ASU Predictions and Preview Thread

This a big one.

- The path to winning is a lot narrower for Arizona St than for the good guys.
- Should win at 41, 49, 65, 84, 97. Win one of 57/74 or get an upset then we're golden.
- Need David (or Marcus, he can stick guys) to get bonus to offset whatever bonus they may get at 25/33 (more worried about 25 but as we know Kysen, if healthy, can beat top 5 guys. If Kysen wins out of the gate, I think it's goodnight Irene for ASU).
- Gotta have the young guns do their thing. 41 and 49 will be awesome matches.
- Losing at both 57/74 feels like the only way we lose the dual. Gotta have one of them step up.
- HWT is a MASSIVE opportunity for Sammy. That kid's apparently much more human this year. Ripe for the pickin'.

I see it something like 20-13, good guys. If it goes 5-5, I feel a little better about our ability to get bonus points and still win than I did vs Iowa.

This is gonna be FUN.

***2023 PGA Tour Thread***

Sentry Tournament of Champions in Kapalua kicks off the New Year this week.

Here is the Field:

PLAYER NAMES

Bradley, Keegan

Brehm, Ryan

Burns, Sam

Cantlay, Patrick

Conners, Corey

Finau, Tony

Fitzpatrick, Matt

Harman, Brian

Henley, Russell

Hoge, Tom

Homa, Max

Horschel, Billy

Hovland, Viktor

Hughes, Mackenzie

Im, Sungjae

Kim, Tom

Lee, K.H.

List, Luke

Matsuyama, Hideki

Morikawa, Collin

Mullinax, Trey

Poston, J.T.

Power, Seamus

Rahm, Jon

Ramey, Chad

Reavie, Chez

Schauffele, Xander

Scheffler, Scottie

Scott, Adam

Spaun, J.J.

Spieth, Jordan

Stallings, Scott

Straka, Sepp

Svensson, Adam

Theegala, Sahith

Thomas, Justin

Wise, Aaron

Young, Cameron

Zalatoris, Will

NFL: Pick ems

I’m in a tight race in a work pick em’s pool. Been going back and forth with this dude for most of the season for first. While him and I have been dicking around with each other, other people have closed the gap on us.

So, I thought where do people go for expert advice? CF.

So, I need everyone’s help with this to assure my victory next week.

If anyone sees news about actives/inscribed, thoughts on matchups, etc. please post in here by 2pm Thursday. That’s when I will turn it in.

TIA.

Question for Soil Scientists / Agronomists / Farmers About Rain on Nearly Frozen or Frozen Soil

I was wondering if the rain last night / early today "soaked into" the ground or did it mostly run-off into our waterways and cause more erosion? It seems the ground is generally dry and could use more moisture, both for farmers and natural areas or even people's lawns. When the ground seems like it's nearly frozen - and this map suggests soil temperatures around central Iowa were 33 degrees Farenheit https://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/agclimate/soilt.php - does that act as a defense or shield prohibiting water from soaking in like we sorely need around central Iowa?

I was hoping this rain arrived before the ground would freeze as it always appeared to me that rain, however rare, on frozen ground was often briskly washed into gulleys and waterways and could even lead to flash floods in our man-made world where we just have more and more concrete, and also not enough no-till and conservation practices to protect and preserve soil. It was almost like the ground was impervious once it was frozen.

That's just my general and anecdotal observation though that it appeared the gulleys and streams were full this morning after the heavy rain, so I wanted to know what the experts on here would say about the rain yesterday / today. Was it good and did it "soak-in" to the ground or were the benefits lost and it mostly just quickly flushed off the land due to nearly frozen or in some cases frozen soil?

Would love to hear the expert opinions on this topic.

Why is life worth living?

If you come here just for sports topics, I apologize in advance, but feel free to hit the back button as this is a different sort of post - and lengthy. If somebody finds it offensive, just report it and I'll remove it. If it's too long, I'm sorry.

Since I'm one of the very few members that is NOT anonymous, I was going to post this under a new account. However, I've gotten to understand I am the ****** up person I am so it doesn't matter if my name is attached to it - be proud of who you are. Hell, I was doxxed with house pictures, tax info, etc the 1st or 2nd year of CF and much worse since. Instead, despite putting more out there about myself than I'd normally like, my hope is maybe a single person somewhere will better understand a loved one, friend or colleague that is challenged and encourage them to seek help if they haven't in the past.

Please understand that while I have to put my story below to convey anything, this isn't a pity party or anything where I'm seeking support. I've had that for 15 years since CF started. This is hopefully to open eyes for somebody else's story to have a good ending and for others to take a chance to tell their story if they so desire.



Most days I wake up dreading the fact that I woke up, but not in the Monday morning work way. Too many times over the years it was predetermined that I wasn't going to, even very recently. Listen to Ghost by Badflower and you'll understand.

Like many people, I suffer from mental health issues - unfortunately something that impacts a lot of people every day.

For me individually, it's a toxic brew of 24/7, chronic anxiety, depression, OCD, and ADHD. I've lived with each forever and each one is it's own beast - together they're a nearly crippling and debilitating pain that I can't begin to describe. Unfortunately, I've been on every conceivable mix of about 30 different medicines - even trials - and they really only take the roughest corners off. Every minute I'm worrying to a near panic attack, doing ruminitions in my head, thinking about problems that need to be solved right now, feeling intense weight on my shoulders, and just hating life.

Because of or as part of my issues, I also have an extreme case of "inner monologue" - where your mind doesn't stop talking and thinking for a second, but magnified with about 4 parallel and intersecting streams. Every conversation I have in a day I play over and over in my mind, second guessing why I did or didn't say something, or how I'm going to handle it, or what about this scenario, etc. It creates a photographic memory, but at a high overhead cost. There is not a second of peace or quiet, it is constant and it's loud - I can be exhausted and literally have my eyes closed on the pillow for 6 hours trying to fall asleep every night to no avail. I thought that's how everybody was wired for the longest time, but I've since understood why people with mental health issues occasionally also have it, and why my wife and I sleep on different floors.

A day at work is filled with solving critical system or process issues, planning, roadmapping, and doing business and technical architecture of varying varieties. But what you don't see is that it's also filled with endless streams of worry, double checking, avoiding social situations when possible, picking up every critical issue to avoid something failing, overcommitting to make people above look good, being exhausted by working 2-3 people worth of work at 70-80 hrs/wk, etc. All because the mind says everybody has to be happy, everything has to be successful, every project needs to get done perfectly, and every plan needs a solution - or else. Everything has a stress point, everything is anxiety, and everything has a consequence. If you truly know how OCD works, you'll understand why it's brutal when mixed with anxiety, depression, and ADHD. It's a truly evil bastard.

I'm introverted and you'd never know any of the above by just looking at me or talking with me or working with me day-to-day. I don't have friends, I don't even know the names of my neighbors of 8 years. My phone has my immediate family, current colleagues for work emergencies, and ISU coaches/players/donors whom we know nothing about each other. There are a few others I've met here but I don't return their texts or calls. People ask me to do things and I never respond. I screen all calls, even of people I look up to and respect. I've never been to a party or "gone out for drinks". My mind just won't let me go there - and believe me, I've tried.

I was finally diagnosed with some of the above in my middle school years and the rest as a teenager, though standard Dr had already determined it. It was first very obvious to others when I got hives when invited to watch a movie with some people and then developed ulcers in my throat from the immense stress - I still get them all the time. At the same time I started medicine around age 10-ish, I tried my first therapist. That went on for a while but was finally told therapy just wasn't going to work for me. I've seen 4 or 5 really good doctors over the years and all have said the same thing after a while of intense effort. And it makes sense. Therapy works wonders for some people - and I'd encourage everybody to try it - but more when it comes to getting to understand the why, the how, or the way to handle something, scenarios, etc. There are certain situations or people it just isn't effective on for whatever reason, despite CBT or any other variation, unfortunately.

With that said, I'm a big believer that my challenges are actually what make me very effective and efficient at my profession. I'm the hardest, most dedicated worker you'll find. I can design technical and business solutions incredibly quickly and with great complexity. I can understand things quicker than Fran's face can turn red. It's also, I believe, why I'm a caring and supportive person (though I do play a good jerk online) - but also a helicopter parent. But the good isn't something my brain can focus on and outside of writing that paragraph, I will self deprecate (not defecate) in every conversation about me.

I won't go into details about my children on here other than to say; Every day I feel intense despair seeing my two amazing children show signs and symptoms of many of my issues. They're mini-mes, just with hair and less to process right now. As they age and encounter various firsts, classes, stresses, etc, it gets harder and more painful every single day. I'm here because I need to help them find ways to better handle life than I have. I need to protect and provide them with the tools and ways to cope. They are the single reason I wake up every morning and hope I do for a long time. But, I'd be lying if I made a promise because each day is a battle in a never-ending war. We never know what tomorrow brings.

As you would guess if you've paid attention, I've reread and changed this probably 60 times over the past 4 hours. And, I'll be thinking about it for the next 24 hours second guessing every damn piece of it why I toss and turn wondering why I can't sleep:)


This is the important part...

While this is part of my story, it is just a starting point, hopefully an opportunity for you or somebody in your life to start the same process I did 30 years ago to seek help. Unfortunately, it will never be a cure. There's no magic pill that makes us all better. Medicine might smooth out the rollercoaster and therapy might work wonders. You have to try everything or you've already failed, and failure only leads one place. I might not be here by the time you get to reading this, but there has to be an attempt.

If you think somebody is struggling - young or old - reach out to them and have an open conversation. Help them when they don't even know they need help. Don't worry about offending somebody. Don't think you're intruding. Be ok that you might open a door you can't close. That's ok if it means at least one person starts the process.

On That Note: Smiley Smile

Smiley Smile

Happy New Year and welcome to another weekly music thread we like to call "On That Note." Your rotating hosts for this regular series are @cyclones500, @CycloneRulzzz and me.

Since we wish everyone a happy New Year we thought we'd pick a topic based on how we show we're happy. So this week we're looking for songs titles and/or lyrics (not artists) that contain the following words:

Smile or any variation
Grin
Also accepting body parts that work to make up a smile - that is "lip(s)" and "mouth."

WE ARE NOT LOOKING FOR HAPPY!

Last week's OTN was Give A Little Bit and can be found here: https://cyclonefanatic.com/forum/threads/on-that-note-give-a-little-bit.276156/

************
My first five

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Lyrics: "Rocky burst in, grinning a grin"
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Lyrics: "You got a smile so bright, you know you could've been a candle."
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***#11 Iowa State vs. West Virginia (Wed., 6:30)***

Who: No. 11 Iowa State (9-2, 1-0 Big 12) vs. West Virginia (9-3, 0-1 Big 12)
Where: Hilton Coliseum – Ames, Iowa
When: Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023 – 6:30 p.m.

The Links
WATCH: Big 12 Now
PxP: Shawn Kenney
Analyst: Molly Parrott


LISTEN: Cyclone Radio Network – Varsity App or Radio Affiliates
PxP: Noah Wolf
Analyst: Jamie Steyer Johnson


LIVE STATS

IOWA STATE GAME NOTES (PDF) | WEST VIRGINIA GAME NOTES (PDF)

PROJECTED LINEUPS
#11 IOWA STATEWEST VIRGINIA
F/C - 10 Soares (6-6 SR); 15.6 ppg, 9.9 rpg, 3.2 bpgF - 14 Blacksten (6-3 JR); 5.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg
G/F - 21 Joens (6-1 SR); 19.5 ppg, 9.0 rpgG - 00 Hemingway (5-11 SR); 9.0 ppg, 5.2 rpg
G - 3 Fritz (5-11 FR*); 6.8 ppg, 3.8 rpgG - 32 Watson (5-10 SO*); 6.2 ppg, 5.2 rpg
G - 21 Donarski (6-0 JR); 11.8 ppg, 3.6 apgG - 11 Quinerly (5-8 SO); 12.2 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2.3 spg
G - 11 Ryan (5-11 JR); 12.9 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 6.9 apgG - 30 Smith (5-8 SR); 13.8 ppg, 2.8 apg, 2.1 spg

NIL Details from The Athletic

Some very interesting NIL information. I was surprised that NIL wasn’t first for any of these recruits. Bodes well for places like ISU as long as we can stay somewhat competitive which is exactly what people like @brentblum have been saying. (Paywall)

What do you do?

When an old **** comes and sits next to you in the dr waiting room despite 20 other chairs. He’s coughing, sniffling, and smells. Oh, and he’s watching videos on his phone via its speakers. LOUDLY.

What do you do? Like seriously, about to blow a gasket here.

Williams & Blum Pod: Tamin Time, TCU carries the torch

Enjoy.

Are Extended Warranties for Autos Worth It?

Are Extended Warranties for Autos Worth It? I just bought a new 2023 Subaru Forester Limited with all the bells and whistles. It was highly rated as reliable with lots of safety features. It replaced my wife's 11-year-old Hyundai Elantra with 180k miles, which got totaled in an accident. I turned down the 7-year extended warranty offered by the dealer despite the fact that I was able to negotiate the cost much lower. The Subaru (and most other vehicles we considered) are technological wonders compared to the car it replaced. I am wondering if cars are more prone to maintenance due to all of the tech especially computer chips placed in the vehicles to maintain the safety features, cvt transmissions, etc.

In general, I do not believe in and buy extended warranties for autos or electronics. I assume if you purchase a reliable card and maintain it, it should give you many years of service. I usually buy new cars. On average, we keep our cars for 10 to 12 years. I usually notice issues beginning in year 10. Our other car, an eleven-year-old Hyundai Sante Fe, had its first major issue in year 10. The alternator had to be replaced. That was followed by a front axle issue in year 11. In the past month, we just had to replace the headlamps and low tire pressure sensor. The Sante Fe was consider to be a premium model / trim when it was purchased. But nothing compared to the cars being sold today. Is it possible to own the new generation of cars for 10 years without much major maintenance and / or need for an extended warranty?

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