Three years ago, I made a New Year’s resolution to get back into sports. I wanted to engage in borderline-friendly smack talk. I wanted to understand why all those SportsCenter ads were funny. I wanted to love sports again (Long story: I stopped being emotionally invested in sports after the Yankees’ fall from grace during the 2004 ALCS—against the Red Sox! Of all teams! After a 3-0 game lead which the Yankees squandered! And then the Sox would go on to win the World Series! I remember my so-called friends danced in my dorm room while I tried not to cry. It was not awesome). 

Football seemed like a good candidate, since I thought, rightly, that it was such a multifaceted sport with a lot of seemingly weird rules. There was so much to learn and I knew so little, aside from seeing (and loving) GIFs of endzone victory dances. Then there were the water cooler conversations. Talking about football can have a polarizing effect: those in the know were fiery and opinionated; those not were estranged and clueless. I was definitely in the latter group and I wanted to be on the other side. 

And so I joined a fantasy league. I loved it. I placed last in that league, and I didn’t care. And through my participation in the league over the last couple years, I grew to know and love players (basically anyone on the Seahawks) and teams (Broncos!). This year I thought I would take my emotional investment a step further by getting a bit more familiar with my fantasy team.

Obviously my lineup is subject to change—hopefully I will add a portrait and a bio for each new player, though no promises—without further ado, here is my 2015 lineup:

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Quarterbacks

Aaron Rodgers

Marcus Mariota

Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

Everyone loves a dedicated guy like Aaron Rodgers. Ever loyal to the Packers, he enters his eleventh year with the team as the top QB in the NFL.

Marcus Mariota, Tennessee Titans

This is Marcus Mariota’s first year in the NFL after being drafted as the second pick overall. He is a great runner in addition to being a top QB, which is great for the Titans because their offense is pretty mediocre right now.

Running Backs

Mark Ingram

Danny Woodhead

Ronnie Hillman

Mark Ingram, New Orleans Saints

I drafted Mark Ingram two years ago, but dropped him after he didn’t show ... and then he started doing really well! I’m going to try him again this year. At least right now, Ingram is the only viable RB on the team, since CJ Spiller is injured.

Danny Woodhead, San Diego Chargers

Danny Woodhead is a veteran with promising numbers, but he isn’t the star RB on the Chargers—that honor/responsibility goes to rookie Melvin Gordon. The Chargers are known to distribute the action among their players, though, so Woodhead is still likely to put in some numbers. 

Ronnie Hillman, Denver Broncos

I got love for the Broncos, man. Ronnie Hillman showed up when the top RB Montee Ball got injured last year. It’s hard for any RB to get a lot of love on a team as widely talented as the Broncos (bias?), but I’d like to think that it just means ALL the players get ALL the points. 

Le’Veon Bell

Fred Jackson

Le’Veon Bell, Pittsburgh Steelers

Oh, Le’Veon. You had a stellar year in 2014 and then got yourself suspended for DUI and marijuana possession. You show promise, though—I have people knocking on my door to trade you—and I will wait patiently until you’re back on the field. Also you look high in your photo.

Fred Jackson, Seattle Seahawks

Fred Jackson is much older than other folks on my team, and he hasn’t seen a lot of glory in his years in the game. This might be a stretch analogy, but he was picked up by the Seahawks after being cut by the Bills this summer, just like my fave Seattle RB Marshawn Lynch (who sadly is not on my team). I want to believe that Fred Jackson will have his best brought to the fore by the Hawks this year. This might have been a sentimental pick, but I don’t care.

Wide Receivers

Jordan Matthews

Amari Cooper

Michael Floyd

Jordan Matthews, Philadelphia Eagles

Jordan Matthews had a great rookie season with the Eagles and more of the same is expected of him this year. I don’t have much else to say but I’ll be starting him this week, that’s for sure.

Amari Cooper, Oakland Raiders

I also have high expectations for Amari Cooper, who was picked 4th overall in the draft this year. 

Michael Floyd, Arizona Cardinals

Currently questionable after injuring his fingers in practice, but Michael Floyd has been building his numbers in the last few years. He’ll be playing alongside best-WR-ever Larry Fitzgerald, so we’ll see how much love he gets ...

Eric Decker

Kendall Wright

Eric Decker, New York Jets

Until Eric Decker was traded to the Jets last year, he played for the Broncos, which is a double-sentiment-whammy for me. Decker hasn’t been putting up the same numbers as he used to (because the Jets are a terrible team), but I want to think that he would have been a part of the comeback team that the Jets so wanted to have this year. 

Kendall Wright, Tennessee Titans

Kendall Wright has been improving as a player but I guess hasn’t been great with racking up fantasy points. I hope he works well with Marcus Mariota!

Tight Ends

Greg Olsen

Martellus Bennett

Greg Olsen, Carolina Panthers

The one guy who is not smiling in his photo. Greg Olsen isn’t known to slay the fantasy numbers—he’s just reliably good, which honestly I like. The other Panthers TE Kelvin Benjamin out with a torn ACL though, maybe Olsen will get a point bump.

Martellus Bennett, Chicago Bears

Other potential receiving players are gone (Alshon Jeffery injured; Brandon Marshall traded), which ideally leaves Martellus Bennett left to pick up the fantasy points. And I guess he made a short film with Asher Roth???

Kickers, D/ST

Steven Hauschka

Steven Hauschka, Seattle Seahawks

A reliable kicker on a stellar team. I have high expectations for Steven Hauschka, who just scored a game-winning 60-yard field goal last week with 16 seconds left in a preseason game against the Chargers.

New York Jets

What? My dad is a Jets fan. I read this the other day and laughed—AND it was written before Geno Smith got his face punch-broken. Whatever. I’ll still root for you, Jets.

Went to Alcatraz, y’all!

I recently returned from an epic 2-week vacation, in which I walked all over San Francisco and then met up with Kevin for a wedding in Seattle. I had just watched The Rock, Kevin’s favorite action movie of all time, so I was pumped to visit Alcatraz while I was in SF and was doubly excited to learn that Ai Weiwei had just opened an on-site exhibit there.

I believe this was the library.

Some electric box I found.

Aside from the fantastic immersive audio tour, I was struck by how beautiful the light was inside the buildings at Alcatraz. Maybe I went at the perfect time on the perfect day, but the light that was coming in through the latticed windows was just awesome.

Hospital ward. Just crazy.

A sink in the mess hall.

Random room.

I would even venture to say that I was most impressed by the lighting of the place rather than any of the Ai Weiwei installations themselves.

With Wind by Ai Weiwei

Blossom by Ai Weiwei

Trace by Ai Weiwei

More on @Large, the Ai Weiwei on-site exhibition on Alcatraz.

If you’re thinking of going to the Bay anytime soon, here’s a comprehensive map of every place I went to, plus some walking routes (that I don’t necessarily recommend):

Some doodles I drew during my first few days at Studiomates.

It’s crazy to reflect on how much has changed since I started at Studiomates as a design intern in May 2011. I was working on a hodgepodge of projects for Tina and Erica and Tattly was just an idea. In the three years and four months since, every aspect of Studiomates has grown to an exponential degree, and Tattly has become a bonafide business made possible by a team of a dozen hardworking, talented, amazing people.

Late this spring, I started feeling the need for a change. I didn’t think of it as closing a chapter and leaving it behind; rather, it was like setting up the launchpad that would push me forward. I gave Tina a 3-month leave notice (as is customary in Switzerland) and it’s been a blur since.

My experience at Tattly and Studiomates has afforded me so much. I’ve had the opportunity to lunch with creators, entrepreneurs, and movers and shakers of the design and tech industry. I was able to help shape a company and its brand, all while honing my own technical knowledge. I now have a crapton of potential Facebook profile photos. Super bonus: I met a really cool person and now I am dating him.

I couldn’t have asked for a more fulfilling three years and am so excited for the future. Thank you to Tina, Team Tattly, the Swiss Army, and Studiomates for creating an environment that allowed me to grow and prepare for what’s to come. Cheers to change! Cheers to growth! Cheers to all!

Yeah buddy!