patrick Williams looked good in his first game against the Hawks, but the Pacers were able to shut him down. Watching him adjust to the breakneck pace of games and the new level of competition will be interesting. The Warriors will need to find other sources of offense besides Curry and Wiseman, and this game is a perfect chance for them to do so. Definitely opt for the Chicago broadcast if you tune in. 4.5/10
Overall: 4.8/10
** 7)Philadelphia 76ers (2-0) vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (2-0) at 7:30 pm EST**
Where to Watch: League Pass
Spread: Philadelphia -6
Last Meeting: February 26th, 2020. The Sixers had to play most of the game without their two best players as Joel Embiid left in the first quarter with a sprained shoulder. The Cavs, then the worst team in the East, led the entire way and won 108-94.
Competitiveness: The Cavs look like a much better team this year as Sexton has another year under his belt and they have Drummond underneath. There's a long way to go to challenge the Sixers, though, and they played an exhausting two-overtime trench war with the Pistons last night while Philly coasted to an easy win over the Knicks. 5/10
Importance: Definitely a litmus test game for the Cavs- can they hang with Philly and prove that they can be that dangerous team no one wants to face in the east play-in tournament? The 76ers might be looking past this game as they have a big clash with Tampa Bay coming up on Tuesday. 4/10
Style Points: This game gives us two matchups between stars. Joel Embiid has been on a mission to start this season, following up his 29/14 against Washington with a 27/10 against the Knicks. His matchup with Andre Drummond will be one to watch. At point guard, Simmons-Sexton could be an even more exciting face-off. The Cavs have played a more fun style of basketball this season, using Sexton to ignite a high pressure defense that stole a win in Detroit. That double-overtime win might prove costly tonight, though, when they run out of gas against a deeper and more talented Sixers team. Bonus points for the Cavs having that really fun color guy, I guess. 6.75/10
Overall: 5.25/10
6) Minnesota Timberwolves (2-0) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (1-1) at 10:00 pm EST
Where to watch: NBA TV
Spread: Los Angeles -11
Last Meeting: December 8th, 2019. AD dropped half a hundred and LeBron put up 32 and thirteen assists as the Lakers won a 142-125 slugfest. The Wolves hung around and trailed by only seven after three quarters before LA pulled away.
Competitiveness: The Wolves are off to a surprising 2-0 start, including an impressive win in Utah last night. Most would write this off as a scheduled loss, though, with a back-to-back against the defending champs and KAT getting dinged up at the end of the Jazz game. Still, it will be interesting to see how this new-look Wolves team trades punches with AD and Bron in the first half. 6/10
Importance: The Lakers seem to finally be settling into the new season after a disappointing showing on opening night, and will be looking for another statement win. Some Wolves fans have speculated that they will rest KAT after his injury scare tonight. I'd expect him to play, but no one in Minnesota thinks they will win this game. 3/10
Style Points: Anthony Edwards going up against two of the best in the game? DLo back in LA? Upstarts against the defending champs? Top notch storylines for this game, where the first half will be a good litmus test for Minnesota, before fatigue probably sets in for guys like Edwards and Culver and the game gets pretty ugly.
Minnesota's defense looks much improved this season, and their explosive bench can keep this game fun. And you know what you're getting with the Lakers' stars. Unfortunately the NBA TV rights to this game mean most fans will get the LA crew and miss out on the top notch Fox Sports North announcers. 8/10
Overall: 5.6/10
5) San Antonio Spurs (2-0) vs. New Orleans Pelicans (1-1) at 7:00 pm EST
Where to Watch: League Pass
Spread: New Orleans -5
Last Meeting: August 9th, 2020. The Spurs and Pels faced off for a high-scoring showdown in the bubble that saw the two teams combined for 77 fourth quarter points. JJ Redick went off and hit eight threes and Zion chipped in 25, but the rest of their teammates shit the bed and the Spurs won 122-113.
Competitiveness: The Spurs are off to a fast start, most recently squeaking out an impressive win over the Raptors last night. The Pelicans have produced mixed results, but beat Tampa by a more impressive margin and have an extra day of rest. Expect a close one early, with New Orleans having a sizeable edge late. 6.5/10
Importance: Both teams figure to be in the hunt for the final playoff spots and will see each other plenty this season as they are both in the same division. I doubt the Spurs would sweat this B2B loss too much, though. 7/10
Style Points: Zion put up a highlight-worthy 32 and 14 on Christmas Day against the Heat, and the Pels look like a new team on defense, making them one of the most interesting squads to watch this year. Ingram, Redick, Hart, and Lonzo can combine for an offensive explosion at any time. The Spurs can play kind of a bland style sometimes, especially with 35 year old LaMarcus Aldridge playing on a back-to-back. Dejounte Murray, who just posted his first career triple double and looks much improved this season, will be an interesting to player to watch today. This one feels like it could be a snooze-fest or a barn-burner, with nothing in between. 6.75/10
Overall: 6.7/10
4) Boston Celtics (1-1) vs. Indiana Pacers (2-0) at 8:00 pm EST
Where to Watch: League Pass
Spread: Boston -2.5
Last Meeting: Tuesday March 10th, 2020. The Celtics were the last team the Pacers faced before Miss Rona stepped in and put a stop to the basketball for awhile. Marcus Smart made the go-ahead layup to rescue Boston in the final minute after they blew a 19 point lead, and they held on to win 114-111. Sabonis posted a 28-9-8 night for Indiana.
Competitiveness: The Celtics have the rest advantage, as they got the night off to lick their wounds after a Christmas Night Stomping at the hands of KD and Kyrie, while the Pacers had to take the floor last night and beat up on the Bulls. The Pacers figure to be in the middle of the playoff pack, while the Celtics would like to challenge the Bucks and Nets at the top, and this game will be a huge early measuring stick for both teams. The Pacers will have home floor, which makes this anyone's game. 8/10
Importance: It's never too early to have a big game for playoff seeding! The Celtics will be anxious to prove that their opening game win against Milwaukee was no fluke, while the Pacers need to show us that they can beat someone better than the Knicks and Bulls. 7.5/10
Style Points: This is where this game kind of falls short. Tatum, Kemba, Sabonis, Brown, and others all provide lots of star power, but aren't the big names featured elsewhere on this list, and both teams tend to play slower, more defensive-oriented basketball. The Celtics' thumping at the hands of the Nets is more of a story for Brooklyn than for Boston, and Indiana has maybe been the playoff team that jumped off the page less than anyone else so far. Add in a game that's only broadcast locally and that overlaps with every other game but two and this game takes a bump in a packed Sunday night slate.
Still, this should be a very good game between two playoff teams, and a fun one to tune in for down the stretch if the Pacers keep it close. 5.5/10
Overall: 7/10
T-2) Orlando Magic (2-0) vs. Washington Wizards (0-2) at 7:00 pm EST
Where to Watch: League Pass
Spread: Washington -1.5
Last Meeting: Last night! The Magic and Wizards squared off for their first of back-to-back games, which was an exciting back-and-forth contest. The Magic had the edge on the glass for much of the game, which only intensified late as they pulled away and the Wizards started pressing and taking bad shots. Beal went off for 39 points while Westbrook posted a triple-double, proving that they can in fact play together just fine.
Competitiveness: Last night's game was a see-sawing battle for most of the evening. Orlando looks like the better team and one of the more improved squads in the East, if their win against Miami is any indication. Still, beating a team on their home floor twice in a row is extraordinarily difficult, and the Wizards get to regroup and see if they can fix their rebounding woes against the same team. Expect another entertaining toss-up!9/10
Importance: Both teams are in roughly the same boat: improved squads who will likely find themselves sitting on the edge of the Eastern Conference playoff field. They won't see each other again in the first half of the season, and to pick up a quick two games on their competition would be an enormous boost for Orlando. 7.5/10
Style Points: The Wizards have been playing a fun new style with Russ and Bradley Beal sharing the load on offense, and early speculation about how the pair will get along on the court has been promising. The Magic get the job done with comparatively little star power, but Vucevic has always been one of the more underrated players in the league and deserves some recognition. Terrence Ross and Davis Bertans will be other players to keep an eye on- Ross has been extremely hot offensively in his first two games, while Bertans is a streaky shooter who can be the key to Washington winning or losing.
Perhaps the most interesting storyline, though, is the back-to-back baseball-style two game series. College leagues are trying this out across the country and we've seen in leagues like the MAAC, Mountain West, and others how hard it is for superior teams to beat the same team on consecutive nights. We've also gotten a glimpse of this in the NBA preseason. This time, the teams are very evenly matched. How will the Wizards adjust tonight? What effect will the wonky scheduling have? 8/10
Overall: 8.2/10
T-2) Dallas Mavericks (0-2) vs. Los Angeles Clippers (2-0) at 3:30 pm EST
Where to Watch: NBA TV
Spread: Los Angeles -5
Last Meeting: August 30th, 2020. The Clippers knocked the Mavs out of the first round of the playoffs, winning Game 6 after the game was moved back due to the player strike. Doncic dropped 38 and Dorian Finney-Smith chipped in 16, but only one other Dallas played cracked double digits. L.A. moved on to the next round where they cruised through the first four games against the Nuggets and...oh wait hahahahahahahahahaha.
Competitiveness: The Mavs need to get their shit together. They posted a close opening night loss against the Suns and then got their doors kicked in by the Lakers... neither of those are alarming results, but they're not the mark of a playoff team. The Clippers are angry at the way last season ended, ready to take it out on the league, and they've looked like a juggernaut with Nic Batum in their lineup, putting up convincing wins over the other top two teams in the West. Doncic can keep any game close, but he needs his teammates to carry some of the load, and the Clippers are still the clear favourites here. 6.5/10
Importance: Dallas needs to show that they can beat playoff teams, as their schedule for the next few weeks doesn't get any easier after tonight. They'll face the Heat, Rockets, Magic, Nuggets, and Pelicans. They'll have to figure out who their second and third best scoring options are in the process. Both teams will be looking for a statement win on a national stage- they're the only teams playing in the afternoon tomorrow and get a national broadcast on NBA TV. 8/10
Style Points: Kawhi... Luka... PG13.... could you really get any more star power? The Mavs looking for revenge on the team that knocked them out of the playoffs by beating them in a Sunday Showcase game (albeit on NBA TV) in their house provides a great story to go along with the stars. The Clippers have been red hot from three point range to start the season, and a Mavs defense that allowed 138 points to the Lakers will probably provide plenty of opportunities for more fireworks. If not for the potential of a lopsided final score, this would be the #1 game of the day. Tune into this instead of football on a relatively light NFL day. 10/10
Overall: 8.2/10
1) Phoenix Suns (1-1) vs. Sacramento Kings (2-0) at 9:00 pm EST
Where to Watch: League Pass
Spread: Phoenix -3.5
Last Meeting: Last night! Sacramento jumped out to a 15-2 lead, but the Suns almost immediately cut that in half, and tied the game early in the third quarter. The teams traded baskets for much of the second half, with DeAaron Fox and Buddy Hield carrying the offensive load for the Kings, who held on to win thanks to some timely offensive rebounding from Richaun Holmes.
Competitiveness: Aside from the early flurry from the Kings, these teams were as evenly matched as they come, trading punches for the entire second half. The Suns probably won't shoot 11-44 from three point range again tonight, and the Kings will probably take better care of the basketball. Regardless, we're in for a fascinating rematch of two Western Conference playoff hopefuls. 10/10
Importance: Both the Suns and the Kings are exciting young teams with opportunities to improve on last season, and both figure to end up in that 7-10 seed range in the Western Conference. These two teams won't see each other again in the first half of the season, and the Suns cannot afford to drop back-to-back contests against one of their competitors for the last couple of playoff spots. The Kings, meanwhile, were largely overlooked by fans and writers heading into the season and look poised to outperform expectations. Going 3-0 to start the season would do a lot to quiet the doubters. Regardless, this two game series will likely end up mattering down the road. 8/10
Style Points: The Suns were the talk of the NBA Bubble in August and have continued turning heads with their opening night win against the Mavs. Chris Paul's presence at point guard allows them to run a better offense than "just let Devin Booker chuck as many threes as he wants and hope Ayton rebounds enough to let us eke out a close win". They're still a fun, up-tempo team that shoots lots of threes, and finally play some good defense if that's your thing too. Sacramento announced themselves as a team not to be slept on with their opening night win against the Nuggets (thanks Will Barton), and the trend continued last night. They've attempted the fewest threes of any team through two games this year, and their game plan of Fox driving and everyone crashing the glass gives us an intriguing contrast of styles.
Like I mentioned for the Wizards game, the baseball-style series also presents us with interesting questions to answer in this game (how will the Suns adjust on the glass? can the Kings beat the same team twice in a row?), and a nerve-wracking two games between two teams who are very close in talent level and playoff hopes. Perhaps most importantly, Phoenix's broadcast is the only one on League Pass so far that has figured out their on-court audio and actually sounds normal. Keep that one in mind! 8/10
Overall: 8.7/10
I also made a Google Form where you can pick all the winners of today's games... I'll link that below. Thought it would be cool to see how Reddit does predicting the winners. I'll close the form at 3:30 when the Mavs and Clips tip off. I'll try to pare this down length-wise if and when I do this again. Thanks for reading!
Pick the winners here!

Section One: Assets and Debt
Retirement Balance: $35,000 in a SEP IRA through my employer. They match 2% if I contribute at least 4%. I currently contribute 8%.
$21,000 in my husband’s Roth IRA. He’s a PhD student and the university doesn’t let him contribute to a retirement account pre-tax, so we’ve been maxing a Roth for him each of the last few years. We haven’t yet put in the full amount for this year but have it set aside in our savings.
Savings account balance: About $42,000 spread across a couple of accounts.
Checking account balance: Around $4000.
Investments: About $15,000 in CDs which will be part of a down payment at some point.
About $20,000 in a mutual fund; my parents threw I think $1000 into this when I was very young and have just let it sit and grow since then. This will also probably go towards a down payment.
HSA: $1200. I was able to contribute to an HSA when I was on health insurance through my employer; I’m now on my husband’s health insurance because he has a great and inexpensive plan through the university, but I can’t contribute to this account anymore.
Credit card debt (and how you accumulated it): None, we pay off our credit cards in full each month.
Student loan debt (for what degree): None for me; I received a merit-based scholarship that covered one year of undergrad and my parents graciously covered the rest along with living expenses. My husband’s parents paid for his undergrad degree. Tuition is waived for his PhD program, so no debt from that.
Section Two: Income
Income Progression: I’ve worked at the same company since I graduated college (over 6 years now). I started in an entry-level role in 2014 with a $29,000 salary. After about a year, I got promoted to the role I’m in now and also received a raise to $36,000. In 2018, I asked for a raise and got bumped up to $43,000. I’ve also received a small cost of living raise every year, which brings me to where I am now at about $45,000. (All of these numbers are salary only, not including bonuses; I did receive significant bonuses every year, and the amounts have increased year-over-year--I just don’t remember how much I received each year.)
Main Job:
Me: Last year I made $62,000 pre-tax. As mentioned, my salary is about $45,000, and I expect to get in the neighborhood of $17k in bonuses this year, possibly more. I take home $2725/month after taxes and 8% retirement contribution.
Husband: He makes $29,000 pre-tax as a PhD student. He takes home $2081 per month after taxes and both of our health insurance (I don’t remember what the monthly premium is).
Side Gig:
I’ve picked up a side job this year helping students prepare their personal statements/essays for their college applications, and I expect to make between $4000-$5000 from that total for the year. The amount I make per month varies, and I have to estimate my own taxes, so I set aside money for that from each weekly paycheck.
Section Three: Expenses
Rent: $1115 (includes $25/month fee for having a cat). We have a 2 bed/1 bath apartment in the suburbs of a MCOL city, and heat and water are included in our rent.
Renter’s insurance: $21.25
Investment contribution: $500/month towards my husband’s Roth IRA
Donations: $478/month in recurring donations. About half of that goes to our church and the rest is split among a variety of other charities/organizations. We also usually set aside another $50-$75/month for anything extra that comes up that we want to give to; lately this has included things like Fair Fight and the runoffs in Georgia, our local tenant resource center, and our local food pantry.
Electric: Anywhere from $40-$100 depending on the time of year; right now it’s about $50.
Wifi: $70
Cellphones: $175 (includes service, leases for both our phones, and insurance for both phones)
Subscriptions: Spotify Premium Duo for $13.70, Disney Plus for $7, we use my husband’s parents’ Netflix, Hulu is free with our phone plan, and we’re on my parents’ Amazon Prime account.
Pet expenses: We don’t budget a set amount monthly specifically for our cat, but her prescription food costs about $35 every six weeks, and we also always keep a few hundred dollars earmarked for occasional vet expenses.
Car insurance: $78.16/month (total for 2 cars)
Car registration: $226/year so we budget $19/month (total for 2 cars)
School fees: This varies and is paid on a semester basis, but we budget about $100/month for fees for my husband’s grad program. He doesn’t have to pay tuition but he does have to pay these fees (I’ll take it).
Costco membership: $60/year so essentially $5/month
Gas: $75, but this is hard to estimate
Groceries: We’re budgeting about $350 right now--a little more than in the before times but our entertainment budget is a little less to compensate.
Entertainment: $200 (see above)--in normal times this would include going out to eat, going to concerts or sporting events, etc. Now it’s pretty much just takeout.
Allowance/personal spending money: $100 each for my husband and me, which rolls over to the next month if we don’t use all of it.
This is getting long but we also budget on a monthly basis for personal care, household items, and alcohol, and for many other things on a medium-to-long-term basis in sinking funds. We use a zero-based budget, so every dollar we bring in gets allocated somewhere.
Section 4: Money Attitudes
Was there an expectation for you to attend higher education? Did you participate in any form of higher education? If so, how did you pay for it?: Yes, both of my parents have master’s degrees, and I was a very good student growing up, so it was always a given that I would pursue higher education. I have a BA and double-majored in communications and writing. I’ve covered above in the student debt section how my degree was paid for; I’m very blessed to have had my parents provide for me in this way, and I realize it has given me a huge leg up as far as savings and financial stability goes.
Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have around money? Did your parents educate you on finances?: We didn’t have a ton of conversations around money, but my parents are (as far as I can tell) very responsible with money and live well within their means, so I think I’ve learned from their example more so than from explicit instruction. We lived pretty frugally growing up, and it’s clear to me now that my parents could have had a newebigger house, nicer car, better vacations, etc, but chose not to so that they could follow through on their commitment to paying for a degree, a car, and a wedding for each of their children (which, again, has given me an enormous financial advantage in my adult life). I did have an allowance growing up and was always taught to put at least 10% toward giving, 10% to savings, and then I could do what I wanted with the rest of it, which I think was a great mindset to have from an early age.
What was your first job and why did you get it?: Maybe working the cash snack bar at our neighborhood pool when I was in middle school? I also babysat from a fairly young age. I worked a couple of other random and short-lived part-time jobs during high school and college but didn’t make much money from them and didn’t need them for my living expenses since my parents were fully supporting me.
Did you worry about money growing up?: I never worried about money growing up. If my parents had financial hardships during my childhood, they never let it show.
Do you worry about money now?: I used to worry about money a lot for the first several years of my marriage. I knew we had a good amount of money saved, but we didn’t have that money earmarked for particular things (emergency fund, travel, car maintenance, medical expenses, etc), so whenever a big expense came up, I got incredibly anxious because I didn’t really know where that money was coming from or whether this expense was leaving us vulnerable in another area. Switching to a zero-based budget and having designated savings funds for all major expenses (both recurring and unpredictable) has created an enormous amount of freedom for me with money. I don’t freak out anymore when we go to spend $1500 on plane tickets for a trip (hypothetical right now, of course) because I can see the money we have set aside in our travel fund for that exact purpose, and I know that spending that money isn’t affecting our ability to deal with an emergency because we have a separate emergency fund for that. All that to say, I don’t experience much anxiety about money anymore and I credit our budgeting system for that in a big way.
At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself and do you have a financial safety net?: I would consider myself financially responsible for myself once I got married, which was a few months after graduating from college. If my husband and I were to fall on hard times, both of our families would have the resources and the willingness to help us out to some extent.
Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income? If yes, please explain.
As mentioned above, my parents opened a mutual fund for me when I was very young with I think $1000 in it, but nothing has been added to that since. I have no idea about future inheritances or anything like that.
Note: the week I documented for this diary occurred in early December--a couple of weeks earlier than the date I’m posting this. Also, masks are a given anytime we leave the apartment.
​
Day 1: Thursday
7:00am: My alarm goes off; my husband (H) and I alternate snoozing each of our alarms for the next 40 minutes, which is a loud and frequent morning ritual that leads to no additional actual sleep but at least lets us stay in bed longer.
7:40am: I remember that I start work at 8 today instead of 9 (like most days), so I jump out of bed, take a quick shower, and get dressed. H’s brother calls so he is chatting with him on the phone while I get ready.
8:00am: I sign in to work; it looks like it will be another slow day (typical for this time of year), so I need to motivate myself to work ahead on some things. Instead, I check my personal email and read the news.
8:30am: For breakfast, I make a toasted whole wheat English muffin with butter and honey, grab a handful of grapes, and make a Nespresso. I eat at my desk while I semi-work and listen to podcasts (this morning, it’s Brene Brown’s Unlocking Us and the 5-minute NPR News Now). H leaves to go into work for a few hours; there are certain things he can’t do from home, but since the pandemic, everyone in his workplace can only work in-person (masked and distanced) during an assigned shift time in order to reduce the volume of people there, so he splits his workdays between the university and our home office (which we share). Thankfully, there’s never more than a handful of people there at the same time as him and his colleagues are conscientious about following COVID protocols, so we feel pretty comfortable with him going in.
11:15am: Hungry again; I snack on Moon Cheese, which are these crunchy cheese bites that we got from Costco a month or so ago. I don’t really like them. I take a break from my computer to make the bed and tidy up our bedroom a little.
12:00pm: Lunch break--I spend the first half hour putting on makeup since I have some video calls this afternoon and evening. Pre-COVID, I considered makeup a hobby and would wear it even if I didn’t have anywhere to go or anyone to see, but a lot of the joy has been sucked out of it for me. Now, I usually just wear the bare minimum to look “presentable” on Zoom. I’m trying to have more fun with it again, though, so today I use a multichrome eyeshadow from indie brand Clionadh Cosmetics that I haven’t touched in months. Once I’m done, I have a quick lunch of a sandwich and chips before my meeting.
1:00pm: I log onto my weekly team meeting for work; H gets home partway through and brings me my Panera coffee order that he picked up on the way home. We both have a free trial of Panera’s coffee subscription right now and are taking full advantage!
4:00pm: Done with work! H has an important meeting now, so I get out of the office to give him some privacy. I start prepping chicken enchiladas for dinner.
5:30pm: The meeting went great! We eat the enchiladas and end up with a ton of leftovers. I put the food away and knock out a few dishes.
6:00pm: We get on Zoom for our weekly church small group meeting. There was a time when we felt comfortable meeting outdoors and distanced, but at this point, we’re on Zoom for the foreseeable future. Not to mention it’s cold here now.
7:30pm: Small group is done! I get an automated email from my side job letting me know that a second draft of an essay I previously worked on is available for me to edit, so I grab my computer and work on that for a little while.
8:30pm: H runs to the store for two bottles of Liquid Plumr for our shower drain (the glamour!) and red wine ($28.45). Fun fact about Wisconsin: you can’t buy alcohol from a store (anywhere that’s not a restaurant/bar) after 9pm, so he gets the wine purchase in just in time. I finish the dishes while he’s gone.
9:00pm: We put one of those 4K fireplace YouTube videos on the TV, turn on the Christmas lights, and each have a glass of wine while chatting and looking through old photos on H’s phone. H also makes some pizza rolls as a snack and I eat a couple.
11:30pm: I get ready for bed and after watching TikToks together in bed for a little while, we go to sleep.
Total: $28.45
Day 2: Friday
8:00am: Snooze my alarm for an hour before finally getting up. I am really moving slow in the mornings these days. H left to go into work around 6:30, so I have the apartment to myself for a while. I tidy up a few things around the house and spend a little while reading on the couch; the cat joins me.
9:00am: I make a Nespresso and sign on to work. I work on some tasks and send emails while listening to NPR News Now and NY Times The Daily podcasts.
10:00am: For breakfast, I have an egg over easy on toast and some grapes, again eating while I work. I spend some time reading COVID news and looking at our county’s data dashboard; our county, and Wisconsin overall, have actually been consistently trending down lately as far as cases go, which is surprising. Our plans for Christmas are still up in the air; we have been hoping and planning to visit our immediate families since we haven’t seen them in a year, but I’m still worried about the risk involved even if we are as careful as possible (quarantining beforehand, getting tested, driving instead of flying, etc). We’re putting off making a decision as long as we can.
11:30am: Our small group is “adopting” (buying Christmas gifts for) a family from a local school our church partners with, and I’ve been tasked with helping organize this, so I create a sign-up list in a Google spreadsheet to share with our group so we can keep track of what items have been purchased. I also start filling out my self-evaluation for my semi-annual review at work, which is next week. There’s twice as many questions on this evaluation compared to ones from past years (why??), so good thing I’m getting a head start.
12:15pm: I snack on Moon Cheese to tide me over until my late lunch today, but I’m still hungry afterward and craving something sweet, so I have a handful of cookies and cream popcorn that I bought a couple weeks ago to support a friend’s kid’s fundraiser (twist my arm, right).
1:00pm: Break time--I do a 20 minute full body HIIT workout from a MadFit YouTube video that really kicks my ass (my upper body and core strength is pretty dismal...I’m working on it). I shower, change, and for lunch I have leftover pesto and tomato pasta and half of an apple. We stan Honeycrisp in this household.
2:00pm: Back to work. H gets home and brings in a few packages from the mail area downstairs (one of them is a Christmas gift for him with very obviously branded packaging...oops). The other is a couple of books I ordered from Bookshop when they were having their Black Friday weekend free shipping promotion: Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language by Gretchen McCulloch, which is about how the internet is changing the English language, and Dune by Frank Herbert, which I can’t believe I’ve never read but definitely want to before the movie comes out next year!
3:30pm: I knock out some tasks for work and then take a break to carry our overflowing laundry basket downstairs to the basement laundry room and start two loads. I pay using our prepaid card that we reloaded a few weeks ago, so there’s no actual cost today. As a side note, I will greatly prioritize in-unit laundry wherever we live next. I really hate lugging a heavy laundry basket up and down multiple flights of stairs (and it’s always heavy because we put it off because we hate doing it so much. Vicious cycle.)
4:00pm: Time to switch the laundry over. On my way back upstairs I check our mailbox and see that we got a letter from our bank letting us know that an instance of fraud we had reported a few months ago had been verified and the temporary credit they had applied to our account is now permanent. So that’s a relief! Thankfully there was not much money in the account to begin with (it’s one that we use for travel because there are no foreign transaction fees and they refund us any ATM fees), but this is the second time this year we’ve had an issue with fraud (different accounts and banks each time).
5:00pm: Done with work; H brings up the laundry and we fold it together. H isn’t hungry yet but I am, so for dinner, I heat up some leftover ham and potato soup (made with leftover ham from Thanksgiving...it’s leftovers all the way down!) and make a boring salad--spring mix with diced tomato and Caesar dressing.
6:00pm: We head to Costco together, stopping first to get gas for H’s car ($22.29). We only have a few things on our Costco list but end up coming home with ginger beer, sparkling water, toilet paper, paper towels, two bottles of wine, prosciutto, pains au chocolat, a Ghirardelli chocolate assortment, cinnamon cranberry goat cheese, tikka masala sauce, sundried tomatoes, and olive oil ($127.98). Several impulse buys in there for sure, but we allow ourselves some of those since we only go to Costco once a month. I was amazed that they had both TP and paper towels in stock at the same time so we couldn’t pass that up--we were getting low on both anyway.
7:00pm: Back home, we unload the groceries and put everything away. I microwave and eat one of the pains au chocolat--these were a good purchase. I pour a glass of wine, H has a beer, and we repeat the same scene as last night: fire on the TV, Christmas lights on, chatting about life and the future--these are our favorite types of nights together. Since H didn’t eat dinner and I’m still hungry too, we pull together a makeshift charcuterie plate with what we have around the house and it actually turns out pretty well! Salami, prosciutto, the cranberry cinnamon goat cheese we just bought, Boursin cheese, and crackers.
9:30pm: H mentions this game he saw someone playing on Twitch called Late Shift, which is less like a video game and more like a choose-your-own-adventure movie. We decide to download it and try it out ($13.70) and H makes Moscow mules for us to drink while we play. It’s an interesting concept but falls a little flat for us in its execution; a lot of times, you’re given two options and you choose one, but the result you get still ends up being essentially the same as if you chose the other option, so it doesn’t really feel like the choices matter--which I would think is the whole point, right? We get bored of it after a while and decide to stop halfway through and maybe pick it up again another time.
11:30pm: We both get ready for bed, scroll TikTok for a little while, then fall asleep.
Total: $163.97
Day 3: Saturday
8:30am: Both of us wake up around the same time. It’s nice to get to sleep in together; often, H has to go into work on Saturday mornings, but not today! I put on a little makeup, then H makes us coffee and I drink mine while updating our budget spreadsheet with yesterday’s purchases.
10:00am: We join a Zoom call for a standing-invitation Saturday morning virtual brunch with a few friends and friends-of-friends. I warm up a pain au chocolat and slice up the other half of the apple from yesterday and eat as discreetly as possible while we all chat.
11:15am: I say goodbye to everybody and head out to my haircut and color appointment; I haven’t been since June, so it’s definitely needed. My hairdresser and I chat about COVID and the holidays. With tip, my total is $165 (I actually mean to tip a little more but do my mental math wrong--ugh).
1:30pm: I get home from the salon and am surprised to find that the Zoom brunch hangout is still ongoing, so I pop in again to say hi. I’m super hungry, so I heat up leftover enchiladas for me and H for lunch. I feel weird about eating anything on camera really, but I definitely draw the line at eating enchiladas on camera, so I eat in the kitchen while H wraps up the Zoom call. I want something sweet so I grab a couple pieces of chocolate afterwards, too.
2:00pm: H goes in our office to play Minecraft with some friends for the rest of the afternoon. I check to see if there’s work available for my side job, but there’s nothing. It’s been the slowest week for essay volume that I can remember since I started this job, which means I definitely won’t get a paycheck for this week (I have to earn at least $100 to get paid by the end of the week; if I don’t hit $100, the amount rolls over to the next week). Having a side job like this that I can pick up and work on almost anytime is a double-edged sword in that it’s great to have that flexibility, but I also find myself feeling guilty if I have time to work and I choose to do something fun or relaxing with my free time instead.
2:30pm: I’m part of my church’s communications/social media team and I’m scheduled to put up a post today, so I spend a few minutes pulling that together on Instagram. Then I decide to check for essays one more time and I find there’s one available, so I grab it and work on that for a while. It’s a bit of a tricky one and takes me about twice as long as it should, so I finish feeling kind of frustrated.
4:00pm: I take care of a few things around the house, including unloading/reloading the dishwasher, cleaning the litterbox, and wrapping a couple of Christmas gifts. I have to put the cat in time-out because she keeps wanting to walk on the wrapping paper. I listen to an episode of the Around the NFL podcast while I work.
5:30pm: I make grilled cheese and tomato soup for dinner for me and H, and we eat together. I have some chips as well and some more chocolate. Making great choices.
6:00pm: H cleans up from dinner and does the dishes while I start reading Dune. I’ve been really wanting a fantasy novel I can lose myself in like I did as a kid, and I hope this will provide that for me. However, I definitely don’t have the attention span for reading that I did when I was younger, so I end up putting the book away to scroll on my phone for a while.
8:00pm: H and I get on a Google Meet call with some friends to play Jackbox games. We play several from the newest party pack; they’re super fun and it goes really smoothly over the video call (hasn’t always been the case when we’ve tried this in the past).
10:30pm: We say goodnight to our friends and wrap up the call. H goes back to Minecraft for a little while, and I catch myself scrolling mindlessly through my phone again and decide to just put it away for the night. I often find myself getting frustrated and annoyed lately by how much I’m on my phone for no good reason, so I’ve been trying to put it completely away for a while when I feel that way. I put my phone on the charger, wash my face, and put on a sheet mask.
11:45pm: I don’t remember how we spend the rest of the evening, but we still end up staying up pretty late (for us). Oddly, I don’t feel tired at all, but once in bed I fall asleep immediately.
Total: $165
Day 4: Sunday
8:30am: We’re both awake; I must have slept really well because I feel more rested than I have in a while. H gets in the shower and I grab my phone to review my fantasy football lineup before the games this afternoon. My team got off to a strong start but has been on a losing streak the second half of the season; I’m no longer in the running for a playoff appearance, but it’s still fun week to week.
9:00am: H has to quickly stop by work so he leaves for a little while. I make coffee in the Chemex and drink it while reading Reddit and looking at emails. I also redeem our credit card cashback for the past month and update our budget spreadsheet (total from two cards is $87.96).
9:45: H is on his way home from work and calls to see if we want to get food along with our Panera coffee orders. That sounds good to me, so I place my order and get a breakfast sandwich: bacon, egg, and cheese on brioche, and hazelnut coffee with half and half. Since the coffee is free, my total with tip comes to $6.50. H’s is $5.26.
10:00am: I turn on the YouTube livestream of our church’s Sunday service; H gets home shortly after it starts with our Panera coffee and breakfast. My order is slightly wrong--ciabatta bread rather than brioche--which isn’t a huge deal at all but contributes to the ongoing experience that whenever we order takeout food, my order is almost always wrong and H’s never is. It’s kind of a running joke at this point because it’s happened so many times since COVID. We eat while watching the church livestream.
11:30am: After church, we turn on the pregame coverage for whatever NFL game is available in our area (it’s Lions-Bears), and I purchase a Christmas gift I’ve been considering for a while for a friend: a set of specialty cocktail bitters from Bittercube, which is based in WI. It comes out to $40.89 with shipping. I pick up an essay to edit and work on that for a little while with the game on in the background, occasionally checking my fantasy score (as expected, it’s not looking great).
1:30pm: For lunch, I make a salad with spring mix, prosciutto, dates, walnuts, goat cheese, and homemade cider date dressing. We switch to watching the Jaguars-Vikings game since H and I both have players in this game on our fantasy teams. I also grab another short essay to edit; I’m glad I’ve been able to pick up at least a few over the weekend.
3:00pm: I spend a while working on a cross-stitch project while watching the Packers-Eagles game. I grew up in a home where sports were always on TV on weekends/evenings, so there’s something comforting and familiar to me about having football on in the background even if I’m not always paying attention. Once I get bored of cross-stitching, I snack on some of the cookies and cream popcorn and watch the game while wasting time on my laptop. I read that Rudy Giuliani has COVID and can’t help but relish the schadenfreude a little.
5:00pm: I get an email from Target that something I had viewed was on sale; it’s the Anova sous vide we had been considering buying for H’s mom for Christmas. With the sale price, two additional 10% off promotions, and the tiny amount of Target Circle earnings on my account, it comes out to $84.01 all told. I purchase it for pickup at our local store; H will get it on his way back from work tomorrow.
6:00pm: Inspired by a TikTok recipe, I decide to pull out my Instant Pot and make creamy garlic parmesan chicken pasta. I have a glass of wine while I cook.
7:00pm: We eat in front of the TV while watching the start of the Sunday Night Football game. The pasta is delicious; I meant to make a veggie side to go with it but forgot. Carbs it is! I also warm up some leftover pumpkin crisp from Thanksgiving for dessert.
7:30pm: H cleans up from dinner, sweeps the kitchen, and takes out the trash. I spend the evening reading Dune and watching the rest of the game. When the game is over, H makes us whiskey sours and we watch TikToks and hang out for a while.
11:45pm: We finally make it to bed. I lay awake for a long time trying to imagine how I would even go about telling my mom we aren’t coming for Christmas if that’s what we decide. There’s no scenario in which that goes well.
Total: $136.66
Day 5: Monday
7:45am: I’m up, I’m up. No shower yet because I plan to work out at lunchtime. H has already made coffee and we hang out for a little while as we drink it.
9:00am: H leaves for work and I sign on to work. I actually have a decent amount to do today. For breakfast, I have some grapes and a warmed-up pain au chocolat.
10:30am: I’m browsing YouTube for something to put on in the background while I work and I see an SNL skit from this past weekend called “The Christmas Conversation” in my recommended feed. It’s exactly what I expect it to be and it both makes me laugh and want to cry--very relevant to my late-night imaginings yesterday.
12:30pm: One of my Christmas presents arrives: the first delivery of a Winc wine subscription. I don’t mind it not being a surprise; I specifically asked for this and I already knew H was getting it for me because he had to ask me to take the quiz about my wine preferences. I won’t open it until Christmas, though.
1:00pm: On my break, I do a 12-minute intense full body HIIT workout (another MadFit one), and the “intense” description in the title is accurate. That’s enough for me for one day, so I just pedal on our stationary bike for a few minutes to cool down before taking a shower. H gets home with our Panera coffees; I got iced coffee this time. I’m ravenously hungry from my workout, to the point of feeling a little faint, so I heat up pasta from last night for lunch, then end up grabbing some chips and a couple pieces of chocolate, too.
2:00pm: I try to buckle down and get some work done in the afternoon. At least what I have to do today is self-paced tasks rather than anything urgent or time-sensitive. I make some more progress on my self-evaluation and give some thought to what I want the next year at my job to look like. I have increasingly had opportunities to work with departments outside of support as my time at this company has gone on, and those opportunities tend to be the most gratifying parts of my job because I’m better able to use my skill set there and do work I enjoy. Ideally, I would eventually transition mostly or completely out of support and into some sort of role within the company where I can do more writing and editing (which is what I do a lot of in these side projects), but I don’t know if that will ever be a possibility.
5:00pm: For dinner after work, it’s leftovers again. I read Dune for a little while followed by sweeping the bathroom floor and vacuuming the rugs.
6:30pm: My mom wanted to catch up today so I give her a call. I have to reiterate to her that we are feeling hesitant about traveling for the holidays, but it’s clear she is not going to go down without a fight on this, and I can hear how upset she is. I try to be clear and firm about my concerns, but she’s my mom, so I also feel like I have to concede to her points wherever I can and not push things too hard. I get off the call feeling physically sick to my stomach.
7:15pm: H and I talk about Christmas and he is adamant that if we do go, my parents need to commit to at least a “soft” quarantine (no nonessential interactions/outings) for 10 days before we arrive because they are being pretty irresponsible in our view about who they see and what they do right now. Knowing what we do now about their own exposure, it’s becoming clear that they are almost certainly a bigger danger to us than we are to them. I text my mom and let her know about those ground rules (while still not committing to anything), and she seems open to that plan and asks some questions about what we are and aren’t comfortable with. I think she will do whatever she needs to for us to come, which we may be able to use to our advantage.
11:15pm: I feel totally drained from my conversation with my mom and my anxiety about the holidays, so I spend the rest of the evening vegging on the couch and watching Monday Night Football. I make a cup of peppermint tea and have a stroopwafel, and we eventually head to bed.
Total: $0
Day 6: Tuesday
5:30am: H had to leave for work really early today, which inevitably woke me up, and I think it threw the cat off too because while I try to go back to sleep, she spends the next couple of hours really leaning into her chaotic energy--tearing around the room at warp speed, jumping on the dresser, scratching the side of the bed and the walls. This used to be a common problem very early in the mornings but hasn’t happened in a while.
8:30am: The cat eventually chills tf out and I get maybe an hour more of sleep. I read news on my phone and respond to a few texts. I am feeling a little calmer today about holiday plans, but now H is texting me about how anxious he is feeling about everything. That’s the secret to marriage--just try not to both be freaking out at the same time. (Kinda joking, but kinda not?)
9:00am: I make a Nespresso and start work. For breakfast, I have an egg over easy on toast and some grapes. I feel so unfocused and unmotivated today, but I do submit my self-evaluation and make progress on some other tasks. I take a break to snuggle with my cat; I haven’t talked about her a lot in this diary but she’s my buddy and basically my shadow. She is super attached to me and her affection makes her wild antics worth it.
1:00pm: Aaaand as soon as I say something nice about her, she throws up on the bed. I clean it up and put the comforter and sheets in the laundry basket. I guess we’re doing laundry again. On my break, I edit a short essay revision and make boxed mac and cheese for lunch. H gets home with our Panera coffees and we split the mac and cheese.
5:00pm: I force myself to be reasonably productive throughout the afternoon. After work, I run out to do a few errands--I pick up a prescription from the Walgreens pharmacy drive-through ($2.68, I pay with my HSA), and I run into Target to get shampoo and conditioner for myself and a few things for H’s stocking ($55 even). Target is surprisingly deserted which is nice, and I’m able to get in and out quickly.
6:00pm: H did the laundry while I was gone, and we fold it together and remake the bed when I get home. I fill H’s stocking with the items I bought, which completes all of my gifts for him for this year.
7:00pm: We’re both tired of leftovers, so H suggests we make another charcuterie plate and have that for dinner. I have a small salad as well, and we eat while we watch...Tuesday Night Football? What a weird season. There’s a slim chance I could still win my fantasy game this week, so I’m somewhat invested in this game. I have a glass of wine.
10:00pm: I do not win my fantasy game. We get in bed at a reasonable hour but spend a while reading; I read a little of Well-Read Black Girl, which is a collection of essays that is my “nightstand” read at the moment, and a little of Dune. Lights out around 11.
Total: $57.68
Day 7: Wednesday
7:45am: Up and at ‘em. I shower, make coffee in the Chemex, blow-dry my hair, and read a little.
9:00am: H leaves for work, and I start work and make myself an English muffin with butter and honey and half of an apple for breakfast. I listen to an episode of The Daily podcast about the first doses of the COVID vaccine being administered in the UK. It’s hard to wrap my mind around the idea that we’ve finally reached this point, even though it’s still going to take a long time for things to feel anything like normal again for most people.
11:30am: I’m scheduled for another church social media post, and I fumble around in Illustrator for a while trying to get the image to look the way I want. I know there’s a ton of free basic courses/tutorials out there on how to use it, and I would probably get way more out of it and get less frustrated if I just went through one of those one weekend. H is pretty proficient in Illustrator, so he often helps me. I snack on some chips and the cat tries to as well.
1:00pm: The weather is mild today (upper 40s, sunny, and no wind), so I take a walk around the neighborhood on my lunch break and listen to The Ringer Fantasy Football Show. I have a sandwich and grapes for lunch when I get back.
2:00pm: H gets home with our Panera coffees right as I am getting back to work. He grabbed lunch out today, which cost $11.09. We both go online and book free COVID tests for next week, a few days before our tentative departure date for Christmas.
5:00pm: I have a steadily busy afternoon of work, but I get everything done. After work, I browse Etsy for a Christmas gift for a friend and land on a cute London-themed tea towel; we and our spouses were supposed to go to London together earlier this year and are hoping we can still make the trip happen next year. It’s coming from the UK, so shipping is expensive; the total comes out to $27.38. I don’t know if it will arrive before Christmas, but I don’t think I’ll see this friend to give it to her until after Christmas anyway.
6:00pm: Dinner is...you guessed it, leftovers. We finish off the enchiladas. Normally I would do a lot more cooking in a week, but I’ve just happened to make several meals lately that created a lot of leftovers.
8:00pm: Quiet evening at home. H has some work to do tonight from home; I read Dune and scroll Reddit for a while. I edit a short essay. H finishes wrapping my Christmas gifts and we hang out for a while.
11:00pm: We chat with some friends in a group text before eventually heading to bed.
Total: $38.47
At the end of each day please tally up your daily expenses. Then at the end of your diary please tally up all expenses in the following categories:
Food + Drink: $127.10
Fun / Entertainment: $13.70
Home + Health: $74.76
Clothes + Beauty: $165
Transport: $22.29
Other (all gifts): $187.38
Lastly, reflect on your diary! How do you feel about your spending? Was this a normal week for you? Has this inspired you to make changes or has it given you a “wow I’m doing pretty good” confidence boost? Is there anything you’re actively working on? No need to answer any or all these questions but just use this space to write any thoughts you have!
There are some outliers here as far as spending goes because of the gift purchases and the hair appointment which only comes around every 4-5 months, but beyond that, this was pretty normal weekly spending for us. Interestingly, I felt more self-conscious about sharing what I ate than about anything money-related--I tend to think of myself as a fairly healthy eater but I don't think that was the case this week!

Elephants

Winning at fantasy means making predictions and acting on them prior to other players. To do that, you don't always have the privileges of hindsight and deduction. You will need foresight and inference. I hope to offer a some good if not somewhat inferential arguments for why some early moves on this weekly (if I have time) post.
Fantasy thinking is often over-obsessed with statistical correlations at the expense of firm causal understanding of what is happening on the field. The forest is often lost for the trees. A combination of understanding the game of football, recognizing interconnected changes that will influence teams, and eye testing the games themselves is the best antidote to the groupthink, herd-mentality of fantasy football expertism which, time and again, proves spotty at best in anticipating changes.
Last week I posted this as "Eye-tested Takes" but I realized that's not what I was aiming for. A variety of posters and services watch the whole game and give you maximally thorough takes on every snap. I won't offer much of an opinion on players/teams I don't watch. I'll always watch enough. However, a lot of what I'll make as the case for picking up (or dropping) a player will be based on obvious things that are happening that rankings-myosis may miss.
There's always an elephant in the room that no one want's to acknowledge. This post gives fantasy advice that accounts for the elephants on the field.

Things I'm right about (so far):

1. Rivers Noodle Arm = Colts Lean into Jonathon Taylor:

With the quality of that offensive line, Mack going down, and Rivers looking like shit, Jonathon Taylor may end-up being a top-5 back this year. TY Hilton and Parris Campbell are going to disappoint you.

A bunch of commenters disagreed, insisting Hines was the guy to get and Taylor as a top-5 was nuts. This is an instance of the eye-test making people too smart. Yes, Taylor netted 22 yards on 9 carries week 1. Who cares, he was great in college (larger sample size) and more importantly, Rivers looks SOOO spent that Taylor is the only obvious bell-cow RB for what is probably the best O-line in the league. You want that. Rivers threw it 25 times in week two (down from 44). Taylor had 26 carries, 2 receptions, 110 yards, and 1 touchdown. It was obvious what had to happen in Indy but fantasy groupthink herded everyone toward Hines.
If you had the audacity to ignore me on this (/s), the good news is there's still time. His trade value has skyrocketed on most charts but he's not quite valued as a top back yet. If you get the feel someone is under-valuing him, don't wait longer because his first 2 TD game is going to make him inaccessible in a trade. The Colts defense is also looking good enough to maintain a lead throughout a game, opening-up more run play calls. (Rivers sucking is going to do that all the time anyway).
And if you still don't believe me, watch his highlights from this week and you'll see why he could be such a focal point. He does a lot of things that coaches like to lean-into: great ball security, adds 2-3 yards to the end of runs, explosive speed when he has big holes.
2.Browns Offense is fine:

Don't panic about the Browns offense. Baker Mayfield looked like trash but the running offense actually looked pretty good at times...Stefanski is the guy you need to believe in... The biggest takeway from the game isn't the Browns offense is bad, its that the Ravens defense is great.

Both Browns running back scored multiple TD's and registered more than 150 yards each week 2. Baker continued to suck and it didn't matter. Stefanski's offense is good and his coaching career is a testament to his talent. All-Ivy-League Football Player. First coaching job was in the NFL. They wouldn't let him leave for 14 years because they knew he was a talent.
So don't run from Chubb or Hunt yet. And if you have them both, start them both and don't feel bad (unless you have a clearly better option like Zeke too...then probably favor starting Kareem Hunt the larger your ppr value, but its a tough call). The Browns are a perfect storm that make both startable: (a) Both Chubb and Hunt have top-5 rb talent and it comes across when you watch them on the field. With good combinations of strength and speed, each one is TD risk on every snap. (b) Sefanski divides snaps very well. Both are getting touches-a-plenty. They just signed they're "back-up" RB to a new contract (I mean, how often does that happen in the modern NFL?). KS also divides snaps by drive, unless a drive gets very long, so even if Chubb is doing well, he's going to give Kareem Hunt a whole drive. (c) starting both is fading Baker which is smart. The Browns are going to increasingly realize that their offense is more effective with Baker doing less. They may even move to Case Keenum (their back-up, legit didn't know that last week) and that's fine for Chubb/Hunt.
I wouldn't run from OBJ or Jarvis Landry yet either, though Baker's ineptitude has got to make you worry. Think about what Minnesota offenses did over the years with Diggs, Theilen, etc. Both OBJ and Landry are going to be solid bets for big-play TD's (like OBJ's last Thursday) here and there but likely not breaking the top-10. Still, the talent ceiling is high with both so a buy-low scenario where you get them in a trade could pay-off if you bet on Stefanski more than Mayfield.
3. Deandre Hopkins is the WR1

Deandre Hopkins will be the #1 fantasy receiver this year... And most importantly, the offensive situation in Arizona is the perfect storm for his fantasy situation. Kyler Murray is good, but he's not working his way through progressions yet.

Hopkins nabbed a TD but only had 9 targets this week. I'll admit that I only watched Kyler Murray's highlights so forgive me if its there and I didn't see it, buuuuut...He's not completing passes to 2nd and 3rd reads. Its one read then run. That's great for Hopkins' stats because the further into the season they get, the MORE Hopkins is going to be involved on plays designed to chuck it to him, no matter what. Hopkins is one of those guys that's always open, and Kyler is a smart player who knows that AND knows he's not good enough yet to start looking for someone else if Hopkins is "covered". That may hurt the Cardinals at some point. But Hopkins is getting fed this season.
And obviously, a rash of injuries at WR has made this look to be a better prediction. Hopkins is already a stud in that offense and he's still learning it. His stock is only going up from here.
Its true the WR's new offenses typically do poorly. A couple of reasons why that's not true of Hopkins: (a) he's physically the most gifted receiver in the league. Randy Moss kicked ass his first year with the Patriots. Some players are talented enough that it doesn't take time, as long as they're smart as hell like Randy Moss or (b) Hopkins is an intelligent dude. He negotiated his own contract and didn't fuck it up. He wants to be G.M. Big brained guy, he'll pick up quickly. You can see that on the field, he's constantly looking back at Kyler to make sure he did the right thing on each play. (c) HOF'er in the WR room: Fitz will get him up to speed fast.
Quick note about Kyler Murray: He's tearing it up. One encouraging thing that you might not see how little he's allowing himself to be tackled. As a fantasy owner, that's encouraging because it suggests he can sustain a high running floor and not get injured. And there's an added assurance that he's putting those slides for zero yards (for example) on tape because the coaches see that too and are more willing to call more of those plays down the stretch. Still, I wouldn't compare him to Lamar Jackson last season yet. Lamar Jackson was throwing TD's to his 4th and 5th read in week 1 against the Dolphins last season. Murray may hit a scheme ceiling where defenses, especially good ones, start to take away his 1 and 2 and contain his run game (though it is strong and he has good vision).

Things I was totally wrong about: zero things!

HA! Next section!

Things I'm not right about yet but pretty soon I will be:

1. Joe Burrow AJ Green is going to be good.

If you watch the game, you see Joe Burrow fitting the ball into tight windows in clutch situations. In fact, he wasn't finding a lot of open receivers, he was throwing the ball well/correctly into great coverage and making lemonade. Also, AJ Green is looking fully healthy and like his old self.

Well, AJ Green was targeted 13 times and caught...3 of those passes for 29 yards. So clearly, the chemistry between them was oversold by me last week. Still, 13 targets is encouraging and so is the Bengals inability to run the ball. No matter how much they try, they're wretched run-blocking always leaves them down late in games and in 3rd-and-forever situations. They just let a rookie throw it 61 times.
Another consideration is that Denzel Ward was covering Green all night:

A.J. Green has had an up-and-down career vs. the Browns. Thursday’s game was on the down side, and it had mostly to do with Denzel Ward.
Green had three catches for 29 yards. Overall, Ward broke up three passes against the Bengals. And according to Next Gen Stats, Ward was making life difficult for Joe Burrow all night, forcing eight tight window passes in 11 targets as the nearest defender.

Green is still pretty low on trade value charts but stands to have a huge upside as Burrow's primary target.
2. Rodgers is back.

...are there really any physical traits that are important to his game that would fade significantly at 36 year's old? I didn't see any missing zip off of his throws. I did see fucking darts getting tossed all over the field into tiny windows.

Aaron Jones is the #1 fantasy RB right now so obviously saying Rodgers is fully back is pre-mature. However, he is impressing with some very, very pretty darts.
Also, the elephant on the field for the Packers is that Aaron Rodgers is a player driven by ego. Not a knock on him, he's just a guy who needs mojo to play at his finest. Maybe it required the stimulation of an insulting draft pick to prod him back into his HOF form. I'm not saying Rodgers can be a top 3 QB this year with Jackson and Murray running so well, but 4 or 5 doesn't seem out of reach.
Rodgers is pff top-graded QB right now btw.

Fresh takes:

1.The Ravens are the best defense in the NFL.
The loss of Earl Thomas is doesn't matter as much as what has been gained with Patrick Queen and L.J. Fort. Queen is incredibly fast and explosive underneath, getting into the backfield and making big plays. And L.J. Fort (top rated pff lb right now) combine to give them rangey-coverage, tackling, and pass break-up ability over the middle they didn't have before which has further weaponized they're depth at CB (Humphrey, Peters, Smith). Peters specifically is a ball hawk that's found a great home in Baltimore; he couldn't scheme well anywhere else but Harbaugh has found a way to give him the freedom to ball hawk. Over the long haul, Harbaugh has maintained a great defense, regardless of departures/changes, for years and years. When he has this much talent, his defenses are typically dominant.
Be warry of starting iffy players against them at any position.
They're worth trading for, I think the turnovedef TD potential makes them worth it.
2. J.K. Dobbins will break-out out as the preferred option in the Ravens backfield.
Mark Ingram and Gus Edwards have both proven to be reliable RB's for the Raven offense. But Ingram is 30 with over 200 carries in 3 of the last 4 seasons. Edwards has been reliable, a home-grown UDFA. But at 238lbs and without elite speed, he's leaving many big runs on the table.
Dobbins didn't attend the combine. But ran a 4.44 40...in high school:

Dobbins posted a 4.44s 40-yard dash, 4.09s short shuttle and a 43.1-inch vertical jump as a high school senior at the event. There are also many reports that Dobbins squatted over 700 pounds.

He has power running balance and break-out speed that NONE of the other backs in Baltimore have. 4th rounder Justice Hill was their attempt of to develop that speed last year but didn't break out.
A couple of elephants make this one a good bet:
(a) Lamar's durability -- right now, he's taking a bunch of carries because he's the only one in their backfield that has the speed to break huge runs. If Dobbins can fill that role, Lamar Jackson can afford to take fewer chances and John Harbaugh can opt to only drop him back to pass 7 times in the second half when they're winning, like what happened in week 2.
(b) that defense -- Baltimore's defense is going to be great enough this year to take over games, making steady doses of run plays inevitable as they'll spend a lot of games up by 2 scores. Yes, they were up like that a lot last year but their only homerun hitter in the backfield was Lamar (see above, Justice Hill wasn't getting it done).
Here's an example: this is a shot from Gus Edwards' 22 yard scamper last week:
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https://preview.redd.it/mhhhpzmkrxo51.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=3cdf46ac4bcce3e503729f909c0e787f85459eb9
The Ravens offensive line is good at opening holes like this. While it didn't prove important in this game (BAL was up 30-16 at the time), each run like this where a more explosive player could scored is an opportunity cost for the people calling plays. And its not just points left behind, its points scored while Lamar is watching like a fan. Its points that could allow more aggressive defensive play calling. If you're a coach for Baltimore, you don't necessarily want Lamar to have a gaudy stat-line every week if you're winning. If he can throw 16 passes in a game and then sit-out the 4th quarter, that's ideal from the franchise's perspective (though not so much for Fantasy managers). Each Ingram/Edwards run that coulda been a touchdown means there's more time on the field for Lamar, larger portion of the game where they're not playing a dominant lead, and higher chance that they'll lose because points were left on the field. They need someone else hitting home runs in the running game.
Am I fading Lamar because of all of this? Not yet. Eye test = that guy is a singular talent. His throwing motion is smooth like Vick's, just a gifted, effortless release. He's also great at mostly avoiding contact (though all contact is bad contact if you're his coaches). Great decision maker too. Makes multiple reads on plays. Can't say enough about how great of player he is. Still, Baltimore is well put-together enough that they may be able to functionally win without him. So don't be surprised if, especially approaching the playoffs, Baltimore starts calling plays that don't involve as much Lamar. What's scary is that they may be a complete football team without him and he's the reigning MVP.
Finally, Dobbins had two carries last week. One was for a 44 yard gain where the blocking was good but not nearly as good as the image above. Even if the transition to him isn't fast, he could force the issue like Chubb did his rookie year, gaining 100 yards on 3 carries in a game.
No matter what, the Ravens will run by committee but there will come a point where the player to start out of the trio is Dobbins without a doubt.
3. Minshew is the truth and his team situation makes him a great fantasy player.
Minshew isn't the most talented QB in the league. But above all things, he is competitive and scrappy. The Jags are good but not great so he's going need a lot of that scrappy-iness (lol, just say that sentence out loud, you'll hear it). James Robinson is very good and they're going to lean on him a lot. But when the time for much needed yards and points, it seems like the Jags tag Gardner Minshew II's Id in at offensive coordinator. Minshew isn't likely going to be top-5 qb but he might make the top 10 and is likely easier to get than other top targets.
Part of the reason DJ Chark isn't getting the production folks hoped is because Minshew is effectively spreading the ball around. Good for the jags, bad for fantasy owners. I wouldn't panic.
One of his targets I picked-up to stash is Laviska Shenault Jr. He's getting a legit number of carries each week and averaging over 10 yards per reception. He's an interesting pick-up because he doubles as handcuffs for Robinson. Seems like his carry count could go up to 10ish no problem if the Jags lost Robinson. So pay attention to what position he's listed in your league, scoring rules about how carries count in ppr, etc. But he passes the eye test, very shifty and fast on the field.
4. Teams that are quickly turning into dumpster fires that you should across-the-board fade:
Jets
Gase is the worst. Never underestimate the ability of a shitty boss to ruin a workspace and make everyone fucking hate themselves, even though they're well compensated to play a game for a living. Listen, I know there's always gems on bad teams. But I have high blood pressure. So tuning into games with players I need to play well and watching the offense go 3-and-out 5 times in a row...I'm literally too old for that shit now so I try to stray-away from dumpster fire teams.
Vikings
Kubiak has got some big Stefanski shoes to fill and he's doing a bad job so far. I wouldn't panic about Dalvin Cook yet but another bad couple of weeks and I'd start shopping him. See the Browns thing above: Stefanski may have made the Vikings offense look better than it actually was for a decade. Combine that with the defense whose secondary would be better if they were scare crows and you're looking at a team that can't plan to run the ball for more than a quarter or 2.
Teams to be worried about:
Broncos
Whew, the injuries. They're basically just starting with new team. We'll see how things go.
Detroit
Matt Patricia may have lost this team. And coaches like him don't recover team faith/confidence well in a loss-spiral.
Texans
BoB is going to crash that plane into a mountain while we all watch. Poor Watson, just watching Deandre Hopkins ball-out. One thing you can still bet on for awhile out of the Texans offense; Bill O'Brien is ego- and career-invested in David Johnson doing great things. He'll role with him when he shouldn't to prove to everyone that he was right to trade Nuk. Its dumb. But he's dumb.

Fortune Favors The Bold (FFTB) Predictions

WARNING: What you're about to read is not necessarily good fantasy advice, but things for me to say "told you so" about a week from now. I take no responsibility for any money you lose (and all responsibility for the money you win). Still, Alexander the Great said, Fortune Favors the Bold.

1. JK Dobbins scores more fantasy points than CEH this week. (This prediction is backed-up by the time-honored tradition of spitting in one's hand and shaking on it so this shit is serious. Its also painful because I'm a Chiefs fan.)
   
2. Laviska Shenault scores a running and a receiving touchdown tonight.
   
3. Jonathon Taylor is the RB1 this week and its not close.
   
4. Danny Dimes throws 3 TD's this week against the 49ers.
   

I'm probably wrong about most of this shit but FORTUNE FAVORS THE BOLD!
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Thanks for reading! If I continue to be kind mostly right and people find it a good read, I'll keep posting these each week. Good luck!
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EDIT: Thanks for the awards and upvotes strangers! I'll bring the column back next week. Appreciate the comments too, thanks for the banter, shit-talk, and criticism. I'll be spittin in palms again soon.
EDIT AGAIN: Thanks again for the feedback. This is fun and I'm going to enjoy doing it again next week. Some of the comments have suggested that the post doesn't really go out on many limbs. I'll do that more in the future. I've also added an extra section with a few "FFTB predictions" for this week.

Welcome to Cash with Flash 2.8 Best Bets! Glad to see you and I hope that your sports betting endeavors are going well. It’s been difficult handicapping professional sporting contests but if you’ve been tailing me, listening to my show, or read my books then you have been making money. Cash with Flash Best Bets has 2020-2021 season-long totals of 66-53-1 for NFL football, 48-21 in NCAAF, 39-27 for NCAAB, 15-8 in NHL, and 50-30-1 in the NBA. Had you wagered $100 dollars on each pick Cash with Flash offered you’d be ahead of the game by about $6300 since September 8, 2020. That’s not too shabby and Cash with Flash Best Bets is still the place for longterm sports investing success. Cash with Flash is coming off of a 2019-2020 betting season where we enjoyed a $30,000 ROI. That's not too bad either. NBA 2020-2021 Money Line Leaders 1). New York Knicks +3.8
2). Houston Rockets +3.2
3). Chicago Bulls +3.0
4). Utah Jazz +2.5
5). Charlotte Hornets +2.5 NBA 2020-201 ATS Leaders 1). New York Knicks (12-12) +3.8
2). Houston Rockets (10-12) +3.2
3). Chicago Bulls (13-9) +3.0
4). Utah Jazz (16-7) +2.8
5). Charlotte Hornets (10-12-1) +2.5 NBA 2020-2021 Totals Leaders 1). Brooklyn Nets (18-7 over record) +7.7
2). Denver Nuggets (16-6 over record) +5.8
3). Indiana Pacers (13-9-1 over record) +4.7
4). Chicago Bulls (12-10 over record) +4.3
5). Milwaukee Bucks (13-9-1 over record) +4.3 We have eight games on the NBA schedule but we’re only interested in a couple of contests for tonight. Golden State Warriors-San Antonio Spurs This game opened with the Spurs as 1.5 point home favorites but the game is now a “pick-em” at most shops. I would’ve preferred the points because we like the Warriors in this one. LaMarcus Aldridge and Lonnie Walker IV have both been ruled out as has the Warriors James Wiseman. Stephen Curry is putting up video numbers and an already challenged defense with Aldridge on the floor is going to be terrible without him. Take the Warriors in this one. Milwaukee Bucks-Denver Nuggets Games involving these two teams exceed the total more than most NBA teams and they play each other with a 229.5 point total. The Bucks play the fifth-fastest pace in the NBA while Denver is one of the slowest but the Nuggets allow an eighteenth best 112.1 points per game. Don’t worry about the pace-down contest as the Bucks defense isn’t what it was a season ago and allows 111.1 points against a Nuggets team scoring an average of 115.4 points a contest. Take the OVER in this one. NCAAB 2020-2021 Money Line Leaders 1). Colgate +10.2
2). Morehead State +8.3
3). Drake +8.3
4). Wright State +7.9
5). UC Riverside +7.2 NCAAB 2020-2021 ATS Leaders 1). Colgate (5-3) +10.2
2). Morehead State (14-5) +8.3
3). Drake (14-2) +8.3
4). Wright State (12-7) +7.9
5). UC Riverside (8-3-1) +7.2 NCAAB 2020-2021 Totals Leaders 1). American University (3-1 over) +13.9
2). Long Beach State (6-2 over) +11.4
3). Cal Baptist (9-3 over) +9.6
4). Georgia Tech (8-5-2 over) +9.5
5). NC Central (4-2 over) +9.4 There are quite a few NCAAB games tonight and we’ll take a look at one of them and see how we fare. You must stay out ahead of injuries plus coronavirus concerns and the best website I know for this would be Newsday. Nebraska Cornhuskers-Minnesota Golden Gophers Minnesota is favored at home by 11.5 points tonight and that’s a bit too many points for this contest. Nebraska missed nearly a month of games thanks to coronavirus but none of their three losses were by more than a dozen points and they are 2-2-1 ATS as the away team. Minnesota is a bad shooting team and allowing 73 points per game is not a team that covers large spreads no matter how bad an opponent’s offense is. Take the points and go with Nebraska to cover the spread tonight. NHL Top Five Winning Teams We’re not talking about how many games a team wins but how much money you would win had you wagered $100 on each of the following teams’ total games this season. 1). Toronto Maple Leafs $322
2). Carolina Hurricanes $296
3). Winnipeg Jets $273
4). Florida Panthers $236
5). Montreal Canadiens $201 NHL Top Five Losing Teams 1). Detroit Red Wings -$655
2). Ottawa Senators -$565
3). Chicago Blackhawks -$388
4). Vancouver Canucks -$353
5). New York Islanders -$238 Tampa Bay Lightning-Nashville Predators The Lightning has played very well this season but the Predators have played very well at home and 4-1-0 at home isn’t +135 type of a line no matter who they play. Tampa Bay is riding a four-game winning streak (all at home) whereas Nashville is coming off of a four-game road trip where they went 1-3. Andrei Vasilevskiy (7-1-0) is the Tampa Bay probable starting goaltender while the Preds plan on Juuse Soras (3-3-0) tending to the twine tonight where he is 3-0-0 at home this season. Take the Preds at +135 tonight!

After a 10-0 night on the sports betting side of windailsports.com one of our subscribers took two $100 dollar bets and turned it into almost 80 grand last night! I asked boss man if I could share the love on reddist so that anyone who wanted could take advantage of the arrival of Mike North, one of the best minds in the sports betting industry and the recent run we have been on and he said to go for it. So here you go ladies and gentlemen.
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Cash with Flash has NBA, NCAAB & NHL Predictions for tonight!!
Glad to see you and we hope that your sports betting endeavors are going well. It’s been difficult handicapping professional sporting contests but if you’ve been tailing me, listening to my show, or read my books then you have been making money.
Cash with Flash Best Bets has 2020-2021 season-long totals of 66-53-1 for NFL football, 48-21 in NCAAF, 40-29 for NCAAB, 15-9 in NHL, 53-31-1 in the NBA, and 85-45 for tennis this season.
Had you wagered $100 dollars on each pick we offered you’d be ahead of the game by about $10,000 since September 8, 2020. That’s not too shabby.
Tuesday was a terrific bounce-back day. We went 3-0 on the day and improved our Win Daily Sports record to 4-4.
Yup, just like that we erased a tough Monday night.
I employ a fixed-unit system of bankroll management. I explain this system and its nuances (along with other systems) in my books but the gist of it goes like this; I play one unit on every contest I have an edge in. No more and no less. I’m able to do this because I have a career winning percentage of 56.6 percent and winning at a 62 percent clip this season.
It’s not the sexiest way of doing things that’s for sure but it does work for me. Let’s see what we have on tap for today!
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NBA 2020-2021 Money Line Leaders
1). New York Knicks +3.7
2). Charlotte Hornets +3.6
3). Chicago Bulls +3.1
4). Utah Jazz +2.7
5). Detroit +2.5
NBA 2020-201 ATS Leaders
1). New York Knicks (13-13) +3.7
2). Charlotte Hornets (14-11-1) +3.6
3). Chicago Bulls (14-10) +3.1
4). Utah Jazz (18-7) +3.1
5). Detroit Pistons (+3)
Wager $10 on DET📷To Beat IND:$22.25Lose by less than 3:$19.09To Lose:$16.83 (13-10-1) +2.5
NBA 2020-2021 Totals Leaders
1). Brooklyn Nets (19-8 over record) +6.0
2). Denver Nuggets (18-6 over record) +5.6
3). Milwaukee Bucks (15-9-1 over record) +4.9
4). Detroit Pistons (14-10) +3.7
5). Chicago Bulls (13-11) +3.3
We have five games on the NBA schedule but Cash with Flash is only interested in a couple of these contests.
Indiana Pacers (-3)
Wager $10 on IND📷To Beat DET:$16.83Win by 3:$19.09To Lose:$22.25 vs Detroit Pistons (+3)
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Normally I would be all over the home underdog and especially so against an Indiana Pacers side on the wrong end of a four-game losing streak. Malcolm Brogdon and Domatas Sabonis have struggled mightily during this losing streak but they play a Pistons team allowing an average of 118 points per game over their past five contests. Detroit is coming off of a huge home victory over a Kevin Durant-less Brooklyn Nets side that ended a four-game losing streak of their own. The Pacers are the better offense and will take this one by four points or more. Take the Indiana Pacers with confidence tonight.
Philadelphia 76ers (-5.5)
Wager $10 on PHI📷To Beat POR:$14.70Win by 5.5:$19.10To Lose:$27.85 vs Portland Trail Blazers (+5.5)Wager $10 on POR📷To Beat PHI:$27.85Lose by less than 5.5:$19.10To Lose:$14.70 (+5.5)
Remember when the 76ers couldn’t win on the road? Those days seem to be over as Philadelphia is 7-5 and enters this matchup riding a two-game winning streak. They also have a red-hot Joel Embiid who’s averaging 32.3 points alongside 10.5 rebounds per game and the Trail Blazers don’t have anyone either living or dead who can stop him. Damian Lillard has been carrying the injury-plagued Trail Blazers but missed the Trail Blazers away victory over Philly one week ago. Ben Simmons also missed that contest and is raring to go but its looks as though Seth Curry will miss this tilt with an ankle injury. Lay the Points and take Philadelphia to cover the spread tonight.
NCAAB 2020-2021 Money Line Leaders
1). Colgate +10.2
2). Morehead State +8.3
3). Wright State +7.9
4). UC Riverside +7.2
5). Prairie View +6.8
NCAAB 2020-2021 ATS Leaders
1). Colgate (5-3) +10.2
2). Morehead State (14-5) +8.3
3). Wright State (12-7) +7.9
4). UC Riverside (8-3-1) +7.2
5). Praire View (10-1) +6.8
NCAAB 2020-2021 Totals Leaders
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1). American University (3-1 over) +13.9
2). Long Beach State (6-2 over) +11.4
3). St Francis NY (7-4 over) +10.7
4). Cal Baptist (9-3 over) +9.6
5). Southern Utah (8-3) +8.2
There are several NCAAB games tonight and Cash with Flash likes one contest very much. You must stay out ahead of injuries plus coronavirus concerns and the best website I know for this would be Newsday.
Georgia Southern vs Georgia State (138.5 Total)
A majority of these two sides’ contests have ended under the total and I suspect that this one won’t be that much different when they meet tonight. Three of their last five meetings have ended under the total and these are two fairly good defenses. Georgia State has one of the best turnover percentages in the college game but Southern is twelfth in the nation at causing turnovers. Neither side shoots the ball well from long range and both squads have pedestrian offensive rebound percentages. Take the UNDER in this one!
NHL Top Five Winning Teams
We’re not talking about how many games a team wins but how much money you would win had you wagered $100 on each of the following teams’ total games this season.
1). Toronto Maple Leafs $470
2). Carolina Hurricanes (-1.5)
Wager $10 on CAR📷To Beat DAL:$17.90Win by 1.5:$28.48To Lose:$20.89 $264
3). Tampa Bay Lightning (-1.5)Wager $10 on TAM📷To Beat FLA:$16.25Win by 1.5:$25.54To Lose:$23.82 $247
4). Boston BruinsWager $10 on BOS📷To Beat NYR:$15.44To Lose:$25.02 $246
5). Vegas Golden Knights (-1.5)Wager $10 on LAS📷To Beat ANA:$14.40Win by 1.5:$17.74To Lose:$29.15 $189
NHL Top Five Losing Teams
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1). Ottawa Senators (+1.5)
Wager $10 on OTT📷To Beat WIN:$27.60Lose by less than 1.5:$17.51To Lose:$14.85 -$765
2). Detroit Red Wings (+1.5)Wager $10 on DET📷To Beat NAS:$25.27Lose by less than 1.5:$16.44To Lose:$15.69 -$523
3). New York RangersWager $10 on NYR📷To Beat BOS:$25.02To Lose:$15.44 -$427
4). Vancouver Canucks (+1)Wager $10 on VAN📷To Beat CAL:$21.89Lose by less than 1:$23.56To Lose:$17.19 -$453
5). Nashville Predators (-1.5)Wager $10 on NAS📷To Beat DET:$15.69Win by 1.5:$16.44To Lose:$25.27 -$419
Carolina Hurricanes vs Dallas Stars (+1.5)
Wager $10 on DAL📷To Beat CAR:$20.89Lose by less than 1.5:$28.48To Lose:$17.90 (O/U 5.5 Goals)
I can see grabbing Carolina at -121 tonight but I don’t think that would be the best bet for this contest. Carolina has a terrific offense and scores an average of 3.14 goals per game and the Stars average 3.33 goals scored per game but has lit the lamp just five times over their last three matchups. James Reimer will likely tend to the twine and he’s allowed 16 goals over his past four starts and Anton Khudobin has allowed 11 goals over the past three starts including seven goals over two consecutive losses to Carolina during that same three-game span. Take the OVER in this game!!

Money history: I come from a family that has absolutely no money sense. My mom raised 3 kids as a single mom, and as a snapshot we often had power turned off for a few days or barely any food. When she eventually remarried and became a high earner, she still lived paycheck to paycheck. Money was not talked about and the example was to spend it while you had it. My dad similarly had no money sense. Both of my parents highly stressed the importance of going to college, as both didn’t finish high school. I had no support in really much of anything growing up, and figured it all out the long and hard way on my own. I did drag myself through community college to a 4 year degree at a university, but not without irresponsible loans and a late realized FAFSA error that kept me from grants for almost my entire time as a student. I didn’t start learning about money until my 30’s. I have heavily relied on online resources to educate myself and work on getting myself out of debt. I am super proud of how far I’ve come.
Section One: Assets and Debt
Retirement Balance: $0.00 I had some from 2 different previous jobs, but cashed them out at times when I was financially strapped (before I learned about managing my money!). We are moving this coming summer into an inherited house. We will get all debt paid off within one year (except my student loans). Once that happens, our goal is to put 50% away into savings/retirement. My husband also has not contributed.
Equity if you're a homeowner: We rent. We will inherit a house next summer in the sense that we will live there for free and have any house repairs will be paid for, but we won’t own it until way in the future.
Savings account balance: $10,650 (this was $0 six years ago and about $4,000 at the beginning of Covid-19). We realized we needed an emergency fund after covid hit, and then decided to put as much as possible here towards our move. We used to have multiple savings accounts with sub-categories, but we realized by putting it all in one account we were motivated by seeing a large number grow. We still have to access it for regular things, like the vet which you will see in this diary. This works for us.
Checking account balance: $1803.18
Credit card debt (and how you accumulated it): Yikes. The biggest regret of my life. I owe $9,065. My husband owes $7,318. Mine was accumulated from years of having absolutely no idea how to deal with money, not understanding saving, and basically financing my 20’s on credit. In the last three years we have paid off about $12,000 in credit card debt as we have become financially literate and started working towards financial goals. My husband’s debt was accumulated during his divorce, which was money well spent IMO!
Student loan debt (for what degree): I have $42,794 and my husband has $4,431. I have a degree in English, and he did not finish his degree. I loved earning this degree, but would 100% go back and do a STEM related degree, or a trade.
All of our finances and bills are completely shared and managed by me.
Section Two: $43,000 per year
Income Progression: I am not going to be too specific because I know a lot of people that read this sub-reddit.
2002 – 2006 $10 per hour at a box store
2006 – 2010 $29,000 per year at a small local company
2010 – 2011 $10,000 per year finishing university, lived rent free
2011 – 2015 $30,000 up to $50,000 through a salary evaluation that they did, and moving into a more client facing role that brought in more money.
2016 – 2020 $43,000 through main job and side jobs
This is really hard to explain because I have been all over the place. I used to have a much better paying job, closer to $60,000 with side job, but I went through a horrible depression and left that job. I started nannying and then house managing 5 years ago, and it was too comfortable to leave. I loved not being on a computer! Part of why I agreed to moving is to force me out of this job, that I am not happy or fulfilled in. I am actively looking for a job that is remote and I can keep when we move.
Monthly Take Home: $5,640 after all deductions
Main Job
Me: $2050 for 30 hours of work per week after basic taxes.
W: $2540, after taxes for both of us and insurance for both of us. I am honestly not sure on every single deduction, as it’s a lot, but we pay around $350 a month in insurance for the two of us.
Side Gig Monthly Take Home
I have a salaried side job that is $750 a month, and through other odds and ends I make another $300 a month on average.
Any Other Monthly Income Here
I use my sisters Hulu, my mom’s Netflix and my boss’s HBO Max. We actually do have our own free Hulu through Spotify, but hers is ad free. I pay for Amazon which my whole family uses.
Section Three: Expenses
Rent: $1730 for a 2 bedroom apartment
Storage Unit: $43
Car insurance, renters insurance and life insurance: $156
Car payment: $353 for new car, purchased certified pre-owned. The 2nd car, which I drive, was paid for in cash. It’s oooold but does the job. We owe $7829.95 on the new car, with a little less than two years left on the 1% loan we have.
Savings contribution: $1000. This varies by month and expenses that come up, but since covid it has been over $1000 a month. Before we were putting that money towards debt, but stopped to save for the move and an emergency fund.
Electric and alternating WateSeweGarbage: $200
Wifi/Cable/Security: $143
Cellphone: $110
Gym membership: Paid for by my main job
Pet expenses: recently more, $100 a month at this point
Spotify and MLB radio package: $15 per month
Debt payments: This is above the minimum on all of them
$300 Visa 1
$200 Visa 2
$100 Visa 3
$Balance Visa 4, this is a rewards card that is paid off at each pay check
$75 LOC
$320 Student loans (Me) on hold due to covid
$139 Student loans (W) on hold due to covid
Yearly Expenses:
Costco ($60 yearly)
Amazon ($120 yearly)
Oil changes ($90x 4 yearly)
Tabs ($550 yearly)
MLB subscription ($90 yearly)
NHL Subscription ($140 yearly)
Learned league ($30 yearly)
Microsoft office ($70 yearly)
Zoo membership ($110 yearly)
At the end of each day please tally up your daily expenses. Then at the end of your diary please tally up all expenses in the following categories:
Food + Drink: $261.18
Fun / Entertainment:
Home + Health: $2.82
Clothes + Beauty: $44.84
Transport: $51.02
Other: $218.93
Lastly, reflect on your diary! This week had more spending than normal due to the vet bill and the gift for my mother-in-law. That said, I am consistently disappointed in how much we are spending. I try SO HARD to spend less every month, and while we are trending way down in spending, it seems like there are always so many expenses that come up. Food also continues to be a huge expense during Covid. We enjoy cooking great meals, and it has been hard to cut back our grocery budget – which is where we spend most of our money. I also have some leftover issues from food insecurity as a kid, and I love being able to buy groceries and have options. This week was also driven up by a Saturday out, which we have only done 3 times since Covid, so I don’t feel too bad about this expense. We want to pay debt and save, but also enjoy our lives as much as possible.
On R29 people really seem to freak out when you mention your significant other a lot, but also freak out if you seem in an unhappy relationship. My husband is my best friend and I am obsessed with my cat, but I mostly left them out of this. I also ALWAYS wear a mask, use hand sanitizer, don’t go in anyone’s house ever, etc. We take Covid-19 very seriously and feel lucky to live in a state that is also taking is seriously.
Day 1: Pay Day
6:45am Wake up with my sunrise alarm clock and feel intense dread at needing to apply for a job a friend has recommended me for. This job is a stretch for me and I really don’t have the mental energy for this this morning.
7:15am: Finally roll out of bed and drink my leftover pour-over from yesterday as cold coffee with cream and eat a bowl of frosted mini wheats.
7:30am: Today is pay day so I log on to pay all my bills, which I love doing! I remember a time, not so long ago, I would just not even pay bills or put them off for as long as possible – which now seems so absurd! I look forward to pay day and knocking these things out for the month. I pay the balance on my rewards credit card, move money to savings, pay one of my visa cards, and Zelle my brother money for our phone bill. The plan is actually in my husband’s name but my brother set up his card for the automatic payments. This is fine with me since my sister never remembers to pay.
9:30am: Work, work work (while listening to podcast or audio book, always and forever).
12:00: Run to grab fish for my work family’s dinner and some hot food for my lunch from a high end grocery store. I end up getting myself some Okonomiyaki to eat for $3.99. They are also featuring lots of local restaurants and they have a famous coconut cream pie from a local place so I grab a mid-sized one to bring to a friends for her birthday today $16.99. Other grocery items go on work credit card. ($21.39)
3:30: Leave work and head home to prepare chili for dinner. I slow cooked beef chuck overnight in crushed tomatoes so it goes quickly.
5:00pm: Head to friend’s house to drop off birthday pie. Stop by the fancy pet store to get food for main side job and pick up $75 worth of cat food that goes on work card.
6:30pm: Home and eat chili with sour cream, cheddar and Budget Bytes freezer biscuits while watching the new Adam Sandler Halloween movie. I follow it up with some hot chocolate.
7:30pm: Feeling restless and decide to take a bath and listen to Crime Junkies podcast. After this I use our new Sonic massage gun on W’s back and then grab my computer and get in bed to finally apply for that job.
10:00pm: Finish up the application after a burst of creative energy and hit submit. Check email accounts for other side jobs and send some emails. Close the computer around 11pm, listen to Crime Junkies and fall asleep around midnight.
Daily Total: $21.39
Day 2:
7:45am: wake up from a dream that I had a new job working for Post Malone, but actually he and I were pulling an elaborate prank on a mutual friend. Okay? FaceTime my sister and niece to say good morning and drag myself out of bed. Drink some homemade chai I made this weekend and eat bowl of frosted mini-wheats while I chat with my sister.
8:20am: I see an email alert that my credit score has changed. Down 10 points??? Log on to see that it calculated my debt ratio while the payment on the card I use for monthly expenses was pending. So annoying. I also see that my main email account password has been published on the dark web since Monday. so I quickly log in and change passwords on multiple accounts and use the Gmail feature to do a security check. I see have 3 log ins for a chase account that I do not understand at all. I think these are from an old work credit card, but I make a note to call them.
9:15am: Leave for work with my hair looking like Legolas. Oh well.
9:30am: Arrive at work and make myself a latte and an americano for my boss on their espresso machine.
11:45am: Run to drop off an amazon return at a locker and pick up some supplies for my meeting with main side job, but the cost goes on my (other) work credit card (bill goes directly to them). Do some grocery shopping for work family and it goes on work card. I also pick up some fancy canned heirloom beans that went on sale for half off, milk and sleepy time tea for $7.25.
12:30pm: Back to work and make lunch for me and the kids.
3:30pm: Off work and head to a meeting at main side job. Drive to her house listening to Crime Junkies! I’m on a binge.
6:30pm: Leave meeting after preparing for some upcoming projects and taking about Schitt’s Creek a bunch. She also gives me a new hoodie and fancy water bottle that she doesn’t want. I see an email back from an interview I did earlier this week asking me back for a second interview next week – YAY!
6:45pm: My friend, P, just moved back to Seattle from the east coast and text me and asks me to meet up for a drink with our friend, S. I drive to the lake and meet them at an outside corner table. I don’t drink a ton so I only have one cocktail and a grilled cheese with small salad. $24.78 with 25% tip. My friend P also orders me a hot chocolate, but she covers this.
10: 30pm: Home, check emails and put out a couple fires. I take the time, now that I am on my computer, to email back the place I am interviewing to thank them for asking me back and give them my preferred times out of those they offered. It will be 2 hour zoom interview with multiple groups of their staff.
11:20pm: Lights out with Crime Junkies. I have a problem.
Daily Total: $32.03
Day 3:
7:00am: Wake up and make coffee in the Chemex. I make this every couple days and drink half fresh and hot, then save the other half to drink iced the next day. I eat oatmeal I bought at the beginning of the pandemic when I thought we should have a few shelf stable items in case we had to fully quarantine (if we had covid-19). To be clear, it was not a hoarding situation. I bought a few cans of beans, a couple things of pasta and sauce, oatmeal and a bag of rice. We have gone through all of it except the pasta sauce (since I normally make my own) and the oatmeal.
8:00am: Check work emails and do some work for my side jobs. Read Reddit for a while and finally get ready for work.
9:30am: Arrive at work and it’s busy all day.
12:30pm: Make a lunch of frozen dumplings for everyone, then take one of the kids, N, to the store with me as the kids want a treat. We grab last minute groceries for their family and Starbucks for the kids and myself. They each get a refresher and I get an iced chai with pumpkin spice foam on top and it is OUT OF THIS WORLD SO GOOD. My sister had seen this on Tik Tok and I feel blessed to know about it. This is paid for on my work card. I also need a bulk spice so I stop at the co-op and get that for work, as well as some Japanese yams, mushrooms, bulk corn meal and bulk polenta for myself. $12.87
4:00pm: Finally off work after a long afternoon. Stop at the grocery store because I forgot butter. I use the app to get some coupons so end up with regular butter, European butter, buttermilk, and klondike bars for $5.01 with a 50% off buttermilk since it expires tomorrow and a $5 credit on the app. Always check the app! $5.01
5:00pm: Home and running a meeting for a side job. There are 5 of us and it’s fun to meet some new people that I have been working with over email for months.
6:00pm: Meeting is over and start making skillet cornbread to go with the leftover chili. Usually I am on constantly listening to audio books but as you can tell I am on a podcast kick, which happens occasionally when something engages me. We eat dinner while watching Friends (the one where Joey and Rachel nearly hook up, WTF).
7:15pm: I take a long and luxurious bath.
8:30pm: Play a few rounds of a new (gifted) board game with W called Azul and we are hooked right away. The pieces are very satisfying, which will make sense if you are into board games. Do recommend.
10:00pm: Lights out.
Daily Total: $17.88
Day 4: 7:30am: I have the day off! YAY. I actually have a very abnormal amount of things going on this weekend so I still get up early because I have some stuff I want to get done today. I eat leftover cornbread for breakfast and facetime my mom and sister for about an hour while I eat, drink the cold coffee from yesterday, and check emails.
8:30am: W’s mom’s birthday is next week, and his parents are extremely generous with us, like too generous, so we try to give them nice birthday presents. I order a set of 2 olive oils from Brightland with 2 of the trendy spouts they have. Total cost is $95.98. This goes on my card for rewards, but will essentially come out of savings. $95.98
12:00pm: I spent the morning making Smitten Kitchen buttermilk biscuits (to freeze) with the buttermilk that “expires” today (it’s still fine a week later). I make half of the dough with cheddar and chives and freeze all but two. I eat one while it is piping hot, obviously. I work a little on this money diary, planning out my weekend, and watering my many, many…many plants. Head out at noon to the vet.
12:15pm: Very quick trip to the vet to get a blood draw on Z. They pick him up out of the car, I pay over the phone, and the whole thing is over in 5 minutes. Cost is $108.75. I pay with credit card for rewards, but this will come out of savings as well. $108.75
12:30pm: Home to drop off cat, and pick up a bag of Nordstrom returns for main side job. I head to the Rack to do the returns and end up doing a little shopping for myself since I am there. I get 4 Burberry lip colors for $7 each (2 for me, 1 each for my nanny kids. They love branded makeup), 2 hair clips, 1 fun headband and a pair of super cute Hudson jeans on super clearance for my niece for $4. Total cost is $44.84. I put this on my Nordstrom card and put a reminder on my calendar to make a payment in 2 days when it is no longer a pending charge. $44.84
2:00pm: W gets home from work and we talk for a while before he takes a shower and a nap. I continue to work on my side jobs.
3:15pm: I eat one of the cheddascallion biscuits from earlier with some sliced local mole salami for lunch. I text with my friend, T, about meeting up her and her husband at a brewery tomorrow and research locations with covered outdoor seating.
5:30pm: After fielding calls for a work emergency for my main side job and tidying up around the house, I go hard down a rabbit hole of FBI’s most wanted criminals on their website while drinking a Kitty Cat Blues beer. Look up and am surprised that it’s been 2 hours! Oops. Check the mail and see that my check has come from one of my side jobs. It’s for $265 which will basically cover the birthday gift and vet visit from today. Instead of going into savings like it normally would, I will deposit to checking and make an extra payment on my credit card.
6:00pm: W wakes up from his nap and we start playing our friends trivia on Twitch. In between the forms he sets up on his website I somehow manage to click a spam add and my computer starts freaking out an popping up all these warnings and freezing up. I am super pissed and spend the next hour running various scans.
7:00pm: I put frozen dumplings I made last week into the air fryer and steam some broccoli for dinner. We eat while we continue playing trivia and then do a call with W’s cousin. While on the phone we learn that he is having trouble reading small font in books (he is a person with a disability), so I tell him I will send him an e-reader that we don’t use so he can enlarge the font and get free books from the library. I set him up for a library card online and promise to set it up this weekend and send it next week. I also fill out his unemployment for the week, which I am managing for him. W cleans up while I do this.
8:30pm: I run more tests on my computer and we spend a couple hours playing Azul. I eat a Reece’s Klondike bar and drink another Kitty Kat Blues while we play. I work on this money diary a little bit and text with my best friend. We head to bed around midnight.
Daily Total: $249.57
Day 5:
8:15am: Wake up to my alarm and get ready to go a shredding event. I have a bag of our own paper items and several computers from a side job. I get ready and head out to the next city up the freeway to go to the event. The line is super long but it goes quickly. This is a free event so there is no fee.
9:30am: Meet my friend across the street at Starbucks. I get another of the iced chai pumpkin chai with the egg bites. I use points for the drink but spend $5.01 on the egg bites. We sit in the car with the windows all down and masks on when we aren’t drinking and catch up. $5.01
11:15am: Head home and stop at the Costco in this city for gas, as it is does much less volume and there is no wait. I fill up W’s car for $31.02.
12:00pm: Pick up W and head to an outdoor brewery to meet friends for lunch. We order Shake Shack ahead on the app, 2 burgers, 1 hotdog, 1 fry and 1 shake for $27.69 after a discount code I find online. We spend about 3 hours at the brewery catching up. One beer for me, four for W and one for our friend totals $52.
4:00pm: Home and facetime W’s parents for a while before I do a work zoom with a new volunteer from 6-7:45pm. I don’t love doing this on the weekend but in showing him how to do a bunch of my work, I get ahead for next week, which is fantastic. I also like making money.
8:00pm: W had walked to the local grocery store but forgot his wallet, so I meet him when my zoom is over. We get 2 delicata squash, broccoli, bananas, apples, pears, 1 cabbage, 2 russet potatoes, 1 green bell pepper, brussels sprouts, celery, 2 sweet potatoes, jalapenos, ellenos large yogurt, 6 small yogurts, cottage cheese, ground turkey, a pound of coffee, pretzels, 2 packs English muffins, cool whip, and an apple pie kit kat bar for $53.34.
8:45pm: Late dinner of lumpia that a friend dropped off for us a couple weeks and we froze. They come out perfect in the air fryer with no oil, with steamed broccoli on the side. I resist dessert after the milkshake and a tummy ache earlier. We watch American Utopia – the Spike Lee directed David Byrne concert and head to be around 12:30pm.
Daily Total: $169.06
Day 6:
9:55am: Wake up just in time to set my fantasy football lineup. This NFL season is absolutely absurd and it makes me so sad to see all these players getting injured. I start coffee and make breakfast sandwiches with the savory frozen buttermilk biscuits from earlier this week. I sauté mushrooms to go on the side. I want to listen to my podcast so I spend the morning meal prepping lunches for W – sauteed onion, Thai peppers, jalapeno, broccoli, delicata squash, and ground turkey over brown rice. I also make the Comforting Cabbage, Onion and Farro soup, from the 6 Seasons cookbook by Joshua McFadden cookbook, to have on hand this week.
4:00pm: I play Imposter with my sister and her friends while I snack on some pretzels and make myself a Frappuccino with the chai I made last weekend, some vital proteins collagen powder, maple syrup and ice. It turns out really good and helps my migraine. W walks to the store to pick up his medications ($2.82) as well as a wedge of parmesan and brown rice ($12.98). $15.80
6:00pm: I cook up two salmon fillets in the air fryer as well as some of the brussels sprouts. I freaking love our air fryer. It has 2 racks instead of a drawer and everything turns out so perfect. We top the brussels sprouts with balsamic glaze and add a bowl of the cabbage soup on the side with some freshly shaved parmesan. W watches Monsterland and I play more Imposter before getting up to sit at the desk and check emails and work on this money diary. At some point W makes air popper popcorn for us to snack on and I eat a Reece’s Klondike bar.
9:30pm: W goes to bed and I continue working on my side jobs as well as reconfiguring the Kindle for W’s cousin. I also pay the charge on my Nordstrom card. I get in bed around 11 and play Imposter before going to sleep around 12:30am. I deeply regret the afternoon chai.
Daily Total: $15.80
Day 7:
7:15am: Sleep in a little before getting up and drinking the coffee I prepared last night so I wouldn’t have to this morning. Thank you past me. I eat some homemade granola with the Ellenos yogurt – it is extremely tart and not edible this way, so I slice up one of the Japanese sweet potatoes and bake that instead. I will have to make tzatziki or bake something with the yogurt. I facetime my sister and niece while we all get ready for the day.
9:30am: Busy morning at work. At some point head out to grab them some groceries and I get 3 cans of beans, hot chili oil, a cucumber, garlic, and 3 blood oranges to bring to a friend with a bottle of champagne tonight – her 30th birthday is coming up next week. $11.13.
12:30pm: I take the kids to lunch at Chipotle. The shut down the street at this outdoor shopping center and have tables spread out under a tent, so we eat there. This cost is covered by work, but I decide to get us some Chocolate & Mochi Xiao Long Bao from Din Tai Fung to share. $8.76 with tip. I regret this purchase due to the price tag, not the taste. YUM. I also stop at Paper Source to pick up an RBG birthday card for my mother in law, and this butterfly that will fly out of the card when she opens it. $14.20. $22.96
3:30pm: Off work and stop by local co-op to purchase some pork chops for hot and sour soup tonight. I also get a tiny but of swiss cheese from the “ends” section to have with some salami when I get home. Really craving protein today!! $7.97. My gas light goes on, so I do tomorrow morning me a favor and stop for gas. $20 even and this will last me 2 weeks. $27.97
6:00pm: After charcuterie and hot and sour soup, we pack up hot chocolate and warm clothes to head to an outdoor trivia our friend is hosting. We clip some rosemary on the way out to go with the blood oranges and champagne for our friend, when we realize we don’t have a bottle of champagne. We almost always keep some on hand for gifts! We stop at a gas station and get a bottle of Cooks for $11 even (smh).
9:00pm: Our friend does a phenomenal job transforming her backyard into a socially distanced trivia oasis and I feel like I am part of an incredibly cool secret society.
11:00pm: When we get home I take a hot bath and play Among Us with my sister and then get straight to bed thinking about how old I am after a satisfying teeth brushing with a new toothbrush head.
Daily Total: $73.06
Weekly Total: $578.79

Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs (Jan. 24, 2021)
NFL record: 16-7-2
Hi,
Kansas City Chiefs -3 +100
Series notes:
-The Chiefs are 4-1 (80%) ATS in the last 5 matchups
Buffalo Bills looking to advance to the Super Bowl for the 5th time since their last appearance in 1994. In order to do so, they’ll need to defeat the defending Super Bowl Champions, Kansas City Chiefs. The Bills are playing incredible football; with an overall 15-3 record, and winning their last 8 games to be here in the AFC Championship game. Buffalo is averaging 30 points on 387 total yards (103 rushing, 284 passing) per game.
Kansas City Chiefs will look for a back to back trip to the Super Bowl Championship game. In order to do so, they’ll need to defeat the Buffalo Bills and Josh Allen (QB). Patrick Mahomes was cleared to play today (concussion), and the Chiefs are expecting to get Sammy Watkins (WR), and Clyde Edwards Helaire (RB) back in the game tonight. The Chiefs are averaging 29 points on 417 total yards (113 rushing, 304 passing) per game.
What a matchup for the AFC Championship game! Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs both have an excellent football team led by two great quarterbacks, Josh Allen, and Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs may not cover game spreads, but what they do is win games. Patrick Mahomes, and the Chiefs hold the top record at 15-2 overall. I believe Kansas have the slight advantage here playing at home. The Bills have lost 3 games this season, 2 of those games were on the road, and the 3rd losing game was to Kansas City Chiefs, 26-17 final score. The Chiefs have also won 4 out of their last 5 meetings against the Bills by an average of 5 points. I’ll be backing up Patrick Mahomes, and Kansas City Chiefs -3
Best of luck!
“ONE PICK a day, it’s time to p(1)ay!”
Social Links
www.twitter.com/Anon_Gamblers
www.instagram.com/anonymousgamblers/

Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs (Jan. 24, 2021)
NFL record: 16-7-2
Hi,
Kansas City Chiefs -3 +100
Series notes:
-The Chiefs are 4-1 (80%) ATS in the last 5 matchups
Buffalo Bills looking to advance to the Super Bowl for the 5th time since their last appearance in 1994. In order to do so, they’ll need to defeat the defending Super Bowl Champions, Kansas City Chiefs. The Bills are playing incredible football; with an overall 15-3 record, and winning their last 8 games to be here in the AFC Championship game. Buffalo is averaging 30 points on 387 total yards (103 rushing, 284 passing) per game.
Kansas City Chiefs will look for a back to back trip to the Super Bowl Championship game. In order to do so, they’ll need to defeat the Buffalo Bills and Josh Allen (QB). Patrick Mahomes was cleared to play today (concussion), and the Chiefs are expecting to get Sammy Watkins (WR), and Clyde Edwards Helaire (RB) back in the game tonight. The Chiefs are averaging 29 points on 417 total yards (113 rushing, 304 passing) per game.
What a matchup for the AFC Championship game! Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs both have an excellent football team led by two great quarterbacks, Josh Allen, and Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs may not cover game spreads, but what they do is win games. Patrick Mahomes, and the Chiefs hold the top record at 15-2 overall. I believe Kansas have the slight advantage here playing at home. The Bills have lost 3 games this season, 2 of those games were on the road, and the 3rd losing game was to Kansas City Chiefs, 26-17 final score. The Chiefs have also won 4 out of their last 5 meetings against the Bills by an average of 5 points. I’ll be backing up Patrick Mahomes, and Kansas City Chiefs -3
Best of luck!
“ONE PICK a day, it’s time to p(1)ay!”
Social Links
www.twitter.com/Anon_Gamblers
www.instagram.com/anonymousgamblers/

NFL DFS Introduction to Single-Game
This is it folks, the final Showdown slate of the NFL season and although we have two of the season’s laughing stocks going head to head if Washington wins they win the division. What that means for us is that we don’t have to worry about the teams packing it in during the second half. There are however, a ton of injuries to key guys which will more than likely make this an ugly one. But enough talk let’s dig into Stoweby’s Showdown for 1.3 Washington at Philadelphia.
If I enter five lineups in a large-field GPP, at least three of those lineups will focus on the most likely game outcome (based on Vegas odds, props and totals), with one or two contrarian builds. As we know, late-breaking news can have a significant effect on full slates, and that’s just amplified with single-game contests. If you have any questions leading up to lock, please consult our NFL DFS experts in Discord.
Let’s get to the game!
Some notes on the differences between MVP on FanDuel and DraftKings: The 1.5x point boost on FD comes with no salary penalty, while and DK also bumps the salary to 1.5x – a crucial factor in deciding who we can and cannot afford on both sites. We can use this to our advantage on FD by occasionally targeting non-QBs to establish more variance and more unique lineups, and on DK it allows us to build more hearty overall stacks when we punt the MVP position with a cheap but high-upside player.

I’m putting this in every article until folks listen: Do not play Showdown if you’re still building bankroll or you’re tilting from a bad main slate! This is nothing more than a way to have a little fun during the game and it shouldn’t be counted on for anything more than that. They are incredibly difficult to win.

NFL DFS MVP candidates (1.5x points) Stoweby’s Showdown for 1.3 Washington at Philadelphia:

Chalk: Jalen Hurts $17,100

Pivot: Antonio Gibson $13,500

Contrarian #1: Logan Thomas $11,700

Contrarian #2: Jordan Howard/Boston Scott, $1,500/$2,100

Contrarian #3 Terry McLaurin $15,000

****Bonus Play**** Zack Ertz $6,900: He has not had a good year by any stretch but he is the ONLY tight end available for the Eagles. My only pause putting him up top is that it isn’t Wentz behind center but if he’s the guy, I’m gonna take a chance.

Stoweby’s Showdown for 1.3 Washington at Philadelphia:

Vegas: 43 Point Total/Washington: -6.5
Weather: Upper 30’s with rain and wind around 10MPH
It has been a rainy, sloppy mess in the city of brotherly love and Vegas isn’t expecting much in term of scoring with a 43 point total. The number that is a little strange to me is that Washington is projected as a 6.5 point favorite. If you have ever heard me and Michael Rasile talk during our Thursday Night Showdown stream you’ve likely heard us talk about how bigger spreads don’t really make a ton of sense in low total games. Don’t get me wrong I do think this will be very low scoring with guys like Miles Sanders, Dallas Goedert, and Desean Jackson out for the Eagles and Alex Smith, Terry McLaurin, and to a lesser extent Antonio Gibson being limited due to injuries. My overarching approach in this game is going to be to limit my exposure in any one lineup to your “big play” pass catchers (not that we have a ton) due to the injuries, especially on the Washington side. Instead, I’m going to focus on the possession style, move the chain plays and defenses for my core.
The clear favorite that I think we will see everyone gravitate towards is Jalen Hurts, he provides a flooceiling with his ability to run that nobody else can give you in this contest. Of 10 lineups he will likely occupy four of my captain spots. The only other guys that interest me in any way for captains on the Eagles side are Boston Scott and Jordan Howard. I’m not sure which of these guys will get the bulk of the work so it would be a good idea to make a lineup and just but each in that spot so that you don’t miss out. The value provided by both will allow you to go anywhere you want for the rest of your lineup.
The Washington side of the ball is equally as frustrating and in many ways worse due to the uncertainty. Terry McLaurin is my final contrarian play but I really struggled back and forth with whether or not I would put him in there. He is only two weeks removed from a high ankle sprain that takes 4-6 weeks to heal. The field conditions being what they are means that on slip and he is gone. Additionally, if Washington gets ahead early I don’t see them putting him on the field. He is only playing because of the must win situation. I’ll have him in one lineup at captain, that’s it. The remainder of my lines for captain will likely revolve around Logan Thomas and Antonio Gibson. Logan has had 12 and 16 targets respectively in each of the last two weeks and with Alex Smith’s calf injury, Terry’s limitations, and the current weather conditions being what they are I see that continuing tonight. Antonio Gibson to this point is my favorite Washington player. He does carry a Q tag but this doesn’t seem like the same situation as Alex Smith and Terry McLaurin. Gibson has always sounded like this would be play where Alex and Terry are only in due to the scenario.
I do have one more low owned captain thought even though it isn’t listed above. I think this would be a good week to run a lineup or two with one or both defenses at captain. Both teams are dealing with significant injury issues in key offensive spots, the field will likely be a mess, and divisional contests tend to be lower scoring. My favorite of the two is actually Washington’s defense. They have been impressive all season and as dynamic as Hurts is in the early going he has had issues with ball security. He’s only lost one but he has actually fumbled the ball five times in the last two weeks and he threw two picks against Dallas last week. Players who fumble that much don’t tend to stay lucky over the long run.

Stoweby’s Showdown for 1.3 Washington at Philadelphia Flex Plays: (All captains are viable flex’s)

As I noted above both defenses are viable and given the low score being projected both kickers are firmly in play for a cheap way to get points. Temper your expectations when it comes to your flex plays. Points will likely be difficult to come by.
Washington: Defense, JD McKissic, Cam Sims, Dustin Hopkins, Dontrell Inman, Peyton Barber
Philadelphia: Defense, Zach Ertz, Jalen Reagor, Greg Ward, Travis Fulgham, Jake Elliott
Thanks for taking the time to look through my Stoweby’s Showdown for 1.3 Washington at Philadelphia. Looking forward to seeing some green screens this evening. Any questions about the breakdown, I will be available all day in the WinDaily Discord chat. Don’t forget to subscribe to the WinDaily Youtube channel and follow @WinDailySports on Twitter to stay current and up to date on all of our fresh new content!

For as long as I can remember, MACk to the days I had MACne, I would wake up on a Tuesday morning after a weekend long marathon of nonstop football and have a throbbing heart MAChe. I used to MACcept the MACt that I would have to wait until Thursday to finally cure my withdrawals and inject football directly into my veins, but they’ve MACknowledged and MACcomodated for my addiction.
We finally MACcomplished the impossible. We found a way to MACquire some kind of football every night of the week, and it is absolutely imMACulate. I no longer have to MACt like I’m fine with slumping into the couch and just watching the MAChelor or MAChelorette with my girlfriend on a dismal Tuesday night. Then dealing with all my friends MACcusations that I’d rather watch ex-NFL practice squad players try to MAChieve love than a MACtual game itself. It’s over, and I can’t wait to become MACcustomed and MACclimated to this new way of life.
Now that we’ve MACclaimed this glorious event, let’s get down to business. Get your MACcountants and MACtuaries on the phone because cash, cars, mortgages, and everything else is about to be sMACked down on the table, because I have some inMACcurate picks that you’re going to want to fade. Remember, I’m no MACademic. 
Ohio Spread (-27.5): MACkron had lost 7 of their last 13 games dating back to last season by more than 28 points including a season finale ending beat down of 52-3 by Ohio and a 58-13 licking by Western Michigan to start the season. At least they started out red hot this season scoring 13 points which would have been their 6th highest scoring game last season. They might honestly be the worst team in CFB.
Kent State vs Bowling Green Points (Over 55.5): This pick is more if I didn’t know what to do, and the over pretty much looks great in every single MAC game anyway.
Miami of Ohio Spread (+9.5): They beat Buffalo by two touchdowns last year and are returning a lot of the same players plus have a QB who tossed 3 TDs in week 1. Even if they decline a lot from last year it should still be good enough to lose by less than 10.
Lead foot on the gas, because you’re about to MACcelerate into tonight head first. After you fade these picks, I hope your riches will buy you all the MACcessories you could ever imagine. Don’t worry, I have MACetominophen and a MACupuncturist on call for my train wreck MACcident of a card.
Fade My Picks

Please help me compile all the info from tonight's stream here! Links and screenshots would be greatly appreciated! I'll do my best to update live.
The stream starts at 6:30 EST HERE
Gridiron Notes
CARD ART
New card art is being relatively redesigned. Example This 50/50 view is only when highlighted. The 80/20 is used otherwise
Selected screen has been simplified. Weight is also visible in the game (finally)
Comparison between M20 and M21 art here
Upgrade path looks nice
Ability Points
New system. No longer "activate 3 players per side." Spread your abilities between players. Some abilities cost more than others. Stronger abilities cost more.
Currently get 10 points, but it might change during the year at points
Archetype players have lower costs for abilities that fit them. Ex. Scramblers get escape artist cheaper than improvisers.
Up to 5 abilities per card, depending on overall. Takes high overall to get more slots (95/99)
View of AP screen.
X-Factors are free (still 3 per side)
Team Captain
They make their return this year. I believe I saw Aeneas Williams with this logo. Last year, they were upgraded with tokens given out during promos every year.
Choose from Aeneas Williams, Eddie George (AHHHHHH), and Ed McCaffrey, or La'Roi Glover. Choose your own team chemistry.
Can be exchanged as many times as you like (TY EA)
Rivalz
Welcome promo. Seems like an introduction to the game. Easy and quick beginner solos.
Choose from 85 Big Ben, Zach Ertz, or Jaylon Smith as a reward.
Program "will be continued"
NFL Epics
Larry Fitz, Ronnie Lott, Adrian P, and Jack Youngblood.
25 games then a final challenge per player to win an 85 OVR.
MUT Master
"Story behind the player" "Beyond the game"
SAM MILLS - MLB - Saints/Panthers
93 OVR. You get more art per upgrade.
Diagnosed with cancer during Panthers-Pats Superbowl season
There is a main list for upgrades and series lists. The main list takes him to a 93 OVR (similar to last year). The series list has 4 objectives. Doing 2 in the series, you get a +1 ovr. Doing all 4 is a "strong coin reward".
All team chems.
Level Master
Andre Johnson - WR - Titans/Colts/Texans
Unique X-factor triggers
Similar to last year
Level challenges are unique and actually important this year
Team Affinity
Team Builders
All 32 teams. 16 challenges per game.
1 offensive and def per team. 84 OVR.
Choose between offense and defense
Team Diamonds
Same as last year. Fan favorites from each team / useful for theme team.
Barry Sanders is the master (thanks kay_0oh)
List of all diamonds
Diamonds team chems Shoutout christianmel96
Legends
EA works through the NFL PA to acquire agreements. They've also now added IMG to help reach out this year to get new ones. New legends we have not seen before that people ask about a lot.
2 Legends on Saturday (with boss LTD versions that include all the current powerups but doesn't go into the next powerup)
The 50
Inspired by the NFL100 last year
Madden legends but not necessarily NFL legends (I think? They've been vague).
Doesn't drop at launch.
Solo Battles
Coming back
MUT Loyalty
If you played during 18/19/20, you get 3. 1 per year.
Choose between 6 82 ovrs.
Darius Leonard, Emmanual Sanders, Pat Peterson, Mark Ingram, Darius Leonard, Demarcus Lawrence. You get their NAT elite, so they can be powered up.
Console upgrades w/ MUT
Everything in your binder, your coins, and your points will transfer between consoles freely back and forth (in the same console family). No PS4 to Xbox x.
Ratings
Live on MUThead
Random things I'll sort later:
EA Play is 8/21
There are limited time challenges during EA Play (Free elite)
PU Passes are back
GMM starts 8/28

Found some money and decided to spend it on the paywall for this q&a on a whim (won't I look silly if they take down the paywall eventually) and then decided to transcribe it.
Matt: How have you been doing this year? How has the covid pandemic life been for you?
Jim: For a writer it doesn't really change things too much you know I mean I'm basically a hermit anyway so you know the whole lockdown came down and was like "I could get work done" but you know, not really as it turns out.
Matt: I've definitely heard that from authors so I guess we have to turn the tables on you. What advice do you have for all of us who are now working from home and being more like authors?
Jim: Enjoy not wearing pants. You know I mean that's really kind of how it is.
Matt: That is great advice. I need to take you up on that, doing laundry way too often so.... Obviously we're all here not only to talk about Battle Ground but Peace Talks which is the first part of this duology. Just in case anyone hasn't heard about it or read them yet, do you want to give a little breakdown of what the duology is about?
Jim: Well it's about the great big peace talks that come into town where everyone's trying to settle all the world's problems and hold hands and sing kumbaya. It's basically just that. So yeah. But yeah Dresden has been assigned to the White Council as security liason for the White Council team and he's going to be off making sure things stay smooth between the White Council and the faerie courts, you know so that goes well. And Dresden runs into a few problems, his brother kind of causes some trouble, maybe it's less kumbaya than everybody intended as things go along.
Matt: So did you write these books together? They came out very close together obviously. What was the process like for that?
Jim: Originally they were written as a single book, the book came out like way way longer than I intended. And so as soon as I showed it to my editor she read it and was like "Jim" because honestly I wasn't trying to write like another Dresden Files book I was trying to invent a better mousetrap. My original plan was to take this book, and we were going to be riding along with this book and there was gonna be like this political setup and these scenes and then in the middle of it the book takes a hard right turn into an apocalyptic war movie, no one was expecting that (everybody was expecting it because the twist was something we were told before Skin Game even came out) so I mean originally that was the inspiration I got From Dusk Till Dawn which starts off as a serial killer movie and then turns into the vampire movie in the middle.
Matt: Nice. That's a good pitch for it. So, when did the announcement for Battle Ground go out? March? April?
Jim: Something like that. There was a great big plan and then there was this little problem with a disease from China. Kinda knocked all the publicity stuff we had ready to go. We had this huge tour lined up and everything was gonna be happening at hall 8 at Comic con. That was when we were gonna have the trailers and everything showing up. It was going to be a big deal and we didn't get to do it on account of nobody going to conventions this year.
Matt: I think people still freaked out enough based on the reactions to Battle Ground. Because people knew about Peace Talks but then we got the bonus book it felt like which was awesome it felt like. And I was gonna ask you about the trailers because they were amazing. How did those come about? That's not a normal things for most books.
Jim: I spent a whole bunch of money on them because I really wanted cool trailers. Well I spent a bunch of money on them and I worked together with Priscilla Spencer who you've seen running around in the background because she's part of this because of the book premiere and so on. But she was the writer, producer and director of the trailers, so she's the one who did like all the work, I didn't do anything on the trailers I didn't even write them I just wrote the books. And then I screwed up the books at the last minute and made edits that made the trailer, that kind of took things out of the trailer that should have been there but weren't or that were there and shouldn't have been and so. I still remember after I got those last few edits done and turned them in I was like "I'd better show them to Priscilla" and I did and she just kind of gives me this look. Because honestly doing something even like a trailer is so much more work than a book is because a book might take hours and hours and hours but it's just one guy. If you're gonna do a trailer, there's a hundred people on the crew, they're all working on stuff, they're all trying to get their act together and get the product done. So it was an intense process. I know that for her she's been working on it for like the past 18 months, she's been doing nothing else. Because she's been doing all the special effects and stuff like that as well, she's kind of a one person movie basically, the way she works.
Matt: So is she putting out the full length versions anytime soon?
Jim: shaking his head I don't make that much money man. I mean, I got about four minutes and it was a whole bunch of money to get those four minutes. And I really like it but I don't have that much money.
Matt: Definitely a worthwhile four minutes.
Jim: I enjoyed a lot of it. There's like 250,000 views and I'm like 200,000 of them.
Matt: I'm probably in the minority but my introduction to Harry Dresden was through the TV show.
Jim: Oh lot's of people were.
Matt: So it was really exciting to see it back on the screen. Just a big tease, that's basically what you're telling us.
Jim: Yeah. That's kind of the idea. I've seen so many book trailers where they don't actually do any movie-esque. They just sort of have things happening, they just have some cute people and maybe they have them kiss or something like that. And I wanted something that was a little more theatrical, a little more movieesque. Ideally it would've been like a Marvel trailer but you know how expensive stunts are? Oh my god stunts are so expensive. So yeah, if I do another trailer that's my big thing "do I splurge and go for stunts" because that would be awesome and I kind of want to. If only I made enough money to be a professional movie guy. Maybe I could go like Roger Corman and make cheap horror movies. That would be fun.
Matt: Well everyone here has bought your book that means everyone here needs to go and tell all of their friends to go buy your books so you have enough money to make these full length.
Jim: That'd be fun.
Matt: So the other big thing about this year is it's the 20th anniversary of the Dresden Files.
Jim: scrambles My drink keeps sliding down a flat table.
Matt: As we've heard there's ghosts in your house so we'll let them show up as they will... I know you had lot's of things planned for this year, just looking back over it. 20 years ago was 2000, the world has changed so much. Who do you think has changed more, you or Harry Dresden?
Jim: Probably me. Harry Dresden is... you know he has the advantage of he only gets to evolve when I'm paying attention. SO he doesn't really get to sneak up too much on me, it's probably me who's changed more. Just... life, stuff keeps happening to you.
Matt: I've read you're kind of a plotter. You do things in order, you know how this series is gonna end, right?
Jim: Mostly. I don't know if Harry's going to live yet or not.
Matt: You definitely don't have to tell us.
Jim: Good, I don't know. We're gonna have to get to the end to find out it's, there's several different endings for epic style heroes with lots of books behind them and so on, and one of them is "no he doesn't make it out", that is definitely one of the possible endings. I'm not exactly sure what's gonna happen yet. I'm gonna be at the end of the third book before I know.
Matt: Luckily that is in your hands and not ours.
Jim: I guess. I mean somebody else might be better at it than me I don't know.
Matt: Dustin just says "don't kill Toot" so...
Jim: No promises man, it's not a safe world. Not at all.
Matt: How do you keep all of this straight? I mean this is book 17 right? Battle Ground? How do you do it?
Jim: I use the fan wikis a lot. Because they're way more accurate than my notes, I mean for crying out loud. The difference between us is that the fans are having a good time when they do the wiki, they're having fun. For me it's still work, I have a good time at it but it's still work. So the people who are having fun are going to do it way harder than I ever will so I go and check the fan wikis when I need to. And then I have a crew of beta readers, Priscilla's been a beta reader for like forever, she's like indispensable. She's like my personal Molly in terms of being able to say "no Jim you killed that character two books ago" "okay better not write them in I guess or I better do a lot more writing before I do". But yeah she's got a real gift for continuity and I've got about 15 other people that are on the beta list and the beta readers read through and I get feedback from them and they will look up previous stuff. They tend to be highly intelligent nerds who love this series and read the books a lot so it's very hard to get anything past.
Matt: Any of you out there who are editors on the wikis just raise your hand and take some credit for these books. Let's get to some of these questions because we have a ton. So I'm just gonna go in order that you've voted for them. I take no responsibility whatsoever. This first one is from Charles. Have you ever set up a story arc or twist or significant detail and then forgot about it?
Jim: If I forgot about it I wouldn't remember it to talk about.
Matt: The second part is did you recover it and move on?
Jim: I don't normally just forget things. I'll often change my mind and find a better story and and take a look at it and say "I know I had something else in mind three books from not but can I take a look at this and change it around and maybe make it more interesting" yeah stuff like that. That's always as I go back and look at some scene and I'll be like "that's a nice scene and it's all done and everything but it doesn't give me anything for the future" and I'll go back in and add some detail. Something that'll come back to haunt Dresden in the future. Basically that's what it is, as a writer it's my job to come up with the details that'll haunt Dresden in the future. That's most of my job.
Matt: The Devil's in the details, right. So this next question is from Charles too. Harry is becoming a balance point of forces, summer fire and winter knight, hellfire and soulfire. Is this typical for wizards or has it given Harry capabilities beyond on the norm?
Jim: It depends on the wizard. Every wizard that is out there is like a professional athlete. But saying that there's a lots of different kinds of professional athletes and the flyweight boxer is a much different athlete than the sumo wrestler is a much different athlete than the pole vaulter is a much different athlete than the long distance runner. Wizards are like that and what you're good at as a wizard is something that tends to be based upon the talents you're born with. So like your really good specialties as a wizard, people who are really good at certain things, they were just that was their proclivity they were born with, it was their natural tendency. That sort of breaks the wizards down into general categories. This wizard is really good at finding information, this wizard is really good at working with energy and forces which means he can blow people up and burn them down really well, this wizard over here is really good at enchantment and making really cool items, this wizard does something else completely different, this wizard is brilliant at working with entities from different realms and so on. Again I use the professional athletes a lot because it's just so useful when you go back to "who is the more powerful athlete? Is it the PGA player who makes berjillions of dollars getting paid to play golf? Is it the NFL center who is the most powerful man in professional sports?" It's all a very different sort of thing, it's all very confusing.
Matt: That begs the question.
Jim: So Harry is not, what Harry's really good at, what Harry's really good at as an athlete he's a weightlifter. He is really good at moving big heavy things and getting things done. He's strong he's resilient he's extremely capable at things he does and if you just try to go head to head with him it's not going to go well for you. Which is why he gets defeated by people with more sqwab, more skill. The weightlifter doesn't do so well against the Olympic fencer in fencing. It doesn't go so well, so Harry's constantly trying to find ways to bring conflicts into his area of strength. Now he is /very/ strong as a wizard, if you just try and arm wrestle him magically he's gonna beat 99% of the wizard on planet Earth because that's who he is, that's the talent he was born with, he was born with lots of magical muscle. But that said, there's wizards that are more experienced than him, that are smarter than him and there's some that are stronger than him and there's lots and lots of them that are just better than him because they have more experience because they've been alive for centuries and he hasn't. So Dresden is formidable among wizards but he's always been a medium splash in the pond because even though he's as strong as, he's in Ebenezar's weight class for example but he can't beat Ebenezar in a straight up fight it's just not gonna happen. And as a result he is looked as a very powerful wizard by people who don't know a lot about what wizards do. So other people from outside the White Council look at him and go "wow he's a powerful wizard" while everybody in the White Council goes puts palm on head "oh god that kid is so strong and he doesn't know a goddamn thing". And that is kind of their perspective of Dresden, he's that one ten year old who accidentally got to be six foot five and two hundred pounds for whatever reason his genetics did that. I mean, he's that kid so everybody and so all the other kids are like "he's so great" and all the adults are like "I'm terrified of this individual" and that's sort of the way he lives. But you know he's like one of the most powerful wizards on planet Earth or anything, I mean he's strong, he's in a class where if you want to fight him you better bring friends but at the same time he's real limited in what he can do, that sort of backs him off in terms of the scale of beings of centuries and millennia he's interesting, he might become something cool one day.
Matt: That's a great way to explain it. The athlete analogy really helps.
Jim: Yeah it sort of makes it simple.
Matt: Um, so if you could pull one character from the Dresdenverse into the Cinder Spire or Codex Alera world, who would you pick and why?
Jim: Harry Dresden and he would go over there and be a mysterious stranger and probably be helping. I mean if I was going to do anything like that that's what I'd do.
Matt: Just like a background character who pops up occasionally, cryptically?
Jim: He'd be a wizard obviously. You always have wizard characters that show up and they're mysterious and they hand out quests and items and they're like this "here try it with the blast shield down this time", wizards do stuff like that. So Dresden would just show up in those other places and be doing weird wizard stuff. I mean that's probably not going to happen until the Dresden Files are over and I really want to write him some more but I don't want to write more Dresden books so.
Matt: Well we look forward to that possibility. Alright, in White Night Bob says that Harry gave Lash a bit of soul. When she died could she have gone to heaven or become an angel?
Jim: I'm not gonna tell you that.
Matt: Oho. I'm sorry I'm just asking the question.
Jim: Okay I'm just gonna say it, okay this is Charles, Charles I'm not gonna tell you, I'm not gonna tell you because you need to find out later. Okay.
Matt: So that means keep reading.
Jim: Yeah. There's lots of things... Partly this is a question that would be difficult to answer because it's really really deep, it's an extremely deep question that I would not throw myself into lightly. I would have to stop and think about that question for a while, probably a couple of weeks. But yeah, but Lash herself was... kind of a hybrid entity. She was half-human and half something else, honestly she was kind of a Nephilim in terms of how you would do the definition that would be it. But she's also this creature that doesn't really have a physical body and is sort of attached in a very loosely attached to the mortal world and so as a result so she probably wouldn't find herself coming down and being judged on the same scales as all the mortals are. Being as she's not necessarily a creature of free will and so on that's a very mortal thing. Judgement is very much tied in with free will generally speaking so... I think it would be a really complicated question to try and figure out what happened to Lash. We'll have to have Harry try and figure it out. I'm gonna have to think about it and talk to my Catholic friends they love talking religion.
Matt: The viewers are very happy that you gave more info on that. It is a fun theological discussion to have.
Jim: Yeah, I love the talk. I love the theological discussion.
Matt: I don't know if you've watched it, but Lucifcer is now on Netflix.
Jim: I need to watch it, I don't really care for Lucifer but I'm a Michael fan so Michael shows up in season 5 so now I have to watch the first 4 seasons as research.
Matt: Season 5 is excellent.
Jim: Okay cool.
Matt: Just sort of talking about these sorts of theological questions, it's research for that. Alright so what beer are you drinking tonight?
Jim: Tonight is Colorado Cola, which is a very fine cola. It's basically just a coke style cola except with a little bit of cinnamon in it I think and that makes it taste good.
Matt: Are all white court vampires bisexual? That is, are they omnivores feeding on different genders?
Jim: They can be, at the end of the day when you're a white court vampire and you're hungry enough you just don't care what the food is. Maybe tacos aren't you're favourite food but if you're hungry enough then yeah you'll scarf down some tacos, same thing.
Matt: That's me most times I'm hungry.
Jim: On a regular day I'll normally go "I don't want a taco, I think I'll have a hamburger" you know like that. But if I'm starving and somebody says all there is is tacos then give me some tacos. Yeah, I'll eat these.
Matt: Tacos do sound good right now. It's tough living in San Diego, there's so many good options. So... who said this... Shawn asks, spoilers for Battle Ground, given that there's such a long time between Skin Game and Peace Talks and Battle Ground should we prepare for another long wait? I'm assuming another Cinder Spires book will be coming out next.
Jim: It doesn't come out until tomorrow and you want to know when the next book is out Shawn? Really? Wow that's soon, normally I wait till after people have got a couple of the book, then they ask when the next one's coming.
Matt: I'm assuming Shawn got an ARC, read it already, his review's up already and he's done it all right.
Jim: I'm working on it. I've actually got to write a Cinder Spires novella first and I'm a solid chunk of the way through that. And that'll come out before too long and I'll release that online. Because I've got to figure out what happened between two books and I haven't been in that world in a while and I kind of had to write a warmup to get the rest of the world moving because everything had frozen in the meantime. So I'm working on that now. I'm gonna finish that before the end of the year. And then I'll start Cinder Spires probably in December at some point, I'll finish it by March and sort the next Dresden book in the spring and that'll be done some time in the fall so that'll be out either in the winter or in the following spring. Depends on Penguin, a lot of it does.
Matt: Hopefully it's on time and we can see you in person.
Jim: Yeah I hope so. Yeah we should be done with this stuff by then.
Matt: Hope so. Had this question over and skipped over it but I'm gonna ask it now. How do you approach or do you approach short stories and novellas differently or do you work on them the same way it's just you're telling a story it just happens to be a different length?
Jim: It's always the same, telling the story is the same activity regardless of how long the story is. The stories all have the same pieces and parts, the parts just get bigger as the story gets bigger. I'm sorry remind me of the question again?
Matt: Short stories, novels or novellas?
Jim: The difference is you've got to do every thing you do in a novel, in a short story except that you've got about a hundredth of the space to do it. So writing a short story is like having a knife fight in a telephone booth there's just not enough room to do everything you want to do and anything you do has to be much shorter and more direct than you'd prefer. But that is what you're dealing with when you're writing a short story. Novellas are a bit longer, they're like a short story except you can take deeper breaths and there's a little more room to swing the knife, but that's about the only difference. Novels are the ones that you- I mean, they're much easier. At least in my opinion novels are a much easier thing to do than a short story or a novella because you have more room, you can take more time. But at the same time they take a lot longer.
Matt: As someone who's not a writer, that seems so backwards. Like, a short story seems like it should be easier. Novels are so daunting.
Jim: Try to imagine putting together a ship in a bottle, that's writing a short story. Writing a novel is like building a ship outside of a bottle and then bringing the mast out. It's still difficult, just not as difficult as reaching tiny instruments in through the neck of the bottle and trying to put things together that way.
Matt: I love short stories. I love reading anthologies so I appreciate all these metaphors, these are very helpful ways to explain the difference. Chat is telling me that I have missed a question and I apologise. Here it is, how do you temper Goodman Grey, who is a skinwalker, who has an incredible amount of power without handicapping him or making him feel overpowered?
Jim: Goodman Grey isn't as powerful as Harry Dresden and certainly isn't harder to do than Dresden is. Dresden's the one who can wreck everything because he's got too much power. Grey is cool and all but he's got limits that he doesn't talk about because it's smart not to. And he's also well I mean you'll see more of him as we get into more of the stories. Goodman Grey is going to be the character that when I'm done writing Dresden I'm going to be writing Grey stories in the same world. That series will be called Monster LLC. Goodman Grey is a professional monster for hire, he's the scion of a naagloshi and is an incredibly talented shapeshifter like low level down shapeshifting (presumably low as in down to the retina) but at the same time he's also got all these issues and he lives in a very different part of the magical world than Dresden does. Dresden is very much one of the movers and shakers among the magical community, he's a member of the White Council, he's the 1%. And Grey lives in a very different world than Dresden does and he interacts with the magical community that doesn't exist inside cities which is a very different community when you don't have to worry about humans as much. Anybody who lives in a city's got humans around all the time, always has to be thinking about them, always has to be worrying about them. If you're out in the country, different story. And so the magical community out there tends to be very different and Dresden doesn't know a lot about that because he stays in town most of the time, he's not a country guy. So we'll get to see very different portions of the world that exist under very different circumstances when you don't have all these humans around that you have to worry about all the time.
Matt: I know you're not looking for real-time feedback but people are very excited about the prospect of a Grey series.
Jim: Yeah that'll be a lot of fun, that'll come along after we're all done with Dresden. I mean Dresden that'll probably one of the characters in it because he hires Grey all the time and causes him trouble and he'll probably be a villain actually. One of the antagonists in the series, good lord, while being Grey's ally because that's Harry Dresden for you.
Matt: Nice. So many questions. Jim, can you tell us about Toot's growth over the course of the series? He seems to grow mentally along with his size, some fans have theorised it is a result of the growth of his responsibility.
Jim: That is, hey, fans are smart, what cam I say? Yeah, as Toot has been given more responsibilities he has gained more power within the realm of the fae. He's a squire to the winter knight for all practical purposes which is a position inside the court which actually gives him some clout and some juice. He doesn't know it because he's a pixie, he's a jumped up pixie who is slowly growing into a sidhe. But at the same time, he's becoming a different creature than he was before and Dresden's making that happen. There's a lot of things Dresden is doing that he doesn't know he's doing, doesn't know that he's responsible for, he kind of has a vague idea about Toot Toot but he's not quite sure what's happening with him. He's never had a pixie hang out with him for a long time before so he doesn't know if this is unusual or not. But yeah, Toot Toot growing bigger and stronger is largely a measure of him getting increased responsibility because with great responsibility comes increased power.
Matt: Cool. Sounds like we can confirm that.
Jim: Yeah absolutely. Whoever figured that out is smart.
Matt: Before I get to the next question, I'm a big audiobook guy, the audio books are read by James Marsters. Did you have any influence over that? Because he's great.
Jim: My influence was mostly jumping up and down in excitement when they hired him. They hired him during season 3 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I think it was season 3, it was when Buffy went to college. That was the year when I sold Storm Front as an audio to a small company named Buzzy Multimedia who I still work with. But you know they were the first ones to believe in me so I kind of have a soft spot for them. But yeah, Marsters they called me up and said "hey we want to do an audiobook of Storm Front" and what I heard was "hey we want to pay your family's health insurance for six months" and I said yeah absolutely, that'd be great. And so we made that deal and they called me a week later to say "he we got Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer to do the reading is that okay with you" and did a Snoopy dance and called up a bit more serious and was like "yeah I guess that's alright, he'll do." I knew, from where he was on the show, that he was gonna a lot of clout, he was gonna have a lot of fans. He was gonna have a fanbase of his own, which was just fantastic. I was so pleased with it the whole time but I can't claim credit for it because it's not like I went out and did it, that was somebody else completely.
Matt: Well it was a great addition.
Jim: Oh it worked out I'm so happy.
Matt: It was very jarring to me as a Buffy fan to hear him not having a British accent.
Jim: Oh I know, oh my got. He's /not/ British, wait, he's not? That was my reaction when I first heard him reading.
Matt: The British accent sounds so good on him.
Jim: Oh yeah he does it well.
Matt: Will Harry get another get another big spell in his repertoire besides forzare and ventas servitas?
Jim: Probably. I mean, he's always coming up with new ones or trying new things. Those are the ones that are like his basics, you know, spells that wizards learn to be able to do them fast enough and reliably enough to do them one some slobbering monster is coming to chew your face off. Most wizards only know three or four things that they can just do off the top of their head. The ones who are in combat a lot, the three or four things that they know are really useful and can be applied to a lot of things, like Dresden's stuff. Other people can throw a bolt of fire or something but that's all they really bothered to learn with combat, because honestly what more do you need to do besides set somebody on fire to win a fight most of the time?
Matt: It's effective most of the time.
Jim: Yeah if you can set somebody on fire you're pretty good. If you can just look at somebody and speak a word to set them on fire you're doing okay. As fights go, you're probably better off than 99%. But the heavy combat wizards, they'll go up to a dozen or even a couple of dozen spells and Dresden will get there eventually, it just takes time. You've got to learn, you've got to practice and you've got to have a superhuman amount of discipline to keep making yourself go when you've already been doing it for a century and a half. But that's something Dresden will learn but for the time being he's got his three or four things he can do off the top of his head. He can make things stop and he can make things go, that's really what he does.
Matt: That'll solve 99% of things right. Another question about magic from Kevin. Hi Jim, I've always enjoyed how you've used elemental magic in the Dresden Files, especially how the forest people and Ebenezar and Listens-To-Wind use earth and water magic. I was wondering what advanced air and fire magic would look like if it was used by the forest people or other powerful wizards? Thanks again hope you and Fenris and Brutus are doing well.
Jim: Fenris is doing great camera pans to Fenris snoozing on Jim's lap. He's not impressed with you guys though, he's just sleeping through this whole thing. Advanced air magic would look like what Yoshimo does, she's like really really good at air so she does like the wushu/wuxia fighting and that's what advanced air magic looks like, stuff like that. Plus meteorological stuff, weather stuff is almost all air magic, air and fire. Advanced fire magic, weather would be one of them because you need a lot of fire if you really want to change weather around and then actually Dresden is a pretty advanced fire guy, of all the things he does he does fire pretty good. Everyone in the council goes "yeah he can burn stuff" like that but, but yeah it's a different story, there's a very different mindset of magic if your main magic is water. Your mindset a very different one from all the rest of them, you can have basically the same attitude about air, about earth, about fire, but if you're working with water it's a much more complicated art and you can mess yourself up a lot worse so it takes a different attitude to really wade into it. And that's why Ramirez is so different from Dresden, Ramirez is a highly talented water mage and he is the guy to take Dresden apart if there's ever a need because he's the Olympic fencer that'd be going up against Dresden the weightlifter and if Dresden tries to fence with him it's not gonna go well.
Matt: The athlete comparison comes in so handy. How fun was it as a dad to start getting to write Harry's perspective on fatherhood and how it now factors in all his decisionmaking.
Jim: /Painful/. Yeah when you... when a kid comes into the picture it changes /everything/, everything. It's one of those things people get upset about because "oh people tell me all the time that you won't understand until you have a kid" but yeah, you won't understand until you have a kid. Or at least until you've been in a position where you're taking care of one and there's this tiny human who relies on you for absolutely everything, that is such a responsibility. But I don't know it was fun writing it in the Dresden Files but it was necessary. What's Harry gonna do, stand there and not be her dad? No it's not gonna happen. Maggie comes up and says "do you want to be my dad?" and Harry says no? That's not gonna happen. I didn't even realise that was going to be an issue until I wrote the scene with Maggie in it and that just took me by surprise when Maggie said "do you want to be my dad?" because of course that's what a kid is going to say. And then to have Dresden be hit with that all of a sudden, the problem was having /me/ be hit with that all of a sudden. Because you know, "Dresden what are you doing that was so irresponsible of you, going and having a child. Think of all the complications you're throwing in my life by having this child, I cannot believe you did this!". I kind of know what my parents must have felt like freshman year of college. But yeah, but Dresden working with Maggie, it needed to happen, it was one of the most important decisions of the series, I just didn't know I was going to be making it until I was in the middle of it.
Matt: That's a great answer and I can confirm that you don't realise until you have a kid what it means as I'm broadcasting from the baby's room.
Jim: Exactly.
Matt: Besides the forgotten sasquatch, is there another paranormal beastie you've remembered to include in Battle Ground for a future book?
Jim: I mean there's got to be new beasties, you can't just not write a book and not have some new monster show up and try and kill Dresden. So there the ones I've been looking forward to using were the Cornerhounds which came out in Peace Talks and then I just outright stole the Huntsmen from the Prydain Chronicles by Lloyd Alexander and from Welsh legend. They're from Welsh legend but I learned about them from Lloyd and I just stole them outright because they're so awesome.
Matt: It's like an honour at that point.
Jim: When you're putting together a group of bad guys who their whole things is they collected the survivors from the evil pantheons who lost their fights over the years, you can just find your favourite bad guys and put them all on the same team. That's so good, I'm constantly opening up my mental toychest and pulling out mental action figures and smashing them together and you guys will spend money on it. I don't know why but you do so I'll keep working on it.
Matt: It's worked out well so far.
Jim: Yeah I think we're having a good time it seems to be going well.
Matt: In Changes Lea says that if she were to dwell on the infection that it would resurface, can an infection be cured or does it simply go into remission? Thank you Jim for all you do to drive us crazy.
Jim: You're very welcome I love driving you guys crazy thank you very much for giving me the opportunity. I'm not gonna answer that question because it's a much better one to find out later. I love to answer questions and I will do that unless I think it's gonna ruin something that's gonna ruin something later on in which case I'll make fun of you and say I won't answer because that's my job, to write things that are fun so I'm not gonna undermine it by telling you stuff.
Matt: You've talked about this a little bit, where do you fall between I write instinctually vs I plan everything out? That spectrum.
Jim: When I write a book, I always know how it's going to start, how it's going to end, a big flashy bit in the middle and about a dozen one liners I want to use, jokes I want Dresden to use during the course of the story. So once I know that I get started and because I've written so many Dresden Files books they have a similar shape, most of them do, so it's--- I suppose I'm writing on the fly but I'm not really writing on the fly because I've done it a lot. Once you're one of those painters who paints the same picture over and over again and sells it over and over again you get pretty darn good quick at making that picture so you're not really freehanding it anymore, which is sort of where I am with Dresden Files books. But at the same time though, you can't... you've gotta make your plan, you've gotta stick to your plan generally but you've also gotta be sharp enough to whip your car over and pick up some flowers along the way if you see a nice opportunity as you're going along, because you never think of everything up front, you always have new ideas as you're proceeding and then the question becomes: Do I run with this good idea or do I ditch the good idea and stick with my outline? And that's the part where you kinda ditch craft and science and start thinking of art. Because you've got to figure out "this is gonna be a good portion of the story but if I change it around it's gonna undermine this facet and this facet and then I'll have to make other corrections on the other side" and so every time you make a change from a plan there's a ripple effect that spreads out through the rest of the book and the book that came before it as well and the story that came before it as well. So the more you dart off to one side or the other the more work you wind up handing yourself so it's a matter of striking a balance between doing the thing that is cool, because the rule of cool always applies, and doing the efficient thing for your story that's going to get your reader to the end of the story in the most enjoyable path possible. So yeah it's six of one half a dozen of the other and as a writer you make your choices and hope you guess well.