Texas women quotes

https://www.youtube.com/live/ak-k9V0TKSk?si=eXLr2zgtJfSqkg0L
Mark Lee Dickson (google this nut job) has done well in getting religious zealots to sign a petition making our city a sanctuary city for the unborn. This would turn neighbor on neighbor and potentially risk having cars with women in them pulled over just to ask if they’re going to leave town to get an abortion. Basically a stop a frisk for being a woman or pregnant woman. This has happened in Lubbock according to one speaker in this city council meeting.
The link is our most recent city council meeting after the petition passed to get city council to either vote on it or push it to a general election. I don’t think anyone that was pro SCTU said anything that wasn’t overly religiously motivated. Josh craft and don tipps, city council members, are both members of the same church who brought Mark Lee Dickson to speak before their congregation in support of this god awful legislature.
For those who don’t know Amarillo is literally in the middle of i40 if you’re driving though the top of Texas it’s hard to avoid.
Remember this is the also the town that boasts a famously shopped fundamentalist judge Matthew Kacsmaryk. https://www.texastribune.org/2024/04/11/judge-shopping-texas-amarillo-kasmaryk-senate/
I post this so that people are aware and to help spread the message this must stop. Send constant emails and phone calls to their offices
Mayor Cole Stanley (806) 584-6175 Email: cole.stanley@amarillo.gov
Council member place one Josh craft (806) 378-3014 Email: josh.craft@amarillo.gov
Council member place two don tipps (806) 673-7770 Email: don.tipps@amarillo.gov
Council member place three Tom Scherlen (806) 670-6104 Email: tom.scherlen@amarillo.gov
Council member place four Les Simpson (806) 681-9452 Email: les.simpson@amarillo.gov
I typed all of this while this council meeting was live. I’m still watching it live but make sure you watch to the end to hear the director of hope choice pregnancy center. Though she is very pro life she is very very understanding. She speaks of the FBI and Homeland security checking on her once Texas as a state passed anti abortion laws but local authorities do not. She also is incredibly empathetic to those who have had abortions

We met ~3,5 years (7 semesters) ago at our university during his orientation week. I will spare you the details of how exactly we met. We basically flirted for 1,5 years before one of us (let's call him Chris) was brave enough to ask for a date. My strategy was to play wordl with him. It gave us an excuse to start texting eachother everyday. I liked his humour and even when the jokes were bad somehow I found them hilarious. We had a nice understanding of eachother and talking to him always felt like a safe space. I never dated anyone before because I never believed that anyone would be romantically interested in me. I would say that I am boyish. Most of my close friends are male and I do feel more comfortable around them than around other women. I study mechanical engineering. At my university about 15% of the mechanical engineering students identify as women. I saw myself as one of the boys so I never imagined that someone would like me like that. At that time I was so excited that someone that I liked also liked me back but now I was stepping into unknown terrain. Both of us did not know what to expect since both of us had never been in this situation before. On our "dates" we would just talk like before but there was an awkwardness hanging in the air. We would adress the awkwardness, how it felt stuck and how we did not know what this new situation even meant. He was patient but..I was so scared to mess it up that I was frozen and didn't let anything happened. I was heartbroken but not surprised when after two months he said he wanted to go back to being friends like before. And that's what we did. I did not want to loose a companion like him and I settled for friends. I thought that in time I would get over him. And I think I did. We would hang out once in a while and each time I was more convinced that I had gotten over the heartbreak. A few months had passed and I met a guy (Jeff, 24M) that I knew briefly from an university event 3 years earlier. We talked and hit it off. I had gained a bit of confidence since now I knew that it was possible for people to be interested in me. I asked out Jeff. I was ready to take on this new challenge. And it was fun flirting. It was less awkward with Jeff and we progressed more like I imagined couples would. In the end it did not work out with Jeff. We dated for a year in which i was away for six months and even before I left I was unsure of how I felt about Jeff. I thought that maybe long distance made me forget him but when I got back and I was not excited to see him I decided to break up. It felt freeing. When I returned Chris had contacted me and wanted to meet up. We barely had contact when I was away. While I dated Jeff, Chris also had been seeing other people. So I thought that we had really gone back to just friends. It also had been almost 2 years since "dated". Ever since I had gotten back from being abroad Chris and I have been meeting up and texting more and more frequently. My parents are immigrants and we speak a different language at home. I had briefly mentioned before that I worry that my parents would not approve a partner that is not from our culture and does not speak our language. Chris has started studying my mother tongue recently. It is not a common language that people study like spanish or french. My delusional brain tells me it is so I would not have to worry if we were together. Well at least it was one of the first thoughts I had when Chris told me. This is when I really started to question if I had ever gotten over Chris or whether I am falling for him again. Recently we have gotten into wordl, again. We always do them at midnight after that we would text a bit and wish eachother good night. I tried to confide in my best friend but he refuses to give me any input and advises me against it without a satisfying reason, quote:" there are plenty fish". BUT I really like this fish. Am I just refusing to listen to reason? I haven't had the courage to talk to other friends about it because I fear they will also advice me against it. This tells me that somehow I also believe it would not work out. One of my theories is that I am almost done with my studies and I probably will leave the city around end of this year. My last relationship did not end bc of the long distance but it definetly did not help. I fear it's fear.😅 I dont know what to do. What if he is just glad I am back? I fear that if I confessed my new/old feelings I will loose him. I just want to know what's wrong with me. Why am I so scared? Other people seem to be able to confess their feelings so well. I would really appreciate an outside perspective on my situation. Thank you!♥️

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I want to credit these findings to Ayatollah Hosseini Qazvini who is constantly defending Shia Islam against wahabis/salafis. I apologize in advance if there is mistakes in translations.
Many haters of Imam Ali quote a Shia narration in the book Khasal of Sheikh Sadouq, whose authenticity is weak, which states:
عن جعفر بن محمد عليه السلام قال سأل رجل أمير المؤمنين عليه السلام فقال له أسألك عن ثلاث هن فيك أسألك عن قصر خلقك وعن كبر بطنك وعن صلع رأسك فقال أمير المؤمنين عليه السلام إن الله تبارك وتعالى لم يخلقني طويلا ولم يخلقني قصيرا ولكن خلقني معتدلا أضرب القصير فأقده وأضرب الطويل فأقطه وأما كبر بطني فان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله علمني بابا من العلم ففتح لي ذلك الباب ألف باب فازدحم العلم في بطني فنفجت عنه عضوي وأما صلع رأسي فمن إدمان لبس البيض ومجالدة الاقران
On the authority of Jaafar bin Muhammad, peace be upon him, he said: A man asked the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, and he said to him: I ask you about three things that are characteristic of you. I ask you about the shortness of your character, the largeness of your stomach, and the baldness of your head. Then the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, said: God, Blessed and Most High, did not create me tall, nor did He create me short, but rather He created me with a moderate temperate nature, so that I can strike short. So I drive it and hit the long one and pick it off. As for my belly getting bigger, the Messenger of God, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him and his family, taught me a door of knowledge, so that door opened a thousand doors for me, so knowledge crowded into my stomach and I expelled it from my organs. As for the baldness of my head, it is from an addiction to wearing white and wrestling with peers.
It may be understood from this narration that Amir al-Mu'minin was a person who had a big belly and also had no hair on his head. But other hadiths clarify the meaning of this hadith.
Now we will look at the meaning of Anza
In the dictionary, it is stated in the article:
و النزع انحسار مقدم شعر الرأس عن جانبي الجبهة... وفي صفة علي رضي الله عنه البطين الأنزع والعرب تحب النزع وتتيمن بالأنزع وتذم الغمم وتتشاءم بالأغم وتزعم أن الأغم القفا والجبين لا يکون إلا لئيما...
لسان العرب ـ محمد بن مکرم بن منظور الأفريقي المصري ،‌ متوفي 711 ، ج 8 ، ص 352 ، ماده :‌ نزع ، چاپ اول ، ناشر :‌ دار الصادر ـ‌ بيروت ـ چاپ 15 جلدي .
تاج العروس من جواهر القاموس ـ محمد مرتضي الحسيني الزبيدي ،‌ متوفي 1205 ، ج22 ، ص 245 ، ماده نزع ، چاپ 40 جلدي ،‌ ناشر :‌ دار الهداية .
Naza' means that the two sides of the forehead are empty of hair... One of the characteristics of Ali, peace be upon him, is Ba'tin al-Anza, and Arabs like the absence of hair on both sides of the forehead, and they consider such a person to be a good omen, and Ghamm means someone who has a forehead and If the back of his neck is full of hair more than usual, they condemn it and find it unpleasant and they believe that a person who is like this is a lowly person...
The Language of the Arabs - Muhammad bin Makram bin Manzoor al-Afriqi al-Masri, died in 711, vol. 8, p. 352, material: Naza', first edition, publisher: Dar Al-Esq - Beirut - edition 15 leather.
Taj al-Arus Man Jawahar al-Qamoos - Mohammad Mortaza al-Husseini al-Zubaidi, died in 1205, vol. 22, p. 245, Madh Naza', edition of 40 leathers, publisher: Dar Al-Hadaiya
They have stated in the article:
وفي حديث ابن عباس ما رأيت أحسن من شرصة علي هي بفتح الراء الجلحة وهي انحسار الشعر عن جانبي مقدم الرأس
لسان العرب ج7 ، ص 46
النهاية‌ في غريب الحديث و الأثر ـ‌ ابن أثير ـ ج2 ، ص459
In a hadith, Ibn Abbas says: The two sides of Ali's forehead, which was free of hair, looked very beautiful, and I have never seen anyone's forehead as beautiful as this
Lisan al-Arab, vol. 7, p. 46
Al-Nihayah fi Gharib al-Hadith wal-Athar - Ibn Atheer - vol. 2, p. 459
Sharsa means a scar, and a scar means that both sides of the forehead are empty of hair
After the word 'anza', it does not mean a person without hair..
The image of Amir al-Mu'minin, peace be upon him, among Sunnis:
In the books of Ahl al-Sunnah regarding the icon of Amir al-Mu'minin, peace be upon him, it is stated as follows:
كان علي ضخم البطن ضخم مشاشة المنكب ضخم عضلة الذراع دقيق مستدقها ضخم عضلة الساق دقيق مستدقها
الطبقات الكبرى ـ محمد بن سعد بن منيع أبو عبدالله البصري الزهري ـ ج 3 ، ص 26 ، باب : ذكر صفة علي بن أبي طالب عليه السلام ، الوفاة: 230 ، ناشر: دار صادر – بيروت
أنساب الأشراف ـ أحمد بن يحيى بن جابر البلاذري ، المتوفى : 279هـ ـ ج1، ص 283 و 284
Ali had a very good, complete abdomen and chest, his forearm was muscular and was thin in the joints, and his leg was muscular and thin in the joints.
Tabaqat al-Kubara -Muhammad bin Saad bin Mani’ Abu Abdullah Al-Basri Al-Zuhri - vol. 3, p. 26, chapter: Mentioning the description of Ali bin Abi Talib, peace be upon him, death: 230, publisher: Dar Sader - Beirut
Ansab al-Ashraf -Ahmed bin Yahya bin Jaber Al-Baladhuri, deceased: 279 AH - Part 1, pp. 283 and 284
Muhammad bin Youssef Al-Salhi Al-Shami mentioned:
وكان ضخم البطن شاسع المنكب ضخم الذراعين مستدقهما ضخم عضد الساق فوق الربعة ضخم المنكبين طويل اللحية عظيمها
سبل الهدى والرشاد في سيرة خير العباد ج11، ص287 ـ محمد بن يوسف الصالحي الشامي ، الوفاة: 942هـ ـ ، ناشر : دار الكتب العلمية - بيروت - 1414هـ ، چاپ اول ، تحقيق : عادل أحمد عبد الموجود وعلي محمد معوض
Ali had a good and full stomach and a very broad chest, his forearms were muscular and thin and shapely at the joints, and his legs were muscular, and his blessed height was a bit taller than a person of medium height, and he had strong and muscular shoulders and a thick back. And long beard.
Sabl al-Huda and al-Rashad in the biography of Khair al-Abad, vol. 11, p. 287 - Muhammad bin Youssef al-Salehi al-Shami, death: 942 AH -, publisher: Dar al-Kutub al-Elamiya - Beirut - 1414 AH, first edition, research: Adel Ahmed Abd Al-Mawat and Ali Muhammad Mauwad
The word "dakhm albatn (big belly)" means that their belly is not thin and it is not attached to the back bones; Rather, it is balanced, beautiful, good and perfect.
Mr. Al-Asbahani says about the word "dakhm albatn (big belly)":
وقوله ضخم البطن أي لم يكن بطنه لاصقا بظهره بل كان تاما حسنا
دلائل النبوة ـ إسماعيل بن محمد بن الفضل التيمي الأصبهاني، متوفي**: 535** ـ ج 1 ص 95 ( از مصادر اهل سنت ) ، ناشر : دار طيبة - الرياض - 1409 ، چاپ اول ، تحقيق : محمد محمد الحداد
He said he had a large belly, meaning his abdomen was not attached to his back, but rather it was complete and beautiful
Dalai al-Nabawa - Ismail bin Muhammad bin Al-Fadl Al-Taymi Al-Asbahani, died: 535 - vol. 1, p. 95 (from the sources of Ahl Sunnah), publisher: Dar Taiba - Riyadh - 1409, first chapter, edited by: Muhammad Muhammad Al-Haddad
Ibn Athir writes:
عن مدرك أبو الحجاج قال رأيت علياً يخطب وكان من أحسن الناس وجهاً
أسد الغابة ابن الأثير: ج 4، ص 39 و مجلة تراثنا مؤسسة آل البيت: ج12، ص 79 نقلاً عن مقتل أمير المؤمنين عليه السلام لابن أبي الدنيا 208 - 281 هـ للسيد عبد العزيز الطباطبائي
On the authority of Mudrik Abu Al-Hajjaj, he said: I saw Ali giving a sermon, and he was one of the most beautiful people
Asad al-Ghaba Ibn al-Athir: Vol. 4, p. 39 and Al-Bayt Institute's Heritage Journal: Vol. 12, p. 79 quoting the death of Amir al-Mu'minin, peace be upon him, by Ibn Abi Al-Dunya 208-281 AH by Syed Abdul Aziz al-Tabataba'i
Imam Ali A.S Similar Appearance to Prophets:
In some narrations, it is stated that Amir al-Mu'minin, peace be upon him, resembled the prophets in terms of symbols and appearance, which we refer to some of them:
Similarity to Hazrat Idris Ali peace be upon him and his family:
It is stated in the books of Sunnis:
قال وهب بن منبه‌ إن إدريس‌النبی‌عليه السلام‌کان... ضخم البطن عريض‌الصدر. . .
المعارف ج۱، ص۲۰ ، باب : شرح حال إدریس صلى الله علیه وسلم ـ ابن قتیبة أبو محمد عبد الله بن مسلم ـ (متوفی ۲۷۶هـ)ناشر: دار المعارف ـ القاهرة ـ ، تحقیق : دکتور ثروت عکاشة
المستدرک على الصحیحین ج۲ ، ص ۵۹۸ ، ح ۴۰۱۵ ـ محمد بن عبدالله أبو عبدالله الحاکم النیسابوری (متوفی ۴۰۵ هـ) ، ناشر : دار الکتب العلمیة ـ بیروت ـ سال چاپ : ۱۴۱۱هـ ـ ۱۹۹۰م ، چاپ : اول ، تحقیق : مصطفى عبد القادر عطا
Wahhab bin Manbeh says: Prophet Idris, peace be upon him, had a good, full and perfect stomach (dakhm albatn) and had broad shoulders.
Al-Maarif Vol. 1 , p. 20, Chapter: Biography of Idris, may God bless him and grant him peace, Ibn Qutaiba, Abu Muhammad Abdullah bin Muslim (died 276 AH), Publisher :Dar Al-Maarif**,** Cairo, Research:Dr. Tharwat Akasha
Al-Mustadrak Ali Al-Sahiheen Vol . 2, p. 598, AH 4015- Muhammad bin Abdullah Abu Abdullah Al-Hakam Al-Nisaburi (died 405AH ), Publisher: Dar Al-Kitab Al-Alamiya - Beirut - Year of publication: 1411 AH - 1990 AD, Edition: 1st, Research:Mustafa Abd Al-Qadir Atta
Similarity to Hazrat Dawud Ali peace be upon him and his family:
ثم فتح باباً آخر فاستخرج حريرة بيضاء فيها صورة رجل... ضخم البطن ربعة... فقال هل تعرفون هذا قلنا لا قال هذا داود عليه السلام
تفسیر القرآن العظیم ج۲ ، ص۲۵۴ ـ إسماعیل بن عمر بن کثیر الدمشقی أبو الفداء ( ابن کثیر) ـ ، الوفاة**:** ۷۷۴ ، ناشر : دار الفکر ـ بیروت – ۱۴۰۱
الخصائص الکبرى ج۲ ، ص۱۳ ـ أبو الفضل جلال الدین عبد الرحمن أبی بکر السیوطی الوفاة: ۹۱۱هـ ، ناشر : دار الکتب العلمیة - بیروت - ۱۴۰۵هـ - ۱۹۸۵م
دلائل النبوة ج۱، ص ۳۸۹ ـ بیهقی ـ (متوفی۴۵۸)
دلائل النبوة ج۱،‌ ص۹۴ ، ـ إسماعیل بن محمد بن الفضل التیمی الأصبهانی ، متوفی۵۳۵ ، ناشر : دار طیبة - الریاض - ۱۴۰۹ ، چاپ اول ، تحقیق : محمد محمد الحداد
Then he opened another door and took out a white silk garment containing the image of a man with a perfect and full stomach (dakhm albatn)... He said, “Do you know this?” We said, “No.” He said, “This is David, peace be upon him.”
Tafsir al-Qur'an al-Azeem, vol. 2, p. 254- Ismail bin Umar bin Kathir al-Damashqi Abu al-Fada (Ibn Kathir) - died :774, publisher: Dar al-Fikr - Beirut - 1401
Al-Khozad al-Kabri vol . 2, p. 13- Abu al-Fazl Jalal al-Din Abd al-Rahman Abi Bakr al-Suyuti, death: 911 AH, publisher: Dar al-Katb al-Alamiya - Beirut - 1405 AH - 1985 AD
The Evidences of Prophethood, Vol. 1 , p. 389- Bayhaqi - (died 458)
Dalai al-Nabwa Vol . 1 , p. 94, - Ismail bin Muhammad bin Al-Fazl al-Timi al-Asbahani, deceased in 535, publisher: Dar Tayiba - Riyadh-1409, first edition, research: Muhammad Muhammad al-Hadad
The meaning of anza al batin in hadiths:
In the hadiths of the Ahl al-Bayt, peace be upon them, as well as the hadiths of the Sunnis, it has been stated about the title of Anza al Bateen:
Ibn Juzi says:
ويسمى علي عليه السلام البطين لأنه كان بطينا من العلم وكان يقول عليه السلام لو ثنيت لي الوسادة لذكرت في تفسير بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم حمل بعير ويسمى الأنزع لأنه كان أنزع من الشرك
تذكرة الخواص ـ سبط ابن الجوزي ـ ص 16 ، چاپ مؤسسة اهل البيت عليهم السلام ـ بيروت ، لبنان ـ ، سال چاپ : 1401 ه .ق ،‌ 1981 م
For this reason, Imam Ali (peace be upon him) was called Bateen because his belly was full of knowledge. Therefore, he used to say that if I had the opportunity, I could write an explanation and commentary on Bismillah Rahman Al Rahim as much as a camel's load, and for this reason, he was called Anza because he was free from polytheism.
Al-Khawas map - Ibn al-Jawzi's tribe - page 16, printed by Ahl al-Bayt Foundation - Beirut, Lebanon -, year of publication: 1401 AH, 1981 AD
It is said in a narration from the Prophet:
قال رسول الله صلي الله عليه و آله و سلم يا علي أن الله تعالى قد غفر لك ولأهلك ولشيعتك ومحبي شيعتك ومحبي محبي شيعتك فأبشر فإنك الأنزع البطين منزوع من الشرك بطين من العلم
عيون أخبارالرضا ج1 ،‌ ص 52 ، ح 182 ،‌ باب في مناقب علي عليه السلام
الأمالي ـ شيخ طوسي ـ‌ ص 293 ،‌ ح570**/ 17** ، باب غفر الله لشيعة علي عليه السلام
مناقب ـ‌ ابن المغازلي ـ ص 401
The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: O Ali, God has forgiven you and your family, your Shiites, your Shiite friends, and the lover of your Shiite friends, so give good tidings to you, that you are Anza al Batin, you are free from polytheism, and you are full of knowledge. .
Eyes of Akhbar al-Reza, Vol. 1, p. 52, H. 182, chapter in Manaqib of Ali, peace be upon him
Al-Amali - Sheikh Tusi - p. 293, 17/570 H ,chapter of God's forgiveness for Shia Ali, peace be upon him
Manaqib - Ibn al-Maghzali - p. 401
During the courtship of Amir al-Mu'minin, peace be upon him, when the Quraish women spoke ill of Hazrat Ali in front of Hazrat Zahra, peace be upon her, the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him, said to Hazrat Zahra, peace be upon her:
يا فاطمة... فأما ما قلت إنه بطين فإنه مملوء من علم خصه الله به وأكرمه من بين أمتي
بحار ج43 ، ص 100 و 101 ، ح 11 ، باب فيما قاله رسو الله صلي الله عليه و آله و سلم في فضائل علي عليه السلام لفاطمه عليها السلام
O Fatima... As for what you said was a belly (Batin), it is full of knowledge that God has bestowed upon him and honored him from among my nation.
Bihar Vol. 43, pp. 100 and 101, h 11, Chapter Fima Qala of the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, in the virtues of Ali, peace be upon him, for Fatimah, peace be upon her.
In another narration it is stated:
عن عباية بن ربعي قال جاء رجل إلى ابن عباس فقال له أخبرني عن الأنزع البطين علي بن أبي طالب فقد اختلف الناس فيه فقال له ابن عباس أيها الرجل والله لقد سألت عن رجل ما وطئ الحصى بعد رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله أفضل منه وانه لأخو رسول الله وابن عمه ووصيه وخليفته على أمته وانه الأنزع من الشرك بطين من العلم ولقد سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله يقول من أراد النجاة غدا فليأخذ بحجزة هذا الأنزع يعني عليا عليه السلام
علل الشرائع ـ شيخ صدوق ـ‌ ج1 ، 159 ، ح3 ،‌ باب 128 - علة الصلع في رأس أمير المؤمنين عليه السلام ، والعلة التي من أجلها سمى الأنزع البطين
معاني الأخبار ـ شيخ صدوق ـ‌ ص 63 ، ح 11 ، باب معاني أسماء محمد وعلى وفاطمة والحسن والحسين والأئمة عليهم السلام
Abaya bin Raba'i says: A person came to Ibn Abbas and said: Tell me about Anza' al-Batin Ali bin Abi Talib, because people disagree about his character. Ibn Abbas said: O man, you asked about a person who, I swear to God, after The Messenger of God, no one walked on earth with more virtue than him. Indeed, Ali is the brother, cousin, guardian, successor and caliph of the Messenger of God, may God bless him and his family, and he is free from polytheism and full of knowledge. I heard the Messenger of God, peace and blessings of God be upon him, who said: Whoever wants to be saved on the Day of Resurrection must hold on to the lap of Ali, peace be upon him.
The Causes of the Laws - Sheikh Sadouq - Vol. 1, 159, H3, Chapter 128 - The cause of baldness in the head of Amir al-Mu'minin, peace be upon him, and the cause of why he was called al Anza al Batin
The meanings of the news - Sheikh Sadouq - p. 63, h 11, chapter on the meanings of the names of Muhammad and Fatimah and Hassan and Hussein and the Imams, peace be upon them
According to all the evidence, it is clear that the false understanding that was given in the question of the title of Anza Al Batin was wrong and Anza al Bateen has a deep meaning that was expressed in all these historic and traditional sources.

It's essential to focus on continual improvement and resilience. Many successful authors faced rejection before achieving success. J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series, received numerous rejections initially. Stephen King's first novel was rejected dozens of times. Agatha Christie, Dr. Seuss, and Margaret Mitchell all encountered rejection before finding success. Remember, rejection is a part of the journey, and perseverance in honing your craft is key. Focus on refining your writing, seeking feedback, and staying persistent in your pursuit.
Here are a few strategies to help navigate the journey as a writer:

1. Persistency: Keep writing and submitting your work. Each rejection can provide valuable lessons and insights into improving your writing. Don't let setbacks deter you from continuing to create.
   
2. Feedback and Improvement: Seek feedback from peers, writing groups, or mentors. Constructive criticism can help identify areas for improvement and guide your growth as a writer.
   
3. Diversify Submissions: Consider submitting your work to various publishers, agents, or literary magazines. Sometimes, a rejection from one might not reflect the response you'll receive from another.
   
4. Stay Motivated: Surround yourself with inspiration. Read books, attend writing workshops, or engage with other creatives to stay motivated and connected within the writing community.
   
5. Self-Care: Take care of your mental and emotional well-being. Rejections can be tough, so it's crucial to practice self-compassion and maintain a healthy perspective on your writing journey.
   

Remember, many renowned authors faced rejection before achieving success. Your persistence, dedication to improvement, and belief in your craft are vital elements that can lead you toward success as a writer.
6Here are a few more tips to help maintain motivation and progress as a writer:

1. Set Realistic Goals: Establish achievable writing goals. Whether it's a daily word count, finishing a chapter, or completing a manuscript by a specific deadline, setting realistic targets can keep you focused and motivated.
   
2. Embrace Revisions: Recognize that writing is rewriting. Embrace the revision process as an opportunity to polish your work. Revisions often lead to stronger storytelling and better-crafted prose.
   
3. Connect with the Writing Community: Engage with other writers through social media, forums, or local writing groups. Networking can provide support, encouragement, and valuable insights into the publishing industry.
   
4. Learn from Rejections: Instead of viewing rejections as failures, consider them as stepping stones toward success. Analyze feedback, if available, and use it constructively to refine your writing.
   
5. Believe in Your Voice: Each writer has a unique voice. Embrace your style and perspective. Authenticity in storytelling often resonates with readers.
   

Lastly, remember that every successful author faced challenges and setbacks along their journey. It's the perseverance, commitment to improvement, and belief in their work that helped them overcome rejection and achieve success. Keep writing, stay resilient, and believe in your potential as a writer.
Here are quotes from some well-known authors who faced rejection before finding success:

1. J.K. Rowling (Author of Harry Potter series):
   

   "Failure meant a stripping away of the inessential. I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was, and began to direct all my energy into finishing the only work that mattered to me."
   

2. Stephen King (Author of numerous bestsellers):
   

   "By the time I was fourteen the nail in my wall would no longer support the weight of the rejection slips impaled upon it. I replaced the nail with a spike and kept on writing."
   

3. Agatha Christie (Renowned mystery novelist):
   

   "I don't think necessity is the mother of invention. Invention, in my opinion, arises directly from idleness, possibly also from laziness - to save oneself trouble."
   

4. Dr. Seuss (Author of beloved children's books):
   

   "I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living. It's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope."
   

5. Margaret Mitchell (Author of "Gone with the Wind"):
   

   "Life's under no obligation to give us what we expect. We take what we get and are thankful it's no worse than it is."
   

These authors encountered rejection and setbacks on their paths to success but persisted in their writing endeavors, ultimately achieving acclaim for their work. Their quotes reflect their resilience, determination, and belief in their craft despite facing initial rejection.
Here are a few more quotes from authors who experienced rejection before achieving success:

1. Louisa May Alcott (Author of "Little Women"):
   

   "I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship."
   

2. George Orwell (Author of "1984" and "Animal Farm"):
   

   "Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout of some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven on by some demon whom one can neither resist nor understand."
   

3. John Grisham (Bestselling author of legal thrillers):
   

   "I faced rejection and constant criticism, but I never let up. I continued to persevere and pursued my writing passion."
   

4. Madeleine L'Engle (Author of "A Wrinkle in Time"):
   

   "You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write it for children."
   

5. Ray Bradbury (Author of "Fahrenheit 451"):
   

   "You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you."
   

These authors persisted through rejection, adversity, and doubts, yet remained dedicated to their writing. Their words reflect the perseverance, passion, and determination that ultimately led them to success in the literary world.
💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫🐔🐔🐔🐔 So in handling rejection as a writer and finding inspiration from authors who faced rejection before achieving success, this article has provided:

1. Strategies to stay motivated and improve as a writer, including persistence, seeking feedback, diversifying submissions, staying motivated, and practicing self-care.
2. Additional tips like setting goals, embracing revisions, connecting with the writing community, learning from rejections, and embracing your unique voice.
3. Quotes from various renowned authors such as J.K. Rowling, Stephen King, Agatha Christie, Dr. Seuss, Margaret Mitchell, Louisa May Alcott, George Orwell, John Grisham, Madeleine L'Engle, and Ray Bradbury. These quotes highlight their resilience, determination, and belief in their craft despite facing rejection, ultimately leading to their success as authors.

The overarching message is to persist in writing, seek improvement, learn from setbacks, stay connected with the writing community, and believe in your unique voice as a writer, drawing inspiration from the experiences of successful authors who overcame rejection on their paths to success.

At the world’s top college of magic and technology, every day brings a new discovery -and a new disaster. The advanced experiments of the college students tend to be both ambitious and apocalyptic, with the end of the world only prevented by a mysterious time loop, and a small handful of students who retain their memories.
Surviving the loops was hard enough, but now, in his senior year, Vell Harlan must take charge of them, and deal with the fact that the whole world now knows his secrets. Everyone knows about Vell’s death and resurrection, along with the divine game he is a part of. Now Vell must contend with overly curious scientists and evil billionaires hungry for divine power while the daily doomsday cycle bombards him with terrorists, talking elephants, and the Grim Reaper himself -but if he can endure it all, the Last Goddess’s game promises the ultimate prize: power over life itself.
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The last few notes of a Roxy Rocket song echoed through Vell’s dorm, and while scrappy and dissonant, they were at least coherent. An improvement from early lessons, especially.
“Well, that didn’t hurt to listen to,” Skye said. “You’re making progress.”
“You have such a way with words,” Vell said.
“Okay, fine,” Skye said. “You’re actually making good progress for a guy who only finds time to practice every couple weeks.”
The ever-encroaching responsibilities of being a senior, the leader of the loopers, and the focus of a godly game of fate had whittled Vell’s free time down to almost nothing. The occasional guitar lessons were some of his only islands amid the storm, and a welcome excuse to spend more time with Skye.
“You want to try a few more chords?”
“My hands are starting to hurt, actually,” Vell said. He pulled away from the guitar strings and shook tense fingers loose, revealing fingertips rubbed red and raw by practice. Skye stepped forward and took him by the wrist to examine his hands.
“I do not understand how a guy like you doesn’t have thicker skin,” Skye said. “Weren’t you an actual cowboy for a while? You did rodeos and everything.”
“I wore gloves,” Vell said.
“And for the rest of the weird shit you’ve done in your life?”
Vell took a long pause.
“Yeah, I don’t know,” Vell said. “Good genes, I guess.”
“I’m not complaining, mind you, I just think-”
A loud dinging sound from Skye’s purse interrupted the conversation, and she released her grip on Vell to go answer her phone. Vell recognized those familiar chimes as the Dad Ringtone. While most contacts were set to vibrate, Skye’s father and a few other lucky high-priority contacts got their own ringtones. Vell was lucky enough to have his ringtone set to the theme song of a cartoon Skye had loved as a kid, but played at a much lower volume than the Dad Ringtone. Skye’s father didn’t call often, and when he did it was usually about something important, so she wanted to be sure to never miss a call.
“Hey dad,” Skye began. “No, now’s fine. What’s up?”
Vell set his guitar back on the shelf and relaxed while Skye continued the call.
“No, no, that’d be fine, great, even,” Skye said. “He might be a little busy, but- What?”
Skye’s delight and talking to her father shifted to mild concern.
“Dad we kind of need to- no, not tomorrow, dad,” Skye said. “Dad!”
A long silence followed as Skye held the phone frozen by her ear for a short time. She tucked it back into her purse, took a deep breath, and clapped her hands together as she spun to face Vell.
“So, good news, you’re going to get to meet my dad,” Skye squeaked.
“And the bad news?”
“Well, part one of the bad news is that it’s going to happen tomorrow,” Skye said. Vell would’ve like a little more notice, but that was far from disastrous. Part two was still waiting, though. “And part two is that I kind of maybe didn’t do a very good job describing the nature of our relationship, and he sort of a little bit thinks you’re...a hero.”
Vell waited for a part three, and there was none.
“Is that the bad news?” Vell scoffed. “I might let him down a little, but there’s worse things my girlfriend’s dad could think of me.”
“Yeah there’s definitely a few upsides, be sure to hold on to those,” Skye said. “But also, you know how I flunked out of mad scientist school?”
“Yeah?”
“Well my dad...didn’t.”
***
“Your girlfriend’s dad is a supervillain?”
“Former supervillain,” Vell corrected. He adjusted the suit coat he’d just put on. “He left the game after she was born and went white hat, now he only builds death rays and robot armies so relevant authorities can observe, learn, and prepare for the real deal.”
Having a genuine mad scientist to train with helped keep secret agents and spies ready for actual threats, and Skye’s father got to keep doing what he loved: threatening to blow up the world.
“Are you still really a supervillain if you don’t actually do any villain shit?” Hawke wondered aloud. “Isn’t he just sort a supertrainer? What would you call that?”
“I’d call it asinine,” Alex said. “We shouldn’t be condoning this behavior, much less inviting him to build a death ray on our campus.”
The Einstein-Odinson had been selected as the faux-mad scientist’s next testing ground, and due to a misunderstanding of his role on campus, Vell had been selected as his testing partner. He had to put on a tuxedo and everything, to better fit the classic secret agent trope Skye’s father was envisioning.
“Mad scientists are an important part of the scientific ecosystem,” Helena said.
“You’d know,” Samson muttered under his breath.
“Conflict breeds innovation,” Helena continued, either heedless to or deliberately ignoring his snide comment. “The arc of history requires both heroes and villains.”
“Yeah, well, as far as villains go, I prefer mine to be weird old dads with fake death rays,” Kim said. “Still, Vell, doesn’t it feel kind of weird that he doesn’t actually know you’re dating his daughter?”
“It’s fine,” Vell insisted. “It’s always awkward trying to talk to your parents about your relationship, and she just over-focused on me saving the day and helping people. Simple miscommunication.”
“And when are you resolving that miscommunication?”
“Later,” Vell said. “Skye and her dad don’t get to spend much time together anymore. They’ll take the day, and we’ll get this all sorted out later.”
A life of volcano lairs, alpine bases, and remote tropical islands did not exactly make it easy for Skye to keep up with her dad, so having him concoct a scheme right on her home turf was a good way for the two of them to spend time together. Right now, Vell’s only priority was allowing for some healthy father-daughter bonding time. And also preventing the apocalypse.
“Okay, I’m good to go,” Vell said, as he finished up the knot in his bow-tie. “Hawke, ready on comms?”
“Mission control good to go, Agent Harlan,” Hawke said. He enjoyed any apocalyptic arrangement that allowed him to stay safely behind a chair, but playing mission control was especially fun.
“Good. Samson, you’re on tech duty,” Vell said. “The rest of you, keep an eye on the island. There’s no guarantee our supervillain will actually end the world. Which feels like a weird thing to say.”
Big events usually invited big catastrophes, and a literal supervillain seemed like a prime spark for some apocalyptic fire, but Vell was not so sure. He couldn’t think of anything less likely to actually end the world than a deliberate attempt to do so. All the loopers agreed having some backup eyes on other potential disasters might be warranted.
“Let’s just get this over with,” Alex said. She was the first to leave, everyone else filtered into their respective roles to play soon enough. Samson walked alongside Vell as he left the lair.
“Hey, do I have to put up the whole mission control act like Hawke was doing?”
“Not if you don’t want to,” Vell said. “Play it up a little if Skye’s dad is around, maybe, but like, right now we can just talk normally.”
“Okay, cool. Got your shit right here,” Samson said, as he hefted a large bag of gadget. “Standard spy bullshit. Gizmo watch, secret cufflink radios, pen with a concealed laser cutter, got it all right here.”
“Thanks,” Vell said. “Where’d you find all this stuff?”
“I just asked,” Samson said with a shrug. “Island full of supergenius weirdos, most of them had this kind of stuff just lying around.”
“Convenient. Did you make a list of everyone you got this stuff from?”
“So we can keep an eye on them? Yeah.”
“So I can give it back later,” Vell corrected. “But yeah, actually, knowing about the laser pen guy might be a good idea.”
“We’ll know where to start with any laser-based apocalypses,” Samson said.
“Good instinct,” Vell said. The two of them walked out of the building and towards the docks. “Am I walking weird? I’ve never worn a tux before.”
“Little stiff, but I think it’s working in your favor. You look more serious.”
“Great, thanks,” Vell said. He stepped up to the edge of the docks and strapped on his gadget watch before checking the time on it. “Should be here soon.”
“You need me to stick around?”
“No, you’re good,” Vell said. “Thanks for the help.”
Samson excused himself before the chaos started in full. Vell felt like an idiot standing around in a tux for a minute or two, until he was joined by someone in an equally odd outfit. Skye joined him in waiting on the docks, wearing a dress with long sleeves and a short skirt over sparkling tights and some very high-heeled boots.
“Very gogo dancer,” Vell said.
“Yeah, dad’s really into that whole Cold War era 60’s style,” Skye said. “Apparently this is what a ‘proper villainess’ looks like to him.”
“Could be worse, could be the catsuit kind of female villain.”
“Ugh, don’t get me started,” Skye said. “Every time he took me to work conferences I had to watch grown women try to waddle around in pleather bodysuits.”
“Supervillains have conferences?”
“Oh yeah, surprisingly good ones,” Skye said. “Especially if you’re a little girl who likes genetically engineered sharks.”
“Oh, so that’s where you got your start.”
Skye nodded. Her penchant for genetic engineering had struck at an early age. Her father had initially been excited for her to get into the family business, but it turned out Skye just liked fucking with fish DNA, and didn’t have much skill in all the non-genetic engineering parts of mad science. He was proud of her anyway.
After shifting on uncomfortably high heels for the umpteenth time, Skye checked her phone and texted her father.
“He says he’s pulling up right now,” Skye said. Vell scanned the horizon and saw nothing coming across the ocean.
“Is he at the right-”
Vell was cut off, and forced to step back, as the ocean started to churn. The waves parted to reveal a jet-black submarine with a towering, jagged skull carved into the prow.
“Oh, right, supervillain,” Vell said.
The imposing submersible drifted to a halt, and a hatched on the side hissed open. Red lights beamed out from the darkness within, and a few seconds later, an armored killbot marched down a boarding ramp, flanked by a towering man in a long white labcoat. He had a jagged streak of black through his otherwise gray hair, and wore heavy glasses with thick black lenses that obscured his gaze and shadowed his face.
“Hi dad,” Skye said.
“Hello dear,” said the man behind the murder machine. He stepped off the boarding ramp onto the dock, as another killbot exited to flank him, and fixed his dark glasses on Vell. “And as for you...I am Doc-”
“Doc” stopped his imposing introduction to have a coughing fit. Skye stepped up and put a hand on his shoulder.
“Dad, did you take your meds today?”
“I did, I did,” the Doc said, between coughs. “Just a climate thing. I got on the damn submarine in Seattle, now we’re in the tropics, there’s pressure differentials, humidity.”
He let out a few more coughs and then cleared his throat loudly, before regaining his previous composure.
“Now, as I was saying,” he continued. “I am Doc Ragnarok!”
His boisterous shout failed to echo in the open air of the docks.
“Oh, good lord, that was terrible,” Doc Ragnarok said. “Can I try again?”
“I wouldn’t bother,” Vell said. “We’re by the beach, open air, the acoustics are terrible.”
“Oh, yes, you’re right,” Doc Ragnarok agreed. “Finally, someone who appreciates the details. You must be Vell, then, or is it Agent Harlan? Do you have a codename I should be using?’
“It’s just Harlan. Vell Harlan.”
“Yes, Skye has told me quite a bit about you,” Doc said. “You’ve escaped kidnapping attempts, outwitted undead thieves, stolen secret treasures.”
“Oh, he’s, uh, also a really nice guy, very helpful, top student,” Skye said, laying groundwork for the eventual boyfriend reveal.
“I expect nothing less,” Doc Ragnarok said. “I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am to face off against someone with real credentials again, Mr. Harlan. For the past few decades it’s been nothing but greenhorns using me as a test run, well-trained but no experience, no sense of style.”
“Well, I am nothing if not experienced,” Vell said. “Stylish, however...well, this tuxedo is a rental.”
“I can tell,” Doc Ragnarok said. He let out a single boisterous bark of delighted laughter. “Ah, look at us, already bantering. I missed this.’
Doc cleared his throat again and regained his ominous supervillain demeanor, as he snapped his fingers to make the killbots flank him.
“I must begin my preparations,” he said, in a voice shockingly distinct from his earlier conversational tone. “Challenge me if you dare.”
“Excuse me a moment,” said a voice somewhere behind the killbots. Doc snapped his fingers, ordering the crowd to part again, and Helena hopped forward on her crutches. Skye glanced at Vell curiously, and he shrugged in confusion. She wasn’t supposed to be here, for multiple reasons.
“Can I help you?”
“Yes, I was just reading your book earlier, ‘Practically Evil: A Guide to Classic Villainy’,” Helena said. “It’s a great read, but what really stood out to me is the section on classic henchman archetypes, specifically ‘The Igor’?”
She held up the book in question, which Vell noted had a picture of Doc Ragnarok holding a skull on the cover, and opened it to the section in question.
“Oh yes, I understand, completely,” Doc Ragnarok said. “As I said in the section opener, that information is presented for historical context, and I strongly condemn the typecasting of differently-abled persons like yourself into such roles. Regardless of my intent, I’m sorry if I caused any offense, and if you have feedback-”
“Oh, no, you misunderstand, I’m not offended, I’m actually intrigued,” Helena said. She turned the book around to quote a specific passage. “‘An outcast, often hunchbacked or otherwise misshapen in such a way to make them a pariah, physically handicapped but mentally gifted, driven to evil by the harsh treatment of judgmental peers’. I think it’s a very fitting role for me, and I’d love to give it a try.”
Vell had several very strong opinions about that, but kept all of them to himself.
“Well, it’s a bit short notice, but I’ll never discourage anyone from following the path of evil,” Doc Ragnarok said. “And this is a training exercise, after all, perfect time for you to train. Come along, minion! The more the merrier!”
Doc Ragnarok snapped his fingers again, and the killbots fell in line, this time with Helena in tow. A procession of smaller robots followed, carrying a worrying number of power cores, ray guns, and mutagens. Not for the first time, Vell began to wonder if this was a good idea. The recurring doubts got obliterated as Skye looked over her shoulder and winked. She was worth a lot more trouble than this.

I just suffered a storm damage in Dallas Texas area. There are 2,3 roofers that I’m considering
I had roofing company #1 came out to do emergency tarping and they want to know when insurance adjusters come so they can be there to help as well
My question would be if i have multiple roofer recommendation and I want to see the quote first before deciding, what is the best way to handle this? Would it be rude to not choose roofing company #1 that did tarping (we received an invoice and sent it to insurance already)?
Appreciate your input

Gender relations are bleak, my friends. Like, "former Yugoslav states in the early 90's"-level bleak.
Necessary context: I went bald very young. I had the hairline of an overstressed, 50-year-old accountant just a couple years into puberty, and was completely bereft of hair by the time I was old enough to drink.
Premature baldness is almost always caused by heavier-than-average prenatal exposure to testosterone. This is one of God's cruelest jokes, because the condition tends to make men significantly hornier than average even as their appearance renders them unattractive to a large majority of younger women. It might seem like a joke to those who haven't gone through it, but the psychological toll from a combination of losing your hair and still wanting girls to like you is immense. I was deeply insecure throughout most of high school and didn't develop basic social skills until I was probably 16 or so.
But there was an upside: once I accepted my fate, I knew that in order to ever have a chance with women, I needed to take care of my body and cultivate a likeable personality. I had to work relatively hard to achieve some things that came much easier to more genetically gifted men. That was just the way it was: I could either deal with it or give up.
And so I worked. And worked. And, shit, working worked! I realize it's difficult for a heterosexual man to talk about romance-type stuff without coming off like a creep so please forgive me, but I've had a healthy sex life and am now married to a pretty and successful woman.
Okay, so the weekend before last, my wife and I attended a house party where were didn't know the vast majority of the people there. I'm not a social goon, but I am in my 40s and married, and, like nearly everyone else my age, I just haven't done much socializing with strangers since the pandemic. Still, the party went well. Got some laughs and some phone numbers (networking, not for sex stuff), didn't say anything that offended anyone, made sure not to talk about the Hasid tunnels in Brooklyn, etc etc.
Around midnight (that's late if you're old), a guy in his 30s comes up to me. He's balding. He is the kind of guy who, unlike me, most likely had a relatively easy time getting girls in high school and college and he doesn't know how to proceed now that effort is required. He is drunk and very open. He tells me he has no idea what to do, he was in a long term relationship that just ended six months ago and now he's worried he's never gonna find another woman who will accept his touch. He asked what I did to cope.
I responded honestly: at your age, 40-50% of women are gonna consider baldness a no-go, and you just have to accept that. Don't ruminate. Don't be bitter. Another 40-50% aren't gonna care much either way, but you're still gonna be at a bit of disadvantage so you need to work on the areas of your personality and appearance you can control. And then there's a solid 10% of women who are into it for various reasons, which is pretty cool. I stressed that fatalism leads to fatalities, that women find whininess unattractive, and suggested he start hitting the gym harder, paying more attention his wardrobe, and learning that sometimes you're just not gonna succeed but that doesn't mean you'll never succeed. Even 4-5 hours of effort per week will pay off.
It went wonderfully. I am terminally Irish American and so I can tell when a severely drunk man actually understands what you're saying to him and whether or not it's having a positive effect.
But, oh... oh no it did not go wonderfully, apparently. Because a woman in her twenties was off in my periphery while I was talking to the guy, doing the sort of movements that are not quite gesticulations that young women do when they want you to realize they're upset but don't want to directly let you know they're upset. I had noticed her. But I did not know her, and I assumed she was upset about the sort of thing young people get upset about at parties--lord knows what it was, but it was none of my business.
Well, no. She was a coworker of the guy to whom I was talking. She was listening to everything we were saying to one another and recorded some of it. I just found out today, through a friend of a friend, that she reported the man to HR for, quote, "receiving 'incel' advice." He doesn't think it will go anywhere because the conversation was heavily reviewed and the powers that be found that nothing offensive was said (because, indeed, nothing offensive was said). But, holy shit. Holy fuck. How in the name of our lord is a man--a man, mind you, who has sex--giving positive, pro-social advice to another man automatically register as a cancel-worth Incel Offense in the mind of a college-educated young woman?
This revelation has made me so angry and paranoid I feel the need to stress a few things: I said nothing that could reasonably be construed as PUA-ish or incel-adjacent. I did not tell him to neg women. I did not suggest that he wear a pair of Steampunk goggles. I did not launch into a diatribe about the evils of birth control or feminism. I just told him to try to stay positive, to not give up hope.
I have Larry David-type shit happen to me more often than anyone else I know, but this is seriously one of the most dispiriting events of the last few years of my life. I don't know how to proceed from here.

Well maybe only scary because it was in Texas where everyone has guns. I was in Austin over the weekend with my wife celebrating our 10th anniversary. We were on Hainey street and a large group of 20-25ish year old women exited a bar. I had my Q2 and was fiddling with the aperture ring when this middle aged (you guessed it) white woman ran up to me yelling "STOP TAKING PICTURES OF THOSE GIRLS". I hadn't. I showed her the pictures on my camera, skyline shots primarily but she wouldn't let up. My wife came over and started yelling at her too and then I got mad and said "It's not even illegal so get out of my face!". I know this is minor league compared to others, but I live in SoCal and have taken street photos forever without a single incident. So just a little shocked!

I'm in the market for home and car insurance as I move to a new state (Texas). I'm shopping for quotes with local brokers, affiliated agents and national call center type brokers. I can see what's what as far as coverage goes, but I can't shake the feeling that I'm missing something important. Is there some sort of watchdog that monitors financial health and claim satisfaction for insurance companies (homeowners especially)? Most of what i see is people bitching about their specific situation or sites that are basically ads. I would hate to find out my inexpensive coverage with a name recognition brand is going to be difficult about handling claims.

Howdy everyone, I'm currently in the market for a new complete 5 ton furnace (natural gas) and AC system and have been getting quotes from several installers as well as getting pricing on several different manufacturers.
My strategy thus far is to get a quote for a 2-stage system as well as a more basic single stage system.
So far I've received the following quotes:
Installer #1 Lennox 2-stage 19k (comes with 10 year installation warranty) Lennox single stage 13k
Rheem 2-stage 18k Rheem single stage also 18k
Installer #2 American Standard 2-stage 21k (comes with 2 year installation warranty) American Standard single stage 13k (comes with 2 year installation warranty)
Installer #3 American Standard 2-stage 20k (comes with 5 year installation warranty) American Standard single stage 14k
Just for simplicity, all of the 2-stage systems are around 17 SEER, and the single stage options are around 14 SEER. In almost all of the proposals, the furnace is comparable between the higher and lower priced option (100,000 BTU - 80% effeciency) and the giant price increase is due to the jump in cost for a 2-stage AC.
Does anyone see any red-flags with the options I've listed above? I was pretty shocked to see that a single stage Rheem was essentially the same price as the 2-stage option. Right now, I'm gravitating towards the American Standard single stage from installer #2 but I keep on second guessing myself and would really appreciate some feedback.
Also, I'm in West Texas if that helps determining if the prices are fair.
Thank you!

Hello,
I don't know if this is allowed or not, but I'm looking for a quote from first wave feminism, I believe.
The gist of it is something along the lines of, "Women have never ruined things as men have, but then again they've never been given the chance."
TIA

How/when do I bring up that we should not be using the term "the priesthood" when referring to men?
I am in the YW presidency in my ward and our YW president and several other adults have been using that when talking about the men. Not only is that a pet peeve of mine, it's also something that President Oaks has said that we should avoid that phrasing. I don't want my YW president to be singled out (she does it the most), especially since I can sometimes come off too passionate about things I disagree with. The phrase has been used in several different contexts like: "I'll text the priesthood" and "We have priesthood for camp." of "The priesthood cabin"
The specific quote from Oaks: "The Melchizedek Priesthood is not a status or a label. It is a divine power held in trust to use for the benefit of God’s work for His children. We should always remember that men who hold the priesthood are not “the priesthood.” It is not appropriate to refer to “the priesthood and the women.” We should refer to “the holders of the priesthood and the women.” (The Powers of the Priesthood).

Okay just started the stream (recorded 14h ago w 2.6k views)…..she’s such a damn loser. Shes going play by play of the video explaining the “game” and “flirting” when the video was uncomfortable from start to finish. She in the comments of the Carrington date video looking for “problems”. They saying that he look uncomfortable to which Fannita says “yall don’t know him he’s not going to fuck yall.” Well ain’t that the pot calling the kettle black !!!! Cause baby he not gonna fuck you either!
Then she goes on to describe that all she talks about is dck, pssy, etc and was just so vulgar. She feels like that’s a schtick?? Sorry it’s not!
All she talks about is the fact she used to be big and now she’s not. Okay? I’m sorry but are you going to do anything with that? Or just tell ppl everyday?! If she supposedly is sooo hot and can have anybody, then why do you feel the need to constantly prove it?
She’s just a nasty person, the surgeries SCREAM refund, the outfits are insane, the attitude is atrocious. There’s absolutely nothing likable about her.
Notable quotes:
“Yall hate seeing dark skin black women being the potential love interests’ of your white whores” “I been fucking white men, that’s not new to me that’s true to me” “Yall saying I’m sexually assaulting them gone push me right into their arms” “I paid for the ice cream…..if yall want an upper echelon man you have to be upper echelon women” (was very serious about paying for $16 vegan ice cream)

Just purchased a 2018 M3 and looking for insurance for it. Im a 25 F in texas and currently have progressive on my 2008 armada at about $360 a month. I got a quote for the tessy for $686 a month on my existing policy. I checked geico and it was $390 a month which is so much better. Spoke with a broker and he gave me a quote for liability on my aramada and full coverage for the tessy at $320 a month which is amazing, but its a local small insurance company. Is it worth the risk? Idk how I feel about using a no name insurance company.