Sorry this is a bit long. My partner and I are ftb and moving along nicely with our house purchase. Searches back later this month, hope to complete in June/July.
We only viewed the house briefly twice and all seemed great, so I called the estate agent a week ago to ask if I could view again, mainly to check certain things are working, to go up in the loft which is converted and to take measurements in rooms for new furniture, they said yes and agreed for today.
I was there on time and they were late. Tried calling their office, no one answered, and when someone turned up it was a surveyor who was doing a survey down the street for the same EA and they gave the keys to him and asked him to let me in 🙄
Anyway the house was a tip when I entered. I understand it's the sellers house until they leave but it was beyond a joke. Most of the floor space was covered in trash, pieces of furniture were moved around so I couldn't get where I wanted.
So I went up to the bedroom to measure for our new bed and this was the real kicker. The bedroom floor was covered in clothes, including a dozen or so pieces of dirty underwear and damp towels, and strewn around the room on the floor and tables were numerous sex toys and other "bits" of that type. I tried not to touch anything but there was a rucksack at one side of the bed and no room to measure without moving it and when I dragged it along the floor even more came spilling out.
I'm not a prude at all but either the EA didn't inform the seller I was coming and now they've let me in and his personal stuff has been exposed or they did let him know and he's just a tramp, which I'm pissed off about only because it seems really rude to not at least throw dirty underwear in the wash and about the 50 sex toys into a box out of sight.
I feel like calling them tomorrow and complaining and asking to visit again because I just left after that and didn't do everything I wanted. Surely the seller would have tidied as both times we visited before it was spotless and I feel like the EA probably didn't let him know I was even coming. Am I just overreacting?

Pre-emptive TL;DR: Is joining the Air Force Reserves with the primary purpose of receiving tech school training that will land me a good full-time job a viable strategy, and if so, which AFSC's would be the best choices for me to achieve this goal?
I'm 36 years old, married, no kids, in the Atlanta, GA area.
I've been a cop for the last 12 years. I quit a few months ago because almost every time someone else quit or was fired, I was given their job to do in addition to my own, and I was on-call 24/7 and receiving an average of 19 calls per week, mostly during the middle of the night (for no pay)... I was covering 4 full-time different job roles at the time I quit. I covered a minimum of at least two separate full-time jobs my entire last year at that department.
I haven't been able to find a decent job since I quit. I'm making some money doing remote part-time work, but it's not enough, and I'm honestly extremely bored not having enough to do day-to-day. I've been a damn good house husband and my yard and property look great, but I need to get out of this house more often. I made almost $100k last year, and I'm routinely getting rejected for jobs even at $50k or lower. I have extensive experience leading and managing people and units, but it doesn't seem to matter since I don't have any private sector experience. I really don't want to return to law enforcement at all, because my experience, training, and skillset prevent me from being able to stay where I actually enjoy policing, which is patrolling on the streets. I'm not originally from the Atlanta area - I grew up 2 hours from here. I can get a job easily back in my hometown from all the connections I made over the years, but that's too far to commute and it would be financially irresponsible to sell my house here and buy a new one there due to the interest rate climb and all the remodeling I've done in my current home.
I'm considering the Air Force Reserves because 1. I literally have nothing else going on and could easily accommodate the time away at basic training and tech school and 2. I'm hoping if I choose the right AFSC that after tech school I could get hired for a full-time job based on the training from the tech school for that AFSC. I'm aware that there are also full-time roles for Air Force Reserves, but I'm assuming those are difficult to get, especially for someone without prior active-duty service. 3. I want to stay in my house in the Atlanta area for the long term, but I can't sit around applying to infinite jobs for an indefinite period of time. Being away for basic training and tech school is fine, as long as I'm not moving away for good.
My wife is on board with this idea, so there wouldn't be any conflict there. I'm in good shape and health, and have always considered the annual police PT to be a joke, so there are no issues there. I'd love to go active-duty if I hadn't bought a house here 2 years ago. My wife works remotely, so it would be feasible, but the biggest appeal that joining the Reserves offers is the fact that we could stay in our current house instead of moving every few years. We have discussed the possibility of me being activated and deployed, and that's something we can handle if it comes to it, but that's much better than the guaranteed moves that going active-duty would require. If I do join the Reserves, I would be signing up with every intention of doing at least 20 years. I do have a 4-year degree in Education, but from what I've read so far, getting a commissioned officer spot as a civilian seems highly unlikely, especially since I don't have any degree, let alone an advanced degree, in any of the appropriate fields, so I'm only looking at enlisted AFSC's.
Based on everyone's experience, do y'all think that I could use Air Force Reserves tech school to get a decent full-time job?
If so, what AFSC would you recommend as the best path toward a good job? I don't even care what I do at this point, I just want to work, preferably in a career field where I can start at $50k or more with room to grow towards $75-90k in the next five years. I'm interested in cyber security, and being close to the airport in Atlanta I feel like something regarding aircraft repair and maintenance might make sense for me to find a quick job, but I truly just want a new career and don't care what it is. I'm hoping some of you have enough experience with yourselves, friends, or people in your units to provide some insight on which AFSC choices yield the best results on the job market.
I'm considering the following AFSC's:
2T2X1 - Air Transportation - Could potentially land me a job at an airport.
1P0X1 - Aircrew Flight Equipment - Could potentially land me a job at an airport.
2T3X7 - Fleet Management - Could potentially help land me a job with a shipping or trucking company.
2T1X1 - Ground Transportation - Could potentially help land me a warehouse or mechanic job.
6C0X1 - Contracting - Could potentially help land me a job with a construction company.
3E5X1 - Engineering - Could potentially help land me a job with a construction or surveying company.
6F0X1 - Financial Management and Comptroller - Could potentially land me a job in HR for a number of companies or as an auditor or in a financing company.
3F0X1 - Personnel - Could potentially land me a job in HR.
1D7X1 - Cyber Security - Could potentially land me a job in Cyber Security or IT Helpdesk.
1B4X1 - Cyber Warfare Operations - Could potentially land me a job in Cyber Security or IT Helpdesk.
1N4X1 - Cyber Intelligence Analyst - Could potentially land me a job in Cyber Security or IT Helpdesk.
9S100 - Scientific Applications Specialist - Could potentially land me a job in a federal or state crime lab (I have extensive experience in forensic evidence collection and analysis from my law enforcement career, too, but mostly on-the-job training)
3E0X2 - Electrical Power Production - Could potentially land me a job as an electrician.
3E0X1 - Electrical Systems - Could potentially land me a job as an electrician.
3E1X1 - Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration - Could potentially land me a job in HVAC.
3E2X1 - Pavements and Construction Equipment - Could potentially land me a job with a construction or paving company.
3E3X1 - Structural - Could potentially land me a job with a construction company.
2T3X1 - Mission Generation Vehicular Equipment Maintenance - Could potentially land me a job as a mechanic.
2T3X7 - Vehicle Management - Could potentially land me a job as a mechanic.
2A6X6 - Aircraft Electrical and Environmental Systems - Could potentially land me a job at an airport or aircraft production/repair facility.
2A6X4 - Aircraft Fuel Systems - Could potentially land me a job at an airport or aircraft production/repair facility.
2A6X5 - Aircraft Hydraulic Systems - Could potentially land me a job at an airport or aircraft production/repair facility.
2A3X3 - Tactical Aircraft Maintenance - Could potentially land me a job at an airport or aircraft production/repair facility.
2A7X1 - Aircraft Metals Technology - Could potentially land me a job at an airport or aircraft production/repair facility.
2A7X3 - Aircraft Structural Maintenance - Could potentially land me a job at an airport or aircraft production/repair facility.
2A7X2 - Nondestructive Inspection - Could potentially land me a job at an airport or aircraft production/repair facility.
1C7X1 - Airfield Management - Could potentially land me a job at an airport.
4V0X1 - Optometry - Could potentially land me a job at an optometry office.
4P0X1 - Pharmacy Technician - Could potentially land me a job at a pharmacy.
5J0X1 - Paralegal - Could potentially land me a job at a law firm.
Clearly, I'm not being picky here. Just to reiterate, I would be staying in the Reserves for 20 years unless circumstances dictated otherwise. I'm more than happy to put in the monthly/annual training in addition to a full-time job. I'm aware that I'd likely be far older than most or all of the others in basic training and that I'd be measured by expectations geared towards me being a decade or more younger than I actually am. My parents talked me out of the military twice (after high school and after college), so I've always been interested. I've served my local communities for over a decade, and now I'm looking to serve my country while also leveraging that service into a new career.
I plan on talking to a recruiter soon, but I'd rather have a good understanding of how I want to proceed prior to doing so, and I'd also like to narrow the above list down. Are any of the above AFSC choices likely to lead to a decently paying full-time job soon after basic training/tech school? Thanks in advance to everyone for taking the time to read and respond.

I see so many people complaining about newer LED headlights being too bright and blinding them. No, that's not the issue. Drivers need to learn how to align their headlights, it's in your owners manual, and most of the time just requires a tape measure, a screwdriver, and a wall to park in front of. I usually try to adjust mine every 1-2 months. If you want to complain about other people's vehicles/driving, make sure you're doing the most basic kinds of maintenance, like adjusting your headlights, cleaning your wiper blades, etc., or else you have no room to complain.

We rent out our guest room on airbnb for a year now and it's been going great. The guest room (2nd floor) has some big windows facing the south meaning it catches a lot of sun. On sunny and hot days it can really get warm in the room. The guest room also has an awning to keep sun outside of the room and controls for it in the room (with stickers on it explaining). We do not have aircon and don't want to install it (it would probably require a bunch of hassle from our HOA because we're in an apartment building). We are located in Amsterdam, aircon isn't that common and if you take precautionary measures it's not neccecary.
Now we also have an awning for our living room and we've been busy automating it so that if the weather forcast predicts a sunny day in summer (for instance) the awning for our living room will automatically open. I would like to do the same for the guest room. While we haven't had anyone complain yet about the heat, we've had one guest in private feedback leave that we should install aircon. My husband says we shouldn't and should leave it up to guests.
Negatives: - Opening the awning makes a motorized noise. It only takes 10-15 seconds but will definently wake your up if your sleeping. - Maybe people like their room hot? - If guests request for it not the be automated it won't be easy to turn off the automation.
Positives: - If the guests have left to explore the city and forgot to open the awning for the day then the automation will do that for them leaving them to come back to a cooler room. - If guests don't understand the instructions (or what an awning is for) then it will solve that for them.
So I do want to automate it. My husband doesn't. My husbands main complaint is the noise it makes not wanting to wake up guests. My "solution" was to then maybe only open it at 10 AM, when most people have probably woken up. What do you think?
​
View Poll

so im gonna build a guitar, and i have an idea for a cool neck joint, it makes routing, assembly, and measurements so much better if done right, im thinking about a hybrid between a set neck and neck through, where the area where the pups and bridge go are all routed out, because thats the neck joint, the neck is basically a neck through joint in the sense that the neck itself goes into the body, but its also a set neck in the sense that the neck joint is glued in place, giving us a shape where the actual neck joint itself is about 7" wide 12" long and 3/4" deep, its like the guitar itself is the guitar neck, but the body is simply a shell with knobs. im hoping this design can also improve tone since all the vibrations are happening on the same piece of wood, and itll be easier to route because you simply have more room to work, since you can easily route the pup cavities on the rectangular part of the neck, and you can easily do routing in the body, since you literally only have to make some holes for the knobs, and do a regular wiring plate on the back. also, it seems a lot easierto build since you can do scale length measurements on the same piece of wood, without dealing with the complexity and accuracy of a neck thru. a good way a describe the idea is this: the neck is shaped like a 3/4" thick cigar box guitar, and a space in the guitar body is routed out so the neck sits inside. does this make sense? like take a cigar box guitar, and take a strat body or something, and route the strat body so you can fit the cigar box inside, but in this case, its carefully planned out so that it fits snuggly inside the cavity, flush with the body. chat gpt says its a great idea, but chat gpt isnt a real human being, so i need y'alls opinions. thanks!

(I made this a while ago on a old account and just remembered about it so I decided to post it here hopefully y'all enjoy)
I don't have long. I go on walks in the woods before bed nothing too creepy happens. Well one time I head a wolf so I had to run didn't go back in the woods for a few week. But then I started my nightly walks it was the middle of winter and unlike most stories there was no snow. So I was walking around just exploring I had a bottle of water and a pack of peanuts and some chips. I usually walk for a hour or two so I was at the 45 minute mark of my walk when I heard what sounded like a stick being stepped on.
I stopped form a moment and waited to see if I head any thing else sounded like somebody walking. Not here's something u should know I don't ever see anybody else out here unless if it somebody who needs me and came looking for me. So hearing this was creepy I started walking a little faster but trying to stay quiet so who or what ever was out there didn't find me. I wouldn't go back cus it sounded to my right and a little behind me I turned around and kept looking over my shoulder but I didn't see anything.
It did stop for a bit and after 15 minutes I thought I would head back plus it was starting to get dark so I kept a kinda fast pace just in case. It took about 25 minutes before I head it again but this time it sounded close and was back the way I came and now to what's now my right what what would of been my left earlier. So I when into a speed of someone skipping and after about what felt like 3 minutes I head a small quiet moan. It sounded like a old man that had fallen and was in pain. I stopped hoping no body was hurt I listened and head it again it's wasn't louder or quieter it sound the same direction away.
The voice called and said simiss who ever there please help me I fell and I thing I twisted my ankle. It took me a moment to think and called out. Are you ok do u need me to get help I don't have my phone but I'll run and get help it mite take me a moment.
It took the man a moment before I head.
No please don't leave me out here I don't want to be eaten by a bear or wolf's please I was out looking for my dog I haven't seen her in a few days and I came looking I head u and I was trying to ask if you seen her.
I was about to answer him but then I remembered something a few nights ago I was out for my usual walks a butt earlier in the day than usual. I was bored that day and had nothing to do anyway I was walking around when I smelled something It Small like death I thought a wolf or bear had killed something so I went towards the smell carefully not to be head by any animals just In case one was eating. What I saw scared me it was a dog it was black with white areas on it not sopts but just ares of white. What I say made me pulk the fruit snacks I was eating while walking don't worry I was putting the trash in my pocket.
Anyway what u saw was the dogs guts and all our own the ground blood everywhere and bugs on and Inside the thing it was disgusting I was starting to tear up I didn't know what to do but the thing that scared me was that it looked like it was ripped open and bite marks was on its neck and on its back it was missing it left front leg and back right leg.
I took a picture of it before leaving that was 5 days ago now back to the old man. I asked him what color his dog was and he said.
It was black and patches of white fur.
And before I said anything else I realized something was worng about his story he said his dog went missing 3 days ago but the corpse of the dog I found was 5 days ago. Meaning eather there was two different dogs that where black and white or this guy was lying. Eather way I had my guard up just in case. I know I didn't mention this before but I always bring a pocket knife with me just in case. I asked the man if he was alone he said.
Yes but my wife will be worried if I'm not back soon.
It was almost completely night if I didn't figure this out soon then it would be harder to get help with it being dark and the animals that will come out. I ask the guy if he lived hear by and if I could get his wife and this is what he said.
NO! i-i-i m-mean I live a bit away about 37 minutes u mite not "come back in time". And I don't want to "be" by my self for to long do please ( now crying ) PLEASE COME HERE.
I started to become scared he sounded louder and a bit closer and mader. And before I respond some caught me off guard his voice when he said.
Come back in time. And be.
His voice sounded lowers and not of a old man. I took 2 steps back and yelled to him. ILL BE Bring HELP IF I RUN IT SHOULDN'T TAKE ME LONG. ... ... ... I didn't go hear anything for a what felt like 27 seconds I heard a loud deep scream. It only took my a second before I booked it I hard running behind me I only looked back once and that all I need to run faster. What u saw was a haft rotten corpse of a old man running after me his limbs was moving at odd angle as the Thing ran it looked like it was losing ski. It had a missing eye and a few teeth missing. I ran and ran I heard it getting closer and closer. After what felt like forever of running I remember I had a knife
I took the knife in my hand I didn't have good ame so if I wanted to slow it down I had to get close. ... Way to close. So after a little bit more of running I turned around with my knife in hand and blade open. When I turned around I saw nothing I knew I heard it running but I had ran for a good bit so it mite of stopped with out me knowing. But I didn't stick around cus I thought I heard leafs breaking so I started running again after a bit I got back to my house and took no time unlocking the door and going inside and locking the door but I still didn't feel safe so I went around my small home and looked I. All the rooms after that I made sure all the doors were locked and locked all the windows and closed the blinds and certains.
I heated me up some left over pizza I had and went to my room and watched some YouTube. I didn't sleep that night the for the next few safe to say the I haven't went out at the for the next few days after a week I started to be able to sleep I work form home so I didn't leave unless I had to which wasn't often just to get food/drink's/mail now for the main reason I'm telling this story I watch the news form time to time and on this night I was watching it while scroll through TikTok when I heard on the new they found a missing guy dead on the road.
Now I turned up the volume just u don't hear this alot atlest I don't want scared me the most that it was the guy that was chasing me when I say the my jaw dropped then I found out it was the road about 5 miles away from my house. Let's just say that I got me some food and water my knife block full of all of it's knives and locked me in my bedroom and the other door leading to my baft room the thing that terrified me the most is the big window in my bedroom room this is not a tiw storie house so if anything could happen.
Now the reason I'm waiting all this I heard tapping on my window and knocking on my front door ik it's that thing and I now know what it is I saw it's shadow on my window certain it had a human like body with what looked like a deer skull I'm being hunted by a wendigo and ik I will died if this is my last time hear I just want y'all to know if u ever hear walking in the woods RUN cus I don't have long to live.

I personally use a tape measure instead of maps as it allows cooler terrain options/playing on the living room floor. I giggle when using 'custom' objects like my shoe as a heavy. The idea of the Hulk beating Thor with my shoe just makes me happy, okay?

I remember it like it was yesterday, the moment when my lack of faith and self-confidence collided in a perfect storm, leaving me feeling adrift in a sea of uncertainty. It happened during a time of immense pressure, when life seemed to be hurling challenges at me from every direction.
It all began with a seemingly innocuous event—a presentation at work. As I stood in front of my colleagues, my heart pounding, I couldn't shake the feeling that I wasn't good enough, that my ideas were unworthy of their attention. Despite weeks of preparation, doubt gnawed at the edges of my mind, eroding whatever semblance of confidence I had mustered.
As I stumbled through my presentation, my words faltering and my palms clammy, I could sense the disappointment in the room. Each fumbled sentence felt like another nail in the coffin of my self-esteem. And when it was finally over, I couldn't bear to meet anyone's eyes, fearing their judgment and criticism.
But it wasn't just in my professional life that my lack of faith and self-confidence reared its ugly head. It permeated every aspect of my existence, casting a shadow over my relationships, my ambitions, and even my faith in myself. I found myself questioning my worthiness, wondering if I would ever measure up to the standards I had set for myself.
In those dark moments, it was easy to succumb to despair, to believe that I was destined to be forever trapped in this cycle of doubt and self-loathing. But deep down, I knew that wasn't the life I wanted to live. I knew that I was capable of more, that I had the strength within me to rise above my insecurities and forge a path toward self-acceptance and fulfillment.
And so, I made a choice—a choice to confront my fears head-on, to challenge the voices of doubt that whispered in the recesses of my mind. It wasn't easy, and there were many setbacks along the way, but with each small victory, I felt a glimmer of hope ignite within me.
Slowly but surely, I began to rebuild my faith—not just in a higher power, but in myself. I started to recognize my own worth, to celebrate my successes instead of dwelling on my failures. And as I did, I discovered a newfound sense of confidence that buoyed me through life's storms.
Today, I can look back on that moment of weakness with gratitude, for it was the catalyst that propelled me toward a journey of self-discovery and growth. I may still falter from time to time, but I no longer fear the darkness, for I know that within me burns the light of faith and self-confidence, guiding me ever forward on the path to becoming the best version of myself.

I wanted to track my progress and also maybe provide helpful insight for those looking to get surgery. I'll be updating this every few days.
SYMPTOMS/CONTEXT:
I 28f had a severe herniated disk at the l4/l5 disc since 2021 was working towards treatment in 2022 but lost my insurance at the new year of 2023 and went the entire year without seeing any doctors. In Dec of 2023 i was able to get a new job and back on the original insurance and pick up where i left off. At the time of my most recent MRI in Feb 2024 the herniation was described as severe causing severe stenosis and nerve impingement it measured 19x10x19mm. My symptoms continued to worsen to the point I was unable to do much of anything, sitting, standing, laying down all hurt, I barely slept because I'd be in severe pain from laying down within a few hours. I couldn't drive, I lost weight because I couldn't sit or stand long enough to cook and just laid in bed tossing and turning. I didn't shower, brush my hair, walk my dog, clean my house or go anywhere unless I absolutely had to. I could likely count the number of times I left my house between February and May on both hands. Pain was majority in my left side, hip and gluten, behind my knee and I had numbness in the front of my lower left leg and the top of my left foot. My right leg and foot had existing nerve damage because I have had this issue before from a snowboarding accident. I had existing numbness and weakness in the right leg which worsened to the point I couldn't wiggle my toes and had poor balance. I have saddle area numbness, urinary retention and incontinence and bowel incontinence when my stool is too soft. Again all of which worsened.
THE SURGERY:
I had surgery on May 9th, I was expected to be admitted for 1 day because my surgeon expected he would need to remove bone on the right side not just the left to get all the disc material. He was able to open me up on the left side and get everything out. However, my disc material had pressed my nerve into the bone and wore it very very thing and the dura tore causing a CSF leak. A neurosurgeon assisted in closing up the leak. My surgeon was impressed by the size of the herniation and took pictures to show me at our next post op appointment, saying my entire disc had essentally been blown out into the small space which was what was making my symptoms so bad, there was no room left for my nerve. There were no complications.
RECOVERY
DAY 1-5: I ended up having to lay flat for 48 hours due to the dural tear. After which I was allowed to sit up. The pain was mostly from soreness but I have having nerve pain that pulsed from my back into my glute. It would wake me up out of my drug induced sleep. I also ended up getting my period on the 2nd day which caused a lot of back soreness and cramping. I think a lot of my discomfort was due to being stuck in bed because PT and OT had not seen me and I wasn't able to leave the bed unattended. On day 3 I was able to get up and they removed my foley and the little leg wraps that fill with air to keep up with circulation. I was able to go to the bathroom and move pretty well with my cane around the room. This continued until day 5 where I was able to meet with PT and OT we walked the halls of the hospital and I was permitted to go home. The car ride was extremely uncomfortable. I was able to shower for the first time since the day before surgery using a shower chair and while difficult to not twist etc it was tolerable. The least painful shower ive had in almost 2 years. I found myself extremely sore by the end of day 5.
DAY 6: (05/14) as of this post this is my current day. I still have the throbbing pain but mostly this seems to be stirred up by movement. Mostly going from a laying down to sitting position. Though it does still randomly occur while I am laying down but not nearly as much. I'm about half way through the day and have found that laying on my right side is far more comfortable than my left side. I have tried sitting in a recliner and just leaning back but this seems to put too much pressure on my back and incision site so I have been mostly in bed or laying on my couch which is very firm and easy to get up and down from. I won't have anyone staying with me after today and I'm confident that I'll be able to handle things on my own. Other than the pain relief I have not noticed any improvement to the other symptoms I had, numbness, weakness etc remain the same.

I wanted to track my progress and also maybe provide helpful insight for those looking to get surgery. I'll be updating this every few days.
SYMPTOMS/CONTEXT:
I 28f had a severe herniated disk at the l4/l5 disc since 2021 was working towards treatment in 2022 but lost my insurance at the new year of 2023 and went the entire year without seeing any doctors. In Dec of 2023 i was able to get a new job and back on the original insurance and pick up where i left off. At the time of my most recent MRI in Feb 2024 the herniation was described as severe causing severe stenosis and nerve impingement it measured 19x10x19mm. My symptoms continued to worsen to the point I was unable to do much of anything, sitting, standing, laying down all hurt, I barely slept because I'd be in severe pain from laying down within a few hours. I couldn't drive, I lost weight because I couldn't sit or stand long enough to cook and just laid in bed tossing and turning. I didn't shower, brush my hair, walk my dog, clean my house or go anywhere unless I absolutely had to. I could likely count the number of times I left my house between February and May on both hands. Pain was majority in my left side, hip and gluten, behind my knee and I had numbness in the front of my lower left leg and the top of my left foot. My right leg and foot had existing nerve damage because I have had this issue before from a snowboarding accident. I had existing numbness and weakness in the right leg which worsened to the point I couldn't wiggle my toes and had poor balance. I have saddle area numbness, urinary retention and incontinence and bowel incontinence when my stool is too soft. Again all of which worsened.
THE SURGERY:
I had surgery on May 9th, I was expected to be admitted for 1 day because my surgeon expected he would need to remove bone on the right side not just the left to get all the disc material. He was able to open me up on the left side and get everything out. However, my disc material had pressed my nerve into the bone and wore it very very thing and the dura tore causing a CSF leak. A neurosurgeon assisted in closing up the leak. My surgeon was impressed by the size of the herniation and took pictures to show me at our next post op appointment, saying my entire disc had essentally been blown out into the small space which was what was making my symptoms so bad, there was no room left for my nerve. There were no complications.
RECOVERY
DAY 1-5: I ended up having to lay flat for 48 hours due to the dural tear. After which I was allowed to sit up. The pain was mostly from soreness but I have having nerve pain that pulsed from my back into my glute. It would wake me up out of my drug induced sleep. I also ended up getting my period on the 2nd day which caused a lot of back soreness and cramping. I think a lot of my discomfort was due to being stuck in bed because PT and OT had not seen me and I wasn't able to leave the bed unattended. On day 3 I was able to get up and they removed my foley and the little leg wraps that fill with air to keep up with circulation. I was able to go to the bathroom and move pretty well with my cane around the room. This continued until day 5 where I was able to meet with PT and OT we walked the halls of the hospital and I was permitted to go home. The car ride was extremely uncomfortable. I was able to shower for the first time since the day before surgery using a shower chair and while difficult to not twist etc it was tolerable. The least painful shower ive had in almost 2 years. I found myself extremely sore by the end of day 5.
DAY 6: (05/14) as of this post this is my current day. I still have the throbbing pain but mostly this seems to be stirred up by movement. Mostly going from a laying down to sitting position. Though it does still randomly occur while I am laying down but not nearly as much. I'm about half way through the day and have found that laying on my right side is far more comfortable than my left side. I have tried sitting in a recliner and just leaning back but this seems to put too much pressure on my back and incision site so I have been mostly in bed or laying on my couch which is very firm and easy to get up and down from. I won't have anyone staying with me after today and I'm confident that I'll be able to handle things on my own. Other than the pain relief I have not noticed any improvement to the other symptoms I had, numbness, weakness etc remain the same.

UPDATE: I'll try again using a scale - here is how CoPilot translated cups into grams - thank you, u/nondualishuz.

• Sourdough: ½ cup is equivalent to 4 ounces (since 1 cup = 8 ounces).
• Water: 1 cup is equivalent to 8 ounces.
• Whole-wheat flour: ½ cup is equivalent to 4 ounces.
• Unbleached bread flour: For 3 to 3½ cups, it would be 24 to 28 ounces (as 1 cup = 8 ounces).
• Salt: Since salt is measured in teaspoons, not cups, the conversion is different. Generally, 1 teaspoon of salt weighs about 0.2 ounces. So, 2 teaspoons would be approximately 0.4 ounces.
• Cornmeal: This is typically used for dusting and the amount can vary, so it’s best to use as needed.

Remember, these conversions are based on the assumption that you’re using standard US cup and ounce measurements. The weight of ingredients can vary depending on the ingredient’s density and how it’s packed into the cup. For baking, it’s often recommended to use a kitchen scale for more precise measurements.
______________________________________
Hi, I bake sourdough and baguettes regularly with good success. However, I have made the recipe below twice and failed both times. The crust turns out hard (not just crunchy), and in the second batch the bread did not brown.
The two deviations I made from the recipe below were:
-- I used a mixer with a dough hook for step 3 - and the flour was a bit challenging to mix in. Would a food processor with a steel blade (one of the options the recipe called for) really work better? Seems like it would destroy the gluten structure you are trying to build.
-- I also used a baking steel which made the bottom brown, but the top of the loaves stayed pasty white.
Ideas? I like the idea of a part-whole wheat baguette using leftover sourdough starter. The loaves are also quite good (nice texture, good tang) - it is just that crust.

• ½cup sourdough (I used fed sourdough)
• 1cup water
• ½ cup whole-wheat flour
• 3 to 3½ cups unbleached bread flour, plus flour for the work surface
• 2 teaspoons salt
• Cornmeal for baking sheets

1. Combine the sourdough with the water and allow to sit until the sourdough relaxes and begins to dissolve, about 20 minutes. Beat in the whole-wheat flour and one cup of the bread flour, cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to rise until very bubbly and light, six to eight hours depending on the warmth of the room.
2. Beat in the salt and another cup of flour, again cover and let rise until double in size, five to seven hours.
3. Transfer the mixture to a kneading bowl or food processor with a steel blade and knead in the remaining flour, a third of a cup at a time, until the dough is smooth, shiny and elastic. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
4. Sprinkle a baking sheet with cornmeal. Divide the dough in half and roll each half into a thin snake about one-and-a-half inches in diameter. Place the snakes, well separated, on the baking sheet, cover lightly with a dampened tea towel or plastic wrap and allow to rise until double in size, about one to one-and-a-half hours.
5. Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Make several shallow diagonal slashes across the loaves with a razor blade and put the sheet in the oven. Being careful not to get burned by the steam, throw about a quarter cup of water onto the oven floor and shut the oven at once.
6. Bake the bread for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the baguettes are crusty and well browned. Cool on wire racks.

Hello, I (23F) have lived in my apartment in Koreatown in Down Town Los Angeles for a year and a couple months. I have has numerous issues in this amount of time and my boyfriend and I are exhausted...
We have experienced mold in one of our closets. My dad got a humidity meter to check that whole wall and it showed there was definitely water in the wall of some sort. We raised our concerns about the mold coming since they simply painted over the mold. When I showed them the humidity test results, they got a mold professional in. They told us the mold guy's results showed nothing troubling and that it will be fine as long as we air out the closet during rain etc.
Then we realized, our building is infested with roaches. We have gotten our place fumigated, sprayed, bough traps, keep our unit so clean, still they keep coming back. It's getting to a point where they are starting to hitchhike on my lunch I take to work! All these little baby roaches just crawling all over our kitchen and bathroom, etc.
We also recently had to spend a month out of our bedroom due to bedbugs. Apparently, they knew our neighbor two doors down got bed bugs. No one informed us, no one put out a notice, so of course we got them too. Luckily my dad and I were able to quarantine the bedroom while it got fumigated and treated. Only our bedroom got the bed bugs. They ripped out our carpet too in that room just for extra measure since they did in fact find eggs.
Now we are back to having roaches pop up but it is the worst it has ever been! They are IN our oven now. We saw them crawling in the clock screen of our oven. I come home from work, turn on the light, and they scatter from our counter tops like some horror flick...
Not to mention our neighbors being ridiculous, that's not something management can do much about though. We had a guy in our building harass me and threaten my boyfriend and I early on when we moved in... we let management know since that what the cops advised us to do. Not much came of it.
We want to be able to move. We are so exhausted from being here. The bed bugs came up just a week after we renewed our lease, that was in February. I'm also disabled and my boyfriend is immunocompromised, we feel like this place is making us sick.
Can we break our lease legally with all of these things going on? Please help!

• Measure and 3D model the outline of your current home including windows, doors, and the kitchen appliance layout. Please provide real pictures of these rooms as well
• The goal is to create a more functional and exciting space to live in without completely tearing down the house.
• Additions up to 1,000 square feet are fair game
• Focus on identifying current problems with the house and making intentional improvements to those spaces.

Mr. Robinson's House

• 3,000 SqFt
• 3 Car Garage
• Modern/Contemporary
• 4 bedrooms
• 3+ baths
• Kitchen living connected
• 3 seasons room connected to outdoor living space
• Large master bathroom with tub and shower separate
• Entry closet

I've been lurking here for a week or two (led by the algorithm, and it wasn't wrong) and one thing I see a lot is Ruined Life framing around problems. I know this framing well and in my darkest moments I apply it too.
I can't tell what you're thinking, but what I'm thinking when I say this is, "There are a ton of things wrong and I don't even know how to begin fixing them!" I'm framing my life as if it's one giant terrifying problem, instead of what's actually a bunch of small and medium sized problems that make each other more daunting.
So here's the suggestion: Write out the reasons your life is ruined.
Now you've made the problem countable and measurable. Now it isn't a tower of infinite suffering that stretches beyond your view, it's a dozen (or however many) things, each with their own scope.
Then circle the following four problems:

• The two you feel most capable of working on.
• The one that will have the biggest consequences if ignored.
• The one that will have the soonest consequences if ignored.

Resolve yourself to tread water regarding the other problems while you work on those four, unless circumstances force you to reprioritize.
What this reframing allows you to do is have wins along the way. You don't have to unruin your whole life before you can celebrate and gain confidence. You can celebrate that you finally got the house cleaning under control, or paid off that credit card debt, or lost enough weight to fit into those too-tight pants.
And if the wins still feel like they're coming too slowly to give you hope to push on, you can break problems into sub-problems so that each step is more attainable. If you're at rock bottom, don't clean the whole room. Just take out the trash, and call it a win. Tomorrow, fold the laundry, and call it a win. The day after, open the backed up mail, and so on. Lift the burden you can bear, however small.
And maybe a year from now, you're a person with eight problems and four solutions instead of twelve problems, but you'll have proven to yourself that you can improve your life.
Wishing you all the best as we work on our respective troubles.

Let's talk about the first changes I felt on hormone replacement therapy. In this post, we'll discuss the physical changes—ones you can see or touch.
During my second week of HRT, I was anxious about my body remaining the same as before. One morning, I woke up in despair and decided to lie face down on my pillow. As I turned, I realized that it really hurt lying on my chest. That was the most pleasurable pain I had ever experienced; it meant that my breasts were developing.
The second change was with my skin. It became more "glowy," smoother, and softer. You know that feeling of gently touching a peach? That was it. My 🌵 turned into a 🍑. On the other hand, it became much more delicate, and opening cans with bare hands wasn't an option anymore.
The third change, and the most loved by my wife, was my smell. I literally stopped filling any room with my odor (I knew before transitioning where the shower is). At the same time, I stopped sweating as much, and now I put my sports uniform in the washing machine not because it smells, but just because... I'm used to it.
The fourth change was with my feet size. I'm not really sure about the reason, but I lost one shoe size in 3 months. That was a very expensive thing to change all my footwear, so for some time, I decided to buy shoes in the lower price range.
The fifth change I noticed was with my body hair thinning out and growing much slower. Unfortunately, I can't say the same about facial hair, so there are still a lot of upcoming sessions of laser torture. My hair on my head also got much softer and "fluffier."
The sixth, and not the most unpleasant one, was muscle strength loss. I really understood what my wife meant by saying that she can't lift heavy things.
The seventh was that my nails got softer and break much easier, so two layers of topcoat are a must.
The eighth, and a bit questionable, change is that my wife claims I got shorter by a couple of centimeters (around an inch). I can't prove it because I hadn't measured myself for a long time before HRT, and I am still the only one who replaces the step ladder.
And last one - the sense of smell. I can literally feel what a person ate for breakfast. Unfortunately, most of the smells aren't so pleasant, especially the male smell. it can be my plan B if I get fired - I'll replace a dog in airport security service.
Am I happy? YES. VERY. MUCH.
What was your experience?