idigTexas

Don't confuse being hopeful with expectation. As far as wins and losses go, I agree with you. As for tournament success, we'll see, but I like what Terry has done so far, limited data points notwithstanding. As a fan, I want both, but forced to pick one, I'll take success in the tournament. That is where Barnes underachieved at Texas in my opinion, and where Terry can potentially match, if not exceed him. The math will get fuzzy if Terry gets us into the tournament less often but has a better tournament winning percentage. I'm not judging Terry for what he did before he was head coach here. I'm simply hoping that he can do more with the resources that he now has. That is not hyperbole, it's guarded optimism. This is why I'm in "wait and see" mode rather than expecting him to fail. As a Texas fan, it's a lot more fun pulling for the guy than lamenting the fact that he got the job.

I think this is where many of us are. I doubt anyone believes that Terry belongs on the Mt. Rushmore of men's basketball coaches, but there is something to be said about getting to the tournament every year, and actually winning some games. That doesn't mean that we shouldn't want to be at the pinnacle of the sport, but it's premature to assume that Terry can't at least be as successful as Barnes. He's already exceeded what Shaka accomplished here, and that guy got 5 years.

Why are you heating your hot water?

This is the crux of the problem. Derka is not the only person with mental health challenges. It is not any easier for some to ignore him than it is for Derka to, well, not be Derka. It's easy to say "just put him on ignore," but for some, that's like saying "don't breathe."

This isn't exactly what you are looking for, but it has a nice Texas spin, and the pecan roca is a really good toffee. https://www.texaspecancandy.com/

I think Genevieve needs Kyle's vote a bit longer before she will feel in control. Of course, with this group of players, she will never truly be in control. Her target is getting quite large. I think both Caroline and Rachel are content to hide behind her for now, but it should be fun when she comes for one of them. What surprised me the most was that the vote was unanimous. Were Teeny and Sam acting, or were they convinced to change votes at tribal? That answer impacts how I feel about their gameplay. If Sam was truly pitching Sue as some big game changing move, then he is exactly who I thought he was. Would anything have been different if Sol had sat with his peeps at tribal instead of being isolated at the opposite end? I'm really enjoying this season.

I got jabs for COVID and flu on Friday. It had been about a year since my last ones. All of my COVID shots have been Moderna, and this is my second year of adding the flu vaccine to my annual routine. I had some symptomatic reactions (body aches, nightmares, fatigue) that began roughly 6 hours after getting vaccinated and lasting about 24. I slept fine the second night, and everything was completely back to normal by the next morning. My reaction seemed slightly worse than all but the first dose of COVID vaccine years ago, but not unexpected.

No need to limit it.

At LEAST 500. Dude had his squad beating our gold medal Olympic team by 10, and it wasn't that close.

I like Caroline to take out Genevieve at some point, but we'll see if they both are still in the game after Rachel uses her idol.

From my sofa, Sierra had very little power after the merge, but it's always a good idea to break up couples. Sue is far and away the weakest player thus far, and the only one I can't see winning it all. She is a good bet to make the final 3 for that reason. Andy is a hard read because of his personality, but he is playing, and I hope he keeps his demons at bay so it continues. Gabe is someone who needs to make some things happen, but I need convincing that he is capable of doing that. Teeny is not in my bottom four, but if she belongs there, it's only because this is the deepest season of strong players that I have ever seen. For me, Rachel, Caroline, and Genevieve are at the top, with Sol and Teeny not far behind. My worry for Sol is that he clearly has a thing for Rachel, and it may impact his game. Kyle is a challenge whore, but it's not clear whether he has a social game. We likely won't have the chance to find out, as he is probably gone if he ever loses an immunity challenge. In that scenario, he could end up being a swing vote for someone in an "anything to stay in the game" type of deal. Sam is an unknown quantity at this point. Does he have any game without Sierra calling the shots? Time will tell. I would love to see Andy use him as a number until it no longer suits him.

I've shelved my Barrage Rogue for a Quill Volley Spiritborn, and it is such a better build. I can see why you went that direction. I'm only at Torment 1, but it has been very easy going. I'm still farming specific gear to fit the build, but I finally got my first Mythic last night. Unfortunately, it was the mostly worthless ‍Nesekem, the Herald. It looks good on paper, but does not perform so well in practical use. I'm likely going to switch from the standard Quill Volley to the Overpower version at some point, but we'll see how the gear falls.

This is an interesting season. We've had people get super bitter about being voted off, but I don't remember this much sadness (I'm sure there has been some). There are several people playing good games so far. I'm hoping for some sort of Sol, Caroline, Rachel alliance, but I'm not sure if Caroline would be on board. I would love to see Sue go soon.

Based on the drops, I'm assuming Spiritborn?

Cat, duck, whatever it takes.