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Hostile Aliens, A Killer Shark, and Spying Friends

This week’s picks involve sharp shark teeth, an addicting game to play with friends, and one of the slickest apps working folks will find.

Well, I was going to mention how I visited my first Dallas speakeasy the other night, but then the Game of Thrones season just concluded with one of the most incredible, perfectly crafted, episodes in television history. Don’t worry, no spoilers, but my mind is wrecked! How can so much happen in 78 minutes? Phenomenal.

I also took in Independence Day: Resurgence over the weekend, but you’ll notice it’s not one of my official picks this week. The movie was fine, basically a repeat of the original version twenty years ago. Aliens are attacking. Goldblum is Goldbluming. Grab your popcorn and enjoy, just manage expectations that you aren’t seeing an instant classic.

Here are three CWIC Picks topping my list this week:

#Codenames

One of the fun parts of living in Dallas has been discovering how fun table games have become in recent years. Great way to kick back with friends and just laugh.

Just played Codenames for a second time the other night, and it’s a blast. Basically, you put a bunch of words on the table, and two spymasters have to give one word clues to get their teammates to find specific agents. Teams compete to see who can make contact with all of their agents first. And everyone wants to avoid the assassin.

It’s a highly portable game too, so if you’re looking for something fun to do, and want to feel like a mindreader, check this one out.

#TheShallows

A couple months ago I would not have predicted that a Blake Lively flick would beat out Independence Day in my personal recommendations, but here we are. Mostly, I hadn’t even heard of The Shallows until recent weeks. And like most Hollywood insiders, this one has come out of nowhere.

Made for just $17 million (and for comparison, Independence Day’s budget was $165 million), The Shallows has already earned out. It’s a simple tale of killer shark vs. surfer girl that’s not entirely predictable, and certainly more suspenseful than Independence Day: Resurgence.

I’m not saying The Shallows is an A-rated film. Check out Finding Dory in the deep end of the ocean for that level of quality. But I feel fairly confidant placing The Shallows up there on the list of best shark flicks by Open Water, which will forever chase the Jaws franchise.

#Expensify

Finally this week, I’m recommending an app I finally started using that is a must have if you are responsible for tracking your expenses, mileage, and hours for any reason.

Expensify is my new favorite work tool. With a simple interface, you can snap photos of your receipts for easy record keeping. Use a “Smart Scan” and the app will even fill in all fields for you, reading the receipt as it goes. Classify expenses as you go, and you’ll be able to easily print out reports any way you need for your life. As a freelancer, this tool is awesome.

And I didn’t even mention mileage tracking. You can manually enter anything, but all I have to do is push a button and the app uses my GPS to track all miles driven for work! I absolutely love this feature.

Expensify is available for free download on both Droid and Apple devices. Check it out!

business-expenses

So those are my picks for the week.

What are you enjoying lately?

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By Clay Morgan

Clay Morgan is the author of Undead. Say hi on Twitter.