Demand letter in maryland

**Reddit Account:** u/Thenn_Applicant
**Discord Tag:** Garin
**Name and House:** Dorian Merryweather
**Age:** 49
**Cultural Group:** Reachman
**Appearance:** Dorian's chestnut brown hair has been greying for quite a while, however is short beard retains more color, including a few stray red hairs peppered throughout it. While his features have softened and gained some pudge as he aged past his prime, he remains in overall good shape. This is partly due to his great love of gardening and crop cultivation, which have left his hands and nails rather rough.
**Trait:** Numerate
**Skills:** Avaricious (e), Architect, Administrator, Investor
**Talents:** Language (High Valyrian) Cooking, Gardening
**Negative Trait:** N/A
**Starting Title:** Lord of Longtable
**Starting Location:** Opening Event
**Biography:**
It has been said; men grow tired of sleep, love, singing and dancing, sooner than war. As such, it begs the question, what does a man have left when he finally tires of war? In pursuit of an answer, of any answer, one half of Dorian Merryweather’s life was spent. He was the second son of Lord Arthor Merryweather of Longtable. Like many others born in a place of natural abundance, he longed for more, for something greater than a mere provincial estate. The tourneys of Highgarden, the hunts of Horn Hill and the books of Oldtown all called to him, and so he could never ride past his father’s mild and verdant fields fast enough. Dorian counted himself lucky not to be the heir, for that meant he could pick where his future lay, unchained from the uninspiring home of his childhood. Instead it was his older brother, Bennard, who envied his free-flying lifestyle, contriving any excuse to join him on his escapades and agurk lessons and ceremonies he ought to have attended.
Lord Arthor was fairly permissive of this deriliction of duties, as the friendships forced on such journeys were worth more than lessons that could be repeated later, or tasks that could be handed off to lowborn stewards. The boys attended tourneys, balls, hunts and feasts, living the life the bards extolled as the height of reachman’s chivalry. The one time they did not shirk their duties was when their father had the honor of hosting King Mern and his court for a tourney on the Warrior’s day. The Merryweather sons would present the king and his family with silver bowls of dilligrout, a most exquisite stew of capons, white wine and almond milk. They had the joy of tasting it once the Gardeners had their fill, a taste they would never forget. On the tournament field three days later, Mern knighted them both, though Dorian was only sixteen at the time, green as a knight could ever be.
Five years later, as news of Aegon Targaryen and his early conquests spread, the lords of the Reach were summoned to Goldengrove, where they found a veritable forest of Westermen’s banners being planted beside their own. The fall of the Storm Kings had led to a whirlwind of diplomacy between the houses of Gardener and Lannister. The plan was presented to the lords with the two kings sitting beside one another on the dais as though they were brothers. They held up Aegon’s letter of demands, scornfully reading it aloud and then proceeded to tear it up to a roaring acclamation from the hall. Standing there before the hall, Mern could hardly be called the Warrior incarnate. There stood a man well past his prime, old enough to be a grandfather and with no great victories to his name, in battle or on the tourney field. All the same, this man, whom they called their king, always seemed to know exactly what to say to win someone over. If he’d declared war on hell itself that evening, the Merryweather brothers would probably still have marched off with him when the next morning dawned. Bennard and Dorian shouted as loud as anyone, death to the foreign upstart. That evening were betrothed to westerwomen they’d never met before, made plans for a real battle, which they had never fought in before, and drank, ate and sang as though the night would last forever. House Merryweather was not able to secure a command, yet King Mern remembered his stay at Longtable fondly. He gave Bennard and Dorian a place in the vanguard, and even adorned Bennard with a brooch of the order of the green hand the morning before the army Goldengrove, a momentous honor which Bennard would cherish for the remainder of his days. He did not have many left, as it turned out. The Field of Fire began like a dream, as the two brothers rode off at the break of dawn, two out of five thousand sets of gleaming armor atop proud warhorses. By the end of the day it had become a nightmare. Caught up in the maelstrom of battle, Dorian did not see the moment when their loss was assured, but the Gods know he could hear it, the creeping, hungry flames that descended on the reachmen like an army of its own. As hundreds were broiled inside their steel plate and thousands more choked on the inferno’s horrible vanguard of black smoke, Bennard and Dorian broke and fled. They were not far behind the retreating Loren Lannister in their escape, but half a minute made all the difference. The lines of fire fanned out, hunting more living things to devour, and engulfed the two brothers. Dorian could feel how the flames spread from his surcoat to his undershirt, all the way down to the hairs on his chest, beginning to sear his skin. In a desperate act he threw himself in the Blackwater, and would have perished if not for the shoddy work of his squire that morning, which left him able to tear off his plate before he could sink. With bloodied, burn-marked fingers, he clung to the roots of a tree by the riverside, water up to his chest. He was retrieved after some time, how long he could not say. For the next two moons his mind was adrift, distracted from his pains by milk of the poppy. The next two were far worse, as he grew more lucid and realized the extent of the damage. A burn-mark stretched from his right thigh, all the way up his chest and left bicep to the apple of his neck. Many times over, flakes of dead or dying skin had to be peeled off by the maester as the scabs kept bursting with blood and clear liquid. By the end of that year he was able to walk again, though the burn mark would leave a feverish red mark across the front of his body, his new skin settling into twisted lines.
Bennard was far worse for wear, alive yet burned all the way to his face and crippled from a fall off his horse. His nose and ear-lobes had to be cut off, too burned to save, and even his eyelids were permanently scarred, unable to sprout new lashes. The more lucid Bennard became, the deeper his sorrow. Eventually he began refusing food. The new lord of Longtable would not eat anything his cooks set in front of him. In spite of his ever present pains, Dorian began going to the kitchens, reprimanding the cooks for their failings. He knew his brother well and knew his palette, and began ordering them to make his brother’s favorites. When he felt they were making mistakes, he interrupted their work himself. He was a stranger to the kitchen, yet would criticize how things were cut too roughly, spiced too little or too much. He was a terror to the cooks, yet they could not refuse him.
His attempts to intervene were however hampered by a newfound aversion to heat. The sound of the hearth, of boiling and searing, the general sense of warmth around him made him nauseous and caused his movements to seize up. Still, he went to his brother’s bedside every day, and afterwards he forced himself back to the kitchens. His sister, Lydia, tried to stop him at first, but soon found her protes fell on deaf ears, and so joined him, if only to leash him in when he went too far. Finally, there was only one dish they hadn’t tried; the dilligrout they’d once served to the late King Mern. Every time it was made, it came out wrong. It soon turned out the cook who had served them that evening six years ago had since retired, and his exact method had never been recorded or taught to anyone else. Dorian would first invite the man to Longtable, then summon him with armed knights when invitations were refused.
Theomar, the man who appeared before him, was a sorry sight, looking frightened and confused as he was taken to his old workplace. It was explained by his sons that he’d been growing senile even six years ago, often snapping at the kitchen maids under him when his memory failed him. Since then he’d gotten worse, seldom eating, let alone cooking. Something in the old man’s eyes did seem to brighten for a moment when the sounds and smells of his old kitchen surrounded him, and Dorian ordered him to make dilligrout. Before long that faint spark had been drowned out by tears. He would start boiling capon or crushing almonds, only to leave the job half-done whenever he had to fetch something new. Serving maids were put at his disposal to bring him ingredients, yet an ingredient ordered would be met with a reprimand as he seemed to forget which dish he was making every few minutes. Finally Dorian snapped at the man, grabbing him by his collar and shouting accusations of treason against House Merryweather. By the time Lydia could restrain him and try to apologize, the man was a wreck on the floor. After watching it for a while, waiting for the man to get up and continue his work, even Dorian was overcome by pity and shame for what he’d done. The old cook was praying to the gods, begging forgiveness for his failings. Dorian began to realize he’d broken a great man down and would himself beg forgiveness. He offered the man his old cook’s quarters back for the rest of his life, and promised his sons that his maester would tend to the man in his old age, that he would be fed from Longtable’s stores.
At this point, he resolved to make the dilligrout himself. Through it all, Bennard was barely clinging to life, or rather being tethered to it by the will of others. He could only be fed when drugged down by the milk of the poppy, and the more often it was used, the less effective it became. Every day Dorian braved the kitchens, yet he could not recreate the flavor of that wonderful night. It was by the grace of the gods, perhaps with Theomar as their vessel, that Dorian would even come close. The old man could no longer cook, but over time he began to wander into the kitchens and sit down on a chair. At first Dorian thought the man only sought the warmth of the hearth for his weary bones, yet he discovered it to be more than that. Theomar’s eyes were like clouded glass, yet they brightened every now and then, hearing almonds being ground, smelling capons searing in fat, as though it was stirring the kitchenmaster of yore back to life. Eventually Dorian began to walk up to the old cook with his ingredients, bidding him to smell or taste small portions. Sometimes he got simple instructions out of it, ‘too coarse’, ‘too sour’, ‘underdone’. Som times a mere nod or frown was all Theomar managed. Over the course of a couple of days, Dorian put together one final attempt to get the dish made rightWhen he arrived in Bennard’s chamber, he was met with a look which brought forth discomfort that no flame could produce in Dorian. Plainly, raspingly, his brother asked him why he wouldn’t let him die. It was easy, Bennard reasoned. All Dorian needed to do was wait and become lord. The words almost made Dorian throw the dilligrout on the floor. Almost. He placed two bowls on Bennard’s table, the dilligrout and one brimming with milk of the poppy. Dorian told his brother to make his choice. If he sought death, Dorian would let him, but he would not hear that it was an easy thing, watching his brother die. That evening, the milk of the poppy was carried away by the maester, the empty bowl of stew taken to be washed in the kitchens. From then on, Bennard ate what his brother brought him without complaint. He lasted just into the new year, dying on its tenth day. In the predawn gloom of the twelfth, Theomar died in his sleep
Dorian took up his lordly task joylessly. His old wanderlust returned, spurred by the horrible memories that now stained Longtable and the reach itself in his mind. The final straw came when their new Tyrell overlords, insisted on him marrying a lady from a dornish house. His previous betrothal had fallen through, as the parents of his western bride had not wished to draw the ire of the Targaryens by maintaining an old alliance meant to oppose them. Instead of obliging, he boarded a ship from Oldtown going east. It stopped only briefly in Planky Town before going to Tyrosh. Noting him to be a nobleman, a few of the city’s wealthy men would host him for a while, though they quickly lost interest when his lack of knowledge of trade became apparent. After that, he spent time in the markets and squares where the common people lived. His old curiosity was piqued, and he decided to embark on a quest of learning, fashioning himself another Lomas Longstrider. He moved on to Myr, and the experience was much the same in broad strokes, a few rich men showed interest and quickly lost it. As he’d visited the dye markets he went to see the city’s famous artisans at work. One thing was notably different, he met a Tyroshi woman with green-dyed hair, going by the name Maryah. She was a trader, and the two had taken the same ship to Myr. She had been to Myr before and showed him many of its secrets. They spent an entire day in one of the vast delicacy markets so she could show him the many tastes of the city. Having no plans in advance, he asked where she was headed next.
Without a second thought he would join her on a journey to Lys. He soon understood it to be a test. It was not long before she teased him, speculating he’d only joined her for a chance to see the famous pleasure houses. Evening after evening they stayed in the city and Maryah would tease and test him over the matter. Finally he told her he’d renounce his betrothal for her, that there was no one else in his eye. She laughed, replying he would not have to. The next morning, Dorian awoke to find that she was already up, the green washed from her black curls. Maryah had in fact been Joanna Dayne, his dornish bride to be, having traveled the same route as him ever since his ship stopped at Planky Town to refill its food and water. She was already quite familiar with the three closest free cities, having served as a dornish envoy on behalf of its spice traders. As they planned their return to Westeros, Joanna asked him what else in the world he wanted to see. Within a few moons of being wed, they left Westeros, not to return for three years.The journey was what his mind needed, away from the Reach, its knights and tapestries, hunts and tourneys. Ultimately, the lords and knights of his homeland, for all their songs and poetry, lived every day in preparation for war, frivolous though the preparations were. Joanna showed him a different world, the remnants of Old Valyria. War was to be sure inescapable. Wherever they went, there were soldiers, tapestries, contests of arms, and yet the cities housed something else as well, a boundless potential for creation, commerce and growth.
Thanks to Joanna Dayne’s knowledge their stays became far better planned, and they could enjoy the hospitality of wealthy locals far longer. She knew how to talk about the spice trade and similar matters, and Dorian began to pick up on it. On their second stay in Myr, he procured a great deal of fine parchment and began taking notes, everything from negotiation tactics and the prices of cloves or red peppers to court customs, as well as more eclectic pieces of knowledge, details of running an eastern estate, descriptions of technological marvels he had never seen in Westeros, and ingredients in the local food. By the time they neared Qarth he had quite the list of recipes, among other things. There he was even able to learn a few all the way from Yi Ti, as some local cooks catered to merchants from the Golden Empire. On their journey home they’d end up taking the opportunity to see the newly made port of King’s Landing. By that time, a third member had joined their journey, their infant daughter Florys. Having left Longtable in the care of his sister and steward for three years, Dorian finally accepted the responsibility of running his ancestral home.
Longtable was considered to rule over some of the best lands in the Reach, ideally situated along the river with abundant soil which could provide two grain harvests in a year. Having seen the estates which supplied the great cities of the east, Dorian was all too aware of its comparative shortcomings. He found that the abundance of the land had a counterproductive effect, breeding complacency and carelessness. From his grandiose tour of the east, he went on a painstaking tour of his own lands, trying to get an overview of everything he ruled over. He paid the citadel a fee to send him half a dozen maesters in training for a season. These young men, literate and numerate, would serve his own maester in conducting a survey of the land, giving Dorian account of all resources at his disposal as lord. The results were quite varied.
Some peasants were found to have remarkable agricultural insights which they had no way of writing down, entirely reliant on passing the knowledge to their children. Knowing the risks of such a method of transferring knowledge, Dorian ordered such insights recorded. In other places there were farmers and communities who were unwittingly exhausting their soil. Instances of lack of fallow land, excessive grazing by cows and lack of crop rotation were also made note of, followed by edicts against such heedless practices. Septons, sheriffs and tax collectors were given written copies and were obliged to read them to the peasantry wherever it was deemed necessary. It also became part of the obligations of farmers to plant a set amount of clover in their fields and pastures, a practice some had taken up on their own but which had already become a standardized law among the estates belonging to Myr and Volantis. Irrigation was expanded and land inheritance was reformed to prevent the splitting of fields past a certain threshold.
Lord Dorian was not always successful. Some eastern ideas had been useful innovations which improved conditions across the board. In time he learned that the peculiarities of the westerosi system were sometimes necessary for the sake of stability, not merely the misshapen fruits of ignorance. His attempt to enclose part of the common lands proved abortive, as it nearly caused a peasant rebellion. A procession of aggrieved smallfolk headed for Longtable had to be dispersed by knights, armed with wooden clubs to prevent needless bloodshed.Two men were hanged and five sent to the wall, but the reform was thereafter abandoned, leading the populace to calm down. Dorian was not much of a military leader and had not wielded weapons since the Field of Fire. He became aware of his need to bolster his forces, a notion reinforced by the establishment of the Black Roses not long after his return, and again with the Kingswood Catastrophe
In the meantime, he and Joanna raised a family together. Three more daughters would be born healthy, with a couple of miscarriages and a stillbirth in between, also a daughter. Their travels did not entirely come to an end. In 13 AC they would tour the northern free cities of Norvos, Qohor, Pentos, Braavos and Lorath, which they had missed on their original journey. The lion’s share of 17 AC was spent on a journey to the Summer Islands. At other times they would make shorter journeys around the Seven Kingdoms, where they felt more secure in bringing their older children along. Whether it was visiting Joanna’s family in Dorne, tourneys and feasts in the Reach and West or even one trip to see the wall, a nameday wish by Florys, they were often on the move. Like most of their peers, they frequented Oldtown and Highgarden
The growing rift between the two queens and their children was a situation Dorian would watch with dread in his heart, remembering keenly how a generation of young men had been brought to the field of fire. To his mind, the Targaryen rule ought not go to waste. Like Valyria of old, it had begun with fire and blood, yet similarly peace and prosperity had followed in its wake. If only the dragons could stand united, perhaps another long peace like the one the Freehold once enjoyed could again be established. If not, another century of blood was upon them. Under Dorian, Longtable became a place where he sought to bring together people from across the kingdoms and forge unity over the dinner table, an attitude which somewhat vexed and confounded his more militaristic daughter and heiress, Lady Florys. Even amid her questioning of the viability of his peaceful ways when surrounded by those who would make war, a terrible sight would steel his resolve, watching the Mander burning green, every bit as terrible as the flames from twenty one years prior. That night he made a simple vow, never again.
The League of the Cornucopia, he would name his little group, a gallery of lords and ladies whose acquaintances he’d made over the years. With these fellow gourmets he would share the culinary knowledge he’d gleaned from his journeys in the east and west. Most unusual for a lord of his rank, Dorian came to spend a great deal of time in his kitchens, testing out recipes himself. On occasion, the dishes he served to his guests for these small, intimate gatherings would be the work of his own hands. The membership did vary from time to time, both based on who could make it and who he sought to bring together. Rather than a fully closed circle, the League is more like a form of feasting, only it’s done for a much smaller crowd, without the public spectacle. Such occasions allowed for more refined foods which did not need to be served to hundreds and kept constantly warm over the course of hours like some common tavern stew. It also opened up an arena of more intimate diplomacy and negotiation for those who sought it, hosted on neutral ground by a lordly mediator, free from prying eyes.
**Timeline:**
25BC: Dorian is born, second in line to Longtable
24BC: His sister Lydia is born
9BC: House Merryweather hosts House Gardener for a tourney and feast. Dorian and his older brother Bennard serve the dish of honor to King Mern Gardener and his family. During the subsequent tourney, Mern knights both boys, despite their inexperience and lack of victory in the tourney
9BC-2BC: Dorian spends much time travelling the reach, attending events
1BC: Dorian and Bennard fight in the vanguard at the Field of Fire. Both are burned, Bennard far more severely than Dorian. Lord Merryweather is killed. Traumatized by the battle and his new maimed body, Bennard starts refusing food. Dorian desperately tries to re-create the dish they served King Mern eight years ago. The cook who made it has since gone senile, but eventually manages to help Dorian re-create it. He is given a place at court as apology for his mistreatment at Dorian's hands before this occurred.
1AC: Lord Bennard dies at the beginning of the year, leaving Dorian as lord of Longtable. His sister Lydia fulfills her betrothal to House Tarly, becoming lady of Horn Hill. At the prospect of marrying a Dornishwoman on the King's orders, Dorian decides to leave Westeros to put off his marriage. In Myr, he meets a woman calling herself Maryah, claiming to be a Tyroshi merchant. They fall in love and travel to Lys together. There Dorian promises to set aside his betrothal for her, whereupon she reveals herself as Joanna Dayne, his dornish betrothed.
1AC-4AC: Dorian and Joanna wed at Longtable, then depart on a new journey of the east. They reach as far as Qarth before turning back home. In 3AC, on the way back, their first child, Florys, is born while the couple are in Volantis, on the way home. They return via the newly built port of King's Landing.
4AC-8AC: Using knowledge from the east, Lord Dorian embarks on a project of rationalizing the agriculture of Longtable
5AC: Dorian and Joanna have their second child, a girl named Ellyn
8AC: Their third daughter, Desmera, is born
13AC: Dorian and Joanna spend a year travelling the northern free cities
14AC: Their fourth and final daughter, Gwin, is born
17AC: Dorian and Joanna undertake a journey to the Summer Islands with their children
23AC: The aftermath of the battle of Stonebridge brings back memories of the Field of Fire, as the Merryweathers watch burning slag run down the Mander
25AC: The Merryweathers travel to the celebration of the maturity of Aegon's sons
**Family Tree:**
Arthor Merryweather (father, d.1BC)
Cerelle Merryweather (pending family connection) (mother, d.20AC)
Bennard Merryweather (brother, d.1AC)
Lydia Merryweather (sister, b.24BC)
Glendon Merryweather (uncle, d.1BC)
Myrcella Pommingham (aunt, d.22AC)
Leo Merryweather (cousin, b.13AC)
Joanna Dayne (wife, b.26AC)
Florys Merryweather (daughter, b.3AC)
Ellyn Merryweather (daughter, b.5AC)
Desmera Merryweather (daughter, b.8AC)
Gwin Merryweather (daughter, b.13AC)
_____________________________________________________________________________________
**Auxiliary Character:**
**Name and House:** Florys Merryweather
**Age:** 23
**Cultural Group:** Reachman
**Appearance:** A short, muscular woman with wavy black hair, normally worn in a bun. She has high cheekbones and a proud demeanor. Her rigid strength stands in contrast to the more relaxed nature of the Merryweather court, one she finds overly lax and casual
**Trait:** Hale
**Skills:** Swords (e), Essosi Blademaster
**Talents:** Dancing, Fishing, Cooking
**Negative Traits:** N/A
**Starting Title:** Heir to Longtable
**Starting Location:** Opening Event
**Timeline:**
3AC: Florys is born in Volantis, while her parents are on their way home from Essos
10AC: Florys starts training under Saathos Trevelyan, her father's Master at Arms
13 AC: She joins her parents on a tour of Pentos, Braavos, Norvos and Qohor
17AC: She travels with her parents to the Summer Islands
19AC-23AC: As she comes of age, Florys becomes more critical of her father's desire for peace, viewing it as increasingly far-fetched amid the increasingly controversial regency and the impending succession dispute. She resolves to make the kinds of connections her father seems unwilling to, in case of war
25AC: She accompanies her family to the celebrations
**NPCS:**
**Ser Leo Merryweather** (Age: 37, Archetype: Magnate) Lord Merryweather's first cousin, he has become an indispensable agent in the daily running of Longtable. Despite his foppish demeanor and aparent laziness, he is highly capable and loyal in his task of increasing his family's fortune. He remains happily unwed
**Saathos Tevelyan:** (Age:48, Archetype: Master at Arms) The son of a Lysene father and a Myrish mother, Saathos initially sought a career in amongst Myr's military officers, however his family's relatively low status proved an impediment to further promotion, later compounded by a dispute with a superior. He met Lord Merryweather in 3AC and eventually travelled West to offer his services five years later, finding his career progress stonewalled in his home city. Well into middle age, he still looks firm and imposing as profesisonal a soldier ought to

I want to immigrate to either canada or the netherlands by studying there and because the degree i hold right now isn’t very in demand i can’t apply for jobs so I thought of getting masters program but mostly they will ask for letter of recommendation which idk if i can provide since only two professors reply and they just asked to sent them the form and sign it nothing more i emailed two others and put effort to provide them with some works that I’ve done in their courses and my cv it has been 6 months no reply. Also I honestly feel like most master’s programs for my undergraduate major is very limited or not in demand i have English language degree btw so if you have any advice I would appreciate it -
This’s just a vent maybe idk : I got two programs offer that end with employment rn in my home country which is great cuz i can maybe ask for professional references but they are not related to my undergraduate program also they’re all do urine tests and well… I may start to take medication for my anxiety and probably hopefully not antidepressants soon :( I’m kinda very excited for these two programs

I don’t even know where to begin. 26F. I have had a lot go on in my life (not to short anyone else, because life is screwed). I’m just going to tell my story because I don’t know what else to do. As I’m telling this story please keep in mind, I don’t have all of the information and I’ve been kind of surviving up until this point. When I was 3-8 months old my father packed me and the dog up, and left my mother without telling her while she was at work back in 1997(Florida to Pennsylvania). having no idea because I was an infant, going in to toddler my dad loved the crap out of me. I felt safe, and cared for. My dad ended up sending me to a catholic school for 1st- 5th. started growing and realized that I have a difficultly keeping concentrated, was way friendler than everyone. @ 9 years old he had me speak to my mother for the first time and all she said was mean shit about him and I cried and hung up.
I had noticed my dad started to grow aggravated with me, and would say some down right mean shit. Not let me have my own personality, Embarrassed me by writing mean shit about what I did wrong on sticky notes and would tell me to keep in on my shirt all day at school. Back me into corners like he was a big bully if I didn’t do things right/his way. He through a birthday party for me when I was 11 and then was like “look at how nobody showed up” when he was most likely the reason they didn’t. Before sixth grade started, he moved us back down to Florida. So from catholic school to public. I noticed bigger changes in him and it was a complete 180 for me, going from a religious school to a public. It was like there was no longer the happiness in him and he would pick on me and bully me, when I started going to public schools I was bullied as well there. I would come home from school crying and he stated “I’ll give you a reason to cry”. Would be very physically abusive. Would even threaten to send me to my mothers which I was scared of because of the mean shit she said when I was 9. He sent me to another girls mom to learn about “women things”- literally just how to shave my f**** legs. I eventually went to the schools therapist in 6th grade and tried to tell them what was going on without getting my dad in trouble or him hearing about it and doing something worse, that didn’t happen. I guess I blacked out most of my memory’s about things because of the way I needed to cope but I remember writing him letters and begging him to talk to me because he started just not speaking to me at all, would leave me at home while he worked and told me to lock the doors and hide. I eventually tried to disconnect from it all in my head to go with the motions. Eventually before 8th grade started we moved up to Maryland and moved in with my cousins because he had claimed he lost a lot of money in Florida( in recent years he told me the school was trying to get him charged for the things I said back then to the therapist.) we became more distant because he wasn’t very friendly and would hide in the basement. Moved into my god parents house because eventually he had enough issues with my cousins he didn’t want to be “there problem” anymore. We became more distant as he would just hide in there basement as well, I’d go down there just to talk with him and he’d just be this mean person I didn’t know anymore. Still being a very emotionally abusive person. I got arrested 3 months before graduation because I had weed and cigarettes at school.
When I was 18 I moved into my 2nd boyfriend’s house. Not a good idea looking back at it because it was totally a trap house and I had no clue what I was doing there.(drugs) that’s what I was doing. He had no clue & didn’t care to notice. A lot of co-dependence was there because I stayed there for 4 years.
In 2018 (I was 18 at this point) he was going delirious for about 4-5days and would tell me stuff like take my stuff, I’m going to die ect. Wouldn’t let me take him to the hospital, just wanted to die, thank god my god mother was there when he collapsed and had a ambulance come and get him, he went into a diabetic coma it lasted for 1.5 months or so, he came out of it and basically told me he should’ve died and that he wanted to.
That made things worse mentally for me, I did a lot of fucked up things in the 4 years I was with the boy I was doing drugs with, he also was very physically abusing, as so was I at this point. We broke up and I did everything I could not to go back to living with my father who ended up with enough money to buy a place in my name. I ended up living there for a while and nothing good came from it.
A lot of drinking and boyfriends and dumb shit happened and I was completely out of it until I got a DWI in late 2019. Really woke me up. I started wanting better for myself, knowing I could just didn’t know how. I got into YET ANOTHER RELATIONSHIP, and thought it was good for me, two years in we decided we were going to buy a home (23 years old at this point) we bought it and a lot was wrong with the house and clearly the boy I bought it with because he was into a really odd kink, had girls in his phone, and would not introduce me to his female friends. On top of that he did not doing ANYTHING to help me fix the home. A year into owning the home I broke up with him and lost my job. I was depressed for 7-8 months, got another job and about 1.5 years after the break up someone came up to me and asked me on a date. (I still lived with my ex in the house we own). (I was completely honest with him and up front about everything.)
He has shown me grace, kindness, and compassion. He had shown me a whole new perspective in life. He also had gone through a really traumatic past. Starting of the relationship was rough, I was feral and he gets defensive really easy. We have stuck this thing out and I am 7 months in therapy and he just had his first session in years today. I would like to consider this success. I just changed therapist because the one I had been going to wasn’t as good as I would’ve liked them to be. We are now 1.5 years in, and I’m still trying to figure myself out and currently won’t hear from the new therapist until the 21st of may. I’m struggling mentally but not half as bad as I used to. I guess I’m just looking for new perspectives and some positive words at this point. My boyfriend and I are on opposite schedules for the next 2.5 months and I can tell I’m still very co-dependent, in my head I’m hoping his new therapist doesn’t tell him we are not right for each other. I’m so full of stress and trauma it’s crazy. I don’t even know who I am or if I fully feel happy in any situation.
Any kind words would help. Sorry for the all over the place read.

Caution: Long Post
The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is without doubt and still is to this day one of the most influential, powerful, and iconic figures in American history due to his steadfast and nonviolent commitment in the fight for Civil Rights, Equality, and Justice during Jim Crow Segregation in the United States. The highlight of his career as an activist came in 1963 in which he delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech in front of Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. in which he envisioned a nation in which his children will be judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. This resulted in the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to be passed. Even after his assassination in 1968, his legacy inspired many similar Civil Rights Movements around the world.
Today, Martin Luther King, Jr. is hailed by both sides of the American political sphere as a beacon of hope on how to fight for justice and equality for all during turbulent times. But it's the Conservatives who constantly claim that they truly support him and follow his dream, especially in modern times and they've expressed it in a rather whitewashed and partisan fashion. The most obvious being their use of his "I Have a Dream" speech by quoting the one line that has often been cherry-picked and misinterpreted quite a lot in which they judge people not by skin but by their character. The main reason they do this is to give them the appearance that they are colorblind as their way of opposing racism. And in doing so, they consistently criticize Liberals of trying to divide the country into special interest groups and promote favoritism. As a result, they always claim that Dr. King is a Republican, let alone would've been one in this era given his views, along with the fact that he was a Christian. His niece, Alveda King even emphasized it herself.
Some of the ways that Conservatives try to supposedly live up to Dr. King's "colorblind" dream is by opposing supposed "Wokeness", Critical Race Theory, and the practice of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion everywhere. They also express it by opposing Affirmative Action and the use of racial quotas when it comes to applying for schools, universities, and jobs because they believe it causes Reverse Discrimination. In terms of nonviolence, Conservatives express their disapproval of the Black Lives Matter movement. On the basis of Christianity, Conservatives believe that Dr. King supported a fixed moral code as indicated in his Letters from Birmingham Jail since he led with love and not racial hatred by changing the lives of people and not the laws itself, along with the notion of self-sufficiency. Seeing all this, it seems like Conservatives are really desperate to prove how much America has progressed in this post-racial world in order to debunk accusations that it isn't a racist country and that's why they always prop up Dr. King by claiming that they follow his dream and will continue to do so. Well.....up until now.
During this year's Martin Luther King Day, a string of prominent Conservative activists and organizations suddenly turned on him. Starting off with Charlie Kirk of the youth Conservative movement Turning Point USA, who launched a blistering anti-MLK campaign in which he supposedly dispelled the alleged myths surrounding his popularity. He accused Dr. King of being a "bad person" and that his "sainthood will cause Black voters to realize it's being used against them to suppress the individual." He even went further by stating that "we made a huge mistake when we passed the Civil Rights Act in the 1960s" accusing it as "a way to get rid of the First Amendment". A while ago, the organization marketed the Conservative image of Dr. King when they sold $55 T-Shirts with his name as well as stickers of him with the words "Let Freedom Ring". Kirk was later joined by the Daily Wire's Matt Walsh who accused him of being a "communist". In fact, he railed against Dr. King a few years ago by accusing him of being a Womanizer, Adulterer, Plagiarizer, etc. Coming after Walsh was Human Events editor, conspiracy theorist, and fellow Turning Point USA alumna Jack Posobiec, who labeled Dr. King "a God of the Left" and stating that "the real legacy of the 1960s was enshrining Racial Discrimination and Race Consciousness into the Federal Bureaucracy." And finally, a popular Conservative Twitter account called "EndWokeness" called Dr. King "a Racial Marxist" because he "did not support a Colorblind Meritocracy" after it cited his quote on Wealth Distribution. What's even worse is that even non-White Conservatives hate him. Two examples include a commentator named Vince Everett Ellison and former football player and sports columnist, Jason Whitlock. The latest editions to the lineup of Black Guilt Conservatives, they railed against Dr. King and the passing of the Civil Rights by stating that they worsened the Black community by drifting them away from God into "Democratic Dependency". They even accused him of the same crimes as Walsh did.
With the sudden change in tone and emphasis from the Right against Dr. King, you have to ask yourself why they're doing this and what caused them to believe this way. And this is not an extremist fringe of the Right that some would expect to hear from. All of these are Mainstream Right-Wing Figures who have direct lineage to the GOP, including the current presidential nominee, Donald Trump. That's as Establishment you can get. Their remarks have been criticized by a lot of people from both sides and surprisingly by some Black Conservatives. One of them was Pastor Darrell Scott, a former faith advisor of Trump, who these days, is one of a few Black Conservatives who has been calling out other Black Conservatives for tearing down their own race in order to elevate their status among others, a very notorious habit of them. He criticized Kirk for inspiring a Hitler Youth. Another was Kimberly Klacik, who in 2020, gained viral for her campaign video stating that Black Lives don't matter to Democrats when she was running for Maryland's 7th Congressional District following the death of civil rights leader, Elijah Cummings, who was the incumbent. She criticized Kirk for his remarks stating that his rhetoric will prevent Blacks from voting Republican. Even with that said, there have been instances in which Conservatives themselves have questioned the Civil Rights Act and many of them have been pretty negative. If you check out other Conservative websites and especially here on Reddit, many of their criticisms echo the same sentiments as those Pundits stating that it was unconstitutional and that in infringed on the First Amendment, particularly the Notion of Freedom of Association.
That being said, there is some silver lining to this. Now, that they exposed themselves for what they really of think Dr. King, I think it's time for them to admit that they never really liked him in the first place, let alone understood who he really was and what he really stood for. In fact, they never really liked him at all. All they did was whitewash him and cherry-pick his ideas and speech for own Partisan Agenda. Dr. King constantly talked about the notion of Black Pride and campaigned about the need for Reparations. He also supported Affirmative Action stating in 1965 that "a Society that has done something special against the Negro for hundreds of years must now do something special for the Negro. Dr. King realized that our society was created in a way that managed to disadvantage the many for the benefit the few, and that America's Racial Hierarchy was connected to its Class Hierarchy. He also had political beliefs that manifested through both Racial Reconciliation and Concrete Policy Changes that could help restructure and benefit a divided and unequal nation. This is the reason why he referred to himself as a Democratic Socialist as he wanted a "Radical Redistribution of Economic and Political Power". In fact, he argued that true Equality can only be achieved, not just through legal rights, but through an equal distribution of resources. This is evident when he said “Call it democracy, or call it democratic socialism, but there must be a better distribution of wealth within this country for all God’s children.” This is the exact vision that Vermont Independent Senator Bernie Sanders believed in. After all, he did participate in the March on Washington in 1963. In regards to Police Brutality, while Dr. King opposed violent protest, he did acknowledge that a riot is the language of the Unheard and that it came from a place of Desperation. In fact, in his "I Have a Dream" Speech, he stated that Blacks could "never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the Victim of the Unspeakable Horrors of Police Brutality." After all, he was hounded by the FBI, was called a Communist, broke the law in protest of race-based Segregation and Violence, was thrown in jail, advocated Protests and Sit-Ins, opposed White Rule of Society, and was assassinated for his Race and his views on Race. Regarding the quote about the Content of Character from said speech, Dr. King's daughter, Bernice King stated that using solely that quote diminishes the purpose of the entire speech because her father's dream and work included "eradicating Racism, not ignoring it."
If anything, this goes to show that is Dr. King were around today, he would be heavily criticized for being Woke, politically correct, a Communist, a Race Hustler, and a member of the Radical Left. And we all know that the Right hates those ideologies passionately. But here's the thing, he never considered himself a Democrat, let alone a Republican. He was an Independent as he felt that both parties are the same. And reducing his legacy to a single quote diminishes the gains that he fought for and believed in. This especially goes to a lot of Conservatives out there who claim to follow his lead using that quote because they interpret them in a way that benefits them today than how he meant them back then. For you to claim that he didn't care about Skin Color is like saying Susan B. Anthony didn't care about Gender. And to those Conservatives who now hate him, including Black, I hope you're OK with people getting treated unfairly, including your own. Who knew being seen as an Equal is a Negative in your eyes.

What a horrific saga of a home sale. We decided to leave the US for my home country, we lived in an area with high home values but limited appeal. No phone, TV, cell or terrestrial internet service, but near some of the best skiing and hiking in the world. Mid 20222 We found a cash buyer from word of mouth who was also a general contractor. There were some legally required updates to the property necessary for a title transfer. The buyecontractor agreed to do the work at a heavily discounted rate worked into the purchase price. What should have taken 2 months dragged out to 8 months past the expiry of the contract. When we'd spent over $20,000 excluding equity, we demanded a renegotiation. Our realtor friend also stepped in saying that we were way under market value, pressuring us to list it on the market. This all triggered a legal battle that never went to court, however it was discovered that our contract was negligently deficient, and the attorney who drafted it as a neutral party is now threatening to sue us for breaching said contract on behalf of the buyer, we put the property on the market as we are now out of contract and clearly not going to proceed (mistake), receive a few offers and then when we managed to find our own attorney who would take the case, we were informed that it needed to come off the market immediately as our failure to act at the end of the contract expiry looked bad on our part and could be construed as a tacit extension of the contract. A nasty battle of lawyer's letters ensued resulting in the buyer's lawyer recusing himself (officially but still probably advising in the background) on threat of a malpractice suit and bar complaint, and ultimately we came out ahead recovering the carrying costs completely. Finally our house goes back on the market and we get a contingent buyer who dicks us around for months. A title report shows a $70k lien that we were never aware of. The contractor then tries to stand by it triggering another small legal battle that scares off the buyers. When they back off we are now in the depths of winter when nobody buys houses. Our realtor probably fed up with everything, demands we drop the price $30k. At this point we have had a total of 60 days on the market in the last year and we have strong words back and forth with the realtor. Come late winter we get an offer at asking price, as is, accepting all prior inspections. We just got our appraisal at $2k over the sales price and everything is moving ahead. The money isn't in the bank yet but I'm so excited to be done with this hellacious rollercoaster.
Lessons learned: pay the money to have an FSBO contract professionally reviewed by a second attorney, and be realistic on the value but don't let an impatient realtor bully you into an undervalue price just to clear their board. Anyway that's my story.

I live in California. I paid cash for a 2021 Nissan Versa on December 8, 2022. My car was stolen on June 6, 2023. I was devastated. My insurance company tried to lowball me. I refused offers until they told me ,"This claim has gone on for too long, we are closing it out" This happened on July 8, 2023. I agreed to take $1948,000 on a vehicle I had paid $23,000 with only 12 thousand miles on it. They demanded my Certificate of Title and my Fob Keys, which I mailed, overnite. No money was ever received because within 3 hours after I mailed keys and Pink Slip (Certificate of Title), the police called me to tell me car recovered, looks fine, come pick it up. I was so happy. I did not want the money. I had put so much money into my car in 4 months, and I owned it outright, and had worked 2 jobs for years. So I called insurance company, so happy, let them know My car had been recovered. It took two weeks before they mailed the keys back, but car was in mint condition, had been driven only 9 miles (joyride?) parked in a huge, Walmart, parking lot. I asked for the title to please be mailed back as well. They kept ignoring me. I went to register my car this past December. Only to be denied due to DMV looking at me like a criminal and telling me I had already been paid $19000.00 and vehicle is now owned by my insurance company . I tried explaining , asked for help...they told me Esurance must fix this, you cannot do anything as they legally own the vehicle. I call my claims adjustor, hysterical, and asked him why is my vehicle registered to my insurance company and why does the DMV believe I have been paid $19000,00. He literally told me, "Oh now your just making this up." I tried to ask him to investigate please, he told me, "since you have raised your voice I am hanging up now.' Im downplaying just how rude he was. He basically called me a liar and hung up on me. I was crying but I was not mean, I was almost pleading. He refused to answer my calls and no one else at the office would speak to me, they just forwarded my calls to him. I was in perfect health up until this point. But as each day passed, I begaan to shake from stress, burst into tears, became incredibly depressed, became unable to sleep, spent all my non working hours trying to find a solution. I was unable to concentrate at work. This finally went from beginning to have panic attacks but ended with me waking up after being in a coma, on a ventilator, for 14 days/ I had no idea where I was, was unable to remember how I got to the hosptal or why. I had two Myocardial infarctions, the Doctor explained that I went into full cardiac arrest and a co-worker gave me CPR for 16 minutes until the ambulance arrived. i had a second Cardiac arrest The Doctor told me, shortly after they had settled my into ICU. That one, He told me, they almost were unable to bring me back from. Thank God for The Doctors refusal to stop working on me, my wonderful coworker and The inventor of the Defribulator! Before my release, The Cardiologist told me they could find absolutely no reason for my Heart attack, i have low blood pressure, have no heart or health problems, no family history. They were dumbfounded. i gave him a brief synopsis of my car insurance situation, He told me, ;Stress, it was the stress" "That stress will kill you, you must work on your stress". They referred me to a social worker and a psychologist. When I finally began to regain stress and began to try and demand that my insurance company fix this because they were literally killing me, I felt. I sent a letter, pointing out every single thing that happened, all correspondence, how rudely I was being treated and I sent over my final Diagnosis from the hospital. They never acknowledged my letter. It is now May 13, 2024. have seen attorneys I cannot afford. I was told by DMV Investigations that I definitely need an attorney. Ive been put on Temporary Disability and since I am unable to register my car, I cannot drive it. I am unable to survive on what disability pays. I am losing all hope. I will probably lose my apartment, and may have to live in my car, but my greatest fear now is that my kitty and myself will be on the street, because if they take my car (its illegal to even park an unregistered car on a public street ( is what I was told by the Van Nuys supervisor of the DMV. ) Yet I have asked the Dmv to tell me if there is anyway we can resolve this. I just want them to know i was paid nothing and was finally sent a letter admitting that I wasnt paid anything and it was not my insurance company who made the mistake, it was Copart, and I should take it up with Copart. Okay, this is so beyond absurd. Copart who? Why do I pay full coverage insurance/ when I should pay almost nothing, as this is totally "Do it yourself-Figure it out yourself" insurance. The Claims adjuster told me last week, that they were not going to help me due to my 'Refusal to Communicate with us in January". I got so angry and told him, "So now , You say that I refused to communicate with you?" He said, "Yes, we do." I said," I know for a fact, you never made a single attempt to contact me, while I was in the hospital , after having a heart attack, because phones and emails keep records, and you know, there is no record of anything coming from you or my insurance company . The records I am looking forward to hearing will be all the calls between you and myself. my insurance company claims that every phone call will be taped, and I look forward to the day your employers listen to just how unprofessional, rude and outright sadistic you have treated me. Because you forgot who you work for, sir, and if you did not have policyholders, you would not have a job. You seemed to really enjoy mocking my illness, calling me a liar, hanging up on me. in fact I think we will hear that you threatened to hang up, not look into my claim, and said you were done with my problems and would no longer take my calls.. I have never been treated so cruelly, so rudely, and all I wanted was for my vehicle, which your company never paid a cent to me for, would be transferred back into my name, because I did not make this mistake and I cannot fix this mistake. All I ever wanted from you to fix the mistake that was made by your company You lost nothing in this claim, I only ask that you right a wrong. I have a car that cannot be registered or driven. I oay for your company to ;make me whole' but i would have been better off if i had no insurance at all. My car was found, my car would still be in my name and I could have registered it. Obviously, your never going to help me or make things right' he said, 'i have done all I needed to do, i mailed you the Certificate of Title, so your claim is Closed.' So I have an unsigned Certificate of Title in the name of my insurance company . Which does nothing to help me. Any ideas? So far beyond hopeless, i have lost faith, have lost all joy, no longer leave my apartment. I will do anything, but i just have no clue and no hope. Thank you so much.

I live in California. I paid cash for a 2021 Nissan Versa on December 8, 2022. My car was stolen on June 6, 2023. I was devastated. My insurance company tried to lowball me. I refused offers until they told me ,"This claim has gone on for too long, we are closing it out" This happened on July 8, 2023. I agreed to take $1948,000 on a vehicle I had paid $23,000 with only 12 thousand miles on it. They demanded my Certificate of Title and my Fob Keys, which I mailed, overnite. No money was ever received because within 3 hours after I mailed keys and Pink Slip (Certificate of Title), the police called me to tell me car recovered, looks fine, come pick it up. I was so happy. I did not want the money. I had put so much money into my car in 4 months, and I owned it outright, and had worked 2 jobs for years. So I called insurance company, so happy, let them know My car had been recovered. It took two weeks before they mailed the keys back, but car was in mint condition, had been driven only 9 miles (joyride?) parked in a huge, Walmart, parking lot. I asked for the title to please be mailed back as well. They kept ignoring me. I went to register my car this past December. Only to be denied due to DMV looking at me like a criminal and telling me I had already been paid $19000.00 and vehicle is now owned by my insurance company . I tried explaining , asked for help...they told me Esurance must fix this, you cannot do anything as they legally own the vehicle. I call my claims adjustor, hysterical, and asked him why is my vehicle registered to my insurance company and why does the DMV believe I have been paid $19000,00. He literally told me, "Oh now your just making this up." I tried to ask him to investigate please, he told me, "since you have raised your voice I am hanging up now.' Im downplaying just how rude he was. He basically called me a liar and hung up on me. I was crying but I was not mean, I was almost pleading. He refused to answer my calls and no one else at the office would speak to me, they just forwarded my calls to him. I was in perfect health up until this point. But as each day passed, I begaan to shake from stress, burst into tears, became incredibly depressed, became unable to sleep, spent all my non working hours trying to find a solution. I was unable to concentrate at work. This finally went from beginning to have panic attacks but ended with me waking up after being in a coma, on a ventilator, for 14 days/ I had no idea where I was, was unable to remember how I got to the hosptal or why. I had two Myocardial infarctions, the Doctor explained that I went into full cardiac arrest and a co-worker gave me CPR for 16 minutes until the ambulance arrived. i had a second Cardiac arrest The Doctor told me, shortly after they had settled my into ICU. That one, He told me, they almost were unable to bring me back from. Thank God for The Doctors refusal to stop working on me, my wonderful coworker and The inventor of the Defribulator! Before my release, The Cardiologist told me they could find absolutely no reason for my Heart attack, i have low blood pressure, have no heart or health problems, no family history. They were dumbfounded. i gave him a brief synopsis of my car insurance situation, He told me, ;Stress, it was the stress" "That stress will kill you, you must work on your stress". They referred me to a social worker and a psychologist. When I finally began to regain stress and began to try and demand that my insurance company fix this because they were literally killing me, I felt. I sent a letter, pointing out every single thing that happened, all correspondence, how rudely I was being treated and I sent over my final Diagnosis from the hospital. They never acknowledged my letter. It is now May 13, 2024. have seen attorneys I cannot afford. I was told by DMV Investigations that I definitely need an attorney. Ive been put on Temporary Disability and since I am unable to register my car, I cannot drive it. I am unable to survive on what disability pays. I am losing all hope. I will probably lose my apartment, and may have to live in my car, but my greatest fear now is that my kitty and myself will be on the street, because if they take my car (its illegal to even park an unregistered car on a public street ( is what I was told by the Van Nuys supervisor of the DMV. ) Yet I have asked the Dmv to tell me if there is anyway we can resolve this. I just want them to know i was paid nothing and was finally sent a letter admitting that I wasnt paid anything and it was not my insurance company who made the mistake, it was Copart, and I should take it up with Copart. Okay, this is so beyond absurd. Copart who? Why do I pay full coverage insurance/ when I should pay almost nothing, as this is totally "Do it yourself-Figure it out yourself" insurance. The Claims adjuster told me last week, that they were not going to help me due to my 'Refusal to Communicate with us in January". I got so angry and told him, "So now , You say that I refused to communicate with you?" He said, "Yes, we do." I said," I know for a fact, you never made a single attempt to contact me, while I was in the hospital , after having a heart attack, because phones and emails keep records, and you know, there is no record of anything coming from you or my insurance company . The records I am looking forward to hearing will be all the calls between you and myself. my insurance company claims that every phone call will be taped, and I look forward to the day your employers listen to just how unprofessional, rude and outright sadistic you have treated me. Because you forgot who you work for, sir, and if you did not have policyholders, you would not have a job. You seemed to really enjoy mocking my illness, calling me a liar, hanging up on me. in fact I think we will hear that you threatened to hang up, not look into my claim, and said you were done with my problems and would no longer take my calls.. I have never been treated so cruelly, so rudely, and all I wanted was for my vehicle, which your company never paid a cent to me for, would be transferred back into my name, because I did not make this mistake and I cannot fix this mistake. All I ever wanted from you to fix the mistake that was made by your company You lost nothing in this claim, I only ask that you right a wrong. I have a car that cannot be registered or driven. I oay for your company to ;make me whole' but i would have been better off if i had no insurance at all. My car was found, my car would still be in my name and I could have registered it. Obviously, your never going to help me or make things right' he said, 'i have done all I needed to do, i mailed you the Certificate of Title, so your claim is Closed.' So I have an unsigned Certificate of Title in the name of my insurance company . Which does nothing to help me. Any ideas? So far beyond hopeless, i have lost faith, have lost all joy, no longer leave my apartment. I will do anything, but i just have no clue and no hope. Thank you so much.

Trying to help a friend explore any possible avenues here -
She paid a "contractor" $14K for a new HVAC system. The system stopped working after a week and now she has been without any HVAC for months. She tried giving this man many opportunities to fix it, but finally had an HVAC professional come out for an estimate. They were shocked by the level of incompetence in the install - the guy had even installed the minisplit backwards. Told her it wasn't fixable and they would have to tear out the whole system and start from scratch. (I know a little about HVAC and even I could see the install was not even remotely professional)
So she hired a lawyer to sue the contractor - $2,000 to start. The lawyer told her not to do anything - don't do any repairs, don't try to chargeback the credit card, nothing. He told her he would send a demand letter as a first step and then start looking into the contractor's assets or possible liability insurance. The lawyer stated the man's address and she advised the lawyer that address was incorrect.
Weeks go by and the lawyer just keeps saying "We're waiting for a reply, these things take time, he has 30 business days to reply" - finally, after more than two months the lawyer says "Oh, that letter came back as undeliverable, nothing more we can do, too bad." They had sent it to the address she told them was wrong, and also took a ridiculous amount of time to tell her it wasn't delivered (when they would have known that within a week or two)
So she asks for her $2,000 back, and is told they are dissolving the law firm and maybe they can refund her a tiny bit of what she paid. She contacted the credit card company to see about a chargeback for the contractor's $14K (which the lawyer had told her to wait on) and finds out it's too late for a chargeback.
On top of all that, she spends 20 minutes online and is able to find the contractor's actual address, as well as his long trail of lawsuits and bankruptcies. That's how long it would have taken this lawyer to do their job correctly.
I know it's a longshot, but any chance she has a case for malpractice for the lawyer advising her not to pursue other remedies but then not doing their job?

I was involved in a traffic collision while only having the minimim limits in CA 5/15/30. I received a policy limits (from my insurance) demand letter from the other party stating that they'll settle for the policy limit as long as I disclose my limits. They listed over $200k in alleged personal injury damages. It seems too good to be true that they'll settle for the limit without knowing it. What usually happens? Thanks. (I've increased my limits since!)

I've been hounded by debt collectors for around 4 years for a debt I do not owe. I have bank records, phone records with my bank, and merchant records firmly showing I never received the products PayPal demanded payment for, PayPal needed to drop those charges, and PayPal is 100% in the wrong for not dropping those charges. As I just mentioned, PayPal did not drop the charges and instead sold them off. I've been ignoring the debt collectors because it is unlikely they would sue. And I knew if they did sue, I'd easily win in court. Now, I'm aware these "pre-legal department" letters are intimidation tactics and I will be using this letter against Credit Corp Solutions. My question is, should I call them tomorrow and inform them of what I just informed you, or should I wait it out and fight a potential lawsuit? I would rather not have to go to court but I 100% will if need be, and I have very good lawyers in my family who can help me make this an open and shut case (but who I'd rather not bother unless I have to), piling onto the already abundant proof that I do not owe this nonexistent debt. But, I'm also worried if I respond I can escalate a vague threat to a summons, which I just said I'd like to avoid if possible. What's my best course of action in this case?
Thank you for your time.

Demographics

• Gender: Male
• Race/Ethnicity: white
• Residence: socal :)
• Income Bracket: middle class
• Type of School: public
• Hooks (Recruited Athlete, URM, First-Gen, Geographic, Legacy, etc.): n/a

Intended Major(s): (write here)
international relations or poli sci (depending on the school)
Academics

• GPA (UW/W): 3.87/4.59
• Rank (or percentile): n/a
• of Honors/AP/IB/Dual Enrollment/etc.: 11 aps
• Senior Year Course Load: academic decathlon, ap lit, ap stats, apah, ap french, ap gov/ap micro

Standardized Testing

• ACT: 34 (36E, 32M, 33R, 33S)
• AP/IB: ap euro (4), ap lang (3), ap spanish (5), apush (5), apes (4)

Extracurriculars/Activities

1. academic decathlon president
2. shift leader at parents' small business
3. spanish national honors society treasurer
4. varsity discus and shot put captain
5. religious school post-confirmation
6. local library volunteer
7. spanish and french tutor
8. local climate change awareness organization
9. summer program at prestigious university
10. youth leadership program

Awards/Honors
List all awards and honors submitted on your application.

1. a handful of academic decathlon medals from county competitions
2. scholar athlete
3. national spanish exam bronze medal
4. ap scholar with distinction

Letters of Recommendation
ap spanish: 9/10
apush: 5/10
counselor: 6/10?? idk
Interviews
brown video: 4/10 it was pretty bad and i had a terrible time filming it
american u: 7/10 it was my first one and my only one in person, i thought it went good
washu: 6/10 i didn't get one with an alum but i got one with a current student, so im not certain if it counted
occidental college: 4/10 i did not click with my interviewer at all lmao
syracuse: 9/10 i accidentally missed my interview originally but my interviewer was super understanding and we rescheduled and it went great
northwestern: 9/10 i felt like this one went really well, and i really clicked with my interviewer
georgetown: 8/10 nothing really remarkable that i can remember, i just remember feeling good afterward
Essays
im going to keep this anonymous just in case im recognized from this (i hope im not lol). i think on the whole everything was pretty decent.
Decisions (indicate ED/EA/REA/SCEA/RD)
brown ED: rejected
maryland EA: accepted+merit
wisconsin EA: accepted
uc davis RD: accepted
uci RD: waitlisted -> withdrew
sdsu RD: accepted
american u RD: accepted+merit
uw RD: accepted
ucla RD: rejected
ucsb RD: waitlisted -> withdrew
washu RD: rejected
oxy RD: accepted+merit
syracuse RD: accepted
gwu RD: accepted+merit
northwestern RD: rejected
georgetown RD: rejected
cal poly RD: rejected
cal RD: rejected
DECISION: MARYLAND CO '28!!!! GO TERPS
Additional Information:
i go to a pretty competitive high school in a relatively wealthy area and learned about the process, got high hopes, and honestly got a little prestige obsessed around my junior year. I had five dream schools (brown, ucla, washu, northwestern, and georgetown) and ended up getting rejected from all of them which was both a total punch in the gut and a much needed wake up call. the decision for me based on fit and financials came down to maryland, washington, and davis, and as a result of the really generous merit aid i recieved at umd as well as the university's perfect location near washington DC, it was just the perfect fit. After visiting the school, I totally fell in love with the campus, the culture, and having a big 10 sports program definitely didn't hurt it. looking back on everything, i was totally naïve and applied to a ton of schools, which thankfully worked out for my targets, but i was at one point certain that i would get into at least one of my reaches. in the end, im really glad that i didnt get into any of them because i would have never considered maryland, a school i almost didnt even apply to. also, as a jewish student, the thriving jewish community on maryland's campus is really comforting, especially with everything going on right now at colleges. congrats to all of this years seniors and good luck to all the incoming seniors with their apps! and if youre going to maryland next year, hmu!!!

This is the second megathread for the current ongoing conflict between HYBE and ADOR, which is both directly and indirectly related to NewJeans. Part 1 is linked here. We will continue to update this thread as relevant articles and news about this topic pertaining to NewJeans and their label ADOR are released. Feel free to contribute in the comments below if/when new updates are released. Thank you for understanding!
Please engage in civil discussions. We don't want to have to hand hold you and tell you what is right and what is wrong. This is your online space. Please make it safe for yourself and for others. Report any incivil comments should they occur and we will get to them as soon as possible and hand out disciplinary actions accordingly.
Relevant Articles:

• 240422 Soompi: HYBE Initiates Audit Of ADOR's Management Including CEO Min Hee Jin
  
• 240422 Soompi: ADOR Responds To HYBE's Audit With Statement Involving ILLIT And NewJeans
  
• 240422 Korea JoongAng Daily: NewJeans comeback will proceed as planned, despite HYBE-ADOR drama
  
• 240425 Korea JoongAng Daily: HYBE to report ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin to police
  
• 240425 Korea JoongAng Daily: ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin to hold press conference at 3 p.m.
  
• 240425 Korea JoongAng Daily: LIVE UPDATES — ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin press conference
  
• 240425 Soompi: HYBE Announces NewJeans's Activities Will Continue As Planned + To Take Legal Action For Malicious Posts Against Members
  
• 240425 Soompi: HYBE Releases Statement In Response To ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin's Press Conference
  
• 240429 Korea JoongAng Daily: ADOR rejects HYBE's demand for board meeting, calls request 'illegal'
  
• 240503 Soompi: ADOR Releases In-Depth Statement In Response To HYBE's Stance
  
• 240510 Soompi: Min Hee Jin Releases Statement About Audit Of ADOR Employee + HYBE Responds
  
• 240513 Soompi: NewJeans Members’ Parents Letter Speaking Out Against HYBE Revealed
  
• 240513 Soompi: HYBE Releases Statement About Email Reportedly Sent By Parents Of NewJeans
  

2296, The scene is set in a post apocalyptic Mojave desert, 15 years after a joint effort of the New California Republic, the Rangers, and the mysterious benefactor of the New Vegas Strip, Mr. House pushed back an attempted invasion of the Mojave and a final battle was waved for control of the hydroelectric powerhouse, Hoover Damm.
In the aftermath, Mr. House was removed from power discreetly, due to the actions of a wasteland wanderer on a mission for revenge, known only as the Courier. Mr. House's iconic Lucky 38 casino opened its doors, for the first time, offering a single floor casino and bar, it's upstairs remained an exclusive and mysterious meeting place for the New Vegas Strip's elite. The Lucky 38 represented one of the cleanest, most secure facilities, protected, like the rest of the strip, by the Securitron Mk 2, predominantly. Their presence ensured visitors on the Strip behaved themselves, though the other casinos maintained their own security and 'house rules' internally.
The Strip defined and maintained its status as an independent entity, determining through the Courier's observations that the NCR was stretching it's military might too thin, and couldn't realistically manage over the Strip and Mojave, so a new deal was struck, similar to the prior, but with The Strip extending it's Securitron security to enforce the immediately surrounding communities and a few outlying satelites. Trade to the surrounding areas increased, the Mojave benefitting from the prewar tech, pre-programmed security forces. The drug addicted fiends and other Raider groups would never be any match for their advanced weaponry, and ultimately were cleared out of existence.
The King's continued to watch over Freeside, making alliances with the Follower's of the Apocalypse... their desire to service the needs of the belittled, disadvantaged and destitute lined up, and this is where Mr. Wolf found his place in the story... the Courier and a Follower's doctor found love in the wasteland.... and raised a child together under a Ranger's flag... 23 years later? This is New Vegas...
A handsome man in a leather jacket sat in a dusty leather booth watching one of the girls dance on a pole, shaking her ass as bottle caps clinked on the stage in front of her. It was a swanky post apocalyptic casino strip club. A man in a leather jacket stood nearby, his hands crossed in front of his chest, "Kings" embroidered across the back in silver letters. A waitress approached him carrying a glass of some amber colored liquor, and sat it down at the half moon table. She lingered a moment in her lacey body suit, following his gaze up to the girl rubbing her tits in some older cowboys face.
"You don't get jealous seeing her like that, Mr. Wolf." The girl bit her lip and met his eyes as he picked up his glass and swirled it before giving it a smell and taking a slow swig. He tilted his head looking her over. She couldn't possibly be older then 19. Tight, perky little thing.
Mr. Wolf smirked and shook his head. "I like her... nice and wet when she comes to my bed."
The girl blushed and bit her lip. "So you like to watch?" She surmised.
"I don't mind, but why do you ask?" Wolf had these intense eyes that shot arrows into your very soul. It made her incredibly nervous... but she found it deeply exciting at the same time.
"Well... I'm living in 206 now... maybe... you might stop by sometime and I could dance for you? I know I don't have her body but... if you wanted something that was a little fresher... something... just yours?" She figeted her fingers against the table.
Jason looked her over once more and smirked.
"Two-Oh-six, huh?" He tilted his head, considering.
She nodded.
"Leave your cum soaked panties on my doorknob one of these nights if you really need it and maybe I'll come see if you got the moves." His Texan accent was subdued, but enthrallingly charming with his confident, somewhat bored with reality overtones.
"M-my panties?" She stammered turning bright red. "On your doorknob?" Alexa couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"If you're gunna shoot your shot with a dom... with an alpha... you need to be willing to submit. If you can't do that... I'm not interested." Wolf shrugged, completely unphased.
"But what about... what if..." Alexa glanced at Laura, the clubs most iconic stripper in the club, perhaps even the whole Strip.
She was taking some NCR soldier to the VIP lounge for a private dance.
Alexa had been bold enough to offer herself but now she was feeling nervous. If Laura wanted her out, she could lose her job... her home.
"Oh she won't mind... if anything she'll want to watch." Wolf shook his head, sensing her anxiety.
"Assuming of course... she likes the way you smell... she's funny like that." Wolf let the conversation end and Alexa nervously retreated.
Wolf sat drinking by himself, but got bored.
"Jakey, go get yourself a drink and sit down, I'm bored." Wolf called to his body guard.
Jacob looked over and nodded, giving the lounge one last look around before approaching the bar and getting himself a mug of beer, from the tuxedo shirt and boytie bartender Gerald, and returning to the table.
"What's on your mind boss?" Jacob had his hair slicked back in the usual King's gang hairstyle.
"Heard any rumors lately?" Wold looked at him, taking a drag from his cigarette and flicking the pack over to him.
"Honestly, boss, aside from the occasional drunkard or fiend rolling through freeside, nothing out of the ordinary... well, except... a way's out.. the crazy lady... Gloria was swearing up and down she found a headless metal suit of armor.. said the Enclave would burn down New Vegas. God's wraith and all that, you know how she gets."
"Enclave?" Jason's attention was piqued.
"Yeah, I don't know, she was probably just in withdrawal from the Jet... said she found it in the hollowed out shell of the Super Duper, out by the old highway." Jacob shrugged and drank from his beer and pulled a cigarette from the pack.
Wolf finished the last drag of his own cigarette. "Has anyone validated her claims?"
"Well... no... but... I mean... you've met her, she sees things that aren't there, all the time." Jacob shrugged and lit a cigarette.
Jason squinted, considering the resident crazy ladies most recent half coherent ramblings.
"That's an oddly specific hallucination though....take a group of guys out there tonight... humor me, and make sure she's not right." Wolf lifted his glass.
"Sir?" Jacob raised an eyebrow, thinking surely this could wait until tomorrow.
"Hypothetically" Wolf pondered aloud, "If there was... for some reason, there in-fact was... a pre-war, piece of military tech out there....a T-45, let's say, or T-60, best case scenario? We want it. Even if it's not at 100% capacity? It's fusion core alone... could change up the game for Freeside, something like that could make our tiny little city independent. We wouldn't have to be reliant on the scraps of New Vegas, and forget about the Hoover Dam completely."
Jacob caught Mr. Wolf's drift.. a fusion core could mean producing its own, radiation-free water, it's own electricity.. not just a little, a lot. Powering long dead machines, not to mention the agricultural benefits... producing healthier, higher yield tobacco... expanding their income ten fold.
Jacob suddenly felt like he understood Mr. Wolf's vision for the future.
"I should... go and deploy the King's to investigate." Jacob concluded.
"I think that would be for the best, I can take care of myself here." Wolf waved Jacob off.
Jacob downed his beer and excused himself.
Wolf drank the rest of his whiskey, extinguishing his cigarette.
Laura, the dancer came up to the table, and Wolf motioned to the blushing new waitress for a round, who felt a twinge of jealousy seeing her crush with the most popular stage act in town. She bit her tongue though, bringing over two more heavy pours of whiskey.
Laura eyed the girl as she came and went.
"She likes you." Laura concluded as the waitress walked away.
"Yeah.. I think she does." Mr. Wolf shrugged, flicking her a cigarette.
"The NCR boy liked me." She giggled wiping a little bit of cum from her lips and used half her shot like mouthwash.
"Get anything out of him.. other then.. his seed?" Wolf sighed.
"Of course," She grinned mischievously, "Apparently there's been trouble out West with the Brotherhood. They had some type of skirmish? Apparently NCR lost? NCR was apparently holding some old world tech, I don't know, but apparently it lit up the west coast power grid, like... in it's entirely?" Laura tilted her head to look at him.
"The entire western power grid was lit up by a single piece of tech??" Wolf shook his head at the topless girl beside him.
"Yeah, I had to make him cum twice for more details, but apparently it's the size of a grain of rice, with quote, unlimited energy potential." Laura relayed the information. It seemed more important then a suit of power armor or its fusion core.
"Who else knows about this?" Wolf demanded with his eyebrows squinted against his eyes.
"Anyone with a functional light bulb for... like... three hundred miles?" Laura guessed with a shrug.
"You said... it was the Brotherhood that took the win on the skirmish?" Wolf clarified some details.
"Yeah... rumor has it they have a new up and coming knight that's making waves." Laura shrugged.
"Stay on the rumors... I need details." Mr. Wolf nodded at her, drank his whiskey and stood up, downing his drink.
An energy source that powerful would have a big effect on the balance of power in the Mojave. It could mean a resurrection of the New California Republic to it's former glory and then some, and potentially... might mean a renewed effort to reclaim the western part of the former United States, in time.

I recently filed a small claims suit for 8K for medical bills due to my neighbors negligence which caused injury,their literally a couple of doors down…I initially sent them two demand letters via certified mail/return receipt no surprise they refused to answer the door for the courier and/or pick up the mail at the post office. Fast forward about a month after filing suit and I’ve been unsuccessful in having them served through a hired process server. It’s starting to become frustrating cause I see the entry/exit from their apartment via my doorbell daily. I was also made aware they maybe trying to break their lease and move out asap. The server sais he‘s attempted service but no one comes to the door. At a lost as to what to do or expect considering hearing is coming up in June. Any input is appreciated.

Hi,
If this is the wrong sub, I apologize. Not sure where to post this type of stuff.
The statute of limitations for my slip and fall personal injury incident is approaching on the 22nd of this month. We are at the end of the process trying to reach an agreement which is good, but we're cutting short on time. My Attorney only got contact from the insurance adjuster back in February and they drug the process on for quite some time because they apparently got the demand letter but not my medical records. From there, they needed 60 days to investigate to see what they could find to deny liability, which was nothing.
However, my case is a very tricky one and my Attorney said that from the beginning, yet, he still decided to take my case. It was a slip and fall in a drinking establishment where I slipped and fell into a drink on the floor that was not cleaned up resulting in me breaking my wrist and getting plates and screws. I wasn't aware that I broke it until the next morning as at the time of the incident, it felt like a sprain.
The first offer we received was last week on the 8th which was $44K, the cost of only my medical bills before insurance. When my Attorney presented the offer, he kept saying how pleased he was with that offer considering the difficulty of my case. My argument was while the offer is great, it's the first low ball offer they're giving and his initial demand was $150K. He immediately goes into how that's an inflated number for him to be able to negotiate and that I'll never see that number (which is BS in my eyes because why ask me if $150K is a good number to shoot for in the demand)? I said, well.. okay... hearing both sides, how about halfway at $75K? He said he doubts I'll see double my medical bills and that I need to think about how this would look in court in front of a judge and 6 jurors if we had to file a lawsuit. Their argument is they have no surveillance footage, no employee recalls the incident, and that I didn't report it when it happened. He then said he'd go back and negotiate by coming down from the $150K by like $40K to see what they'd offer.
Am I wrong for turning down the $44K offer? He said that once all fees and their winning is taken out (35% + whatever other fees due to being a contingency case), I'd have $22K in my pocket. Sure, that's $22K extra I never had but I always read to not settle for the first offer. Now, I'm afraid since they know my deadline is in 2 weeks that they will drag their feet and continue to lowball backing me into the corner of either accepting their offer or filing a lawsuit.
What are your thoughts and weigh in here?

Since there was many people who decided to confront, harass, or downright misinterpret the message, I am putting out this open letter addressing every concern addressed to me holistically:
Open Letter to Faculty, Staff, Students, and the General Community Addressing Concerns Regarding the May 13th ASUW Newsletter
NOTE: These are my thoughts and feelings solely as Jacob Feleke, not intending to represent the ASUW.
I wanted to take a moment to thank you all for sharing your concerns about the recent ASUW newsletter. Your insights are invaluable, and they resonate deeply with my own commitment to promoting inclusive dialogue within our university community.

1. Malcolm X Quote: The acknowledgment of the sensitivity surrounding the use of a quote from Malcolm X, with the claims of anti-Semitic rhetoric in the past, struck a chord with me. As someone with Jewish ethnicity and Semitic myself, I fully understand the importance of ensuring that our messaging remains sensitive and respectful. However, I do want to include the fact that Malcom X began his transformation after his pilgrimage to Mecca in 1964, where he experienced and interacted with people from diverse racial backgrounds and realized faults within himself. Following his journey, Malcolm X underwent ideological shifts, moving away from separatist and divisive teachings. I do not include Malcom X to incite or aggravate, but rather to show the change people exhibit in their teachings. “Each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve done” - Bryan Stevenson, Just Mercy.
2. Alleged Misuse of Power and Political Bias: I want to emphasize the significant impact of ASUW legislation, which, while not legally binding, influences every aspect of student life, from social functions to the allocation of student funds. As the democratic voice of students, ASUW engages the campus community through programming, services, and advocacy. We amplified the students who brought forward the divestment bill, which underwent rigorous (and a bit vociferous) questioning to reach its final form. The students who presented or supported the bill, some being Jewish themselves, were subjected to ad-hominem attacks being described as “self-hating” by students and described as “ignorant” by faculty and staff along with threats of not being able to find a job after college. Through their trials and tribulations, the approval of this bill by ASUW Student Senate and its presentation to the Board of Directors, and later the Board of Regents on May 9th, as Official Student Opinion underscores our commitment to representing student perspectives in our decision-making processes.
3. Portrayal of Conflict and use of the word 'martyr': I fully appreciate the significance of promoting balanced and respectful discourse. The emphasis on understanding and addressing the concerns of all members of our community has been an issue as the entire campus, and the world is virtually polarized. From the Black Student Union sit-in at Gerberding Hall in 1968, and the May 1970 Antiwar Strikes, these events on our campus occurring simultaneously with the rest of the world did indeed cause students to be martyred for their activism. I emphasize the term ‘martyr’ as we see other universities today engaging in increasing repudiation and silencing of students, which I fear may escalate to lives lost if matters escalate from outside agitators, law enforcement, or universities themselves.
4. Alleged Lack of Representation: The allegations regarding the lack of representation of Jewish students on the ASUW is quite frankly a matter that I am not at liberty to discuss, out of privacy for the students, nor is a well researched allegation. Again, as a semitic individual myself, with Jewish heritage, coupled with a Hebrew name ‘Jacob’, I share the dedication in ensuring that every student's voice is heard and represented within our student organizations. The calls for greater inclusivity and representation in the ASUW mirrors my own aspirations, for our own university community.
5. Questioning of the Peaceful Dialogue: The skepticism about the peaceful nature of the encampment protests underscores the urgent need for transparency and accountability within activist movements. I am deeply committed to ensuring that the activism in the ASUW is conducted in a manner that respects the rights and perspectives of all individuals. The concerns serve as a reminder of the importance of upholding principles of nonviolence and inclusivity in our advocacy efforts. We all want to support activism, and it's crucial to make sure it's done in a way that respects everyone's rights and opinions. In the same breath, I will not condone or tell students to stand silent when being harassed.

In summary, I am truly grateful for everyone's thoughtful critiques and the dedication to fostering a more inclusive and respectful dialogue within our university community. Your insights have sparked important reflections on the implications of our actions and messaging, and I eagerly anticipate working together with everyone to address these concerns constructively.
Sincerely,
Jacob Feleke

Hello and thank you in advance for any advice you might have. I don't know how to proceed and no one seems willing to help me.
I live in a co-op in NYC and have HO-6 insurance with Lemonade.
In May of 2023, the apartment unit above me had a leak in their kitchen in the middle of the night, and my kitchen was severely damaged. I know it doesn't mean anything, but the supebuilding contractor both came by immediately afterwards and pointed out that the cabinets would all need to be replaced due to water damage and that I should inform my insurance company and get estimates.
I informed my insurance company and the building manager. The building manager works for a large property management firm and handles the co-op/master insurance policy. They noted that because the leak started in someone else's unit, their homeowner's insurance would pay out and that the building insurance wouldn't have any responsibility, which makes sense to me.
At first, my insurance was helpful. They immediately paid out for my belongings that were damaged and sent a field adjuster to survey the damage. Field adjuster said that there was $7K of damage but that this would really just be enough to pay for deposits for contractors and that they would look at estimates that my contractor provides and make me whole.
My insurance paid out the $7K that the field adjuster noted. My contractor said that damage to the kitchen is closer to $90K.
My insurance is pushing on the building to pay but the building says they have no responsibility. The unit owners above me seem amenable to paying through their insurance, but I was told to go through my insurance as they have a duty to make me whole. My insurance is demanding a denial letter from the building insurance before they will continue this claim, but the building manageproperty management company are dragging their feet for some reason.
All I want is a letter from the building insurance saying they aren't responsible so my insurance pays out, but that seems to be impossible to get.
This has been going on for a year now due to delays from the field adjuster, contractor estimates, the building manager, and my insurance company. I just want me cabinet doors to close and my drywall to not be peeling off.
How can I get my insurance company to actually do their job and pay for this claim? I don't care how they subrogate or get their money back. The unit owner filed with their insurance and is expecting to pay, but my insurance is caught up trying to get the building to deny the claim. How can I get the building insurance/property manager to actually respond? Do I need to call a lawyer--that seems like a whole new can of worms that I'm not prepared for?
I skipped over a bunch to keep this short, but I'm happy to answer questions and elaborate if there is any missing information. I'm really just at a loss for what to do.
Thank you for reading.

Jesus, what a day. It hailed! I had just finished dinner and was about to write to you when it started to rain. I was about to head out to cover up the plants when it sounded like a barrage of bullets were raining down on us. The hail was certainly the size of bullets. I was half-afraid they were going to break the windows. It gave Peach a fright. I had to rush to find something to cover my head so I could go up to cover the plants. Sadly, there were so casualties. Mother had just bought her jalapeno plants this morning and now, most of them are nothing but twigs. My bell peppers were similarly smashed. The herbs and cherry tomatoes survived decently but nothing was completely unscathed. I rushed to cover when I could and then rushed back inside. Later, when he hail actually stopped. I went back out to bring everything I could inside. I don't have confidence that my flimsy plastic cover would hold out in case there's a second storm.
Now I'm soaked. Again. It rained on and off all day; it would go from sunny and warm to dark and wet in seconds. I didn't trust the weather enough to take my laptop out to write so instead, I spent a few hours washing all the lawn furniture. Those birds, particularly the starlings, have covered everything in their shit. They really are the worst guests. Loud, messy, and demanding. Their lucky they're cute. Once I was done cleaning and the weather got sunny again, Peach wanted out. Again, I didn't trust the sky not to rain, for good reason given the hail, so I didn't write outside. Instead, I sat out on the stoop, listened to music, and watch nature in motion.
We had a lot of little guests in the yard today. The starlings, of course, were as loud and intrusive as any storm, but they weren't the only birds around. There were several pairs of finches swooping through the bushes. A pair of males were fighting while a little female watched, I don't think either of them impressed her. Peach watched a mourning dove on the roof for a few minutes and missed the giant toad hopping onto the lawn. I made sure to tell Mother not to let the dog out. He was a giant, handsome thing. So many shades of green, lightest at the top of his head and darker going down. The little discs on either side of his head, apparently it's called the tympanum, was bright yellow, like mini-suns. Peach eventually spotted him and I was so sure she was going to pounce. I followed her as she stalked closer but luckily, she was actually pursing a tasty but of grass by the fence. She couldn't care less about Mr. Toad. Knowing Cooper would be so kind, I took the toad over to the gate. He was a queer fellow. Very polite. He only hopped away from me once and then politely let me scoop him up without fuss. I didn't even need to use both my hands. He just sat in my palm and stared up at me with that strange, semi-sentient expression animals make when they know you're helping them. He didn't even hop away immediately when I brought my hand to the ground. He sat in my palm for almost a full minute before suddenly springing away. I wouldn't mind seeing him in the backyard again if only I didn't have to worry about Cooper eating him.
Now, there's only one last thing to write to you about. My writing. I wrote last night, just as I said I would, from 10:30p.m. to 12:30 a.m. I have no idea how much I wrote. I was to exhausted to count last night and now, I can't recall what I wrote then and what I wrote the day before. Th chapter still isn't quite done. It is in the annoying stage where I could see myself finishing tonight or maybe it will stake me all week. I hate that stage. May is nearly half over and I still only have four chapters written. I am slowly coming to terms with the fact that I probably won't finish the book before halloween. Some deadlines aren't meant to be met. They inspire, I suppose. They are a light to follow and then walk past when you meet them empty handed. Even if the book isn't finished in October, I'll keep writing past October. I'll write until it's done. I want to finish the book and that is a good enough reason to write everyday, whenever I can bring myself to but there's no point running myself into the ground for a few paragraphs. If I can't finish a chapter one day, I'll finish it the next. The when matters less than the why. I want it written and that is reason enough to keep going.
Wish me luck.
Would you believe, I already wrote this whole letter to you and then wen't to publish it, only for me to realize I didn't tag the subreddit, and then when I do tag the subreddit, the whole letter deletes and I have to write it all over again? That would be infuriating wouldn't it?
Oh, well. What was first written if gone but what I've re-written might be better in some ways. Or worse. At least it is written.
Please don't delete again.
Yours & Mine,
S.O. Skinner

Hi everyone, 23F Indian citizen here
I’ve got a difficult choice to make- for some context I have a Bachelors in Computer Science from a UK university and due to my company’s unwillingness to sponsor my work visa here I’ve decided to pursue a masters.
I’ve gotten offers from both the University of Maryland for Software Engineering and the Eindhoven University of Technology for Data Science and AI.
A few things to consider:
-UMD is ranked 169 in the world while Tu/e is 124. -The post study work visa in NL is 1 year while the OPT + STEM OPT gives me 3 years after my degree in the US. -NL degree has a mandatory thesis while USA one does not. -I am very interested in Data Science and AI but unfortunately got rejected from the US schools I applied to this course for. With Software at UMD, I can always take electives in DS. -I will probably have to learn Dutch during my studies in NL so that I can compete with the local market for jobs. -Fees are wayyyy higher in the US for international students, NL being almost half -NL is much smaller than the US so this may make getting a job a little difficult when compared -I’m not sure about the current demand for Data Scientists and AI specialists in the NL (any inputs would be highly appreciated) -My family resides in the UK so the NL would be a £30 1 hour flight away while the same cannot be said for the US. -I’ve lived in the US before, moved to India when I was 10 but still having trouble deciding which place I prefer -NL is much better w.r.t. ease of life, labour laws, healthcare and just general safety when compared to the US with the gun violence -Salaries are much higher in the US and I’ve been told it’s easier finding a job in Europe after having worked in the US but not the other way around.
Please help if you have any advice!

When I was hired at a medium-sized nonprofit that has multiple physical addresses. After being offered a position, I spoke with the program director as well as the supervisor about logistics, and we agreed upon a specific worksite, schedule, and one remote day a week. Most of this is reflected in writing in my offer letter.
Since the very first day, they have been directing me to go to other worksites which are 30min-1hr away from my agreed upon worksite, in very high crime areas of the city (compared to the relative upscale location of my originally agreed upon site). They’ve shifted my start/end times, and also rescinded the remote day saying that I needed to “earn” that “privilege”. They said 90 days, and then said they “weren’t sure”. There’s another employee who’s been here for 6mos and said she never had a remote day and management also made her wait.
Management (my supervisothe program manager and the program director) have been super hostile and gaslighting about the whole thing, such as when they finally agreed to honour the original worksite and I continued to press the remote day and scheduling concerns, they stated that they had already made concessions for me and that they felt I was being demanding.
I’m pissed because this feels like a clear bait and switch and it’s now putting me in a gross situation, because turning down other offers and quitting a job is a lot more involved than just declining an offer.
I turned in my resignation but I’m just wondering if we think I should reach out to HR about this situation also, just so they’re aware. It doesn’t seem to be in line with the company culture according to my interactions with other colleagues outside of my pod.

Red brick castles stacked the suburban streets. Divided by side yards and dogs barking. The sun laid crisp over the spliced horizon, spilling yolk over the withering lawns.
Henry waited in his lawn chair beside the mailbox. As his body had taken recent liberties, he'd remained fit from his army training. His throat rumbled as he checked his silver watch. Finally, the postman flushed the corner, and stumbled to Henry's curb, to his bag, then to his letter.
"...you're late, Lenny," Henry pulled his readers.
Lenny, the paperboy, regained his choppy breath. Coke-bottle glasses stored his tortoise eyes. They surveyed the concrete corridor they called Gerben Street, "I'm sorry, Mr. Bronson, I really am. I never meant to keep you waiting... I'm sorry, Henry."
Henry didn't answer the boy, tore the envelope with ape's elegance. Pranced the script of his lover's ink. The letter had traveled from Paris, France, skidded the black waves of the Atlantic Ocean, hitched buses, bikes, and buggies, all to kiss the smooth of Henry's palms.
The words were from his lover, Amélie, he'd met at war in an escapade to Bordeaux. It was here he'd kissed her cherry cheeks, and they'd made love only a year before.
Amélie talked of finer things, life and love and silver tastes. She yearned for Henry, and hadn't taken a lover since. Sleeping all alone, cold as the sleepy ocean in between them.
Love,
Amélie
Those four letters, strung together. Followed by that name, that haunted, horrible, beautiful name. The music of Henry's life, a distant harp in a sway of windy trees.
Henry spent all night beneath a dancing candle. Scribbling, nixing, finding the perfect words. Rifling through Shakespeare, and Plath, and Wilde. It was at the page's end, Henry wrote, what he knew he'd write in the weeks and weeks before:
"Oh, Amélie, won't you visit me? Here in the States? I know you don't like the food. I don't either, but with each other, me with you, and you with me, we'll ever, never notice."
He entered the post office that morning, and his reply was off to France. The weeks and weeks had passed again, crawling to November's end. Henry waited by that same mailbox, and waited, and waited, but nothing arrived in the days after.
He entered the post office that cold evening, and met the clerk, who's eyes tired with crescent glints. Henry demanded his mail be delivered to him, scolding the patient clerk, providing his address thereafter.
The clerk, a powdered, faded beauty of a woman, "we had a change in paperboys. We're putting a new employee on that route by Gerben Street."
"Oh no, that's a shame," Henry dampened. He enjoyed the paperboy, Lenny, and his weekly company. He'd felt shame for their final, frustrated exchange. The clerk retreated to a backroom, and returned with a letter from France.
Henry couldn't help himself. He ripped and ripped the note naked. Read the first and fourth and tens of lines.
"There isn't a night I don't think of you. I wander stars wondering if you do too. Your touch, your breath, your arms. I receive the memory fondly in a summer's dream, and I don't forget a word you've said along the way. I love you, Henry Bronson. And this ocean, though far and wide, won't stop the heart from sailing. Because our children will know silver dreams too, and what parents we'd be to not make them true. You are the love of my life. The music of my night.
I'll arrive in Savannah on the evening of Christmas Eve.
Love,
Amélie"
The words strummed his chest. Henry rose his eyes to the world anew, because Amélie, his beloved Amélie——was coming to visit at last.
Henry was paralyzed in weeks to come. His lawn, unattended, his sink, stacked with dishes. He stared his only photo of Amélie, smiling at her blushed eyes for hours and hours and hours. In this love he'd been born again, a new meaning in every little thing.
It was finally time——Christmas Eve. Snow peppered the sheets of the crystal tarmac. Henry entered the airport, propelled by the stride of anxious confidence. He coursed the halls, until he'd arrived at the final gate:
PARIS, FRANCE [ARRIVING IN 4 MINUTES]
Minutes became years, years decades. He walked to the bar and asked for a glass of water. Flushed his throat with fretting sips, and noticed the custodian who mopped spilled coffee. A familiar face, though, Henry couldn't pin him. He approached, and to his surprise, it was the old paperboy, Lenny.
They shared a laugh and began to catch up. Henry's eyes flirting with the gate:
[ARRIVING IN 2 MINUTES]
Lenny rambled, "they canned me without warning, right before the holidays. I've struggled to make due, but——I guess it's all worked out okay," he paused, "funny enough——I was en route to deliver on your street before I got the call. Gerben Street, right?"
[ARRIVING IN 1 MINUTE]
Henry's heart thumped like a derby horse. He glanced the snow that flaked the window.
"Yeah, Gerben."
"Gerben, yeah, I thought I remembered," Lenny nodded, "you know, Mr. Bronson, I think I left your letter in my backpack, actually. Would you like me to check?"
"Sure."
Lenny was off, and as he left, Frenchmen, women, and decadent Americans flooded the gate's entrance. Pulling luggage, sighing stretches, lending hugs. Henry watched carefully for his cherry, silver dream. To each face, he paid his attention. Lenny nudged Henry, handed over the envelope.
"Thanks," Henry took the note, "Merry Christmas... I'll see you around, I hope."
"Sure," Lenny shuddered in embarrassment. His somber step parted from Henry, he replied with a mumbled, "Merry Christmas."
In the later minutes, Henry didn't see Amélie, or even a confused resemblance. He waited till the plane was empty, till the Spain-bound passengers began to board. He even checked the desk, where a pretty-faced lady exclaimed, "no Amélie here, I'm sorry." With great disappointment, Henry exited the airport, never leaving the sight of his fluttered feet.
Even for Henry, a man of hope and perseverance, it was too hard not to cry. He hailed a taxi, directed the driver with snotty tremble, and soon enough, he was home in his red brick house, at home where the houses stacked the streets, and the streets tickled with frost.
In that dark room, where Henry wrote Amélie, was where the music died. Where the wind had swallowed the galloped harp. Henry cried, cursed himself a fool. A fool, a fool, a fool. He'd hoped as a child, now damned a hopeless recluse. His sorrow turned to confusion, confusion to frustration, frustration to rage anew.
He leapt from his chair, struck a match, lit a wick, plucked a pen, placed his paper, and before the ink would paint the page, before he'd damn Amélie to Hell, her and her cherry cheeks, he remembered the letter the paperboy had given him.
Henry removed the crumpled letter from his coat, peeled the stick of the envelope. Slipped the letter from its sleeve, pulled his readers, and began to prance the ink in reading.
Amélie, again, talked of finer things. Gifts, and gods, and golden fountains.
She couldn't wait any longer, to meet her beloved Henry.
She couldn't sleep another night, with this space between.
The black waves, the buses, bikes and buggies. All the things from her to he.
It should not wait. No, it could not wait any longer.
Henry dabbed his eyes clear and clean, as he read the final words:
"Henry, oh, Henry, I never meant to keep you waiting. You never quite knew what you meant to me."
Henry lowered his eyes to the page's end, to the bottom of the longing letter:
Love,
Yours Truly,
Lenny