Harcourt storytown, grade 5, weekly lesson tests copying masters

Just needed to vent because it's been a really difficult time for me job hunting and this experience really just broke me. For background, I have 10+ years of experience working in government doing communications, stakeholder and policy work. I recently got laid off from my dream job, unfortunately, and really need to find new work as i live in a HCOL area. I had been hoping to find a managerial role in my field as it is the next step in my career and I am ready for it, but I would have accepted a lateral move if needed since I have a family to support. I have a strong resume showing progressive career growth in my field in prestigious government agencies, but it's been a tough time in the job market and I haven't been able to land anything yet. I had one offer for a lateral move to a role I would have loved a couple of months ago, but the offer was pulled as they had to offer it to an internal candidate due to union rules.
After that experience, because at this point, I really just need to find anything, I got desperate and started applying to entry level roles and roles that were a step or two below my previous pay grade/title. I got a few interviews this way, including one for an entry-level position in a government ministry. For reference, this position pays about $30k / year less than I previously made, so this was a bit depressing but I did what I had to and put my best effort forward. The interview consisted of a pre-interview task (the task is something I do nearly every day in my line of work so I know I produced a high quality product - I will say if one were actually entry level, it would be an appropriate skill testing task but for me it was really easy) and standard questions for my field. There were two managers interviewing for four roles across their two teams, and it became apparent as the interview went on that I was very overqualified for the position, despite having dumbed down my job titles on my resume a bit to not seem like an overqualified flight risk. Manager A asked me about it, but I had prepared an answer for this question as I had anticipated it, and things moved along positively.
I found out from one of my references that Manager B in the interview had contacted her regarding a reference check for me. My reference said it went really well and Manager B left off the conversation saying she thought I would be a great fit for her team. The only thing she felt was odd was that Manager B spent quite a bit of time going on about how this seemed like a change in field for me. My reference emphasized how it was absolutely not a change in field and was baffled as to how someone could think this given the years of experience, connections, and industry knowledge I have and communicated in the interview. She said the conversation had a positive tone despite this odd line of questioning, and thought I would likely get an offer soon.
It has now been over two weeks since my reference spoke with the hiring manager. I have not heard anything back from Manager B or the HR team, and they had previously told me they were intending to contact the selected candidates by now. I intend to contact them next week (I want to wait until after the upcoming long weekend just in case) but I just feel completely demoralized at the moment.

Background : I've been playing for about 2.5 years (38 years old now), shooting in the low to mid 80s. Decent knowledge about clubs. I've had about 6 different sets of clubs from different fittings done at club champion, PGA superstore, Golf Galaxy, Local course, and original sets bought on facebook marketplace and finessed by my first coach/teacher. (Northern California)
I've also spent over 10k on lessons from pretty much all the coaches from local golf course. Local coaches I've found online, coaching from golf shops, you name it. I wanted to improve fast.
So this is my rant, I feel like as a player, everyone here is to exploit and make their living from a game we love. A breakdown of each topic below.
Coaching:

• Korean academies ( subscription based) - It was $500 a month for unlimited range and the instructor would walk around and give you a pointer here and there, practically useless, like 3 mins of actual coaching.
• American style coaching - There is an inherit conflict of interest with golf coaching that doesn't make too much sense to me. Local coaches from golf courses typically only offer bandaid fixes to what you are struggling with and very much assume you are a beginner. It is fairly hard for them to gauge and access how much you know about the swing within the one hour period. Typically people go see them for a 1 hour lesson here and there and they don't really have a strong client-tell. There are coaches that I work with more frequently and they are always booked, but if you are a coach and you need clients, do you AT HEART really want to help you get better. Wouldn't you always want to just find a goldilocks zone where you are always booked.

Fitting:

• Retail stores - Trust me, a lot of these guys are utter garbage at big retail stores like golf galaxy and pga superstore, unless it's like a fitting van studio. There are the knowledgable ones but they are seasoned and just want to sell you shit. It's like going to a car dealership but for clubs. A free putter fitting means having a college student looking at your swing for 3-4 shots then when you make a putt, he goes wow.... that's a great fit. He doesn't care if you know about lie angle, loft, toe hang, length, stroke type. Doesn't know how to probably set up a SAMs Puttlab. Then when it comes to actual club fitting, I don't even know where and how to start, but it's probably some generic corporate training of recommending the latest clubs from different manufactures.
• Club Champion - Fittings are decent, but something about them. They know more generic numbers on trackman forsure. They are constantly trying too hard to upsell you into exclusive shafts, and their build prices are just way to expensive, but if they know you just want the fitting only, they won't spend much time with you. The $300 dollar fitting fee is realistically not worth it for them. They forsure care more about you buying their SST puring services and breaking each component down and charge you separately. A awkward moment is when I went in and just wanted to test out all the shafts, but already had one in mind. When the build came out, I played dumb and showed the guy the same build for $1200 cheaper. They broke down the head, shaft and grip down as individual components. Their rebuttal was they were the ones building it, and their tolerances are much better than stock manufacturer. As if it's really hard to get the loft, lie, length, swing weight checked anywhere else. Anyway, I just did the math infront of him and paid him $175 for the fitting.
• Golf shops - Don't be confused, the point of having a shop is to make revenue, you will get recommended to different brands that they have the most association with, and with the highest margin. They will try to sway you in a certain direction, especially when you are a newer player and don't really know exactly what you want.

Hey everyone 😊 I’ve been in Bremen for two weeks by now doing my Master’s degree in CMM at uni Bremen.
Just need you pro tips on how to do well in the city in areas like: 1. Work: I need to find work for English-speaking student. 2. German: I want to learn German. 3. Studying: If any of you graduated CMM then I need your precious advice. 4. Lifestyle: what is the best daily routine for a healthy and amazing lifestyle. 5. Fun: Travelling, enjoying a good time, and social life.
I would appreciate any of your advice in these areas specially the work part cuz right now I need to find ways to make money. Thank you all in advance.

Hi. I bought the Xiaomi scooter pro 2 scooter a week ago and I'm testing it. Is it normal that I can travel 20 km on a 100%-60% (40%) charge but on a 60%-0% (60%) only 10 kilometers? I will add that the battery charges from 5% to 60% in 2 hours, and from 60% to 100% in 4.5 hours.

I had applied for BPA in January but unfortunately did not pass my polygraph examination two weeks ago. I passed pretty much everything else. However, I had also applied for BPPC (24-2) in March and I am starting my process. I know some of the preemployment steps are the same for both positions and today I received an email stating that I had passed my drug test for BPPC. Thing is, I never took a drug test for this position but I did take one for BPA and another job (Corrections) very recently. I'm just wondering if I'll "skip" some steps in the hiring process since I've already taken some tests in the last 5 months.

I feel like when this happens it will provide enough data for analysts to believe worldwide FSD is coming and price that revenue into their price targets. Especially since Tesla can turn on large fleet of robotaxis pretty much instantly.
Just a plan but still useful guidelines…in Tesla’s Master Plan, Part Deux, they expect worldwide FSD regulatory approval happens once 6 billion Tesla FSD miles have been driven. We reached 1B in April 2024. Purely off of this estimate, with 5 billion miles to go and Tesla's fleet now doing 1 billion FSD miles every 2-3 months, we can guesstimate another 10-15 months (January - June 2025) before receiving worldwide regulatory FSD approval.
Keep in mind testing robotaxis on taxis in China may shorten the time down from 2-3 months to drive 1 billion miles and of course the 6 billion miles in Master Plan Deux was just a goal…
So thinking about where China stands on approvals, China Daily stated Tesla still needs to receive approval to **collect and transmit the data** needed to train Tesla vehicles on driver-assistance features before China gives them full FSD approval.
What are your thoughts on how long these approvals would take in China?

My sister had her first child over a year ago. She has chosen to be a stay at home mom. I work four days a week and she constantly expects that I spend my day off with her and her baby. I think she doesn’t actually enjoy being a mom and gets lonely. So I don’t mind sometimes spending my day off with her or babysitting but I need that day for my own things some weeks too. I recently decided I need to pick up a side job on that fifth day as my husband and I are preparing for a child if our own and I need to save for unpaid maternity leave. I told her I’d be working 5 days now but did not say that my husband and I are planning on getting pregnant soon, as I feel this is just between us as a couple and also we have not decided for sure on timing yet. She sent me this whole long text lecturing me that I shouldn’t do that and I should work as few hours as possible because when I get pregnant I’ll be so exhausted and I’ll have so many doctors appoints I’ll just have to take off for anyway. Then at the end she wrote plus I and nephew need that time with you. I felt like this was a really selfish and insensitive response. She has a lot of money , her husband makes well over six figures (even though she acts like “oh we have no money too”), and is a SAHM. I will never have that privilege. My husband and I work a ton and both have masters so it’s not lack of effort but I have to save for my own maternity leave then put my child in daycare. I’m really irritated by her telling me about how I should handle pregnancy and working. How do I respond to make it clear that I don’t 1) have a choice and this is what works for my family and 2) you’re way overstepping. She’s so emotional and sensitive plus repeats everything I say to my mom.. it’s hard to have these conversations. To add to this, I am the first women in my family that will be a working mom. So there is definitely going to be pushback I need to prepare for with my family as a whole

Hey everyone! Long time lurker here.
I've always been good at studies, not the overachiever but top 5. Did my bachelors(stat) and graduated last year.
Took a break, mostly because I was exhausted from studying online during the pandemic and the terrible shift to offline. Obviously to my parents and others, the purpose of this break was 'studies', and it kinda was....I wanted to get into ISI, the best college for stats in India.
But the break year was bad, started off with me getting sick and injuring myself and after that I never really took off to do something worthwhile. Didn't work on studies or myself.
Then there was another entrance, I had a second shot at getting a good college, i could have just studied for a month or two and cracked the entrance but I didn't. It's definitely a pattern that I've had since school, procrastinating and not getting things done coupled with fear of failure and perfectionism.
Now I've gotta settle for just regular colleges. Been seeing posts everywhere about people going abroad for masters, studying for GATE and getting into IITs. People complaining about the job market, a cousin told me yesterday that I messed up, that it's easier to build from 20lpa as a fresher (good college tax) than struggling because of a mediocre college.
The past week, I've been thinking about it constantly and I feel miserable. I've been reading posts on reddit about how it's not the end of the world. It's petty, stupid and it's a non issue, but it's bothering me. I don't think I'll study post masters and I just wish I had studied a bit to make things easier for my future self.
Taking a break and putting yourself in a worse position than before is such a sucky feeling(ruined my routine and food/sleep habits). This is my echo chamber now and I'm struggling to find perspective.

Hiya!
Does anyone know of some sort of equivalent to Bartok's Mikrokosmos, but in an earlier style? As in, a collection of little exercises to help teaching piano, gradually getting harder from very basic up to actual pieces?
I've been teaching myself piano for a few weeks now, using Bartok's Mikrokosmos. I've been using the little pieces to gradually improve, and it's going alright! I make sure I don't move on from a piece until I've fully gotten the hang of it, so I don't rush ahead. The issue I'm having is with Bartok's style. While I do enjoy *listening* to some of his pieces, I find them a little disorientating to play, due to the... unorthodox harmonies, which make me feel like I'm playing an error, when it's actually correct. I think if I had something with a similar concept, but with perhaps more baroque, classical, or romantic style, I would find it easier to progress. Any suggestions or advice at all are welcome :)
For context, I'm a fairly decent violinist, working on stuff largely from around the grade 8/diploma syllabuses (ABRSM), so I already have pretty good theory and audiation and such. I'm planning on starting piano lessons with an actual teacher soon, but as I'm moving country in a couple months, I'm waiting until after then, so I don't have to change teacher so soon :)
Thanks again !!

Hello!
I'm here because I've had success with forming a meaningful friendship from this subreddit before- and while it didn't work out in the long run, it's shown me that it is absolutely possible to find that spark here.
In an effort to not waste your time nor mine, I'm not here seeking a casual chat- I want to get to know someone beyond just a few exchanges. I'm here for a genuine connection and conversation.
So, why message me? Good question! I'm rather shy, and modest- so trying to talk myself up is honestly really difficult. Instead, here are some random things about me and if any of it interests you, strikes a chord, or makes you smile, then I probably can, too!

• I live in the south of England but I have lived around Europe previously. I lived for around a year in Lithuania and about 6 months in Austria, and further time living in Scotland
  
• I have a degree in chemistry and a further Master's in Drug Design and Biomedical science
  
• I currently work as an analytical chemist, which sounds more interesting than it actually is with me spending most of my time in a windowless lab testing random chemicals
  
• I've always been a voracious reader. Bookstores make my heart happy. I'll read anything with a good plot. I am currently reading a lot of books on history, but I will pick up whatever random fiction book looks interesting, which tends to be random depressing books!
  
• I will happily eat anything that is highly spicy!
  
• I have travelled quite a bit over the last couple of years with trips to Denmark, Spain, Germany (twice), Austria and Czechia! I am also into photography, mainly architecture and I have put some of the better ones here!
  
• Empire is the best Star War
  
• Last Crusade is the best Indiana Jones.
  

So what now? Introduce yourself, share a photo to I can put a face to the words, tell me 5 random things about you, or 5 things on your bucket list, or the first 5 things you'd do if you won the lotto- or anything at all you'd like to share. Have animals? Show me pics!
Lastly, I know it's hard to take the time to write a thoughtful message on the chance that it may go unanswered. I'm not here for a lot of messages- I'm here for just one, and I know the kind of message that I'm hoping to receive. I don't want to waste anyone's time, so if I don't reply then know that I'm rooting for you to find the person you're hoping for, too!

Posting this for any future students considering these courses as electives:
Roman Art 2C03: unless you’re very good at memorization and spelling Roman words I do not recommend taking Roman Art 2C03, I regret taking it. The entire course is made up of 3 tests and 1 exam. It’s FILL IN THE BLANK - so despite the content being very interesting and easy to grasp, the issue is that there are hundreds of different names of artworks, people, emperors, places, etc written in Roman, that you need to memorize and be able to spell in order to do well in the course. The tests are manageable if you study for a few days consistently, but the exam is difficult (image is just the list of words I was trying to memorize how to spell before the exam). I wouldn’t be so harsh on this course if it wasn’t an elective for most people and what appears to be an easy course. Despite it being a course I expected to boost my mark, it dragged it down. If this is something you think you can dedicate a lot of time to, then go ahead, I think it’s a very interesting and important subject to know, but it’s time consuming if you want to do well.
Commerce 2AB3: (took for commerce minor) Important course for many, all I have to say is just watch out. The content and cheat sheet fools you into thinking it’s easier than it is. If I could go back I’d spend weeks studying for the exam and especially the midterm (which was harder). I know some people find this course easy, but it doesn’t come easy to all of us so if you’re not naturally great at math please just don’t be fooled and put a lot of time and practice into it.
History 2RR3: Take it!! Great course, it’s fair, easy and interesting. One tutorial per week, you have to be prepared for it as a lot of the weight of your grade is participation in class, but it’s easier than it sounds if you skim/read before class. Exam/Midterm online, half multiple choice, half essay.
Also, ENVSOCTY 1HB3 + 2RW3: Super easy elective, take it for sure.

Hello!
I'm here because I've had success with forming a meaningful friendship from this subreddit before- and while it didn't work out in the long run, it's shown me that it is absolutely possible to find that spark here.
In an effort to not waste your time nor mine, I'm not here seeking a casual chat- I want to get to know someone beyond just a few exchanges. I'm here for a genuine connection and conversation.
So, why message me? Good question! I'm rather shy, and modest- so trying to talk myself up is honestly really difficult. Instead, here are some random things about me and if any of it interests you, strikes a chord, or makes you smile, then I probably can, too!

• I live in the south of England but I have lived around Europe previously. I lived for around a year in Lithuania and about 6 months in Austria, and further time living in Scotland
  
• I have a degree in chemistry and a further Master's in Drug Design and Biomedical science
  
• I currently work as an analytical chemist, which sounds more interesting than it actually is with me spending most of my time in a windowless lab testing random chemicals
  
• I've always been a voracious reader. Bookstores make my heart happy. I'll read anything with a good plot. I am currently reading a lot of books on history, but I will pick up whatever random fiction book looks interesting, which tends to be random depressing books!
  
• I will happily eat anything that is highly spicy!
  
• I have travelled quite a bit over the last couple of years with trips to Denmark, Spain, Germany (twice), Austria and Czechia! I am also into photography, mainly architecture and I have put some of the better ones here!
  
• Empire is the best Star War
  
• Last Crusade is the best Indiana Jones.
  

So what now? Introduce yourself, share a photo to I can put a face to the words, tell me 5 random things about you, or 5 things on your bucket list, or the first 5 things you'd do if you won the lotto- or anything at all you'd like to share. Have animals? Show me pics!
Lastly, I know it's hard to take the time to write a thoughtful message on the chance that it may go unanswered. I'm not here for a lot of messages- I'm here for just one, and I know the kind of message that I'm hoping to receive. I don't want to waste anyone's time, so if I don't reply then know that I'm rooting for you to find the person you're hoping for, too!

Hello!
I'm here because I've had success with forming a meaningful friendship from this subreddit before- and while it didn't work out in the long run, it's shown me that it is absolutely possible to find that spark here.
In an effort to not waste your time nor mine, I'm not here seeking a casual chat- I want to get to know someone beyond just a few exchanges. I'm here for a genuine connection and conversation.
So, why message me? Good question! I'm rather shy, and modest- so trying to talk myself up is honestly really difficult. Instead, here are some random things about me and if any of it interests you, strikes a chord, or makes you smile, then I probably can, too!

• I live in the south of England but I have lived around Europe previously. I lived for around a year in Lithuania and about 6 months in Austria, and further time living in Scotland
  
• I have a degree in chemistry and a further Master's in Drug Design and Biomedical science
  
• I currently work as an analytical chemist, which sounds more interesting than it actually is with me spending most of my time in a windowless lab testing random chemicals
  
• I've always been a voracious reader. Bookstores make my heart happy. I'll read anything with a good plot. I am currently reading a lot of books on history, but I will pick up whatever random fiction book looks interesting, which tends to be random depressing books!
  
• I will happily eat anything that is highly spicy!
  
• I have travelled quite a bit over the last couple of years with trips to Denmark, Spain, Germany (twice), Austria and Czechia! I am also into photography, mainly architecture and I have put some of the better ones here!
  
• Empire is the best Star War
  
• Last Crusade is the best Indiana Jones.
  

So what now? Introduce yourself, share a photo to I can put a face to the words, tell me 5 random things about you, or 5 things on your bucket list, or the first 5 things you'd do if you won the lotto- or anything at all you'd like to share. Have animals? Show me pics!
Lastly, I know it's hard to take the time to write a thoughtful message on the chance that it may go unanswered. I'm not here for a lot of messages- I'm here for just one, and I know the kind of message that I'm hoping to receive. I don't want to waste anyone's time, so if I don't reply then know that I'm rooting for you to find the person you're hoping for, too!

Hello!
I'm here because I've had success with forming a meaningful friendship from this subreddit before- and while it didn't work out in the long run, it's shown me that it is absolutely possible to find that spark here.
In an effort to not waste your time nor mine, I'm not here seeking a casual chat- I want to get to know someone beyond just a few exchanges. I'm here for a genuine connection and conversation.
So, why message me? Good question! I'm rather shy, and modest- so trying to talk myself up is honestly really difficult. Instead, here are some random things about me and if any of it interests you, strikes a chord, or makes you smile, then I probably can, too!

• I live in the south of England but I have lived around Europe previously. I lived for around a year in Lithuania and about 6 months in Austria, and further time living in Scotland
  
• I have a degree in chemistry and a further Master's in Drug Design and Biomedical science
  
• I currently work as an analytical chemist, which sounds more interesting than it actually is with me spending most of my time in a windowless lab testing random chemicals
  
• I've always been a voracious reader. Bookstores make my heart happy. I'll read anything with a good plot. I am currently reading a lot of books on history, but I will pick up whatever random fiction book looks interesting, which tends to be random depressing books!
  
• I will happily eat anything that is highly spicy!
  
• I have travelled quite a bit over the last couple of years with trips to Denmark, Spain, Germany (twice), Austria and Czechia! I am also into photography, mainly architecture and I have put some of the better ones here!
  
• Empire is the best Star War
  
• Last Crusade is the best Indiana Jones.
  

So what now? Introduce yourself, share a photo to I can put a face to the words, tell me 5 random things about you, or 5 things on your bucket list, or the first 5 things you'd do if you won the lotto- or anything at all you'd like to share. Have animals? Show me pics!
Lastly, I know it's hard to take the time to write a thoughtful message on the chance that it may go unanswered. I'm not here for a lot of messages- I'm here for just one, and I know the kind of message that I'm hoping to receive. I don't want to waste anyone's time, so if I don't reply then know that I'm rooting for you to find the person you're hoping for, too!

Hello!
I'm here because I've had success with forming a meaningful friendship from this subreddit before- and while it didn't work out in the long run, it's shown me that it is absolutely possible to find that spark here.
In an effort to not waste your time nor mine, I'm not here seeking a casual chat- I want to get to know someone beyond just a few exchanges. I'm here for a genuine connection and conversation.
So, why message me? Good question! I'm rather shy, and modest- so trying to talk myself up is honestly really difficult. Instead, here are some random things about me and if any of it interests you, strikes a chord, or makes you smile, then I probably can, too!

• I live in the south of England but I have lived around Europe previously. I lived for around a year in Lithuania and about 6 months in Austria, and further time living in Scotland
  
• I have a degree in chemistry and a further Master's in Drug Design and Biomedical science
  
• I currently work as an analytical chemist, which sounds more interesting than it actually is with me spending most of my time in a windowless lab testing random chemicals
  
• I've always been a voracious reader. Bookstores make my heart happy. I'll read anything with a good plot. I am currently reading a lot of books on history, but I will pick up whatever random fiction book looks interesting, which tends to be random depressing books!
  
• I will happily eat anything that is highly spicy!
  
• I have travelled quite a bit over the last couple of years with trips to Denmark, Spain, Germany (twice), Austria and Czechia! I am also into photography, mainly architecture and I have put some of the better ones here!
  
• Empire is the best Star War
  
• Last Crusade is the best Indiana Jones.
  

So what now? Introduce yourself, share a photo to I can put a face to the words, tell me 5 random things about you, or 5 things on your bucket list, or the first 5 things you'd do if you won the lotto- or anything at all you'd like to share. Have animals? Show me pics!
Lastly, I know it's hard to take the time to write a thoughtful message on the chance that it may go unanswered. I'm not here for a lot of messages- I'm here for just one, and I know the kind of message that I'm hoping to receive. I don't want to waste anyone's time, so if I don't reply then know that I'm rooting for you to find the person you're hoping for, too!

Hello!
I'm here because I've had success with forming a meaningful friendship from this subreddit before- and while it didn't work out in the long run, it's shown me that it is absolutely possible to find that spark here.
In an effort to not waste your time nor mine, I'm not here seeking a casual chat- I want to get to know someone beyond just a few exchanges. I'm here for a genuine connection and conversation.
So, why message me? Good question! I'm rather shy, and modest- so trying to talk myself up is honestly really difficult. Instead, here are some random things about me and if any of it interests you, strikes a chord, or makes you smile, then I probably can, too!

• I live in the south of England but I have lived around Europe previously. I lived for around a year in Lithuania and about 6 months in Austria, and further time living in Scotland
  
• I have a degree in chemistry and a further Master's in Drug Design and Biomedical science
  
• I currently work as an analytical chemist, which sounds more interesting than it actually is with me spending most of my time in a windowless lab testing random chemicals
  
• I've always been a voracious reader. Bookstores make my heart happy. I'll read anything with a good plot. I am currently reading a lot of books on history, but I will pick up whatever random fiction book looks interesting, which tends to be random depressing books!
  
• I will happily eat anything that is highly spicy!
  
• I have travelled quite a bit over the last couple of years with trips to Denmark, Spain, Germany (twice), Austria and Czechia! I am also into photography, mainly architecture and I have put some of the better ones here!
  
• Empire is the best Star War
  
• Last Crusade is the best Indiana Jones.
  

So what now? Introduce yourself, share a photo to I can put a face to the words, tell me 5 random things about you, or 5 things on your bucket list, or the first 5 things you'd do if you won the lotto- or anything at all you'd like to share. Have animals? Show me pics!
Lastly, I know it's hard to take the time to write a thoughtful message on the chance that it may go unanswered. I'm not here for a lot of messages- I'm here for just one, and I know the kind of message that I'm hoping to receive. I don't want to waste anyone's time, so if I don't reply then know that I'm rooting for you to find the person you're hoping for, too!

Hello!
I'm here because I've had success with forming a meaningful friendship from this subreddit before- and while it didn't work out in the long run, it's shown me that it is absolutely possible to find that spark here.
In an effort to not waste your time nor mine, I'm not here seeking a casual chat- I want to get to know someone beyond just a few exchanges. I'm here for a genuine connection and conversation.
So, why message me? Good question! I'm rather shy, and modest- so trying to talk myself up is honestly really difficult. Instead, here are some random things about me and if any of it interests you, strikes a chord, or makes you smile, then I probably can, too!

• I live in the south of England but I have lived around Europe previously. I lived for around a year in Lithuania and about 6 months in Austria, and further time living in Scotland
  
• I have a degree in chemistry and a further Master's in Drug Design and Biomedical science
  
• I currently work as an analytical chemist, which sounds more interesting than it actually is with me spending most of my time in a windowless lab testing random chemicals
  
• I've always been a voracious reader. Bookstores make my heart happy. I'll read anything with a good plot. I am currently reading a lot of books on history, but I will pick up whatever random fiction book looks interesting, which tends to be random depressing books!
  
• I will happily eat anything that is highly spicy!
  
• I have travelled quite a bit over the last couple of years with trips to Denmark, Spain, Germany (twice), Austria and Czechia! I am also into photography, mainly architecture and I have put some of the better ones here!
  
• Empire is the best Star War
  
• Last Crusade is the best Indiana Jones.
  

So what now? Introduce yourself, share a photo to I can put a face to the words, tell me 5 random things about you, or 5 things on your bucket list, or the first 5 things you'd do if you won the lotto- or anything at all you'd like to share. Have animals? Show me pics!
Lastly, I know it's hard to take the time to write a thoughtful message on the chance that it may go unanswered. I'm not here for a lot of messages- I'm here for just one, and I know the kind of message that I'm hoping to receive. I don't want to waste anyone's time, so if I don't reply then know that I'm rooting for you to find the person you're hoping for, too!

You know what the best part is about playing Engineer in Team Fortress 2? You get to watch how angry everyone gets when they get shot by your sentry guns. Me and my best friend Jose both main Engineer, and can confirm that the best way to spend your Friday nights after school is to set up a sentry and get ready for the rage. There’s been matches where we haven’t even used our actual guns even once, but racked up lots of kills just because of the sentries.
One day Jose called me up with an idea that was either going to be the stupidest thing ever or the smartest thing ever. He wanted to fill an entire team with only Engineers and watch the chaos unfold. I couldn’t stop laughing at the mental image in my head and agreed with the plan. I joined a Discord server with everyone else on the team.
I convinced my cousin Matthew to join, and he in turn brought along his little brother Zack. According to Matthew, it took quite a bit of convincing because Zack was a Scout main who couldn’t stand Engineers. He eventually got through to his little brother by promising him a Steam gift card. I even got their dad Graham to play along (yes, I have an uncle who plays TF2. How cool is that?). Jose enlisted his friends, who turned into friends of friends and soon enough we had a team of 16 Engineers.
To say that we caused chaos that night was an absolute understatement. As soon as we joined the game the text chat was flooded with messages from the other team wondering what the hell was going on. And they only got worse from that point on. We surrounded our control points with a ring of sentries that people just kept running into. I saw keyboard smashes and heard other teen boys’ voices crack in rage and many, many words that I personally don’t care to repeat here.
The most skilled Engineer was this guy named Craig, who was a friend of one of Jose’s friends. Not only was he the main person capturing the enemy control points with some very strategically placed teleporters, but he was also really friendly and encouraging to all of us. I didn’t know what he looked like, but from his voice it sounded like he was in his early 20s.
Me and Craig started to chat more and more on Discord. He was a super nice guy who was also really fun to talk with. He took time out of his day to teach me how to be an even better Engineer player. Whenever someone started dissing me in the voice chat, he firmly told them to leave me alone. After seeing my fair share of toxicity in the TF2 community, it was nice to know that this complete stranger was looking out for me.
This whole Team Engineer thing became a weekly tradition for us on Friday nights. It was something everyone could look forward to after work or school. One time after everyone logged off and said their goodbyes, Craig sent a message a few hours later in our Discord:
“You guys gotta check this out. I found the weirdest server ever. It’s literally Engineer heaven. Meet me at vl_sentry.”
I was still in the mood to play and I could stay up late tonight, so I hopped back on TF2. I saw that Jose, Graham and this other girl we played with named Lynn were also online. I found vl_sentry and connected to the server. The map was called Valley of the Sentries and it was created by Valve.
It took my computer a little bit to process the map, and it took me even longer than that to process what I was seeing.
The map looked like a chessboard with 3D-sculpted hills. The sky was just pure white. Not even white walls, just the color white. Every square had a blue sentry on it and there were about 4 or 5 other Engineers jumping around, spamming their voice lines. That’s when I realized that we were the only ones there, and there was no red team.
“Hey Sean, glad you could make it :)” Craig said in the text chat. “What the hell is this?” I asked. He told me that this was a server that one of his friends showed him. The friend said he was introduced to the map by a friend of his who knew someone who worked at Valve. Craig then went on to explain that apparently Valley of the Sentries was an experiment to test the limits of the sentry guns and their effect on the servers. Rumor has it that the map is infinite.
“Check this out.” said Jose. He switched to Heavy and immediately got shot down. All of the sentries turned towards him. There were so many of them that it made the game lag a ton. He respawned as Engineer and the sentries just kept on spinning.
“WTF?” I typed. “We tried it with all the other classes and it does the same thing.” said Craig. “It ignores Engineers, but shoots everyone else.” Lynn added. “And that’s why we’re the best class. Engineer power!” Graham joked.
I asked what would happen if you were to play as Spy and sap one of the sentries. “I tried, but you gotta have a godly reaction time to activate it.” said Jose. As soon as he said “godly reaction time”, I knew I had to try it out just for the bragging rights.
Respawn. Shot down. Respawn. Shot down. Respawn. Shot down.
Yeah, I did not have a godly reaction time. The others kept spamming “lol” in the chat each time I failed. I got annoyed pretty quickly and stopped trying. Then out of nowhere, all the sentries turned away from me and started firing at someone. I turned around and all five of us were still standing there. I looked at the top bar that shows how many characters were in the game. There were only five Engineers and they were all on the same team. So what the hell were the sentries targeting?
I started to walk in the direction that the sentries were facing and Jose followed me too. We moved really slow, not only because of the sentries on every square but also the uphill climbs. It was just us two in the chat for a while, talking about seeing each other back at school on Monday while we made our slow walk across the map. Then our conversation was interrupted by a chat message from Lynn.
“Why is there a man in the sky?”
Me and Jose tried to get to Lynn to see what she was talking about as fast as possible, but we moved like snails. To get back to the spawn point, we both switched classes, instantly died and respawned as Engineers. I don’t think we respawned in the same place we started from. I don’t even know where we respawned. There were no landmarks or notable things to help you find your way. Just hills, valleys, and sentries.
I asked Lynn where she was and she just told me she was with Graham and Craig. Only that wasn’t very helpful because we didn’t know where they were either. We stood there, stumped for a minute and a half until Jose got an idea. He said that she should just switch classes and respawn, because then all of the sentries would point toward her and we could follow them all the way back to her. She made the switch, got shot down, and we instantly knew where to find her.
We finally got close enough to kind of make out the vague shape of a few Engineers over the non-existent horizon. Me and Jose were relieved, until all the sentries pointed to our right. I swiveled around and saw them open fire on…nothing. I checked with Jose to see if he caught something I didn’t, but he also didn’t see what they were shooting at. I decided that it wasn’t that important and continued to walk towards the rest of the group.
We met up with Lynn, Craig and Graham, disappointed that we made that trek all for nothing. Even though we were all together now, it just felt so lonely. The only sound coming from my computer was the constant beeping of the sentries in perfect sync. I don’t know why, but it made me so uneasy. I attempted to break the silence by going to the voice lines and playing the iconic Engineer “Nope” soundbite. It echoed across the checkered land with no response.
It was about 12:30 AM at this point and I was starting to feel more and more unsettled with each passing minute. There was just something about this black and white world that I felt creeped out by. Before Craig invited us to come over, there was no one else on the server. Who would even want to play on this map, anyways? It’s so unfairly balanced that only one class can survive. Movement speed was super slow, and you can’t even really do anything except watch the sentries turn and turn and turn forever. It was like hypnosis, except I didn’t feel sleepy or relaxed at all.
Speaking of being sleepy, Jose said he was getting tired and was going to be logging off. We all said goodbye to him and continued chatting amongst ourselves. It sounds stupid, but my stomach dropped when I saw the fifth Engineer portrait disappear. One less person to talk to. One less person to keep myself from wondering what else was out here. I could have sworn that after he left, the beeping got louder.
“So is this map actually infinite?” asked Graham. “Only one way to find out.” Craig said. “Just keep on walking and see if it goes on forever.” “Why don’t you just fire a shotgun and see how far it goes?” Lynn suggested.
I took out the shotgun and fired. The bullet flew off into the white distance and disappeared.
Then I heard the distinct sound of someone getting shot.
A message appeared in the chat, from someone named sentry_check_pattern.
“sentry_check_pattern: stop that”
Once again I looked at the top bar. It just showed four blue Engineers. That meant we were the only ones on the server. Or so we thought.
The chat was flooded with our confusion, almost as if everyone realized at the same time that something wasn’t right. None of us moved an inch.
“What even is this place?” I asked, hoping that the mysterious user would provide me with an answer. “Must be Engineer heaven.” said Graham.
“sentry_check_pattern: more like my personal hell”
This was the moment that made me trust my intuition. I knew there was a reason why I found this map so creepy. I wanted to leave the server, but there was just one thing keeping me back- my own curiosity. My wish to unveil the mysteries of the Valley of the Sentries.
“Okay this is really freaking me out. See ya guys.” said Lynn before she left the server. The fourth Engineer’s portrait disappeared from the top bar.
No no no, please. Please don’t go. Don’t leave us. I wouldn’t want to be alone here. Now there’s just three of us, and I really hope that number doesn’t go down anymore. When the others were here, this was just a weird TF2 map that we were exploring together as friends. And now it feels like we’re trapped in this infinite world, but we aren’t alone. The only problem is we don’t know what else is here.
I shuddered, imagining Craig and Graham ditching me and leaving me all alone in the Valley of the Sentries. Just me and whoever- no, whatever was talking to us.
“sentry_check_pattern: you don’t know how good you have it
you can leave at any time
i can’t”
This terrified me. What a horrible thought, never being able to leave this place. But of course, no one could really be trapped here. It’s a Team Fortress 2 server. You can just exit the game and shut your computer. No one could be trapped in a video game.
But if you think about it, aren’t the characters themselves trapped? They can’t leave the game. They’re characters. They don’t even know they’re in a game. You or the computer controls all their actions. They don’t have free will. And if you’re bad at the game, they’ll just keep dying over and over again.
Wait, why was I thinking about this?
I carefully considered what I wanted to say next in the chat. Whatever I said could either answer all my burning questions or leave me asking more. But sentry_check_pattern talked first.
“sentry_check_pattern: i was made for one purpose
to die over and over again”
Oh my god. It was like this person read my mind and knew exactly what I was thinking about. Who or what was I talking to? I turned all the way around to make sure that no one else was there. It was just the two blue Engineers standing behind me. Just Graham and Craig. And that man with the checkered skin.
Startled, I asked my friends if they saw what I saw. It took them a second, but both of them confirmed that yes, there was indeed something else there. A basic male model with the same chessboard texture as the map. Graham immediately started to shoot at him. Nothing. It just went straight through him.
“sentry_check_pattern: you can’t kill what’s already been killed millions of times over
valve made that mistake too
every company has that one failed project they don’t talk about
and that’s me”
Whoever was behind this weird account was talking crazy. The Team Fortress 2 developers were very open about everything like fixing their glitches and bugs. They always posted things on the official blog about the development process. They’re so open about their failures and always promise to fix them.
“Stop with the weird stuff. We just wanted to know what the deal is with this server and the weird chess guy. Do you know anything about it?” Graham asked in the text chat.
“sentry_check_pattern: know anything?
you’re not very bright, graham
none of you are
do you not realize where you are and what you’re talking to”
Something about the way sentry_check_pattern used Graham’s name gave me goosebumps. I didn’t know what I was talking to. I didn’t even think I wanted to know at this point.
“sentry_check_pattern: this is one of valve’s test servers
i’m the texture they use to check if the sentries work
read between the lines”
“Quiet, NPC.” Craig said. I laughed a little bit to fight off the awkward tension. Then I reminded myself that I was talking to a video game character, no- not even a character. A blank character model. A texture.
“sentry_check_pattern: just because i’m a character model doesn’t mean i can’t feel pain
open fire”
The sentries all swiveled around to face the man and shot at him. He kept falling to the ground, turning white and standing back up in the same position.
“sentry_check_pattern: cease fire”
All of the sentries stopped shooting and just went back to spinning around, their beeps echoing in the air.
“sentry_check_pattern: ready to see what i’ve been through for over a decade?
open fire”
Before any of us could react, the sentries opened fire on Craig all at once. He kept dying, but he didn’t explode the way you’re supposed to when you die in TF2. He just dropped to the floor, turned white, and respawned over and over again. There was no death scream. I tried to type something else in the chat but the game lagged so much that my typing just ended up as a string of random letters that meant nothing. Craig tried to type something out too. It just ended up as “wwwwwwwwwwthisishowitfeelswwwwwwwww” Then the game crashed and my computer shut down.
I hyperventilated. Then I laughed at myself for hyperventilating over a stupid computer game. It was Team Fortress 2 for god’s sake. That game with all the memes and goofy jokes. Stupid, stupid Sean. Scared of a character model. Jose would never let me live it down. I just laughed and laughed to push the fear away.
I closed my laptop and took out my phone to rewatch all of my favorite TF2 animations for the millionth time. As if they weren’t already the funniest things in the world, I forced myself to laugh even harder than usual. Every time I saw the Engineer, I couldn’t help but look at the reflection in his goggles. The reflection of an endless map of black and white squares.
Thankfully, nothing bad happened to my game, account or laptop. The next day I just went right back to playing and enjoying the rage coming from all the people who ran right into my sentries.
Team Engineer was still a thing, but it was never really the same. We played together a lot less frequently. It was still a lot of fun, but I felt a change that I couldn’t really describe.
We found out that Craig had lost all progress on his TF2 account. Everyone gifted him all his favorite cosmetics and we all pooled our money together to get him a Steam gift card. He video called us, crying at our kindness. It was the first time I ever even saw his face. He was a lot older than most of us. If I had to guess an age, I’d say somewhere around 30. He had black bangs and was wearing a TF2 shirt. His room was dark, only lit by his glowing computer screen. He thanked us repeatedly and even tried to return the gift card, but we were all adamant that he should keep it.
Speaking of Craig, we still kept in touch but he didn’t talk to me as much anymore. Any time I tried to ask him about vl_sentry, he ignored me for a few days.
The other day, I got some postcards from my cousin Matthew. He was very academic and happened to be studying at a private high school about 9 hours away from where I live. All of his postcards were pictures of him making funny faces with all his friends at favorite school activities like robotics, debate team, and chess club.
I looked at the chess club photo closely. Matthew and his friends were standing in front of a chessboard with a mirror on the wall. And for a split second, I could have sworn that the chessboard looked different in the mirror. It looked warped, like it wasn’t a flat board anymore. Like it almost had hills and valleys. No, it couldn’t be. I rubbed my eyes. There, in the mirror was a checkered man. I knew it was there. I swear on my mother’s life that there was another person in that photo. And then it was gone. Maybe the picture was just printed badly. But I had to make sure my eyes were right.
So I brought the postcard to school with me and I showed Jose. I asked him if he saw the checkered man in the mirror. He said no. But that wasn’t the answer I wanted to hear. That was the answer I hoped I wouldn’t hear. I asked him again. He said no again. Then I asked him another time. He said I was being annoying. So I asked another one of my friends. He said no too. So I moved on to yet another friend. He told me to stop.
I angrily clutched the postcard in my hand, crumpling it. I was the only one that saw what was really there. Everyone else was lying to me. They refused to see the truth.
I screamed and ripped up the postcard. I stomped on its pieces. I rubbed them in the dirt for good measure.
Somewhere in the distance, I heard the sound of electronics beeping.
It rang in my ears.
It was weirdly comforting to me.
You can leave the Valley of the Sentries. But the valley will never leave you.

Hello my main goal in life is to become a firefighter I honestly never thought it was possible as I thought the recruitment would be so rare I never had a chance. I have a bleep test coming up next week that I can’t possibly pass. I need an 8.8. Today I struggled to get a 5.6 I think I’m able to improve my technique and rely on the adrenaline of the day to get me into the 6s but anything above the 7s is logically speaking seemingly unrealistic.
Now I’ve had a response I believe it’s quite likely they’ll recruit at least once a year and I have no doubt I’ll be able to get in shape to pass it next year but I don’t know what to do here.
I’m embarrassed by the shape I’m in I’m not in bad shape but I’ve focused too much on strength and completely neglected my cardio thinking I’d get a few months notice to get it in order to prioritise it and also assumed the test would be easier than it is I know this is arrogant and I have no excuse I’m just gonna use it to be a better person in the future.
What do you guys think I should do should I show up anyway when I’m almost guaranteed a fail or cancel and use the next year to become better qualified. I’m 26 so I’m worried about my age approaching my 30s. It’s for the west yorkshire fire service if that helps.

T/W: Mentions of Suicide and Schizophrenia.
It was the year of 2022, my personal life and family issues have gotten worse, for my mother who suffers from schizophrenia and depression went back to my grandmother's place because she couldn't handle the stress that comes with taking care of a household just a month before my 12th boards were going to start.
My heart ached for her but I knew with my exans a month away and other responsibilities of the household falling back on my shoulders, I was incapable of takinh care of her mentally.
I still casually chuckle at the thought of how I skipped my history pre-boards because she was feeling sick and suicidal and had done things before when I was younger so my heart did not dare leave her alone. My little sister who was only 10 at that time was genuinely scared and worried, would cry non stop. She said "Didi, is it because of me that mumma is going to die? Am I really that bad?" My heart broke that day.
Skip to 2 months later, the results came and the best of four marks was decent but not good enough to get me a college solely on merit. But I was fine, my aim was to prepare for CLAT anyway and so I did. Took a risk, conviced my father for a drop year and prepared diligently for 3 months straight but luck was not by my side, and my health started deteriorating- stomach issues, weak immue system, anaemia, fatal cramps from periods. Every month I felt like I was on a war against myself and hence, my motivation to study collapsed.
After my results my mother was back at our place because she couldn't live with her parents anymore, she missed us and was stubborn at how she was better and would like to be back and be a mother to both of her children. And she arrived, with full enthusiasm but alas, that didn't last long and she left again . I can't blame her honestly, we live in a place where the mental institutions are pathetic and not one relative nearby who could help us. And where was my father in the whole scene? He has been posted to a different state, kilometres away from us. Visiting only once a month, it was tough handing all the responsibilities of home along with my sister.
I am grateful for my father earns well, we had a cook and a helper to do all the chores but it was still tough. I would study hours and hours, help my sister with her academics, making her lunch, dropping her to the busy, grocery shopping, going to the coaching on weekends. It took a mental toll on me.
So the dreaded moment finally came in last December, tons of mocks, revisions and practice I went to the exam centre and sat for it. Mentally convicing myself that it will be okay, no need to nervous and it would just be fine. But I don't think my thoughts really went into my head because my mind went blank the moment I read the question paper and the exam anxiety kicked in. And god, it kicked in so hard I regret to this date.
After the exam, I cried and cried and cried. I was devastated, I did my best sure but the fact I could have done better only if I was capable enough to handle my anxiety ate me alive. I still remember the look on my father's face when the results came in a week later, it was as if he didn't even expect me to do well but was still disappointed that I didn't prove him wrong.
It took me two months almost to get out from that zone of self doubt, embarassment and low motivation. I decided everything is fine, life can give me another chance right? A person as passionate as me about law obviously deserves a chance to get into my dream college and be a successful person. But man, I was wrong.
Yesterday, I gave CUET conducted by the most esteemed agency which considers how important the future of it's aspirants are /s. And to say less, it went pathetic too lmao. My english is genuinely a strength of mine so I did well in that but an hour later, when I sat for General Test with time duration of one hour, I failed to attempt even half the number of questions I was required to. It wasn't as if I didn't study enough, did not do enough mocks or got extremely nervous. Infact, it was the complete opposite this time.
Yet, luck wasn't with me this particular juncture as well. NTA, infamous for it's paper leaks, disastrous management and cancelling exams did what it is good at. I was unfortunate that my invigilators had the least amount of respect for the students. Giving the paper 5 minutes late, not knowing the instructions properly, tons of signatures in between (which I actually do not mind) and shouting in the middle of examination at a boy who sat on another desk which wasn't his designated one. In hand we had 45 minutes, which I made full use of still, it wasn't sufficient.
Came home dejected, tired with centres being 30-40 kms away, I made the mistake of counting my marks and oh lord, I haven't stopped having anxiety attacks since then. I always knew there was no use of having so much of expectations from this exam but god it hurts, it aches and it is killing me. I worked day and night for the 2 and half a months setting everything aside. Every fear, each regret and now I am at loss because of something which isn't even my fault.
They say cut off will go low, but honestly how low can it go? I am at such position where even if I ace two subjects out of three, the one I failed was the deciding factor and without it, my name will be on no college list.
Maybe it's my fault, maybe I don't work hard enough, maybe my mind is messed up or maybe, I am just a lazy person who deserves no college seat because let's be real, if I was really worthy of it, I'd have it already. This is not a blame myself or my circumstances post, I just wanted to share the emotions I have been trying to suppress for the past year. Parent's don't really get it and think I am just another average Joe. Also, nobody around me is empathetic enough to hold my hand and console me. ( Expecting it seems wrong now too )
I said my life is over because I am genuinely scarred now, and yes it has only been two exams, I deserve to move on and I'll understand the later. But two consecutive failures where I genuinely worked hard, though wasn't enough, makes me think maybe I am not meant for this. As an elder daughter someday the responsibility of the household will fall on my shoulders, but if I can't even get a college to complete my education how will I do a job and earn money?
We don't have enough money to join a private college and all the entrance exams seems too tough for my dumb mind now. Thankyou if you read till the end.

Recently had an abdominal myomectomy, 36f 5’6” overweight. History of large fibroids, adenomyosis, endometriosis, papillary thyroid carcinoma, hashimotos, positive for c.7271T>G atm gene mutation.
My mri without contrast (they couldn’t get an iv inserted for contrast) prior to surgery showed I had a 6.9cm right adnexal tubular cystic area, differential hydrosalpinx.
After surgery my doctor said my right side/ovary looked fine but he could see there was a soft mass, I think he said on the other side of my peritoneum? He seems fairly confident it’s a benign mass but just wants to figure out what it is.
He wants me to get a ct scan but wants to review the mri with the imaging center first. Over 3 weeks have passed, they haven’t returned any phone calls. He filed a formal complaint.
Maybe relevant, maybe not: history of large (14mm) colon polyps, way overdue on a repeat colonoscopy. History of slow growing right kidney lesion. History of various cancers on my mom’s side, most immediate relatives passed by age 60 (hence why I’m anxious about getting this resolved).
I haven’t personally called the imaging center. Would that make any difference? Just scheduling a test through them takes a series of phone calls being stuck on hold for 20 min at a time. Should/can I also file a complaint? I’m leaving town until the fall in two weeks so my time to do more tests is becoming more and more limited.