Daily work order forms

I haven't been diagnosed with IBS-C but I am posting here as everything within this sub is most relatable. Around the end of January I had bad constipation that was relieved with Milk of Magnesia. Shortly after I got backed up again, and Milk of Magnesia/stimulant laxatives/miralax/enemas didn't help. I went to my GP and got xrays that showed poop backed up to my ribs.
I got an appointment with a GI (which took weeks btw) and did a Colonoscopy prep to clear me out- which it did. Was instructed to follow a high fiber diet, take magnesium citrate daily, Benefiber, and miralax if needed. But ever since that, I have had horrible bloating, incomplete bowl movements, rapid weight gain (went from 150ish to 163lbs despite exercising 3-4x a week and eating healthy/not drinking/not eating out). My stools are very soft and occur daily, but just won't come out fully. They come out in small soft piles or ribbons, that I have to strain to get out.
I had a follpw up appointment and was instructed to keep trying what I am doing, saying that bran flakes and flax seed should help, and to exercise more. The doctor won't diagnose me with IBS because I don't have any abdominal cramping.
By my 3rd appointment, I was so bloated. The left side of my stomach bulges and I feel like I can't have a full BM. My GI instructed me to try taking dulcolax for 2 days at night to see if there's any help and to order a SIBO breath test. I do the dulcolax and the next day have IMMEDIATE relief. Everything comes out. All my bloating is GONE and my weight drops back down to 157. I kept following the high fiber diet and within 3 days I am back to before. I don't dare to take more laxative as I don't want to become dependent on it.
The SIBO test is not covered under my insurance and will cost almost $400. These specialist appointments with the GI cost almost $100 a pop. I am burning through funds with little answers.
I am unsure if I could even have SIBO or what else I could have. It's so strange. I just feel like screaming and crying.
My current symptoms are: Weight gain, bloating, getting hungry but quickly feeling full/uncomfortable, strange partial constipation(going every day but not completely, soft stools likely from all the fiber I've been eating). Ocassionally passong gas. I have only felt true relief after a stimulant laxative. Osmotic ones are not helping and contribute to bloating/discomfort.
Yes I am chugging so much water it honestly hurts with all my bloating. What else could this be? Anyone else relate?

Just spit balling for fun because I get the feeling a few people here might be history fans and it'd be pretty awesome if the game reached a stage of doing doing multiple eras or a dedicated modder fancied doing everyone a solid.
Basically everything could just be reskinned for antiquity.

• The wooden walls and manor would work perfectly for a small fortified town.
• You could add a "hygiene" requirement. Level 1 public baths, level 2 gymnasium
• Entertainment after the tavern could be in the form of a small gladiatorial pit.
• The stone blocks that are currently unused could be swapped to marble
• Mosaics in the cosmetic tab
• Grapevine dwelling extension

Any other ideas?

Hi Everyone, quick back story. In December 2021 I (35 M) got very sick (possibly COVID), and had an episode of gross hematuria. This cleared up after a day or two but I was concerned so I went to my general doctor. He ordered some bloodwork, and said everything was fine, so I forgot about it and moved on.
Then in April 2022, I got sick again, and the blood came back. Same thing, tests were "fine", and since my doctor said they were ok I didn't look too closely. However, I did notice that I had microscopic blood on all my urinalysis over the same time period. I decided to push on that, and to make a long story short, I went through the entire workup with urology, who basically gave up and said "some people have blood in their urine, you're fine).
Fast forward to the end of 2023, and the visible blood came back, again while sick. I pushed a bit harder, and got referred to a nephrologist. Another key piece of information is that I used a standard dose of Ibuprofen (either pill form or Niquil), each time the visible blood presented.
While waiting for that appointment, I discovered IGA nephropathy on my own and basically self-diagnosed. When I had my appointment with the Nephrologist, she basically said I have a "probable" diagnosis of IGA nephropathy, but didn't want to biopsy because it wouldn't change our treatment plan (Mediterranean diet and bloodwork in a year). During this same time I also dug into my previous lab results and started to look at my eGFR scores. Now, I know they changed the way they measured this at some point (removed the race from the calculation, so not sure how that plays in), but these are were my numbers:
eGFR
November 2016: 93
December 2017: 92
July 2021: 99
December 2021: 89
eGFcr:
May 2022: 88
November 2023: 71 (Morning after a late night soccer game, i was very banged up).
November 2023: 84
December 2023: 79
Since December 2023, I changed my diet: cut out gluten, far less dairy, not much alcohol, and no more protein powder. I eat regular whole foods, just nothing processed and not as much red meat as I had been. Due to the diet, I probably lost 15 lbs. (some of which is probably muscle, I am in shape).
I then went to a functional medicine doctor, just to see if they had any insight. She ordered labs through her preferred testing facility. My numbers just came back:
EGFR: 115
So, now I am completely confused. As far as I can tell, they are using the same formula to calculate this. This most recent test showed my creatinine to be much lower than it has been, maybe due to diet changes? The only other thing I changed was I didn't exercise 24 hours before the test this time.
My question is (and I of course am going to talk to my nephrologist), what do I make of this? Can diet really impact things this much? As of my last test, the microscopic blood is still in my urine, but I have never had any protein detected (and I've had probably 8 urinalysis done since 2021).
Thank you in advance for any insight.

The first point I want to address is regarding weapons and stratagems. Buffs should be considered more than nerfs, not only in terms of damage but in terms of versatility, to make it more interesting to assemble different sets (that communicate well among players), making them more efficient, attractive, and unique.
I'll take this opportunity to delve into my second point, the Warbonds! All Warbond weapons and armors should be unique. After all, Helldivers is a PvE co-op, far from being “pay to win,” since there is no competition between players, besides being very fair with the free super credits on missions. Eventually, any player can have their favorite Warbonds, so they should be unique and attractive. Some more offensive, others more defensive, focused on support, etc.
Their weapons, armor, and boosts should be well-thought-out for each Warbond's proposal and not just a copy (sometimes worse, like Polar's assault rifle) of what we have in the free Warbond. The armor could have extra passives beyond the traditional ones. The second Warbond is an example that almost worked, the armor has 95% electricity resistance, there could be differences between the three, but all are somehow connected to electricity in addition to the traditional passives, understand? In the end, I believe the game, even without classes, should allow players a more fluid and efficient configuration for such, like being more offensive (DPS), defensive with map control (TANK/ANTI-TANK), and support (SCOUT, HEALING, ENGINEER etc) profiles.
The armor of the second Warbond could allow you to use the minimap and some stratagems on planets with electrical storms, the third could have you to have fire resistance and no longer lose stamina on overheated planets, and the last could have cold resistance and allow better mobility in snowstorms, for example! And finally, focus more on buffing our enemies instead of nerfing our weapons! As I mentioned at the beginning, weapons should remain unique and attractive, it's always worth having more than one useful weapon to deal with specific enemies (encouraging players to use different weapons depending on their play style). Focus more on the “lore”, and use the narrative that, for example, because of the insecticide, the Super-Colony and the new planets they attack are more resistant to some damages, making them more aggressive, etc. Use the narrative to buff our enemies (as has already been done, with the new versions, but make it clearer, and you can use it to your advantage to improve even the most mundane Terminids or Automatons).
A serious and fair balance is, for example, taking Polar's assault rifle warbond and setting its penetration for medium armor and something else to be more efficient than the higher penetration Liberator, letting players choose between it or the Adjudicator (which has more damage but more recoil depending on each person's play style)!
Another way to increase mission difficulty is to boost their complexity and put planets available only at a certain difficulty, as in Helldivers 1!
Best regards, SES Star of Eternity
P.S.: Also, explain to us, in the lore, why the orbital defense on the planets Merkent and Lesath failed! It's frustrating to complete a Major Order mission only to be disregarded afterward.

Hi,
I am a visual artist, but not making a living from it. That is my dream and goal. My question for this group is about a newsletter I am writing for potential collectors.
I recently asked my small group of followers on FB and IG to join a mailing list. I am now in a bit of a freeze state of what to include in my newsletter, because I'm feeling really low in general, and in my attempt to "make it" as an artist.
My work is dark and deals with mental illness, motherhood, women and nature. Along with including new work I have created, I typed up the following. I'm thinking I probably should not include it. On the other hand, the 35 or so people who have signed up for my newsletter are mostly people I personally know. How do you balance the desire to be honest in your work, and oversharing?
"I’m not sure I will leave this in, as it is a major downer (not the best strategy for your first newsletter), and deeply personal. At the same time, my aim as an artist and in my attempt to connect with other people is to be true and honest.
I have pushed myself to the point where I am making myself sick. I no longer know how to sleep for more than 3-hour stretches, I’m compulsively binging in the middle of the night, I am so out of shape and in pain throughout my entire body, and I avoid people/leaving my house because I carry so much shame around who I have become. My brain is complete mush and I can’t make simple decisions. I am failing as a mother, "housekeeper", partner, artist, human being. The one activity that brings me comfort, peace, and hope is the one thing that is “extra” and needs to be cut out so I can prioritize my children and my health.
My coping mechanism after having my surprise third child at 45 was to keep pushing myself as hard as possible so I could carve out a few minutes here and there in the studio. It became my obsession and led to more sleep loss and a lack of self-care. Add one more painting, one more competition, one more show. As long as I had an art goal in sight, I could keep going.
After delivering 18 new works I completed in 45 days Gallery, I told my husband I would stop pursuing art so I could be more present as a mom/partner. Now all of the overwhelming thoughts of worthlessness, shame, and guilt have too much space in my brain. That was the purpose of staying too busy.
But something has to give. I truly am at my breaking point. I’ve been striving to take short daily walks, tidy up the house a bit more, remember to shower every few days, and brainstorm ways to eat healthier."
Also, does anyone know of a mom-art sub? Thanks to anyone willing to leave helpful feedback. I appreciate it.

I think I am starting to see good changes! Almost no sweating in my hands & feet, which are the places where I drip sweat. Reduced sweating in armpits as well although this was not too big of an issue for me compared to my hand sweat. I really hope this medicine continues to show effects on my hyperhidrosis. I up my dosage today from 2.5mg once a day, to 2.5mg twice a day. One more step when I try 5mg once daily in about 3 weeks. I have struggled with this condition since I was very young. For as long as I can remember, sweat has impaired the ability to do certain activities with my hands. As I got older my feet started producing more sweat and most recently, my armpits started to sweat more. I will try to continue to share my experience as I have looked all over this group for remedies and relief from this very annoying and impairing condition. After reading a bit about oxybutynin on here, I bit the bullet coming home from work and picked up my prescription. Im not a fan of taking meds (or at least not ones that dont have mostly harmless natural ingredients) but I was very fed up with sweating and sage seemed to not work so I had to move on to try a stronger solution for myself. If anyone wants to share their experience taking oxybutynin feel free to, it would be greatly appreciated! Best wishes to everyone else struggling with this :)

Just tried my second print on my x1c about 40% in the printer just frozen. The whole thing stopped moving and the nozzle is just sitting on the print melting it. I can't lower the bed with the screen because it says it recommends being "home" I press cancel. And try to lower it again. Unresponsive. I try to factory reset, yet the bed has to be centered in order to do that!! I've power cycled 100x I've tried everything and I CANNOT get this bed to move and the nozzle is still sticking in the print and won't move either. The screen works but NOTHING will actually let me do anything because everything is a double negative. Somone please help me out. This is my first printer and I'm already ready to throw it out the window

I’m at 90% disability but today I had my comp & pen appt for my back pain (along with sciatica pain ) my flat feet that cause pain bc I don’t have the inserts made yet, and chronic urticaria without knowing the cause. It happens 2-3 times a month & they don’t go away unless I’m on steroids. It’s been happening since 1999 so it’s been years of this going on. What would these couple of things have to be rated in order to get to 100%? She asked me today if these things effect my work & the truth is about 2 years ago I started getting sick all the time & just having pain in general for other things that have been filed - so she knows I’m not working. Can someone explain how you get to 100% & offer any advice on the situation that I’ve given in this paragraph.

Hi folks. I need some learning resources about how SQL servers work. I have a problem but I lack the words to describe it with. I'll do my best below in hopes y'all can tell me where to go to learn more.
I'm building an MS Access app which occasionally queries an external SQL Express database. The connection to that database is read-only. You open a form and it runs a query that combines local data and remote data on the fly and displays it for the user.
Now I know that if, for instance, my Access application is linked to an external Excel sheet and queries that document, it will lock that document and cause problems for others who need to access it.
I'm under the impression that SQL databases do not work this way by design. Unfortunately I can't prove that. Hence why I'm here looking for more information.

Hey guys, I have an art IG account I've shared art on for a few years it is finally at 1k followers with not a lot of activity. I don't get a lot of commissions and have a chameleon style of changing up every peice and subject I try and create originals and post some of my paintings studies.
I guess I make art for the art, I want to improve technically but platou on fundamentals quick. Each year I see the improvement and I see improvement from one year to the next in almost every way but the needle moves very small each time.
I've tried intential practice and online classes as a self taught artist, I've tried making my style readable and more authentic in how I communicate. I've tried being prosocial, joing groups and exposing myself to fantastic art and artists.
People in my daily life love what I make on surface level so I know there's something here. I tried going freelance last year but couldn't provide consistent work, again style chameleon.
Just wondering if anyone has had a similar experience. Just feels lonely, like good enough to consider freelance passionate enough to want to crawl out of hobby artist status. What to do what to do

Hello,
I'm a 42F who experiences migraines almost daily. I take 10-20mg of sumitriptan to stop them.
After trying blood pressure meds, topamax, elavil, lyrica, I'm still not finding anything that works for prevent them.
My neurologist suggested CGRP's like Aimovig, Agovy and Qulipta. I have good health insurance coverage and I'm not afraid of needles. In your practice or in literature is there one of them that stands out in efficacy rating and has low percentage of side effects?
Thank you!

Hi folks. I need some learning resources about how SQL servers work. I have a problem but I lack the words to describe it with. I'll do my best below in hopes y'all can tell me where to go to learn more.
I'm building an MS Access app which occasionally queries an external SQL Express database. The connection to that database is read-only. You open a form and it runs a query that combines local data and remote data on the fly and displays it for the user.
Now I know that if, for instance, my Access application is linked to an external Excel sheet and queries that document, it will lock that document and cause problems for others who need to access it.
I'm under the impression that SQL databases do not work this way by design. Unfortunately I can't prove that. Hence why I'm here looking for more information.

I am a person who gets easily startled if there's some random sound, someone enters a room or taps on my shoulder when I am not aware of them being present or if I am focused on something else.
That being said I study in a library and one of my friend finds it damn funny to come and hit me on my back playfully but not so playfully. It scares the shit out of me and my heart literally stops beating for a second and I do have a tendency to gasp and give that scared reaction. At this point I find it damn annoying because I have told her not to do it but she does it on purpose. She says she loves doing that to me to get to see that reaction
so i am thinking the next time she tries this on me I will over exaggerate my reaction and hit her and act as if it's her fault ( but this will most probably not work because once I get starled it takes me a while to gather myself back to normal)
i don't know what to do but there's a strong feeling that tells me i should give it back to her in some way or form. I am not a violent person but this just angers me

So I’ve had panic disorde agoraphobia coming up 2 years now, I’m that time the severity has ranged from being bed bound to being able to drive 25 minutes away from my house and even bus to local shops. My anxiety got a lot worse in February/ March again which was so frustrating and DPDR was kicking my ass but I really needed to get my wisdom teeth out. The consultation I ended up having to cancel due to getting there and freaking out and having to leave, canceling again and then finally making it using half a lorazepam and freaking out the whole time and my surgery to get teeth out for in 4 weeks time. In that time I worked really hard on acceptance, getting active again (a genuinely massive help to brain) and exposure stuff I even drove to and from the dentist 5 times before the day to get more comfortable, this made especially tricky cause I had to take the motorway which has very few exits and the dentist is 15 minutes away. Anyway! A few days before I was seriously considering postponing to have more exposure time but forced myself to try. Cut to day yesterday morning and I was shitting myself about the impending procedure so I called my dentist and made a plan so I wouldn’t have to wait and could take 1/2 Loraz in the morning and that I’d be able to go straight in and also had therapy in the morning to talk about it all. WELL yesterday (morning of surgery) I was my surgery I was literally shitting continuously out of fear of it but I was so committed to doing my best and knew I’d have to do it some point anyway and best not to extend my suffering, I just kept telling my anxiety that we won’t do anything that feels genuinely too much. I ended up literally shitting my pants a tiny bit off the way there which I think honestly helped due to the hilarity and ridiculousness of it all. Anyway I got there and I found having an icey pack to hold super helpful for grounding and brought my fav teddy(pack a happy sensory bag!) and basically signed the consent form and immediately got shuffled into the room and got the iv, the nurses distracted me whilst he gave me a sedative which made me feel a bit itchy I then asked to be immediately put to sleep and next thing I remember is waking up to my mum trying to feed me an ice block and asking to go home which I did super soon after. It’s super helpful bringing a support person and truely do your best to communicate with your team and advocate for yourself and your needs. Anyway it’s almost 2 days after the surgery now and obviously it’s not comfortable but I find pain easy to deal with as long as im snuggled up in bed with medication. I promise promise it’s not as scary as you think you can do it too! Happy to answer any questions if anyone has an upcoming appointment but I really wanted to share this MASSIVE win 💕💕🎉🎉

Im calling all 420 Friendlies to partake in a trip to Jamaica with me. You must be cool and be able to pay for your own stuff. I live in Westford.
Currently interviewing for jobs. Looking for new housing (in Mass) as well. The place where I live doesnt allow roomates or smoking (cannabis) indoors (or growing for that matter) and i want to be as independent as possible...... I live good though, in a seperate addition of my Dads place. Just need to grow, figuratively and literally. Its been since 2010 since I had the luxury to grow (Northern Lights) and have room mates. I make an income in the form of SSDI which allows me to work part time while on it. (Im 37)
I have 2 cats and my medical card. Love music and art. Im a friendly lonely guy who cant wait to work and socialize. But back to the Jamaica part. Who wants to come?
Namaste, yall

I just finished my first year of college but my mental health has gotten so bad that I had to withdraw from the 2nd semester. I plan on taking a year or two off to focus on my mental health but I'll need to have a job. I'm a quick learner, fit, and fairly intelligent, however I struggle with pretty severe social anxiety so I'd like a job where I'm left alone and don't really need to interact with anyone. I also can't really afford to get any qualifications for the job as I'll likely only have it for a year or two. I just need to be able to make $13 an hour working full time in order to pay my bills so hopefully there are some options for me. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

In order to receive working holiday to Japan I need to be physically in my home country in order to succesfully receive the visa. If I am going to be in Japan as a foreigner with visa I can receive my working holiday visa for australia? (Or do I need to prepare some documents that I have only in my home?). Regarding the health examination on the visa application there is yes or no and If I click on yes(which is needed I guess in order to succesfully get the visa) There is a text bar(for details about the examination) so it is appropriate to just say: I completed the health exam on 14.5.2024 for example? Or do I need to scan some paper from my doctor in order to succesfully receive 417 working holiday visa? Because the thing is that the distance from my home country to japan or australia is very far away. But the distance from Japan to australia is not that far away that is the reason.

Will Tygr 300 r work with United Audio Volt 1 for gaming? That's what I am currently using for my sure sm7b wondering if that will work properly because i just ordered the tygr 300r or if I will need to purchase a separate amp/dac for best potential from them?

Will Tygr 300 r work with United Audio Volt 1 for gaming? That's what I am currently using for my sure sm7b wondering if that will work properly because i just ordered the tygr 300r or if I will need to purchase a separate amp/dac for best potential from them?

A couple of years ago I tried writing my own version of Stones Abbigale. I never got past the first couple scenes, but I'm considering returning to it. I wanted to basically rewrite and change up a lot of things, mainly focusing on Abbi and Davis and changing some elements. Let me know what you think!

1
It's almost four in the morning and Seth is threatening suicide again. Good. Fuck him. I hope he does it. I don't text him that because I read about this girl who told her boyfriend to kill himself. The irony was that when he actually did it she got charged with second degree murder. My life is fucked as it is I don't need to make it worse. It's almost two in the morning and I have to be up for school in a few hours. I’m shivering under my comforter because we’re halfway through November. I think about the turkey that won't get made this year and the family I won't see. I think that's swell. Seth is still texting.
Its like u dont even care after everything that happened and after everything we did together i saved ur life and i stayed with u when u cried and i hugged u and i did everything for u but that wasn't enough was it? i try so hard and all u ever are is a bitch to me that's not fair u want me to die and u hate me and u dont even care and im sick of it abbi why is is so hard for u to care about me?
I don't respond. I don't like how I feel about this. This should be easy. He won't actually do it. He won't. He’s too self involved to kill himself. I put my phone face down on my bed. The sheets shake around it as he sends message after message. I was sleeping on a ticking bomb so I got off of it. My feet stick to the floor, I struggle to step. I might as well have been standing barefoot on ice. I trudge to my window so I can see my street at night. Winter is really coming. You can't hear as many birds as you used to. They've all gone. They've all flown away. I can see three streetlights from where I’m standing. If you can from right to left you can see the concrete fracture into the sand. I open my window and brace for the chill. I stick my head outside. The ocean is not far away. I hear it hitting the shore over and over. Waves of water splashing incessantly, almost beating out my text notifications. The street lights flicker. I think of last summer. When Seth and I got really high after the news broke that my Mom was cheating on my Dad. I was making out with that bong. Emptying bowl after bowl, clanking the glass on the road to empty it out. Just thinking about it makes me feel the street pole against my back again. I was laughing and crying. Seth leaned in and hugged me. “I’m a sure thing,” he said. “I love you and I always will.” I caught my reflection in his sunglasses. I looked awful. I shiver at the memory. My phone is still buzzing. I try to catch my breath. I shut my window and start to walk back to my bed. A room always looks different in the dark. Maybe you think you know where you are, but there is always something that can jump out at you on the floor. Like a ghostly paper bag or a vengeful shoe. Objects that seem to move on their own with the sole drive of tripping you. I crawl back into bed. There's the phantom of Dad’s snoring . I know he's not sleeping in his room, he fell asleep on the couch after finishing his seventh fifth. Sometimes my brain fills in the gaps so I can hear it everywhere. Funnily, I haven't actually heard him snore since Mom left. That's the one thing I ever heard them fight about. Before she turned out to be a whore, I guess. BZZT.BZZT.BZZT. I can't bring myself to read any of his messages. They're coming so fast all the paragraphs are lost to motion blur. Seth’s arms wrap around me and I think about the beating of his heart and the warmth of his lips against my skin. I open up the texts, ready to respond.
I love you
I text this over and over until I fall asleep.
Davis was the only senior on the bus. Somehow, everyone else had a car or a ride. It’s all right, though. James would probably give him one if he had a car, but he skated to school every morning. That's why he barely ever rode the bus with him. The bus thumped along the under paved roads. Davis forgot his earbuds at home, so the only music that accompanied him was his racing thoughts. Two sophomore girls popped their heads over. “Ohmigod, Davis!” One of them shrieked.. “As I live and breathe,” he smiled. “Nice,” she said. “I’m so excited to see your finished painting.” Davis took the lower level art class for a requirement. Like most things, he's not taking it very seriously. For their pop art unit, he's painting a portrait of the art teacher with a warthog face. It's one of his funny disruptions. He knows Mrs. Stanley is going to have a real field day with it, but it doesn't matter. Artistic liberties, he’d profess. “She's such a bitch, isn't she?” The sophomore girl turns to her compatriot, who only nods in response. “She's just jealous,” Davis says. “It must be depressing to teach art and see the youth soar above her.” “For sure,” the girl doesn't get it. Class clown is a semi-heavy burden. Davis doesn't really feel like talking to these girls, but his position demands it. Comedy informs everything about him. To the giant thrift store jeans, to the loud Hawaiian shirt. He and James are the ultimate combination, at least he likes to think so. Quiet brooding begs for bright distraction. The girl is still trying to talk to him and Davis is saying his preprogrammed lines. The bus stops in front of James’s street. Surprisingly, James is standing there. “Like I’m this close to just filling my hydroflask with vodka, yaknow?” says the chick. Maybe she's just trying to get a rise out of him. “Better be prepared to give me more than a sip,” Davis is watching James grumble towards the bus. The sun is beating down on the forming ice puddles. James stomps through them with small shattering steps. James turns up the bus aisle and plops in the seat next to Davis. Davis’s smile is genuine now, but he fights it from getting too wide. “Crash your vehicle?” Davis asks. “Something like it,” there's something off with him. Davis doesn't want to push it. “Well damn, hope insurance covers it,” Davis wants James to break and laugh. Is it just another mood or did something actually happen this time? “It won't, I got bad credit,” James grins and it's like heaven. “What's the move for you today?” “Surviving art and physics for me,” says Davis. “Those bastards love to keep me down.” “Who doesn't,” James eyes the girls who have since returned to whatever they were doing before. It's the judgement stare, as Davis calls it. James likes to observe his peers like a zoo-goer. Breaking them down to taxonomic types. Davis likes to think that James doesn't do this to him, but he knows he probably does. “It sucks you decided to be bad at school and take baby art,” James is still dissecting the sophomore girls down to their tropes. “We could have done Art II together.” “I wouldn't want to get between you and Alex. I know how you love it when people piss in jars next to you.” “That's disgusting,” James breaks his glare at the girls. “It's performance art, it's beautiful,” Davis gets up out of his seat to yell. “Everyone witness the wonderful work of Alex Madov! Disengage yourself from the shackles of capitalism by shouting with me: Poopy, pee pee, poop!” Davis gets a few chuckles from the other kids on the bus. “Sit down, fatso,” mumbles the bus driver. “I will not be silenced! I’m a messenger of the good word, sir!” “More of this shit and I’m skipping your stop!” “Fine, but I will make Alex remember on the day of judgement,” Davis sits back down. James is full belly laughing. “You're so retarded,” James wheezes. Davis can't even come back with a response. He's high off of it.
The bus pulls into the school lot with a short stop. The mobs get up and begin to race out. Davis follows James down the line. “You know Abbi?” James asks. Davis feels a little pit form in his stomach, but he doesn't change his expression. “Vaguely, what about her?” “She's in my art class,” James begins. “And I think … well you know, I’m going to talk to her.” He walks down the steps and out the door. “Doesn't she have a boyfr-” before Davis can descend the driver's arm blocks him. “I’ve had enough of your shit, kid,” he says. “If you keep being obnoxious, I’m gonna find a way to make you pay for it.” James looks back, but he can't stay. Davis knows that he's gotta get to class. James does a little wave goodbye and Davis salutes him. “Are you even listening to me?” the bus driver seethes. “Yes, sir. Divine retribution, got it.” Davis ducks underneath his arm and exits the bus. James has already disappeared into the crowd.
I pass the bong to Ashley. She starts another bowl. She’s the transport and I provide the material. The little things that keep our friendship afloat. I look at the clock in her car. “It's 8:45,” I pick a piece of bagel out of my teeth. “So that's it, we officially missed first period,” Ashley tops it off. “They won't mark us, you know. It's a study.” “Yeah, but when's the last time we signed in? I heard they're changing the policy again. Do you still have the lighter?” I toss it to her. I don't get it. It's always her idea to pick me up so we can smoke before school, why now is she suddenly caring about attendance? “We're pretty girls, we can get out of it. I’m next,” I tap on the clock. “Are you sure it's not fast?” She shakes her head as she takes a snap. We're parked in the pond area a block or two from the school. It's our designated smoking spot. I like it, even at the end of fall it's pretty. I’m so engrossed that I don't realize her tip out the bowl and put it back in the cup holder. “I don't know if it's wise to keep up the activity, we should probably get going soon,” she starts up her car again. “Okay,” I say. She reverses and swings out of the lot. We lean into the silence and it's super weird. “Seth texted me last night,” I wait for her reaction. “Oh,” she grimaces. “What did you say?” “That I loved him.” Silence again. Ashley's trying to put together something well-meaning while understanding that I’ll probably ignore whatever she has to say. “Abbi, I’m not trying to tell you how to run your life, but …” Her expression is now quizzical. She's said what she is about to say a number of different ways all ready. She thinks and thinks and decides to say nothing. Good call, I would have screamed at her. Not because what she thinks about my situation isn't true, I’m just in a ‘screaming at people mood’ because of it. “I’m going to dye my hair again,” she changes the subject to avoid conflict. Classic Ash. “Oh yeah? What color this time?” “I don't know,” she checks her reflection in the rear view. “The red has faded out, maybe blue or pink this time.” “You should go with a softer pink,” I say. “Since you're a soft spring.” “Yeah, maybe.” We enter the school lot. “Listen, do you want to get together when I do it? Maybe you can dye your hair too.” “I don't know, I might be busy,” I say. “Seth might want to do something,” I pause for her to protest. “Okay,” she says. She parks and we get out.
I barrel into art class. I don't care if I reek, out of all the teachers I can tell Mrs. Stanley smokes the most. It would be hypocritical of her to care. It looks like I’m the first one. Weird. I check my phone. It's 8:45. Well, fuck. Looks like Ashley needs to fix her clock. Mrs. Stanley is at her desk. She looks at me knowingly. “Eager to create today, Abbi?” I just nod and sit at my desk. I’m really feeling it. I open up my precalc notebook and just start sketching. Birds, eyes, trees, whatever. Kids start coming in. Their chatter echoes around me, I try to focus on what I’m doing. Someone bumps into my table. I look up. It's this lanky blonde kid, I think his name is James. He presses his hands underneath the desk as he leans up to talk to me. “Eww!” He shouts. Some kids turn and laugh. I don't. I just stare at him. James goes red and sits next to the kid who pissed in a jar. Once an adequate amount of students are in the room, Mrs. Stanley starts her lesson slideshow. On the screen is a dirty urinal. “How many of you are familiar with this work by Marcel DuChamp?” she asks. At this point, Jason, the designated meathead jock, enters the room. “Sorry I’m late, Mrs. S,” he booms. He looks at the slide. “We building bathrooms today?” Mrs. Stanley glares at him. “Wouldn't you like that? Considering you spend all of your time in there.” “Whatever,” Jason brushes his mullet behind his ears. “No, not whatever. Would you like me to move you into the sophomore class with Davis? Believe it or not he's getting much better marks than you are getting in here.” Jason rolls his eyes and takes his place in the chair next to me. “Up to a little extra curricular activities before art, Abbi?” he motions a joint in his fingers. I scoff and go on my phone. There's another text from Seth.
sorry about last night
and
im reading it all right now that was fucked im sorry
I start to respond, but before I can Mrs. Stanley outstretches her hand. “Give me your phone, Miss Hagerty. I’m sick of giving you warnings.” I don't have the energy to fight, I just give it to her. “You can pick it up at the end of the day.” My jaw actually drops. Jason must have really set her off, she's not usually such a cunt to me. “Anyways, found art. What is it? Well, found art is the use of everyday objects to convey an altered meaning. It can be something you find on the street or something that once held value to you. For example, My Bed by Tracey Elim.” She pulls up a picture of a messy bed that looks suspiciously like my own. “So for your final unit of the semester, you will be making your own found art. I really want you to take this project a little more seriously than most of you have been taking this class. I’m giving you the privilege of picking your own partners, but I’d like to remind you to be thoughtful with your choice. This will be worth more for your grade.” I look around. I don't have any friends here. I toy around with the idea of asking Jason for convenience and he looks like he's about to pull that move. Behind me there's that James guy. He’s sheepishly looking at me. He seems kind of nice. Okay. I don't feel like getting up so I just turn around in my chair. “Hey James, wanna be partners?” He balks a bit and then smiles at me. “Yeah, totally,” He's beaming and it's somewhat endearing. Alex and I switch seats and now I’m next to him. “I’m gonna be real with you …” I begin. He stops and shifts a little. “I have no idea what we're supposed to be doing for this.” He regards me oddly. Like he's trying to piece me together. It doesn't bother me. “She said we have to bring in an object that's special to us and present it artistically basically,” he rubs his chin. Damn, I must be baked to hell. I didn't hear her saying that at all. “So got any stuffed animals we can cut up and make Lovecraftian monstrosities out of?” “I got a hamster cage, hold the hamster,” I say. It comes out kind of weird and I probably sound stupid, but he doesn't seem to care. “Let's make a fucking zoo.” “Perfect!” He’s kind of cute actually. In a way. Something about this feels fun. I realize the bell will ring soon. “So um,” I rip out a page of my precalc notebook, still fresh with my drawings. I scrawl out my number and push it to him. “Call me so we can figure out the project some more.” I pack up all my stuff and start to head out. I can feel him watching me and it's not that bad. “I sure will,” he says. Everything feels really groovy. There's a lightness now. I’m halfway out the door when I remember my phone. I can't believe that I just forgot about Seth. I think about begging for my phone, but I feel too above that. Still, something shakes the good feeling as the bell rings.