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Snake Diggity

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  1. Something I have been struggling with is where to draw my red lines and how to react when they’re crossed. Prior to Jan 6, I was not really that worried about how the Trump/MAGA movement would play out. I considered it temporary and ineffectual, at least in the long term. The Insurrection on January 6th 2021 was the first time I felt truly worried about how this was going to go. But Biden took office and things seemed to settle down. Trump’s re-election was yet another turning point for me, as it showed that the pendulum wasn’t really swinging back the way I thought it would and that the Trump/maga craziness wasn’t going away like I expected. Now there are loads of things happening that I never could have imagined. Masked men in unmarked cars kidnapping people off the streets. Far right state governments gerrymandering at the behest of the president. The president deploying federal troops to take over a city against the wishes of local leadership. When do we decide enough is enough? And what do we do when that line gets crossed? I can’t believe this is where we are. I know one clear red line for me would be Trump running for a 3rd term; I will NOT stand by and let that happen and would risk my life to prevent that from happening. But Texas redistricting mid-decade for the sole purpose of handing Trump full control of congress for 2 more years also might be a red line.
  2. I have been on every anti-depressant medication available over the last 20 years, including a half dozen or more off-label prescriptions and countless unsubstantiated supplements. None of them worked. A few years ago I saw a dramatic improvement in my depression and suicidal ideation. I’m not 100% sure what changed. It could’ve just been luck or my body changing as I transitioned into middle age. But here are the things I am pretty sure actually helped: I started focusing on my sleep. Going to bed earlier, eliminating sleep distractions, prioritizing sleep above all else. This is probably the easiest change to make even if you’re in the depths of severe depression. I started making sure I got outside more often. Sunlight and fresh air and nature help me feel better and think less about how much life sucks and not thinking I should probably kill myself. Getting outside is a little difficult if you’re really in the depths. I started exercising more. Along with better sleep hygiene, this is the thing that helped the most and is most backed by science. Again, this is difficult if you’re in severe depression. I started practicing gratitude. Literally as little as 10 seconds per day of stopping and having the conscious thought that there are things in your life to be thankful for and appreciate. Also difficult to do when you’re depressed. I started drinking less alcohol and (trying to) eat healthier. Supplements that I think have helped me feel better are fish oil and creatine. Foods high in fiber and good fats make me feel good. Finally, I think having kids has dramatically reduced my depression. They don’t call them bundles of joy for nothing, and they’ve given me a sense of purpose that wasn’t there before. I have had frequent bouts of suicidal ideation since I was a little kid. Throughout my entire 20s and most of my 30s, they were very intense and happened every day, most of the time multiple times per day. For as much as the thought of killing myself has occupied my mind throughout my life, I consider it a miracle I am alive. I am not exactly sure why I have suffered with that, I am certain at least part of it is genetic; I have a pretty obsessive and negative personality. But I think other factors from my childhood contributed (heavy on guilt-ridden Catholicism, parents who employed “tough love” as a first line philosophy). Anyway, what you described aligns with my experience. Eventually, rather than classifying as an outsider (which seems like a pretty effective way to deal) I eventually just convinced myself that after this many years of thinking about suicide and not doing it, it was just a waste of time. The last few years have been the best of my adult life. I consider myself an example of someone who has largely beaten depression. I still have times where I feel depressed and even suicidal (the last few weeks have been particularly rough), but nowhere near the intensity and frequency as the previous 20 years, and I feel like I have a lot better tools and strategy to deal with it. When I was really, really depressed, it seemed certain to me that I would never ever get to a better place, but I’m here to tell people that I’m proof it can get better.
  3. 1B Walker SS Pena 3B Correa Altuve will continue to play 2B and LF based on what type of SP Houston is running out. When Altuve is in LF, Urias will be the 2B. When Altuve is at 2B, Sanchez will be in LF. Dubon goes back to a utility/bench role. Paredes is going to have surgery on his hamstring and is out for the season. Matthews likely goes back to the minors to try to work on reducing his swing and miss. Short gets DFA.
  4. You’re out here talmbout merch. Merch?! Not wins. Not rings. Not ticket sales. Merch.
  5. Javier was a #2 in 2022. But in the other years and over course of his MLB career he has been more like a #4. Im fine with him being the #4 SP but don’t want to count on him to jump right back in and be a Game 3 starter.
  6. Astros getting Correa and Cease plus a rental LH bat and a rental RH RP. Informed speculation.
  7. There’s that fag talk I was talking about.
  8. Short term emergency priorities (to stop the bleeding and win the next presidency): 1. Find likable, charismatic leaders who can appeal to a broad range of voters. The current roster of 2028 hopefuls fucking sucks: a California douchebag named “Gavin”, a super smart gay dude who black people will never show up for, a milquetoast dude from Kentucky, and a bunch of other people who lack personality. I don’t who it is, but they need a leader that can unify people and get them to show up. 2. Demonize the rich. Almost all of the political issues being framed by race and gender should really be about class. Wealth consolidation is destroying our society. It is going to take a long time to make change, but Democrats need to pound the narrative to get the ball rolling and switch the narrative. The Democrats have the platform that benefits the poor and middle class, and they need to sell it. >99.999% of people with a net worth over $100,000,000.00 are pieces of shit. They’re the problem. 3. Ditch intellectualism. I actually think this might be happening. I’ve noticed several Dems starting to regularly curse during appearances; that is a good start. Showing some legit anger and candor and speaking the way the median person speaks is the way. This also means Dems showing up a lot more in rural areas. Medium term (the next time they win the presidency and majority): 1. Pack the courts. It’s the only move to quickly reverse some of the damage Trump has done. 2. Universal healthcare. Once they get it, the GOP will never be able to take it away. 3. Balanced budget amendment. They will be able to live with this more than the GOP will, because there’s a TON more room to add revenue than there is to cut spending. The debt is a real risk, and it’s no longer a far off consequence. Long term: 1. Lead the way to manage the pending demographic crisis. This means making it more appealing for folks to start families (extended paid parental leave, increased tax credits for childcare) and managing immigration to bring in additional young people as needed. I also like the idea of subsidized 0% interest home loans for all first time buyers. 2. Manage the changes brought on by AI and automation. Before we know it (it could be less than a decade from now), 70%+ of white collar and 30%+ of blue collar jobs will be gone. This might mean Universal Basic Income or a dramatically reduced work week. 3. Keep the pipeline of leadership full and improve civic engagement and voter education. Among other things it means figuring out how to fight misinformation.
  9. You couldn’t be allowed to opt out, it wouldn’t work. There would be supplemental plans from private insurers. And I’m sure cash pay concierge doctors would become more popular.
  10. There’s no democratic leader and there’s no platform. Biden’s entire term consistently featured Trump’s message in the headlines. The Dems will have no such equivalent during Trump’s term.
  11. That’s one big bummer about the election is the next President is inheriting significant economic tailwinds: -Continued flow of capital and other benefits from post-pandemic stimulus (BBB, CHIPS). -Advancements in AI and associated technology creating productivity improvements. -The greatest transfer of wealth in history increasing velocity of money as Boomers retire and die. Barring a nuclear power starting a war or the emergence of another pandemic, it will be hard for Trump to fuck up the economy. If he does it will probably be due to civil unrest due to wealth inequality, although even that probably won’t happen during his term.
  12. Won’t make a lick of difference. Trump could do an interview and call out most of his voters INDIVIDUALLY BY NAME and say “FUCK YOU”, and they’d still vote for him.
  13. My investments are on cruise control. And other than not quitting or getting fired I don’t have much control over my active income. So the only lever I have to pull is reducing expenses. I’ve totally taken my foot off the gas in terms of spending/saving. So my main financial goals for 2025 are to dramatically reduce the amount I spend on restaurants, Amazon, and entertainment; not just to save more but to also reduce the amount we’d need to save. I was on a super early retirement track and I’m very financially secure at this point, but now I’m resigned to working until my kids are out of the house. So the good news is I’m going to be pretty fucking rich by my standards and it’s not really a matter of buckling down, it’s more just waiting for time to pass. But the bad news is I have ~10 more years of the grind ahead of me.
  14. MAGA has surprised me many times, but cheering as the richest man on earth dances around the stage with their billionaire candidate was a new low. Those dumb motherfuckers gave it all away just because the people whose interests are most diametrically opposed to their own told them they’d re-suppress the people they used to get to freely punch down on.
  15. I don’t think it’s really Espada that’s behind that. I think between analytics around injury prevention (scheduling rest days for regulars) and platoon splits, the manager is just following the data he’s given. But I think Houston will end up adding one “everyday” OF then maybe one platoon guy, which would give them 8 everyday players and 1 platoon (Meyers and a guy who hits RHP).
  16. If the Astros signed Bregman, Paredes would become the everyday LF. Chas would also play every day, CF against RHP and RF against LHP. Meyers would play CF against LHP. They’d still need to find a CF/RF to play against RHP, as if they did nothing, that spot would be a spring competition between Trammell, Hummel, Dezenzo, Whitcomb, Leon, Melton, and Corona. That wouldn’t be the end of the world since that player would slot into the 7 or 8 hole and would only play 70% of the games (only against RHP). Trammell, Dezenzo, and Hummel all would project to be roughly league average in that role with upside for more (especially Dezenzo).
  17. Paredes would be totally fine in LF.
  18. Thanks for all the great info in this thread.
  19. I do all our laundry. It fucking sucks how much of my life is devoted to the shit but my wife (who also works full time) does all the cooking and dishes and blowjobs so I can’t really bitch. I am very disciplined about ensuring all laundry is washed, dried, folded, and put away on the same day each week (I work from home). I have 2 kids (6 and 9). I separate hot and cold, and it’s usually just 2 loads unless the maids come in which case it’s 3-4 loads with one being mostly sheets and towels. I bought the largest capacity washer and dryer that would fit in our laundry room; that’s a tip I would pass on to any man who has this chore. Stuff the shit in there, if something’s not getting clean you can always wash it again next week, and it’ll still be more efficient because 99% of my family’s clothes aren’t even dirty, they’ve just been worn once so they go in the hamper. My kids are pretty good about putting their shit in their hamper. And they will put away their clothes if I ask them to, although they don’t do it as neatly as I do which pisses me off, so I usually don’t ask them to. I hang my wife’s clothes in her closet for her but I set my wife’s folded clothes on our dresser and she will leave them there for weeks which annoys the shit out of me. I really don’t mind the washing and drying, it’s the fucking folding and putting away that is the time suck. I’ve debated just going to a method of just dumping everybody’s clothes in their drawers unsorted and unfolded but my ocd can’t handle that. My current plan is that when my kids turn 10 or 12 they will have to start folding and putting away their own clothes but I know it’s going to be a battle and I’m not looking forward to that. I have heard laundry services have improved to be more affordable and convenient but haven’t actually looked into it; if I could have someone come pick up all my laundry each week and return it the next day washed dried and folded for <$150/mo, I’d probably pay it.
  20. Now that right there is a very stable genius.
  21. As it stands Dezenzo/Trammell project to combo with Meyers/Dubon to produce 2 roughly league average hitters with plus defense in 2 OF spots, with McCormick in the other spot. Almost none of those remaining guys projects to be a meaningful upgrade over what Houston already has. Santander and Hernandez are clear upgrades but are going to be overpaid and cost draft picks. Profar is interesting but will carry a similar upside/downside profile to Dezenzo. Winker and Verdugo are probably significantly better than Dezenzo/Trammell, but both carry attitude concerns and may not be looking to be paid like the part time players they’d be on the Astros. Heyward is the guy who seems like a true fit for this roster, if he’s willing to come on board for a 1 year 7 figure deal. I still think Houston should be gunning to trade for either Brandon Lowe or Wilyer Abreu, with Lamont Wade, Mike Yastrzemski, Seth Brown, and Alek Thomas as secondary options. Brandon Lowe would essentially replace Tucker’s offense and deepen the lineup such that they’d be on par with just about any other team assuming McCormick returns to his 2022-2023 form.
  22. Anecdotal face eating csb: my wife’s Trumper uncle, a non-white, first generation American who makes poor financial decisions, works for a government IT contractor. He has been working from home for a decade+; they’re broke, so they don’t own a car right now (“saving” for a new one). Yesterday at Christmas they showed up in my sister in law’s car, which they are borrowing because his company has mandated a return to the office in advance of the Trump/Musk administration. Dumbass voted for someone whose first change was to make him personally take on a 90 minute daily commute. SIL is also a Trumper so she’s getting her face eaten a lil bit too since she’s down a car now. They asked to borrow one of our cars for awhile which I would have done if he hadn’t brought up politics multiple fucking times on Christmas Day (and had the gall to start a conversation about how shitty the brand of car I drive is). Typing this made me mad as fuck. God dammit that guy fucking sucks.
  23. If Houston adds one OF who hits RHP well, here’s how their lineups project: Vs RHP: 2B Altuve wRC+ 123 3B Paredes 110 DH Alvarez 167 C Diaz 127 1B Walker 112 OF TBD 110+ CF McCormick 96 OF Dezenzo/Trammell/etc. TBD SS Pena 88 Singleton is a good hitter against RHP and could PH for Dezenzo or Pena if they came up against a righty at a critical moment. Dezenzo and Melton both have potential to be plus plus against RHP so there’s upside there. Vs LHP: 2B Altuve 149 SS Pena 132 DH Alvarez 166 3B Paredes 136 RF McCormick 142 1B Walker 112 C Diaz 103 CF Meyers 114 LF Dubon 111 That could be the best lineup in the league against LHP.
  24. Singleton still has real value as the 13th position player whose primary role is pinch hitting for a player who hits poorly against RHP in key situations (of course he can also backup DH and 1B). As it stands, Pena and at least one OF project to struggle against RHP; having Singleton available to pinch hit for those guys if they come up against a RHP at a critical point in the game is as good of a use of the 13th spot as any. 13th men usually get <200 pa in a season, whether as a 3rd catcher, 5th OF, 6th IF, pinch runner, or bench bat.
  25. I was really surprised they kept Cooper Hummel over Kessinger.
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