So I have been having this sort of voice note- pen pal friend for about a year. We met online during a life coaching training, and we vibed. I somehow really liked her and reached out to her, and ever since we've been voice noting back and forth about life and our coaching business journeys etc. We talk about mental health as well, as she was diagnosed with depression, and I talked about my struggles until I found out about PMDD, and HSP, and then ADHD and now autism is entering the mix. I feel like AUDHD best describes my experience.
​
But she took the liberty of telling me that I should stop saying I have autism, and that she doesnt think I have it, and that some people may find it offensive that I say I have it, and that it's a serious neurodevelopment disorder etc. Which I get that that's the mainstream thinking around autism- like unless you can't speak and dont have friends and cant work, then you dont have it. Which I think is stupid.. I think it's a spectrum and I think that autism and adhd are somehow on the same spectrum.
Like I know that this way of seeing it is sort of new- and is not what gets taught in average uni's psychology classes- which is what she's quoting as her expertise. I told her that what they learned there 10 years ago was at least 20 years outdated. Not to even go into how discriminatory the DSM 5 actually is...
​
Point being- the way she reacted to this just made me have a sour feeling about her.. I don't know if I'll be able to get over it. And I know it's just her own fear talking, because she doesn't even have the guts to come out with depression, so I can imagine that coming out with autism probably freaks her out. But the fact that she would put into question my research abilities, which we all know are supreme.. just offends me in ways that I don't know if I'll be able to get over.

To preface im a retail pharmacy technician with 5+ years experience for a large corporate company working in CA.
Recently, all of our pharmacies had our Fill-masters for reconstitution replaced by newer updated ones. In our pharmacy, about two weeks after the new unit installations a patient came back to complain that they were all out of their kids medication even though it was day 5/10 and they were giving them proper amount. Parent had told us that even the first day when we first mixed it he stated to our pharmacist that the medication looked very thick and was concerned it wasn’t mixed properly, but our pharmacist told them that it was done properly and not to worry. After further investigation, I found out that after installation our Fillmaster wasn’t calibrated by the installing technician by fillmaster, which after I then calibrated myself. While it was missed by them, it’s still within our responsibility to make sure that we calibrate it at least once monthly. Off a reconstitution where it was supposed to dispense 60mL, it was only dispensing about 40-45mL. So essentially, we were mixing medications for about two weeks with the improper amount of water. After letting my pharmacist know, she called our corporate practice coordinator(PC) to ask how to proceed and he told her to just replace any medication for people that come in and complain that they don’t have enough medication and to basically not open a can of worms, which my pharmacist complied with and said “well PC said it was okay etc” and did really nothing about it but replace only that one patients medication. By this time we had already reconstituted probably 15-20 patients medications improperly, but our pharmacist only corrected the issue for this one patient. Our pharmacist didn’t even tell the patient what had happened, just replaced the medication and let them go.
For me, I feel that we have a responsibility to make sure that everyone’s medication is mixed and dosed correctly, and if there is a mistake on our part then we should at least inform the patient. We’ve had issues of similar caliber come up in the past, but when reporting it to my pharmacy manager he always gives me a spiel that I need to trust my pharmacists etc, when realistically I only bring these things up if feel it’s a true concern. I’m well educated, have a bachelors degree in science and just got a second degree in engineering while working here to pursue a different career so I feel that my concerns are coming from a valid reason of thought.
I’m just looking for advice on how i should understand this because it’s tough on me and has been dwelling on my mind, at this point I just feel like I’m overthinking it. Thanks if you read this far and have any input, I really appreciate it.

Essendon could join the chase for Carlton ruckman Tom De Koning, but might struggle to keep a young big man of its own. Plus why the Cats won’t land Sean Darcy.
https://www.codesports.com.au/afl/trade-hq/afl-trade-news-what-sean-darcy-contract-talks-mean-for-ruck-merrygoround/news-story/d7fe7f4d0b1f576da9b18e489095d853
Sean Darcy’s hamstring tear against Melbourne allowed Luke Jackson to take over against his old side while sparking a frenzy of speculation about the Dockers trading their No.1 ruckman.
As it happened, it also delayed a discussion that would have stopped that talk in its tracks.
Darcy had been set for talks with the Dockers and his management about a long-term extension on the contract that makes him a free agent at the end of 2024.
Those talks across Fremantle’s round 12 bye have been pushed back a couple of weeks as he gets some rest and relaxation before a big second half of the season.
As clubs across the competition try to work through how to establish an elite ruck department, the Dockers will lock away Darcy for the long-term.
For all the pre-season talk of Jackson stifling Darcy’s influence, the opposite has occurred.
As the Dockers attempted to give Lloyd Meek game time last year, Darcy averaged 64 ruck contests a game playing 87 per cent ruck and 13 per cent forward.
This season in rounds 1-10, alongside Jackson, he averaged 73 ruck contests and a 90-10 ruck forward split.
Jackson might thrive as the No.1 ruckman at times, but he was well aware when he came to Fremantle as a 21-year-old that playing alongside Darcy was the perfect way to extend his career.
And it would give Fremantle the best chance of success as he mixed rucking with a hybrid midfield role and the forward responsibility that has seen him kick six goals in the Dockers’ four-win streak (and 13.10 for the season).
So the Darcy-to-Geelong narrative won’t happen for the former Cobden man mountain as rivals look elsewhere.
Tom De Koning would have to sacrifice ruck opportunities and money to stay at Carlton, which seems increasingly unlikely.
The talks scheduled for the bye will likely drift until the end of the season as Geelong, St Kilda and Sydney chase the 23-year-old.
If he stayed it would be as the Blues’ No.2 ruckman and No.3 forward, even as his one-out ruck performance against Melbourne showed he was capable of holding down the ruck.
Last Friday’s clash against Max Gawn and Brodie Grundy was his highest-rated game for the year with 13 hitouts to advantage and two intercept marks.
If he did stay at Carlton it would be out of loyalty to the club that drafted him, and his strong mateship with his teammates.
Like Carlton, Geelong might pay him only $600,000 a season.
But the Cats can promise him the No.1 ruck position, plus a complimentary role in attack when 34-year-old Tom Hawkins eventually retires.
St Kilda can’t offer him the No.1 ruck job ahead of Rowan Marshall, but it can offer him the No.2 forward role behind Max King, with Tim Membrey 29 and currently playing VFL after a poor season with a long-running knee issue.
Essendon might throw its hat into the ring but ruckman Sam Draper is in front of him, Andrew Phillips is the in-form back-up and the Bombers might battle to hold onto third-in-line Nick Bryan.
Bryan is only contracted to the end of the season, is eager for opportunity after only one AFL game this year and is putting up massive VFL numbers to disprove theories he is only a tap ruckman without a well-rounded game.
In five VFL games this year he has averaged 134 SuperCoach points, 19 disposals, 32 hitouts, 12 hitouts to advantage, five clearances and six score involvements.
If Essendon doesn’t give him more chances – and it is trying – then a rival team will.
Meanwhile, GWS has been desperately trying to find a successor for Shane Mumford and hoped Braydon Preuss might be their man.
Yet out of the Preuss-Matt Flynn-Kieren Briggs battle, Briggs has emerged as footy’s in-form ruckman in the past three weeks.
Only just winning selection in round 10 after strong VFL form, he has been footy’s biggest surprise packet.
He was the second-highest rated player on the ground against St Kilda, the highest rated against Geelong (eight clearances, seven HTAs) and the second-highest against Richmond (two goals, six clearances).
It is early days but if he can maintain the rage at just 23 years of age, Adam Kingsley’s search for Mummy 2.0 is over.
At Port Adelaide Scott Lycett is uncontracted but back in favour, at Richmond Ivan Soldo is injured but well behind Toby Nankervis, while Nic Naitanui’s season is over with uncertainty about whether he plays on.
So Fremantle’s Darcy will be taken off the board for rival clubs, and yet it will only increase the currency of the likes of De Koning, Bryan and Lycett in a game where teams prefer to poach ruckmen rather than develop them.

My understanding of the situation was not me vs her, it was that we fell into an undesireable dynamic that we did not find a way out of. She had, by her own description, a weak sense of self. She would say that she wanted to dissolve. I have a stronger sense of self, I often want to feel seen or realize my dreams. We got along quite well, loved each other intently and tenderly, loved each other like no one else ever had. She had three medical disabilities: two mental illnesses and a chronic illness. These, combined with the challenges of adulting for the first time, meant that we were dating when she had to learn a lot.
I would get exhausted with her ADHD compounding her ability to manage her chronic illness and vice versa. Her mental state fluctuating a lot daily wore me down. I would try to help her remember about her medication, and help her come up with strategies like making lists so that she could cope instead of flailing about while her health and living situation declined—for instance, piles of trash all over her house, impulsively buying things she struggled to afford, eating junk food constantly that hurts her chronic illness. Her own independent streak led her to not want to listen to me, even though I was being encouraging and thoughtful, but then I would become frustrated, and my attempts at helping became mixed with resentment, which in turn caused her resentment toward me. I could not simply watch her let herself decline and not say something. At times, my negative feedback would become critical, but I would not be condescending—I try to be honest and respect another person in conflict.
I became increasingly worn out by feeling like I was not dating someone who was an independent person. I felt like I had to initiate things most of the time. She fished for complements often. She tried to get my attention in little ways, even when I already was giving her my focus. When I complemented her from my heart or tried to help her process what she was feeling, she seemed to forget it. When I gave her negative feedback, she remembered it vividly. She kinda skated along. She became increasingly exhausted with feeling like I did not like her. She said she felt like I was always annoyed with her in some way. She did not give me feedback like I gave her, and I really wanted her to tell me what she wanted, so that I could listen and respond rather than imagining what she wants.
To be fair, I tend to be an idealistic person, and I dont blame her for feeling that intensity as a lot. I was struggling in our relationship, and things she did would annoy me, but I identified that this is probably the person I will marry, she had said the same about me, and so I decided that the best thing for me to do is to endure and work through this as we grow up together. Long term relationships, especially marriage, require work and learning to resolve conflict together as people grow and change. So much of marriage is about cultivating rich love and working to cohabitate well rather than simply finding an absence of conflict.
I'm focusing on the negative, so here is some positive. We shared our worlds together. Lots of laughs and very intimate conversations and moments. We would take stuffed animals and put them in funny situations and send photos of them to each other. We made up funny stories and talked about deep things together. She felt like my woman, and I felt like her man. We had many conversations about things very near and dear to our hearts. We would care for each other and cry together.
Two months ago, she starts taking mental health medication, and in three or four days the relationship goes from loving and friendly to stone cold from her. She stops talking to me. I try calling her numerous times asking what's up? She was distant and aloof. Finally, she explains she likes the distance between us. She starts to get mad at me over phone and I start to cry. She decides over phone that she wants to be single. I tell her that I want to have this conversation in person rather than over the phone. She tells me over text shes breaking up with me and says theres no point in coming over. I call her and very angrily explain to her how f'd up it is to break up with a long term boyfriend over text when we have been each other's closest, most trusted companions for almost two years. I demanded an in-person, face-to-face conversation. It was like she was flushing all our love out a toilet, like it was all a dream she could walk away from.
When I showed up, she was at first happy to see me, smiling uncontrollably. It felt to me like she was acting girlishly. She tried to explain that she felt like she was losing her sense of self around me, and that she had been codependently bouncing between guys ever since high school. That was an understandable reason for wanting to be single. I tried my best to be supportive, because her feeling like herself is really important, but I was devastated. I loved her, we loved each other so much. She tried to uncling herself from me with as little emotional involvement as possible. She has treated me very starkly ever since. I feel there is an emotional chasm left behind by her swift departure from me. She was such a bright love in my life. I guess I feel wronged by how easily she dumped me, as if her perception of me had been flipped all of a sudden, maybe by the medications. I dont think her wanting to be single is a bad idea. It makes perfect sense. I just wish she had slowed down and thought solidly about us long-term and communicated with me about her desires instead of zooting from me like I was a bad fling. It's like she forgot I was her best friend. I can see the reasons that led up to the breakup, we got into a spiral where she felt she was giving herself away to me, and I was wanting more of her, and we didnt get out of it. She blamed it on me, and I dont think it's all my fault. Relationships are not assured to last, and sometimes they fall apart between people.
I am wondering, Reddit, about your feedback. Also if you think it would be good for me to reach out to her with a letter or about having a conversation for closure or to hold on hope that maybe we will get back together someday? My friends say I dodged a bullet. Somebody who would leave me so quickly and so quickly reinterpret the level of intimacy we shared as a wholly negative thing must have not been as open to me as I was open with her. She seems to have some growing up to do, and being single might be just what she needs to feel more herself.

just recently i have a lost sml movie DVD that has words SML MOVIE LOST EPISODE 2013 written in black sharpie what is weird is sml movie didn't exist until 2019 i found the DVD on big w for 20 dollars i won't give the seller
after waiting in 20 minutes late at night i was wrong
the DVD started off with a blue screen with a text saying the following episode of sml movie called bowser jr's death has caused people to have extreme nightmares and suicide watch at your own risk then the DVD menu appeared with Play All Episodes and Extras then click play all button the message stayed for 30 seconds but i convinced it
the episode started with no opening theme like any normal episode Marvin Jeffy and other puppet express crew were nowhere to be in seen bowser jr was still there the episode was pretty bad the episode looked like the ghost and the molly mcgee episode ice princess after this 2 minutes the screen went black
at this point there was no music stuff gets creppy
i was very upset how could Logan Thirtyacre let this go i continued to watch it
could see the ghost figure after the blur went away
it was molly mcgee
yes it was indeed molly mcgee one of the favourite characters from ghost and the molly mcgee i was very shocked
molly said something he started slashing bowser jr with a kitchen mouth blood was seen after 4 minutes of molly mcgee stabbing bowser jr's stomach bowser jr died hyper animated image of of dead bowser jr mixed in molly mcgee evil laughing the episode ended the DVD menu reappears with a message was Kenya i couldn't translate it because words are written
i turned off the DVD and burned it in dad's bonfire she is big fan of sml movie and i don't want to rest of the life
after watching this episode and it turns out episdoe was aired on YouTube in January 2021 which i believe this episode was aired in season 2 but it aired on Nickelodeon that sml movie didn't play because sml movie is not for kids it is also report it
that in 3 o clock for a regular sml movie episode

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All the people who grew up and got jobs, maybe moved internationally and now you can't play with the boys or they can't play with you, the timings, the schedule, the work and everything just gets in between and now you've found yourself gaming all alone, what do you do now? Playing all the online multiplayer will get you mixed with some sort of people but it's never your boys, (also I'm talking to all the females out there too, "the boys" is just a common term so yeah) especially for people who are in their mid twenties so now you're expecting this certain level of maturity? Or kind of behaviour maybe? Idk how to describe it but you don't get along as well as as you would. For me personally, gaming has been a thing from childhood and I still do it after work, it acts as a stabiliser at this point for me but still playing alone isn't what those old days were like.

[Part 1](https://www.reddit.com/HFY/comments/131t1q9/first_contacts_part_1/)
[Part 6](https://www.reddit.com/HFY/comments/13xe87q/first_contacts_part_6/)
“Welcome to the Endeavour 2.”
Nathan had already chosen to name the frigate after his experimental warp ship, I wondered if that meant he intended to keep hold of it but the limited number of Doradul crew was my largest concern.
“Only 20 Orvangians?”
Nathan’s smile dropped away and he rose from his seat, “I am sorry Jin, the Axarli shot and killed several on the planet’s surface, these were the only prisoners they recovered.”
Halor the Doradul’s Secondary Ops Officer made the Orvangian Gesture of Greif from loss before taking the pilot’s seat that Nathan slid out of.
“I am glad to see you and Doc got to the shuttle safely, but you should probably get some rest, that’s what I am going to do now.” Nathan gestured back to the elevator.
Once we were aboard the elevator, he thumbed the button for Deck 9 where the shuttle was stored.
“What course are we on?”
“Halor plotted a course to a Federation System called Polivor, we will be there in about a day.”
Once we reached the shuttle Nathan and I gathered our things and headed for Deck 4 officer’s quarters. Nathan claimed the Captains Quarters and offered me the First Officers, it was nowhere near as comfortable as the Doradul, in that respect it was much more like the Endeavour, it was a single chamber with a bed, chair, desk, and storage compartments, no more than 6 square metres of floor and barely 3 metres high.
All I had in the way of possessions was a Laser Rifle, a Space Suit, and the pack of seeds from the Doradul, Purple Valuri Seeds my mother had given me when I left for the Doradul. The Chamber didn’t have enough lighting for flowers to grow, the gloom better suited to the needs of the Sovereigns or Euterians.
I Stowed my things and extracted myself from the space suit, it looked ugly now, not the smooth bluish appearance it had once possessed, there were dozens of scratches on its hard segments and the Separatist sealant was brown leaving a couple of dozen irregular dirty-looking smudges where I had sealed it.
My uniform was no better, torn and tattered I had been wearing it for hours when I was sent to recover Nathan from the Endeavour 1, it smelled dirty and pink staining surrounded the tears.
Entirely disrobed I lay on the bed and dimmed the lights, the last sleep I had managed was back in the escape pod, it felt like that was days ago. Despite my exhaustion, it wasn’t easy to fall asleep, perhaps it was the stinging of wounds or the death of so many Orvangians that I knew, sleep took over an hour to reach.
I dreamt of the first year I served aboard the Doradul, we were surveying systems in the Tilbas Sector, looking for worlds that would be suitable for Orvangian settlement, they were peaceful days wandering the stars in search of beauty and quiet, I had built many friendships with members of the crew, among them was Wula, she served as a Geological specialist, surveying planetary crusts for stability. I had gathered her family seal from her body when I was on the Doradul, hers and two others, Palos wasn’t exactly my friend, a support Engineer, he was after my job but I did not wish to see him dead and Worgan, I didn’t know him well.
I woke after a few hours, my bedding stained with lymph from a wound on my side, it had opened again as I had slept. The only thing I had to wear was my torn and stained uniform so I donned it again and headed for the medical bay on deck 3.
Doctor Hule and the Tilik Nathan called Doc were here, treating plasma burns on Sub Officer Florn, she had been a ground officer during surface surveying for the Doradul.
Doc moved over to the second bed and patted it with a tentacle so I hopped up and gestured to my reopened would “It started weeping again”.
“Not to worry, I can go over them all with more care now that there are no enemies at the door.”
Doc began to treat my wounds taking time to seal and patch each one, it took over an hour of work for him to finish and I did feel considerably better.
“Thanks, Doc” I slid off the bed and turned to leave.
“I suggest you also visit the quartermasters on deck 7, they can sort you out something clean to wear.”
Clean clothes and a shower sounded great so I headed straight to Deck 7, the Doradul’s own Quartermaster was here and she soon had the ship fabricate two new uniforms for me, both now showing the embroidery pattern for the Doradul as a Memoriam pattern, though she had not included an Endeavour 2 pattern.
The deck where my quarters were had a shower block, suited to the use of four so that all the senior officers of the frigate could use it at once. I was the only one there though so I took my time cleaning, ensuring that the grime of recent events was gone.
Finally clean I donned a new uniform and stowed the other in my quarters before heading to the bridge.
Halor was still in command, using the Pilots chair as a sort of captain’s seat as he reviewed the ship’s systems and supplies, not that the information was necessary, we would be arriving at Polivor in less than 20 hours now and he would most certainly be disembarking, we all would. This ship was evidence of the Separatists’ rearming against the treaty they had signed when they lost the war.
“Jin! I thought you would be resting after all that excitement.”
“Sleep is difficult, I was hoping we had a crew roster.”
“We do” he indicated an auxiliary console “But I am sad to say that neither of the Doradul’s Therapeutic officers are with us.”
I sat on the padded bar that counted as an auxiliary station seat and brought up the roster, Nathan and Doc were both listed as well as the 21 survivors of the Doradul, 84 had died in the attack on the ship, those whose seals had been recovered were also listed, so I added the three I had collected and quietly wept for a few moments at the losses we had taken.
Less than 40 seals of dead crewmembers had been recovered and were currently being displayed in the galley on deck 3 so that was my next destination, the elevator was in use so I took the ramps.
The Galley was busy, 10 of my crewmates from the Doradul were here some at a wall where 35 seals hung in memoriam of the lost, and others were sitting at tables with the separatist equivalent of ration packs.
I approached the memorial wall and hung the three seals I had recovered, Jola and Nero gave me sympathetic hugs in response. Jola had worked with Wula as part of the survey teams so she offered to make the bond and share memories of our friend and colleague.
We sat and shared our memories through the Bond, the experiences we had each gathered of Wula being integrated, the social evenings I had shared with her, and the work humour Jola had experienced, each memory we shared built a greater picture of our lost friend in our minds and helped us to become closer friends as a result.
After the bond was over, we sat together and ate, the Separatist ration packs were simple, a grain and nut disc with a side of dried berries all held in a small plastic pouch. It wasn’t as good as the fake chicken that Nathan had shared but it was enough to sate my appetite.
Others in the Galley were sharing memories and meals, we may have lost the therapists but our shared experiences were helping us to cope with the losses.
I was about to depart the Galley when Nathan arrived with Doc, Nathan’s arms were loaded with ration packs of his own kind, far more than he could reasonably eat, and Doc was carrying a couple of bottles of medication.
Nathan selected a table next to mine and began laying out and snapping tabs on containers, a total of eight each with the same markings as the fried chicken I had tasted. Doc opened the bottles and dumped the pills into a bowl.
Once the circles turned red Nathan tore lids off packs and released the delicious smell of chicken “Ok everyone, feel free to try some Southern Fried Chicken, Be aware that the coating is a little toxic to Orvangians, so please take an Anti-Toxin pill from Doc here before you eat!” he spoke loud and clear so that everyone turned their attention to him and the smell.
I moved swiftly to the table and dry swallowed a pill before selecting a piece of chicken and biting down. My first taste of this had been without the coating so I had not been able to experience the full delights of its flavours, the coating was quite spicy though the anti-toxin was doing a good job of keeping it from being painful.
Soon others were trying the food for themselves and Nathan found himself explaining that it was not meat once again, though most were satisfied with no explanation. The atmosphere soon became more jovial and Nathan asked Buddy to play some music by another Buddy, this time a musician called Buddy Holly.
The Chicken was soon gone but the uplifted spirits would not fade so quickly, Nathan chatted with everyone, sharing jokes and stories from his people. For a few hours, the galley was a happy place.
Eventually, Nathan and I headed to the bridge to relieve Halor and monitor systems during our journey. I had never served aboard a ship built by another species before, the console layouts and bridge plan here were designed for a mixed species crew with effort made to offer interface and seating flexibility for all the races of the Separatist movement.
Someone had already modified screen layouts to better suit the Orvangian standard and seats were largely configured for our lean forms, the pilot’s chair being the only exception.
“Nathan, you understand that the Federation is likely to want this ship for study.”
“Halor told me. It’s fine though just leaves room for an Endeavour 3.” Nathan followed the statement with a Grin, something the other Orvangians on the bridge were still not used to, but I found myself grinning back causing a surprised reaction from the rest of the bridge crew.
There wasn’t much to do at warp so much of our time was just familiarising ourselves with the ship and its many systems, the Endeavour 2 was originally just referred to as the TX210-B, a combat support Frigate with an arsenal of ship-to-ship weaponry, it was designed to fight, having no other purpose.
After a few hours we were relieved of duty ourselves, Florn being the next most senior officer, he had no experience commanding a ship, but his rank was just below mine and he did command ground survey teams so he would manage for a few hours of Warp travel.
Nathan and I departed the Bridge together “You hungry?” Nathan nudged me as he spoke.
“I haven’t eaten much the last couple of days.”
“Let’s head to my quarters and grab some food then.” We used the ramps to reach deck 4, Nathan’s Fabricator was set up on the desk in his quarters and six ration packs were stacked inside it.
“Your fabricator can make food?”
“Yes, I fed it some of the separatist ration packs and it can make a half dozen different food options from them.” He took a pack from the machine and held it out to me.
He cleared the machine and started it on the next load, then he gathered the stack he had built beside it, almost two entire batches worth and headed back up to the Galley. Once we arrived, he deposited all but one of the packs onto a table at the end of the room and selected a seat at another table.
As I sat with the pack he had given me I noticed that the writing on the pack that had been in Nathan’s language when we had shared chicken on the shuttle, was now all in Orvangian, indicating the instructions to cook the meal and describing itself as a ‘Closed Spicy Meat Sandwich with vegetables and Fruit Sauce’ once the circle turned red I tore open the top to reveal a pair of shell-shaped things, they didn’t look like sandwiches really, they smelled of cooked meat and spices.
“I had Buddy modify the ingredients to eliminate toxic properties so enjoy.” Nathan bit into the crunchy exterior and juices dripped from his chin as he ate.
It was delicious, though I still preferred the chicken he had provided before. Several crew in the galley helped themselves to a pack and soon the whole galley smelled of the spices and meats of this Human food.
Two of these sandwiches were a little much for an Orvangian so most of the crew were sharing packs. After I finished one sandwich Nathan asked “You going to eat that?”
“No.” with that Nathan demolished his third and seemed sated.
“Captain Nathan. Could Buddy play some more music?” the query came from Asor a junior engineer by rank.
“Sure! Buddy, can we get some Dolly?”
“Playing Dolly Parton.” Buddy began with a song about working long hours and soon the galley was full of Orvangians badly singing along.
Eventually, the poor sleep I had gotten over the last couple of days was too much for me and I departed the music and joviality of the galley and returned to my chambers, the small size and lack of a garden hit me again as I entered the metal box military officers call spacious quarters.
Exhaustion made sleep much easier this time and I managed a good six hours of rest, my dreams largely of my childhood and memories I had gained from my bond with Jola. When I awoke it was to the voice of Nathan “All crew, we shall be arriving at the Polivor system in one hour, All crew to stations.”
I climbed out of bed and donned a fresh uniform, depositing both my dirty and tattered one into the laundry chute before heading for the bridge.
Nathan was in the Pilots chair and Halor was standing at an auxiliary station, I took a position at the first officer’s console and examined the navigation data, we were now just 35 minutes from our destination.
That time soon vanished as we prepared the ship for arrival, we would look like a separatist ship so Halor had modified our transponder data to indicate that we were the Endeavour 2 under the Galactic Federations Flag, still, we would need to prove we were not hostile so I set the weapons to safe mode and prepared a transmission of my security code and a message to indicate our allegiance. Nathan prepared to take control of the ship’s course moments before the Warp drive shut down.
We dropped out of warp at 2.2 million kilometres from the Military Outpost in the outer system.
Two Separatist Cruisers were waiting for us, barely a thousand kilometres from our arrival point they immediately opened fire, particle beams lancing out at us with their crimson fury.
Nathan’s reactions were on par as usual, jerking the controls to starboard and hitting full thrust the moment he saw the ships. He managed to evade the worst of it but a blast cut a streak across the port side of the ship, two turrets were hit and auxiliary communications were burned off the ship.
“Jin, Arm Weapons, focus fire on the sunward side ship! Halor, get me data on the state of the system.” Nathan yelled orders as he twisted the Endeavour 2 among the beams.
I had set the weapons to safety thinking we would need to look non-threatening, it was going to take two minutes to get weapons back “Captain, two minutes for weapons!”
Halor set secondary displays to show the devastated Outpost and the distant flashes of conflict over Polivor 3 “Captain, there are 5 Separatist Battleships in orbit of Polivor 3 and the Military Outpost has been destroyed.”
He paused for a moment as though he could barely believe his next statement, “We are at war.”
​
[Part 1](https://www.reddit.com/HFY/comments/131t1q9/first_contacts_part_1/)
[Part 6](https://www.reddit.com/HFY/comments/13xe87q/first_contacts_part_6/)
(I hope everyone is still enjoying this story, Let me know if you are. As you may have noticed there is no Species Data Drop in the comments this week they will resume once another species makes an appearance.)

So two of my favorite series recently got their final books. Mage Errant and Cradle. So let's compare them.
Cradle ran 12 books, Mage Errant ran 7.
Both series feature a rag tag group with different elemental abilities who lost their spunky mentor two books ago and end their journey becoming inter-dimensional special operatives. Both feature a main character who has been mistreated when young, a very deadly woman, the prodigal princess of a major noble house and a guy with a hammer.
The plots of the last book are very different though. Cradle has used a static goal for much of its run. The dreadgods must be stopped. This was prompted in book 1 and finally achieved in the big battle of book 12. And over the books the characters have grown together as a team and learned what they must do.
Mage Errant on the other hand has more isolated plots over the early books, Havath as the bad guys is hinted on early on, but only appears on scene in book 4 as the half-way point. Team formation on the other hand was said and done in book 1.
This informs how the last book works. For both the Team Lindon and Team Sabae - because Hugh while being the initial PoV character does not lead the group - the second to last book has been about their emancipation. They have to learn to work without their mentor.
Dreadgod on the other hand establishes Lindon as the new group leader and the declare officially their opposition to the status quo in spirit of Eithan. Here kitty kitty kitty. Which also sets their timer for the grand finale.
Waybound then is for everybody but Lindon a race for power ups. They need that power. We knew for books that they need this power, and now they must get it quickly while Lindon delays their enemies.
Team Sabae on the hand have done all their power ups already in book 6, Tongue Eater. Powering up in ways that their mentor Alustin does not know is their emancipation. Because Alustin has betrayed them and they need power to stop him specifically. It is a slow and reflective book.
The Last Echo, the final Mage Errant book, then has the stage all set. Alustin wants to destroy Havath, but threatens to blow up the continent. Sabae and allies want to prevent that. It turns Havath city into war zone with four armies, even more plotters, mixing alliances and much confusion. The final battle our heroes must fight is not the one they have come for and they are as little prepared as in the end of book 1 in the labyrinth, which is reflected 1:1 in small details.
So, what do you guys think?

Hello, fellow gentlemen of mensfashionadvice! Today, I wanted to share some valuable fashion tips and tricks to help you enhance your personal style and make a lasting impression. Whether you're a fashion novice or a seasoned trendsetter, these pointers will guide you in refining your wardrobe and presenting yourself with confidence. Let's dive right in!

1. Find Your Fit: The key to looking sharp lies in wearing clothes that fit you well. Make sure your shirts, pants, and jackets are tailored to your body shape. Avoid baggy or overly tight garments as they can make you appear sloppy or uncomfortable.
   
2. Quality Over Quantity: Invest in timeless pieces made from high-quality materials. It's better to have a few well-made items that will last longer and maintain their style than a multitude of fast-fashion pieces that quickly lose their charm.
   
3. Build a Capsule Wardrobe: Create a versatile collection of essential items that can be mixed and matched effortlessly. Classic pieces like a tailored suit, a crisp white shirt, dark-wash jeans, and a versatile blazer are all great starting points.
   
4. Pay Attention to Details: Small details can make a big difference. Take care of your grooming, ensuring that your hair is well-maintained and your facial hair is groomed neatly. Don't forget to polish your shoes, as scuffed footwear can ruin an otherwise well-put-together outfit.
   
5. Experiment with Color and Patterns: Don't be afraid to inject some personality into your outfits. Experiment with different colors and patterns to add visual interest. Start with subtle choices and gradually incorporate bolder options as you become more comfortable.
   
6. Accessorize Thoughtfully: Accessories are an excellent way to elevate your style. Consider adding a stylish watch, a tasteful belt, or a well-matched tie to your ensemble. Just remember to keep it balanced and avoid going overboard.
   
7. Understand Dress Codes: Familiarize yourself with various dress codes to ensure you're appropriately dressed for any occasion. Whether it's casual, business casual, or formal attire, understanding the expectations will help you dress the part and exude confidence.
   
8. Embrace Your Personal Style: While it's important to stay updated with current trends, don't forget to embrace your own personal style. Experiment and discover what makes you feel comfortable and confident. Be true to yourself, and your style will naturally shine through.
   
9. Confidence is Key: No matter what you wear, confidence is the ultimate accessory. Carry yourself with pride, and your outfits will receive the attention they deserve.
   

Remember, fashion is a journey, and everyone's tastes differ. These tips are merely guidelines to help you enhance your style and develop your fashion sense. Don't be afraid to explore, experiment, and most importantly, have fun with your fashion choices.
Now, I turn the conversation over to you, dear redditors! What are your go-to fashion tips for men? Let's inspire and learn from one another as we strive to make our mark in the world of men's fashion. Share your insights, questions, and stories in the comments below.
Happy styling, gentlemen!

Throwaway Account because I am active on my main with my close circle & apologise for the formatting as I am on my phone (and also bc I copied n pasted after trying to post this to a vent sub but it needed a karma limit) $45 just got taken out of my bank account which at normal point in my life would have been okay but today seems like the last straw. Recently, I have moved house for study approx 13hrs from my hometown but only 6 from where i used to live as I became homeless at 15 when my alcoholic father kicked me out. I never really enjoyed school and managed to score a full time job with some really supportive adult co workers so I was mostly fine and just couch surfed with school friends and other highschool drop outs sending half of my money back to my dad so he could still eat until I decided I wanted to do more.I started studying at my local University at 17 and worked to support myself and slowly stopped supporting my father. I am now 20 and studying my honours year at a different uni- I have been offered a full time paid internship +mentorship with the potential for a job afterwards at a company for my dream career, but it required me to move closer to my campus instead of being online and at home. I did not want to miss out on this opportunity so I packed up my life at the start of this year to complete the required studies to start in Nov. The plan was to survive on my savings and government student benefits until then, which was all going perfect until a few weeks ago when I heard news my fathers cancer had gotten worse and my car broke down on the drive to see him. I knew he was diagnosed a while ago but it was never serious so I never made contact. He is pretty close to dying and I was scared I would lose him without ever having given us a chance at a healed relationship and I hoped he would be proud of the life I was starting to build for myself. Instead all he did was make me feel guilty about the cost of his medicine and ask me for money. I explained to him I couldn't give him any as I was on a tight budget because my aforementioned savings had been blown on a new car because my first one broke. Things got heated and I left. In my time away from home I have created a really close support network to the point where we all live together to save money with the rising rental costs (an idea i pitched that really hasn't made much difference to their lifestyles but is the only reason I eat enough these days). We all study and this semester some of us are graduating and others of us are just starting new things like my internship. To celebrate they have organised a week of partying before we all get back into our studies, an old tradition from when some of us were still just baby undergrads. I am a huge extrovert and there is nothing more in the world I love than spending time with this people, but as I have always been supporting myself and admittedly most of them have fairly wealthy parents I have had to create an introvert persona as an excuse to spend time with them doing low cost activities (board games nights, cooking them dinner, movies etc.). Their parents give them allowances so their nights out often consist of things like theme parks, dinners, clubbing and concerts that I will generally tag along to once every 12mnths if i can afford to save for it. I adjusted my budget this fortnight to spare myself $20 to go to dinner with them one of the nights. I am on the train home from the beach and $45 just came out from a gym membership I forgot to pause in all the mixed emotions from seeing my father. I had my rent and $37 dollars left. $20 of that was for the celebration dinner and the rest was supposed to be groceries for me and my cat. Now I can't even afford my rent let alone celebrate milestones with people i consider important. I have never been late for an expense before and my friends know I have less than them but they don't know the true extent of the generational poverty I am escaping. I managed to scrounge up some spare change and buy food for my cat and I have rice, butter, broth, eggs, coffee and milk so we will be fine. I am not asking for assistance. I have no one to blame but my frazzled state, I am just disappointed that I will have to make an excuse to miss dinner and also somehow borrow the few dollars I am now short on rent. I wish I could talk to them about it I know they wouldn't judge me but they would never understand. It just feels like I will never be able to heal or escape from the consequences of my childhood and the extremely dark times of my early through to teenage years. I have therapy this week that I luckily prepaid but until then it's cuddling my cat and comfort shows lol. thanks for reading guys i just needed to let it out instead of heading into a negative self spiral over a small mistake.

I just saw the movie and though I enjoyed the wonderful visuals, was and still am dumbfounded over the script. Below are some of my observations.
Firstly, the really bad script plot points, other than the terrible dialogue and recycling of the first film, except with water added to the mix.

1. Starts off almost immediately, after a very brief catch-up of Jake and fam with the 2nd wave of evil colonialist showing up to carpet bomb the forest and start up the war again with the Na'vi which is shown quickly and introduces then cloned soldiers from the first movie??? Is this a joke?!

Instead, there should have been at least 30 minutes of development showing what has happened since Avatar 1. Not just a quick Lion King homage and a quick introduction to the mysteriously conceived child of Dr. Grace Augustine???? Again, Am I being punked by James Cameron?!
What has happened to the tribe. Has Jake been a good leader. Tell me more about his kids. We need character development even though you're visiting Atlantis shortly. Build up the emotional investment we have in your family which you're trying to save.

1. Jake gives up his leaderahip role and responsibility for the entire tribe because he doesn't have a plan? But he can run and 'hide' with his family. Ok, horribly weak and irresponsible on his part, but Jake was never that bright to begin with. That's not his strong suit. Courage and transparency are. But fine.

Instead, Jake and fam should have tried to hide out on a deserted island instead of endangering other tribes, and slowly, they could have been discovered and made inroads into the Metkayina without having altered the clone warriors.
This should have been friendly and not a showcase for the utter stupidity of Jake's kids, every last one of them except Kiri, who should have harnesses the power of the entire planet to thwart the bad guys and save her brother. But back to the I'll behaved children. Even Aonung, the Metkayina chief's son leaves Lo'ak to die, which I knew by that point would be brushed off. But it got worse as Lo'ak wants to be friends with Aonung the attempted murderer and takes the blame???? What kind of ridiculous crap is this?

1. After this the plot goes straight into the drink as they say, and becomes as paper thin as I've ever seen. There are B movies that suck but have better writing. Jake's kids keep on with th stupid decisions as away of luring Na'vi reborn Miles and gang into the action since they clearly would never have found Jake if Kiri hadn't had a seizure???? WTH?!

And what was that anyway, an overloaded circuit when she plugged into Eywa, only to be able to kill two bad submariners with a glowing flower? I guess she will Neo that crap in the next film. And speaking of The Matrix, if you're going to borrow them go ahead and steal and make it good.

1. Where the crap did the Metkayina go after the first wave. And for that matter, where was moby dick for the 15 minutes between his attack and showing back up to give Jake and son a lift? And what about backup for the bad guys? They couldn't put out a distress call or at least report they were getting blown up? No follow up from the 'General' lady?

Seriously, it's like they lost some digital footage and had to improvise. No wonder everyone was so creepy in the 'making of' video I watched, smiling and praising JC like he were Tom Cruise and would eat them otherwise.
These problems are so glaring that they beggar belief! And there are at least another 30 moments that make as little sense. I can't figure out how such a seemingly intelligent and talented person like James Cameron missed all of this, focused on the CGI or not. After dreaming up evolutionary development of Pandoran flora and fauna and giving his all to birthing this world, how could you just forget the plot needed to make sense?
How the story should have unfolded.
Jake is growing as a leader and husband/father. He is learning so much more about Pandora and the Na'vi. He is also learning is the limitations of his avatar as he is not native born.
His children, which shouldn't include Kiri, though I liked her more than the rest of the entire cast and thought she was cute as could be, have been learning and growing in their responsibilities as the Olo'eyktan's kids. They are having fun and the eldest are falling in love. Life is good and the kids aren't stupid little disobedient morons always risking their lives and getting into trouble.
Then...if you want to bring in the humans you can, but not necessarily as colonial scum who burn down hectare of forest to build a city. They instead negotiate peace with the Na'vi forest dwellers and learn to coexist. But unbeknownst to this group, Miles and his reborn squad are sent to the other side of the planet to learn more about the other tribes and harvest an even more valuable commodity from the local whales (per JC script).
Secretly, Miles wants revenge but is basically owned by this other corporation and has little choice, until he finds Jake Sully coming to him in defense of the Metkayina. But Jake has only heard that more sky people avatars are present. He has no clue Miles is one of them.
As the Metkayina try to deal with the encroaching whale harvesters they start their own fight and as for Toruk Makto's help, and he obliged. With an army of his people and even some help from the somewhat friendly settlers, Jake arrives to unite the clans, unite them! And he discovers his old pal Miles, who can't resist the urge to confront him
They fight the bad guys. Things explode. Arrows go everywhere and the whalers are forced to retreat for a time, during which Jake and his family stick around with some troops and learn the way of water. His kids aren't morons, and one of them, his own biological daughter starts to exhibit strange powers while exploring the ocean.
At some point the corpus decide to reengage the natives with a new weapon that can cause tidal waves and some islands are overrun. The people flee to Toruk Makto for help. And while Miles and gang are engaging the 'enemy' they have a change of heart. He finds out his son survived.
Jake's daughter stops a tidal wave and redirects it toward an Armada of ships,.not just one whaling vessel. And Miles decides he's indeed not the human he once was.
He then mutinys for his own sake and to free his squad and helps Jake in the process. There is a face to face and Jake acknowledges that he isn't Miles, but his own person. They part ways, Miles telling his son he hopes they can get to know each other.
It's sappy I know but a first draft. There were so many other directions the script could have gone. And after all these years and the massive budget, the world building and pretentious political commentary, they should have had a Dances with wolves with blue people underwater level script. And it should have won awards for best screenplay.

Occupation – Government employee
Age – 34
Location – Zimbabwe
My salary – $500 (paid monthly)
Side Gig Income – $0
Other income – negligible amounts from dividends received from my stock portfolio that I re-invest
Housemates – 4 (husband P, 6 year old L, 4 year old E and nanny F. My nephew M is around and makes appearances too)
​
Assets and Liabilities
​

Equity	$60,000 fully paid off
Retirement Balance	??	I contribute monthly, and employer matches fully. But because of changes in currency and hyperinflation, I don’t really count this as an asset
Savings	$1700	(went down due to travelling trying to get my passport done since it expired)
Current account balance	$660	Includes my mum's money since I'm managing her financial affairs while she's abroad
Loan from employer	$130	I took a personal loan from work, because the interest rates are lower than rate of inflation and repayment is over 18 months. Loan was used to make improvements on our house, and what wasn’t used, I bought shares on our stock exchange, due to hyperinflation, the amount I owe in US$ has gone down
Investments (shares in various counters on our local stock exchanges)	$1,186
Car	$4,000	Based on current resale value. Car was bought secondhand for cash

​
Income progression- (https://www.reddit.com/MoneyDiariesACTIVE/comments/vbbb7s/i_live_in_zimbabwe_making_3600year_and_i_just/)
​
Expenses
This year, my husband and I decided that he would take on the bulk of our expenses since I do most of the domestic work/childcare. Expenses I pay will be indicated. My salary is now for my expenses, my investments and my savings, and spoiling the kids. Husband caters for the family basics. There was a point last year when I felt my husband wasn’t as invested in the family because he barely did anything financially. By having him cater for all expenses, he is now definitely involved and invested. My husband’s income is just about the same as mine, slightly higher at some times.
​
My Expenses

Expense	Amount /period	Note
Car insurance and licensing	$300/annum	This is due in March, and I pay for the entire year
Petrol	$60/month
Electricity	$10/month
Airtime/data	$20/month
Groceries	$60/month	This is for additional groceries such as bread, veg and fruit bought during the month
Kids’ clothes	$40/month	I’m trying to build up their winter wardrobe so I try to buy them something each month
Makeup/clothes/toiletries/ supplements/hair	$30/month	I do not us this much monthly though
Water	$15/month	Based on last bill received in April. We do not get water consistently so bills are infrequent
Donations	$20/month	Ad hoc donations to a soup kitchen, and maternal health fun
Stock market investment	$50/month	May invest more or less, but I do try to buy shares every payday

​
Household Expenses (paid by P)
​

Expense	Amount /period	Note
Groceries	$200/month	Bulk grocery shopping of staple food items and toiletries
LP Gas	$30/approx. every 2 months	We buy when it runs out. Usually every 2 months depending on how bad the power supply is
Medical	$15/month	For OTC meds (painkiller, cough syrup, antacid stocked for emergencies) and any prescriptions
Pet expenses	$60/ twice a year	For vaccinations and checkups for 4 dogs. Pet food is covered under groceries
School fees for the kids	$347/ term	One kid has fees paid every month, the other every 3 months
Nanny	$80/month	Less than before as both kids are now in school fulltime, and nanny is there to get them ready for school and care after school for 3 hours.
DSTV subscription	$37/month
Transport for kids to/from school	$60/month	L gets picked up and dropped off at home daily, E is dropped off after school

​
Previous MDs - (https://www.reddit.com/MoneyDiariesACTIVE/comments/vbbb7s/i_live_in_zimbabwe_making_3600year_and_i_just/) and (https://www.reddit.com/MoneyDiariesACTIVE/comments/yc801g/i_am_33_years_old_and_i_just_graduated_with_my/)
​
MD Q&A
Did you participate in any form of higher education? If yes, how did you pay for it?
Yes, I have a BSc in Accounting, a Masters in Accounting, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Taxation. My parents both have Masters degrees, and in my family, the bare minimum acceptable for education was getting a Bachelors. My mother paid for my undergraduate degree, and I paid cash for my postgraduate studies.
​
Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money?
My parents divorced when I was very young. My dad is the wealthier of the two, my mum has always been middle-class. My mum brought me up with very little financial help from my dad, he only covered tuition and healthcare until I turned 18. My mum catered for everything else. My mum taught me how to look for bargains, how to save and invest, and also how to sometimes enjoy your money.
​
If you have, when did you move out of your parents'/guardians' house?
I would say I moved out at 26 when I got my current job. I had moved out when I got my first fulltime job, but moved back home when that contract ended
​
At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself? Does anyone else cover any aspects of your financial life?
At 26 again. That's when I earned enough to cover all my bills without needing help. My husband P covers some aspects of my financial life, and my mum occasionally helps out with stuff for her grandchildren.
​
What was your first job and why did you get it?
I worked as a receptionist at my mum's law firm after finishing my A Levels (age 18) while waiting to start university. My mum gave me the job to keep me occupied and out of mischief, lol.
​
Do you worry about money now?
I worry about building generational wealth for my children. I want to make sure they will be set for life as adults. I do worry about money because hyperinflation is eroding my earnings and retirement dramatically. This is my second time losing my retirement. My mum and in laws are losing their retirement for the third time, so honestly our old age looks bleak if we do not invest outside of work pensions.
​
Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income?
I receive negligible dividends from the shares I own, lol.
​
Day 1
0430 – I’m woken up by loadshedding. I sigh, rollover, and sleep some more
0600 – Alarm goes off. I turn it off, enjoy cuddles from P and finally get out of bed. Our water tanks ran out 4 days ago, and council has not yet deigned to give us water, so we rely on P’s parents and friends to give us water. I get my water that was warming up on the stove, and take a quick bucket bath. I moisturize, do my brows, throw my lace wig on (I cut my hair in January, and I’m at a really awkward stage where my hair looks bad when I wear it out all day) and get dressed. It’s cold in the mornings so I put on winter stockings and a black and white chevron patterned dress, nude ballet pumps plus my warm jacket. I get E from the couch where he was watching Cocomelon and my lunch bag out of the kitchen and we head off to his school. After dropping off E, I go to the office. No electricity means no elevator, so I go up the stairs. I see my boss’s boss and greet him as we do the ZESA (local electricity company) sponsored workout. I log in to the work register, fill up my kettle, and settle down to check out my work email. Nothing urgent came through overnight, so I go into my personal email. The wig company I patronize has given me a code for my birthday, and I’m wondering if I should pull the trigger on my cart. I decide to do a report while thinking this through.
My mum is currently working out of the country, so I am managing her local finances/obligations while she’s away. I remember I have to buy the prepaid electricity token for my childhood home as well as for the house she lives in when she’s working in the country. I spend $23 on electricity for both houses (mum’s money so doesn’t count)
1030 – After doing some firefighting and office gossip I have my breakfast. Today its rice, peas and 2 fried eggs. I sprinkle some peri-peri Aromat on top since I don’t have a sauce/gravy ad I have been craving spicy food lately. I also pop my multivitamin and supplements. I check my team’s work and send back anything that needs correcting. I also generate the multiple reports my boss expects from me. I suddenly remember I need to claim my allowance for performing a role that is higher than my actual position at work. I quickly complete the form, and send it to my boss for his signature. The extra money from this is what I use to fund my stock market investments. I also remind my team to send a report to me for consolidation by noon.
12.00 – I do a major push of all my work due today so I can relax after lunch. I compile my reports and set them ready to send. I also finish my first 2 litres of water of the day, and cue up the next 2 litres
1300 – Its lunchtime, and my work bestie and I head out around town**. I find shorts that L would fit and buy 2 pairs for $10**. We head back to the office and I have caramel popcorn for lunch. Then I remember I forgot to have my afternoon meds, oops. Anyway, more work before heading to an audit meeting
1630 – The audit meeting is finally over, and I rush to shut down my computer, pack up my things and go home. I have an agreement with my manager that as long as I make up for the hour, by either coming early or skipping lunch, I can leave work at 4pm. I had a total hysterectomy end of last year so I still can’t manage driving in heavy traffic. I arrive home, make the bed (P had not made it when he went to work), and harvest chilies from our garden that have ripened. I also harvest a local herb used as a flu remedy and lemongrass, so I can brew up a tea/tisane for the flu affected people in my house. I also pack L’s lunch for tomorrow, a pie, a naartjie and juice. It’s also F’s payday, so I give her US$80 (P gave me this money).
E says he is hungry so I feed him sadza and sour milk by his request. I multitask covering L’s school textbook while supervising his homework and watching Married to Real Estate and the Great British Bake Off. I then have my dinner of sadza, greens and beef. I have a chat with the kids about their day at school. P gets home.
1900 – P and my nephew M go to fetch water from P’s friend’s house. The city council still hasn’t opened up our water supply. I do some French on Duolingo while the boys wreak havoc in their playroom. I read L and E their bedtime stories and put them to bed. I decide to do my hair in cornrows while watching Masterchef Australia. They get home and I help them carry water indoors. I remember that when power comes back I need to boil tripe on the stove, so I cut it up, put it in the pot with water, salt and garlic, and place it on the electric stove. We have serious loadshedding these days, so we have a gas stove and solar power to tide us over. I take a quick bath and change into my pyjamas. While P watches TV, I read Wild Sweet Love by Beverly Jenkins and continue to do my hair in cornrows.
2200 – My arms are tired and I’m only halfway through with the cornrows. I give up and go to bed with P.
Total spent - $10
​
Day 2
0600 – I hear crying. E is in a bad mood today. I turn off my alarm, and go to see what’s wrong. E does not want to get dressed for school. I sigh, and help F dress him while he throws a massive tantrum. E is dressed, so I go do my morning routine of shower, moisturize, contact lenses, and eyebrow makeup. Today, I wear a green dress I took from my mum, black tights, nude ballet flats and a black and white coat. E gets put into the car by F, and starts crying for porridge. We are already late, so he learns that the consequence of refusing to eat his porridge on time is to go to school without having his porridge. It’s not a big issue though, as he gets fed at school. So I lock the doors and windows and drive him to school as he throws a tantrum for the entire 10 minute drive. I shove him into the school gate and head to work.
It’s another ZESA sponsored stair workout today. I log into the register, and fill up my kettle with water. I switch on my computer, check my work email and send off client emails to my team for their response. My personal email has an annual report from one of the companies I have shares in so I check out if there’s a dividend this year. I own a negligible number of shares in the company though, but 28c per share is quite impressive. I check to see if my stock exchange wallet has been credited with the money I transferred there so I can buy more shares. It still hasn’t so I send a follow up email o the enquiries desk at the stock exchange. I do have a stockbroker, but I prefer doing my trades myself. I also do some French on Duolingo before 8am.
0830 – Our HR is in a tizzy because people are late for work. I don’t make a big deal out of it usually, because salaries are shit and people are demotivated. As long as my team shows up and does some work, I’m ok. I approve some work, and warn my team about coming in a bit too late. I also tell a teammate that she will have to cover for me on Monday as I am taking the day off. Our internet connectivity is shit so I can’t log into our system to check some stuff. My work bestie gives me avocados from her house. I almost cry because I have been craving avocados, but been too cheap to buy them.
1000 – I have a really bad sore throat. I am also hungry since I haven’t had breakfast yet. I jot down my shopping list for the weekend and head to Pick ‘n’ Pay to buy carrots, green peppers, tomatoes, lemons, cheese, polony and bread. I also buy my breakfast/lunch, which is rice, beans, ox liver and egg salad**. It all cost $10**. I leave my shopping in my car, and go to the office to wolf down my food, and take my multivitamin and painkiller. I also receive my wigs that I bought in May. Perfect timing, as I want to wear a new wig tomorrow for our girls’ day out.
I do some more work, and remind my team to send me the information I need for my daily reports.
1300 – I go out to buy a few items I didn’t find in Pick ‘n’ Pay earlier**. I go to Spar and buy peas, eggs, soft drinks for the outing tomorrow and a sausage roll. Total cost is $10**. The outing has been deemed kid friendly, so I needed drinks for the boys to have tomorrow. I get back into the office, and spend the rest of the lunch hour working.
1600 – It’s finally time to go home. I send my email to handover work issues for the person who will take over my role on Monday while I am on leave. I also send my out of office email, and head home. The kids are at their grandmother’s, so I take a leisurely bath, put on my pyjamas and eat dinner. Then I watch Masterchef Australia until P and E get home. I also get in some French Duolingo practice
2000 – P goes out with his friends, so I snuggle up on the couch with E and watch TV. I put E to bed, read him his bedtime story and kiss him good night. I finally finish season 13 of Masterchef Australia, and move on to My Kitchen Rules Australia. I love Australian reality shows, ngl.
2200 – I go to bed P gets home and tells me some bad news about a friend of ours. I feel very sad for him. He cuddles me and we sleep.
Total spent - $20
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Day 3
0700 – I wake up feeling like a truck ran me over. I get out of bed, and get ready to hand-wash our laundry. We still have no running water so we can’t use the washing machine. I play music while doing my laundry to keep me motivated
0900 – Laundry has been hung out to dry. F has cooked potato curry, so I boil eggs and water. I have my breakfast of potato curry, egg, multivitamin and coffee. Once I’m done, I give E a bath and dress him. I also bath, moisturize, do my brows and get dressed. I’m wearing jeans and a t-shirt today as my friends and I ae supposed to take our kids out for a playdate. Then I receive a message that the outing is cancelled since one of our group is really sick. I try to think of something I can do with E, since L is out having fun with his grandmother. I do my Swahili Duolingo practice.
1100 – The welder comes to do some work on our garage door. I monitor the work for a bit, and then my nephew takes over. E starts really bugging me to go out. So I put on my headband wig and sneakers, and pack a cooler bag with snacks and drinks. We head into town and I buy myself some ciders for $9. These are for me to drink when the mood strikes me. E wants to go to a resort by the lake so I oblige him. We pay $8 for our entrance. He goes to play on the swings, and I take pictures of him having fun. Another family turns up, and one of his classmates is among them. He’s so happy, and goes to play with his friend. I watch him running around.
1500 – I get a call from my friend that she’s in town with my cake. This cake was meant for the cancelled outing. I pack up our stuff, hustle E into the car and drive back into town. I let out some colourful swear words when I realise I forgot to get our change of $2. Anyway**, I meet up with my friend and get the cake, and pay her $30**. It’s so pretty. I call my MIL while still in town to find out what time she will be there so I can pick up L. She says it will be an hour, so E and I head home to drop off the cake so it doesn’t melt in my AC-less car.
1600 – We are back in town waiting for L and MIL. E wants an ice cream so I buy him one for $0.50 using money I had in my Innbucks wallet. MIL calls and asks me to head over to where she is to pick L up since she can’t leave yet. E and I get there. MIL gets me sadza and goat tripe stew, which I eat a bit of to be polite even though I am not hungry. When I’m done, I pack up the kids and drive home. I bath and change into my pyjamas.
1800 – I feed the kids, and we play until their weekend bedtime of 8pm. I read them their bedtime stories and tuck them in. I watch TV and iron my morning laundry while having a gin and juice until 9pm, and head to read in bed. P and my nephew arrive home from their amateur soccer league match and subsequent outing with the boys. I fall asleep soon after.
Total spent - $49.50
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Day 4
0700 – I’m woken up by L demanding that I come and play with them. I am still sleepy so I fob him off.
0900 - F knocks on the door and tells us she is off to church. I finally get out of bed and get dressed. I see the boys playing relatively peacefully so I let them continue with their antics. In the kitchen, I find F had cooked breakfast, and since I’m starving, I heat up water for coffee. L surprisingly isn’t hungry so I serve up breakfast for P and me. I have my daily multivitamin. P heads out to go fetch water, while I bath, change and hang out with the kids. I also do my French Duolingo practice for the day
1200 – I have played with the dogs and kids, and I am exhausted. I collapse onto the couch and watch MKR Australia. P gets home, and naps on the couch. I give the kids haircuts and baths.
1700 – L is hungry and really wants cake, so I feed the kids a dinner of sadza and sour milk. Then some cake for dessert. I also pack L’s school lunch, which will be a polony sandwich, a cupcake and juice. The kids play until its bedtime at 7pm. The usual routine, bedtime stories and tuck in is done
2000 – P and I watch a movie while having some alcoholic drinks.
2200 – Bedtime for us
Total spent - $0
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Day 5
0600 – It’s my birthday today. I am going all out celebrating myself since TW I tried unaliving myself twice in the past year. L wishes me a happy birthday before he goes to school. I get birthday messages from my mum, dad, SILs, and friends. I also get a call from my brother, his wife and their son, and they sing to me. I feel very loved today. P goes to drop off E at school today so I can sleep in
0800 – I am finally up and hungry. I cook a quick breakfast of boiled eggs, and a bean curry. P takes my car to get serviced, while I bath, moisturize, contact lenses, do a full face of makeup and get dressed for the day. Today I wear a tie-dyed cutout mini-dress and sneakers, and my wavy headband wig
1300 – P is home and he drives me to a hotel outside town near a renowned tourist site in our country. We have a platter of fried fish, chicken strips, pork strips, fries, and a salad to share and multiple Savannah Drys while there. It’s really nice getting to reconnect after a very tumultuous year in our marriage. P pays.
1700 – We drive around the area, before heading home. Once we get home, P and my nephew go on a hunt for water, while I feed the kids. P and I head off to take our showers. I remember why I don’t do a full face of makeup when it take a long time to get the makeup off my face.
1900 – The family sings happy birthday, and we eat cake. Birthday gifts were gin and chocolate. I hustle the boys off to bed. No story today, as they went to bed later than usual. P watches TV while I read my novel.
2100 – Bedtime for the grownups
Total spent - $0
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Day 6
0530 – I wake up and lie in bed for a bit. Then I read my novel some more.
0620 – I am up, and take my bath, moisturize, do my brows and get dressed. It’s cold this morning, so I wear a yellow dress with black polka dots, black tights and ankle boots. I pack up the cake I’m giving to my colleagues, as well as my water bottle. E and I head out. I drop E off at school, and go to the office. I log into the work register, turn on my computer, and check my emails. There are a few pressing issues I need to get up to speed with. One of my colleagues gives me $50 as a birthday gift. I also hand out the cake to my team.
0900 – Work is pretty quiet today, so I update my MD. I also receive news that one of my nephews is getting married. He is not that much younger than me, and could be my younger brother, but it makes me feel so old.
Note on my family: In our culture, even distant relatives are given close relationships so the large number of nephews/nieces is from those relationships. It’s a big thing done to maintain close family bonds. I have 4 actual (in a Western sense) nephews and nieces who are all under the age of 6.
1000 – I head to the supermarket and buy bread, onions, carrots, pork chops, pork trotters and my breakfast and lunch. This costs $25. The meat is the main cost driver here. I have a sausage roll, my multivitamin, supplement and milk for breakfast. I remember that I need to check if my stock exchange wallet was credited, ugh. The website is refusing to load and I’m very frustrated. I finally log in and see the amount is still not credited. I email and send a tweet to the stock exchange. Hopefully the tweet will get them to start moving.
1200 – My boss is mad. One member of my team left his desk without informing me and there’s an urgent matter. I was about to go downstairs to give P the groceries, so I stick around for a bit before committing the same offence as my subordinate, lol. I quickly get back into my office and check on work, sign some papers and letters, and clear out my emails.
1300 – My work bestie has to run other errands at lunch so I decide to stay in the office. I check my personal email and see I have received a dividend of $0.27, lol. The share price will probably drop soon, so I will buy more shares in this counter if I can get them to increase my shareholding. My goal for this year is to breach the 10,000 share mark for one counter. I suddenly remember I have work to do, so I use my lunch hour to do the work, and then take a quick break to eat my lunch of fries and a sausage and do some Swahili Duolingo practice.
1500 – I am thinking of going home when one of my team members calls me to deal with an angry client. I go to the office, and find out it’s a surprise birthday party from my team. I am so happy, lol. We have more cake, and there’s also fruit and juice. I head home feeling so appreciated with even more cake.
1700 – P and my nephew go out to get water. I warm up my bath water, and give the kids their dinner. Today its rice and croc meat. I make L’s lunch for tomorrow, a toasted polony sandwich and juice. I also pack my lunch, rice, a fried egg and peas. And some cake for my work bestie’s kids. I take my bath; change into my pyjamas and hound E to eat his food. If we let that kid be, he would probably live on the bits of our souls he sucks out daily by being stubborn. I am feeling nauseous so I have plain rice with a bit of avocado. The kids watch cartoons, while I do some more Swahili on Duolingo.
1900 – Bedtime for the kids. Today, there’s no demand for a bedtime story, so I just tuck them in and tell them I love them. I read my novel as increasingly feel more nauseated. I end up going to hurl my guts out. P comes home and finds me lying limply on the bed. He gives me a cuddle, and goes to eat his dinner. I get up but smell fish, and run back to throw up. If I hadn’t had a hysterectomy, I would be doing a pregnancy test ASAP.
2100 – I go to bed, and lie in bed for a bit, before finally drifting off.
Total spent - $25
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Day 7
0500 – I wake up feeling nauseated again. Ugh, this reminds me of having hyperemesis while pregnant. I put my water on to heat and get back in bed to read some more.
0600 – E comes to lie on our bed. I get out of bed, and go throw up. I get my bath water, take my bath, moisturize and put my contacts in. I look like a reanimated corpse this morning. I do my brows to try bring a bit of life to my face and get dressed. It’s very misty and cold today so I put on warm brown tights, a long black dress, my warm jacket and ballet flats. I grab my lunch and the cake, pop E into the car and head out. Visibility is extremely low, so I drive slowly. I don’t know why people like surprising other drivers by having their cars pop out of the mist without switching on their headlights. I successfully avoid the drivers who hate life and drop E off at school before heading to work.
0700 – I am in the office, and I log into the register, before turning on my computer and checking my work email. Not too much in there, so I check my personal email. My stock exchange wallet has finally been credited with the $100. I also ponder whether I should pull the trigger on a V-part wig.
I do my weekly report, and start doing some boring work in the system. I realise I didn’t save the work I did yesterday, so I have to re-do it, so I can have the list of error messages to send to ICT.
0830 – Everyone is in the office, so I do some reshuffling of duties, so that essential areas are covered while one of my colleagues is on leave. I give the cake to work bestie, who tells me how much her daughter was excited over the cake yesterday. It’s now time for me to put my head down and really focus on knocking out the system work today. I also log into an online training, and I listen while doing my work. My mum also deposits money for my birthday gift and to spoil her grandkids.
1000 – I log into my stock exchange account and buy shares for $99.14 (doesn’t count as spending, as the money was moved before the MD started). The deadline for other departments to submit their weekly reports to me for consolidation has passed so I start following up. One department is a big problem as they always send their report late. Le sigh. I draft a very passive aggressive email to them. I also decide not to buy the wig and instead ask the person making me my custom earrings that I got myself for my birthday to bill me the rest of the money so I can pay and move the remainder of the money in my account into savings. Our currency has taken an enormous hit in the last week, and is free falling dramatically. I’d rather keep USD cash than money in my account at this point. The training finally ends.
1100 – I’m getting hungry so I go warm up my lunch, sprinkle on peri peri Aromat and dig in. Yum. I also have my multivitamin and supplement. A lady who sells local snacks comes in. She persuades me to buy maputi (corn nuts mixed with roasted peanuts) for $0.50. I buy them for my afternoon snack. I end up sending the report with missing statistics, and tell the department to send directly to the compiler, as they were late. That was a very aggressive email tbh. I’m still hungry, so I munch on my maputi, leaving the peanuts because I don’t feel like eating them lately.
1200 – I see a missed call from a number I don’t know. I call and it turns out they had sent money to my mobile wallet mistakenly. I check the mobile wallet and it shows it had an extra $11. I send the money back to the person. Times are too tough to keep people’s money
1400 – I snack on a few skittles instead of having more food. I just want something to entertain my mouth, I’m not hungry at all. I review more work and drink more water. The jeweler has sent the payment request for the earrings. I pay $100 (total spent on the earrings comes to $200, which is worth it for sterling silver custom made Jewellery. I use $50 of the birthday money from my mum to cover for part of this expense)
1600 – Finally time to go home. I shut down my computer, and drive home. Once I’m home, I put on my bath water, and help L do his homework. Then I do some Swahili Duolingo practice and pack L’s lunch for tomorrow. He requested maize (corn on the cob), a boiled egg and a naartjie. His wish is my command for once. I also pack my lunch, a boiled egg, peanut butter sandwich and a bit of birthday cake. The jeweler sends pictures of the final product. They are absolutely gorgeous. Happy 34th birthday to me!!!
1800 – I serve the kids their dinner, and go to take my bath. P sends a text that he will be home late as they are working late today. I have my own dinner while persuading E to eat his food
1900 – Bedtime for the kids. I read them their bedtime stories, tuck them in and tell them I love them. Then I go to watch TV. I’m catching up on Married to Real Estate, Food Factory and Man Vs Food. You can tell that reality TV is my jam.
2100 – I decide to have some decaf black coffee and cake as my bedtime snack. P and my nephew arrive home. They are later than they thought they would be because nephew dropped his phone in the middle of the highway and they were searching for it. Because nephew’s ancestors were on the job, they found it intact. It’s a big deal because this is a major highway and huge trucks use that road constantly. I chat with P as he has his dinner and takes his bath.
2200 – Cuddles and bedtime for us
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Total spent today – $100
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Total spent this week – $204.50
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Spending by categories
Food & Drink – $84.50
Home & Health – $0
Clothing & Beauty – $110
Transportation – $0
Fun & Entertainment – $10
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Reflections on this week’s spending
The spending is pretty much about normal for me tbh (excluding the cake and earrings). I had quite a bit of petrol in the tank so I didn’t need to top up my tank this week. The converted US$ prices are a bit inaccurate since our currency had a big drop this week, and most of my spending is in local currency. I could reign in my spending a bit, and focus more on investing. However, I do enjoy using my money to bring joy to my kids and myself. Particularly myself after the absolutely shitty year I had.

I'm starting to play right now with a bass player and a drummer, we play for fun and just general jamming and improvisation. The two already know each other so they have some songs and lick already prepared where I can play over. I know the drummer because we play in another band together where I write all the songs, but it's rock/heavy metal songs, totally different from the mix of instrumental/rock/almost fusion type of music they play with the bass player.
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However, every time we play I feel like they expect me to come up on the first try with some insane and already finished fusion songs over the bass/drum line and I can't. Not going to lie i'm not really good at improvisation, i'm more of a sit down in front of the songs, listen over and over, sing out loud what I could play and then write the guitar part.
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It's quite annoying to be honest, i'm sadly not Greg Howe or Guthrie Govan. Doesn't help that I mostly play heavy metal by myself and with bands. Since the bass is already locked in I usually try to play what the bass is doing and then go from there adding variation and so on, but I need time.
I have good technical skills, but improvisation/jam is a weak point for me. I feel like they feel that what I'm playing is more of a jam track for fun and not really an instrumental song, but damn I can't come up with a full instrumental song in one hour that is ready to go on an album
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Do I just suck ? Are my expectation way too high ? Anyone has any tips for what I could do when the two are playing the same line over and over, looking at me waiting for an insane guitar section ?

My (36f) father (70m) and I have always had a complicated relationship. He is a narcissist with depression. I usually describe it as, "imagine if Eeyore was an asshole." I could tell you a million stories. But the base of it is, he is sad that we don't have a good relationship, when he is the one that broke it. However, it's absolutely my responsibility to call and/or plan anything. (He also has a wife who wants to fix everything but not the story of the moment)
My mom died, super unexpectedly, in November 2021. It has not been a good time. She was my best friend in the world. We talked every day, usually.
I have known my step-dad since I was a kid. He and my mom and her brothers all grew up together. He was always a family friend. He had married and divorced, with three kids from there. I was 18 when they got married. We were all bridesmaids. They were super happy and in love. He cared about me and was interested in my stuff. He was the father I had always wanted. We struggled a bit in the beginning, because I didn't really have much experience with a father figure. As I grew older, we weren't as close as he was with his kids but I thought we were always good.
Then mom died. The day he showed up at my front door with no warning is still the worst day of my life so far.
I have been struggling a lot, but working hard at keeping my head above water. It has changed everything, of everyday.
My stepdad moved in with someone new about six months after mom died. He knew her as a friend at some point I guess? I heard they broke up briefly, but are back together (not from him).8 I only really hear from him when it involves some kind of paperwork, or account that my name is still on. We also exchanged messages on holidays, and most recently my mom's birthday and mother's day (within a fortnight of each other). Nothing specific just a "how are you doing today?" etc. Always through text. I haven't spoken with him on the phone since March of last year. And I last saw him the Xmas season of 2021 right after mom died.
I feel like I think I know why he won't call me. I sound exactly like mom on the phone. We were mixed up on the phone since I was 12. We sound at least similar in person and have similar looks and characteristics too. But that's not my fault, and I don't feel like I should be punished for it. I guess I wouldn't know what to say to him at this point.
I get this. But it hurts so much. I guess I'm trying to come to terms with the fact that we didn't actually have the relationship that I thought we did. And it makes me feel bitter and angry and sad.
Honestly, at this point I just am trying to research storage units in my area, so I can get things of my mom's and my family's back that I don't have yet.
I'm not sure what I am looking for here. I'm not sure what it is like to have a real dad maybe? I am just feeling extremely lost and sad and speaking into the void a little.

Write me a breaking news article about an old man yelling at the cloud

Breaking News: Elderly Man Engages in Heated Exchange with Cloud, Sparks Local Curiosity
[City Name], [Date] - In a peculiar incident that left onlookers stunned and amused, an elderly man was witnessed passionately shouting at a cloud earlier today, prompting a gathering of curious bystanders. The bizarre scene unfolded in a park located in the heart of [City Name], attracting attention from all those within earshot.
Eyewitnesses reported that the elderly gentleman, identified as Mr. Harold Thompson, an 84-year-old retired professor, was seen pointing his finger aggressively toward the sky while expressing his frustrations at an ominously hovering cumulus cloud. Although the cloud itself remained nonchalant and unaffected, Mr. Thompson's spirited argument quickly drew an audience of perplexed onlookers.
According to witnesses, Mr. Thompson's tirade seemed to be fueled by a mix of annoyance and bewilderment. He could be heard uttering phrases like "You can't hide forever!" and "I know what you're up to!" as he engaged in a one-sided exchange with the fluffy white cloud.
Onlookers, initially unsure how to react to the spectacle, soon found themselves entertained by the passionate monologue. Some giggled at the sheer audacity of the elderly gentleman, while others shared curious glances, wondering what could possibly be motivating such an animated reaction.
As the scene unfolded, several concerned citizens attempted to approach Mr. Thompson and understand the cause of his frustration. It was soon revealed that the irate man's outburst stemmed from a series of technical glitches he had been experiencing with his newly acquired tablet computer.
It appears that Mr. Thompson had mistakenly believed that the cloud he was addressing was directly responsible for the malfunctions he had encountered while attempting to access his favorite online crossword puzzles. Unaware that the term "cloud" in this context referred to remote data storage, he had directed his anger towards the wrong entity.
Local authorities were called to the scene, concerned about the elderly man's well-being. Upon arrival, they quickly assessed the situation and determined that Mr. Thompson posed no threat to himself or others. Police officers engaged in a friendly conversation with him, reassuring him that the cloud was not to blame for his technological woes.
After a brief but enlightening conversation, officers were able to convince Mr. Thompson that the cloud he was shouting at was innocent of any wrongdoing. The retired professor, initially stubborn in his beliefs, gradually calmed down and found humor in the situation. He even shared a few laughs with the officers and the gathered crowd, who applauded his passion and enthusiasm.
While this episode may have seemed bizarre, it serves as a reminder of the challenges individuals face when adapting to rapidly evolving technology. Mr. Thompson's encounter with the "cloud" highlights the importance of patient guidance and support for older generations as they navigate the digital landscape.
As the commotion at the park died down, Mr. Thompson left with a newfound perspective on the ever-changing world of technology. His inadvertent clash with the cloud not only provided an amusing spectacle for those present but also served as a lighthearted reminder that even in the age of advanced computing, human interaction and understanding remain essential.
Disclaimer: This article is a work of fiction and does not depict any real-life events. Any resemblance to actual persons or incidents is purely coincidental.

throwaway for obvious reasons.
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for close to two years i've been employed (had been?) by a corporate chain restaurant. i've always been a team player who pitches in all over the restaurant, a great employee who comes in early, stays late, works on days off, etc. i've never been written up or even called into the office to talk about my performance, and routinely do tasks that aren't my responsibility to help everyone else. i've always gotten along great with co-workers and management.
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treatment of employees runs the gamut, depending on who you are and how the managers, GM specifically, feel about you personally. accountability is only for certain people while others get held to different, or no, standards. ethics flew out the window a long time ago. management is willing to turn a blind eye to certain offenses for certain people, while others get fired for the same thing. favoritism is rampant, blatant, and obvious. personal information about employees, including things like who's getting written up and for what, is passed around to other employees by management. while some employees are held accountable for not finishing their work before clocking out, others not only don't finish their work, but chat with managers while everyone else does.
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early last week, i was asked by the GM to perform a task that is not listed as a duty of my position and for the first time in two years, said no. that task hadn't been completed by the earlier shift and instead of addressing it with them, the GM rather expected me to do it for them. when i said no, i asked the GM why it hadn't been done by the people that were supposed to do it, and without an answer they walked away.
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a couple of days later, when the new schedule posted for the following week (this week) my shifts in my primary department dropped from 5-6 (with doubles) to 3. i've been full time, five days a week, for at least 1.5 years. i asked a couple of the managers why (although not the GM) even though I knew why, and one of them confirmed that the GM went behind their back to change my schedule and remove shifts after the manager over my department had finalized it. i was also demoted from my position as a trainer without a word or a conversation or any notice at all, i found out when I went to clock in the same day the schedule posted and saw that my clock in code for the trainer position had been removed. i've been training for at least a year, if not longer, and in a conversation about 3 months ago with the GM they told me that i was going to be the primary trainer for that department, and said "i want a whole team of boopthesnoots. i want everyone on that team to work like you do." it's been roughly a month or so since someone trained in that position, and i was the one that trained them.
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the list of violations in that restaurant are absolutely insane, ranging from things that the health department, osha, the CDC and the fire department would absolutely be interested in. issues are most certainly made aware to management and the only time anything changes is when a 'big boss' stops by for a visit, and then things revert to 'normal.' i reported a serious health code violation to a manager on saturday morning and when i returned to work on wednesday, nothing had changed whatsoever. i can't stress enough that these aren't small things like hair nets not being worn when preparing food, gloves not being worn when handling food, i'm not even talking about the pests in the ice machines that an exterminator has never been called out for, the kitchen knives that are never washed even when they come into contact with allergens or raw protein before being used on produce, or the cold foods that are kept too warm or the hot foods that aren't to temp when served. i'm talking about being told to serve expired food, pathogen exposure, and very unsafe methods of handling foods that contain salmonella. osha would have a field day . the fire department would lose their gourd.
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tonight a team member discovered that an item that had been served throughout the day, for close to 8 hours at that point, contained protein that had not been thoroughly cooked and was still raw in some areas. (think a stew or a casserole where everything is mixed together.) that team member told me when it was discovered as i was looking for that item, and a member of management was immediately informed. 20 minutes later, i saw an employee scooping that same food item from its pan to serve - because it had not been removed and because employees had not been told to not use it. the rest of the batch was discarded by the team member that made the discovery.
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at this point i felt that it was time to inform upper management- beyond the GM, who was not in the building today, that raw proteins known to carry salmonella had been served throughout the day and that the food item had not been removed upon discovery of said rawness. i sent a message through our internal communication platform to the district manager, who is the next step above the GM, simply saying i needed to speak to them immediately. they responded in approximately 6 minutes saying they were with family but i could leave a message with my number and they would reach out in the morning. i responded saying that it was a health issue, and that it was serious, and never received a response. about an hour later i received a message through a personal form of communication from an employee telling me that the district manager had forwarded my messages to the GM, wanting to know why i was talking about reporting health and safety issues, without ever responding to gather information. this same DM was in the store today, although they left before the issue was discovered.
​
returning to work is not an option. while i know they can't fire me for reporting this, they can and will make my life hell until i either quit or they find a 'legitimate' reason to fire me. i refuse to return to what is now a hostile environment. i've seen many people get screwed over for trying to do the right thing, and the GM can and possibly will make it very difficut for me to find a new job. the GM has absolutely been known to reach out to other businesses to prevent them from hiring a former employee, or even current employee that had been looking. at this point i need to consult an attorney to figure out what my next steps should be, before speaking to anyone from the company. all the pleases and many thanks, if someone could point me in the right direction, i'd be eternally grateful. location is ohio.

I never thought I had Native American blood in my family tree. My grandfather would always tell my mom we had a Native American bloodline She and my aunt never thought much of it. But I have built out a good portion of his side of the family tree and sure enough I got to my 7th great grandmother who was Cherokee-Chickasaw. I can’t seem to get past 1550. The little green leaves quit popping up and details are sparse. Is this normal to really not have much information past this point? I’d like to go deeper and see more of the Cherokee-Chickasaw side.
Is ancestry.com pretty accurate and do a lot of people actually have Native American blood in them? I researched both my mom and dads side and I’m a pretty heavy mix of English, Scottish, Belgian, German, Irish and Native American. I’m both really surprised and really proud of my roots. I noticed a lot of beautiful paintings and early photographs of my ancestors along with prominent writings about them as well.

Hi all,
2 weeks ago I got my Bambino Plus. I moved on from a Delonghi Dedica and kept the same grinder (SGP). I use a mix of light and dark roast coffee.
Now I've dialed my machine in yesterday and got 18g in, 38g out in 27 seconds. Today, same grind setting, same input, gave me 20g out in 30s. I pulled another shot and got 48g out in 27s. This is much more inconsistent than I got from my Dedica. Also I think pulling manual won't fix this as it took longer to produce less in my first shot.
I use wdt and a puck screen on an unpressurized portafilter.
What can be the solution for my problem? It's come to the point I consider going back to pressurised just to make it more enjoyable for me to make espresso. Instead of a nice morning ritual it's now a frustrating process...
Edit: using a IMS 18-20g basket

Brace yourselves, this is gonna be a long one.
Table of Contents
1…… The Main Goal
2…… What I’m Seeking
3…… Personality
4…… Interests
5…… Physical Characteristics (with pics)
6…… Expectations of You
7…… Living Situation
8…… Deal Breakers
9…… Closing Remarks
(1)
The Main Goal:
Well if you’re browsing this subreddit then much like me, you were alone this weekend and I’m sure you’d like to change that as much as me. I won’t lie, I am going through a rough part of my life right now. It’s difficult for me to find the energy for anything at the moment and I’m just really seeking affection in general, anything that will give me a push. I don’t want to be that person who brings everyone down but I could really use someone to talk to right now. I’d really like to find someone who’s similar to me so much to the point that we do everything together and talk about everything while not having to pretend to be interested. I want someone with whom we can mutually spew our emotions onto and have those feelings reciprocated. Not an emotional punching bag, but an emotional teddy bear to hug and cuddle until everything feels better as many times as we need. There’s people who I’m sure have told you the same, they’ll be there no matter how many times you need the support, no matter how many times the insecurities and bad thoughts come back but they don’t mean it. I will be the exception, I’m not so ignorant to think some nice words and tales of relating to you will magically forever heal whatever ails you then get mad when you seek the same support again. Mental ailments are rarely temporary and I don’t care about someone because they’re perfect, caring about someone means being there no matter how many times they need you to be. It doesn’t feel like a chore, it doesn’t get old, and it never will.
(2)
(2.a)
What I'm Seeking:
I will upfront let you know if I’m clicking better with someone else or if you’re the one, I’m not here to tread the sea of fish or keep my options open, I’m here for one singular person.
(2.b)
Relationship:
A relationship is difficult for me right now, it’s been nearly half a year since I got out of my last relationship and the reasons for it ending are partially responsible for how I’ve been feeling and why it’s so hard for me to seek the comfort I so desperately crave. I will tell you about it but for the sake of not treating the entirety of the internet as my therapist, it’ll be in private. I really need the comfort of intimacy and the warmth of someone who cares. I'm not going to feel better if I just sulk and don’t move on. This is my attempt to get better, I’ll admit I’m not great right now and I don’t expect you to be either. If we can help each other heal, then I’d be more than happy :) A relationship isn’t just being there for when someone’s at their best. Even if a relationship is hard at the moment, I do want a life partner and I don’t want to be alone. Things aren’t going to get easier without you so I don’t want to hesitate. I view my other as an equal, I don’t like categorizing us into specific roles. We take care of each other and treat each other how we like to be treated, whatever that is, it's as simple as that. I don't care if you're "successful" or not, living simple lives with our days filled with love is the ultimate measure of success to me.
(3)
Personality:
(3.a)
On the Surface:
As you can tell I can be rather… stoic but that’s largely due to my current stressors, I truthfully am goofy and fun loving but I just can’t find it in me right now. I want to return to that but without someone to light up my world it’s been difficult to just have fun and enjoy stuff. I’m definitely more introverted, you won’t catch me at any parties or really outside at all. I definitely prefer being home though the occasional outing is not out of the question and one day I’d like to travel to other countries because I think that kind of perspective is important.
(3.b)
The Core of My Being:
I like being a spectator to it all and if we bear witness to humanity burning or its miraculous recovery, I want to watch it with you. I enjoy watching humanity advance, less so when it devolves but I want to watch it to the end nonetheless. I’m both a realist and someone who lives with my head in the clouds dreaming of scenarios or worlds that don’t exist. I’m saying that I enjoy a good narrative and can suspend my disbelief to enjoy something but you won’t catch me refusing vaccines or ignoring blatant facts for the sake of some pseudo science or witch doctor’s remedy. I’m an atheist but I do not rule out existence after death, not because I’m agnostic but because due to the nature of potentially infinite time at some point after how many googol years with a googol amount of 0s after that, something’s bound to replicate your consciousness perfectly at some point. It’s actually a really fascinating topic I like talking about. If infinite time and infinite possibilities exist, does non existence exist? Though that’s an awfully existentially dreadful thought process considering the ramifications of infinite existence and infinite possibilities during said infinite existence. I would say I’m confidently left leaning and I don’t think I could truly get along with anyone right leaning, at least America’s definition of right leaning. Left and right seems to have just become; do people deserve to suffer or do they deserve to live good lives? Being political is not something I expected to become but how can you not be when crimes against human rights are being passed on a daily basis and at the end of the day, everything’s political. Oftentimes I imagine the perfect moment as relaxing with my significant other playing games or cuddling in a cold room under blankets.
I value that special someone above all of the existential thoughts, the bad of the world, the good of the world, they practically become my world. So many worries wash away when I’m with them. I don’t know if that’s the defense mechanism my brain created to not feel bad 24/7 but if it is, I’m currently without it.
(3.c)
Insecurities:
I talk of philosophy and politics here but really I spend most of my time just playing games, watching stuff, and trying to not be sleep deprived. I’m also nowhere near as well spoken, heck sometimes I feel like my speech is broken. I won’t claim to be something I’m not, I sit at home while I complain about the world doing nothing about it wishing I had someone here with me. I’m not noble nor do I really want to be, I have morals I uphold but much like most other hypocrites I acknowledge that my comfortable life is built on the suffering of others without doing anything about it. Why? My sleep problems? Am I depressed? Is that why I have no energy to do anything? Do I just think nothing I could do could help? I can’t nail it down myself, maybe it’s a mix of everything, maybe I’m just a bad person. I have always told myself that if I had wealth I would help people but if I get that kind of wealth will I just become a wealth hoarder who tries to justify my riches as something I earned rather than something given to me through incredibly lucky circumstances? If I do help people is it because I’m a good person or out of guilt? Will I die alone? I feel like I drive everyone away with my clinginess, I get paranoid often and need reassurance often. It’s something I want to work on, something I’ve been trying to work on. Hearing that someone cares about me just never gets old. I value self awareness even if it’s painful.
(3.d)
Socializing:
I’m definitely a socially anxious/awkward mess, especially around strangers. I do feel a large amount of anxiety in public, people can’t tell by looking at my face since I kind of go stone faced in an attempt to block everything out but yeah you’ll notice that if we go out in public. Growing up my pediatrician said I was probably autistic, never got a formal diagnosis so that’s just great. But yeah that explains why I can’t make eye contact with people, I kinda just stare at the ground and avoid their gaze at all costs. A lot of these social struggles go away to a great degree once I know you for a bit but yeah I apologize for how terrible I am at socializing at first. Don’t let my social struggles fool you though, I love cuddling and being close with my person.
(3.e)
Sexuality:
I am a heterosexual male, though I’m not very masculine like at all. I may even be a bit feminine sometimes. Not that I believe any activity or manner of acting belongs to a gender but I don’t know how else to describe it. I’m definitely super affectionate and love it when my partner is too. I am open to dating demi people but I do have a libido so I don't think asexual would work out.
(4)
Interests:
(4.a)
Video Games:
As stated before, I do spend a lot of my time playing video games. It’s been hard lately with me having no energy but I really do want to play more games and have a good time playing them with you! I primarily play on PC though I do have a switch. I’m primarily into platform fighters, roguelikes, open world, survival, and sandbox games. As for single player story games, I enjoy watching them through twitch or youtube but for the most part I don’t play them myself. I’d watch you play them though!
Here’s a list of games we can play:
-Minecraft (Java)
-Risk of Rain 2
-Gunfire Reborn
-Roboquest
-7 Days to Die
-Phasmophobia
-Rust
-Unturned
-Bloons TD 6
-Platform fighters: Super Smash Bros. Melee, Slap City, Multiversus, Flash Party, Fraymakers
Whatever you want to play I’ll give it a shot! I will say that League bores me to death but I’ll play it for you :) I try to avoid MMOs, not because I don’t like them but because of how addicted I can get to them. I enjoy learning games in-depth so MMOs can be a fast track to addiction.
I recently got Kerbal Space Program 2 and ehhh not really worth it right now but hopefully later it will be? I’m super excited for Tears of the Kingdom! In the far off future I’m excited for Rivals of Aether 2 which is a platform fighter releasing in 2024, let me know of your most anticipated releases and I’ll see if I could play them with you!
Also I never got into FPS games but I could totally see myself playing like CoD with you or Escape From Tarkov. Any FPS really, I’m down.
I am a fan of Pokemon but with how things have been lately I don’t know how long that will last. Pixelmon is a common Pokemon mod I play for Minecraft if you want to play that! Also if I say I want to play something with you I mean it but there are often times when no matter how much I want to I'm just drained and can do little more than lay in bed so please don't think I'm making an excuse.
(4.b)
Science:
I really enjoy keeping up with the latest advances in pretty much everything, it could be biology, technology, astronomy, anything! I love seeing progression and I love talking about it! Really I could go on and on about what I’m obsessing about that day. I particularly love technology, ask me for my laptop specs I dare you. When I was little I always wanted to be a scientist of any kind but then insomnia and fear of college stuff hit me like a truck aaaand that’s the end of that dream.
(4.c)
Anime:
You got me, I like anime but I’d like to think my tastes are benign.
Here’s some of my favorites I can list from the top of my head:
- To Your Eternity
- Vinland Saga
- Spice and Wolf
- Re:Zero
- Mob Psycho
- Dr. Stone
- Attack on Titan
- Spy x Family
- My Hero Academia
- Ranking of Kings
- Demon Slayer
Okay I can go on and on but I will say I don’t like pointless fan service and the spamming of cliche anime moments. I mostly enjoy action and anything well animated if it doesn’t have a potato story. Heck Demon Slayer could be my top 3 out of season 2’s animation alone. I don’t watch slice of life often or romance but I would with you!
(4.d)
Misc:
I’m not going to go on and on about the tiniest little things when the main ones are covered but I’ll watch pretty much any show with you and anything really. I like random youtube videos that explain some kind of lore or mystery, sometimes mini documentaries too.
As for food I looove sushi and I’m a sucker for fast food. Okay and candy, definitely candy.
I used to play tennis but haven’t really had the opportunity nor friends to play it with and I’m way too socially anxious to seek it out. Also I will say that when we move to something like discord I type waaaay more casually. I’m not going to expect long paragraphs back and forth like we’re writing English papers for each other, I do enjoy long conversations but seriously don’t worry about having to put the utmost effort into every response, I just like making good first impressions I guess.
(5)
(5.a)
My Physical Characteristics:
I’m 5’8 (172cm), 128 pounds (58kg), with curly brown hair and blue eyes. I like keeping my hair long in the winter and cutting it in the summer. I’m pretty slim in general so if you’re looking for someone large, that’s not me. I don’t work out but my work is pretty physical so at least I’m not totally inactive. I don’t have the urge to work out or gain muscle but I do want to maintain my slim figure so if I start losing control of that I’ll work out. I like to keep my face shaved because I don’t think I look good with a beard/mustache so if you’re into those I apologize. I have an average amount of body hair? I’d prefer to be completely shaved but it’s easy to lose motivation with that battle, if you prefer shaved then I’d have no problem complying. Anyways here’s what I look like: https://imgur.com/a/MZZgf2t
(5.b)
My Physical Preferences:
Having physical preferences makes me feel shallow, if I could make myself not have them I would but unfortunately that’s now how that works. I don’t care if you’re shorter or taller than me and I don’t care if you weigh more or less than me. All I ask is that you’re slim-average weight. I would never ask for someone to be something I’m not. I don’t care about tattoos or piercings.
(6)
Expectations of You:
I am not looking for someone “exciting” or someone to “keep me on my toes” I’m not looking for someone to cater to my every whim or anything like that. I don’t care if you’re “boring” or if you aren’t “successful”. I know it’s a common thing for people to not want a “boring” relationship and to seek something argumentative or something with constant challenges but I just want to be with you. During the exciting times, the boring times, and everything in-between, all of it will be great with you! Maybe we do argue sometimes or maybe there will be challenges but that will never be something I purposefully seek out and I don’t want that to be something you seek out either. I will not play tricks on you and I will not play mind games, I expect the same from you. We all have personal measures of success we may or may not have lived up to but what I care about most is our commitment to each other. If we have each other we can get through tough times, near the ends of our lives I want us to look back and feel that this life together was worth more than anything. That’s not saying I want us to be haphazard, I don’t want us to make poor decisions for the sake of yolo and I want us to always be rational, especially with each other. I want you to be someone I can trust to make decisions and weigh the options with a level head, I’ll try my best to live up to the same for you. Most of all I want empathy, understanding, someone to feel the utmost comfort and trust in.
(7)
Living Situation:
Currently my life is pretty relaxed, I work 3 times a week as a night shift stocker. I currently live in a 2 bedroom apartment with my roommate but we’re looking to move into someplace larger by the end of the year if everything works out. The internet is weirdly great for Ohio too like I have fiber and later this year we’re supposed to be getting dedicated fiber so that’s neat. I’m not attached to Ohio so the ultimate goal living location wise is probably moving to a country that won’t send you into a lifetime of dealing with the repercussions from one medical emergency.
(8)
Deal Breakers:
Might as well make this simple and make it a list.
- Anti-vaxxers
- Unironically believing astrology
- Right wingers
- Hard drugs (occasional 420 and alcohol is fine, may even join you)
- Wanting children, there was a time when I was younger when I wanted children but with the state of the word that’s a definite no and I feel like I wouldn’t be able to handle the stress. I’d love a stress free life with as much time with you as possible.
- Homophobic
- Transphobic
- Racist
- Super Religious
- Don’t be a bigot and don’t deny facts.
(9)
Closing Remarks:
Well you made it, I was thinking that finding someone I’d be willing to put a lifetime of effort into at least required this much effort. If I think of anything more I’ll update the post. Also about timezones, it really doesn’t matter where in the world you are. I don’t have a sleep schedule and I have most of the week off from work so it really doesn’t matter.
I request that in your response you do put effort into it, it doesn’t have to be anywhere near as long as this but at least enough so I know that you read this and enough about you so I know why you saw potential compatibility. I will seriously read all of it and respond the best I can. I do also request a pic included in your response (sfw please) or one soon after we start talking to prove identity, I’ll send identity proving pics too. As long as this post is up, you can send a reply!

Brace yourselves, this is gonna be a long one.
Table of Contents
1…… The Main Goal
2…… What I’m Seeking
3…… Personality
4…… Interests
5…… Physical Characteristics (with pics)
6…… Expectations of You
7…… Living Situation
8…… Deal Breakers
9…… Closing Remarks
(1)
The Main Goal:
Well if you’re browsing this subreddit then much like me, you were alone this weekend and I’m sure you’d like to change that as much as me. I won’t lie, I am going through a rough part of my life right now. It’s difficult for me to find the energy for anything at the moment and I’m just really seeking affection in general, anything that will give me a push. I don’t want to be that person who brings everyone down but I could really use someone to talk to right now. I’d really like to find someone who’s similar to me so much to the point that we do everything together and talk about everything while not having to pretend to be interested. I want someone with whom we can mutually spew our emotions onto and have those feelings reciprocated. Not an emotional punching bag, but an emotional teddy bear to hug and cuddle until everything feels better as many times as we need. There’s people who I’m sure have told you the same, they’ll be there no matter how many times you need the support, no matter how many times the insecurities and bad thoughts come back but they don’t mean it. I will be the exception, I’m not so ignorant to think some nice words and tales of relating to you will magically forever heal whatever ails you then get mad when you seek the same support again. Mental ailments are rarely temporary and I don’t care about someone because they’re perfect, caring about someone means being there no matter how many times they need you to be. It doesn’t feel like a chore, it doesn’t get old, and it never will.
(2)
(2.a)
What I'm Seeking:
I will upfront let you know if I’m clicking better with someone else or if you’re the one, I’m not here to tread the sea of fish or keep my options open, I’m here for one singular person.
(2.b)
Relationship:
A relationship is difficult for me right now, it’s been nearly half a year since I got out of my last relationship and the reasons for it ending are partially responsible for how I’ve been feeling and why it’s so hard for me to seek the comfort I so desperately crave. I will tell you about it but for the sake of not treating the entirety of the internet as my therapist, it’ll be in private. I really need the comfort of intimacy and the warmth of someone who cares. I'm not going to feel better if I just sulk and don’t move on. This is my attempt to get better, I’ll admit I’m not great right now and I don’t expect you to be either. If we can help each other heal, then I’d be more than happy :) A relationship isn’t just being there for when someone’s at their best. Even if a relationship is hard at the moment, I do want a life partner and I don’t want to be alone. Things aren’t going to get easier without you so I don’t want to hesitate. I view my other as an equal, I don’t like categorizing us into specific roles. We take care of each other and treat each other how we like to be treated, whatever that is, it's as simple as that. I don't care if you're "successful" or not, living simple lives with our days filled with love is the ultimate measure of success to me.
(3)
Personality:
(3.a)
On the Surface:
As you can tell I can be rather… stoic but that’s largely due to my current stressors, I truthfully am goofy and fun loving but I just can’t find it in me right now. I want to return to that but without someone to light up my world it’s been difficult to just have fun and enjoy stuff. I’m definitely more introverted, you won’t catch me at any parties or really outside at all. I definitely prefer being home though the occasional outing is not out of the question and one day I’d like to travel to other countries because I think that kind of perspective is important.
(3.b)
The Core of My Being:
I like being a spectator to it all and if we bear witness to humanity burning or its miraculous recovery, I want to watch it with you. I enjoy watching humanity advance, less so when it devolves but I want to watch it to the end nonetheless. I’m both a realist and someone who lives with my head in the clouds dreaming of scenarios or worlds that don’t exist. I’m saying that I enjoy a good narrative and can suspend my disbelief to enjoy something but you won’t catch me refusing vaccines or ignoring blatant facts for the sake of some pseudo science or witch doctor’s remedy. I’m an atheist but I do not rule out existence after death, not because I’m agnostic but because due to the nature of potentially infinite time at some point after how many googol years with a googol amount of 0s after that, something’s bound to replicate your consciousness perfectly at some point. It’s actually a really fascinating topic I like talking about. If infinite time and infinite possibilities exist, does non existence exist? Though that’s an awfully existentially dreadful thought process considering the ramifications of infinite existence and infinite possibilities during said infinite existence. I would say I’m confidently left leaning and I don’t think I could truly get along with anyone right leaning, at least America’s definition of right leaning. Left and right seems to have just become; do people deserve to suffer or do they deserve to live good lives? Being political is not something I expected to become but how can you not be when crimes against human rights are being passed on a daily basis and at the end of the day, everything’s political. Oftentimes I imagine the perfect moment as relaxing with my significant other playing games or cuddling in a cold room under blankets.
I value that special someone above all of the existential thoughts, the bad of the world, the good of the world, they practically become my world. So many worries wash away when I’m with them. I don’t know if that’s the defense mechanism my brain created to not feel bad 24/7 but if it is, I’m currently without it.
(3.c)
Insecurities:
I talk of philosophy and politics here but really I spend most of my time just playing games, watching stuff, and trying to not be sleep deprived. I’m also nowhere near as well spoken, heck sometimes I feel like my speech is broken. I won’t claim to be something I’m not, I sit at home while I complain about the world doing nothing about it wishing I had someone here with me. I’m not noble nor do I really want to be, I have morals I uphold but much like most other hypocrites I acknowledge that my comfortable life is built on the suffering of others without doing anything about it. Why? My sleep problems? Am I depressed? Is that why I have no energy to do anything? Do I just think nothing I could do could help? I can’t nail it down myself, maybe it’s a mix of everything, maybe I’m just a bad person. I have always told myself that if I had wealth I would help people but if I get that kind of wealth will I just become a wealth hoarder who tries to justify my riches as something I earned rather than something given to me through incredibly lucky circumstances? If I do help people is it because I’m a good person or out of guilt? Will I die alone? I feel like I drive everyone away with my clinginess, I get paranoid often and need reassurance often. It’s something I want to work on, something I’ve been trying to work on. Hearing that someone cares about me just never gets old. I value self awareness even if it’s painful.
(3.d)
Socializing:
I’m definitely a socially anxious/awkward mess, especially around strangers. I do feel a large amount of anxiety in public, people can’t tell by looking at my face since I kind of go stone faced in an attempt to block everything out but yeah you’ll notice that if we go out in public. Growing up my pediatrician said I was probably autistic, never got a formal diagnosis so that’s just great. But yeah that explains why I can’t make eye contact with people, I kinda just stare at the ground and avoid their gaze at all costs. A lot of these social struggles go away to a great degree once I know you for a bit but yeah I apologize for how terrible I am at socializing at first. Don’t let my social struggles fool you though, I love cuddling and being close with my person.
(3.e)
Sexuality:
I am a heterosexual male, though I’m not very masculine like at all. I may even be a bit feminine sometimes. Not that I believe any activity or manner of acting belongs to a gender but I don’t know how else to describe it. I’m definitely super affectionate and love it when my partner is too. I am open to dating demi people but I do have a libido so I don't think asexual would work out.
(4)
Interests:
(4.a)
Video Games:
As stated before, I do spend a lot of my time playing video games. It’s been hard lately with me having no energy but I really do want to play more games and have a good time playing them with you! I primarily play on PC though I do have a switch. I’m primarily into platform fighters, roguelikes, open world, survival, and sandbox games. As for single player story games, I enjoy watching them through twitch or youtube but for the most part I don’t play them myself. I’d watch you play them though!
Here’s a list of games we can play:
-Minecraft (Java)
-Risk of Rain 2
-Gunfire Reborn
-Roboquest
-7 Days to Die
-Phasmophobia
-Rust
-Unturned
-Bloons TD 6
-Platform fighters: Super Smash Bros. Melee, Slap City, Multiversus, Flash Party, Fraymakers
Whatever you want to play I’ll give it a shot! I will say that League bores me to death but I’ll play it for you :) I try to avoid MMOs, not because I don’t like them but because of how addicted I can get to them. I enjoy learning games in-depth so MMOs can be a fast track to addiction.
I recently got Kerbal Space Program 2 and ehhh not really worth it right now but hopefully later it will be? I’m super excited for Tears of the Kingdom! In the far off future I’m excited for Rivals of Aether 2 which is a platform fighter releasing in 2024, let me know of your most anticipated releases and I’ll see if I could play them with you!
Also I never got into FPS games but I could totally see myself playing like CoD with you or Escape From Tarkov. Any FPS really, I’m down.
I am a fan of Pokemon but with how things have been lately I don’t know how long that will last. Pixelmon is a common Pokemon mod I play for Minecraft if you want to play that! Also if I say I want to play something with you I mean it but there are often times when no matter how much I want to I'm just drained and can do little more than lay in bed so please don't think I'm making an excuse.
(4.b)
Science:
I really enjoy keeping up with the latest advances in pretty much everything, it could be biology, technology, astronomy, anything! I love seeing progression and I love talking about it! Really I could go on and on about what I’m obsessing about that day. I particularly love technology, ask me for my laptop specs I dare you. When I was little I always wanted to be a scientist of any kind but then insomnia and fear of college stuff hit me like a truck aaaand that’s the end of that dream.
(4.c)
Anime:
You got me, I like anime but I’d like to think my tastes are benign.
Here’s some of my favorites I can list from the top of my head:
- To Your Eternity
- Vinland Saga
- Spice and Wolf
- Re:Zero
- Mob Psycho
- Dr. Stone
- Attack on Titan
- Spy x Family
- My Hero Academia
- Ranking of Kings
- Demon Slayer
Okay I can go on and on but I will say I don’t like pointless fan service and the spamming of cliche anime moments. I mostly enjoy action and anything well animated if it doesn’t have a potato story. Heck Demon Slayer could be my top 3 out of season 2’s animation alone. I don’t watch slice of life often or romance but I would with you!
(4.d)
Misc:
I’m not going to go on and on about the tiniest little things when the main ones are covered but I’ll watch pretty much any show with you and anything really. I like random youtube videos that explain some kind of lore or mystery, sometimes mini documentaries too.
As for food I looove sushi and I’m a sucker for fast food. Okay and candy, definitely candy.
I used to play tennis but haven’t really had the opportunity nor friends to play it with and I’m way too socially anxious to seek it out. Also I will say that when we move to something like discord I type waaaay more casually. I’m not going to expect long paragraphs back and forth like we’re writing English papers for each other, I do enjoy long conversations but seriously don’t worry about having to put the utmost effort into every response, I just like making good first impressions I guess.
(5)
(5.a)
My Physical Characteristics:
I’m 5’8 (172cm), 128 pounds (58kg), with curly brown hair and blue eyes. I like keeping my hair long in the winter and cutting it in the summer. I’m pretty slim in general so if you’re looking for someone large, that’s not me. I don’t work out but my work is pretty physical so at least I’m not totally inactive. I don’t have the urge to work out or gain muscle but I do want to maintain my slim figure so if I start losing control of that I’ll work out. I like to keep my face shaved because I don’t think I look good with a beard/mustache so if you’re into those I apologize. I have an average amount of body hair? I’d prefer to be completely shaved but it’s easy to lose motivation with that battle, if you prefer shaved then I’d have no problem complying. Anyways here’s what I look like: https://imgur.com/a/MZZgf2t
(5.b)
My Physical Preferences:
Having physical preferences makes me feel shallow, if I could make myself not have them I would but unfortunately that’s now how that works. I don’t care if you’re shorter or taller than me and I don’t care if you weigh more or less than me. All I ask is that you’re slim-average weight. I would never ask for someone to be something I’m not. I don’t care about tattoos or piercings.
(6)
Expectations of You:
I am not looking for someone “exciting” or someone to “keep me on my toes” I’m not looking for someone to cater to my every whim or anything like that. I don’t care if you’re “boring” or if you aren’t “successful”. I know it’s a common thing for people to not want a “boring” relationship and to seek something argumentative or something with constant challenges but I just want to be with you. During the exciting times, the boring times, and everything in-between, all of it will be great with you! Maybe we do argue sometimes or maybe there will be challenges but that will never be something I purposefully seek out and I don’t want that to be something you seek out either. I will not play tricks on you and I will not play mind games, I expect the same from you. We all have personal measures of success we may or may not have lived up to but what I care about most is our commitment to each other. If we have each other we can get through tough times, near the ends of our lives I want us to look back and feel that this life together was worth more than anything. That’s not saying I want us to be haphazard, I don’t want us to make poor decisions for the sake of yolo and I want us to always be rational, especially with each other. I want you to be someone I can trust to make decisions and weigh the options with a level head, I’ll try my best to live up to the same for you. Most of all I want empathy, understanding, someone to feel the utmost comfort and trust in.
(7)
Living Situation:
Currently my life is pretty relaxed, I work 3 times a week as a night shift stocker. I currently live in a 2 bedroom apartment with my roommate but we’re looking to move into someplace larger by the end of the year if everything works out. The internet is weirdly great for Ohio too like I have fiber and later this year we’re supposed to be getting dedicated fiber so that’s neat. I’m not attached to Ohio so the ultimate goal living location wise is probably moving to a country that won’t send you into a lifetime of dealing with the repercussions from one medical emergency.
(8)
Deal Breakers:
Might as well make this simple and make it a list.
- Anti-vaxxers
- Unironically believing astrology
- Right wingers
- Hard drugs (occasional 420 and alcohol is fine, may even join you)
- Wanting children, there was a time when I was younger when I wanted children but with the state of the word that’s a definite no and I feel like I wouldn’t be able to handle the stress. I’d love a stress free life with as much time with you as possible.
- Homophobic
- Transphobic
- Racist
- Super Religious
- Don’t be a bigot and don’t deny facts.
(9)
Closing Remarks:
Well you made it, I was thinking that finding someone I’d be willing to put a lifetime of effort into at least required this much effort. If I think of anything more I’ll update the post. Also about timezones, it really doesn’t matter where in the world you are. I don’t have a sleep schedule and I have most of the week off from work so it really doesn’t matter.
I request that in your response you do put effort into it, it doesn’t have to be anywhere near as long as this but at least enough so I know that you read this and enough about you so I know why you saw potential compatibility. I will seriously read all of it and respond the best I can. I do also request a pic included in your response (sfw please) or one soon after we start talking to prove identity, I’ll send identity proving pics too. As long as this post is up, you can send a reply!

I've told this story so many times that my larynx hurts. I've dictated it so many times and then had to go back and correct the mistakes I'm working on carpal tunnel as well. Anyway as you can tell I'm at that point of the day where I felt I should share but what's the point? I work in an industry where I'm a painter of sets and such for corporate events and plays and things like that. So out of the blue they decided when you get day to use isisyanite-based primers and paints and we did it over the weekend and I was exposed for close to 16 hours with only a 3M gas mask with a regular filter in it. The sprayed product was called chassis saver. If you want to look up the MSDS you're going to have to type in chassis saver MSDS. It's got a whole smorgasbord of fun like methyl diisocyanate mixed with aluminum flake? That was shot out of an HVLP gun under pressure in a closed Warehouse because it was seemed outside so there was no ventilation for 2 days. I had ... okay let's just quit trying to give anybody to benefit it out here and say I had no protection whatsoever. Cuz if I'm going to mention the 3M mask but not the fact that I need a full body suit gloves full face mask with supplied oxygen and I'm supposed to leave all of my clothes at work including my shoes and not get it on my skin along with proper ventilation? Well none of that was done. First off because we weren't worried about the danger secondly none of that stuff is available to us at work and thirdly I wasn't even the one using the stuff. Didn't matter I still became concerned when the room was a silvery cloud of toxins so after a couple weeks when I realized I was asthmatic and having reactions every time I went to work? My GM had me apply for workers comp and sent me home for 4 days. Then I was asked to come back to work to help and the symptoms started again. It took me a while to figure out what was going on by doing some reading on OSHA and the CDC. Plus all the other articles and case studies. It all lined up it was obvious that I didn't kind of get exposed... I was immersed in it. That includes breathing it having it in my eyes eating after using it no ventilation and wearing the same clothes home along with getting some on my skin when I was helping him clean up afterwards. Poured it on the side of my abdomen because it was in a mixing cup. It felt really good. Anyway, as soon as this hit corporate everything went s*** house crazy. I continue to go to work for 4 weeks and see the doctor that they had sent me to and since I've been self-employed my whole life as a portrait artist? That's my college degree it's a BFA and fine arts. Probably kiss my oil painting career goodbye. So they got rid of the job I had and any other talents I could fall back on. Anyway yeah this is going to be kind of a sarcastic post so enjoy it. What doctor was I send to that was an expert on chemical exposure with isocyanates and occupational acquired asthma? What was the name of that place it's famous like the Mayo Clinic but instead it's everywhere and oh yeah Concentra. You know the place you go to and the doctor runs a stethoscope all over you and says he doesn't hear anything to indicate asthma even though it sounds like there's a kitten stuck in your throat? Then he tricks your blood pressure and says it's normal even though it's rising quickly? He asks you why you're there and nods his head and you can tell in his mind he's going "well that's like a total s*** show. If I do what the insurance adjusters are telling me to do I'm basically sending this guy back to work to die. So let me get on that" I would come in and he would look at me and say so what do you want to do today and I would say I don't know maybe doctor stuff like check me see if I have asthma I don't know what the tests are for us to cyanide exposure? You're the doctor what do you want to do? Oh you want to go okay well be sure and sign that box telling me to return to work because he can't find any injury or evidence of exposure. Thanks. Oh this week you want to do blood work. But you only want to test for the most extreme exposure the kind that would cause neurological damage and okay. So he sends off the blood test tells me it'll be a week. And remind you I'm going back to work every day and getting re-exposed to all the stuff that I'm now allergic to and it's damaging my lungs and I'm coughing so hard my lungs are starting to separate from the wall my back. It's funny it's hilarious you know but at least they're saving money. They get to watch it and hear it but you know... buck up cowboy. You shouldn't smoke. Yeah y'all managed to do more damage to my lungs in 18 hours than I did in 47 years of light smoking. Seriously five cigarettes a day maybe. No history of asthma no history of allergies other than penicillin. I always watched other people just go through miserable seasons I mean just I swollen shut it's not running down their face and I thought how lucky I am. So my job decided that wasn't fair and locked me in the building with a chemical that destroyed a town in India. And they only used it that one time and decided they didn't like the properties of it. Probably cuz it's not meant to be put on wood but that's what the chassis saver was for was to give it sort of a metallic quality so they can roll the what yeah that's right bed truck liner on it that was day two and early the next day. When everybody was at work. When we were applying this stuff they were only two people there me and my supervisor. So if you look at the time clock it tells you when and who was there. If you look at when this stuff was purchased and under what project the stuff was charged to? what client? While we were doing a huge project for caterpillar that they were having out in Las Vegas. Don't know why one of our designers figured that bed liner would be a good idea for some of the staging when you can achieve that with paint and clear coat. But that's what he wanted. So so much for avoiding it just because it's not necessary. In the state of Texas you can't sue your employer for personal injury unless you can prove gross negligence. I would say that kind of falls where we're at. Unfortunately the other thing in Texas is that there aren't many workers comp attorneys because in 1993 they passed some laws that made being a workers comp attorney a tricky thing and you can lose your license really easy. In other words it was a very business friendly law to get companies to move here. Especially when you couldn't get sued for you know sending someone on fire or destroying their lungs and life. So a lot of people can get a worker's comp attorney even if they're a crappy one. But most of them that claim to be workers comp attorneys? They're actually just want to hear your stories so they can see if there's a personal injury lawsuit in there due to gross negligence cuz that's the only way they're going to make any money in this state and if it's a chemical exposure? I've been told by several attorneys who had extreme sympathy for my situation that they couldn't even refer me to an attorney that would take my case hey there's no attorney that's going to touch a chemical exposure case in Texas because it's already tough enough. Well I've been put the ringer lied to followed by a private investigator in the whole time I've been on represented and doing all the paperwork myself which they throw at me everyday usually it's fake stuff or stuff with the wrong date or deadline on it they mess with any attempts I get to find another diagnosis when they know damn well what happened on what day and with what products and who was there and when you know there's just no disputing the fact of what happened and when it happened and that we weren't protected because they don't have that kind of stuff there for PPE. we don't use that stuff so why would we need supplied oxygen masks. If I'm spraying something with metal paint mixed with silo I put on a 3M mask and use it organic filter and keep an eye on when it's starting to wear out even then? I'm not going to get leukemia or brain cancer for another 30 years well after I'm not working for them anymore so they've got that going for them and as do I. And this happened back in February 25th and I was sent home immediately because they were extremely concerned but they be suddenly became unconcerned about 4 days later I guess cuz corporate got involved and told me to come back into work and I spent another four weeks getting worse and worse and worse having the weekends to try and recover but not completely so I would start off at a level of irritation and asthma that was already underway when I returned on Monday. This was fun. Because even though they can see it they would just blame it on my smoking which is hilarious because you know life and for that weekend I wasn't allergic to anything in that building for two and a half years and I'm one of two people in the paint department so it's not a huge crew I'd say there's about 30 people that work there and probably too many people in the front office getting paid too much just sitting air conditioning. I mean they do work but you know if they had the chance they'd probably urinate on your face. That's not fair. They would wait till you run conscious from toxic exposure to gases anyway. Or they would but the workers comp adjusters do that for them. I mean they pay them for a reason and it's not help the employee so? Why am I talking to them again without an attorney oh yeah see above. So yeah they're just having a good old time they're beating me like a pinata making me run around like an idiot and freaking me out with letters and false deadlines that after a while I began to realize it being seriously gas lit I stopped playing nice guy and started recording phone calls and screenshotting text messages to make sure they got saved and save me everything in files and whenever they screwed up and intentionally put the wrong deadline on a Federal form like a FL la form from the Department of Labor anything like that? I would call him about that and record the response. One of my favorites was well that was just a suggested date because you know if you got it done sooner then you would get the paperwork done sooner and everything you get done sooner and you know just faster. Well yeah I understand how that works Einstein thanks I understand the whole concept and time and speed Mass velocity whatever. I swear to God they treat me like Chaka from Land of the Lost. They're all like 30 years younger than me and about to lose their jobs to AI but hey it'll be funny to watch. Won't need all those people running CAD machines and designing stuff after a few years. But let them enjoy it while they can anyway back to my career being ruined so they've just been having a good old time calling me and then they sent out a private investigator to harass me and want to talk to me until finally I just exploded and said what is it exactly you want to talk to me about.? I've been advised by everybody I know who is an attorney who may not be working in workers comp but they are an attorney? That I should never ever meet with a private investigator especially one that's a third party. You know one that's hired and not actually from the company. Cuz then he's not bound by the laws of an attorney or a police officer or an investigator he can do what he wants. Especially since he wanted to just talk to me and fill in the details of what happened that day. You know what caused the accident. I asked him what kind of forum is this going to occur in he said we could meet anywhere you want we can meet at McDonald's but I'm sure you don't want people here in your private information and I told him I don't like McDonald's anyway so I don't know I guess maybe after I get done with this doctor and have a solid diagnosis of asthma and something to stand on I'll be ready to comment. But until then I'm not meeting with you without an attorney in the room and probably even after I'm not going to meet with you without attorney in the room. So now it's come to this thing where I do have a doctor that's helping that was accidentally in their Network because I guess it slipped to the radar that they had an actual doctor that would do spirometry and asthma testing. of course they're messing with her a lot. I get your phone calls I get weird texts everybody has assured me that I'm obviously being observed surveilled. I don't see anything but I don't care either because nothing to see. I'm not at work. Why would I have asthma at home? I'm sure there's some triggers out there but I haven't discovered yet but that'll be fun and something to do in my free time. Anyway they seem to be kind of stuck in this rut where they won't go forward or approve anything unless I meet with the private investigator. Finally I blew my stack and said that I have no obligation to me the private investigator I've made my statement they were two people in the room y'all know what happened y'all know what I'm saying was the result you're not allowing me to explore that so I would think the best way for y'all to fill in the gaps and figure out what happened and what the situation this is letting me go to a f****** doctor that treats me and actually trust me for the things that I claim I have. That way instead of treating me like I'm lying you can prove that I'm lying which won't happen because I'm not lying which is obviously what you know so what is it he wants to ask me about again oh yeah he wants me to fill in the details is he a doctor? No okay well how about you get a doctor to do it instead of somebody who follows people husbands and wives around looking for infidelity. So I still don't have an attorney and I called OSHA reported the exposure and all they did was call my workplace and say "hey, did you have an exposure there?" and they said "yeah, but we got rid of that stuff" and they said "okay great" slow clap into a face palm. Which you know, kind of blew my mind. Because I thought calling OSHA was starting a nuclear war. That they would be in there with clip boards and chemical detectors and wanting to know just what the hell happened here. Because they've been really hard on this chemical and they've been trying to educate the public but evidently calling and just asking if it happened and them saying "well we got rid of that stuff" . That's enough for them. never mind the fact it was an "exposure to isocyanates in the workplace that I was reporting" which is what they told me they were going to check on. I wasn't calling them to tell them that they had harmful materials in a building, so evidently the guy I'm dealing with doesn't understand exactly what the law is or what law I was trying to get them to acknowledge. Cuz that would help my case if there were questions posed by government officials and they had to tell the truth. Either way, if they reported the exposure?great. They followed the law and I would have that an admission that an exposure occurred .....or they didn't report it and it would look really bad and probably cost them some money. But to my dismay, OSHA is obviously a joke. At least here in Dallas. So it's been real fun, yeah it's been one disappointment after the other of people just saying "I know this is my job, but I'm sorry. looking at your situation I'm just not good enough talented or educated enough to take it on. I'm just one of those people takes the easy cases and if something looks difficult? Even if it's a matter of you possibly dying or living on the streets and your whole family getting kicked out and never having a proper diagnosis to have on your medical records to show other employers or people in the situations that you can't be in in the future? I'm going to go over here and handle this easy money case." I'm sure there are some attorneys out there that if they knew about me and my situation it'll be all over it because they like a challenge and realize that there's not much left to do. All the information that I have and phone recordings, some documentation of b******* that has accumulated over the past months. Because normally you know you'd call a lawyer at the beginning of the case and there wouldn't be anything there. But since they figured I was never going to get an attorney? It was just "hey let's whack the pinata guy" . If an attorney were to walk in at this point? We've got enough acts of malfeasance and fraud and deliberate dishonesty, misleading statements and instructions, recordings and plenty of Doom and gloom documents meant to make me quit give up or go away out of fear or exhaustion.....and all I have to do is just hand you this stack and explain to you what's going on and we could probably even find a case that had nothing to do with workers compensation and had more to do with fraud and gross negligence and just have fun doing that. I mean they've had their fun why not? I didn't go into this looking for a cash settlement I just wanted to be taken care of and as the law states it should be. But I'm really just kind of f****** done with the whole f****** thing because everyone I talk to everyone I talk to doesn't want to touch it. When you have workers comp insurance that doesn't have ANY (ZERO) doctors in their Network to handle workplace asthma? which is one of the most common workers comp claims it pretty much leads the pack with all the saw dust and gas fumes out there to breathe in. But no we didn't have any doctors that would treat that or even know how to treat that at all. in fact the ONE that I did find? had retired about 5 years ago. That was funny. it was always a interesting thing to find out that when you finally had an aha moment leading to a hopeful situation? That turned out it was actually just a straw man. Even dealing with the Texas agencies help with people who are going through workers compensation or having difficulties? It depends on how you get on the line there's nothing more extremely helpful to the point where they'll even call the adjuster to make them call you back and help you fill out your forms whereas there were others that are just generally irritated by the fact that you're even calling and don't know what you're talking about. Well believe it or not there are some people in this world that don't do workers comp for living and don't spend their whole time having to deal with it. Especially people that are self-employed portrait artists for most of their lives. I guess this long-winded rambling stream of consciousness is just what's going on in my head and I can tell you right now it ain't a lot of good things and nothing really positive to say about working for anybody under any circumstances and I wouldn't take anything that anybody said they were going to do for you as a fact. It's all good on paper and everything but when it comes down to it it's all about saving money and if it involves an injury that doesn't look good on their records they got to get rid of that and they really don't f****** care what happens to you. You could be dissolving with sulfuric acid on your body and they would tell you to get out of the Sun and quit smoking. And they just watch it happen until you were just a pile of just steaming you know white powder on the ground or whatever happens. Do I sound frustrated? Flippant "whatever. Didn't see that coming". So I guess if you're in Texas and you're an attorney that this work is compensation and you want your entire case handed to you and you can say that you want a chemical exposure case in Texas I've got it right here for you if not fine. If you're from out of state that's fine too if you'd like to file a lawsuit that they beat me with clowns I don't give a carrot to a donkey whether you do that or not. As long as we win the case and they suffer for their behavior. It's not all vengeance. I want but is owed to me by law. And I didn't get that instead I got financial destitution cuz they have not paid me a dime and I'm the runaround which is basically we won't honor your claim until you prove that you were injured on the job. Okay I can't do that unless I prove that I have asthma. So they send me to a doctor that doesn't treat me for asthma now he's my pcp. Finally I find somebody that can treat me what do they do they immediately start pulling the plug on everything saying that my time's up sorry this show's over quick turn off the lights but hold up a minute they were too slow and I was able to get in there and she's doing spirometry tests and everything but you know I know it's not going to be enough because that's why I need to do the super serious testing the kind that definitively says whether you have asthma or not and there's no doubt there's no doubt that these people can try and split hairs and make excuses. Then I get to try and type for the workplace which wouldn't be hard if I had an attorney because this in front of a judge and argue it this is the guy before this is the guy after he's got occupational asthma he worked here for two and a half years and then after that weekend where was the only two days out of the year that that chemical was present and being sprayed? After that he developed severe occupational asthma and an insensitivity to isocyanide due to acute exposure with absolutely no PPE or guidance instruction and now no help no financial help and the guys that I work with here in town that run the show don't talk to me anymore it's all corporate people that were states away and have no idea and don't care what the facts are they just want the positive outcome which is the one that benefits them. But we all know that. We wouldn't be in this form if we didn't know that. Ask for all of y'all that have had better luck congratulations. I am truly happy for you. I don't know where I'm going to be I know obviously you can tell where I am mentally right now and that if another person involved with the adjuster or my employers handed me a form fill out to get the thing that I need that ain't going to happen that they say would happen that won't? I'd wad it up and throw it back in their face without reading it and not worrying about what they say will happen if I don't fill it out. Because they know if I fill it out and sign it or if I don't fill it out and sign it? It wouldn't do a f****** thing. Unless it was an attorney wanting to get with me and get a retainer and all that stuff set up .....and get going. Because nothing.....everything else is just a f****** waste of time, gas and mental energy. It's just that's what it's designed to do... wear you down. You know the truth and you can't prove it and you start feeling like you're living in bad movie like invasion of the body snatchers or something. like I said, it's the ultimate definition of gaslighting. So if you're going through the same thing with workers comp? I feel your pain. I definitely have sympathies if your injuries are more severe or debilitating than mine and you're being treated like this, but something needs to be done about the system because I'm quite aware of what it is now. I've had plenty of time to sit down and parse out what happened and watch videos listen to other attorneys talk read articles on the chemical and how not only companies and workers comp are reacting to it, but also the manufacturers themselves. For instance the CEO that wiped out that city in India? he showed up one day for court in India and then claimed he had to return to the states to take care of some business and never went back. India tried to extradite him for several decades. But instead? he was able to retire with a nice fat paycheck Savage whatever you want to call it and live out the rest of his days in Florida. And I guess he slept well at night knowing what he did. Union carbide. Bought by now Dow? Pretty sure they have never done anything wrong..... I'll have to double check that but I'm pretty sure on they are on up and up right? If they have the good attorney defend the behavior. I mean chemical companies they don't f*** around.... do they? anyway. whatever. I'm not too jaded to where I don't want to accept help or nail these f***. Or just get what I deserve. So take my post as a bit of Comedy or just a rant..... some venting. Maybe you feel the same way. Maybe it helps, maybe it doesn't. Just don't let it scare you cuz your case might be totally different than mine. I have an invisible injury and that's a s** place to be. Just like growing up in Texas. Well I guess it's time to lay down on the couch and play video games. How much is something like that pay?
My apologies if the punctuation spelling of what I've written up there (or actually dictated) has weird words that are completely out of contact in there somewhere. I dictated this because I'm so f****** tired of typing and I'm really tired of going back over what I wrote and fixing the grammar and trying to make it not look insane? It's just fatigue and I just thought I should get this out there in the Reddit forum. I'm a member of some other groups, but you know... first time listener first time caller