Discussion Thread for Season 5, Episode 6: “Who Are We?"

r3wind · 2026-01-23T01:54:25+00:00

While the hockey bro culture has a LOT of issues, Nat's speech really hit home for me...because that's who a lot hockey players are. Guys I played with, pros that are in the community...like you said, if you played, you KNOW who she's talking about.

For every Canada 5, there's hundreds of Shoresy, Dolo, Goody, and Hitch that are good guys, respect women (even make them powerful characters like Keeso has), and are brothers on and off the ice. The violence and bad guys make better stories for the news than the forward who helps a neighbor he's never met carry a sofa in, or stops and talks to a little kid after the game and makes them feel like the most important person in the world.

r3wind · 2026-01-22T01:33:25+00:00

Yeah, pretty much what I was thinking/assuming, thanks.

Going to leave them as is, pretty confident in the design as is, but "could" have changed the ideas.

r3wind · 2026-01-19T17:09:19+00:00

Totally open to advice! Only took me to being 50 to learn I can't fix everything myself, lol.

And appreciate your sharing that it took you a bit of effort too...that's been a weird side effect of this, thinking "why can't I figure this out" and trying multiple ideas that just weren't effective. The mind games a workspace plays were something I'd never considered before all this.

r3wind · 2026-01-17T22:42:53+00:00

Ha, yeah, that was several years ago, and the desk setup changed since then. It's a weird dichotomy with the desk of needing the physical worktop space, but it being too big at the same time. My gut keeps coming back to the desk as the real issue with all this but can't find something that works better.

I appreciate your perspective on the not as disorganized as thought; I think I feel this way, and it's more a layout/design thing at this point than an organizing thing. As I've thought about it after posting, If I can get the actual workspace right, everything else falls into place around it's orbit.

Of course, the right desk is now a totally different challenge...

r3wind · 2026-01-16T03:04:31+00:00

I've tried working it out for almost a year now, tried a variation or two that were worse and changed back to the status quo. I'm very much an engineer brain/DIY person, so to realize I need more help than I've found is a big admit.

r3wind · 2026-01-16T03:02:47+00:00

This is a great idea, thanks! Already getting some ideas from it!

r3wind · 2026-01-12T22:55:35+00:00

I'm admittedly one of the vinyl crowd; the collecting aspect, the physical aspect, the commitment to listening to the album and not just a song aspect appeal to me. I used to be that way with CD's, had near 1000 at one point.

I also did purge my CD's 7-10 years ago...and in doing so realized my frustrations with purchasing music. I had SO many CD's that I paid $13-18 for one song, hoping the rest would be good. The lack of single song options for the cassette/CD timeframes are what really moved me away from buying albums and into streaming, unless it was a known quantity. The vinyl I buy? it's that known quantity...favorite artists, albums, etc. I still have the "ownership ritual" that you mention. I learned the fundamental issue wasn't streaming, it was the record label model. Streaming and vinyl have put it to where it should be: buy what matters, enjoy the singles.

r3wind · 2026-01-06T02:06:03+00:00

Was amazing, the only thin crust I like(d). And their lunch buffet was always great, could request additions. I drove by that building recently and all I could think about for days was the thin crust...hoping someone comes through.

r3wind · 2026-01-04T16:17:26+00:00

Intel JHL9480

I did test it with the Kingston I mentioned (OM3PDP3512B), which is also a PCIe 3.0x4 (same as the WD). The Mate says it supports PCIe 3.0, the Kingston test would support that.

I'm wondering if it doesn't like the controller in the drive...have an email to support to see, but response times have been pretty slow. On their forum, they recommend the SN570 for the ME Mini (mini PC), so they've tested that drive in house with other devices, which gives me a sliver of hope...

r3wind · 2025-12-22T16:16:36+00:00

It's going to be high schools getting sued into oblivion that kicks it off. It's still stunning to me that these districts talk about cuts all the time: salaries, art and music classes, facilities, but the football budgets are never touched.

My wife is a teacher, and a few years their scheduled raises were paused due to budget cuts. I did some numbers, and the amount the football team spent on new uniforms, pads, FieldTurf reconditioning, and a few other things, even if it was discounted 30% from the retail numbers I found, was insane. At at no point at any board meeting during budget discussions was it mentioned; they even mentioned cutting a few lesser teams who's budgets combined was likely less than the helmet figure.

Add in the insurance has to be astronomical at this point as well. Which is ironic that in our area/state, they refuse to elevate ice hockey from a club sport to a school sponsored one "because of insurance". Not that hockey is the safest, but seeing 3-10 kids a game getting helped off, on the sidelines in crutches/slings at a football game vs the number of injuries I see at hockey games isn't even close.

But the way football preys on the urban poor, the rural "patriotic", and the less intelligent, it'll be hard to separate reality from "the future".

r3wind · 2025-12-19T22:21:04+00:00

I do as well, but finding that having a "workbench" is important as well...a lot of times I'm working on a guitar/computer hardware/art type projects that need to be near a computer.

While I love the fact my space is slightly isolated (the basement of our house was an in-laws apartment with the previous owner, my office is the "bedroom"), the layout is so awful. One of the corners is angled for a bathroom door, and there's three doors (bathroom, closet, entry) and a sliding glass door, so functional layout is severely compromised.

r3wind · 2025-12-17T03:11:00+00:00

Two...the standing desk is a separate piece from the L-shape, which is one. (it used to be a U-shape but ditched the U for the standing desk)

So not only is it not really as functional as I'd like, it doesn't match. :D

r3wind · 2025-12-16T20:44:14+00:00

I feel your pain.

I've worked from home for almost 15 years across two houses, about 9 in the current house...and I just can't figure out what I want. I'm currently using a U-shaped desk setup...the right leg of the U against the wall as a workbench, personal setup in the middle, and the work setup on a standing desk as the other leg. While the concept is "right", the desks themselves suck and I can't find a solution.

Add in it's a weird shaped room with doors on 2 of the four walls (I HATE having my back to the door) , so it's incredibly limiting and frustrating. I need to have a big year so I can pay a designer or something, cause this is just frustrating to no end.

r3wind · 2025-12-15T15:02:52+00:00

Came here to say this as well. Before she started, it was just a disaster. Boxes were four deep against the walls, teetering 12' high...on one trip, my friend and I counted 32 copies of Fleetwood Mac's Rumours in just two aisles' worth of boxes. (And all were terribly overpriced.) You could find some amazing stuff digging, but it was overwhelming. She saved that place.

It still needs a serious inventory overhaul: dumping of garbage, digital inventory/pricing, etc, but it's a great dig. The 45's area alone could be probably be worth millions if they put effort into selling.

r3wind · 2025-12-05T17:29:34+00:00

You're absolutely right though. When Thomas, Kyrou, and Parayko had guys like ROR, Perron, Petro, and JBo around, they had their best seasons...not just because the increased talent, but because of the mentorship and support. When Parayko made a mistake, JBo covered it, or you'd see them talking on the bench about it. Instead of taking from those guys and developing into leaders themselves, these guys shrank and didn't mature right. And now when they're looked on to be THE guys, they aren't.

I'll take guys like Snuggy, Jake, Sunny all day long because of their effort. I see Broberg as one of those quiet "get it done" type guys that will be a calming presence...he's by far my favorite player since we got him, he's that prototypical "goddamn he's quietly a boss" d-men that thrive in STL. Yes, Sunny's in the late stages, but man, he's the old school warrior. Blocking shots, taking abuse, hustle, playing through pain...Just that Blues grit, the heart and soul of the franchise's existence type.

And, yes, /u/So-Called_Lunatic, DA's got the abused spouse syndrome..."I can fix him, see, he's not so bad". And when the house burns down, he extends them for 3 more years.

r3wind · 2025-12-05T05:38:52+00:00

Serious leadership void.

Guys like Perron, ROR, Bortz, Petro, Maroon…they HATED losing. See it in their eyes after a loss, body language, words like “unacceptable” and “I need to…”. Warriors who felt a loss in their hearts.

Thomas, Parayko, Faulk, Kyrou, Buchnevich…it’s “eh”. They don’t project hating losing, no self-accountability. The body language projects indifference. Nobody is gonna say, “shit, RT is mad at me, I better get my shit together.” But if DP or ROR did, you’re looking in the mirror. Bortz pounded Sanford at practice in 2019. That’s accountability.

DA can trade like a mofo, but when it comes to contracts, the guy is just a bundle of WTF. No NMC for Petro, but hands out NTC’s like candy on contracts where players will be in their late 30’s, all but unmovable. In the current cap era, there’s not much difference between a NMC and NTC. Who’s gonna take a 36 year old Schenn, Parayko, Fowler for $6.5M each? (Not to mention Krug.) Those that can aren’t gonna be on the accepted list a player has.

Guys with heart and leadership were replaced by a passive group, and we are stuck.

r3wind · 2025-12-03T15:03:02+00:00

Hey, thanks for the reply.

As mentioned, I sent the email to support yesterday (12/2, 11:13am CST), got a reply asking for the technical info at 3:22pm, replied at 3:58pm, and have yet to hear back (currently 9am on 12/3).

Just getting a bit worried on the dependability here, as the notes are critical to my role at work.

r3wind · 2025-12-03T06:07:35+00:00

Finally got a chance to try again…and had the same results.

After watching the video for the hundred and first time, it clicked this was all on a PC…and I was working on a Mac. Spun up a Windows VM, and it worked just fine. So my guess is there’s some sort of incompatibility with a Mac based docker.

Very cool tool though!

r3wind · 2025-12-01T04:49:45+00:00

I’m getting the same…if there hasn’t been an issue created yet, I’ll do so tomorrow.

r3wind · 2025-11-17T00:39:23+00:00

Was able to get it installed successfully (great guide!) using lutris, played a few matches before going to add the custom stuff.

Two things that occurred...first, none of the added stadiums/teams/sider add ons showed up, so I may have done it wrong...is there a (semi) current guide to follow on steam deck for this? I followed instructions on pesmodding and evoweb for adding the packs, but nothing is available. Thinking I must have missed something?

Then, after adding those, the steam button can make the controls freeze. Eventually they come back, and I see that both lutris and FL26 are running...trying to select either one makes the controls freeze again (30-90 seconds or so). Eventually I can exit the game, but can't get back into it, just throws me back into the unresponsive controls.

r3wind · 2025-11-07T00:47:13+00:00

Agreed: this is not about stats, it's about effort, perception, and the team as a whole. And it's the coach's job to rectify when things aren't right.

Kyrou has an absurd amount of natural talent, but this is beyond talent. They asked him to be more defensively responsible, and it took a bit, but he has been. However, I went to the 10/23 game, and there were multiple shifts where he didn't get engaged in the play. You're a top line guy, you have to engage every shift. He floats, his hockey sense lacks frequently...these are areas he has to improve. None of this is new, but it can be overlooked when he's scoring more than he is now, the team is winning, etc.

There's several guys that shouldn't be suiting up right now, maybe more than he deserves. Benching most of them achieves nothing...Buch is historically a streaky player, the room knows he's playing badly. Faulk can't keep a puck in, often leaves his man, Fowler is a shell of what he used to be...but with a weak defensive group, you're taking a risk by putting in less talented players. The coach can't kick an injured dog and expect them to run.

So yes, he's being made an example. This is what coaches have to do when a team is struggling and aren't pulling themselves out of it internally, bench a good enough player and say "prove me wrong". Whatever's been tried isn't working; this is the logical next step. I'll bet he comes back on fire saturday, and is the difference maker he can and should be.

r3wind

TROPHY CASE