Long story short... my wife's parents have both died, and one of her brothers who never has had any contact with the family now all of a sudden is texting her and demanding information and documents.
My wife's brother (whom I'll call B1) has been the kind of person whom I've only seen or heard from three times since we got married over 20 years ago. One was at the wedding, the other two times were at each of the funerals for their parents. My mother-in-law used to cry over the fact that he never would call or visit her, ever... except for times when he needed money. His wife is also the kind of person who is manipulative and had him put in jail once, and my in-laws used most of their savings to bail him out. They even bought a car for them, and when it broke down, B1's wife wanted them to provide a replacement car. She also complained that when my wife's grandmother died, they weren't included in the will (but none of the grandchildren were, either). She has always been the type of person with a sense of entitlement.
As soon as my mother-in-law died last year, B1 started asking about how much money was left for them in the will, even before the funeral proceedings were over. My wife and her other brother (I'll call B2) explained to him that their remaining funds were necessary for my father-in-law to live on; he was in assisted living and required the help of memory care, which was quite expensive. After the funeral, B1 and his wife then went through my mother-in-law's belongings at her home, trashing the place as they took anything of value they could find, and left without even shutting the front door as they left town. Among the valuables they took were my father-in-law's military awards from the Vietnam War. B2 and my wife had previously told him that they wanted to display his medals at his funeral, when he would eventually die. Despite multiple attempts to contact B1 and have the medals returned, he never responded. Our assumption is that he sold them for money.
Recently, my father-in-law died, and when B1 was asked to come to the funeral and bring the medals, he claims that he looked everywhere but couldn't find them. At the funeral, he again asked about how much was left in the inheritance. Now, my wife had received power of attorney for her parents before they died, to make decisions regarding their medical care and assist with paying their bills, etc. Once her father died, she and B2 thought it would be wise to consult with a lawyer to handle the will.
B1 has been asking for documents about my father-in-law, including his social security number, some military documents, etc., so he can "learn more about his life". It turns out that B1 has the same name as his father, and our suspicion is that he wants to have his SSN so that he can try to obtain funds from the trust before it is properly distributed. Last night he sent my wife a text, saying that she must send him a copy of the trust, a copy of the power of attorney, and the lawyer's information, for him and his lawyer, within 12 hours. (At the time of this post, this means we have about half an hour remaining to do that, haha.) Of course, my wife is concerned that he might try to steal their father's identity and steal money from the account. I have suggested she ask the lawyer working on the trust what she is legally obligated to share with her brother. For what it's worth, she doesn't even have the trust right now, which she says is hundreds of pages long and the lawyer currently has it, so she couldn't provide that to B1 anyway.
What, if anything, are we legally obligated to give her brother at this time?

Hello to you, fellow ingrates.
Year 6 of DABR Defends the New York Giants from Criticism has arrived.

Season Recap

tl;dr: The Giants had their most successful season since 2016, and arguably since winning the Super Bowl in 2012 (if the draft spot/playoff success is the measurement) and went into draft night with the latest selection they've had since 2012, the first outside the top 11 since 2016.
Giants fans didn't really expect to win that many games this year. There were still some hopefuls for Daniel Jones but most people had come to terms with new GM Joe Schoen and new HC Brian Daboll pretty much setting up to replace him, declining his 5th year option.
It was the first year of this regime, they hadn't really been able to fix up the roster fully, etc. Most Giants fans I know were expecting a 4-7 win season, not sniffing the playoff race. Ha.
It all started week 1 vs Tennessee. It was honestly a story Giants fans have gotten familiar with. Look absolutely horrible in the first half of the game, but somehow struggle back into it in the second half, only to be dramatically disappointed at the end of the game. After Daniel Jones threw a red zone interception with just under 9 minutes to go, we thought that was pretty much it.
But then with 4 minutes left, Saquon Barkley rips off a 33 yard run, Daniel Jones converts a 4th and 1, and the Giants score a TD to pull them to just a 1 point deficit. Most Giants fans are thinking "okay he's gonna kick it, play for overtime, I respect that, we didn't think it would be that close anyways."
And then we see the offense staying on the field...uh oh. The offense wasn't exactly clicking on all cylinders to that point in the game, having been shut out in the first half. If we don't get it, the game is pretty much lost. Daboll calls a shovel pass, Saquon gets it, it looks like it's completely doomed...I'm thinking "here we go again, his first game and the media is already going to be all over him for going for it"...but Saquon fights his way in! Giants take the lead for the first time in the game. We're feeling good, Daboll's huge balls in that situation giving us some confidence.
Then the Titans methodically work the ball down the field (along with a couple of assists from Austin Calitro and Darnay Holmes), setting up a 47 yard field goal for Randy Bullock to win the game.
Now, I'm thinking, "of course this is what happened, they gave us some hope, now it's going to get ripped away from us, just like always. Story of the last few years at times."
...and then Bullock missed the kick. That was the start of what turned into a magical first half of the season, the Giants getting off to a 7-2 start, all 7 wins coming by a 1 score margin (though the Bears and Texans games were a bit cleaner than the final scoreline suggests), and 5 of them really coming down to big time plays in the last 5 minutes of the game.
The Titans story, taking the lead with 3:38 left in the 4th quarter and Julian Love sacking Baker Mayfield to force 4th and 15 the next drive against Carolina, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Xavier McKinney batting down Aaron Rodgers' passes in London, Love intercepting Lamar Jackson to set up the game winning score against Baltimore, McKinney and Love stopping Christian Kirk at the 1 yard line on the last play against Jacksonville.
All of those games are games that go against us in previous years. But this year was just different. And somehow through it all, there were Saquon Barkley and Daniel Jones as well. Saquon was the focal point of the offense early in the season, Jones being efficient in a heavy, limited, play action focused passing attack.
All thoughts of the Giants earning a top pick and replacing Daniel Jones pretty much went out the window by week 4, and hope for Jones maybe finally becoming the QB he was drafted to be started to blossom in some parts of the Giants fanbase.
Things came crashing down a bit the next 4 weeks. Awful losses to Detroit, Dallas, and Philly, with a tie against Washington in there too that many Giants fans felt they deserved to win capped off a 1-4-1 stretch where the Giants simply did not look good. They looked more like what we expected the team to look like coming into the year. The playoff spot was no longer guaranteed, at 7-5-1. But a flexed SNF game against Washington would pretty much decide the season.
And the Giants took that win against Washington and ran with it. A close loss against the Vikings that was probably the best passing attack game of the season to that point, a dominating win against the hapless Colts that locked the Giants into the playoffs, and a surprisingly tight and scrappy game between the Eagles starters and the Giants backups gave Giants fans some hope headed into the playoffs. We didn't expect to win a Super Bowl, but the matchup against the Vikings seemed winnable.
And winnable it was, as in classic 2023 Giants fashion, they took a lead about halfway through the 4th quarter, and a couple of clutch plays on defense by Cordale Flott and Xavier McKinney ended the game.
Then we went to Philly and got absolutely ass blasted, ending our season.
That left the Giants with the 25th pick in the class, entering an offseason with a lot of business to take care of.

Free Agency Recap

The Giants had a lot more room to operate in free agency this year than last year, and Schoen was relatively creative in how he wanted to go about it.
The first step in that process though was figuring out the status of his pending free agents; most notably, the two who led the way on offense most of the year: Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley. The Jones negotiations were tense, Jones asked for the moon and the team was not having it. Eventually (literally right before the tag deadline) they settled on a 4 yr, 160m extension with 82m fully guaranteed and a boatload of incentives that could push the value up to almost 200m. That allowed the team to tag Saquon Barkley, whose extension talks are reportedly still stalled, as Barkley declined an offer worth almost 14m during the Giants' bye week, and continues to find the Giants' offer(s) unpalatable.
Speculation is that Barkley is seeking more guaranteed money from the Giants (greater than the sum of 2 franchise tags), but Barkley's camp is not leaking much (reportedly because Saquon doesn't want them to). And according to most reporters, Saquon is too competitive to actually sit out the season, removing his last bit of leverage.
Possibly the biggest addition of the Giants' free agency period was actually a trade: The Giants traded the Chiefs' 3rd rounder (acquired for Kadarius Toney) for TE Darren Waller. This is a huge move because the Giants were dead last in explosive pass play rate by a WIDE margin. Only like 6 individual team seasons since 2010 had fewer explosive passing plays than the 2022 Giants. That's something that Schoen and Daboll immediately set out to fix, and Darren Waller is one of the best explosive pass weapons in the league, leading all TEs in explosive pass plays this season despite playing just 9 games this year. Reports out of OTAs are that the Giants are expecting Waller to basically fill a "WR1" role for them; not necessarily in alignment but being the focal point of the offense, high target share, etc.
Schoen and Daboll followed that addition up with two more explosive pass play options: retaining Darius Slayton, and adding Parris Campbell to the room. Slayton is a solid WR, he's good for 600-700 yards when he gets run. His hands are inconsistent, but he makes up for it often. Campbell finally broke out having a healthy season for the Colts this season. I think Campbell is mostly insurance for Wan'Dale Robinson, who is coming off of a torn ACL, but if healthy should get primary run in the slot.
The Giants' other two main moves came on the defensive side of the ball, adding LB Bobby Okereke to a LB room that comprised of: Jarrad Davis, Micah McFadden, and Darrian Beavers (coming off a torn ACL). Much needed improvement in that room. The Giants also added Rakeen Nunez-Roches and A'Shawn Robinson to the DL room to improve the depth there; Dexter Lawrence and Leonard Williams were playing too many snaps, and the Giants were really bad against the run last year.
In the process though, the Giants lost both of their starting centers from 2022, Nick Gates and Jon Feliciano, as well as S Julian Love, who had been a consistent staple of the defense the last few years.

Draft Needs

The Giants roster was in much better shape this year than last year, but the team still had a number of problems:

1. CB was still a HUGE need for the Giants, and one that had not been properly addressed yet. Adoree' Jackson had another very good year in 2022, but the spot across from him had been a mishmosh of misfit toys: Fabian Moreau had a nice little run, but struggled down the stretch. Nick McCloud got a lot of run at CB2 after being claimed on waivers from the Bills. Cordale Flott had been drafted as a nickel defender but got some run there. And the slot position wasn't much better, as Darnay Holmes continued to be a liability there. This position needed reinforcements. I've been a relatively vocal minority in the Giants fandom saying this has been the BIGGEST need the team had for a couple of years now (basically aside from the one year that we had Bradberry and Jackson both on the team).
2. Despite adding Slayton, Campbell, and Waller, WR was still something the team needed. Specifically someone who could develop into a WR1 type player. The Giants WR room is relatively deep, but just adding Campbell and Waller and running back last year's group didn't feel sufficient. The team clearly was putting an emphasis on speed, separation, and yards after the catch ability.
3. Center was a massive need. The Giants basically didn't have a center on the roster who had played meaningful NFL snaps. Ben Bredeson could move to center if needed, but it wasn't that solid of a plan. And in what seemed like a good center class, this seemed like a good way to solve that problem.
4. LB. The LB2 spot currently will be either Jarrad Davis, Micah McFadden (who basically lost the job last year to Jarrad Davis), or Darrian Beavers (who tore his ACL last year). I think that says it all.
5. RB: Saquon is on the tag, so you feel okay here, but the team has been seeking a solid compliment for him for a while. They were in on a few of the RBs last year and the value never lined up, and Matt Breida and Gary Brightwell didn't really cut it last year. They don't want to run Saquon into the ground early in the year like they did last year, so having a compliment for him is big.
6. S: Losing Julian Love is a tough one. He played a lot of snaps and wore a lot of hats for this defense last year, especially with McKinney missing time with a hand injury. The team likes Jason Pinnock, and drafted Dane Belton in the early 4th last year, but more depth and competition here would be very welcome.

So let's get into the picks:

1.24: Deonte Banks, CB, Maryland

Seems like maybe Schoen agreed with me!
It was a lot harder to try to predict what the Giants would do this year, just by virtue of having a later pick. But the general consensus among the beat seemed to be that the team wanted to get a CB or an offensive playmaker with that first pick. I was a little skeptical of CB being an option, seeing how many mocks had all 5 of the top CBs off the board, but that often left WRs available.
So right after the Jets took Will McDonald at 15, if you looked at the board, only 1 CB had been taken and no WRs had been taken. That felt pretty good for the Giants.
Then Forbes and Gonzalez come off the board, and the top 4 WRs come off the board from 20-23.
That left the Giants feeling a little antsy. They had one guy they really wanted left, and negotiated a trade up one spot with the Jaguars to secure their guy: Deonte Banks.
This pick is perfect for what the Giants want to do on defense. Wink Martindale's reaction should say it all, if you go watch the Giants' behind the scenes videos on the draft process.
Banks is a tall, long, and athletic corner, which are all important traits for Wink's press man heavy defense. He's super fluid and smooth in his hips. He tested absolutely crazy. He also plays with a swag that I think Wink and Giants fans will come to really appreciate. He plays confident, he plays fast in terms of processing, and he plays physical.
He still has some development to go, I'm not saying he's going to be a top CB in the league from day 1. He wasn't a super ball productive corner, but that's not something Wink necessarily needs. It will take some time for him to get comfortable with the complexity of route runners in the NFL. But the tools are all there, and the Giants get a perfect scheme fit.
Banks will come in and immediately be the starter at CB across from Adoree' Jackson, and the trickle down effect that will have on the Giants depth chart at CB will be tangible.

2.57: John Michael Schmitz, OC, Minnesota

As this pick was coming up, Schoen and Daboll were discussing who to pick, and basically said "okay we're either going with Schmitz or (we'll get to that later ;) )".
Then the Bears traded up to the pick before the Giants pick. And Joe Schoen said "oh fuck." Daboll tried to calm him down and said "well I guess we're getting ."
Then the Bears took Tyrique Stevenson (good pick!), leaving the Giants the choice between the two players. And the Giants went with Schmitz.
Full disclosure: I was not a huge JMS fan in the draft process. I thought he was super solid all around, but he wasn't really impressive to me, there weren't a lot of overwhelmingly positive reps or traits in my eyes. I thought he was maybe a little heavy footed, especially in pass pro, and his testing kind of backed that up, and I didn't really see full unlocked power either.
I was probably a bit harsh on him in terms of the grade though. Like I said, he's a super solid player. There's relatively little to really complain about. He's smart, he's experienced, and he made few mental mistakes. His snaps were consistent. He is pretty strong though not crazy so. His anchor is really good, and he plays nasty and competitive, which is something the Giants are definitely looking for. It helps he had a really good Senior Bowl week too.
Was Schmitz my favorite center in this class? No. But he was for many people, and for some good reasons. Schmitz will come in and immediately start at center for the Giants, bringing the dead snap with him. If he can be the 3rd best player on this unit (behind Andrew Thomas and hopefully Evan Neal taking a step forward this year and being healthy), it'll be an immensely calming and steadying presence that should raise the OL play of the whole unit.

3.73: Jalin Hyatt, WR, Tennessee

So you may be wondering: Who was Player X?
Well immediately after drafting Schmitz, Schoen looked around the room and pretty much said "what if we can still get ?" He decided that the price he was willing to pay was the Giants 4th round pick. And he and everybody else in the room started calling.
That included Brian Daboll, who leaned over and said "hey should I text [Rams HC Sean] McVay?" Schoen said "yeah sure go for it." And Daboll officially negotiated the Giants trading up from 89 to 73 to select Player X: Tennessee WR Jalin Hyatt
Hyatt is a really fun player to watch. The speed blows you away on tape. It's the kind of speed that even if you're not throwing it to him all the time, defenses have to take note when he comes on the field and play him differently. He's not necessarily slippery or elusive after the catch but (and I'm scared to frame it this way but I'm doing it anyway) the speed and acceleration gives him credibility there, the way that Odell was such a YAC threat on slants just getting to full speed and outrunning everyone.
He's a little high cut I think, and that leads to a little bit of trouble with crisper routes. He wasn't asked to run a very complex route tree at Tennessee, though I do think he has the skills to improve in that sense. The biggest concern for me is just how quickly we can get him up to speed beating press and playing through physicality. When he has room to work, he can beat CBs in a few ways, but NFL DBs will knock even very good WRs off their routes at times. And that follows through to contested catches.
The Giants' WR room is so crowded it's hard for me to say exactly what Hyatt's role will be starting out. The Giants started last year trying to use different WRs in different ways on a game to game basis. Then the wheels fell off obviously, with Shep, Wan'Dale, and Toney being hurt and Golladay stinking and all that. So I wonder if we see a return to that.
Hyatt can be a threat in a lot of ways, end arounds, screens, etc in addition to the obvious "go long" situations. Just how many reps he can carve out will be fun to track in training camp.

So the Giants come out of the first 3 rounds with 3 players who were commonly mocked to them at 25. Pretty good business! But let's get into day 3:

5.172: Eric Gray, RB, Oklahoma

The Giants traded away their 4th round pick to get Hyatt so they went 99 picks without making a selection.
Like I said earlier, the team has been looking for a compliment to Saquon Barkley for a long time, and they find it here with Eric Gray.
Schoen said he sees Eric Gray as a 3 down back. And you can definitely see why. He caught 88 passes over the last 3 years at Oklahoma and only dropped 2. He's also strong and physical, willing to pass protect. That physicality carries over into his running style, he runs hard and is willing to run through guys. He's bursty in short areas and has pretty solid vision in my opinion.
He's a compact guy, just 5'9 207. He's not super slippery or elusive, and he's not really a home run hitter. But in terms of finding a backup RB on day 3 to feed some of those tough yardage carries to and keep Saquon fresh, you could do worse than Eric Gray for sure.
The Giants ran a fair bit of "Pony" type formations in 2022, using 2 or even 3 RBs at times. The competition between Gray and Matt Breida for the true RB2 spot will be fun to see. Breida brings a little more explosiveness to the table, but Gray will certainly give him a run for his money. And depending on what happens with Saquon Barkley's contract situation, we may see even more of Gray down the line.

6.209: Tre Hawkins, CB, Old Dominion

When asked about what is different this year from last year, what improvements or what has gotten easier now that he's been in the chair for a full year, Joe Schoen talked a lot about really getting a good handle on what his coaches look for in players. And he singled out Wink in that respect because him and Daboll have worked together so much.
The Giants selection of Tre Hawkins really highlights that. Like with Deonte Banks, Hawkins brings a ton of physical traits. He tested through the roof. He has the length that the Giants look for. He's also super physical in both phases, run and pass, which Wink loves. ODU let him just play press man, so he's comfortable doing that.
He's a little slim still, so his frame needs some reworking, but that's common with CBs and especially ones from outside the P5 schools. He also has a lot of technique and FBIQ stuff to clean up. His footwork is messy, he's not always patient enough with his punch. His ball skills still leave something to be desired. He's still learning to read routes and manage space both in man and zone.
I figure Hawkins will come in and be a depth player and core STer for the Giants. If his play strength holds up against NFL scrutiny, he can definitely be a day 1 punt gunner. Wink has started calling Jerome Henderson the best DB coach in the league, so it'll be fun to see what Henderson can do with a ball of clay like Hawkins. Even if he ends up just being a STer and CB5 type guy, that's still a pretty good pick in the 6th round like this.
Also, sorry Patriots writer :)

7.243: Jordon Riley, DL, Oregon

Beating a dead horse at this point, but this is another pick Schoen highlighted as an example of his understanding of what Wink is looking for.
Obviously Riley is a flawed prospect, it's the 7th round. He was a 6th year senior who spent time at 4 different schools, starting at UNC, then going to JUCO for a year, then Nebraska for 2 years where he barely played, and finishing his college career at Oregon. PFF lists him as having just 534 career snaps in college despite the 5 years he spent at the P5 level. He wasn't very productive, partly because he barely played and partly because he's just not very good. He's not a good athlete.
What Riley does have, though, is size, strength, and knockback power. And that's what Wink is looking for in a depth NT. He eats blocks, stuffs up lanes, and just is hard to move.
Schoen put it this way:
"It’s hard to find these guys. When you get into the seventh round, you are looking for guys that maybe it will be hard to get at different areas. And another guy we spent time with, big run stopper in there, 6-foot-5, 330.
You walk out to practice, and there’s this 6-5, 330-pound guy, who piques your interest right there. Again, some of these guys in different schemes may not have the production, the tackles, the sacks. But for what Wink looks for in terms of size, length, knock-back — he possesses those traits.”

7.254: Gervarrius Owens, DB, Houston

Last pick in the draft and the Giants go back to the DB room. They took two CBs already, but some depth/developmental guys at safety would help. Enter: Gervarrius Owens.
Owens is a former CB turned S from Houston. The CB in him flashes to me on tape, I thought his ball skills as a safety were good. He's athletic enough to play pretty much any safety spot, including that single high spot that teams find difficult to fill. He's super physical and willing to play downhill and tackle. He's super experienced, he was a team captain and 4 year starter for Houston.
He makes a lot of mistakes, however. The angles he takes to the ball in both phases are super inconsistent. He missed a ton of tackles in college, so that technique needs to be worked on. The ball skills turned into PBUs rather than INTs; Wink won't mind that but some of them were like "he really should have just caught that."
Owens is another guy like Hawkins who looks primed to earn his roster spot on special teams and provide solid depth for the team's DB room. Wink likes to play 3+ safety sets, especially when he feels like he has a good group there. And the Giants' S room right now is basically Xavier McKinney and a bunch of question marks, so it's entirely feasible that Owens can come in and beat Dane Belton, Jason Pinnock, and Bobby McCain to earn playing time early on.

UDFAs

The Giants UDFA class included a few notable names. 5 total players who got 100k+ in guarantees:

1. Bryce Ford-Wheaton, WR, WVU: The Giants gave Bryce Ford-Wheaton a LOT of guaranteed money for a UDFA: 236k, which is the full season PS salary plus 20k. BFW was one of "my guys" this year I was hoping for the Giants to get. He's got the size and athleticism to be really good, but he's a little one note right now. In a crowded WR room, I kind of doubt he'll make the roster without some injuries (or Wan'Dale/Shep being on PUP) but like other late rounders/UDFAs, if he can find some value on special teams, he's a fun upside swing.
2. Dyontae Johnson, LB, Toledo: Another guy who got a lot of guaranteed money. The Giants needed some reinforcements at LB and clearly didn't find them in the draft. Super productive in college, very instinctive player, but I'm not sure if he can run with the league. He'll compete with the Giants mishmosh of LBs to play on special teams.
3. Ryan Jones, TE/FB, East Carolina: The Giants have been searching for a kind of H-Back type for a while now. Last year they brought in Jeremiah Hall from Oklahoma, that didn't stick. Andre Miller, who was a WR at Maine, seemed like he was getting run at that spot in camp last year, but a broken arm ended his season. Chris Myarick ended up taking some of those reps. Ryan Jones kind of fits that mold as well.
4. Habakkuk Baldonado, EDGE, Pittsburgh: The Giants' pass rusher depth is...not great. Behind Kayvon Thibodeaux and Azeez Ojulari, it's Jihad Ward, Oshane Ximines, and Tomon Fox. And Ojulari missed a lot of time last year. Baldonado could potentially come in and earn a spot over Ximines/Fox. He's got good play strength and power and fits what the Giants would need as more of an edge setter and run defender to give Thibodeaux/Ojulari a rest rep before letting them loose to rush the passer.
5. Gemon Green, CB, Michigan: Another tough and physical corner. I don't think there's really a spot for him on this roster with the additions of Banks and Hawkins, and I think he's not quite the athlete the Giants look for at CB, but as a last resort/STer he can potentially get somewhere.

Final Takeaways

I did this last year because it was Schoen's first year here, but I like the idea of doing it every year. What can we learn from the way Schoen drafted this year that we can file away and learn for the future? What can mockers learn from this to inform them of who makes sense for the Giants.
And it's pretty similar to last year:

1. Athleticism. Once again, pretty much every player the Giants drafted, and the UDFAs generally, were excellent athletes who tested well. The main exceptions being JMS (who was still a solid athlete) and Jordon Riley this year; where the exception last year basically was just DJ Davidson. This team has faith in its coaching staff and wants to give them players they can work with.
2. Scheme/Roster Fits. I talked about it a lot with the defensive picks, but every single one is a "Wink Martindale" guy. What does Wink want for his system? This can be a little dangerous considering Wink was in the running for a HC gig last year, and another strong year might finally get him the HC job he has been looking for. If he leaves and the scheme changes, these players need to be able to match the new scheme too. But it's clear that the FO values the input of the coaching staff and there's really clear communication there. This also applies to the offensive side of the ball, where it's super clear that the team wanted more speed on offense, which pointed to Hyatt a little bit.
3. Youth. This one is a little less applicable this year as they did draft a few older players, like JMS and Riley, even Eric Gray who turns 24 in November or Tre Hawkins who turns 23 over the summer. But Banks just turned 22, Jalin Hyatt will turn 22 in late September. It feels like maybe they felt more attached to the age stuff when they thought this was a full on rebuild, but now that they're hoping to be a playoff team again, they need some more instant contributors.
4. Aggressiveness/willingness to trade. This is a newer one, as last year the Giants only traded back. But this year the Giants traded up twice, giving up 3 day 3 picks in the process. Schoen is not afraid to make trades in either direction. Up to secure guys he really wants (Banks/Hyatt), or down if there's nothing there. Schoen talked about having trades lined up in both directions with the first round pick, he had a trade down ready if there was no one he wanted left.

The Giants went into the 2022 draft clearly rebuilding, 5 picks in the top 81 and making 11 selections. This year, the team came into the draft with 10 picks and came out with just 7. Clearly the team thinks the depth is improving and wants to focus on building the championship contender they are looking to be.

My grandma found it and we wanna know what is it about🤔

i’m just getting started. what do you guys think?

Some new, some old w/ lowered prices. Continually trying to help family catch up on endless medical bills. As usual if anything seems to pricey, just ask.
Free shipping please keep that in mind with prices. US only, shipping from California, deal for bundles.
Last go round I had some a few shipping delays-if you're one of those and want something make sure to remind me for the deal.
The Cure - Wish (30th anniversary) * sealed * $38
Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works 85-92 * sealed * $32
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Alice in Chains - Dirt * sealed * $24
Beastie Boys - Check Your Head * sealed * $31
Beyonce - Renaissance * sealed * $32
Charli XCX - Crash (white) * sealed * $27
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Marilyn Manson - Smells Like Children (pink translucent) * opened/never played * $40
Metallica - Ride the Lightning (electric blue) * sealed * $28
Metallica - Master of Puppets * sealed * $22
Metallica - the black album (some blacker marbled) * sealed * $28
Metallica - Load * opened/never played * $24
Metallica - Garage Inc. * sealed * $37
Metallica - S&M * sealed * $43
Metallica - Hardwired to Self-Destruct (flame orange ) * sealed * $29
Metallica - 72 Seasons (red/black) * sealed * $27
Methods of Mayhem - self titled * opened/never played * $19
Michael Jackson - Dangerous * opened/never played * $23
My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade * sealed * $32
Nirvana - In Utero 2013 mix * sealed * $35
Pearl Jam - Ten (purple) * sealed * $23
Post Malone - Twelve Carat Toothache) * sealed * $27
Queens of the Stone Age - Era Vulgaris * sealed * $28
Queens of the Stone Age - Rated R * sealed * $26
Radiohead - The Bends * sealed * $33
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Unlimited Love (red) * opened/never played * $12
Soundgarden - Superunknown * sealed * $28
The Strokes - First Impressions of Earth * sealed * $22
[Taylor Swift - Midnights]](https://www.discogs.com/maste2831825-Taylor-Swift-Midnights?format=Vinyl) all 5 of the standard US color releases * sealed * $23/each
Taylor Swift - Red (Taylor’s Version - 4xLP red) * sealed * $32
Tool - Lateralus * sealed * $35
Tool - Fear Inoculum (gold art triple gatefold) * sealed * $52
The Used - self titled (red oxblood & bone white split) * sealed * $38
v/a Lost Highway soundtrack * opened/never played * $25
v/a End of Days soundtrack * opened/never played * $40
The Weeknd - Beauty Behind the Madness) * sealed * $38
The Weeknd - Starboy (blue) * sealed * $25
30 Seconds to Mars - self titled) * sealed * $26

Hey! I have my first consult with FIRM tomorrow. However, I am also considering Brown Fertility. For anyone who has used either, what do you suggest? I have a close friend that went to FIRM, but I don’t know anyone who uses Brown. I just want the best results. I have PCOS and have been trying for 3.5 years. Numerous failed medicated cycles. I want to know how many embryos they’ll do at one time? If they have pain-free HSG options? And timelines from your initial consult to actually starting treatment? Also, how either of their costs compare? Thanks!

ACTION ALERT

Contact the Gov's office: (405) 521-2342

Gov. Stitt has until the 10th to sign SB437 or it does not pass into law if it's ignored (this is called a "pocket veto" if it just sits un-signed).
or use the contact resources here - https://oklahoma.gov/governocontact.html
link to bill from OK legislature page (this front page has history of the bill if you scroll down that's why this link is here! click tabs to get to all versions and votes):

• http://www.oklegislature.gov/BillInfo.aspx?Bill=sb437&Session=2300

link to text in pdf form:

• http://webserver1.lsb.state.ok.us/cf_pdf/2023-24%20ENSB/SB437%20ENR.PDF

For comparison, another large bundled bill Stitt vetoed in 2020 was HB3228 and here are his comments on it, should you want to reference them --

“HB 3228 is a lengthy bill that alters Oklahoma’s medical marijuana program. The language in the bill makes substantial policy changes to the medical marijuana program that were not fully scrutinized through normal legislative procedures before the bill was received by my office in the middle of the night Saturday,” Stitt wrote in his veto message. “While there is much room for improvement in the way our state’s program operates, this bill does not address those items in a way I can support.” source

***Apologies for the short notice, but this is pretty much the last chance to fight against these changes that are packed into SB437, should you want to do so. Also extending my own apologies with the big legislative thread this year in general since I was working with a death in my family during this time.
Thank you again to the community for all your calls and advocacy and information sharing, this session and beyond.
<3

TLDR
Insurance is fully covering the pills, but they said I needed to pay for the office visit (~$200) because (1) the CPT code submitted in the claim is not preventative (2) I am far from the deductible and out-of-pocket limit set in my insurance policy (3) hospital refused to use another CPT code. So what have I missed here? The whole situation looks a bit off to me. All I heard before was it was free, but with a decent health insurance policy (considering Descovy is free) it seems that being on PrEP can still be expensive.
More Info
Two months ago I asked a question: Primary Care Physician didn’t prescribe PrEP. Link: https://www.reddit.com/AskGaybrosOver30/comments/12kue1l/hey_bros_primary_care_physician_didnt_prescribe/
This shit show is on Season 2 now.
I went to see an infectious disease doctor through referral at the same hospital because of "PCP's lack of expertise in PrEP," and later received a medical bill for the visit. I had a phone call with the billing department of the hospital and I was shared with a few more reasons (which were discussed between the hospital and the insurance company).

• This is considered a specialist visit, not PCP, so doesn't count as preventative.
• Only one free preventative care per year allowed. I used it on non-PrEP with PCP in March.

$200 isn't horrible, but spending $200 every 3 months doesn't sound very well to me. Switching PCP may solve part of the problem next year, and seeing PCP multiple times a year still sounds like a problem according to their reasoning.
I am very confused and starting to wonder how much bullshitting and how much truth they are telling me. Thank you.

My wife and I have an HSA into which her employer pays $4000 (our insurance's out-of-pocket maximum) and we contribute up to the max. I was planning to start investing our contribution, using the employer's 4k to pay medical expenses along the way, but now I'm wondering if we should just pay off medical bills with our credit card and invest the entire HSA amount. We're both in our late 30s and the idea of having a nice big medical-expenses pot for our later years is very appealing.
With our cc situation we'd essentially get 2.25% back (transferring Chase Freedom Unlimited points to Chase Sapphire Reserve to use in the Chase travel portal), and at the moment we can cover our anticipated medical expenses without using the HSA funds. (We also have a chunk of money sitting in an HYSA - it's earning nicely at the moment, but since high interest rates won't last forever I do want to start thinking about the next step for that money at some point. Using it for medical expenses could help us draw it down.)
My understanding is that we can request HSA reimbursement for medical expenses at any point, even many years later, so long as we keep documentation for those expenses. So is there really any drawback (aside from the risks associated with investing the HSA funds) to this plan?

Hi! Local is Ga, USA. I bought a car not that long ago that broke down multiple times with in the first couple weeks and the dealer "fixed" these issues. Shortly after this he admitted through text to having installed an 02 sensor extension to by pass emissions and hide the check engine light.
Just inside 30 days the engine completely went out on the car and I'm being quoted 4k to fix. The car it self wasn't much more than that.
I talked to a lawyer and he said this could be argued as fraud and he recommends sueing but also said it wouldn't be worth paying an attorney for small claims. He did say if we won the case of fraud we could sue for 3x the price we paid.
I just want to double check that what he claimed was right. With this car and a lot of surprise medical bills lately we can't afford a lawyer right now anyway and I don't want to spend the money to just have the case thrown out.
Any help is greatly appreciated!
Edit: the dealer refuses to refund the car and is claiming he did nothing wrong.

My wifes sister lives about 20 hrs away from us in North Carolina. Over the past couple of years she has been fighting stage 3 breast cancer and during that time she has had 3 strokes. Because of the strokes she is limited both physically and mentally. My wife and I helped the best we could being so far away including helping her pay her bills including her mortgage and helping support her now 17 year old daughter during this time. We also managed to get her on all if the available state and federal assistance programs for people with disabilities.
We are finally able to move to North Carolina and will be in the coming weeks. A couple of nights ago my sister in law was having medical issues so bad that an ambulance had to be called to take her to the emergency room.
My wife was on face time with her niece and saw that there was another guy in the house at the time. When asked who he was she said its some guy thats living with them now. This was a big surprise to me and my wife since we are the ones helping pay alot of the bills. When asked how long hes been there her niece answered that she didnt know. When asked where hes from, she answered hes apparently from a school that she used to attend? She also said he needed a place to stay because he got kicked out of his foster parents house. We asked why he was kicked out and were told because he turned 18. Also apparently he isnt working because he lost his job somehow.
And apparently my sister in law who is on a fixed income has giving him money to "get to work" when he was working. Not to mention that my wife and I has been buying food for the house not knowing theres a random person there.
My question is what do we do?
I have no Ideas where to begin with this and I know my sister in law is being taken advantage of. And we are moving there now so we want this cleared up and will be able to help care for her more.

For context.
I am a 27 year old female. I was raised in a very religious household and until now I still live with my parents.
I decided to get into medical school but in my 3rd year, I was debarred and decided to go back to working as I am still figuring out what to do next with my life. Pressure is catching up to me because I feel older and my peers have either gone to their Kid #2 or are making strides in their field while I am still figuring things out at the ripe age of 27.
Of course, I have a boyfriend and he is also in medical school. My family knows about him as I am open to my parents.
​
My mother has a history of being verbally abusive like back in college, I was also in a relationship back then with my ex. She hacked my account and read all my messages and of course there were flirty messages in there and then she stormed into my room and started calling me a slut and that my grandfather (dad's side) was a womanizer and immoral. She started calling me names that I am also immoral as I take after my grandfather. We've long since moved on from that, though I never confronted her about it. Basically, I dealt with it just by being silent and passive. I didn't wanna make the situation worse because she was always angry that time.
​
Fast forward to recently, back when I was still in school, I rent a place and they visit me from time to time. Just in my last year (3rd year) for some reason, she started calling me names again. When my dad would go to sleep, she would go to my room while I was studying, sit on my bed and start telling me that God is angry at me and God is cursing me and they are being punished for being my parents. She said that my immorality caused God's wrath to be poured upon us in a way that we have no money anymore.
Basically, we are having financial issues because of my being immoral and God hates me.
Now, I am trying to go back to working, since I left medical school, I am back at their place and I am trying to find new job opportunities that will get me back at my feet. These past few days, she has been telling me that she knows I have STDs and that God knows about my immorality. We are having financial issues again these past few days, with bills being overdue. And somehow, my mother thinks that it is my fault because they are in the crosshairs of God's anger towards me. She said that it would be better for me to live a poor life and away from them.
​
Growing up, I hated religion but now that I am older, I found God and I know that He is love and He does not hate me and that case with being immoral. I admit that I am just human and there were things I have done in the past that I am not proud of and have long since abstained from doing since I found God. I found Christ when I was 24. Also, I have no STDs.
​
So with all this being said, is my mom being unreasonable or is she mentally ill?

After my previous post 1.5 years ago , I wanted to take a fresh look at my finances and get the forum's perspectives . Here is the financial details first :
​
I am 40, wife is 35, kid is 1.5yo.
Monthly take home is 250k.
Expenses (including miscellaneous and annual ones) - 90k. Parents are financially independent.
Recurring investments: 50k in Mutual funds and 50k in emergency fund. Wife's earnings are hers to spend as she sees fit , I don't ask on that :)
EPF - 23k (deducted before take home)
I have term insurance of 50 lakhs. Both me and wife are insured for health from employers for around 8 lakhs. I have a family floater health insurance policy of 1 crore ( base coverage)
Current Portfolio:
Equity MF - 108 lakh
Stocks - 91 lakh
SSY - 3 lakh
EPF - 10 lakh
Wife's PF - 6 lakh
PPF - 4.73 lakh
NPS - 22.86 lakh
2 plots of land - 92 lakh ( conservative, no loans on these plots)
Debt MFs - 66 lakh
Emergency Fund - 1.5 lakhs ( will direct my variable pay to build it further)
ESOPS - 2 lakh
Summary:
So around 4 crore and 5 lakhs. I will inherit either a home or a flat in a Tier 2 city. Currently renting.
Love travelling , especially at expensive resorts in India or flying abroad. ( I spent 2 lakhs last year at a 5 star resort in Goa)
No loans no debts , always pay all bills and credit cards in full. Own a car. Aim to send the kid to the best colleges in India without any loans for both grad and post grad( except medical, she can go on merit). If she wants to go abroad , will give her what I saved for her education plus rest she can self fund.
Aiming to achieve FIRE by 48. Am I on the right path ? Enlighten me , gurus :)

I had a hit of pot last night and remembered why I disliked it so intensely. Right after, I was just flooded with anxiety. Nothing was funny or remotely interesting. I thought to myself, "why do people actually bother with this ?"
We ourselves never had an illuminating moment in the past with reefer. And I don't think we would ..... it's not that cacti some spend millions of dollars on to experience an epiphany . It was regs. It was crappy 🍃.
I'm grateful I now know what I won't be doing in the future lol. My stepsister kept asking if I wanted one of her kittens, specifically this cream half Siamease lad, and of course I uttered "Leif" whilst cuddling him. But no, m'am, I live in a camper with two small children who have allergies. My stepdad is highly adamant that I not have any pets (despite my protests) and I can't afford a high maintenence cat. I've no space for a litter box, money for deworming, vet bills, the list goes on and is exhausting.
My mom commented I was "off" last night (this was before I smoked). I felt like reminding her that as wildly eccentric and unapologetically crass I can be at times, this is ME. Unfiltered, I'm still keeping my ducks all lined up. It just pissed me off because nothing is ever good enough with a narcisstic mother. I had a heart to heart with her the other day which fell on deaf ears. She still seems to think my feelings tie in to me being self absorbed, and thus are not valid. "It's not about YOU!" She screamed into the void. So, naturally there is no winning with her. I've just come to the point where venting to you is my only form of self expression. My therapy, if you will.
I take care of my kids', very well I might add. I pay as much as attention as someone with PPD, GAD, and other issues can. My anxiety medication has been a lifesaver for those moments where I can't breathe. I'm taking a vacation from ADHD meds that literally just make me feel like a paranoid android. Emotionless. Robotic. Flat. Eff that.
I'm also finally taking care of my health. I want to have my asymmetrical tonsils removed and my RN mother is hysterical about it. I'm all for caution and whatnot, but woman, let me do what I gotta do. My pain threshold is high. I already cared for our oldest after his tonsillectomy- don't I deserve to take care of myself ? She went off about how everybody she knows who did it said the recovery was months out. She forgets that if you stick to what the doctor says and stay super hydrated, you'll be golden.
Ah, I have to quit bashing my mom. I'm on a roll today. That being said, she has work tonight. I can just unwind with the kiddos. We leave for OUR TRIP in 2 and a half days. That will be fun. 16 hours in a car with a screaming one year old and neurotic dogs. Woot.
Love ya

Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) says that psilocybin mushrooms could represent a “revolution” in mental health treatment and an economic “boon” for his home state of Pennsylvania, which he referred to as the “mushroom capital of the world.”
At a Senate Agriculture subcommittee hearing he chaired on Wednesday, the senator said that he’s “been an advocate of psychedelics in terms of magic mushrooms for PTSD and for veterans especially.”
“I always thought it could be—and maybe I’m wrong—an amazing economic kind of boom for the mushroom [sector],” he told Pietro Farms owner Chris Alonzo. “I think it could be a revolution in mental health. Are you open to thinking of that?”
“We’re absolutely open. We’re entrepreneurs, but more importantly, we’re trying to create healthy food for the community, for the U.S.,” Alonzo replied. “When we look at it, mushroom mycelium goes into products like furniture and soaking up oil—and the nutrition side of mushrooms we got through research through [the U.S. Department of Agriculture] with the mushroom council.”
“So anything that ties in health benefits, medical benefits, we’re open to looking at,” he said. “Obviously you have to do it within parameters of being secure and safe and and responsible, but we’re open to it.”
Fetterman, who formerly served as lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania and strongly advocated for marijuana legalization, has previously said that the country should “open up research into psilocybin.”
To that end, bipartisan congressional lawmakers recently introduced a bill that would create a $75 million federal grant program to support research into the therapeutic potential of psychedelics for certain health conditions among active duty military service members.
The legislation is being sponsored by Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), who also led a letter to House Appropriations subcommittee leaders earlier this year, urging them to instruct federal health agencies to include active duty military service members in psychedelic studies.
Meanwhile, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) recently started soliciting proposals for a series of research initiatives meant to explore how psychedelics could be used to treat drug addiction, with plans to provide $1.5 million in funding to support relevant studies.
At a Senate committee hearing last month, NIDA Director Nora Volkow told members that there’s emerging evidence that psychedelics carry “significant potential” as therapeutic treatments for certain mental health conditions, and it’s a topic of “great interest” for researchers.