Sorry for how long this is, I've got that ADHD trait where everything feels important for context. I'm also still trying to process everything.
So I (30F) just had my first baby six months ago. My dad passed away 12 years ago and I lost ties to his side of the family, partially because most my uncles (he has 4 brothers) live in different states and partially because my dad was the person to plan everything. So, most of my family I'm in contact with is my mom's family.
Typically, if my family invites me to family events or holidays they do so through my mom or my uncle (mom's brother) texts me or calls me. My mom, though, has been struggling with her mental health since my dad passed and the only people she really talks to are me, my brother (who lives with her), my grandma, and my great aunt. She occasionally interacts with her brother and sister. My grandma is your typical bitter, white, racist old lady and is kind of toxic toward my mom (she belittles my mom's feelings, usually places blame on my mom, plays clear favorites with her kids, etc.). So my mom has dealt with anxiety any time she's going to visit my grandma for holidays or to stay with her if she is having health issues or to watch my aunts house (she lives next door). My grandma lives about an hour from us. My mom lives 5 minutes away from me.
So the last few big holidays my mom didn't want to go to her house because of the anxiety, and as I had a newborn and was recovering from a c section (had the baby 11/19 so a week before Thanksgiving) we decided to do small holidays. For Thanksgiving I invited my mom to come over and she offered to cook Enchiladas (rather than a whole feast - which I was fine with). She brought the food over, her and my brother ate, but I wasn't hungry, yet, so I just hung out. She held the baby for a few minutes, then they both just left after the baby started getting a bit fussy. Didn't offer to help clean up, left the food on the stove (which was on) and left. I was still recovering from surgery and my partner had taken the opportunity to get some sleep since he didn't think I'd need help as my mom was there. So, I couldn't put the food away and just leave my crying newborn baby alone. Not to mention I wasn't stable enough on my feet because of where I was in my recovery. I don't remember what we did for Christmas, she did come by on her own (without my brother) and gave us gifts and hung out with the baby. She also came over one other time for a few hours to watch the baby so me and my partner could get some rest. She was at the hospital when I was in labor and after having the baby but didn't really do much to help except get me food and maybe help change a diaper. When we were discharged I told her not to worry about coming to the hospital but she was welcome to come to our house, but she said she didn't want to intrude and let us adjust to having the baby at home.
I text with my mom every few weeks and it's been clear for years that her depression has gotten pretty bad. If she talks about herself it is incredibly negative, or she is angry with everyone around her. I'm really the only one who sure hasn't been angry with. I've spent the past few years essentially being her only support system (next to my grandma and my brother - who is also battling his own mental health). I've also spent the last few years trying to get her to see a mental health professional.
She finally admitted she needed to address the anger she was having with my grandma and her incredibly low sense of self-worth. Over the last year or so I have been working with her to get her into a therapists office. I've found therapists that I think would be a good fit for her and contacted them on her behalf (I started by just sending her their contact info, but she kept coming up with excuses of why she hasn't, like she forgot to stop into the office of one she wanted to go to that was next to her masseuse or she was too anxious to call because she'll sound like an idiot). She didn't hear anergy back from them (but she also probably just didn't see any emails since her email inbox is so full with spam.) She finally asked her primary to see a psychologist and made an appointment. I texted her a week before mothers day just to check in with her to see how it went. Found out she got scammed (not from the psychologist) and it made her feel like she was dumb and couldn't do anything right. I did what I could do balance the line between comfort and trying to challenge her negative thoughts of herself. We didn't discuss mother's day.
Fast forward to the day before mother's day, my MIL's boyfriend invited me, my partner, our baby, my SIL and their grandma to breakfast on Saturday. (I also want to add, my MIL and her boyfriend watch the baby every weekend, they cleaned our house when I was in the hospital, then they helped us when we came home so I could shower and get check ups set up.) I still didn't hear back from my mom, so I texted her at 10am on Saturday asking if she wanted to go to breakfast on mother's day. During breakfast my MIL asked what I was doing and I told her I was planning to go have breakfast with my mom, but my partner had to work in the afternoon and didn't have anything else planned. I didn't hear anything back from my mom still, so when my MIL texted me that night (around 11pm) saying she wanted to see me to get pictures of me and my son on my first mother's day, I gave her my schedule and she told me to let her know a time in the morning. That night my son was up every two hours, so I didn't get any sleep until my partner took over around 4am. I woke up around 9:30ish and just ended up ordering breakfast. While we were eating we made a plan that while he was at work I would go see his mom and when he gets off we'd go thrifting then go roller skating (because mom's skate free on mother's day). I texted his mom times and everything was set. Then my mom finally texted me back saying happy mothers day and assuming I'd received an email inviting me to go to my grandma's house for mother's day. I had not, and told her. She said apparently I was left off the email my uncles fiance had sent (which she also was the first time - so I was left off multiple emails) and she said that it was an accident and that I was welcome, then asked if I had plans. I didn't think my uncle's fiance left me off intentionally, but I already had plans and told her this. Didn't hear anything for a few hours then realized I forgot to say happy mothers day and sent her another text doing so and that I love her.
I still haven't received back any response. I haven't heard anything from the rest of my family (except my brother on my dad's side who lives in another state and is completely unrelated to this). I did not go to the mother's day thing, I wasn't going to cancel the plans I already made and I wouldn't have had enough time to squeeze in a visit since it was an hour away and an hour back and would've been an all day thing. I'm incredibly disappointed and crushed, and really, really miss my dad. It was my first mother's day and the only one who put any kind of thought into it was my mother in law and my own family - my mom included - seems to consider me an after thought. They're supposed to be the ones to provide support and love through all of this. The janitor from my work sent me a happy mothers day, redditors I chat with who don't even know my fucking name wished me a happy mother's day, someone I just started talking to like 2 days ago wished me a happy mothers day, but my own family couldn't even send a text??? Ouch.
Sorry again for how long this is, I'm just kinda fucked up from the whole thing.

I'll try to be as brief as possible, but so sorry that this is gonna be long. Please also, if you're only going to say "NO CONTACT" that is not helpful. My post is just gonna show how drugs and alcohol can affect everyone in the family. If you are struggling, get help because you are not only ruining your lives but the lives and relationships of everyone around you.
Background: My MIL has been addicted to alcohol, pills and marijuana since my husband was a child. Lots of trauma from that, that deserves a post on its own. For the 12 years I've been with my husband, it's been a never-ending cycle of using/drinking, going to rehab, getting sober, slipping up but hiding it, rinse and repeat.
Ever since having kids, she wants the privilege being a grandma but obviously chooses the alcohol and drugs over them every time since she has never stayed sober. Because of that and the fact that DH's family members (mostly FIL) also hide/lie about her sobriety, we've decided that since we can't ever fully trust her, she cannot see the kids without either me or DH being around. Previously (and more than once), we had celebrated a whole year (or so we thought) of her being sober and given her unrestricted access to the kids (sleepovers, her taking them out) when we let our guards down and feel like we can trust her again, only to find out later that she wasn't sober. Because all of the back and forth, no contact, awkward family gatherings because we didn't want her around, we decided that we are just going to assume she is not 100% sober and we can't trust her to be alone with our kids (even if FIL is around too because he hides her drug use from us).
Me & DH agreed that... - She can see the kids, as long as one of us is around - She is not drinking and/or high (we can 100% tell and she will avoid us if she is, cancel plans, not show up, etc) - No babysitting, sleepovers, she can't take our kids anywhere
This allowed her to still be in the kids' lives and not make family gatherings awkward and cause more drama.
Despite these rules, that we have told over and over again, she continues to ask to babysit and for sleepovers. We (DH) tell her no, she says ok and acts all sad and throws herself a pity party and then waits a period of time (couple of weeks, months) and then asks again like we forgot. Sometimes she even says "I've been sober" or "I'm going to therapy" or the worst one "I did rehab, isn't that enough for you?" We think she still asks because 1. She's not very smart. 2. She thinks if she keeps asking we'll give in. 3. SIL still allows her son to sleepover, so why not us? (SIL complains about MIL all of the time and how she doesn't trust her but she still allows this...don't know why, but not our kid, not our problem). DH has a huge problem with this because SIL talks about how much she hates her mom yet still loves the free babysitter, again, it's shitty but that's her life/decision.
Recently, she asked DH again for a sleepover because nephew (SIL's son) was sleeping over. DH hadn't responded to her yet, but did bring it up to me. Of course I was like uhhhh, did she forget...again? Both of us had a deep convo about it, mostly because how triggered I get when she asks because during my postpartum with my 1st son, she treated me horribly...would act so supportive and loving one moment and then say cruel things to me while I was in the darkest depths of my postpartum depression, broke my trust with the drugs/drinking and DH at the time looked the other way (he didn't side with her, he just told me this is how she is and we just have to deal with it, she means well but I have to look past the drinking/drugs). Well, I put up a fight because NO I was not dealing with it and allowing an active drug addict to be around my kids and that he's fucked up because of her when he was growing up. He saw the light and promised to always have my back and stick up for our marriage and kids.
More of the convo revolved around my guilt to allow her in the kids life, she seems to truly want to be involved, but has her demons and chooses drugs/alcohol/lies instead. And obviously, I am always the one to be blamed for any limited contact with the kids although, DH says he agrees with our choices and shuts his mom down every time.
We also discuss the really weird sleeping arrangements for sleepovers they have at FIL & MIL's from what I hear. They have no spare bedrooms, tons of animals dogs/cats. Nephew, who is 6, has never slept in his own bed at home (he sleeps with his mom and always has). No hate towards co-sleeping parents, you do you...but when he sleeps at MIL & FIL's, he sleeps in bed WITH him. That's a big no for me if this were my kids. No bed, how about the couch? No, my son has severe animal allergies, especially cats, and the animals hang out on the couch, it's full of hair and dander. My parents also have cats and they make sure he has an animal free room to sleep in if he sleeps over. He needs to sleep in an animal free room, in-laws don't have that. At our house we have 2 dogs and 1 cat, and manage his allergies well by not allowing them in his room. (The animal allergy thing is important, don't forget that!) So even if she was sober and trustworthy, he couldn't still sleepover because they can't accommodate the sleeping arrangement he needs. After chatting about this stuff, DH says he will call his mom and remind her once again and that the answer is NO.
A couple of days go by and we see MIL & FIL at a family get-together. Everything seems normal, MIL is not acting out of the ordinary. FIL randomly tells me, "MIL is getting rid of all of her cats." which is odd, she's had them for years, she loves them. Taken aback, when I ask why, he says, I don't know and doesn't bring it up again. We get home and SIL comes over and we are chatting , she says, did you know MIL is getting rid of all of her cats so DS can sleepover? And I start to laugh. Yeah, that's the reason...and SIL laughs too and agrees (she knows our rule). But she says, yeah FIL said you (as in me, not DH) said DS can't sleepover because they have cats. And I'm like, I'm pretty sure DH told her it was because the drugs/alcohol, she's probably making that excuse but now I'm worried that she is really gonna get rid of those poor cats! I flag DH into the room to verify to SIL that he told her what we talked about days before and he's like no I didn't remind her that she can't have alone time with the kids because of the drugs/alcohol, I just blamed that cats and sleeping arrangement so I didn't have her hear her crying and whining.
I'm shocked and pissed. I ask DH why he gave that excuse and instead of what we talked about and he just got upset and blamed his mom for everything; how he hates talking to her, she's a POS, etc, etc. It's a tough subject for him to talk about because of all of the trauma he's experienced growing up, to what she put me through, the drama involving the kids, etc. Working through it with him in the past has been tough because he just wants to block it all out. SIL apologizes for bringing it up (not her fault) and leaves.
That night, I tell DH I am disappointed that he didn't tell his mom the real reason why our kids are not, and will not, sleepover. I told him by blaming the cats, makes (me) look like an asshole because I am blamed by default and gives her false hope for the future. She is batshit crazy and for some reason hellbent on having the kids (without us, seriously WTF is that about?!) He says he agrees that that is the real reason but is tired of being a broken record and saying the same thing over and over again. I tell him I felt like I did back in postpartum where he didn't have my back again. He felt really bad and didn't really talk to me much even the next day. He said he feels so ashamed of his family, his mom in particular, embarrassed and feels as though he let me down. He tells me time and time again that we can cut his parents off completely, but of course it will come with a cost and collateral damage, that's not worth doing IMO.
We are working through it, I feel bad that I got mad at him, I just am tired of all of this bullshit as well, although that is nothing new. It sucks that her shitty behavior, time and time again, causes so much turmoil. From what I hear, she doesn't see it that way. I don't know if she is that delusional or really just doesn't care about anyone else but herself. ALL of her kids dislike her, if not hate her, and I truly believe that is the reason why she clings onto the grandkids so much, they don't know the true person she is...yet.

Hello fellow name nerds! My son (my first!) is due in November, and my wife and I are going back and forth with names, but I seem to be holding up the process because I want something that "sounds good" and flows well off the tongue, and well, I seem to be overthinking it in general. So my dad's side of the family has been giving sons the father's first name as their middle name for only a couple generations, so I am considering doing that but not married to the idea. The problem I have with that is my first name is Brett and doesn't flow well as a middle name. Last name is Corbin. I would sincerely appreciate your input, so please pick your favorite combination(s)!
We're considering a combination of the following first/middle names (feel free to add suggestions):
Beau
Henry
Brett
Archer
Everett
Jude
Maximus
Noah
Kai
Skylar
Bodhi
Michael

Does anyone know how to have fun for a summer if one doesn't have any people to hang out with or any particular projects to do (asking for an acquaintance in med school)? Like, I mean working is definitely on the docket for this person, but many say that it's important to make the most of one's last free summer in med school, but if one doesn't really, have family, friends, an SO etc. what are people even expected to do?
He gets research is an option, but for those that aren't very motivated by the idea of spending a summer with more med-oriented stuff, there must be something else, right? I am trying to help this friend; he really wants friends and isn't too keen on simple/individual hobbies, since most are kind of isolating unless they inherently take place in social circles. I am not sure what to recommend to this guy, since he's looking for more substantive interactions and connections beyond just playing soccer of video games. I guess this friend is more so looking for something that would give him a new lease on things, but unfortunately he can't travel atm due to a lack of money and his family lives in another country. He has pretty particular cultural interests, so it’s been rough for him and he’s concerned about how the summer is going to go if he stays alone as he is right now (don’t worry, he’s already seeking help, but it it’s helping him that much).

So I logged out of F76 just now, and I will never log back in. It's over for me. The whole issue is 100% avoidable, though. I want to tell Bethesda why they lost me, and obviously this will give away some ways to keep other players.
First, the minor issues, which I'd solve with a mod in Fallout 4, but which are obnoxiously ever-present in the un-moddable F76:

• NPCs and their never-ending quips. Going to Blue Ridge and hearing Johnny Bills (?) say over and over and over and over again that it's "better exercise than trucking," just OH MY GOD SHUT UP. The amount of repetitive one-liners you have every NPC doing is insane.
• The game looks like what happens when you ask the nice foster family in Shazam to make a Fallout game. The land is bright and lush, to the point it doesn't look apocalypse-touched much at all, unless you look at roads that are falling apart, or buildings with a crumbled section. But more than that, it's... so wholesome, with Responders sincerely obsessed with helping everyone but yet literally zero depiction of anyone actually injured or needing help. The hospital beds at the golf course? Empty. The "whole lot of work" they do? They're all lounging, leaning against walls. There is no crisis center. For that matter, IS there a crisis? I keep hearing that there is, but these areas seem wholly devoid of people in pain or suffering radiation sickness.
• The unrelenting nothing. Here is what I mean. I went to talk to a Responder leader, whose name I can't be bothered to remember, and she had 3 other leaders that she could talk about. OK! Here comes the mystery or questing or something, right? She's gonna tell me that something is up with one of these leaders, or there is some problem I can solve. So I ask about the first person. She praises him/her. I ask about the 2nd. Same, just gushing about how nice everyone is. So I ask about the 3rd. And that person is lovely and admirable too, and there are no problems, and THERE IS NOTHING FOR ME TO DO. Over and over again, we get dialogue wasted on nothingness. There was no reason to read or get invested, because the text is just, "everything fine, nothing to see here." WHY?

But all of that was survivable. I've been building for a couple of weeks now, finishing quests (mostly not the Responders, but you know, other quests). Except... 3 days ago, I joined a game and the game couldn't place my camp. Someone else was in my spot. OK, no problem, you gave me a free "relocate your camp" so I will. But... all it brought over was my house and water pump. The gardens? Gone.
Not terrible, I'll rebuild. Over the last 3 days, I rebuilt a lot. My place is not good, I'm still low-level, but I had all the crafting, a vending machine, turrets for protection (which almost never seem to trigger on enemies, by the way), beds, and even got a settler who I met, who just hangs out at my settlement and plays guitar. Great.
And then today, the server locked up or went offline mid-game, and I booted back to the main screen. I had been in build mode at the time. I think that might factor in. When I got back in, it couldn't place my camp, gave me a free relocation, I took it, and when I put down the C.A.M.P. what did I get? It saved ONE ROOF TILE. Literally everything from the last 2 weeks was lost. To rebuild I'd need to get the resources again and re-place everything, new. I logged into a new game to see if it was a quirk, but it wasn't.
Bethesda, losing the items I had placed down today when it froze? Understandable. Losing everything, including the original building from days ago? Even the basic concrete flooring from 2 weeks ago? HOW? How could you lose THAT?
Bethesda, the game isn't good enough to persist with through this kind of mistake. I can forgive those smaller things like the cheery delusional "are we in a post-apoc game? tee hee it doesn't seem like it" theme, but if you're gonna do that AND then lose hours & hours & hours of my effort, WTF am I doing here? I'm not rebuilding, Bethesda. Sorry.
But maybe you can fix that for anyone else who is going to hit that same wall. Good luck.

hey all
i recently got a free smart tv from a family member and its an LG tv which doesnt have the steam link app (insanity, i know). so i was thinking of grabbing a 2nd hand steam link device so i can stream games to my bedroom as my pc is located in the living room. but i wasnt sure if the steam link hardware still being supported? thanks!

I'm in my mid-late 20s and currently live with my family (rent free). I'm trying to decide whether it's worth roughing it out for a year or 2 and purchase a condo, or to rent one.
I make 94k annually, and have approximately $120K in cash available for a down payment (not including some investments in my TFSA, and an emergency fund of several thousand). After taxes and my pension contribution (matched by my employer, approximately $800 per month that I cannot reduce) I receive $5K a month. I'm looking at condos in the $500-550K range in Toronto. Ideally my total monthly payment would be $3000 with maintenance fees included.
I understand I can't count on appreciation, but I'm wondering whether home ownership will open up doors in the future (i.e. HELOC, at least seeing a portion of my money back if I decide to sell etc.), or if It's better to rent and invest my available cash. I'd have roughly $2000 available monthly for all my other expenses (utilities, food taxes, etc.), which may not leave much for savings.

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Hello everyone , I have never played trackmania before and I want to play the version that Wirtual is playing on youtube. I have downloaded the free version on steam but it never seemed to work , any advice on how to get the game? or which platform to use.

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On Friday, while I was browsing Facebook, I was suddenly logged out and unable to log back in. In my email, I had received a message saying my account was suspended for 180 days for child exploitative material.
I'm a normal family man and the last thing I had posted were pictures of my daughter's kindergarten graduation. I have no idea what this email could be referring to. The email had a button to "Appeal", so I clicked that. Within an hour, I received another email saying that my account was now disabled and that I could not appeal.
I have no clue what could be going on. Is there any support I can reach about this? Could I at least download my photos? 20 years of my memories and pictures are gone. I am really bummed out about it and need help.

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I have had nothing all day.

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Let's help each other.. I will do yours if you do mine 👍🏻

Introduction

1. Will this be your first dog? If not, what experience do you have owning/training dogs?

• I've got a 1-year-and-half neutered red male Shiba Inu and he is my first dog. I have experience in training my dog.

1. Do you have a preference for rescuing a dog vs. going through a reputable breeder?

• Through a breeder

1. Describe your ideal dog.

• compatible with Shiba Inu, easy to train, family friendly, no shedding, no drooling, looks scary like cane corso from a burglar perspective, queit, only bark to strangers, medium size or just a little bigger than a standard shiba, black color

1. What breeds or types of dogs are you interested in and why?

• None yet still researching. I like the look of Cane Corso but I can't pick due to their size. Reading about American Staffordshire Terrier (AmStaff) right now

1. What sorts of things would you like to train your dog to do?

• Just the basics

1. Do you want to compete with your dog in a sport (e.g. agility, obedience, rally) or use your dog for a form of work (e.g. hunting, herding, livestock guarding)? If so, how much experience do you have with this work/sport?

• No

Care Commitments
7) How long do you want to devote to training, playing with, or otherwise interacting with your dog each day?

• Couple walks daily for 15-30 mins each, 15-30mins fetch daily, 30mins training daily

1. How long can you exercise your dog each day, on average? What sorts of exercise are you planning to give your dog regularly and does that include using a dog park?

• Couple walks daily for 15-30 mins each, 15-30mins fetch daily. No dog park. I can let them run around in the backyard daily as well

1. How much regular brushing are you willing to do? Are you open to trimming hair, cleaning ears, or doing other grooming at home? If not, would you be willing to pay a professional to do it regularly?

• I can bathe and dry them once every 2 weeks, and I can pay professional for the additional tasks such as trimming hair, brushing teeth and cleaning ears.

Personal Preferences
10) What size dog are you looking for?

• Medium, a bigger than a standard shiba (16.5+ inches height, 25+ pounds)

1. How much shedding, barking, and slobber can you handle?

• No shedding or drooling, queit and doesn't bark a lot besides possible burglar

1. How important is being able to let your dog off-leash in an unfenced area?

• I will not let my dog off-leash in unfenced area

Dog Personality and Behavior
13) Do you want a snuggly dog or one that prefers some personal space?

• Prefer personal space

1. Would you prefer a dog that wants to do its own thing or one that’s more eager-to-please?

• No preference. I have a shiba that does its own thing but I think it would be nice to have another dog that is eager to please.

1. How would you prefer your dog to respond to someone knocking on the door or entering your yard? How would you prefer your dog to greet strangers or visitors?

• Barking when someone is knocking or entering that they do not know. Okay with extended family member but not okay with strangers

1. Are you willing to manage a dog that is aggressive to other dogs?

• I have a Shiba Inu so they must be okay with each other but aggressive to other stranger dog is okay I can manager

1. Are there any other behaviors you can’t deal with or want to avoid?

• Backyard digging and destroying my lawn

Lifestyle
18) How often and how long will the dog be left alone?

• Several hours at most when I need to go out but I work from home and have cameras

1. What are the dog-related preferences of other people in the house and what will be their involvement in caring for the dog?

• I will be the mainly caretaker but there is a kid in the household

1. Do you have other pets or are you planning on having other pets? What breed or type of animal are they?

• I've got a 1-year-and-half red male Shiba Inu and neutered

1. Will the dog be interacting with children regularly?

• Yes a small child

1. Do you rent or plan to rent in the future? If applicable, what breed or weight restrictions are on your current lease?

• No. No restrictions

1. What city or country do you live in and are you aware of any laws banning certain breeds?

• California, USA

1. What is the average temperature of a typical summer and winter day where you live?

• Summer up to 100, winter as low as 45. Dog will be sleep indoor 75 controlled temp all day

Additional Information and Questions
25) Please provide any additional information you feel may be relevant.

• I've got a 1-year-and-half red male Shiba Inu. He's pretty standard-sized and has all the classic Shiba traits: aloof, stubborn, smart, playful and independent

Since he's not crate trained, I've made the kitchen on our first floor his hangout spot. I can leave him there by himself for hours while I work upstairs. I keep an eye on him through a camera all day. His routine usually involves a morning walk for his bathroom break, some fetch in the afternoon to tire him out, another walk in the evening, and sometimes I let him loose in the backyard for a bit.
Now, I'm thinking of getting him a buddy so he's got someone to hang out and play with. I've been eyeing black Cane Corsos because I love their look, but I'm worried they might be too big for us.
26) Feel free to ask any questions below.
I'm looking for a dog just a tad larger than a Shiba Inu, preferably black and guard-looking like a Cane Corso, and one that can get along with my Shiba. Any breeds you'd suggest I check out and research? What about the American Staffordshire Terrier (AmStaff)?

1. What will you be doing with this PC? Be as specific as possible, and include specific games (ex: resolution, FPS, settings) or programs you will be using.

I primarily use my PC for:

• MMO & RPG PC Gaming @ 60-120+ FPS (FFXIV, Granblue Relink, Genshin Impact/Honkai Star Rail, Elden Ring, Monster Hunter, Baldur's Gate 3...)
• Console Gaming (Capture Card)
• Art/Photo/Video Editing (Clip Studio Paint, Adobe Photoshop, Sony Vegas)
• OBS Livestreaming @ 1080p / 60 FPS

I'll usually have my web browser and a Discord call in the background.
I stream either games or art 5-7 days/week. An average stream is about 4-6 hours, but it can go up to 12 hours per session for several weeks. Otherwise I work on art commissions and editing.
Currently, FFXIV sits comfortably around 144 FPS on low settings, and most games run fine at 60+ FPS on medium. So I'd like to keep it about the same, if not better. I have no interest in running games at high/maximum settings, but if the PC can do that, then cool 👍

2. What is your maximum PRE-TAX budget before rebates and shipping?

$2500. I don't mind going over if the price is right, but no more than $3000 please.

3. When do you plan on building/buying the PC? Note: beyond a week or two from today means any build you receive will be out of date when you want to buy.

Within the next 1-2 weeks.

4. What, exactly, do you need included in the budget? (ex: toweOS/monitokeyboard/mouse/etc)

Tower & OS.

5. If reusing any parts (including monitor(s)/keyboard/mouse/etc), what parts will you be reusing? How old are they? Brands and models are appreciated.

• Monitor: (2022) LG 27GN600-B Ultragear 27" IPS LED FHD G-Sync Compatible Monitor with HDR (DisplayPort, HDMI)
• Keyboard: (💀) Microsoft Comfort Curve 2000
• Mouse: (2021) Razer Naga Trinity
• Microphone: (<2020) Blue Microphone Yeti (16 bit, 48kHz). Handed down to me 2 years ago.
• Headphones: (2023) Razer Kraken Kitty V2 Pro Wired (16 or 24 bit, 48kHz)

6. Will you be overclocking (ex: CPU/GPU/RAM)? If yes, are you interested in overclocking right away, or down the line?

Not at all.

7. Are there any specific features or items you want/need in the build? (ex: SSD, Wi-Fi/Bluetooth, VR, VirtualLink, tensor cores, large amount of storage or a RAID setup, CUDA or OpenCL support, etc)

• 1TB Storage, Prefer SSD
• 16GB RAM or better
• Ethernet/Bluetooth/Wi-Fi
• 1-2 HDMI or Display Ports: my main monitor can accommodate both, but I'm okay with only HDMI. I use 2-3 HDMI monitors on a regular basis.
• 5 USB 2.0/3.0 ports: I currently have 9 total externals (Headphones, Mouse, Keyboard, Webcam, Azeron Keypad, Microphone, Hard Drive, Art Tablet, Capture Card). I have a USB extension hub. The latter 3 I swap around regularly, so they're not always plugged in. The others I use daily.
• 1 USB-C port: I use 2, but I need at least 1 for my SD-Card ReadeHDMI Port or tether hotspot.

8. Do you have any specific case preferences (ex: mITX/mATX/mid-towefull-tower sizes, styles, colours, window or not, LED lighting, etc.), or a particular color theme preference for the components?

No preference, as long as cable management is happy. White would be cool, but whatever is fine. I'll probably put the tower either under my standing desk (>26") or beside it, so no preference on height.

9. Do you need a copy of Windows included in the budget? Note: some post-secondary students can get Windows 10 for free.

Yes. 64-bit

10. Will you be upgrading this PC in the future (ie: will you swap out better parts later on or will you build an entirely new tower later)? If so, when?

If the computer can last at least 6 years without upgrading, that would be solid. Ideally I'd just swap parts, but if the build works, I'll probably gift and/or build another one for my family in the future.

11. Do you have a brand preference? (ex: AMD/Intel for CPUs, AMD/NVIDIA for video cards, etc)

I stream on Twitch with OBS, so I'd like to try NVIDIA if possible. But honestly, if it performs well, I'll take it.

12. What are the specs of your old PC / laptop? Do you want to see if it can be upgraded instead? If so, paste its build from PCPartPicker here.

(2021) Lenovo Legion 5 15ACH6A: AMD Ryzen 5 5600H, AMD Radeon RX 6600M 8GB, 512GB SSD

13. Extra info or particulars:

I'll be giving my current laptop to my dad! I'm mostly happy with it, but I want to upgrade to a PC after using laptops for over a decade lol.
One issue I have currently: Regardless if I stream online or record offline, sometimes the audio is distorted for a few seconds (however, there are no issues with hearing my microphone nor frame dropping). I've never encountered this issue with my older PC (~2015) or when I was using my previous mic (now broken).
I suspect my issues stem from a combination of stream bitrate, too many active USB ports/externals, microphone, or just plain user error. I don't think the issue is related to AMD or sound bitrate necessarily, since the laptop had no issues with streaming in the first few years. But honestly, I don't know, my friends don't know either, and I'm too afraid to change anything more lmao.
I have plans to replace my keyboard, don't worry 🥲 I've gotten many recommendations lmao.
I have no experience with building PCs or comparing parts, so I'd appreciate any advice! One of my friends offered to help build the PC, and I'll be looking up guides too 👍

Hello there! Let's just cut to the chase. I am looking for a long term relationship with that special someone. I've been riding the waves solo for a while and hoping to get back out there again.
About Me:
I'm a short 5'3'' African-American female in NYC.
I'm an avid podcast listener- enjoying various podcasts from the following genres: politics, comedy, drama & travel. I'm attempting to enter the audiobook space, but I've always preferred physical books more.
I enjoy video games! The first game I ever played was Pokemon Red for the GBC and I haven't looked back since. Currently trying out Hades 2 on the PC. I also own a Nintendo Switch and a PS5.
My long-term goal is to travel more- I have some trips planned for the rest of the year. I aim to go to Hawaii, Greece, Spain, Japan, & Italy hopefully next 5 years.
I'm a social worker in NYC. It's a lot of fieldwork weekly but I'm able to do some good in the world and help the elderly population. What jump started my goal of going into social work was watching many elderly family members in my family fall into the cracks of our failing social services system.
I enjoy reading fiction novels, particularly anything mystery, adventure & romance genres. I also own a few comic books (mainly Marvel comics).
I'm looking to make memories & have lots of laughs with the right person.
You must be between 27 and 35 and reside in the NYC/Long Island/Westchester or the JC/Hoboken/North Jersey area. I am NOT seeking anything long-distance. If anything in my posts sparks interest, please feel free to share a blurb about yourself, your age, and your hobbies.

hello so my sd card got corrupted for some reason and i was supposed to print the default cat for a family member that wanted it but i forgot to back it up. i tried looking it up but i couldnt find it, would anyone happen to know where i can re download it or share theirs with me, the entire "supplementary files" folder would be nice too.
my printer is the ender 3 v3 se if it helps

This is some advice, "value free" as in I'm not giving a value judgement on it, whether it's wrong or right, good or bad, healthy or unhealthy. I forget where I learned this, some old book I read. But it was something along the lines of "broken bones heal with the sound sleep of the brave, but the coward sleeps restlessly with a broken spirit."
I hear a lot people prioritize being "safe" over everything else. And while there is value in that, I also believe there is value in feeling proud of yourself. I got into a lot of fights as young kid, mostly with guys who would pick on my brother or our family friend who has Down's syndrome.
However, this is possibly survivor bias. But I don't get the sense that many of these stories are talking about life threatening interactions but more "school yard bullying". I'm not going to lie. Getting punched hurts. Even punching people really hurts your hand, especially if you hit someone in the face. But looking back, my brother and I still talk about those times and feel like it was worth it. I don't remember the pain of getting hurt, but I do remember feeling great about myself for fighting back. I felt manly, even though I was kid. Even the times when I "lost" and we ran away because we were too hurt or out numbered.
On the other hand, there were many fights I just walked away from, and I never think about them or really remember what was said/done. Probably someone calling me a slur and I just ignored it.
So, it could be survivor bias: I don't regret it and have positive memories because I wasn't too badly hurt (bruises and black eyes). But if I had somehow gotten seriously injured, I'd probably have a different reaction and regret getting into a "stupid" fight.
I'm interested in what you guys think and your experiences.

Canada Existing Users!!