Aimee

1. The Kanou award! 2. Falling off into obscurity and being remembered as a one hit wonder. 3. Spicy pork and broccoli. Great pre-game meal. 4. Snails and some shellfish. Just too slimy. 5. Probably the Sahara? I think that would be cool. 6. Teal. No reason. Just an amazing color.

It’s been a slow week for Jesse Teno who has shared the net with Goat Bot and has had their fair share of struggles in net. London’s main issue continues to be shooting but it certainly seems to be wearing the veteran goalie thin who has done their best to try and keep their team in each game. London is 5-5-0 in their last ten, two of those wins being shutouts – one for each London goalie. They have once again managed to climb their way to the middle of the league rankings. Teno’s stats, however, are some of the worst the goalie has seen so far. They are nowhere to be found in the top 10 wins, save percentage, or goals against average. The only places they seem to be shining are in losses (4th – 14) and in shutouts (tied for 1st – 3). And the only stat where Teno currently sits at the top is assists (3). It looks like it’s going to be a long season for the London goalie who is just trying to keep their team from missing the playoffs again this season. 186 words for week ending 9/10/2023

Agreed. I definitely think, for me at least, that podcasts tend to be easier but it is harder to think on the fly vs having time to edit what I write. Obviously I don't put a lot of effort into mine besides having a decent mic but I feel like that's all you need lol.

It's probably also a first-gen mentality. We both came in with ideas and really successful content and players and so then, when you're up and coming and are getting all this praise, it feels like there's an expectation to continue to produce high quality content every week.

Glad you were able to come back! But yea, I think it's important for people to know that this is just fun and that there's no shame in taking time for themselves.

Today I want to talk about mental health and the VHL. One of the first things that I was warned about by Shindigs when I joined was that I should make sure that I don’t push myself to the point of burnout. I had been quickly producing a lot of content every week, maxing out, and always writing both .com articles and media spots. I was so into it that I wondered how I could possibly burn out. It’s not like I was putting the effort in daily or how I put effort in at work. I was simply creating some content at the start of the week during my down time, and it took maybe an hour total of my whole day (aside from a few where I pulled stats and had to use my big person brain). Now, I’m not saying I’m burned out. Clearly, I’m sitting here writing a media spot. But I have taken to doing the occasional podcast because it does take less time for me to make a 15-minute audio file vs figuring out what to write 500 words about and how. Of course, all of this to say that I’m not going anywhere and that I’m perfectly fine would be a half-truth. I’m not going anywhere. But I wouldn’t say that I’m doing perfectly fine either. Between my personal life and work, I’ll admit that lately it’s been hard to keep myself coming back every day. Now, I can explain it all in 4 simple letters. ADHD. For those who don’t know, ADHD comes with a wonderful thing called hyper-focus. Wherein, a person with ADHD finds a hobby, subject, activity, etc. that piques their interest. They then dive headfirst, 100%, into that thing and don’t come up for air until their gremlin brain decides that one day they no longer want to think about the thing or do it. So of course, as someone who was diagnosed a little over a decade ago (too late if you ask me), I went into this knowing that I was going to hyper-focus and I felt it when it happened. I will say that thankfully, my decline in hyper-focus was gradual instead of a cold turkey crash. That has allowed me to want to continue with the VHL and all of its aspects. But it has made me realize that slowly over the last few months I have either a) struggled to find the time and energy to write so I take Welfare, or b) produced content later and later in the week. Originally, I had started shifting to writing and posting mid-week because someone had told me that most content gets dumped early and late in the week and that the mid-week was usually lacking. So, I pushed off until Wednesday or Thursday. Now, I find myself writing and posting on a Friday because life is just messy at the moment and when I come home from work, I rarely have the energy to do anything but read or scroll TikTok endlessly. I’ve also been struggling to figure out what to write when Jesse’s story is the same season in and season out with only a few changes here and there. I have lost some of the passion that I had when I joined a little over a year ago and I do find it hard to keep making original content every week. All of this to say that there is no shame in losing that hyper-focus or even the love for the VHL and that you should do what is best for you mentally. I have seen a few instances of people come and go in this league who very much have some mental issue that they are working through or dealing with, and I just want to remind everyone that it’s just a sim league and if you need to step away for your mental health, you can. There is no shame in becoming a clicker for your own benefit if it’s what you think works for you. I have taken Welfare a few times and yes, I feel yucky about it, and I feel like I’m letting my team down by not max earning. But honestly, after getting into a car crash 2 days ago, and while being in the middle of wedding planning, I’ve accepted that there are things more important than how much TPE you can earn in a week. Step back. Evaluate your mental status. Take a break if you need to. But don’t over-produce content just to make others happy. If anyone out there needs someone to talk to, you can always shoot me a message. 778 words for week ending 9/3/2023

Welcome to the league! Looking forward to your future posts.

Jesse, you got your first shutout of the season last night, how are you feeling about it? Great, honestly. As I’ve said before, shutouts are kind of a goalie’s number one goal in terms of best stat so it always feels good to get the first one of the season out of the way. Last season you had your first shutout during Game 8 against Warsaw and this season it was Game 10 against Chicago. Do you think this is a sign of regression? Honestly no. Shutouts are a mix of hard work and puck luck so I don’t think getting it later has any real meaning. If I went half or more of the season without one, then maybe I would think of it as something to be concerned about. But for now, I think I’m still in my prime. How are you feeling about the scoring issues in London recently? It’s hard, I won’t lie. I know the guys are trying so it’s not like it’s anyone’s fault. Again, I think it comes down to a lot of puck luck. It’s amazing how many dingers I’ve heard between last season and the start of this one. 198 words for week ending 9/3/2023

1. Just maintaining their in-net presence in order to try and continue to give their teammates a chance to win games. 2. Honestly, not sure. I know everyone is working hard so maybe it's a matter of luck and it's not been on our side lately. 3. You love Goat Bot more than me, don't you? 4. Bring cookies to the next practice! I hear Wolanin was considering sneaking off with us so I think that would get him to come around. 5. I would buy everyone a dinner out so we could all get to know one another and just relax. I would like money, please and thanks. 6. I check in once in a while but I've had it muted a little over a year. It was always so random and definitely the home of the trolls. Never really appealed to me.

Come to London. We have cookies (and need goals).

One week into the S90 season and the London United are 2-2-1. While not the best start to the season, it is also not uncommon for this current iteration of the team. London has, at least for the last few seasons, struggled to find their footing during the early part of the season. Jesse Teno is once more calling the net their home, only backed up by Goat Bot. It is uncertain whether S89 draftee Devon Giguere will be backing them up next season or not but for now, London must continue to rely on Teno to take them game to game. Returning on the offensive are skilled veterans Leonard Triller, Igor Molotov, Molly the Cat, and Sock Monkey. All had very good previous seasons, but the shots took a downturn in S89. We are hoping that this season will prove to be different. New to the offensive are rookies Nick Sansoe and Thor Odinson who both had amazing production down in the VHLE and hopefully their skills will translate well in the majors. On defense, we have The Board Game Clue on Skates and Hunor Solyom returning along with a recent pickup in Deron Nesbitt who has been shipped around through the VHL nearly every season, London being his 7th team over his 9-season career. He was acquired in a trade with Moscow in exchange for right winger Adam Rage and a S92 2nd round pick. The defense is also joined by rookie Jack Jeckler who, like the other rookies that have moved up, had a successful 2 seasons in the VHLE. London was also busy picking up options and resigning prospects who are still making their way through the VHLM and VHLE; 7 players in total. London’s favorite goalie and Daisuke Kanou winner Jesse Teno has struggled through the first five games of the season, letting in 14 goals total on 175 shots. With a 0.92 save percentage and 2.72 goals against average, Teno is going to be feeling this battle back to a good position. The team is sitting in 6th in the European Conference and 12th overall in the league. While one of the worst starting standings for the team in a few seasons, I think London in the past has shown that they are capable of pulling themselves out of the bottom to have a successful season. Given what happened in S88 though, I still think it would be foolish to assume that this team is past their prime completely. With 7 players becoming unrestricted free agents next season, this may be, however, London’s final chance to make an impact with the team as it is. The rebuild is around the corner but it is not here yet. While it is possible that some or many will re-sign with London for their final year, it’s more realistic that that will not be the case and London will need to shed players in favor of cap space and bringing up prospects and bringing in new draftees. However it goes, we think that London still has a chance to make this season a good one as long as the team keeps doing what they’re doing and continue to work hard. 533 words for week ending 8/27/2023

Congrats to our captains! And thank you for the honorary A.

This past week Jesse Teno participated in the ProAm tournament. They were drafted 8th overall by the Bayern Munich Fish, GM’d by Eric White Jr. and were the first goalie drafted in the tournament. Jesse was out to an amazing start, helping the Fish to a 10-1-0 record on the first day. They shared the net with Connor Strome but after the first day played every game through to the end of the tournament. Jesse led their team to a final record of 25-12-3, coming in second behind the Maui Stingrays. No surprise there given that Maui had Lachlan Summers in net. The Fish eventually came in third overall, taking home the bronze trophy. Jesse overall ended the tournament as second overall goalie with a 25-11-3 record, 0.926 save percentage, 2.19 goals against average, 4 shutouts and 1 assist. Overall, definitely a good showing for the veteran goalie who is going into S90 hoping to lead London back to the playoffs before a rebuild begins. 167 words for week ending 8/27/2023

Lol yes. My math was wrong. I'll blame my current headache

1. Igor! 2. Board Game Clue on Skates! 3. God I hope Over 4. Goat Bot better be 100% wins 5. 6 6. 4! Bonus: 40-18-6

It's definitely based off of your library, your tbr, and books you've read. I think it gets better the more information you feed it. But yes, at any point you can tell if if you're in the mood for something specific and it will spit out recs that fit what you're looking for.

Whats your username?

So proud of you, friend!

Been on a reading/listening tare this past few months. I had a goal to read 10 books this year and as of right now, I've read 17. I'm leaving my goal at 10 though because I want to see what % over 100 I can get it to lol. I read my sister's middle grade book but excuse me for not sharing the name just to keep privacy lol. It was okay. Not for me but I think kids will enjoy it. I also listened to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe because I had never read either and they were both quick audiobooks. I really just wanted to knock those classics off of my list. At the moment, I am slowly making my way through One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston, when sleeping at my parent's house I've been picking up A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas, and when I can get it back on Libby, I'll be continuing 2nd Chance by James Patterson. I don't care for Patterson but I watched the one season of Women's Murder Club, fell in love with the characters, and then fell in love with the first book.

We’re catching up with S89 Aiden Shaw nominee and 2nd All-VHL Team member, Jesse Teno. After winning the Kanou last season, how does it feel to come short of an award win now? It’s okay. Never feels great to miss out on winning but being nominated alongside Clueless Wallob who dominated the season and Ash Sparks still feels good. Wouldn’t have minded a win but I can’t blame the voting board for Wallob’s landslide victory. Being named to the 2nd All-VHL Team must feel good though, right? Of course. That in itself is still an honor. I know I struggled this season, especially compared to last season’s run but it feels good to know that the league believes in me as a player. Any thoughts on how this upcoming season will go? Hopefully better than the last. It would be nice to get back to the finals but I know we’ve struggled on the offensive. I just have to hope that I can keep it together in the net and give my team a chance to win. 177 words for week ending 8/20/2023

Meh, close enough I suppose.

I will teach you my ways and you will git gud. For a low low low low fee of only $5.00 every minute for the next 9 seasons.

Be my friend. I will show you.