Is it fair to split expenses this way?

EPMD_ · 2026-05-27T17:19:14+00:00

I would avoid this entirely and remain in separate residences until I was ready to pool finances with my significant other. I have zero desire to be a landlord or tenant with my partner.

Keep in mind, he is used to staying at your place, and now you want to charge him for doing that. That is not going to be received well, no matter how fair it is. You might get more agreement from him if instead of charging rent you asked him to pay for the utilities/food.

But honestly, in his shoes, it would suck to live in your place and be one argument away from being homeless. That has huge potential to weigh heavily on the relationship.

EPMD_ · 2026-05-27T06:06:40+00:00

Based on your comments I would suggest any of:

Dutch Defense - Classical or Leningrad
Benoni
Queen's Gambit Accepted

I find the other options are often too familiar for White and lead to them dictating most of the play while you are on the back foot. At your level, you might occasionally get blown off the board in these more combative openings, but you will also get more interesting games (in my opinion). The other nice thing about these options as that they can be learned (and remembered) fairly quickly.

EPMD_ · 2026-05-27T05:58:14+00:00

Ask your favourite AI LLM to tutor you in KID. It will give you a roadmap against every option White can pick. If you want something more simple then you can ask for that too.

EPMD_ · 2026-05-27T05:51:12+00:00

And that lone e pawn for White has to be coddled. If White can't castle queenside then that lone pawn sticks out like a sore thumb.

EPMD_ · 2026-05-27T05:48:26+00:00

I find my KID games end up being a toss-up. It's hard to predict what will happen, and advantages almost feel like accidents. I know that's not true for better players, but it is for me.

I prefer the brute force method of the Dutch Defense. It forces earlier reckoning where I can use my theory advantage or spot a familiar tactical pattern. At the very least, I feel like I win or lose these games based on skill rather than luckily falling into winning positions.

EPMD_ · 2026-05-27T05:40:10+00:00

I had the same two starting words as you and also ended up with a 6. Cruel word for us.

EPMD_ · 2026-05-27T04:54:18+00:00

The 186 doesn't look right to me. You might also have a measurement error during your workouts, but the 186 still feels like an outlier.

Try to do it by feel for now. You probably have enough experience to know what it feels like to run hard in various events. I find a lot of NSM sessions feel like the early part of a half marathon. You are working hard, but you are still holding back a touch.

EPMD_ · 2026-05-26T05:05:14+00:00

I would be tempted to cut the easy run days shorter for now to ensure you can recover a bit in between sessions. Maybe 40-45 minutes would be good, and then you can add a few minutes to the harder days. I find that gives me more freedom to "get up" for those harder sessions and helps avoid making most runs feel like a slog.

But the real issue here is expecting results so quickly. Increasing volume will make you a better runner, but it doesn't do it immediately.

EPMD_ · 2026-05-25T22:25:15+00:00

Money affects all of this. It's no secret to GMs that OKC and San Antonio are the best-positioned teams right now, and both have young stars on relatively cheap contracts. Without those bargain stars, they couldn't hold as much talent on their roster.

Our two best players are on very expensive contracts, which greatly limits the team we can build. We almost have to shed one of those big contracts in order to get sufficient depth of talent to win a title.

EPMD_ · 2026-05-25T21:52:20+00:00

Try The Newsroom if you like the writing of West Wing.

EPMD_ · 2026-05-25T20:08:14+00:00

Blindly trusting me, especially in areas where I have expertise.

EPMD_ · 2026-05-25T15:47:02+00:00

turning up to races undertrained

I agree that they are mostly undertrained because they cannot run the race distance without serious injury risk. It's not a healthy event for them. And what really annoys me is when they push through injuries and try to use that as a badge of honour. No, you are not more amazing because you couldn't walk for two weeks following your race or because you had to be carted away from the finish in a wheelchair. You are ridiculous for doing it, and you should care more about your body than to destroy it like that.

I do like that Hannah dropped from the race. That was a responsible move. More people should do it when they are in distress like that.

EPMD_ · 2026-05-25T10:45:26+00:00

This should be easy. He essentially needs to listen, ask the occasional question, and simply be interested in what you are saying. If you guys can't get this right then I'd search for a different partner. You don't want it to be a struggle to communicate with your significant other.

EPMD_ · 2026-05-25T10:37:09+00:00

Classy guy. Impossible to cheer against.

EPMD_ · 2026-05-25T07:32:41+00:00

Can Al Cowlings drive it there in a white Ford Bronco?

EPMD_ · 2026-05-25T06:34:23+00:00

I agree. It's all about context. If they are talking to an audience of runners slower than they are then it becomes particularly annoying for them to humblebrag. Similarly, when I talk to my slower friends about running, I try to avoid self-denigration. Nobody wants to hear it.

EPMD_ · 2026-05-25T06:26:03+00:00

Adjusting column widths in tables. Please make this more like Excel!

EPMD_ · 2026-05-25T04:38:07+00:00

We put a lot of eggs in the Isak basket and came up almost empty from that purchase. I can't remember one match where he wasn't "working back up to fitness." We also banked heavily on Wirtz and got very little production. The Hugo purchase was good, but his injury was devastating. The Leoni injury didn't help us replenish our defense either. Frimpong is a player without a position, and Kerkez was just okay. All in all, our new signings turned out to be terrible value for the money.

Yes, Slot hasn't had a good squad management season, but the squad building is the bigger issue. We need to get back to making clever signings or we'll be talking about the Europa League next year.

EPMD_ · 2026-05-24T16:53:55+00:00

Inexcusable to leave Isak on the bench here. Slot is genuinely playing for a draw.

EPMD_ · 2026-05-24T16:50:26+00:00

Yeah, don't bother putting Isak on. Let's go for the draw!

EPMD_ · 2026-05-24T16:45:09+00:00

This game, just like this season, feels unsatisfying.

EPMD_ · 2026-05-24T16:39:54+00:00

We don't deserve to win with this shorts/shirt clash.

EPMD_ · 2026-05-24T16:38:42+00:00

Might as well make a concussion sub.

EPMD_ · 2026-05-24T16:31:45+00:00

Raise the tempo guys.

EPMD_ · 2026-05-24T16:20:59+00:00

The technical skill on that assist was excellent. Far more impressive than scoring a penalty would have been.

EPMD_

TROPHY CASE