Christian and Christine react to Arsenal’s win over Tottenham in the North London Derby, including Leandro Trossard’s move that broke Pedro Porro’s ankles! They also break down the latest with Lazio and their disgraced falconer, Juan Bernabe. Then, Christian and Christine bring on Canada WNT Head Coach Casey Stoney to chat her new job. They also delve into her past with the San Diego Wave and ask how Canada can get past their recent drone scandal. Later, Christian and Christine react to MLS news including reports that Neymar is in talks to join the Chicago Fire!
January 2025
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How ‘Scary Hour’ Helps Me Stay on Top of My Finances
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We all have those money tasks that make our stomachs churn. You know the ones—checking your credit card balance after a spendy month, finally opening that medical bill, or diving into your retirement account settings. Enter “Scary Hour,” a trending productivity technique that’s helping me transform financial anxiety into actionable progress.
What is Scary Hour?
The concept is beautifully simple: set aside one hour to tackle tasks you’ve been avoiding due to anxiety or fear. While the term is trending on TikTok (RIP), it’s a fresh spin on established time-blocking techniques. But there’s something powerful about naming this dedicated time for facing our fears—it acknowledges that these tasks are indeed scary, and that’s okay.
My financial Scary Hour approach
I started implementing this Scary Hour for my finances after realizing I had a growing pile of “I’ll deal with that later” money tasks. Hey, there’s nothing like writing about personal finance all day to make you procrastinate your own personal finances. Here’s how I structure my financial Scary Hour:
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I schedule it for Tuesday mornings, when my energy is high and my mind is already in productivity mode from starting the work week
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My phone goes on Do Not Disturb
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I make my favorite ginger tea (a small reward helps!)
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I keep a physical notepad handy for action items
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I set a timer for exactly 60 minutes
What I actually do during Scary Hour
In my first session, I tackled the immediate anxiety-inducing tasks:
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Reviewed all account balances
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Categorized last month’s “miscellaneous” purchases
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Called about an incorrect charge I’d been avoiding (I had accidentally overpaid my credit card and created a negative balance)
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Finally calculated my true monthly restaurant spending (ouch!)
You can work on your deeper financial planning, too:
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Reviewing and adjusting investment allocations
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Comparing insurance quotes
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Reading through employee benefits documentation
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Creating debt payoff scenarios
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Analyzing spending patterns in traditionally “scary” categories
Why this productivity hack works
The beauty of Scary Hour lies in its constraints. Knowing I only have to face these tasks for 60 minutes makes them feel manageable. Plus, the timer creates a sense of urgency that helps overcome analysis paralysis—a common obstacle I know I face in all things financial decision-making.
Most importantly, this approach creates a dedicated space for financial self-care. Not only do you get to reduce anxiety by making scary tasks routine, but you can actually turn scary tasks into small wins. If you’re looking to transform vague money worries into concrete actions, this is the hack for you.
Tips for your own financial Scary Hour
Begin with quick wins like unsubscribing from tempting retail emails, making that one phone call you’ve been avoiding, checking the balance on a neglected account, or filing away important financial documents.
From these bite-sized action items, you can build yourself a little momentum. As you get comfortable, tackle bigger tasks, like creating a new budget, consolidating debt, or maybe even researching estate planning.
Make this habit sustainable by keeping a running list of tasks for future scary hours. Celebrate your progress, no matter how small, and be easy on yourself if you miss a week. After all, I find the real magic happens outside of Scary Hour. By regularly facing financial fears in a controlled setting, you’ll likely find that money matters become less scary overall. I’ve noticed myself making quicker financial decisions, feeling more confident in money conversations, and experiencing less anxiety about day-to-day money management.
The bottom line
Money doesn’t have to be scary all the time. By dedicating just one hour a week to facing financial fears, you can transform anxiety into action. Remember, the goal isn’t to eliminate financial stress completely—it’s to build the confidence to handle it effectively.
Start your own financial Scary Hour this week. Your future self will thank you for facing those fears, one hour at a time.
More Big Ten conference pride & how to stop fake injuries | College Football Enquirer
On today’s episode of The College Football Enquirer, Dan Wetzel, Ross Dellenger and SI’s Pat Forde discuss whether Big Ten teams should have the same level of conference pride as the SEC.
How to Clean Up After You Spot Mice, Roaches, and Other Pests
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I have lived in New York City for 15 years now and in that time, I have occupied some truly horrific apartments, as broke post-grads are known to do. In that time, I have battled mice and roaches—and crucially, I have emerged victorious from these battles. If and when you see a mouse—which can happen to even the cleanest, most careful person—your first thought may simply be about how to get it the hell out of your house.
But after the shock wears off, you’ll also need to think about cleaning. Once you’ve spotted a pest in your home, it’s important to clean and get rid of anything that might attract more of its friends—but also specifically because some pests, like mice, can carry diseases or otherwise make your place unsanitary.
How to clean after you have mice
David Price, Associate Certified Entomologist and Director of Technical Services for Mosquito Joe, tells Lifehacker that cleaning is a key part of prevention, whether you just cleared an infestation or want to ward one off in the future. This means some bigger home maintenance tasks, like sealing gaps and cracks in your home’s exterior with steel wool or caulk and keeping exterior grass trimmed and removing weeds—but it also means just keeping up with the small stuff, like cleaning up food spills quickly and not leaving pet food unattended.
Over the years, I’ve learned my own prevention techniques as an urban renter with little to no control over what, if anything, my building does to keep me mouse-free. I use airtight containers for all my foods, for instance. Mice are crafty and hungry, so a bag or cardboard box of food in the cupboard is nothing more than a little puzzle for them to eat right through. A set of four mouse-proof containers, like these, is around $20. And when it comes to your pets, don’t pile a bunch of food in their bowl and call it a day. Dole out small portions and remove what they leave every night.
As for post-mouse cleaning, you need to thoroughly disinfect every place they may have gone. Marla Mock, President of Molly Maid, says you should sanitize all counters, floors, and other surfaces, plus check areas where they might have hidden, like under appliances and inside cabinets.
Wear gloves and use a diluted bleach solution to sanitize these areas. If you find droppings, cover them in your diluted bleach solution for a few minutes before attempting to sweep them up. Mice also have a tendency to run next to baseboards and other low surfaces. You may see some greasy-looking streaks. These are nefarious, as other mice can see them and feel confident a peer was in that same location. Thoroughly bleach your baseboards and any low surfaces, like table legs or the bottoms of appliances.
How to clean after a roach or bug infestation
Price, the bug expert, recommends removing any sources of standing water after getting rid of bugs. Without giving away too many personal details, I will say I learned the hard way two years ago that you can’t just leave a leaky shower head alone because it’s “not bothering” you. Any wetness can attract something that will bother you. You should also see any bug encounter as a sign to declutter your home, since you want to lessen the amount of spaces they can hide. Again, prevention is important, so build the habit of wiping up any spill or food waste promptly. I also recommend having a sealed garbage can to prevent any enticing odors.
Per Mock, once you’ve gotten rid of the bugs, you should deep clean your whole home by vacuuming, dusting, and wiping down all your furniture, floors, and baseboards, while paying special attention to corners, cracks, and crevices. Wash your bedding and linens in hot water, too, to kill bugs and their eggs, especially if you suspect bedbugs. (If you do suspect bedbugs, it’s worth looking into more specific treatment methods.)
What to keep in mind about pests and cleaning
First of all, if you see a mouse or a roach, don’t get down on yourself. They’re hungry and cold, like any creature, and they’re following their instincts by trying to find somewhere safe to hang out and eat. It doesn’t mean you’re a slob or a disgrace; it just means they figured out a way in. You also can’t control your building’s pest prevention efforts, the cleanliness of your neighbors, or weather events that force critters that belong outside to run inside. Focus on what you can control, which is pest removal and future prevention.
“Most people do not think to start outside,” says Price. “They tend to think it’s only inside their home that’s the issue. Most of the time, the infestation begins outside, whether that be from your trash or overgrown weeds, bushes, etc. It’s important to tidy up your yard.”
When you’re looking for repellents, keep in mind that some are more serious than others. If you have pets, look for ones marked pet-friendly. If you’re going to periodically spray with Raid, understand that it will drive bugs from their hiding places and, unfortunately, out into open spaces before it kills them. Spray before you leave the house for a long time, so you’re not breathing it in, and prepare to clean up when you get home.
Finally, when you’re cleaning, try to think like a pest. By that, I mean don’t just clean what you can see. Pull things off shelves, get under appliances, and think of the locations that could be, as Mock calls them, “hidden spots.” If you’re nervous about doing that because, God forbid, you don’t want to find a live bug, call a friend to help you. You can’t just leave it alone and hope for the best. If you’re really struggling to get the situation under control, call an exterminator and/or a house cleaning service—and let the cleaner know the deal in advance to make sure they’re equipped to help.
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What to Expect From Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Unpacked Stream
Another year, another Samsung Galaxy Unpacked. The Android giant has gotten into a habit of hosting at least two of these events per year, one for foldables and one for pretty much everything else. With the foldables having gotten center stage last time, it’s likely time for the rest of its products, including the Samsung Galaxy S25 series, to get its turn. While only those under NDA know for sure what we’ll see, here’s what we’re expecting to see when the next Samsung Galaxy Unpacked streams on January 22 at 1 PM ET.
Samsung Galaxy S25, S25+, and S25 Ultra
Samsung likes to kick off each year by announcing its latest non-folding phones, and there’s no reason to expect this year to be different. Typically, this means a standard variant, a larger screen “plus” size, and a more powerful “ultra” version. Given that Samsung has already registered three new model numbers with the FCC (thanks, 91Mobiles), that’s what we can expect this year, too (prior leaks had pointed at a “slim” model, although there’s no FCC listing for it yet).
As for specs, that’s where it gets a bit interesting. The biggest tidbit from the FCC leaks is potential support for 45W fast charging, although Android Headlines claims to have pictures of the devices themselves. These show a move to rounded corners and thinner bezels, but the rest of the design looks largely untouched.
As for internals, leakers are expecting all S25 models to use the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, which was revealed in October and stated to be coming to Samsung products. This tracks with prior Galaxy devices, which also used the same chip across all models, although details have differed from region to region before. Now, said regional differences are said to not be in play.
The Snapdragon 8 Elite promises improvements anywhere from 35 to 62% depending on the task at hand, with the biggest improvement being to web browsing—key for a mobile phone.
Samsung phones are also known for their cameras, although both Android Headlines and popular leaker Ice Universe claim only the Galaxy S25 Ultra will see an improvement here, and only to its ultra-wide lens, which will go from 12MP to 50MP.
Screens are unlikely to change from their current OLED setup, and as for software, the phones are set to use Samsung’s One UI 7, which is already in beta and runs over Android 15. Also expect a bunch of AI-centric announcements, although solid leaks have yet to emerge there.
There’s also potential accessory news on the horizon, as the Wireless Power Consortium has said that Samsung will support Qi2 wireless charging on its new phones. According to leaker chunvn8888, that doesn’t mean it’ll have built-in magnets (which Qi2 supports), but Samsung will sell a case with a built-in magnetic ring.
Galaxy Ring 2
News on the Galaxy Ring 2 is a bit less clear, but hit-or-miss Taiwanese publication DigiTimes says Samsung might tease it during the event. The publication is expecting two additional sizes, updated sensors, and new AI features, but given that the first model launched in July, it’ll likely be some time until you can buy a follow up. However, Korean leaker Lanzuk says Samsung might launch the wearable a bit earlier than expected.
Samsung AR and XR
Finally, it’s possible we’ll hear more about Samsung’s augmented and extended reality initiatives. Samsung has previously announced an Android-based extended reality headset alongside Google called Project Moohan, so it’s possible the company might demo it during Unpacked, but don’t expect it to be available right away. Google is still seeding developers with software and equipment for the new platform, although the company does say it expects Moohan to start selling by the end of the year.
On that note, also don’t expect to see anything substantive regarding Samsung’s previously confirmed AR glasses. DigiTimes says the glasses will look fairly unassuming, but given that they’ll also rely on Google tech, they’re probably still in the oven as well.
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With five days left and 163 ballots publicly available, here’s where the voting stands.
Baseball Hall of Fame voting update: Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia on track for induction, Billy Wagner close behind
With five days left and 163 ballots publicly available, here’s where the voting stands.