I love my kids.
I just want that out there before you read the rest of this.
School for us is back tomorrow, which means that the past two weeks were spent keeping the kids gainfully occupied. (Teachers, man, you guys are the best! Oh, my regular job is also a teacher!) But everyone needs to figure out ways to get, you know, alone time. So, in lieu of ranking teams and writing up two weeks of inactivity by me (more below), I’ll place the teams in tiers according to the best ways of sneaking in alone time during the busy holiday season.
Tier 1: Go run an errand
It matters not what the errand is. It might not be necessary, or even a real errand. The excuse to take out your vehicle, play preferred music at a volume not quite high enough to damage your ears but loud enough, and just getting out on the road can be the elixir of life for a frazzled parent. Throw on some coffee, take that time, and enjoy.
Joker Smoker and PB and G are the top two teams, and remain within a 1.5 game distance from each other. Solid teams, and they continue to rack up the wins.
Tier 2: a quick workout
If your kids are like mine, you can’t get much more than 30 minutes in. But hitting the weights, going for a stroll (or run if you’re a masochist), or even some quick pushups get the endorphins pumping and can make you a new parent on the flip side of whatever you do. It’s not tier 1 because sometimes it sucks (exercising not parenting, but that does too), but it is a great, effective way to get some time away from the children.
Philossie, Beats by Dray, and Kostas all make up this tier. Solidly in the playoffs at this point. I know, editor, I’ve used the base word solid twice now. I’m gonna keep doing it to make you stress out.
Tier 3: Yard Work
I live on the East Coast, and a winter storm full of wind and coldness blew through my area. We were fortunate to not lose power, but our trees were not as fortunate to keep all their pine cones. How are they supposed to reproduce and keep the species going now? So spending an hour picking up the cones and sticks, listening to Son’s podcast (find it on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts and, now that I mentioned you put me on it) is bearable and a tolerable alternative if you’re solidly frazzled. It’s okay in a pinch, but not preferred.
I’m gonna selfishly place myself in this tier, the playoff contenders. I’m only five back, guys, and I’m five ahead of the guys behind me. Son and the Oracle also are in this tier. Son beat me 5-4 by the way so clearly he’s not that good.
Tier 4: I’m not going to make it a heading but you know what it is
Is there any better place to get me time than having a business meeting with John? I mean, it’s short, and everyone knows what you’re doing, and sometimes you need to do what you need to do back there, right? It’s probably the most obvious statement saying “I’m done and I need a break from you hooligans” but in a pinch, it’s solid. On second thought, solid is probably not the best word to use referencing the bathroom, amiright?
High Risers, Mr. Hooper, JYancey, and Luigi make up this tier. It’s getting late. It’s not too late, but it is getting to the later stages.
Any interesting pickups?
I took a week and went to the Mouse House and missed that one, then tried to write this on an IPad at my house and failed miserably. I’m 45 and bad at technology. I’m already a dinosaur.
I’m really mad I missed out on Mark Williams. He fits my team build, doesn’t shoot outside the paint, rebounds, and blocks shots. You know, in theory, the quintessential rim running big man. Son picked him up in the middle of a game, I believe. Williams has been getting between 15-22 minutes per game, but that should rise as the Hornets are very bad and will look to see what they have. Solid pickup for the season.
Mr. Hooper dropped Colin Sexton, who went out with a hammy. Averaging 14-2-2 without steals is not great. Officially, I’m thinking trading Jamal Murray for Sexton was a big mistake.
The rest of the moves were more of the garden variety, let’s stream Tyus Jones for a game while people are hurt variety. Solid pickups
Why in the world did that trade happen?
Jordan Clarkson traded for Patrick Williams.
I did the thing. I’m kinda taking a shot in the dark that Clarkson’s FG percentage needs to get off my squad. Williams is usually good for a 3, and a stock or two per game. I’m hoping he gets more run, especially if the Bulls make some long needed changes to get their team on the right track. I could be wrong. I could be very right.
Conclusion
In high school back in the early 90s, we were always told to have a conclusion to our writing. This is my conclusion. It’s legit my honor that you read this, so thank you.
I’m now in 90s mode, so time to fire up the Pearl Jam and get to work.
