Appreciation letter for a school bus driver

Hey All, quick rant
I work as an HR rep at a company privately owned by a very wealthy old-money family. I was hired upwards from within the company where I worked for a while in a smaller role, and went to school and got myself qualified for a real HR job. I started literally at the bottom of the ladder doing hands-on manufacturing and made my way up. Everyone else in my HR department is either a niece/nephew or family friend of the ownership, and they all went to Ivy-league schools, which they tout bags and hats and mugs from every day. I think I was only hired for my current role because someone else quit with no notice and they were in a pinch, and they thought that the fact that I'd done the hard jobs myself and had existing relationships with the employees on the manufacturing floor would lend some legitimacy to the department, which has historically been considered out of touch and "white-glove". Recently I interviewed an applicant for a machine operation job, and she was clearly drunk. I went through the motions and conducted the interview professionally, waited a few days, and sent her a standard email letting her know that she had not been selected for the position. This is the same email I always use, and the template was actually given to me by a peer in my department. She was upset and somehow got one of my superiors' emails and told them that I was discriminating against her for being a single mom. Ownership is very cautious with the company's image and was very upset, they made the situation a much bigger deal than it needed to be and stressed about it for days. The thing that really bothered me though, is that I was entering an office to drop off some paperwork and overheard one of the owners say to a member of upper management, "That's why you don't let guys like HIM handle sensitive things like interviews. Whether he went to school or not, HE's not going to get it like WE get it." And like...Jesus, I don't think I've ever heard someone rich say the quiet part out loud like that before. When I started with the company, I had gauges and face piercings, I always wore short sleeves that exposed my tattoos, my hair was always dyed an unnatural color. You wouldn't even recognize me today. My career is so important to me I completely changed how I present myself. No piercings, long sleeves every day, well-ironed button up with suit pants and dress shoes that I really couldn't afford when I bought them, hair cut neatly and back to it's natural brown. Painstakingly put myself through school at night while I worked full time. But at the end of the day, anything that ever goes wrong, they'll all rally together and throw me under the bus, because I'm not one of 'them'. I'm not quick to anger of sadness but after all my hard work, all the staying late Fridays and fielding calls on the weekend, all the times I've even been out drinking with these guys and thought we were friends, it was a real punch in the gut to hear them so casually refer to me as being fundamentally different from them somehow because of my poor background. There really are two different worlds in their minds, and they don't see us as people the way they see themselves as people.

This post is way longer than originally intended. Having some issues getting klipper to maintain a stable connection to mcu.
Printer: CR-10 Smart Pro 2022
Pi: 4b
Services: Klipper + Octoprint 1.10.0

FIRMWARE_VERSION:v0.12.0-180-g79930ed9 FIRMWARE_NAME:KlipperFIRMWARE_VERSION:v0.12.0-180-g79930ed9 FIRMWARE_NAME:Klipper 

After initial install everything was working. I was having issues with "ls /dev/serial/by-id/*". Received "ls: cannot access '/dev/serial/by-id/*': No such file or directory" but magically cleared up after diag commands "lsusb" and "dmesg". Not sure what did it but I did nothing special that I can remember.
"/dev/serial/by-id/usb-1a86_USB_Serial-if00-port0"
After I updated the config with the "by-id" I had complete control over the printer and no problems.
Something I always do with a fresh install of a linux distro is "sudo apt update" & "sudo apt upgrade". (May of been a bad idea)
After upgrade completed I "restart system" from octoprint webpage and still had no issues.
Continuing I installed some plugins() and the moved on to getting the creality cam that the printer came with working assuming that it may be a fools errand.
After plugging in the camera and checking the octoprint "webcam stream". The webcam was still not working.
I restarted the pi from octoprint screen and from there I received errors connecting to mcu. Shows "standby" and attempting to press connect returned error.
"ls /dev/serial/by-id/*" no longer returns the id and gives me the same error "ls: cannot access '/dev/serial/by-id/*': No such file or directory"
Checked lsusb and dmesg. Everything looks good.
"ls /dev/serial/by-path/*" gives me a good output.
"/dev/serial/by-path/platform-fd500000.pcie-pci-0000:01:00.0-usb-0:1.1:1.0-port0"
Klipper faq - "Wheres my serial port" states "If you are using multiple micro-controllers and they do not have unique ids (common on boards with a CH340 USB chip) then follow the directions above using the command ls /dev/serial/by-path/* instead."
dmesg command returns
[ 6.129402] usbcore: registered new interface driver ch341
[ 6.129485] usbserial: USB Serial support registered for ch341-uart
[ 6.129561] ch341 1-1.1:1.0: ch341-uart converter detected
[ 6.144044] bcm2835-codec bcm2835-codec: Device registered as /dev/video11
[ 6.144085] bcm2835-codec bcm2835-codec: Loaded V4L2 encode
Obviously related to the camera.
Updating the config with the "by-path" output allows me to connect to the printer but any sent command other than the constant m105 will give me an error.
Printer is shutdown Recv: !! Shutdown due to M112 command Changing monitoring state from "Operational" to "Error"Recv: // Shutdown due to M112 commandRecv: // Shutdown due to M112 command Recv: // Once the underlying issue is corrected, use the Recv: // "FIRMWARE_RESTART" command to reset the firmware, reload the Recv: // config, and restart the host software. Recv: // Printer is shutdown
Printer does not shutdown in reality and at one point after restarting everything pressing the home button on octoprint. turned the fan on but also issued the same m112 command and error.
Was it sudo apt upgrade?
Was it plugging in the camera?
Notes about sudo apt upgrade:
I found an old post (https://www.reddit.com/klippers/comments/11gf40c/not\_able\_to\_run\_ls\_devserialbyid\_advice\_greatly/) about someone using linux mint who was running into the same issue. someone had commented "
Mint also includes a braille reader that blocks access to the serial port by default. Try these commands to uninstall one program that for sure will block it, and the second will show the status if ModemManager is installed, and if so, it may need to be removed as well
Mint also includes a braille reader that blocks access to the serial port by default. Try these commands to uninstall one program that for sure will block it, and the second will show the status if ModemManager is installed, and if so, it may need to be removed as well
sudo apt remove brltty sudo service ModemManager status
I attempted the first command but it returned not installed
The second command returned an active service.
"sudo apt list" returns these 5 related to brltty:
brltty-espeak/oldstable 6.3+dfsg-1+deb11u1 armhf
brltty-flite/oldstable 6.3+dfsg-1+deb11u1 armhf
brltty-speechd/oldstable 6.3+dfsg-1+deb11u1 armhf
brltty-x11/oldstable 6.3+dfsg-1+deb11u1 armhf
brltty/oldstable 6.3+dfsg-1+deb11u1 armhf
and also these related to ModemManager:
gir1.2-modemmanager-1.0/oldstable 1.14.12-0.2 armhf
libkf5modemmanagerqt-doc/oldstable 5.78.0-2 all
libkf5modemmanagerqt6/oldstable 5.78.0-2 armhf
modem-manager-gui-help/oldstable 0.0.20-2 all
modem-manager-gui/oldstable 0.0.20-2 armhf
modemmanager-dev/oldstable 1.14.12-0.2 armhf
modemmanager-doc/oldstable 1.14.12-0.2 all
modemmanager-qt-dev/oldstable 5.78.0-2 armhf
modemmanageoldstable,now 1.14.12-0.2 armhf [installed,automatic]
modem manager is now uninstalled.
brltty still shows not installed.
Notes about the camera and printer.
Camera was plugged into a usb 2.0 port while the serial connection is a usb 3.0.
I've never seen this thing work. The printer has both a usb-c connection and a usb-a.
usb-a is strictly for the webcam because it connects to the wifi box not the mcu.
The wifi box is 100% defective out of the box. I could go into details but this post is long enough. I have been using the printer reliably using only the sd card and the physical screen on the printer.
Sorry this is so long. I'm obviously losing it. I'm attempting to show that I have been through all of the usual fixes. My plan from here is to reflash the pi and go back to the beginning of the klipper installation for the 3rd time. This time no "sudo apt upgrade" and no camera.
Eventually I'd like to plug in a camera but I need to know whats going on because the camera just seems to break everything.
Attempt #1 - Camera was already plugged in. "sudo apt upgrade" was ran. Never managed to get the printer to respond. Made it to a "operational" state but like stated before any attempt to send a command other than m105 errors out.
Attempt #2 - Fuctional. Responds to commands moving axises, heating up nozzle/bed, reports temps. Then broke after either apt upgrade or plugging in camera.
Attempt #3 - (Will update this when completed.)
I'm giving up for now and going fishing later. I will be checking on this until I come back from fishing (7/8p est). If you want more info about its current state post a comment I can run some more commands. Any help is appreciated!

Genocide looked to the sky. He thought of his mentor. The one who had saved him. He remembered his childhood. How powerless he was. He remembered the anger. He never wanted to hurt anybody. He thought of all the times he showed compassion. How much they hurt him for it. He saw the world before him, a graveyard. Humans. People that were supposed to be made in the image of some divine creator. They were but maggots feasting upon his remains. They ate away at his very being until nothing human remained. His thoughts were no longer his own. He had no joys in life that mattered. He hated humanity more than he could love anything about himself. He remember his first killing spree. Being gunned down by police. Left for dead. He remembered a hooded figure moving towards him. Getting closer the more he neared his death. He saw its pale face. Its impossibly black eyes. It was a man. This figure in question appeared to be of Japanese nationality with long, straight, loose hair. It emanated extreme malice. It offered him a choice. A purpose. Power. He thought the figure a reaper but it identified itself as Amakusa Masataka. Masataka guided him on how to kill and gave him specific locations to kill people in. In a sense, he became a hitman for quotas of people. He inquired what Masataka was. The presence of evil, his ability to appear and disappear at will, how he could control what people could see him and what people couldn't. While vague, years of killing for this being offered some insight. Amakusa Masataka belonged to a group of people not of this world. His people had been corrupted by a dark force long ago and had aligned themselves with the warlord who had subjugated their version of Japan. Their dark high priest assisted the warlord along with two others. These four rulers in turn served a larger order. The four were tasked with bringing about the end of the current world as an act of retribution for some fallen deity. Masataka's people acted as covert operatives for this empire. They were feared across the land and were collectively referred to as "Shinigami". An agent of the coming apocalypse, a servant of evil possessed by the will of those gods of death, Genocide would walk the earth.
Genocide stepped toward the station. A police cruiser rammed into him. He pulled out a knife and stabbed the hood of the car. The inhuman force of the knife created sparks which burst the engine into flames. The car crashed into a streetlight and exploded. A second cruiser neared the scene. No way a man could have done this. Yet still, out of the fires Genocide strode forth. It set upon the second vehicle, shooting out it's tires while jumping 9 feet into the air. The car tries to reverse but crashes into a wall. Genocide lands on the hood and kicks through the front window. Glass shatters under its boot, blinding the two officers inside. Genocide shoots one of the officers with a shotgun, killing him. The second officer in the passenger seat readies his pistol and takes aim. Only two shots fired, both directed at Genocide's head. It casually cocks its neck to avoid them. Then it grabs the officer's arm, breaking it. Genocide uses its free hand to grab the officer's head and bangs it into the dashboard no less than 5 times. The skull is shattered on the final impact. Genocide jumps off the car and continues on his mission.
Detective Evans speaks through a megaphone," This is your first and final warning. Stand down or we will use any and all means at our disposal to put you down." Genocide dropped its shotgun and raised its hands. A group of five SWAT team members rushed out the station, surrounding Genocide with riot shields. An officer accompanies them, edging behind the figure to apply handcuffs. Suddenly, Genocide springs to life , grabbing the officer behind him. He flips the officer over his head, slamming him into the pavement at his feet. Then Genocide stomps his head causing it to burst. Genocide drops a flash bomb from his coat sleeve, blinding the SWAT team as he draws his knife. He drives it into one SWAT member, the knife puncturing the shield and piercing his chest. Genocide kicks the corpse away withdrawing his knife. He goes to another, this time using the end of his boot toe in a rising kick to disarm their shield. He grabs them by the throat and drives the knife slowly into their eye socket. Another is tackled to the ground and beaten to death despite still being under the shield. Another is picked up and thrown into the fires still burning from the first auto incident. In no time, Genocide stood before an indistinguishable mass of gore, blood streaking across his black leather outfit. He laughed" So this is all you can give me. I'm not entertained." Officers took aim from the station windows, and snipers did so from other rooftops. Genocide laughed maniacally as he was rained down upon from all sides by a hailstorm of bullets. His body convulsed, but he did not fall. Moments more and he was on his knees. Still though, their efforts were futile. Gracia looked out and saw a black mist coalescing around the man in black. His blood. Blood erupted from his body only to transform into this dark mist that reentered his wounds. Genocide screamed. No. It was just an elevated pitch in his laughter. Optimism failed everyone yet again. Gracia saw Genocide holding something in his right hand. She could only make out a beeping red light. Genocide pushed the button triggering the carefully concealed explosives he laid in preparation for this event. C4 explosives went off in all the places he saw fit. The sniping posts he couldn't reach. The assault of lead lightened. Then Genocide drew an RPG from...somewhere. He collected himself and fired at the station's entrance. The explosion shook the station. From inside, the lights began to flicker. Communications were down on all fronts. Had he modified the rocket with some type of EMP? Not good. Amisdst the confusion Genocide entered using smoke bombs to mask his presence. Moving like a shadow, he killed everyone in the lobby silently with his knife. He made his way to the holding cells. Still they chanted. Still they praised. Still they raved for the arrival of genocide. Genocide shot the lock opening the cell. Jim Jimenez walked out and bowed before his master. Genocide smiled. He couldn't have imagined how proficient he had gotten with possession. Well, not quite possession. He had known of the Shinigami's ability to share their thoughts and emotions with humans. Shinigami like his mentor were ancient. They had so many years of memories, such strong a hatred for life that they overwhelmed the personality of the victim. The victim sees themselves as one of them. Shinigami can't force the will of the victim, so they find those who are already similar to them in some way. Genocide found the collective universal distrust of police to be a prime sentiment to capitalize on. He armed the inmates, infecting them with samples of his own dark essence.One particular inmate caught Genocide's eye. He knew the man's work. An arsonist. The one whom he recalls was responsible for blowing up his first car way back in high school. Rather than a standard firearm, Genocide gave the man a random assortment of grenades containing a special surprise. Genocide showed them visions of anarchy, of sending a message to a society that used and disregarded them. While this was also true of how he felt, years of living in darkness had changed him. He needed no purpose. No end goal. No justification. He just wanted to watch the world burn.
Genocide's small army broke off to engage several different wings of the station. Genocide went to the security room. He found Wayne, his informant, playing some FPS on one of the monitors. Wayne took of his headphones and asked," You kill everyone yet?" Genocide responded," No. You should get going before that happens. Your life becomes fair game if I run out of pigs to cook." Wayne clapped his hands, "Aight, GC my man, say less." He packed his things and left. Genocide drew a twin pair of handguns and laid waste to the station. He followed a group that took cover in the men's restroom. Kicking open multiple stalls he was surprised to find...nothing. Where had they gone? He turned around and saw his mentor, Masataka, smiling at him. It looked like him. Long, dark hair, black clothing, and soulless, empty eyes. But it wasn't. It was Genocide's own reflection in the mirror. Genocide smiled. He didn't notice the changes at first. They must have happened gradually. Subconsciously. From the final stall, an officer sprung into action, rushing Genocide, hitting him point blank with a shockgun round. Genocide felt the tingling sensation electrifying his body and grew numb. In spite of the pain, he took a single step. Then, another. He came within striking range of the officer and snatched the shockgun. Two more officers erupted from another stall, battering him with baton strikes. Genocide felt nothing. He clutched the shockgun in his hand like a bat and went to work pulverizing his attackers. An officer kicked in the bathroom door, a woman holding a pistol. She fired multiple times to no effect. Genocide stood covered in blood. He even let her reload. Twice. He wanted to see her despair. Her hopelessness. He walked towards her, shrugging off bullets as they pierced his body. His wounds healed nigh instantly due to the dark essence he had been imbued with. He held her face with both hands, lifting her body off the ground. As she screamed, he used her head to shatter the restroom mirror, running down the full length of it while smashing her into it at several points. He dropped the remains of what he held, washed his hands with soap, dried them, then exited the restroom.
The inmates that rallied for the cause of genocide attacked the station. Fortunately, they were nowhere near Genocide in terms of power and only carried one type of firearm each. They shared his healing ability but could be killed quite easily. Gracia encountered a sniper on the end or a west wing hallway. Other officers waited behind corners unable to get close. Gracia noticed the faulty lighting. In this hallway, the lights flickered in intervals of 3 seconds. Finding a pattern and timing her movements, she rushed the sniper at the exact moment the lights went out. Running the length of the hall, Gracia zigzagged, dodging the sniper inmate's bullets. She jumped on a wall, ran 3 feet on it, then kicked off it, pouncing on the assailant. She fired five shots into him, making sure to hit the brain and the heart. Two severe injuries that were impossible for Shinigami essence to heal simultaneously. Elsewhere, Evans took on another escaped inmate. A vehicular arsonist named Carson. Carson had a bag filled with an assortment of different grenades and was happily giving them out like candy on Halloween. "A flash bang here, a bit of tear gas there. Oh. Wait! Was that an ice grenade? Did the explosion freeze your leg to the floor? Whoops. Maybe a fire grenade will melt that for you. Hold on let me get one fore you," Carson rambled gleefully. Evans looked at the carnage before him. Officers burning. Officers partially frozen in blocks of ice. He took a breath and aimed his wristgun. He steadied his right forearm. Carson readied to throw a random grenade. Evans shot it the moment it left Carson's hand. The grenade exploded directly in front of Carson. Both Evans and Carson looked at each other in shock. Confetti. A party grenade? Carson quickly fumbled for another but was tackled and restrained by several officers. Meanwhile in the South wing, Lary had some colleagues set a trap for another shotgun toting inmate. He had them bait the inmate and flee. Giving chase he turned a corner and ran straight into Lary's fist. The inmate recovered and motioned to shoot Lary. "Let's tango. " Lary gave the code word. Nearby officers activated a device. A signal jammer of sorts. The inmate shoved the barrel of his gun into Lary's gut and pulled the trigger. Nothing. The special signal jammer in question was designed for firearms. It was a last resort as it left officers just as defenseless. Lary was having fun. He boxed the inmate in hand to hand combat. Despite the inmate's enhanced strength, Lary's technique pulled through. Lary ducked under one of the inmate's wide punches and did some type of rising uppercut where he jumped off the ground while spinning. One of the other officers whispered" The rising dragon." Lary smiled giving a thumbs up" Yeah, it was a rising dragon uppercut. Saw it in one O my kid's vidya games. Thought I'd try it out while I'm jacked on adrenaline".
Jim Jimenez looked long and hard at himself in the mirror. He was in the women's restroom. Some brainless woman had broken the men's restroom mirror with her face. For the first time in a long while Jim could think clearly. He was becoming sane. At the least he was no longer a raving lunatic. The life essence of the dark gods had healed the wounds to both his body and his mind. He saw his face, his scraggly dirty beard. He found a razor and shaved. He trimmed his beard somewhat. He liked it. He washed his hair. It fell down his face like silk, no longer greasy. His bloodshot eyes once burning with crazed intensity had cooled. He blinked. Just for a second, he saw the man known as Genocide. The man that attacked him. The one that killed him and gave him new life. The drug dealers. The police. They were all the same in his eyes now. They were all to blame for the world being what it is. Jim wanted to hate them. He wanted to take revenge, but he felt nothing. It didn't matter. He knew he was wronged, could logically justify acting against them, but he just didn't care anymore. About anything. He was finally free. Sensing his presence was no longer needed here, Jim vanished into the night. He needed to find someone who had had the answers he needed. Himself. Who had he been? Who was he now? Who could he become? Where was he going? So many questions to ponder indefinitely. So much time left in the rest of his life.
Genocide ran down the station's halls raining hailstorms of bullets upon its occupants. He had a handgun in each hand as well as a wristgun on each wrist. This effectively gave him 4 separate firearms that he could use simultaneously. Lary regrouped with Gracia, Evans, and a handful of others. They radioed all surviving officers near Genocide to flee to the roof. This plan had been set in motion days before the assault and had been kept hidden from most of the force. The plan involved scheduling flights for several helicopters to arrive at some point after Genocide arrived. There would be no way for him to prepare for them and pre-scheduling their arrival ensured they arrived regardless of if they were called or not. Lary and the others set about preparing the second jamming device. Genocide stood among a hallway of bodies. He saw one man clinging to life trying to crawl away. He decided on trying that other thing he saw his master do. He grabbed the dying man and pinned him to the wall. Slowly he drove a knife into his chest. As the man's life slipped away, something else entered his body. Genocide channeled a small amount of his essence into the vessel. He had steadily done this with other casualties around the station whose bodies were somewhat salvageable. He dropped the body he was holding and looked upon the others. He closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, his eyed were black, both sclera and iris. The scene before him changed. Genocide had a vision. He saw a dead gray wasteland littered with bodies. These people however weren't cops and wore traditional Japanese attire. In his hand wasn't a gun or knife but a short sickle akin to a farming tool. He heard a dark voice call out to him. Slowly, the corpses around him began to rise, now mere puppets bound eternally to their master's whim. The bodies sold to the reaper who had claimed their lives. Genocide's vision ended. His eyes had returned normal. Around him, dead cops began to rise. His dark essence had entered their bodies and reanimated them. He sent his dead army to attack the officers fleeing to the roof of the station. These zombies swarmed the stairwell giving chase to the few survivors. There were five of them. They had two flights of stairs to climb and a horde of their former colleagues close behind them. One officer tripped and was set upon by the horde. The zombies didn't bite them but held them firmly in place. The other four officers stared down wondering what to do. They could hear Genocide chuckling. They could hear humming. They could feel the temperature rising. Their colleague and the two zombies holding him were hit by an enormous green fireball. Genocide had fired a Magnum Opus and had charged the bullet to level 3. The Magnum Opus was simply a magnum that shot fireballs, with bullets that could be charged by holding down the trigger. It had three levels of charges. Level 1 was a small reddish ball of plasma. Level 2 was slightly larger and yellow. Level 3 was the maximum charge and resulted in a large slow moving green blast of energy. The officer was ignited and Genocide watched gleefully as the force of the blast sent him flying through a wall. The four officers continued up firing occasionally to slow down the zombies. Soon they made it to a door leading to the roof. Before one officer could reach it, he was sniped by Genocide, a bullet to the head killing him instantly. The remaining three made it out. They regrouped with the others already there, 12 in total, including Lary, Evans, and Gracia. This would be their final stand. They just had to hold out until Genocide made it up there. They just had to keep Genocide occupied until the helicopters arrived. Genocide slowly ascended the stairs behind his horde. On the roof, the remaining survivors faced off against waves of the undead. Evans recognized the attackers. These zombies were being controlled by nanomachines. He heard the stories of several weapons encountered by soldiers on the battlefield. These creatures were called Metaldeads as they were reanimated via machines. They had been officially banned by most of the worlds' governments for being unethical. However, this did not stop the technology from being spread still between shady organizations, terrorists, etc. Evans wondered how Genocide got this form of nanotechnology. Evans long speculated that the dark essence used by most of the killers they encountered was a a form of nanotech however it was different from anything else he had seen or heard about. The dark essence seemed to be an amalgamation of other types of nanotech. Evans had to save his inquiries for later. He reloaded his wristgun and took aim at the approaching group of Metaldeads. Gracia steadied her handgun and shot two Metaldeads in the head. From the single door countless arms seemed to spill forth from the darkness. The other officers took turns firing in intervals. this allowed them to create a steady stream of fire where no more that three guns needed to be reloaded at once. The horde seemed to thin out over time as if they were making progress. In actuality, the Metaldeads were just making room for Genocide to enter. Genocide exploded in a sprint from the door. Everyone fired upon the killer. Genocide had now chosen a wrist mounted mini flamethrower to use as his weapon. He stormed past the oncoming bullets taking some damage, but refused to slow down. He unleashed a stream of fire that caught five of the officers in one fell swoop. Gracia fired five rounds into Genocide's face. He stumbled back. Lary took the chance to fire several mine gun bullets at Genocide's feet. The mines quickly detected his movement and exploded. In seconds, Genocide was on his back.
Staring at the night sky Genocide saw the moon. He reached for it. He called for the darkness to give him more power. His wounds began healing. In the sky he could hear the whirl of propellers. There were six helicopters in total. The first two had evacuated the survivors while the others stayed to engage Genocide. Genocide got up and unstrapped the sniper rifle from his back. He stood before the searchlights as a black silhouette, cornered but unwilling to back down. Lary stared down at him smiling. "Okay!" He shouted, "Let's Tango!" Upon this declaration the second jamming device was activated. Now, isolated on the roof, Genocide's guns couldn't be fired and the helicopters were out of range of the device. Now Genocide stood like a sitting duck. A helicopter fired a rocket. Genocide side stepped and grabbed it. He turned his body redirecting the rocket to hit another helicopter. As it exploded Genocide drew his knife and threw it at another helicopter. Behind the knife was such force that it shattered the helicopter window's glass, embedding itself in the pilot. This helicopter too went down where it exploded. "Holy clucknuggets!Did you see that!?" Lary said dumbfounded. Evans looked out the helicopter door he was in jaw open in shock. "There's no way." He collected himself quickly and radioed the remaining two helicopters to keep moving and to use their machineguns as much as possible. The helicopters reigned down upon Genocide tearing apart his body. Shreds of leather and darkened blood sprayed across the pavement of the roof. Gracia watched as Genocide's body was destroyed repeatedly as it tried to heal. Surely he had to stop at some point. After 10 minutes the helicopters had exhausted their cache of ammunition and soldiers opted to fire their own rifles and occasionally throw grenades. After about six minutes, they too had run out of bullets. Genocide stood unfazed. He had long since healed himself and now appeared intangible with gunfire seeming to pass through his body. His coat once ripped , now appeared whole though on closer inspection seemed to writhe. Gracia looked in horror as she remembered the tales her adopted father had told her. Tales he had in turn heard from his predecessors. Every so often officers had reported encounters with ghost like beings cloaked in a cloud of living dark mist. The beings were rumored to be responsible for the deaths of multiple people ranging from scientists, veterans, mafia, politicians, etc. They were seen near such crime scenes and even more shockingly appeared around several sites where suicides were committed. These beings were reportedly impervious to bullets and filled anyone who got near with an impending sense of dread. If Genocide was connected to them or somehow turning into one , there was little chance they would be able to defeat him. Gracia's fears were confirmed when she saw that Genocide's leather coat had been destroyed and he had replaced it with the dark mist coalescing from his own spilled blood. The dark mist, swirling, grew larger and several tendrils sprouted out from it. Gracia could briefly make out a figure standing next to Genocide. A hooded figure cloaked in the same black substance. The figure stared up at her with soulless, blackened eyes which seemed to beckon her to jump from the aircraft she was standing in. Compelling her to give in to the death that plagued the earth. Genocide kneeled to his master. The Shinigami, Masataka stared down at his disciple. "You have done a great service to us. Even now the sealed god stirs in its slumber. Its...Awakening will soon be upon us. It calls out for war. It begs for famine. It longs to continue its conquest. We are the death it so desires. The death that is necessary for this civilization to grow. Use the power that I have bestowed upon you. Finish the mission as you see fit." The Shinigami vanished and Genocide stood.Genocide stared at his hands. He remembered the first killing spree. He was on a bus. It stopped. A woman got on the bus and walked to the back smiling as she passed him. Something about her eyes unnerved him. They were so bright but something dark reflected inside them. He ignored the thought and put in his headphones. In minutes he had dozed off. He jumped awake. He looked around and froze in panic. All around him, everyone had been hacked to pieces. He saw the driver, actively being stabbed by a masked assailant. The mask, painted white with black eyeholes, stared back at him. It raised a finger over where its lips would be. Even under the expressionless visage, he could feel that same smile. He ran home that morning. He went to his room to find it destroyed. His posters, his computer, his tv, everything, had been ruined. He turned around and saw a man at the end of the hallway holding a sledge hammer. "The hell you been, boy?", his stepdad sneered. The man dropped his hammer and walked closer, veins pulsing with rage. He tried to explain how his car had caught fire forcing him to walk 4 miles to the nearest bus stop, but the man's fist was faster than his words. "Boy!Answer me when I talk to you!!" the man says as he backhands the taste out of the would be Genocide's mouth. He took that beating for several minutes before being left to stare at his ransacked room. He hated how his stepdad went out of his way to destroy the things he loved. Soon, another set of footsteps could be heard. It was his mother standing behind his locked door. She didn't knock, or say anything. She just stood there, doing nothing as always. He never knew if she came to talk to him or apologize. All he knew was that she could never bring herself to speak to or even acknowledge him. Maybe out of guilt or perhaps shame. A year or two later after he had had enough he ran away from home. Living out on the streets alone, without friends, or family, he would embark on countless killing sprees. These killings weren't of his own volition however. He was coerced by some corrupt officers from The Unit. They made him kill on their behalf. Sometimes they were protesters, sometimes they were drug dealers, other times, petty criminals they couldn't be bothered to process. It was routine for him to be used to kill entire houses of drug riddled addicts. During one such venture he entered a drug den, killing the dealer as instructed. He took out several junkies before turning to leave. A woman who survived her injuries clung to his heel begging him to stop. Looking down he aimed the handgun he was carrying at her head of long disheveled brown hair and fired. Feeling nothing, he kicked her body aside like trash when it hit him. Her face. This woman had been his mother. What was she doing in a place like this? He felt a shock of emotion. He wondered if she had always been like this, or had she changed after he left. He never made amends, but decided to stop killing from then on. The unit did not like that. Once it became apparent that he was no longer of use to them they started a manhunt to apprehend him with lethal force. They found him. They killed him. But he survived.
He remembered the girl on the bus. He remembered her eyes. Those of a sadistic killer. Still there was something else inside them. Something faint but deeper. So. Much. Sadness. Just like him. He felt the hatred begin to spread. His purpose, he decided, was to make all humans rot in the hell they created for him.
These people, he thought to himself, these living diseases, all needed to die. Their struggles, their problems, they spread like cancer to others. The only cure for humanity's sin, its collective wrongdoings, was genocide.
Around him, dark tendrils continued to form and expand, spinning in a vortex. Genocide pulled out two pistols. He squeezed the triggers to no effect. "As I see fit, huh? Hehe." He squeezed both guns in his hands, breaking them into pieces. He concentrated. In his hands, two more guns materialized now completely black due to being forged from the dark essence. Forged by his will. Immune to the jamming device that shut down conventional firearms. He raised his arms at each remaining helicopter and opened fire. Countless tendrils whipped out and slashed at his targets joining the dark essence bullets. It was chaos. Dark tendrils and bullets tore through every direction as Genocide spun and swirled around in 360 degrees firing randomly with purpose. A tendril pierced Gracia's right arm, another, her abdomen. She was however, fortunate, as the other passengers of her helicopter were dismembered. She barely had time to jump from the vehicle before it crashed. She fell 2 yards onto solid concrete. She felt immense pain as her right shoulder shattered on impact. She looked up to see Genocide's blade like appendages ripping through the other escape helicopters. She rolled onto her back and tried to steady herself. Within seconds her body began to repair itself. The nanocells inside her had saved her life but were now depleted. She would need another supplement lest she receive another fatal injury. The standard nanocells she and the others had were much less potent than those of the killers they faced. In truth, they had only minimal strength boosts being able to lift 5-8 more pounds than before and healing being limited to one or two fatal injuries so long as death didn't occur instantly. Gracia blacked out. She awoke the next morning in a hospital. There the doctors refilled her nanocells. She learned that the station had been left in ruins. Genocide had detonated some type of minature nuke following his rampage. He always blew up the stations as if to send a message. Gracia looked out the window thinking about why she became a cop. Twice her family had been murdered by them. Her biological family had been killed in an on record drug raid committed by a group of corrupt officers called The Unit. She had been adopted by another officer that arrived at the scene who found her as a child hiding in a closed. Sadly, he too was killed for trying to expose the activities of The Unit. Gracia joined the force to avenge both losses and bring justice to the killers that disguised themselves as normal people. Law enforcement was neither good, nor bad. It depended upon the people that made it up. In the dying corrupt world Gracia lived in, she vowed to be a beacon of light. Evans laid in a bed adjacent to Lary. "That damn Genocide's somethin else in' he?Like the stories you told us were understatements. That man could legit not die at this point in the story. Like he has friggin plot armor or somthin.'' Evans cut him off" I get it. We all got our asses handed to us. But did you see that ..thing that appeared next to him. Right before he created that black vortex that wiped us out. That must have something to do with his power. Maybe there's a still a way to stop him."Lary chimed in," That fella looked like he was on the way to a black metal concert wit all the black facepaint he was wearin' Creeped me out to be honest." As the survivors mulled over their predicament, the cycle of evil continued to spread elsewhere.
Budley flips through the pages of a magazine. He checks his watch. He looks around the gas station and doesn't see any customers. Seizing the opportunity, he puts in his headphones and begins playing an imaginary guitar as he jams to a progressive deathcore album. Oblivious to the screams coming from outside, the store clerk moves on to thumping two candy bars on the counter to simulate drums. Budley sees that his shift has ended and begins locking up the store. He sweeps the aisles and jumps as a shadow appears behind him. He turns and sees a well groomed bearded man dressed in a black hoodie, black shirt, and black and gray camo pants. The man holds out his hand and smiles. Budley rings up the pack of nicotine substitute gum. "Tryin to kick the habit huh?" Budley asks. The man replies, "Somethin like that. Gotta get my priorities back in check. Focus on the things that really matter. That damn KonCreep's a hell of a band aren't they?" He nods to the playlist on Budley's phone. "Yeah, they're killer. just got into them a month back." Budley answers. "You know, I'm something of a musician myself. Maybe you'll hear of me on the news someday." Jim Jimenez says as he sees himself out. He walks to the back of the building and passes an ominous form of graffiti. A woman lays unmoving and above her, written on concrete in red is a message that simply says "Genocide Reigns".

context: graduated with an art history degree in 2017, from a college with a pretty good reputation in the field. during undergrad, worked some local internships.
in 2018, i had a seasonal internship at a major museum, and then worked as a gallery assistant at a small gallery for the latter half of the year, both in NY.
in 2019 i moved states, to a place without much of an “art scene” (at least by NY standards) but i did manage to get an “art job”, which i stayed at until 2021 when the company folded. no name recognition, but i would say my duties there were auction house-adjacent.
in 2022, i moved back to NY, got a full-time 9-5 job as a copyeditor (not in a glamorous industry), and started grad school for art history (part time). i should be done fall 2025.
i’ve been reticent to apply to many art jobs (museums, galleries, artist foundations, and nonprofit orgs) because it would be a huge pay cut but i’m finally in a financial place where i can. i’ve had zero responses though, even for like, internships paying $16/hr. i know this isn’t unusual, but i swear that in 2018 i would at least get some initial responses from similar jobs.
i worry that my current job is working against me because it’s not “relevant”, even though some of the skills overlap with the jobs i’m applying for.
should i leave it off my resume? not mention it at all in my cover letters? as it is, i keep the description very brief and emphasize the skills that are relevant. i’m worried that a 3-year employment gap could also work against me.
in theory, i’m not above working my way back up from minimum wage part-time internships and the like. i’ve done it before and got by supplementing with hospitality jobs. but i’m approaching 30, need health insurance, and don’t know how many more years of working 6-7 days a week i have in me.

The community here has been incredibly helpful to me as my family transitions to MN soon. We finally found a house in Coon Rapids and unfortunately my soon to be 2nd grader is on the waiting list for before and after care at an Anoka elementary school. Where can I find a reliable other option? My spouse and I will be need to be at work by 730am daily and we are working out of the Coon Rapids area...about 20 minutes away. Any options that you all know for care?
Also, what about day camps and park &rec activities, or ymca care? I have one almost 5 year old and a seven year old. Any tips for stuff for them to do in the C9on Rapids area would be appreciated. I am hoping they can fund friends.

———
I'm almost 30 and have one child who is 5 years old. I'm an OFW and coming home this month because my contract has ended. My child's father is a foreigner whom I met abroad. I came home to the Philippines when I got pregnant 5 years ago, and since then, I haven't seen my ex, but sometimes we communicate and he sends money. A lot happened while I was pregnant: I found out he already had a family and children, his business failed, he had many loans at the bank, and the pandemic made it impossible for him to return to the Philippines when I gave birth. I eventually accepted the reality that he deceived me. My Facebook account is locked, and my name is in Japanese to prevent him from finding me on social media.
Now, we are in communication again, and he sends money every month for our child. He said he tried to find me but couldn't. He claims he's financially stable now and wants to make it up to me and our child, and he mentioned that we could get married. His plan is to take us abroad where he works. He has already filed for leave in July because he is serious about coming home to see our child, and he has booked a plane ticket and hotel in advance.
My problem is that I am in a relationship. I had a boyfriend when I left the Philippines, and he has been waiting for me. Our relationship isn't perfect, and we often argue, but not because of other men or women. My boyfriend doesn't know that I have been communicating with my ex because he once said he would leave me if I did. (I know this is cheating, but don't judge.)
My dilemma is that I don't know whom to choose or what the right decision is. I don't want to deprive my child of the chance to know his real father, especially since he has started asking about him. Financially, I need his help because I'm not very good at earning money, and my ex doesn't know that I have a boyfriend. He doesn't care as long as we can be a family.
On the other hand, my boyfriend is almost 7 years younger than me. I never expected him to wait this long. He plans to return to school, and I'm afraid we might not be endgame. He has a tendency to say hurtful things. I remember once when I jokingly suggested he should support my child's education, he said, "How dare you? Someone else had the fun, and I get the responsibility!" He was angry when I teased him, but it hurt. He doesn’t cheat, but he says hurtful things, and I worry he might one day resent everything he has done for me and my child. I tell myself it’s because he’s young, but I can’t help but overthink that I might be making the wrong bet. I'm also scared because I read open letters about people on Facebook and TikTok, and I know of children who were neglected because their parents remarried. I fear my child might end up feeling the same way or not being accepted by my future husband’s family.
My child has met my boyfriend and thinks he is his father. But I'm waiting and hoping that my boyfriend will sometimes remember my child and check on him. During Christmas, he didn't think of giving or sending gifts for my child, but he did for his godchildren, saying he had no money. However, there was one time he bought school supplies when we were fighting, trying to prove he loved my child. I know it’s impossible for him to love my child as his own based on his personality, but I still hope. I don’t want to hurt him because he waited so long, or maybe I just don’t want to be blamed and called a cheater. He has said many hurtful things to me when he's angry, but I let them slide because I'm afraid of being left again. Maybe now it’s different because I have somewhere to go, and that’s my ex. I still don’t know what to do. All I know is that being a parent is hard. I don’t love my ex anymore, but I can sacrifice for the complete family that my child deserves.

Hello,
I'm currently looking for a place to live, and the prices are utterly insane: $2k + utilities + renter insurance for studios smaller than 300 sq ft near Jane and Finch.
I work full-time, earning $19.50 an hour. My net income per month is approximately $2650. Assuming $40 for tenant insurance, $30 for water, and $80 for hydro, it would be $2,200 or 83% of my monthly earnings. This doesn't account for internet, a bus pass, phone, or groceries.
Even if I removed the internet/phone and sneaked onto the bus illegally twice a day, I'd have roughly $200 left. Genuine question: how am I supposed to pay for this?
Further, how am I supposed to get a unit when landlords want rent to be approximately 30% of your income? I realize a higher earning potential would alleviate my predicament; I'm in school full-time (3rd year) attempting to accomplish this. However, the vast majority of renters are in a similar situation.
Something needs to change, this is passing absurd and turning into a massive crisis.

We downsized our living space considerably about 5 months ago and I’m still in the middle of unpacking. I have a lot of interests (like 7 main ones) so I own the majority of the things we have. I feel like I took care of most of my stuff when we first moved, and all I’m doing now is rearranging things so that everything will fit without there being a huge mess, and also hopefully look nice.
It’s honestly been stressful and would appreciate a little help, but in the past when I’ve hinted towards it, she tells me “it’s your stuff, face the consequences of your actions” and views it as a lesson on overspending.
For context, she has always worked more hours than me, and I am in school on and off. For these reasons I felt like it was fair that I did more of the housework. Even though I thought that, it still bugged me that she never helped with our living area. I’m not saying she doesn’t do chores though, she usually takes care of the laundry and dishes.
She is also asking me where her designated area of our room is going to be. I’m really confused, as her things are already unpacked and displayed, albeit not in a distinctly separated area. It’s not as if we don’t share our things.
Am I just whining here? Should I bring this up to her, and if so, how? She actually has a complex about housework, which is why I never dare to bring it up since she’d get mad if I suggest she’s either doing too much or not doing enough. To those of you in straight relationships, is there usually just one of you that takes care of all the cleaning and organization, and is that normal? Also for more context I have adhd but I try not to think about it
TL;DR I have a lot of stuff and my gf won’t help me unpack and I’m just wondering if I’m being annoying for wanting help like feel free to roast the shit out of me if I am

I recently(yesterday) bought a used 2016 chevy traverse in kansas. they made a mistake i guess and forgot to have me sign the credit application bc i financed with them.
my question is, how important is that because im already having a couple issues with the car and if that signature is so important that if i dont sign the entire deal is off i would like to know that i CAN back out if they refuse to deal with my mistake as well. today when i was driving it started shaking pretty hard for a couple seconds and then stopped. it did that yesterday once(after i bought it; it didn’t have any issues when i test drove it) but not near as hard so i wasn’t sure if it was just the road but i definitely know its the car now. i also did not check the window buttons and should have bc the right side mirror doesn’t go down with the drivers side button. (it works for the other side so its not the biggest issue in the world and rn i am not bothered by that like i am the shaking)
I called them about the shaking and they said to bring it in thursday so they can check it out friday. my mom is worried that they’re trying to wait out some sort of time limit on something.
I’m doing what i should have before i bought it and i’m getting a diagnostic test done in a few hours so when i DO go to the dealership i can have my own proof of what’s wrong to make sure they don’t do anything sus.
anyone have any advice on how to deal with this? i understand i was stupid so i DONT need to hear about how i shouldn’t have this or shouldn’t have that. i JUST need to know what i SHOULD do NOW.
i appreciate literally any help thanks.

last year at the Gorge I met this really interesting guy and he was telling me and my friends about a commune he was going to create for deadheads located in Puerto Rico.
He was talking about a really old school bus that they were gonna fix up and road trip with
Did anyone else encounter him? Has anyone followed him?

Hello. Please forgive how corny this post may sound, but I'm beginning to run out of options.
So this issue has been becoming prominent in the past few weeks (not entirely sure why) but I'm not sure how to get around this. Essentially, what the issue is, is that I'll be out doing whatever, whether it be in school (I'm a junior in highschool for context), or whatever and see a girl who I think is physically very attractive, and would love to try and talk to them, but I can't.
I always end up thinking about it and either see them with their friends and feel embarrassed at the thought of walking over to them and asking them for their number or social media, or whatever it is I should be saying, while they are with their friends. If that's not the case, then they're alone and I worry about possibly annoying them as they may genuinely not want to be bothered.
These thoughts make me extremely hesitant to approach any girl that I may be interested in. Not to mention, I have a small fear of rejection when it comes to this, and I also worry about being made fun of by anyone who witnesses it if I do approach a girl then get turned down. I usually don't care about what people think and am pretty confident, but since I'm very inexperienced with relationships and what-not, I'm a lot more insecure about the whole thing and end up feeling stupid.
I guess what I'm wondering is, how can I go about fixing this? How do I overcome this irrational fear of approaching a girl that I may want to get to know? And even if/when I do that, what should I say if I face that situation again? Should I ask for their numbesocial media? Slip a note? I have no idea. I'm aware how lame this all sounds, but help would be greatly appreciated

Hey all! I’m taking over a high school aviation program, and my first goal is to expand and upgrade our simulator fleet. We’re currently running P3D on Redbird Jay Velocities, and how they ever got away with $5K per sim in beyond me, but anyway, I’m looking to “build” a new fleet to run MSFS with pre-made PCs, but my current problem is that I know absolutely nothing about PCs, and I’m not sure which ones I should be looking at and requesting for my budget. I hear good things about HP pavilions, but there are like 8 different models and I honestly don’t really know the difference. I’m also looking at Lenovo LOQs, but again, I don’t know much about that except that it runs the program and the price is right. Ideally, I’d try to keep it at around $1K-$1200 per PC. Any help is greatly appreciated! Thank guys.

I recently(yesterday) bought a used 2016 chevy traverse in kansas. they made a mistake i guess and forgot to have me sign the credit application bc i financed with them.
my question is, how important is that because im already having a couple issues with the car and if that signature is so important that if i dont sign the entire deal is off i would like to know that i CAN back out if they refuse to deal with my mistake as well. today when i was driving it started shaking pretty hard for a couple seconds and then stopped. it did that yesterday once(after i bought it; it didn’t have any issues when i test drove it) but not near as hard so i wasn’t sure if it was just the road but i definitely know its the car now. i also did not check the window buttons and should have bc the right side mirror doesn’t go down with the drivers side button. (it works for the other side so its not the biggest issue in the world and rn i am not bothered by that like i am the shaking)
I called them about the shaking and they said to bring it in thursday so they can check it out friday. my mom is worried that they’re trying to wait out some sort of time limit on something.
I’m doing what i should have before i bought it and i’m getting a diagnostic test done in a few hours so when i DO go to the dealership i can have my own proof of what’s wrong to make sure they don’t do anything sus.
anyone have any advice on how to deal with this? i understand i was stupid so i DONT need to hear about how i shouldn’t have this or shouldn’t have that. i JUST need to know what i SHOULD do NOW.
i appreciate literally any help thanks.

I have just graduated with my PhD, and have been applying to mostly visiting positions, but I also did apply to one TT position at a school that (based on everything I know so far) seems like a fantastic match. I've had a lot of success getting zoom interviews, but hadn't been invited for a followup with any of them until now.
So my first ever campus visit (and teaching demo/talk) is for a teaching focused tenure track position at a school I'm struggling to avoid becoming completely emotionally invested in, and I want to do the best I possibly can, both preparing for it and day of. It's a pretty small 4 year liberal arts school, with a lot of focus on building professor-student relationships and campus community. For myself, I've got a good research background with a decent amount of papers and experiences. My teaching experience consists of teaching labs for the whole of my PhD, and reading up on teaching literature (I got a handful of book reccomendations, and have read some papers).
Any advice you can give for preparation and/or the visit itself would be greatly appreciated!

The Surface Pro 6 functions perfectly in tablet mode, but the TypeCover has stopped working. I attempted to connect a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse (without a dongle) and discovered that Bluetooth is not available. Additionally, attempts to connect a keyboard or mouse with a dongle were unsuccessful, as the USB ports appear to be dead. Here is a summary of the steps I have taken so far (not necessarily in this order):
1) Soft and hard restarts
2) Rolled back recent Windows updates and performed a system restore
3) Checked for driver updates; found that the USB xHCI compliant Host Controller displays error code 10, and neither the type cover nor Bluetooth appear in Device Manager. Tried uninstalling and reinstalling USB xHCI Compliant Host Controller from Device Manager, as well as disabling and enabling it.
4) Windows Bluetooth Troubleshooter says Bluetooth unavailable on this device
4) Disabled and enabled Bluetooth and TypeCover in UEFI; discovered that the TypeCover functions properly in UEFI (indicating it's not a hardware issue), and the TypeCover lights up in Windows too.
5) Attempted to boot from a USB stick, but encountered errors during the boot process.
6) Performed a factory reset.
Unfortunately, none of these attempts resolved the issue. This problem arose about 1.5 years ago, and despite trying various suggestions from forums, including installing Ubuntu, nothing worked. Eventually, I purchased a new device. However, I miss my Surface Pro and decided to make one final attempt before giving up completely and discarding the device.
I have exhausted all common troubleshooting steps once again, but the issue remains unchanged. I am disheartened because the device is fully functional in all other aspects. I have noticed numerous other users experiencing the exact same problem and am wondering if anyone has successfully resolved it. If anyone has insights or solutions, I would greatly appreciate your help.

I recently(yesterday) bought a used 2016 chevy traverse in kansas. they made a mistake i guess and forgot to have me sign the credit application bc i financed with them.
my question is, how important is that because im already having a couple issues with the car and if that signature is so important that if i dont sign the entire deal is off i would like to know that i CAN back out if they refuse to deal with my mistake as well. today when i was driving it started shaking pretty hard for a couple seconds and then stopped. it did that yesterday once(after i bought it; it didn’t have any issues when i test drove it) but not near as hard so i wasn’t sure if it was just the road but i definitely know its the car now. i also did not check the window buttons and should have bc the right side mirror doesn’t go down with the drivers side button. (it works for the other side so its not the biggest issue in the world and rn i am not bothered by that like i am the shaking)
I called them about the shaking and they said to bring it in thursday so they can check it out friday. my mom is worried that they’re trying to wait out some sort of time limit on something.
I’m doing what i should have before i bought it and i’m getting a diagnostic test done in a few hours so when i DO go to the dealership i can have my own proof of what’s wrong to make sure they don’t do anything sus.
anyone have any advice on how to deal with this? i understand i was stupid so i DONT need to hear about how i shouldn’t have this or shouldn’t have that. i JUST need to know what i SHOULD do NOW.
i appreciate literally any help thanks.

I am in my late 40's and I just buried my father after a nine year struggle with Alzheimer's. My mother is in a care home for advanced dementia. She will likely die in a year or two. I am an only child. My children, boys, are fairly young (7 and 11). My husband is my age and very kind.
With the loss of my parents, I find myself feeling very vulnerable and alone. I still have my husband (THANK GOD!) but I wake up in the night, terrified of what I would do if something happens to him. There is no other family for me. It's not about managing financially... it's about managing emotionally. What will I do when my kids are grown and I am widowed? Can I die alone?
EVERYTHING feels so temporary (and strangely, stale), sometimes... like I am falling through a world of things, collecting bits and throwing out bits in a whirlwind of endless, screaming change. And, yet, stale, in that the same old mid-morning sunlight that once fell on my mother's book collection in the early 1980's as I ran my fingers across the spines, is now falling on my own book collection as my children do the same. My mother's book collection is long since dispersed. When will mine also, be thrown back out into the world? But it's the same old light and the same old midmorning and the same old morning dove coos and the same old dog barking noises that exist in every neighborhood and even though it's new to my family, it's the same old house that's been here since 1928 and the only things that change are the people and the things in it... just falling through it in time.
This temporariness, this staleness.... it leaves me feeling very frightened.
When the school calls because my son is not behaving well, when the memory care facility calls because something is wrong, when the mail comes with a letter I wasn't expecting, when the doorbell rings at night, when my calendar begins to fill up with doctors appointment in an eerily similar way to my parents, when the Walgreens smells like the room my father died in, when I go to the dentist and everyone from receptionist to dentist is younger than me and the world seems to be filling up with people who don't have the experience I do... All I want to do is call my parents and have them comfort me.
So, I wonder, to those of you who have lived through this... what do you do when you are alone and afraid?
Thank you.

I recently(yesterday) bought a used 2016 chevy traverse in kansas. they made a mistake i guess and forgot to have me sign the credit application bc i financed with them.
my question is, how important is that because im already having a couple issues with the car and if that signature is so important that if i dont sign the entire deal is off i would like to know that i CAN back out if they refuse to deal with my mistake as well. today when i was driving it started shaking pretty hard for a couple seconds and then stopped. it did that yesterday once(after i bought it; it didn’t have any issues when i test drove it) but not near as hard so i wasn’t sure if it was just the road but i definitely know its the car now. i also did not check the window buttons and should have bc the right side mirror doesn’t go down with the drivers side button. (it works for the other side so its not the biggest issue in the world and rn i am not bothered by that like i am the shaking)
I called them about the shaking and they said to bring it in thursday so they can check it out friday. my mom is worried that they’re trying to wait out some sort of time limit on something.
I’m doing what i should have before i bought it and i’m getting a diagnostic test done in a few hours so when i DO go to the dealership i can have my own proof of what’s wrong to make sure they don’t do anything sus.
anyone have any advice on how to deal with this? i understand i was stupid so i DONT need to hear about how i shouldn’t have this or shouldn’t have that. i JUST need to know what i SHOULD do NOW.
i appreciate literally any help thanks.

Hello! I apologize in advance if I ask questions that someone already answered, I scrolled down this subreddit quite a bit but I could've missed something.
Anyway, I'm a Junior in UCF's Kinesiology program, and while I love what I'm learning, I can't do much with a Bachelors alone. I've been looking into OT programs around FL, since I'm genuinely interested in it and a lot of my required courses correspond with the prerequisites. My only options are St. Augustine (which I've heard is overpriced and terrible) and UF.
I wanted to look and see if anyone here has gotten their degree/certification from UF, and what the application process was like for them. I have a 3.9GPA for upper division coursework, but a 3.25GPA in prerequisites. I plan on looking for a club and an internship this fall to get some more experience in the field, but I worry about committing this time and money (or lack of money from working an unpaid job) towards something like this. UF is a prestigious school and only 50 or so people get into their OT program a year, and if I decide to commit to this, I don't want it to be for nothing. Is there anything more that I can do to ensure I have a good shot at getting into this program? Or are there other schools relatively close to FL that I should look into? I'm 19 years old and I don't have much experience in the real world yet, so I'm just not sure what the best direction to go is. I spoke to my academic advisor a few days ago but she didn't have much advice for me since UCF doesn't have an OT program, and every college is different.
I appreciate any and all advice you guys have for me!! Thank you :D

I recently(yesterday) bought a used 2016 chevy traverse in kansas. they made a mistake i guess and forgot to have me sign the credit application bc i financed with them.
my question is, how important is that because im already having a couple issues with the car and if that signature is so important that if i dont sign the entire deal is off i would like to know that i CAN back out if they refuse to deal with my mistake as well. today when i was driving it started shaking pretty hard for a couple seconds and then stopped. it did that yesterday once(after i bought it; it didn’t have any issues when i test drove it) but not near as hard so i wasn’t sure if it was just the road but i definitely know its the car now. i also did not check the window buttons and should have bc the right side mirror doesn’t go down with the drivers side button. (it works for the other side so its not the biggest issue in the world and rn i am not bothered by that like i am the shaking)
I called them about the shaking and they said to bring it in thursday so they can check it out friday. my mom is worried that they’re trying to wait out some sort of time limit on something.
I’m doing what i should have before i bought it and i’m getting a diagnostic test done in a few hours so when i DO go to the dealership i can have my own proof of what’s wrong to make sure they don’t do anything sus.
anyone have any advice on how to deal with this? i understand i was stupid so i DONT need to hear about how i shouldn’t have this or shouldn’t have that. i JUST need to know what i SHOULD do NOW.
i appreciate literally any help thanks.

Hi everyone,
I am an immigrant living in the US as a political asylum seeker. I was admitted to a Master's program starting in Fall 2024. My schools didn't extend any scholarships to me in the admission. It seems like the only way to fund my education is to take a private student loan covering the total cost of attendance for 2 years (FAFSA isn't available to me because my asylum is still pending). I wondered if maybe there are some external funding sources for asylees, like state/federal (I live in NYC) grants or scholarships I can try to apply for to reduce the cost.
I would appreciate any information or resources!

My father has inherited a property in india (joint with other indian locals). I am trying to help him get a POA to his brother who is in india to sell the property. I called the local embassy (DC) but no one answers. He is a US citizen now. My plan is:
1) Get my father and two witnesses to a local notary (UPS store) to sign the POA. Also get the notary to notarize a copy of his passport and drivers license. Question, do I ask the notary to notarize all three signatures?
2) Send the notarized POA to the State Secretary for their Apostile
3) Send the POA to the indian embassy after the above two are complete.
Does anyone know if this is enough? Much appreciated and will try to call the embassy again in the morning.