I chose to spend 2 weeks in Rome for my 50th Birthday. First time in Rome but not first time in Italy. We are seeing all the usual big ticket items through the two weeks, and will probably do one or two day trips. (thinking Pompeii, Orvieto/osta antica) We have a booking at night for All’Oro restaurant on the big day…But…I’m looking for some special, memorable, interesting things to do on my actual birthday.
I’ll be starting with visiting a gluten free bakery for breakfast unless someone has another suggestion. I’m a big foodie (but am celiac/gluten free) so perhaps visiting a local market? I’m a video artist, love food, art, modern and ancient, specialty food shops (like truffle shops for example). travel, Leftfield galleries. Do love interesting bespoke and cool shops, but not a huge fan of fashion mainstream brand shopping.
I don’t think I want to spend the day travelling so probably stay close to Rome. Any lovely ideas?

Hi hi!
Anyone else going to the Italians Do It Better / Johnny Jewel’s 50th Birthday Party show? I got tickets weeks and weeks ago but I’m new-ish to the city and don’t know anyone who’s into the lineup. I actually love going to shows solo but would love to link with people for this one!
Tickets are $36 before fees! Planning to roll up right around 8, get some drinks and hang back but push forward closer to showtime.
Me: 29F, laid back Texas transplant. LMK! And down to swap socials if we need another way to stay in touch

Female 69....I have 2 children daughter , a little nutty but generally a good daughter and a son. THeir father and I divorced when they were very young and he had very little time for them. my son has been married for 25 years and have 3 grown children. My DIL have never liked me and I really am not sure why. I do not interfere with their lives or business and was always available whenever they needed me to take care of the kids. Her family is very well off, I was not although have reached a very comfortable stage financially now. SInce "Jim and Bonnie" married, I have always been kept at a distance as most time is spent with her family and now joint friends. I have tried to not cause any scene but have mentioned to my son that it is hurtful no never have a holiday with them and only included IF her family and friends are included. He blows me off as if I am being petty. I don't feel like I am. For his 50th birthday, she threw a huge party and invited all of their friends, her family and his dad and stepmother. I was not invited. When I asked why, I was told it would "make the stepmom uncomfortable". Seriously.... I gave birth to him...not her or his father! ( Note her that Dad inherited a large some of money and son is primary beneficiary over daughter)
So now to the current issue. I was asked to meet them for dinner for Mothers Day. ( we live 100 miles apart ) . 2 days before we were to meet, Jim called to reschedule because her nephew would be playing in his last baseball game before graduation. I wasn't really happy about it but said ok. So it was rescheduled for this weekend. Surprise !!! Jim just texted and needs to reschedule because nephew team advanced in district playoffs and they want to attend. I am hurt and frustrated and tired of feeling like I am the poop you scrape off of their shoes. I have not replied to his text yet but am really considering saying, no it is not alright with me to reschedule yet again. Mother should take priority over nephew that lives down the street vs Mother you might make an effort to see 3 or 4 times a year. AITA for feeling like this and how would you respond?

See my original post here.
tw: birth trauma, mention of self-harm
Hi, it’s me. The FTM whose FIL brought COVID into the NICU where our son was and subsequently caused me to be separated from him, leading to almost two years of trauma therapy, couples’ therapy, and more. My son is in PT and speech and we still don’t know if it’s because he was born not breathing. The update is long but I really need y’all’s advice because we are seeing my in laws on Saturday and I’ve been having panic attacks all week and I could use some support.
So, it’s been 20 months and this remains an issue. Our son was born September 2022; here is an overview of what’s happened since then:
-As I said in my original post, we tried to initiate a visit with him in November 2022. He declined. -February 2023: he sends us a letter saying he “will do whatever it takes” to repair things and he wants to be a grandfather to his grandson. Still not taking accountability for how he treated us, icing us out, ignoring my birthday and our wedding anniversary while the baby and I were still hospitalized because he was angry, etc. None of it. -In laws reach out a couple more times throughout 2023: husband’s birthday, Mother’s Day (though I didn’t get anything this year unlike the flowers I got a day late last year), and baby’s first birthday.
My FIL never asks about his grandson or his health.
Here’s the big one: we invite them over November 2023. Baby is at my parents’. It’s the first time I’m having any contact with FIL since I was lying in a hospital bed getting an emergency blood transfusion. During this visit, I cry, my husband cries, my MIL cries. FIL is somewhere between stoic and defensive. FIL hears from my husband why we are so upset. He still doesn’t apologize for anything: the situation he put us in, how he got angry at us for “not checking on him,” and “being disrespectful” when my husband asked why he wasn’t more careful and why he told us he was masking before my induction when we got confirmation from his mom that he wasn’t. Why, when I was in the hospital getting psych treatment a day after giving birth for the first time because I couldn’t see my child and felt suicidal, he did nothing. No “I love you, I’m here for you, I’m sorry you’re in this situation.”
The most we got was him telling my husband privately “I guess I let my ego get in the way.” That’s it, that’s all we got. Then I went to get the baby so he could meet his grandfather for the first time and it was weird. He was very distant, not emotional at all. It was so strange.
So here we are. My husband wants to go see them this weekend, so we are driving 6 hours round trip and I am FINALLY going to tell my FIL what’s been on my mind for the last year and a half plus.
So my question is this: do I just let him have it? Yell? Cry? Read all my points I’ve written in my Notes App like a letter? Ask him why he abandoned us after he exposed a NICU of newborns to COVID? Why he blamed ME for the rift between us? Why he was more focused on my husband “checking on him” when my husband was juggling a baby with a brain bleed in the NICU and a wife struggling with thoughts of self-harm?
Do I suck it up and put this to the side for the sake of my son, so he can know his grandfather?
Please help. Happy to answer in more detail because there’s a lot more but I didn’t want this post to be too long. Thank you so much for reading this far, it means the world to me.

If VW unveiled a GTI with a QS battery for the 24-hour race at Nürburgring celebrating 50 years of GTI...well that would be my dream ?...wake up... wake up Guide :-)
https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/othevw-is-cooking-up-a-special-gti-for-the-hot-hatch-s-50th-birthday/ar-BB1mnUwz?ocid=BingNewsSerp
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/thomas-schäfer-61b446138_vw-golf50-vwgolf-activity-7195724531108372480-5Mfh?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop
"It's unclear whether that text refers to the vehicle we see in the teaser or what we're due to see at the end of the month. If it's the car in the footage, then it doesn't look very concept-y at least in the traditional sense, taking the appearance of a typical GTI with a unique front fascia"
VW Wants to Sell its Electric GTI For $25,000 in the US
https://www.motor1.com/news/712604/vw-sell-electric-gti-us/

I’m recruiting Beta (and ARC) readers for Blood Point, my second Nightmare Vacations novel, riffing on the style of Devolution by Max Brooks and The Ritual by Adam Nevill.

Kinnitty looked like the perfect spot for widowed dad Josh Cooper, his daughter Holly, her boyfriend and a bunch of old pals to celebrate his 50th birthday and her graduation.
Luxury hotel in an old castle, friendly pubs and lush Irish countryside on the doorstep. Oh, and the mysterious pyramid tomb that no-one talks about.
Everything’s grand until Holly’s tricked into releasing an ancient evil trapped in the pyramid. Now he’s fighting to save her soul from a spirit that’s hungry for blood, vengeance and power.

Excerpt: If you register for my newsletter you’ll catch excerpts from the narrative of one key character.
Register as a beta/ARC at https://www.alexanderlane.co.uk/newslette and I’ll be in touch around the beginning of June. Distribution and feedback via StoryOrigin.
Type of feedback: General reader reaction on the ABCD model (Amazing/Boring/Confusing/Didn’t get it). Specifically accuracy of Irish cultural references, use of idiom and dialect.
My preferred timeline is within a month of distribution. I'm not looking for line edits. If you can't finish that's no problem, I will be very grateful if you let me know why and at what stage.
Beta/Critique swaps: Unfortunately I’m not available at the moment.
Reward: Completing beta readers will get a copy of the published ebook. I’m aiming for publication in September 2024.
Triggers: Bereavement, otherwise it's a horror story so expect the unpleasant.

Please bear with me for how I word this question, because I feel so guilty for even asking it.
I grew up with a brother who is has high functioning autism. Great at science, low social skills, obvious stims and obsessive conversational topics etc. Most people who meet him realise fairly quickly he’s very smart and that he’s autistic.
Unfortunately, as their attempt to cut him slack as a kid, my parents often blamed his bad behaviour on his autism, and from my perspective, rarely disciplined him and instead told me that I “know what he’s like” and that I just need to “accept his behaviour and not be the one to react”.
Here’s where I have a genuine question, and I apologise if I’m not asking it in a politically correct way… how do you distinguish between anti social autistic behaviour and someone just being mean? Because I’ve often felt that my brother’s behaviour goes well beyond autism. But because I’ve always been told that it’s all autism, I now feel this guilty confusion, not knowing when I’m being harsh on him and when I’m just letting someone treat me badly.
My brother is stone cold. He’s mean spirited about my dad, me and his friends. He refuses to help others, even when they beg for his help. If you tell him he’s hurt you, he’ll scream at you. I’ve never heard him apologise. Ive never seen him remorseful. He thinks most people are stupid. He refuses to let my parents in his house - but his wife’s parents are allowed inside. He barely sees my dad except to get free childcare for his baby who he refuses to socialise. He laughs at and mocks people. He definitely doesnt understand other people’s feelings but he doesn’t ask how people are feeling if he can’t read a room, and if you tell him, he ignores you or yells at you.
My mum has dementia and he’s never once offered to help my dad and I with her care, never asked a question about her care, nor has he ever thanked me for managing her case full time on top of full time work and my own relationship and life. This has been weighing on me.
Then, this weekend happened… and I’m now left baffled and wondering what autism even looks like. I really don’t mean to upset anyone, I just genuinely feel like I don’t have a safe space to ask the question in the context of my brother, “what of his behaviour is autism?”
This weekend, it was my father’s birthday weekend away with our entire extended family. My dad has had a hard two years caring for mum so all my cousins and aunts showed up to give him the love he deserves. Not only did my brother never offer to help me organise a thing when I spent months planning it, but he turned up late and refused to go to planned activities. Dad goes above and beyond for him all the time.
Out of four days, he turned up for one day and during that day he turned up to one event for two hours. The event he showed up to was a 50 person dinner where id prepared a speech and a slideshow and a cake for dad. My brother and his wife and child arrived, ordered and ate dinner before every person in the family, and did not speak to anyone. (I should mention I was also sharing 50% of mums care with my dad on top of organising 30-50 people over four days and my brother didn’t offer her so much as a drink when he ordered his own private meal). When everyone started ordering food and sitting down, he then said he was going to leave because he was tired. I finally put my foot down and said that he had to stay for the speech and the slideshow for dad. He rolled his eyes and then proceeded to line up a series of chairs and lie horizontally on them and sleep through everyone’s dinner, the speeches and my slideshow. He couldn’t see how this wasn’t him showing up
Reddit, please help me to understand this behaviour, my childhood has me so confused. Thank you so much.

I know a good speech is a short speech - however, i'm doing this on behalf of myself and my partner. Appreciate any feedback you might have.
WEDDING SPEECH:
INTRODUCTION:
When Mary (and I) were planning our wedding, we sat down and decided we wanted a small overseas wedding because it would be easy to plan and execute. In doing this we would only need to invite our closest friends and family members, totaling to around 30. As was sat down and planned out our list over various nights, this list very quickly grew into the high 90’s and we realized, this was no small wedding. The reason we landed in the 90's is that every single person in this room has had a monumental impact on our life for better, so from the bottom of our hearts thank you for joining in this very special moment with us. There are those who we would have loved to have been here, who have recently passed like XXX and XXX, they are forever in our hearts and here in spirit.
Now for the few minutes, there will be a series of thanks to very important people to both myself and Mary – can you please ensure your glasses are full and ready to go!
Please be assured that if you aren’t mentioned by name, we have not forgotten you, you’re still very important to us; however, I can’t imagine anything worse for you all and myself than me being up here for 30 minutes, so without further ado.
SUPPORT TEAM
Firstly, I would like to thank all the support staff, especially the XXX, for your efforts in bringing this to life.
I don’t want to imagine the stress Mary and I would have gone through trying to organize this without your help.
Bridal Party:
Thank you all for being apart of our wedding celebration. Mary and I are so thankful to have you part in our lives. None of this could have happened without you.

PARENTS XX/YY, special thanks to ZZ:
To XX and YY, thank you for entrusting me with your beautiful daughter. I know that you both care and love for her immensely and I will do my best to take care of her. Thank you both for welcoming me into your house, family and treating me as if I was your own. To add to this, thank you for welcoming Doug, our labrador into the house, despite him slowly tearing it apart - I promise you we will fix the floorboards someday soon.
Despite the challenges you’ve both faced over the last couple of years, you’ve been nothing short of amazing and supportive to both Mary and myself.

To XX:
Thank you for every day without fail, knocking on my door at 11am, asking me “lunch?” and then coming up 20 minutes later with a big breakfast plate. This gesture, done every day without fail, shows how much you truly care for me.
To YY:
Thank you for having my back each and every day. You’re one of the kindest and most caring men I’ve ever known, and I’m so grateful to be your son in law. Even when I burn food and serve it up to the family, we all put ours in the bin, you put a big smile, finish the plate, and tell me it's good.
Special thank you to ZZ, thank you for the monumental effort of organizing and reverse refugeeing the entire Vietnamese clan over here. This is no small feat and Mary and I both appreciate it.
PARENTS AA and BB and CC
To my mother, thank you for always taking the time to be present and celebrating every moment, big or small. Your ability to create meaningful memories moves me deeply. I recall my 30th birthday, when I expressed a desire not to celebrate. Despite this, you organized a fantastic home dinner and surprised me by inviting some of my close friends. Your thoughtfulness and attention to detail have been evident since my early years, shaping my appreciation for life's simple joys.
I also want to thank you for being so welcoming to my partner, Mary. From the onset, you have been so caring and appreciative, sharing in the joys of celebrating her achievements. Your love and acceptance mean the world to us both.
Dad, your speech tonight on behalf of the family was moving and a reflection of the love and care you've always shown us. CC, your warmth, and kindness have made Mary feel truly at home.
CC, your thoughtfulness in always ensuring Mary receives a special christmas gift does not go unnoticed. More than that, thank you for your unwavering support and willingness to lend an ear, whether we need advice on work or any of the other responsibilities of being an adult, your guidance and love mean the world to us.Thank you both for being so welcoming and accepting of Mary into the family.

Mary:
Saving the most important person for last. Mary. You look absolutely breathtaking tonight. Words cannot even begin to describe just how much I love you, but I’ll try my best.
Events like these don’t just happen, they take months of planning. We’ve been planning this wedding for the better part of a year and when I say we, I mean Mary. Thank you for the monumental effort in for all your research, planning, and hard work to make this day magnificent for us all.
Throughout our seven year journey together, you’ve been a consistent source for inspiration, pushing me to become the best version of myself, always encouraging me to not take the easy way out and challenging me in the best way possible. You’ve stood with me during my darkest of times, and made each achievement into a massive celebration. Your kindness and love are such a huge motivator for me to continue to grow with you. I cannot imagine the person I would be without you by my side.
But it’s not always about the big moments. It’s about the everyday, the little things that make you who you are. You’re not just my partner, you’re also my closest friend (and now my wife). We can spend all night gaming, we can talk for hours, or simply enjoy each other's presence, every moment with you is treasured. Thank you for always going out of your way to make me feel special, whether it’s planning surprise dates to restaurant bookings, or even picking up some food, you never fail to make me feel loved.
This love that you show to me also extends to our beloved labrador Doug. The way you adore Doug with kindness, care and love fills me with joy. It’s truly no wonder why you’re his favorite. I know we’re only married today, but I can’t help but imagine the day when you bring the same warmth and devotion to motherhood.
One of your most admirable characteristics is your selflessness. You always go above and beyond for your family and friends, happy to drop everything and put the needs of others before yourself. You consistently go out of your way to ensure the happiness and well-being of those closest to you. This dedication is a testament to the incredible person you are and I admire and love you all the more for it.
Your infectious personality brings laughter and joy to everyone you meet, you light up a room when you enter. Your presence transforms ordinary moments into extraordinary memories, and your positive energy leaves an unforgettable impression on everyone around you. Something as simple as seeing your beautiful smile, brightens even the most cloudiest of my days.
It is the greatest honor of my life to be your husband. I love you more than words could ever say, and I look forward to spending forever by your side.

Here is the recap of the 14 monetized posts from Kylea and Joseph "Joe" Gomez of Kylea G Weight loss Journey on 05/13/24.
Disclaimer: I am not a physician, influencer, or paid content creator. I am not affiliated with WW. I am semi-retired from healthcare with multiple college degrees. These opinions are my own based on social media content. I wish no harm to Kylea or Joe Gomez.
☎️ If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, please call or text 988 for assistance.
The tagline of Kylea G Weight loss Journey is, "I changed my life with prayer and a playlist of songs. No surgery, no meds. Just Jesus."
DAILY STATS 05/13/24:
0/14 posts discussed prayer
2/14 contained vague references to music
0/14 discussed exercise
0/14 shared a recipe
4/14 were about something Kylea ate or drank
1/14 contained a side by side photo comparison
2/14 were about her current/future pet (one of these was from "Joe" about Amazon pet items)
1/14 "Joe" posted about getting Whataburger
2/14 were about donut holes & a clapback
2/14 were a trip update
📢 For our friends at Meta, that means at least 50% of Kylea's monetized content had nothing to do with weight loss, which is the tagline and purpose of her page.
⚠️ Disordered Eating- Daily Food Consumption (Data compiled from monetized content):
5 WW Points: Barebell Cookies & Cream Protein Bar
0 WW Points: Alani Nu Energy Drink (🚨 These contain 200mg of caffeine)
9 WW Points: TWO In-N-Out "Protein style" hamburgers wrapped in lettuce.
0 WW Points: Bahama Buck's Sugar-free Birthday Cake & Sugar-free Strawberry Cheesecake flavored shaved ice.
📢 For our friends at Meta, that means Kylea consumed 14 out of (up to) 30 daily WW points in maintenance mode= Disordered Eating. This is dangerous messaging for her 138k+ followers on a weight loss journey.
Recipes Shared:
ZERO
🚨 Please speak with a medical professional about any questions or concerns you have about your health.
Comments: Kylea CHOSE to continue posting triggering food content, and clapped back at followers for questioning it.
⚠️ Binge Eating, Compulsive Buying Disorder (CBD), aka shopping addiction, Disordered Eating, Food Addiction, Gaslighting, and Religion will be discussed.
Post 1. Donut Hole Controversy: Kylea posted an empty donut hole bag and claimed her sister ate all of them at 3 WW points each. When called out by a follower, Kylea responded with this, "I don't eat donuts. I support other people eating whatever they'd like to eat. What's unhealthy is commenting on other people's food choices.💖💖💖"
Post 2. Using the Pet Cat for Content: This nontent was her male cat's reaction to being told his puppy sister arrives on Sunday.
Post 3. Protein Bar Slip Up: Kylea recycled an old photo of her holding a Barebell protein bar and tried to act like the photo was taken today. 👀
Post 4. Trip Update: Kylea is shopping for puppy bandanas online because Birdie "only" has 6, while her sister drives. She is listening to 🎶 in the car. 💤 This is nontent.
Post 5. "Unhealthy" Food Clapback: Narcissistic, defiant Kylea had to get the last word in.
"I had someone comment that I post a lot of "unhealthy" food for a weight loss page. The point of my page is to show others that all foods are healthy in moderation. What is not healthy, is commenting on other people's food choices. Mind your own plate. 💖 I personally eat very healthy myself but I support all of the people around me in whatever food choices they want to make for their own lives. I will never and have never commented on someone else's food choice for their own lives."
⏸️ This is gaslighting. Here we go...

1. Kylea is triggered by words like treat, craving, and indulge but was not at the beginning of her weight loss journey.
   
2. Kylea is afraid to own a microwave because it could jeopardize her recovery with food addiction and give her quick access to convenient foods. (Please ignore the air fryer and cabinets full of snacks.)
   
3. If Kylea does not like what Joe is eating at a restaurant, she has placed the menu between them so she does not have to see it.
   
4. Joe is not allowed to have regular condiments in the fridge.
   
5. Joe is to "support" her by eating foods he does not prefer at home (most of the time).
   
6. Kylea controls what Joe eats when she is away from home.
   
7. Please ignore all comments Kylea makes on the Basham and Lee families' social media accounts about food.
   
8. Kylea does not eat clean.
   
9. She triggers her followers with calorie-dense items on purpose for monetary gain.
   
10. Kylea has disordered eating.
    

If that list isn't enough to question her speech, a follower requested a 24-hour food log and the # of daily WW points Kylea uses. Kylea replied, "after months of bullying over that because of how healthy I do eat, I won't ever do that again. It's for my peace that I no longer do."
📢 To our friends at Meta, why is a "weight loss influencer" allowed to refuse to answer follower questions about WW (her chosen tool) and refuse to provide an example of what she eats in a day? This is the job YOU pay her to do.
Post 6. Alani Nu: Avoid this beverage (200mg caffeine) if you are unsure about your recommended caffeine intake.
Post 7. Trip Update: Her sister drove 6 hours. They have to be at the airport tomorrow at 4 am.
Post 8. Fort Worth Stockyards: This photo editing fail made Kylea appear 8 feet tall with a shrunken head and long extremities. Upon follower questions, she blamed her sister for how she held the phone. 🤔
Post 9. IN-N-Out Burger: Kylea's sister ate a cheeseburger & fries, and Kylea had 2 "protein style" hamburgers she claimed were called "protein burgers." Umm, nope.
Post 10. Shaved Ice: Kylea's sister got the baby size shaved ice, and Kylea got a significantly larger-sized cup.
⏸️ I smirked as Kylea claimed the protein bar was "yummy," the In-N-Out was "really good," and the sugar-free shaved ice, "It is SO good!!," but the giant iced cookie cake slice yesterday was "fine." She loves to gaslight and act holier-than-thou. 😇
Post 11. Whataburger: "Joe" posted his bag of Whataburger after waiting 1.5 hours in the drive-thru on opening day.
⏸️ How are the donut holes, energy drink, cheeseburger and fries, and regular shaved ice Kylea's sister consumed, and Whataburger her husband consumed healthy weight loss content? Why is Meta paying her for this nonsense?
Post 12. Amazon Purchases: "Joe" posted a picture of more puppy items and said, "Can you tell my wife is excited about her new role as dog mom 😂 😂" This is nontent.
Post 13. May 2021 vs Today: Kylea is "forever proud of the girl who changed her entire life -208 lbs."
⏸️ Kylea, you traded addictions. That is not something to be proud of. You are terrified of the scale and heavily modify your photos. That is not something to be proud of, either. You can spend all the money and travel the world but you are not happy. Quite the opposite. Seek medical care. ☮️
Post 14. Final Update: Kylea feels "uplifted" from window shopping at the Stockyards and local Target with her sister, listening to country music.
Takeout Purchases: Donut Holes= $3.50 est; In-N-Out Burger: Cheeseburger & Fries with 2 "Protein-style" Hamburgers (online prices)= $11.75 est; Bahama Buck's Baby & Regular Sized Shaved Ice= $9.18 + tip; Whataburger (unknown food)= $8 est;
Shopping/Travel Expenses: Barebell Protein Bar= $2.45 est; Alani Nu Freezeberry Energy= $2.48 est; Alani Nu Juicy Peach Energy= $2.48 est; Gas Joplin, MO to Fort Worth, TX: (373mi/33mpg) x $3.85 est= $43.52 est; Gas Fort Worth, TX to Dallas, TX: (32mi/33mpg) x $3.85 est= $3.73 est; Hotel (prices by airport used)= $75 est + fees; Bocce's Coconut Macaroon Crunchy Biscuits 5oz bag Qty 2= $12.98 est; Bocce's Sauvignon Bark Soft & Chewy 6oz bag Qty 2= $13.58 est; Bocce's Burger & Fries All-Natural Dog Treats Qty 2= $9.08 est; PetStages Grow-with-Me Ring Dog Chew Toy= $5.24 est; Pet Botanics Training Rewards Soft & Chewy Bacon Flavor 20oz bag Qty 2= $27.98 est; Undercoat Rake Grooming Tool= $10.25 est; Paw Print Cube Fabric Storage Bin= $12.99 est; Baghler Airline Approved Dog Travel Bag Light Pink- A Backpack with Silicone Bowls & Food Baskets= $34.99 est; Fabric Strawberry Harness & Leash= $17.99 est; Black Nylon Training Leash= $8.95 est;
All info from Reddit. ✌️

I'm Bontempi Love Organ, hailing from Leeds in the UK. By day, I work in a post room, a job I've been dedicated to for over 30 years. But in my spare time, I create music. As I approach my 50th birthday, I thought it's high time to share some of my tracks with the world and see if a new chapter awaits me.
My latest release is called "Time is Money," an electro-pop, electronica, and synth-pop fusion. It's a blend of catchy beats and melodic synths, reflecting my passion for electronic music.
I'd love for you to give it a listen and let me know your thoughts. Who knows, maybe this is the beginning of something exciting. Thanks for your time and support!
Time is Money

Hello Reddit,
I'm Bontempi Love Organ, hailing from Leeds in the UK. By day, I work in a post room, a job I've been dedicated to for over 30 years. But in my spare time, I create music. As I approach my 50th birthday, I thought it's high time to share some of my tracks with the world and see if a new chapter awaits me.
My latest release is called "Time is Money," an electro-pop, electronica, and synth-pop fusion. It's a blend of catchy beats and melodic synths, reflecting my passion for electronic music.
I'd love for you to give it a listen and let me know your thoughts. Who knows, maybe this is the beginning of something exciting. Thanks for your time and support!
Time is Money
Cheers, Bontempi Love Organ

Hello Reddit,
I'm Bontempi Love Organ, hailing from Leeds in the UK. By day, I work in a post room, a job I've been dedicated to for over 30 years. But in my spare time, I create music. As I approach my 50th birthday, I thought it's high time to share some of my tracks with the world and see if a new chapter awaits me.
My latest release is called "Time is Money," an electro-pop, electronica, and synth-pop fusion. It's a blend of catchy beats and melodic synths, reflecting my passion for electronic music.
I'd love for you to give it a listen and let me know your thoughts. Who knows, maybe this is the beginning of something exciting. Thanks for your time and support!
Time is Money

5 Reasons Why You Need a Professional Event Photographer

Events are fleeting moments in time. Whether it's a milestone birthday bash, a swanky product launch, or a heartwarming charity gala, the whirlwind of emotions and interactions create a unique atmosphere that's often difficult to replicate. But what if you could capture the essence of your event, the joy on faces, and the energy of the room, forever preserved in stunning photographs?
That's where a professional event photographer comes in. While a trusty smartphone might seem like a convenient option, the benefits of hiring a pro far outweigh the cost. Here are six compelling reasons why a professional event photographer is an essential investment for your next gathering:

1. Professional-Grade Photos: Quality You Can Trust

Let's face it, smartphone cameras have come a long way. But there's a vast difference between a decent snapshot and a professional photograph. Event photographers wield top-of-the-line equipment, from high-resolution cameras with exceptional low-light capabilities to versatile lenses that capture both intimate details and sweeping panoramas. This translates into crisp, clear images that truly reflect the ambiance and professionalism of your event.
Imagine capturing a heartfelt speech bathed in warm stage lighting, or a candid moment of laughter between colleagues, all with stunning clarity and detail. A professional photographer ensures you don't miss a single precious moment, thanks to their superior equipment and technical expertise.

1. The Art of Seeing: Capturing Candid Moments and Planned Poses

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"Good evening, tributes, and welcome back to the stories of Panem. Before we begin, I would like to thank Christian Blanco, the original writer of "Tales of the Hunger Games," and Lauren from "Panem Reborn." Now, since I don't have too much else to say, let's go!
Game 114 (150):
District 1: Jacqueline and Facet
District 2: Malona and Crane
District 3: Darlene and Colt
District 4: Brook and Harbor
District 5: Unknown girl and Darian
District 6: Fifi and Atlas
District 7: Bloom and Amarylio
District 8: Scarlet and Carter
District 9: Zest and Mazin
District 10: Zulu and Mateo
District 11: Unknown girl and Lee
District 12: Dorothy and Hargree
District 14: Both unknown
A plethora of excitement crossed the capital over the past year, especially their beloved commentator Camilia Ravenstil's pregnancy, which resulted in her giving birth to twins named Amelia and Cyrus, to honor the past two Game Makers. Even Winnow's victory was still in high popularity.
As the reapings rolled around on July 4th, many of the capital citizens flew to their TVs and viewing parties. Winnow made her journey from district to district with her mother and entourage from the capital. When she landed in District 4 on the late morning of the third day of the reapings, she was greeted by Mayor Chigwell. After a rather long tour of the district's harbors and jewelry stores, they stopped at a nearby seaside diner for a brief lunch. Viewers in Snow Square laughed at Winnow's face of pure boredom as Mayor Chigwell ranted about the latest trends in the district's fashion. Winnow's face soon turned to relief as the mayor brought her back to the district's reaping square.
After a little bit of time, the light blue-catered youths were walked into the square by rather impatient Peacekeepers. Mayor Chigwell finished up his speech before welcoming Winnow to the stage. She gave out a rather tired smile at the district's population before talking about the joys of being a victor. She then asked if any of the girls wanted to volunteer. After hearing no response, she then took out the name of 17-year-old Brook Branachok.
Brook was found in the back of the 17-year-old section. Her platinum blonde hair made her quite noticeable to viewers in Snow Square. She sighed dramatically before flipping her blonde hair back in a dramatic manner as her piercing blue eyes even made some of her nearby peers shudder in fear as Brook arrived at the stage and shook Winnow's hand. "She was later described as a 'rich high school bully' by commentators. The girls in a mood," Winnow laughed before shaking Brook’s hand before walking to the male reaping bowl. After a brief silence, she thrusted her hand elbow-deep before taking out the name of 17-year-old Harbor Zanders. A brief pause soon followed by a discussion as a boy with dark brown curly hair with a smattering of light brown freckles on his face gave a guilt-ridden smile before walking up to the stage. However, as a group of teens his age giggled, Harbor turned back and glared at the giggling boys as they suddenly grew quiet. Harbor soon took out a flask of wine. Capital citizens laughed as Harbor found one of his friends and tossed it to him before walking back up to the stage. Back in the capital, both Camilia and Silca and even most of the audience had been surprised at the pair's striking attitudes.
Harbor then shook Brook and Winnow’s hand before they were announced as this year's tributes for District 4 before moderate applause followed. Winnow soon brought the two tributes to the drawing room before she made her journey to District 3 with her entourage.
Brook was visited by her mother, father, and four younger sisters clinging dearly onto their sister. After successfully removing her sobbing siblings, Brook’s mother calmed her daughter down as her father, Coral, gave the best advice he could offer. Peacekeepers soon came in to bring Brook to the waiting dock. She waved and said she’d "At least try to win."
As for Harbor, he was visited by his mother, father, and his younger and older brothers. As his siblings were saddened as well as his parents, Harbor embraced them all in a tight hug. Before he was needed at the dock, his girlfriend Melanie even joined in this hug causing Harbor to show some emotion.
After a few more minutes, peacekeepers soon brought Harbor out of the room to join Brook at the dock as the pair boarded the jet boat to the capital.
"Man, you've been through the ringer, haven't you?"
"Same goes to you, girl. Haven't seen you in a year."
The pair soon chatted with each other about their experiences at the academy and gossiping about old friends. Brook, in particular, laughed hysterically when Harbor mentioned how his ex-girlfriend got karma returned to her when she crashed a birthday party at Harbor’s dad's bar, resulting in the peacekeepers putting her in the district's jail for a month.
However, as the pair tried to dine upon the food provided, the boat hit a bump resulting in Brook, Harbor, four avoxes, the dining table, and nine peacekeepers to go flying up into the sky. Thankfully, no harm came between the fifteen as the peacekeepers then helped the two back up as a new lunch buffet was arrived. And so did their mentor, Sienna Shoreville, victor of the 105th Hunger Games, arrived in.
"I don't want you two to ally with the 2s, maybe the 1s, depends on how they are."
Brook looked curiously at Sienna before saying, "Didn't Anamaria get her neck snapped by the girl a year prior?"
Sienna groaned in annoyance at remembering this cringeworthy death before walking to the bar carriage before inviting the two to join. As Sienna asked the pair about their lives, she laughed while listening to Harbor telling some stories of working at his dad's bar and the customers who would frequent the place. However, when Sienna asked Brook about her life and possible skills, Brook sighed before saying, "I guess looking pretty’s a skill."
Sienna laughed before replying, "For getting sponsors, yes, but not when you're in a fight to the death."
As this reality check wiped the smile from Brook’s face, she and Harbor finished up their meals before listening more to Sienna’s lecture about the games. And as an act to see if her tributes were actually paying attention, she quizzed them on the dos and don'ts in the capital. As Harbor passed this quiz, Sienna laughed before allowing him some "Capital Goodies." However, as Brook blatantly failed the quiz, she laughed and called Harbor a "suck-up" before walking to her room.
Sienna looked at Harbor for a second before saying, "I guess she’s either related to the mayor or is a spoiled rotten brat."
"She usually brags about her rich family members, always thinks she's better than everyone."
"And trust me, the girl ain't pretty."
Sienna and Snow Square laughed as she then patted him on the back before""telling him to get a 'nap' in before they were to arrive in the capital."
He nodded before Brook returned. It is unknown what the two girls talked about for the remainder of the trip, but our historians have noted that Brook’s scowl from before had dissolved for the time being. As evening rolled around, the pair from District 4's boat landed at Mcaine dock as an excited crowd of capital citizens swarmed the pair from 4 and their very popular mentor, who had been giving out her new jewelry to some of her lucky fans.
Brook and Harbor performed rather well, with the capital citizens enjoying their "feisty sailor attitudes." Even some reporters from Golden 24 put up a most popular tribute poll with Harbor and Brook being in the top 3, narrowly beating Fifi from District 6.
Sienna then thanked the capital for their time before taking her tributes to the limousine. Once it arrived at the accommodation tower, they arrived at the 4th floor. After arriving, Sienna called their stylist, Orivile Cartwright.
Orivile embraced Sienna before showing his tributes his pre-made outfits, which were Sailor themed, which made Brook and Harbor smile. Due to them having a fair amount of time left, Sienna displayed the post-reaping commentaries before turning on the commentary for District 1 as Orivile worked away at the pairs' outfits.
Mayor Cassino greeted a very exhausted Winnow Fraiser. Also accompanying the mayor was Realm Jones, victor of the 101st Hunger Games, and Quintin Mahoney, victor of the 108th Hunger Games, joined Winnow on the initial tour. Winnow appeared to be star-struck sitting between both iconic victors. She even turned around to Quintin saying, "I can't believe I get to meet a legend like you."
Quintin laughed before giving Winnow some comic relief during the tour, telling her about his games and even asking a few questions about her own games. At the conclusion of the tour, Realm's eyes lit up in delight as he saw his own capital mentor, Narcissa Valentions, warmly embracing her mentee.
"So what're you doing here?"
"I had some time off. I figured I'd come by and see how you've been doing. Business at my shop has been bustling as ever, so I figured I’d take a break to see my first victor."
As Realm and Narcissa soon walked over to the talent demonstrations together, Quintin laughed as Mayor Cassino welcomed the scarlet youths. Winnow was then brought up to the stage. She asked if any of the youths wanted to volunteer, becoming surprised when 10 ladies and 8 gentlemen volunteered for the role of tribute for District 1. Silca joked with Camilia, saying, "It's normal for them, isn't it?"
With the ladies' many remarkable weapon displays and archery displays, 18-year-old Jacqueline Faywether had been announced as the final volunteer to try her luck. She smiled at many nearby cameras as even one enthralled boy in the audience fainted seeing the rather extractive career girl.
She shot 10 arrows blindfolded and threw 8 knives in the letter J form, causing even more ripples of laughter sounded in the square. The mayor announced the two passing tributes. As for the two tributes, Jacqueline’s only remaining opponent, Jewel, had almost won the title of female tribute but had a stroke leading to Jacqueline to win the title of female tributes.
As for the guys, 18-year-old Facet Elixithorn had made himself a crowd and capital favorite by his spear-throwing display and to ending in a handstand with wild applause following. Three guys made it to the debate round with Realm this time asking the questions. With poise and dignity, Lance’s strong mind and less nerves had won him the title of male tribute for District 1.
After the pair were bathed and stylized, they were then brought out to the square as they then shook Winnow’s hand before she announced Jacqueline and Facet were announced as the tributes for District 1.
And after a brief meeting with their families and friends with not too much emotion, Jacqueline and Facet were then brought to the train as the train began their journey to the capital.
Narcissa, Realm, and Quintin then greeted their tributes with Jacqueline and Facet being surprised seeing their district's first victor’s mentor. Quintin soon brought the four to the table having a brief dinner with Narcissa asking the two if they had any skills besides their ‘weapons of choice.’ Quintin was pleased to hear of Jacqueline's diverse skills of weaponry before bragging to her district partner about her achievements at the Kobayashi self-defense center. However, instead of being jealous, Facet asked his district partner about her accomplishments.
Realm and Quintin were pleased with their tributes getting along with each other before showing the past reapings in the districts. Facet and Jacqueline laughed hysterically at the District 2 reaping games even Narcissa let out a smile. Quintin then asked the pair if there had been “Other commendable allies besides the non-dazzling loonies from 2 besides Jade and Hermina, they are dazzling.” Realm also chimed in adding that they should “Look for others.”
However, as Jacqueline was going to ask why Realm shushed her and said, “The career pack has their on and off years.” Jacqueline nodded before Quintin continued talking to the pair about the past reapings. Facet and Jacqueline even suggested the girl from 3 and the pair from 4 as potential allies. Realm appeared to consider this before Quintin added in that “He would see what he could do.”
As the pair nodded, the pair from 1’s train arrived in the outskirts of the capital. Narcissa soon styled the pair up, quietly complaining to Realm of how Jacqueline's red hair and Facet's long blonde curls were impossible to tame. The train then arrived in the capital with the usual excited capital crowd marveling scarlet couture. Jacqueline and Facet were both outstanding hits with the capital citizens maintaining proper etiquette. However, two capital lights had to be removed from the audience after heckling Facet about his district partner. Narcissa then wished Jacqueline and Facet luck before kissing Realm and Quintin on the cheek. Realm and Quintin then thanked the capital citizens for their time before bringing the pair from 1 to the limousine as it brought them to their accommodation tower.
Once they arrived at their accommodation tower apartment, they were greeted by their stylist, Aurelia Heavensbee. She smiled at the four of them before whisking them to the dining table showing them her designs for the parade. Jacqueline in particular was marveling at her long ruby dress as Facet jokingly told Jacqueline that they looked like a “walking jewel.” However, Aurelia frowned as Realm glared at Facet as the smile was wiped from his face. The pair then groaned in annoyance at their stylist's bland outfits.
Before the pair were then brought to the parade moments later, Facet and Jacqueline were immediately approached by Malona and Crane, both from 2 introducing themselves. However, Facet cut the pair off from further words, saying, “the career pack is gonna be different this year.” As Malona protested, Jacqueline said, ‘thanks but no thanks.” Both Jade Heath and Herminia Gold looked at the District 1 mentors in bewilderment as they also reciprocated. However, the pair from 1 then came over to the pair from 4 chatting with their mentor.
“Darling, you look stunning.”
“Oh, thank you, you dazzling ruby.”
Brook and Jacqueline seemed to obtain an instant connection. As Facet complemented Harbor’s outfit. Harbor smiled good-naturedly back before chatting away with him about lives in their districts. Facet soon asked the pair if they would be interested in an alliance in the arena; however, Sienna leaned in this conversation asking “Where are the 2s?”
Jacqueline then replied that they were “trying something new this year” before pointing at the pair making fun of Mateo from 10’s cow-themed parade outfit. Sienna shrugged as Brook and Harbor warmly accepted the offer as Facet and Jacqueline smiled saying “splendid see you soon.” When the pair from 1 got back, Realm popped up asking “You with the 4s this year.” As the pair nodded, Realm smiled and nodded with Quintin and Aurelia doing their touch-ups to their tributes' outfits. Sienna commended the pair for “making friends already,” she still urged caution before re-adding in “The 2 mentors there are my ride or dies but still keep your eyes on them if needed.”
The pair then nodded as the parade then began. Regal applause and cheers sounded for the pair from 1, but Nico Anderson lead editor of Anderson Fashion applauded for their strong impression but said the dress was “So Basic.” The pair from 4 were given a large amount of applause as Harbor and Brook waved at the audience even performing an old dance known as a “Jig”. The pair were also given a boatload of flowers and chocolate resulting in both Brook and Harbor sneezing uncontrollably at the end of the parade during President Mcaine's speech. Best dressed was ultimately awarded to the pair from 4 with their sailor-themed couture.
When the pair from 1 arrived back in their district apartment, they were glaring daggers from afar at Aurelia,
“How did it go.”
“How did it feel getting harshly criticized on live TV.”
Quintin shot Jacqueline a disapproving look as Realm asked if there other worthy allies. Both mentors were pleased hearing their success with the pair from 4 before Realm reassured them that they still looked “dazzling” before sending his tributes to bed. However, with the pair from 4, Sienna warmly embraced the two of her tributes on a best-dressed win. As Orville also joined in the group hug has the 4 of them partied till around 11:30 pm until Sienna sent her tributes to bed as she and Orville stayed up a while longer.
Bright and early the following morning, the mentors ushered their tributes to the training center with a very frustrated Apollo Price. Unfortunately, during his speech about the rules of the training center, he tasered Mateo from 10 after he tried to make a break for the door after Price’s speech concluded. Mateo’s mentor Bianca Jr Ramon rolled her eyes before dropping her mentee at the knife station.
The newly made career alliance between the District 1 and 4 tributes conquered most of the training stations with Facet and Harbor bonding over dropping and throwing large weights causing Fifi from 6 to wet herself earning a smirk from the boys. When Mateo awoke from his unconscious slumber, he immediately ran to Mateo asking him to spare. Since Mateo was no older than 14 and he was the youngest tribute the careers laughed before Facet told him to “Buzz off”. However, as Mateo continued to pester the career boys, Harbor gave Facet a knowing look before accepting Mateo’s sparing request.
A short crowd of tributes went to the jousting stations as Mateo and Harbor were briefed on the rules before being allowed to go at it. It was no surprise that Harbor won all 4 rounds.
“Easy”.
Harbor smiled warmly before being tackled to the ground by the 14-year-old boy from 10.
“You think you're better than me HA you rotten career boy.”
As Price Facet Brook and even Sienna tried to step in Harbor held his hand up to stay back. Harbor then threw the boy off him before pinching the nerve on Mateo’s neck knocking him clean out. As training master Price and Sienna looked at him in bewilderment before Price smiled saying
“Good job kid”.
Harbor smiled before Facet and he returned to the weight station and survival, knife and axe stations even giving advice to Amarylio from 7 with starting fires.
As for the girls they mainly gossiped to themselves and having “Girl talk” at the aquatic station sword station and archery stations. When any tribute tried to use the archery station both Jacqueline and Brook would melodicaly but fiercely slam there weapons into the targtes.
At the end of the traing head master price brought the tributes to the asscors room. Due to the request of the new head game maker the tributes assesment scores were kept strictly confidential. However tabloid reporters manage to scoop out that Jacqueline Facet Harbor and Malona from to managed to score at the top of the pack with a 11. Brook and Amarylio scored a 9 and at the bottom of the pack was Mateo and Hargree from 12 scoring a 3 each.
Both Sienna Quintin and Realm were beyond impressed with there tributes scores before they’re stylist sketched up potential outfits with there mentors soon quizing the pairs on interview educate.
Camilia Ravenstil welcomed the excited capital audience modeling a rather gothic dress that made her look like a ghost tree by the audience. The audience even laughed good naturedly as Camilia shook for a second as leaves fell of her costume as if wind had hit her. She then exictedly welcomed Jacqueline from 1. She was adorned in a stunning pink and red dress with her hair put up in braids. The two had some gossip before reavling to the audience that she was a decdent of Emarld Rivelta victor of the 34th hunher games. Camilia slapped her knee and laughed saying “Thats who you resmbl I guessed right I knew it!”
As the girls chatted the audience loved her regal responses to Camilas questions as even mentoning the carrer alliance brought the crowd into rapsous cheers,even when she talked about her allies from 4 openly. She then kissed Camilia on the hand before bowing which caused even more cheers before she was dismissed back stage. Facet was welcomed in next marveling a sleeveless pink suit with ruby jeans making many of the capital audience to swoon over his physeigue. Even Camilia was taken aback by his charm and confidence as he spoke about his training experience and the strength of his alliance with Jacqueline. His witty remarks and easygoing demeanor captivated the audience, earning him loud applause and admiration.
Later on into the night brook was welcomed in next with wild cheers and wolf whistles sounding. With her hair being dyed a pure yellow with a light brown dress resembling sand following her. She proceeded to have the same amount of banter with Camilia as Jacqueline did however Camilia cut her off as she was finshing up talking about her dads money saying “Honey this is the hunger games.”
“Yeah and Ill live how I like before the games.”
As a few jeers sounded the rest of her interview was rather dull the only light being Camilia shooing the “Regina George” of the stage. As Camila then called Harbor loud cheers sounded again as Harbor walked on to the stage with his curly black hair and brown eyes making him quite attrauctive to many even his pirate themed coustume became an over night sensation with many fashion designers stating that they wanted this fashionable suit.
As Camilia asked Harbor about the games becoming pleased with his short but sweet responses. Even cracking some good jokes about the other competitors mainly about Bloom from 7 and Mateo from 10 . To conclude Harbor’s inteviwed he tossed his waist coat to teh crowd as an excited gagle of captial ladies clammered for this waist coat. As his interview ended on a high. Finaly after the interview of the boy from 14 the new head game maker Natellia Swan was welcomed to the stage. Head game maker swan was adorned in a regal black gown also sporting garish make up making her resmble more of ghost then human. After introducing herself to the excited capital audience Camila smiled before shaking her hand saying that “Game maker swan has alot to accept from.” She laughed before giving hint out to teh audience by pointing to both of the laides dresses. Curious osund sof inteirgue soon followed as game maker swan smiled and bowed as she then left the stage as Camilia then ended the interviews there. The next morning tributes were given a breif breakefst before being brought to the arena’s holding room.
This years outfits consisted of black coats with black jeans and snakers with there distristicts nymbers stickered on the back of there coats. Realm visited Facet before reminding him to stick with Jacqueline and Harbor and Brook. However before Realm finished Facet replied “That girl Brook might be problem.” Realm nodded and agreed before reminding him to keep an eye on her before shaking his hand as he went into his tube. Jacqueline was visited by Quintin the pair had a similar conversation as Realm did with Facet before Jacqueline embraced Quintin and thanked him joking “District 1 needs more ladys.” Quintin laughed before hugging her back before walking Jacqueline to her tube. As for Brook she was not visited by Sienna nor Orvilve a fact that suprised her the most but shrugged before patiently puting her hair up in a bun and waiting for the tribute call to sound. As for Harbor Sienna visted him. She embacred Harbor before reminding him to “ Keep an eye on all of them.”
Harbor smiled before thanking Sienna for her mentor ship before Sienna walked Harbor to his tube his tube and at mid day the podiums then arose into the arena.
Arena Ghosty lake Game 114

I (29F) recently discovered that my parents would be divorcing after 23 years of marriage. Whilst I was initially shocked, it wasn't a total surprise to me either. The split was initiated by my dad, who claimed he had fallen out of love with my mother, which crushed her as she did not see this coming at all. It's been about 5 weeks since the news and it is my dad's 50th birthday soon, which my mum had planned a surprise vacation for us as a family along with their mutual friends to celebrate, in which they had all booked their flights and and time off work to attend. My dad has decided he still wants to go on this vacation and celebrate his milestone birthday and has asked if I will still be joining. I spoke to my mum about this because she said she might still go as she booked it and they're her friends too. I told her that it might not be the best idea to go, as she is taking the split quite hard, it could be healthy to keep away from my father for some time still and it might create a sour atmosphere for my dad's birthday vacation, but we should look to change the flights to another time and go ourselves soon. She then asked if I was still going to go to which I said I might. She got extremely upset that I'd even consider going and that I would be betraying her and she feels everyone is against her. Now I feel like I'm being put in a position where i'm being put in the middle and pressured that if I show some support to one of my parents, I'm automatically disrespecting the other. I just want to be able to support them both through this change in their lives without being guilted into picking sides. So WIBTA if I go on my dad's birthday vacation?

This is me venting but am also curious to know what everyone's relationship is like with half-siblings. Here's my story. I'm sorry in advance for how long this is, along with the grammarun-ons. I'm trying to give the Reddit community as much context as I can dating as far back as my memory takes me.
I (F 28) have two younger biological sisters (identical twins, F 25). The three of us were born after my dad married my mom (arranged marriage) after he and his first wife got divorced.
I believe my dad's first marriage lasted about 10 years. They had two kids together (my half-siblings). My older brother and I have an 8-year age difference, and my older sister and I have a 10-year age difference. Growing up, they used to visit us a few times a year including summer break or alternating holidays. Sometimes they would visit during Thanksgiving, other times during Christmas.
We used to be pretty close (at least I thought), but the relationship has become increasingly strained through the years. I understand the fact that there are ALWAYS two sides to every story, but I believe that my dad was on the right side of things and the marriage ended because two people weren't compatible and got married too young. It's always unfortunate when there are kids involved, and I'm sure it was tough with my older siblings being impacted at a young age.
It started when our grandpa (my dad's dad) passed away in November 2015. My brother suddenly stopped talking to my dad/our family immediately for whatever reason. He was the only person that didn't come to my grandpa's funeral. I honestly think he was holding a grudge that he didn't find out immediately when my grandpa passed, but I can't be too sure. We've never addressed that directly.
Fast forward 8 months to July 2016, when my dad's side of the family had a reunion at a first cousin's wedding. The vibes from my brother were like nothing had happened, and then after the wedding weekend, he was back to being silent. When my grandma (dad's mom) passed away in June 2019 he didn't show up to the funeral then either. Granted I didn't, but not because I didn't want to. I was a poor grad student and couldn't afford an $800 ticket on short notice and didn't want to burden my parents to pay for me to fly back for a couple of days either on top of how busy they were with funeral arrangements.
My brother went about 5 years to not talk to my dad or any of us. Then, out of nowhere, he calls one day to announce that he's getting married. The wedding is set for October 2022. I think he was buttering up my dad and our family to come to the wedding, because he knew it would look bad if everyone asked where his dad was for his wedding, and it would reflect poorly on him. The communication in 2022 was pretty consistent leading up to the wedding, and my older siblings would call my dad almost every weekend knowing that they needed us to show up to the wedding.
My older sister (F 38) had a baby girl in July 2018. Our dad was thrilled, his oldest daughter made him a grandpa. But there is clear separation and favoritism there, as my niece only sees her mom's side of the family being in the same area in the DMV. For those who aren't familiar with DC/MD/VA, my older sister lives in Virginia, in Arlington, and her mom lives in Herndon. About a 30-minute drive from each other. My parents live across the country in Orange County, so visits are far and few in between for my dad and his grandchild. I live on the Maryland side, and the state line between Maryland and Virginia is roughly 30 min, depending on where you go and the time of day. Anyway, I don't even know if my niece knows that she has another grandpa, outside of what she knows about my sister's mom and stepdad, and my brother-in-law's parents, who split time between the US and Nepal. I feel so bad for my dad because that's his grandkid too and everyone deserves the joy of being involved in their grandkids lives. My dad has seen my niece several times but the relationship is pretty surface level. It's not her fault, she doesn't know him like she does my sister's mom and stepdad, plus it's a proximity thing living on opposite sides of the country. We have FaceTime for these reasons though.
My husband and I aren't ready to have kids yet, and we want them. We've only been married for almost 7 months so we're still trying to live life before we settle down. I hope nothing more than to be able to give my parents a grandkid one day because I want my dad and mom to experience what they missed from my older half-siblings isolating them from their kids. That is if I'm able to have kids, I know we can't control these things.
This brings me to my next point (if you're still reading this, I appreciate you). My husband and I got married in October 2023. Our parents on both sides did everything they could to give us the wedding of our dreams, and it was everything we imagined and hoped for, and I'm forever grateful for that. I know that my wedding hit my dad harder emotionally than the first two with my older siblings because he was not at all involved during theirs. That wasn't by choice, my older siblings' mom probably didn't want him to be involved. Divorced dynamics are so confusing. You're telling me you can't come together and be civilized for a day/weekend? After my wedding, a few months later, sometime in January or February 2024, my dad called me to talk about how my sister was upset after our wedding and she vented about a few things with him on the phone. He was relaying the message over.
For context, I uploaded our wedding pictures on Facebook, because I have so many family members overseas in Nepal who weren't able to attend the wedding, and it was honestly the most convenient way to showcase our pictures since people in Nepal are ridiculously active on Facebook. My sister has social media, my brother got rid of his TwitteFacebook/Instagram/everything many years ago. Our photographer took several thousand pictures throughout the wedding weekend events, and of course, there were moments captured of my older sister and her family, including my brother-in-law, and niece. I will admit out of spite since my sister never posts anything about me and my dad/family, I tagged but then later on deleted those pictures she was in. Why would I have pictures of her on my social media when she's never posted anything of us? She doesn't even like or comment on anything on my social media, and when you have siblings, this is not something you discuss, you just do it. Duh. Over the last few days, I unfollowed her and unfriended her on Facebook and Instagram. For me, it makes no sense to keep people on my newsfeed if I don't interact with them, and I have plenty of family members and friends that I already have a strongemore communicative relationship with.
If my sister was upset about this, why did she call my dad to vent about this months later instead of coming to me? My dad told me she complained that he didn't mention her or my older brother during his speech at our wedding. But am I wrong for thinking, why would he? It's a celebration for me and my husband. I thought that was very conceited and selfish. The day wasn't about her, and my dad's speech was so heartfelt that I cried. I believe she was offended she didn't get the same during hers. However, my sister and brother never asked our dad to give a toast at their weddings. Only their mom did, which is messed up in my opinion.
I understand divorce is messy and complicated, and people go through years of therapy to fix, or maybe even never fix issues completely. It's hard, and I'm just a product of his second marriage. But I've never understood the jealousy that seems to exist, specifically between my older sister and me.
I tried reaching out to both of them in a group iMessage, talking about how I am not happy with the way they're treating our dad. My brother has stopped calling my dad completely over the last few months since his son (my dad's second grandkid) was born a few months ago in February. My sister calls maybe once a month. I wanted to confront them about this ongoing behavior and ill will toward our family. They didn't even have the guts to respond to me, I suggested if they have time to FaceTime so we can have a real adult conversation about what is their issue. My parents are flying to DC this weekend and the original plan was to drive a few hours north so they could see my brother's baby. No communication with my brother whatsoever to coordinate. I feel devastatingly sad for my dad.
I'm not even going to get into their treatment of my mom. That's another long story, but basically, it's them not giving a hoot about her, even though she's the one who took care of them and stepped up when they visited growing up. As a stepmom, it's hard to deal with kids from a previous marriage. But she did it and she loves them, and they're nothing but passive-aggressive and mean to her. They never wish her happy birthday, happy Mother's Day, or my parents happy anniversary. It takes two seconds. For me, if you disrespect my parents, you're disrespecting me.
Since then, my sister has unfollowed and unfriended everyone on social media, including my dad, my younger sisters, and my husband. All because she couldn't handle that I did that to her. I'm just not for this nasty behavior, and I know we all need to unpack a lot in therapy (me and my older siblings specifically). Their behavior is cowardly, and I can't be the only one that thinks this, right? I don't know. It didn't have to be like this. I'm sure their mom has been telling them bad things about the marriage and my dad for years. I'm not saying he probably didn't make mistakes, but there are, once again, two sides to everyone's story. None of us kids have heard both sides directly from the source, and probably never will. It makes me sad, especially for my dad. I know life will go on. I tried to reach out, and if they don't want to talk about these issues like adults, then I have nothing else to say.

This is me venting but am also curious to know what everyone's relationship is like with half-siblings. Here's my story. I'm sorry in advance for how long this is, along with the grammarun-ons. I'm trying to give the Reddit community as much context as I can dating as far back as my memory takes me.
I (F 28) have two younger biological sisters (identical twins, F 25). The three of us were born after my dad married my mom (arranged marriage) after he and his first wife got divorced.
I believe my dad's first marriage lasted about 10 years. They had two kids together (my half-siblings). My older brother and I have an 8-year age difference, and my older sister and I have a 10-year age difference. Growing up, they used to visit us a few times a year including summer break or alternating holidays. Sometimes they would visit during Thanksgiving, other times during Christmas.
We used to be pretty close (at least I thought), but the relationship has become increasingly strained through the years. I understand the fact that there are ALWAYS two sides to every story, but I believe that my dad was on the right side of things and the marriage ended because two people weren't compatible and got married too young. It's always unfortunate when there are kids involved, and I'm sure it was tough with my older siblings being impacted at a young age.
It started when our grandpa (my dad's dad) passed away in November 2015. My brother suddenly stopped talking to my dad/our family immediately for whatever reason. He was the only person that didn't come to my grandpa's funeral. I honestly think he was holding a grudge that he didn't find out immediately when my grandpa passed, but I can't be too sure. We've never addressed that directly.
Fast forward 8 months to July 2016, when my dad's side of the family had a reunion at a first cousin's wedding. The vibes from my brother were like nothing had happened, and then after the wedding weekend, he was back to being silent. When my grandma (dad's mom) passed away in June 2019 he didn't show up to the funeral then either. Granted I didn't, but not because I didn't want to. I was a poor grad student and couldn't afford an $800 ticket on short notice and didn't want to burden my parents to pay for me to fly back for a couple of days either on top of how busy they were with funeral arrangements.
My brother went about 5 years to not talk to my dad or any of us. Then, out of nowhere, he calls one day to announce that he's getting married. The wedding is set for October 2022. I think he was buttering up my dad and our family to come to the wedding, because he knew it would look bad if everyone asked where his dad was for his wedding, and it would reflect poorly on him. The communication in 2022 was pretty consistent leading up to the wedding, and my older siblings would call my dad almost every weekend knowing that they needed us to show up to the wedding.
My older sister (F 38) had a baby girl in July 2018. Our dad was thrilled, his oldest daughter made him a grandpa. But there is clear separation and favoritism there, as my niece only sees her mom's side of the family being in the same area in the DMV. For those who aren't familiar with DC/MD/VA, my older sister lives in Virginia, in Arlington, and her mom lives in Herndon. About a 30-minute drive from each other. My parents live across the country in Orange County, so visits are far and few in between for my dad and his grandchild. I live on the Maryland side, and the state line between Maryland and Virginia is roughly 30 min, depending on where you go and the time of day. Anyway, I don't even know if my niece knows that she has another grandpa, outside of what she knows about my sister's mom and stepdad, and my brother-in-law's parents, who split time between the US and Nepal. I feel so bad for my dad because that's his grandkid too and everyone deserves the joy of being involved in their grandkids lives. My dad has seen my niece several times but the relationship is pretty surface level. It's not her fault, she doesn't know him like she does my sister's mom and stepdad, plus it's a proximity thing living on opposite sides of the country. We have FaceTime for these reasons though.
My husband and I aren't ready to have kids yet, and we want them. We've only been married for almost 7 months so we're still trying to live life before we settle down. I hope nothing more than to be able to give my parents a grandkid one day because I want my dad and mom to experience what they missed from my older half-siblings isolating them from their kids. That is if I'm able to have kids, I know we can't control these things.
This brings me to my next point (if you're still reading this, I appreciate you). My husband and I got married in October 2023. Our parents on both sides did everything they could to give us the wedding of our dreams, and it was everything we imagined and hoped for, and I'm forever grateful for that. I know that my wedding hit my dad harder emotionally than the first two with my older siblings because he was not at all involved during theirs. That wasn't by choice, my older siblings' mom probably didn't want him to be involved. Divorced dynamics are so confusing. You're telling me you can't come together and be civilized for a day/weekend? After my wedding, a few months later, sometime in January or February 2024, my dad called me to talk about how my sister was upset after our wedding and she vented about a few things with him on the phone. He was relaying the message over.
For context, I uploaded our wedding pictures on Facebook, because I have so many family members overseas in Nepal who weren't able to attend the wedding, and it was honestly the most convenient way to showcase our pictures since people in Nepal are ridiculously active on Facebook. My sister has social media, my brother got rid of his TwitteFacebook/Instagram/everything many years ago. Our photographer took several thousand pictures throughout the wedding weekend events, and of course, there were moments captured of my older sister and her family, including my brother-in-law, and niece. I will admit out of spite since my sister never posts anything about me and my dad/family, I tagged but then later on deleted those pictures she was in. Why would I have pictures of her on my social media when she's never posted anything of us? She doesn't even like or comment on anything on my social media, and when you have siblings, this is not something you discuss, you just do it. Duh. Over the last few days, I unfollowed her and unfriended her on Facebook and Instagram. For me, it makes no sense to keep people on my newsfeed if I don't interact with them, and I have plenty of family members and friends that I already have a strongemore communicative relationship with.
If my sister was upset about this, why did she call my dad to vent about this months later instead of coming to me? My dad told me she complained that he didn't mention her or my older brother during his speech at our wedding. But am I wrong for thinking, why would he? It's a celebration for me and my husband. I thought that was very conceited and selfish. The day wasn't about her, and my dad's speech was so heartfelt that I cried. I believe she was offended she didn't get the same during hers. However, my sister and brother never asked our dad to give a toast at their weddings. Only their mom did, which is messed up in my opinion.
I understand divorce is messy and complicated, and people go through years of therapy to fix, or maybe even never fix issues completely. It's hard, and I'm just a product of his second marriage. But I've never understood the jealousy that seems to exist, specifically between my older sister and me.
I tried reaching out to both of them in a group iMessage, talking about how I am not happy with the way they're treating our dad. My brother has stopped calling my dad completely over the last few months since his son (my dad's second grandkid) was born a few months ago in February. My sister calls maybe once a month. I wanted to confront them about this ongoing behavior and ill will toward our family. They didn't even have the guts to respond to me, I suggested if they have time to FaceTime so we can have a real adult conversation about what is their issue. My parents are flying to DC this weekend and the original plan was to drive a few hours north so they could see my brother's baby. No communication with my brother whatsoever to coordinate. I feel devastatingly sad for my dad.
I'm not even going to get into their treatment of my mom. That's another long story, but basically, it's them not giving a hoot about her, even though she's the one who took care of them and stepped up when they visited growing up. As a stepmom, it's hard to deal with kids from a previous marriage. But she did it and she loves them, and they're nothing but passive-aggressive and mean to her. They never wish her happy birthday, happy Mother's Day, or my parents happy anniversary. It takes two seconds. For me, if you disrespect my parents, you're disrespecting me.
Since then, my sister has unfollowed and unfriended everyone on social media, including my dad, my younger sisters, and my husband. All because she couldn't handle that I did that to her. I'm just not for this nasty behavior, and I know we all need to unpack a lot in therapy (me and my older siblings specifically). Their behavior is cowardly, and I can't be the only one that thinks this, right? I don't know. It didn't have to be like this. I'm sure their mom has been telling them bad things about the marriage and my dad for years. I'm not saying he probably didn't make mistakes, but there are, once again, two sides to everyone's story. None of us kids have heard both sides directly from the source, and probably never will. It makes me sad, especially for my dad. I know life will go on. I tried to reach out, and if they don't want to talk about these issues like adults, then I have nothing else to say.

Some context, we have had this day agreed for a good few months and the party is now in 5months time. Both my brother and I agreed that as he didn’t have his 50th birthday party this was going to be a special one where we cover all the expenses equally between the two for all invited (our family is not super close so this was supposed to be extra special for dad).
We haven’t sent the invites out yet, but agreed it needs to be on a weekend so that people can come more easily and enjoy the dinneparty and I’m flying back home for this long weekend especially for it.
My brother’s now messaged to say that his gf’s cousin just moved her wedding to that exact date so would like us to move dad’s party on another date, so that they can attend both.
I was outraged that he would even suggest this seeing as this is our dad and this should be a priority not some random woman’s wedding. I even suggested that he goes to dad’s party and the gf can attend the wedding by herself. My brother did not want to accept that, called me unreasonable for not wating to move it. Suffice it to say that we had a massive row, in which he also accused me of emotionally manipulating him (beecase I told him that dad has never wanted or asked anything of us, and I cannot believe he would put his gf’s cousin’s wedding (a person that was a stranger to him a year ago) above our dad. To which he said bc he’s paying for half of the party he should be able to move it.
I have now told him I’ll cover all expenses for the party myself and he can enjoy the wedding of this person.
AITA?

Last weekend my wife and I had a discussion regarding our son, "L" and whether or not he should be held back a year before starting kindergarten. For context, L is turning 4 on June 7th. He currently spends 3 days a week at a daycare facility and 2 days with an in-home babysitter. We are looking into enrolling him into a montessori school in the fall. My wife is a teacher and will be home with him and his older brother for the summer.
L was slow to start talking, and our babysitter (who has a background in early childhood speech therapy) discussed the possibility that he had apraxia. Our firstborn was talking at an early age, so we felt kind of lost at where L was supposed to be at in terms of speech development and thought processing. After meeting with a couple specialists, we started working with a professional speech pathologist over the last year. She was not traditional in the sense that she wanted to diagnose L's condition outright however she pointed to indicators of neurodivergence and apraxia that she observed with him. Over the last 6-8 months, L's speech and pattern development has made significant progress, with many milestones being met. His pathologist has pointed all of this out, and noted that he is "nearing or at" developmental benchmarks of other kids his age.
A couple months ago we took a tour of the montessori school my wife wanted to transition L into this coming fall. Afterwards she explained that she had envisioned sending L there part time again, and then going full time the following year, holding him back from kindergarten until he was 6. I wasn't opposed to the idea, but thought it was a little early to decide that yet. Recently, the subject was brought up again and we seem to not be on the same page. My wife has pretty much made up her mind that this is the course of action she wants to pursue. I on the other hand would prefer to send L to montessori full time next year, and make a decision towards the end of the school year about whether or not he's ready for kindergarten.
Does anyone have some insight on this? I've read several articles about holding kids back, but they all seem to focus on the late-summer birthdays, where they're right on the cusp of the age cut-off. I've also read about a study that seemed to show that any advantage to holding them back a year was all but negated by the end of 1st grade.
Just to be clear, I'm not interested in any opinions about which one of us is "right." I just want to know if anyone has gone through a similar experience, how it went, and what you may have done differently. TIA

5 years ago, I was told by a paediatrician that I fit the DSM-5 for ASD level 2, as well as having sensory processing difficulties.
I’m now a young adult and I’m seriously reevaluating this diagnosis, and starting to see how my “symptoms” align more closely with the ADHD diagnostic criteria.
As a kid, I was socially anxious, really obsessed with being perceived as the smartest kid around because of my above average memory for things like number plates, birthdays, pi digits and science facts. Now that I’ve matured, I’ve completely dropped caring about those trivial things and I don’t have any major obsessions, nor do I remember information particularly well nowadays.
The only ongoing symptoms I have related to autism are trouble with eye contact, speech intonation, picky eating habits and being very straightforward. But I’m suspicious about potentially being under the ADHD spectrum, my reasons being: I procrastinate A LOT, I need deadlines or I won’t do the work, I’m very spontaneous and hate planning, my space ends up cluttered and disorganised no matter how hard I try to keep it tidy, I stumble over my words, I’m a leg jiggler, can never be 100% still, and I do go through hyperfixations.
I’m no expert, I’m not trying to self diagnose or fish for attention to be on the neurodivergent spectrum. all the autism treatment I’ve received over the years has never fully helped at all. I think that autism treatment does not work because my areas of struggle are not autism-related — rather ADHD. I do not need help in areas of socialising, I have trouble holding back emotions and being lazy.
All it definitely feeling more like ADHD to me. Whatever it is, I’d like to find out so that I can receive the correct treatment and function better in life. What do you guys think?