Hi Everyone! I’ve always loved good smelling stuff and for the last 15 years I’ve usually had one bottle of cologne, and would replace once it’s out. Only in the last few months have I really delved into this world and began filling out a modest collection. I’m definitely not an expert (so take my reviews with a big grain of salt) but I love smelling and writing so here ya go. (Fucking wall of text incoming lmao, I didn’t realize how lengthy this got)
I just got back from a three-hour mall trip to try and get my nose on as many niche fragrances as my senses would tolerate. I had already done a good bit of research so I had some picked out to try and others already crossed-off. Im a 30M for reference.
I also had the goal in mind to find a contender for a fall/winter scent that exudes class, sophistication and decadence. For that, I’ve already tried a few that I really enjoy, and kind of used these as a springboard to continue exploring:
Xerjoff Alexandria II- This is what I envision royalty wearing. Lavender and rosewood mix soooo nice in the open, and dries into a lovey rose/vanilla/essence of oud. The oud is really toned down here for those that dislike it. It’s kind of hard to pick out. Nuclear performance.
Initio Oud for Greatness- Another good starter oud, you could say (this was my introduction to oud). It lasts forever and the dry down is seriously heavenly. The wet, soily oud is at the forefront for 2-4 hours, but I’m absolutely in love with what’s left when it disappears. Lavender, saffron, nutmeg and musk mixes into the best dryer-sheet-like scent I’ve come across (what it reminds ME of at least).
Perfums de Marly Haltane- Quite similar in the opening to Oud for Greatness. Haltane is darker, though, where I get more leathesmoke. I think the oud in this is more subdued, or at least less moist smelling. It blends well and lasts a good while.
Initio Atomic Rose- Holy shit. Apparently rose gets my motor GOING. I tried a lot of rose-centric fragrances today, but this probably still takes the cake for its balance and strength, in addition to the scent itself being just gorgeous.
So with those in mind I was off to Neiman Marcus. I sampled a large amount more than what I’ve written, but stuck to the ones that were memorable; good or bad.
Frederic Malle - Portrait of a Lady- My favorite of the Frederic Malle. Sensual rose/clove/currant at the front, but it is kind of hard to pick out specific notes on this one. After looking, I can get the cinnamon in the background of the dry down, it blends perfectly with the sandalwood, rose and benzoin after drying down. - Carnal Flower- Some similarity to POAL, lots of tuberose and jasmine, which I personally like. A bright yet sensual floral, and you get some coconut and melon there, too. I typically dislike coconut but this is blended masterfully. - Lipstick Rose- Yeah, that’s what it smells like. Try this if you’ve seen people describe scents as lipstick-y or violet taking on that accord. Not my cup of tea, also leans more feminine to my nose than the other two. - Musc Ravageur- I really wanted to like this one. And for a split second I did! A clove-y vanilla sasparilla is what I first got, and it unfortunately turned into barnyard urine. I immediately remembered seeing some reviews stating this, and I couldn’t get my nose to move past it. I can tell there’s good stuff there, but not for me.
Amouage - Reflection- The only one I’d tried before, and remains one of my favs. Rosemary and pink pepper greet you with a deep, fresh spice. The vetiver and patchouli sit nicely at the bottom, and the combination of white florals mixes wonderfully. Another scent I could imagine on royalty, and seems pretty versatile, too. You could wear this year-round without feeling out of place. Insane staying power. - Lyric- Probably my favorite, but I need to smell again on another day. Compared to the other Amouage, I had to continually stick my nose in the coffe beans to pick up the scent from the test strip. When I did get it, it was a lovely light, fresh scent. Quite a departure from the other Amouage I’ve tried, but great. No surprise, the list of notes are some of my favorites: lime, bergamot, rose, orange blossom, saffron, nutmeg, musk, pine, vanilla, incense, sandalwood. Seriously, love each and all those individually and they come together beautifully. - Interlude- Another good one. Dark, mysterious. Definitely get the oregano/peppepatchouli/incense bomb off the top. Leather lurking behind. I typically don’t gravitate toward the leathery scents but this one’s good. - Enclave- This pretty much seals the deal for me that on me, mint just ain’t it. I liked Sedley at first, but the mint somehow gets too cloying to my nose after too long. I can tell I would get the same from the peppermint in the opening of Enclave. I almost liked this one, too. If you can even tolerate peppermint, you’ll enjoy this one.
Mind Games - Blockade- Wowww. First sniff love, here. Explosion of citrus, juicy fruit-y sex. I usually find myself staying away from citrus-forward scents but this shit is next level. This will be a contender for my next upscale summer buy. - Double Attack- Another love at first sniff. It’s familiar, though. Chocolate/orange/cinnamon/vanilla. You’ll want to eat it right up. I already have this box checked in my collection, but may come back to it in the future. - Checkmate- Another lovely scent. Champagne, red currant, rose, magnolia, little patchouli. It all comes together really nicely, and it was difficult for me to pick out specific notes before looking. Not a love, but I was really impressed with the quality and scent profile of the Mind Games I tried.
Clive Christian - Town & Country- Wow. No seriously, like fucking wow. Smells like an Italian fruit cart strolling through an English manor’s sprawling garden road. I look at the notes and I don’t understand how you get this smell supposedly out of Clary Sage, Ambergris, and Sandalwood. Like, what? This is high quality shit. I get some pear or grapes there, too. Try this. - Crab Apple Blossom- Yum yum yum this is goooood. Smells like it sounds. Bergamot, apple blossom and rhubarb dance around playfully together. Can’t help but have a big stupid smile on your face when you smell this. The more it dried down, the more it might be my favorite over Town & Country. - Matsukita- Another great scent. In the same vein as the other two since they are part of the same “Crown Collection.” You get some smokiness, here. Bergamot with nutmeg and mate give depth and a little mystery. White florals, woody ambers and musk at the base. Just quality stuff here. All three of these in the Crown Collection were available in 10ml travel size gift pack for $300. Good idea to put on my wish list. That shit is kiiiinda expensive.
Xerjoff - Erba Pura- I did not expect to like this as much as I did! Favorite that I sampled. Perfect combination of citrus and fruitiness off the top, layered over a bed of sweet musk. Something here is very familiar to my nose but I couldn’t place it. This will be another top contender for a future upscale summer purchase. - Accento- Soothing scent. Fruity white floral (usually dumb reach for me), and the iris gives it some powder but not overpowering. Not as feminine-leaning as I would have expected. - Iommi- Delicious! Sweet smoky rum off the top, and it’s a little surprising how forward the patchouli and leather is in this. It’s bordering on being a little overpowering, but it tames a bit on the dry down. I’d need to see how this goes on my skin, for sure. - Torino 21- Another one that I liked way more than expected. I’m going back and seeing mint listed as a top note here…I didn’t get that! And thank God since mint usually is a non-starter. Kind of an aquatic green to my nose. Again, just a lovely scent. - Naxos- Yeah ok this is good shit. I was expecting a sweet bomb, but this is definitely more restrained than what a lot of reviewers will have you believe. I’m a sucker for lavender and bergamot. Throw in honey and jasmine atop a bed of tobacco, vanilla and tonka bean? Yes please. - Erba Gold- Pretty good. To my nose more feminine than Erba Pura, likely due to the extra fruits in the middle. That combination of citruses, pear and melon is reminiscent of particular ladies’ scents.
Louis Vuitton - L’Immensité- Ohhhh yeahh. Relaxation in a bottle. My favorite besides maybe Fleur du Desert. This, Imagination and Météore all kind of dance to the same song, so to speak. More than one of these would be redundant, in my opinion. The quality speaks through each of these fragrances, though- really nice stuff. - Imagination- The name fits, as a lot of the notes here are almost fleeting like a word on the tip of your tongue. It’s a great, calming scent but it didn’t blow me away. Like I said, L’Immensité was the best of these and I don’t see the need to diversify within this collection. - Météore- Compared to L’Immensité, there’s a little more sweetness here. This leans closer to a shower gel-like scent in my opinion. Still great. - Fleur du Désert- This one started out reallly good. Honey and cinnamon into rose and orange blossom is an intriguing, sensual combination. Unfortunately, smelling it on my arm after a couple hours, the jasmine and honey turn into something my mind recognizes as an old lady scent. The POAL on my hand, by comparison, keeps mixing with my skin in a great pheromonic way. - Ombre Nomad- Disappointed with this one. I’m realizing I don’t gravitate toward darker scents like heavy oud, leather, incense. I can tell it’s put together really well and uses quality materials, but this isn’t one that was made for me.
All in all, my main take-aways include: Xerjoff scents living up to the name. I was definitely impressed with their offerings, and would have expected it to lean closer to overrated. Same with Mind Games. Really enjoyed everything I sampled from them, even if it wasn’t my cup of tea, I was impressed with the quality. Also, I need to get back and sample the rest of the Clive Christian house. I was absolutely blown away with what I tried.
A little bonus: I tried TF Noir de Noir, Extreme Noir, and Cafe Rose. Extreme Noir is excellent. A regal mix of saffron, nutmeg and cardamom on top of rose and white florals. Ahhhh, again, similar to what I imagine a king or king to smell like.
Cafe Rose is probably the second best rose-centric scent to my nose besides Atomic Rose. I’ll need to put those side by side.
Anyway, feel free to ask away if you’d like. I was bored and inspired so killed some time writing this out :)

i dont know if this needs a TW but just in case, i’ll be talking mostly about my eating habits that are possibly related to ARFID. also DISCLAIMER, im only asking this out of curiosity. i have access to health care providers who could give me a diagnosis, but im genuinely just curious, not concerned.
ANYWAY, for starters, i was a REALLY picky eater as a child. i’m not entirely sure if that was ARFID or if it was because my family never forced me to eat something i didn’t want to eat. my grandparents always kept chicken nuggets in the freezer for me and my mom let me take ramen noodles to school for lunch for an entire school year. i was made fun of for being so picky and for how bland my pallet was, so eventually i started trying different things. now i have a better understanding of my habits and my true likes/dislikes.
why im suspicious: - i have a long detailed list of specific foods/textures that i can’t stand/ will make me gag. - i get hyper-fixated on certain foods/snacks/or meals and will eat it almost daily for weeks or months at a time - im diagnosed w depression, gen anxiety, and adhd (ive heard these diagnosis can be a risk factocontributor to ARFID) - sometimes i lose my appetite during a meal.
the most recent red flag was last night when i was eating panda express, my current fixation. there was something hard in my noodles, most likely a seed or something that crossed over from another dish. i was able to finish my meal but the thought of that mysterious hard chunk in my food made me feel sick for hours afterwards. even today, the thought of eating orange chicken again makes me feel like i could throw up.
why i’m sceptical: - i don’t think i necessarily have food anxiety, i will try almost anything unless im certain that i wont like it. - im not afraid of choking or vomiting - ive been told i am borderline anemic but otherwise am not malnourished.
…thoughts?

I have lost Misty 7 times with my starter and 5 grass types. This bitch will not go down. I don't want to lower the difficulty because mama ain't raise no bitch but Misty is just a fucking wall. Tips how to absolutely destroy this orange haired demon.

tl;dr: if it's your first time to Bandon, you'll have an amazing time and the facility/resort is as good as advertised. the greens range from good to pretty bad.
Went to Bandon this past weekend for the first time as a solo, and had an absolute blast. Overall, the course are a ton of fun, but the concerns about the greens are unfortunately real. The silver lining is that most of them seem to be trending in the right direction per feedback from caddies and other guests, but there's still rough spots. More details on each course below:
Shorty's: It's gonna be so much fun in a year or two when the fescue completely grows in on the greens. So many cool slopes and potential pin locations, and only a few holes with true forced carries over waste/gorse/etc. The reality is right now the greens are hilariously slow, but if you into it knowing that, and being cool with it, you'll still have an amazing time. Definitely a little more exhausting to play than Preserve (19 vs. 13 holes) and some of the bigger swings/elevation changes come in the last 6 holes.
Sheep Ranch: The good holes are really good, and some of the inland holes are pretty forgettable. You can really feel how tight the acreage is compared to the other courses. That being said, I played it with absolutely zero wind and in 70 degree temps so it was an aytpical experience. The greens are..weird. They range from pretty slow and grown in to sandy and ridiculously fast, sometimes on the same putt. It sounds like they're giving up on keeping the Poa out and hopefully that'll just take over in the next few years. The ending stretch (starting with the Volcano Par 5, #11) is pretty awesome.
Bandon Dunes: Some of the greens have huge dead spots (usually in a line) that make putts impossible going through them. That being said, the sections of the green that are alive and healthy rolled really really well. This wasn't a huge deal on longer lag putts but for things that were more makable, most players and caddies just advised moving it so you had a non-impacted line. For the cost, this is annoying, but again, it was my first time here and the quality of the course had me more stoked than having to adjust a few putts. Personal highlights, tee shot on #3, 2nd shot on #4, tee shot on #10, #13 as a hole, avoiding the bunker (or getting out of it) on #15, #16 as a whole, and figuring out what you want to do on #17.
Trails: It's a really cool track, completely different vibe from the rest of the courses. Neat how it starts out giving you something that feels kinda familiar on #1 and then by #3 you're in a different world. You will likely lose balls on this course without a caddie (or even with one) since the forest can swallow them. Super neat routing around the halfway house from #7 - #10. Tee shot on #11 is super cool, and the 2nd shot on #13 is awesome. #14's green is as broken and unfair as the internet claims, especially if the pin is up front. The closing stretch is tough, no easy holes, plays dead into the wind, and can make any decent round explode from #14 onwards. The greens ranged from excellent to very bumpy, so that gives me hope that they'll continue to improve through the summer.
Old Mac: The greens got punched 5 days prior to me playing it, but apparently they were pure prior to that. Still rolled better as a whole than everywhere except the Preserve. Apart from #1 & #2, every hole had a fascinating tee shot or a green complex that made you thrilled with a 2-putt and accepting of a 3-putt if you were out of position. #3 is such a cool tee shot and approach in if you leave it on the hill, #4 is a tough par 4, and #5 is closer to a mini-golf putt (or roll down the hill) than an actual green. It isn't meant to be terribly fair, and that's okay. Closing stretch is also very strong from #14 onwards.
Pacific Dunes: Oh boy. The greens were not good. The putts ranged from bumpy to straight up plinko board (#12). The course is such a cool layout, but between it being the final course I played in 3 days, the wind absolutely howling, and the greens being pretty bad, it was a taxing round. Playing it in the morning is a must unless you routinely want to hit into a 3-4 club wind when you're going into it. Definitely has the toughest first hole on the property if the wind is blowing.
Preserve: Such a great short course, got to play it by myself as the first person out on a misty morning and it was so peaceful. Great range of holes and shots you have to hit (nothing longer than 170, and that pin was about as far back as it could have been on #7). The greens were in amazing shape and rolled true, so hopefully that's the quality everything else can get back to by the end of the season. The wind is definitely a factor, so if you play it in the afternoon definitely be prepared for some exposed and blown shots.
I had a caddie for all 6 of the 18-hole rounds and would definitely recommend Brian (splits his time between Oregon & the Big Island), Christian (from Seattle, has been around for a long time), and Aaron (who made the absolute most of a 22-year old who thoroughly enjoyed melting down after any bad shot). There was one caddie who I didn't vibe with, but it wasn't so bad that it's worth putting on the internet. Just a mismatch of vibes and expectations.
Lunch was excellent at Trails End (and breakfast looked really good too), and the Shephard's Pie at Mckee's was great. Ghost Tree Grill is pricy but very tasty, if it's in your budget definitely would recommend dropping by for apps and a drink at the least. Very easy to grab a seat at the bar as a solo.
Service across the board was impeccable, minus one weird situation where my orange whip got left in the starter's shack to reduce weight and then it just..disappeared for a while? Shoutout to Brian who found it after a little digging and in the customer service room.
Stayed in town at the Bandon Inn, and for being a single that's really the most cost effective way to do it. Was able to snag a rental car via Turo in North Bend (shoutout to Michela!), and it ran about $200 per night. Dinner options shut down early in town, so if you get off the course on the late side either eat at the resort or double check that where you're planning to go is still open. Great lunch options though, The Loft and Tony's Crab Shack were both great.
Bottom line, unless you're intending to try and shoot your lowest scores while adhering to every single rule of golf or gambling for a ton of money and that depends on putts, you'll have a great time. If you've been to Bandon a bunch, the greens might be a disappointment, but you'll still probably have a great time. No discounts were given on any course (except for Old Mac) for the condition of the greens, and that was because it was still within the 5-day aeration window.

David agreed to organise another search party in the following week, and another in the week after that. It comforted Lee to know he was at least doing something to look out for her, even if she wasn't here to realise it. If he couldn't have Clementine back, something he hated the very thought of, he needed to honour her. Her promises, her legacy, her meaning to him could not be forgotten — and neither could she.
They'd been out looking for hours. Since they set off at first light, the sun had circled in the sky and come back down once again, painting the already orange gates with a golden hue. It was tiresome and their feet ached with the aftermath of walking for miles on end, but it came with the satisfaction of knowing a bed was waiting for them back at the base. Though, he still felt a part of him missing. In a way it was almost like he'd earned the right to have found her, how after all this patience and all this time, shouldn't he be entitled to that payoff now? He walked along with his small group back into the gates, down-trodden. How was he to continue deceiving himself of hope when for all he knew, it was hopeless? That was something he berated himself for even thinking. She had to be out there somewhere, of course she was.
"Open the gates," he called to the person on watch. The large wall of rust and metal creaked, revealing their sanctuary. AJ would be in the nursery, probably colouring wildly on a paper, anticipating just as much as Lee was for when they could retire to their home of the living quarters for a good night's rest.
Ava rushed out of the gate towards Lee in a hurry, not slowing down for a second. "Lee!"
"Hey, Ava. What's-"
"She's back."
He opened his mouth, to exclaim with delight, to ask where she was, maybe to burst into tears — everything, every sound and colour, seemed to jump into existence all of a sudden. His legs weren't worn down with fatigue any longer, and they called for him to start running. Where to, he didn't know, but he needed to see where she was. That's when he heard her voice again, something he realised was a greater privilege than he ever remembered, and stopped in his tracks.
"Lee." Clementine appeared behind Ava, leaning out to look at him. She looked at him with her eyes wide, her mouth that opened in shock turning into a wide grin. She ran towards him and enveloped him in a hug.
"You're back! You're okay, sweetpea!" He said, the words sounding imaginary even to him. "I missed you, Clem. I was so worried about what happened while you were gone. You- you've grown a bit taller." He could hardly believe his eyes, but they didn't lie or show any falsities: just, for once, the light in his reality. Ava smiled at the two of them, crossing her arms comfortably.
Clementine laughed, pricks of teardrops forming in the corners of her eyes. "I tried to get back to you so many times. I- There was so much going on. I didn't know what to do, I-" She hugged him again, burying her head in his shirt to mask her tears. "They said AJ's okay. He's going to be okay, Lee. He'll live." Her voice was muffled and shaky but pitched with glee, with relief and with joy. It appeared she was in just as much disbelief as well.
"I know, Clem. He's better now. They helped him."
"About time," she said quietly, though she smiled.
"Let's go inside the gates, come on. How did you get here? Did you have any help?" he asked, a million thoughts swimming through his mind.
She nodded. “I found people who wanted to help. Lots of people. The ones I came here with were put into quarantine for bites — they only let me out here because they knew you were looking for me.” Then she stopped in her tracks, both taking the time to survey the surroundings and glance at Lee. “You never stopped?”
“Never.”
Clementine grinned up at him. "I knew you wouldn't." Her smile then faded, but the glimmer in her eyes remained: whatever she was troubled by, she seemed to hold onto some hope, or at least she did now that Lee was there. "Lee, I have to talk to you."
"What's going on? Is something wrong?" He watched for her reaction cautiously. When she didn't move, he asked again. "Are you in danger?"
She shook her head and began walking further away, slowly down the unfamiliar streets of New Richmond. "Not here. We need to go somewhere quiet."
Something in Lee felt disturbed again. It should all be over by now, with Clementine reunited with him and AJ better than ever. By all means, they shouldn't have any more problems to deal with. Sure it was unrealistic, but hadn't they earned the right? It was like danger was hanging over his shoulder, eyeing his every move and ready to step in.
"Let's go to the nursery, okay? No-one should be around to hear us around now, and besides, you should see him." He placed his hand on Clementine's shoulder, kneeling down to her level. "He’s really missed you, you know."
"He- he did?" She whispered. The smile on her face revealed she had no doubt he would feel otherwise, but just hearing this was like the first melodic tune after a lifetime of silence.
He nodded.
She rubbed hastily at her eyes again. "Take me to him, please."
...
She sniffled, masking the tears she was choking back as she looked down upon a sleeping AJ inside a crib. "I never would've thought...I mean, even you, I thought we might never get to see each-other again. But I was always so scared for AJ. I knew you could handle things, but he was- he's so little, Lee. I didn't know if he could take much more." The drops cascaded down her face, and she turned her head sharply towards the ceiling to stop them from falling. She breathed in deeply and looked back at the toddler one more time. "My little goofball."
"He was tough."
"That's for sure."
"Lingard helped us out."
Her head propped up again and she wore an intense expression. "He did?"
"Of course he did. He found more antibiotics, and he's going to be taking them for a few more weeks, and..." He stopped himself when he noticed her silence. It wasn't unlike her, but this was a different kind, the kind that silences even those outside of it. "I know you have your issues with what happened, Clem, and so do I — but he really did help. AJ is better now."
She shifted uncomfortably.
"Lingard is a good man," Lee continued.
"I'm not saying he wasn't. But Lee," she said, eyes darting to each side in turn. "We cannot trust them."
He looked confused. "What?" Just as he had begun to fully trust them, maybe more than he ever had in the time he had been with them, it came crashing down like it had before on that night of the plan. He wasn’t sure what to think anymore.
Clementine straightened herself up, preparing herself to explain. "I didn't leave for no reason, and it wasn't by choice. Joan forced me to leave."
"Joan forced you? Clem, are you sure-"
"I wouldn't lie to you, Lee!" she defended.
He held up his arms to ease her. "I know that. I'm just saying that if Joan wanted you gone then how come she's allowing you to walk free now?"
"I haven't seen Joan yet, and I don't think she knows I'm here, but I'm betting she's going to have something up her sleeve for when she finds out." Clementine rolled her eyes at the thought of the woman leading communications, being one of two council leaders she wasn't afraid to show her distaste for. "There's a lot that happened while I was gone. I didn't come here all by myself, for starters. I came with a group."
"Where are they?"
"They're getting quarantined somewhere, but I don't know where it is. I found them in a town called Prescott, and things got a little complicated along the way."
Lee had questions upon questions inside his head. "How so? I thought Prescott was a good town; they helped us out with supplies just a few days ago. Are you in trouble with them?"
She looked him directly in the eye, lowering her voice again. "No, Lee. They're in trouble with us. Prescott was raided by the New Frontier and burnt the place to the ground — one of the men I'm with, Javi, had his niece murdered, and we have a woman shot in the stomach. That's why I told them to come back here, to get her medical help."
At last, something at least seemed to ring a bell. "Javi and Kate?" He'd heard those names before. "They're-"
"David's brother and wife. We all met outside the gates." She nodded, a bitterness taking over her countenance. "I thought with his family in a state like this, he wouldn't turn us away. I still haven't forgotten about what he tried to do before I left. Besides, I came back because I knew that if you were still out there, you needed to know the truth about the others."
"Others?"
"I don't trust anyone in the New Frontier except you, Lee. The men who attacked Prescott are up to something, and we need to figure out what's going on."
"Slow down, Clem. I don't doubt you, I think something is going on, but not everyone might be involved. Ava and Paul have always looked out for us. Even David-"
"You think you can trust David? He's the last person I want to be around. I'm sure he's got something to do with all of this. We could've lost AJ forever because of him."
Lee rested his back against the wall in defeat. "Clem, this is a lot to take in."
She nodded, but still looked impatient. "I don't want to play it safe anymore, Lee. We have AJ safe and sound, we can leave right now."
"If you're right about people working against us in the New Frontier, then they'll spot us running off a mile away. I’m gonna take us to your group, okay? I need to talk with them."

I want to get into calligraphy and am willing to invest in a good, basic starter pen. I have no idea what to look for. I just ordered some made in USA Decomposition books to just write in with regular pens. I don’t know what kind of budget I need to set, but I know the MIUSA stuff is not the cheapest. I want as much of the pen to be made in the USA as possible, but if certain parts will cost absolutely bookoos of money, I can settle for Germany, Japan, or North American made parts. And I’ll need some good inks. Maybe keep it basic to black, red, blue. Oh, orange too. I’m partial to orange, if it exists MIUSA.

Background
Location: Orange County, California
Household Income: $200K
Homeowner: Yes
Home Type: SFR
Mortgage: $1,050,000
Mortgage Rate: 2.7%
Equity: $650,000
The Dilemma
My wife and I are thinking about selling our home in this market (yes I know kind of crazy) because we have a future goal of moving back to the San Francisco Bay Area. The game plan we had until we eventually back up there is to downgrade our SFR to a more affordable condominium or townhouse located in Irvine, CA. The reason we are not confident in renting the SFR is because most of the house has been renovated with very expensive materials from Europe so renting out such a place seems like a huge maintenance nightmare.
We are targeting places in the $800K-$850K price range where I would use the remaining equity of roughly $600,000 (equity - sellers agent fee of 3% only by July - mortgage loan) as a down payment and leaving us with a roughly $582,000 (remaining equity - 3% buyers fee) and a roughly $270,000 mortgage loan at 6%-7% at today's rates with a 15 year fixed loan. I only see a few listings on Zillow that fit this criteria so admittedly we are kind of dreaming and have hopes this will all work out when all is said and done. Given everyone knows (or at least those the work in tech or follow tech or the SF Bay Area) know tech is taking a beating with layoffs and slowed hiring so I am not even trying to apply for jobs at this time. My game plan is in 2-3 years the tech industry will recover (yes huge assumption I am aware) and in this 2-3 years we could sell our SFR and move and live in the condominum/townhouse. When tech finally recovers, I find a new job and am ready to move back to the Bay Area I could rent out the condo/townhouse. I like the idea of buying in Irvine because I feel like the demand for renting has always been strong there. Yes, HOA fees are high, but that seems to be the trend with any new and upcoming areas.
The benefit (and again hope...you can see the theme here) is that the mortgage loan will be relatively small and can be paid off in roughly 5 years. This is just enough time for me to find a new job! If we do not happen to pay off the mortgage completely then we can still continue to rent out the Irvine place and have the tenant cover the rent. We eventually want to buy another SFR in the Bay Area but again that relies on hopes and dreams of us paying off the Irvine place (so our DTI ratio does not take a huge hit), the rent will qualify as extra income for us, and securing jobs that also have high salaries to afford the (what will likely end up being) a $2MM starter home somewhere in the South Bay.
Questions
It is a good idea to downgrade from a SFR to a condominum/townhouse for our specific needs/wants?
Is it a good idea to lose our killer 2.7% mortgage rate to downgrade for a higher mortgage rate on a smaller loan and a place we can pay off and rent out in just a handful of years?
Does the math add up?
Is our reason for foregoing renting out our SFR in favor of selling it sound logical?
Is our assumption of buying in Irvine with the near-term future goal of renting it out sound logical?

🌊🔱🏕️Camp Half-Blood🏕️🔱🌊
Hosted by: DogFish
Ad//Campers everywhere. Some were doing archery, some were canoeing on the lake. A man with a Hawaiian shirt was sitting on the porch of the big house with a Diet Coke in hand. beside him was a black haired girl in an orange shirt and a centaur beside him, gazing out onto the sea of demigods, nymphs, and satyrs scattered around, all with the same orange shirt, from one to the other. A semicircle of cabins, all different lay in the center of it all. Welcome to Camp Half-Blood, where children of the Greek Gods and Goddesses go, and kids only live to 20! Where do you fit into this? Come join our Roleplay today! PJO CABINS ONLY (up to 12) THIS IS DATED IN THE FIRST PERCY JACKSON SERIES! - [ ROLES: Cabin 1- OO Cabin 3- OO Cabin 4- U Cabin 5- U Cabin 6 - U Cabin 7 - U Cabin 9 - U Cabin 10 - U Cabin 11 - U Cabin 12 - U Satyrs - OOOOOO Nymphs - OOO Customs - U ]
O=OPEN (role open) T=TAKEN (role taken) U=UNLIMITED (unlimited amount of roles open)
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• CHARACTER MAKING

Hi! DogFish here. I just got into Percy Jackson, uh oh. Anywho, welcome to this RP, again, this is dated in the first Percy Jackson series, PJO (Percy Jackson and the Olympians). Book Characters do exist in this RP but unless anyone volunteers to RP as them, npc them if you’d like them to be involved with your story. Otherwise pretend they don’t exist, and none are cabin councilors unless requested. ‼️IMPORTANT ‼️YOU MUST KNOW THE CABIN NUMBERS THAT ASSOCIATE WITH EACH GOD OR GODDESS! CABIN ONE = ZEUS, CABIN TWO = HERA, CABIN THREE = POSEIDON, CABIN FOUR = DEMETER, CABIN FIVE = ARES, CABIN SIX = ATHENA, CABIN SEVEN = APOLLO, CABIN EIGHT = ARTEMIS, CABIN NINE = HEPHAESTUS, CABIN TEN = APHRODITE, CABIN ELEVEN = HERMES, CABIN TWELVE = DIONYSUS ‼️‼️
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Bio Template:
Name - Age - Cabin/Parent - Other Family - Appearance - Personality - Canon Character Friends - OC Friends - Ship - Backstory? - Nationality/Ancestry/Accent - Nicknames - Aesthetic - Other Languages besides English? - Favorite Camp Activity - Relationship/Opinions On/With Godly Parent - Wish/Dream/Goal - Voiceclaims - Other - MBTI - Name To Call You When We Aren’t Roleplaying :]
Example:
Beckett Colins - 13 - unclaimed (HERMES’ SON) - He did have a mom, and they were very close, as they were poor. - Beckett is a short, slim boy with knotted dark brown hair (that’s been dyed a lighter brown, but not fully so it’s kinda spotty) - He’s pretty shaky, he has major trust issues, and he always looks like he’s on the verge of crying. He’s really (mentally) strong though. He doesn’t cry unless other people do. Or he’s hurt. He’s tough even when he’s hurt though. He’s a bit afraid to speak up or ask for help sometimes, since he’s scared someone will tell him off for it. - Luke and Chris are like his adopted dads or something. No but seriously, an older (probably girl to remind him of his mom) in the Hermes cabin, unclaimed or claimed Hermes child, would be his mothefather figure to cope with being unclaimed. - N/A - N/A - he and his mom were very close, living in an overdue with rent apartment in a rundown neighborhood in NYC, but she died of heart failure when he was 8, and left Beckett to fend for himself on the streets of New York City. Thankfully he got food and things from people who felt bad, he had the cute factor of a child. Then he found CHB :] - His mother was heavily German, and could only speak German. He has a thick German accent especially when he speaks the language (it was his first language, as he learned it before English, which he’s still pretty bad at) - Rahh idk - Homeless. Idk streetwear? - He speaks German :) - uhhhhshajajkwkwksmzmk probably like nothing bc he’s pretty useless at everything tbh. - he wishes he could know him. - to be claimed. - Ben Platt (idk lol I was listening to DEH) - Aaauushhshsjjak idk help the poor boy - ISFP - EXAMPLE_NPC
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• STARTER PROMPT ⚠️

So this RP I’m trying something new ! Everyone will have a starter prompt for every oc you roleplay as, just to give a feel of your overall character, you can give a description of what you look like, a dialouge to show how your oc speaks, or anything else that gives you a little tap into what your oc is like !! You may put this in ‘Other’ in your bio templates or not, the choice is yours, and these can also be used as RP starting prompts. You do have to pm me your starter prompt at some point before you begin roleplaying, so I can also make sure you know how to roleplay, and are exp. ‼️PLEASE WRITE THEM IN 2ND PERSON, USING YOU/YOURS PRNS FOR THE READER‼️
Example with Beckett —
.:You watch from across the amphitheater, at a frail, small looking boy, sitting with a few older Hermes boys, chatting and occasionally laughing. The Apollo cabin was leading a song at the moment, by the campfire, as the Ares cabin shot looks at the Athena cabin. All of which was relatively normal. The boy you were staring at caught your gaze. He gave a quick smile and a shy wave, before glancing back to the older boys and laughing a bit. (Not at you,) :.
Examples for each of my oc’s —
ARLO-
— As you tread through the forest you hear a stick snap in the distance, which earns a small squeak from the perpetrator. He’s a seemingly suntanned boy with dirt patches on his arms and face as he turns your direction. His brown eyes gleam amber in the sunlight. Definitely a son of Apollo, you thought as he froze, pondering if he should approach you. A wide grin broke out onto his face. — ` Heeeeyyyy..! What’re you doin’ out here? ` — He tilted his head. He looked around, awkwardly. “Ignore the uh.. mud..” he gave an awkward laugh as he wiped the dry mud and dirt from his arms and cheeks, waiting for your response.—
RUTHIE-
— You move into the back corner of the Forge, carefully trying to dodge sparks from metal, bracing your ears for the loud clangs and excruciating heat from the fires. You settle yourself into a comfortable standing position as you begin to heat up your sword with a blowtorch, grabbing goggles and placing them on your head. You feel a pair of eyes burning into your side, as you turn your gaze to your left and spot a short-haired girl staring at you with a flat expression. She has goggles pushed upwards on top of her head and gloves on as she looked down at your sword, not bothering to make eye contact. —` You’re doing it wrong. ` — She comments dryly. —
RAIYNA-
— you walk up to the big house, therefore Mr D, tiredly. Your cabin mates had been bickering all night and you were about to report it, but instead of the man in a floral Hawaiian shirt as always, it was a younger girl, shuffling a deck of cards with a bored expression on her face. She glanced over at you and cracked a small smile. — ` Thank gods someone’s here to talk to me. I was getting bored out of my mind. ` —She tilted her head at you, you opened your mouth to speak but she cut you off. — ` If you need my dad, he’s uh,, somewhere, I don’t exactly know where, ‘cause all I heard was ‘in charge’ and I stopped listening, ` — It was almost as if she read your mind. — ` I’m Raina, you? ` — The black-haired girl prompted, setting the cards down. —
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• RULES!
• BE KIND!
• You can have up to 4 oc’s, but you can only rp as one at once
• Talk to DogFish if any questions!
• Make sure you’ve read at least the first series
• No power playing
• Perms are needed for everything
• All Camp Half-Blood rules unless given perms from DOGFISH or any other co-host.
  • Example of this: Cabin counselors must do their cabin chores.
• No power playing.
• Cabin counselors can be decided through cabin vote pre-rp
• No killing
• Auditions required for children on the big three. Well, two at this point. (Sorry children of Hades, we still love you <3) [I get that they existed but let’s keep it simple for now.]
• NO CHILDREN OF HADES 😨(sorry again emos)
• No breaking out into song (yes this has been a problem in past roleplays.)
• ANY OTHER RULES ASK DOGFISH TO ADD!!

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• HOW TO ROLEPLAY!

Dialogue-
Dialogue is probably going to be most of what you type later on in the role-play. Dialogue is when a character is talking, either to themselves or to others. You need marks to represent dialogue though… soo- here’s some ideas :)
“Hi!”
‘ . Hi! . ‘
‘ ‘ Hi! ‘ ‘
/ ‘ / ‘ Hi! ‘ \ ‘ \
‘ -_ Hi! _- ‘
‘ ‘ Hi! ‘ ‘
` . Hi! . `
Actions-
At the beginning of every good rp- you use an entire PARAGRAPH of this crap. Oh jeez- every rp I do- I start with a paragraph of some actions or a description of what’s going on around me. Actions are basically everything that isn’t dialogue and thoughts in an rp. That means- “the wind blew softly” is an action in roleplaying. So is- “the floorboards creaked loudly” :) here are some action marks that you can use :D
+Action+
:action:
.:. Action .:.
Action
%^ Action ^%
{ + . Action . + }
[ action ]
Out of roleplay -
Basically talking outside of the role-play :)
ORP //
ORP ))
ORP /
ORP ]]
ORP / /
ORP
EVERYONE NORMALLY HAS A DISTINCTIVE RP STYLE, AND THIS CAN CHANGE! DOGFISH’S CURRENT RP STYLE IS:
` dialouge `
— actions —
/ORP
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• WHERE TO ROLEPLAY!

On the DogFish Roleplay subreddit!
roleplaysbydogfish
There should be a megathread titled Camp Half-Blood.
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• PERSONAL NOTE + COMMUNICATION!

Hi! I’m DogFish! But you can call me Doggo or Dog! (or Fynn if you know me personally). I go by any pronouns and I really enjoy making new friends! Don’t be afraid to ask any questions! Just because I’m a shark, doesn’t mean I bite! I hope you enjoy this new role-play! If you want more roleplay’s like this, check out my subreddit, roleplaysbydogfish and look at one of the other mega threads! Other roleplay’s I have ready, but haven’t publicly hosted yet include:

• Hogwarts (Harry Potter)
• Just A Game
• OC Hunger Games
• Realistic All-Clan RP (Warriors)
• Magic School
• Afterlife (not GB)
• Atlas Laboratories
• Zodiac Signs
• RuinClan & PearlClan (Warriors)
• Soulmate Bows
• Haunted Orphanage
• Great Xendos (‼️CANCELLED‼️)

Sharky Wishes!! 🦈🫂🐾
— DogFish and my whole team !
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• CAMPERS - BY CABIN

Cabin 1 / Zeus -
tbd
Cabin 2 / Hera -
N-A
Cabin 3 / Poseidon -
tbd
Cabin 4 / Demeter -
tbd
Cabin 5 / Ares -
tbd
Cabin 6 / Athena -
tbd
Cabin 7 / Apollo -

• Arlo Pesci - DogFish

tbd
Cabin 8 / Artemis -
N-A
Cabin 9 / Hephaestus -

• Ruthie Hearthstone - DogFish

tbd
Cabin 10 / Aphrodite -

• Valentine Connor - Lola

tbd
Cabin 11 / Hermes -
tbd
Cabin 12 / Dionysus -

• Raiyna Speals - DogFish

tbd
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• BIO TEMPLATES !

Valentine Conner-
15- APHRODITE- the Conners (humans) - A young looking female with brown eyes and light brown hair, she has pale skin and lots of lashes. Her eyes brows are thin and fluffy and is thin. She has freckles on her face and has a height of 5’5 - She is kind,honest (a little too honest,) but can keep secrets, funny, and brave. - (to be made) -(anything dogfish does) - None 🤩 - Nothing dark, just a happy life until her momma made her leave for camp.- German American (like me), with a bit of a German accent. - Val, valentines, tree. - COQUETTE AND DOWNTOWN GIRL 🎀🖤 -she can speak German..- Canoes & sleep.- SHE LOVES HER GODLY MOMMY ❤️- to make a bouquet by the end of camp with mixed flowers, and to get her phone back. - none yet.. - She likes bows and flowers..-(shown in photo)- Lola 🎀
Raiyna Speals -
14 - Cabin 12/Dionysus - mother was a traveling singer and danceentertainer for the renaissance festival, Castor and Pollux which she has a decent relationship with - she has silky black mid-length hair and purple eyes, which she put contacts in when she was younger, since kids would bully her for the fact, she has pale-ish skin that mostly pales in the wintertime, which is why she loves heat. - She’s very sarcastic and has a good sense of humor, while she can be dry sometimes she’s also very good at acting and lying, from her dad. She likes talking. A lot. She’s very good at manipulating people, but she never really uses that ability much. She’s “cold” to people she doesn’t like, and she’s kinda the definition of “I don’t care what anyone thinks”, but she won’t just go frolicking in public screaming Good For You from Dear Evan Hansen at top lung capacity. She’s very dry sometimes, and extremely stubborn. She holds grudges against people, and she thinks first expressions are the most important. She’s a really supportive friend though. She can get quite disrespectful, and believes she shouldn’t have to follow any rules she doesn’t agree with. Overall She’s pretty laidback, unless passionate about a certain topic. - Percy def, uhh, Castor and Pollux, I dunno she likes to stay by herself mostly. Oh yeah, and Grover, they’re gossip buddies - Arlo, APOLLO CABIN KIDS!! - open, probably won’t get one though - miRP - Her mother had polish decent, she’s mostly American though. - Rai-Rai (Mr D.) Rai (Apollo kids) - Dark Academia - She speaks Spanish, French, German, and Italian (not fluently) because she needed to translate some for her mother while traveling. - Archery, she’s like, too good at archery, mostly because her cabin only really had three people in it and she’s convinced her dad to let her practice extra all the time. She also likes doing stuff with the Apollo cabin in general, since their dads are kinda like the two theatre Gods - “I get it, you’re all— without fathers I..” “I’m not. I love my dad.” She loves Dionysus, mostly because he lets her do things other campers can’t, through guilt tripping <3 also cause he teaches her card games, so she can beat her other friends and brag about it. - To make the Gods stop using them as players in their little game, she feels very strongly about defying the Gods,, for some reason. She knows she’ll never succeed, she just wants (mostly for her friends) the gods to actually notice their children. - some form of Janis Ian/Sarkisian - She likes trying to sneak her dad wine, that’s why she’s the favorite child :] - INTJ - DogFish
Arlo Pesci -
17 - Cabin 7/Apollo - his mom was a marine biologist, they had a really close connection. He had a dad (his mom’s husband) before Apollo, who was a nurse, but y’know, after he found out his wife was pregnant with someone random’s child, he divorced her. His stepdad was an ecologist, who worked at a zoo, so he spent most of his childhood at a zoo, now he loves animals. Until his stepdad got a divorce from his mom for money reasons. He’s the middle child of two mortal sisters. His older sister was born from his dad before Apollo, and his younger sister was born from his stepdad. His older sister’s name is Devyn, and his younger sister’s name is Emma - He has curly dirty blonde hair and suntanned skin, with brown/azure eyes that appear orange in the sun. Sometimes he uses hair gel, but he’s mostly given that up, because nobody really cares about what you look like at CHB. He’s often covered in dirt, and sometimes has leaves and twigs caught in his hair. During capture the flag he puts mud on his arms and stuff, and sometimes he creates tiger patterns on himself from the mud :] - He’s very passionate, and mostly happy, but he gets hurt very easily, emotionally. He cries easily as well. It’s a bad habit of his to cry over every little thing. He isn’t very smart, nor was he ever good at school, but he loves the people he surrounds himself with. He’s extremely gullible. Extrovert for sure. - WWIIILLLLL<3333 - uhh, Raiyna, OPEN!! GIVE THIS BOY FRIENDS! - 💍who’s gonna take this - sort of explained in family - his mom was American, with some unknown European ancestors. He’s caucasian. - Songbird/Sunshine (ship) - PrismCore - he’s not very good at that memory thing, probably not, - archery, as any Apollo child, that’s where he met Raiyna ! - he just wishes he could give his dad a big hug, let the boy hug his dad :[ - he wants everyone around him to be happy - Will Connelly or Jake Ryan Flynn - he’s an overachiever :( OH YEAH, HE PLAYS THE UKULELE, AND BASS GUITAR ! - ESFJ - DogFish :]
Ruthie Hearthstone -
16 - Hephaestus - she has her mom and stepdad back home, they’re inventors, - She’s a pale brunette with red streaks in her short hair. She doesn’t wear glasses, although she needs them. She has short sight. Speaking of her vision, she has hazel doe eyes and bruises/cuts on her arm from her machinery. - She’s very.. pre-season 1 Twilight Sparkle. Like, think smart (she wishes she was an Athena kid) but very socially withdrawn, she doesn’t like interaction but what she does like? Being alone with her inventions and metalwork in the forge or cabin 9 (again, pjo, not hoo.) - nobody. - nobody. - be my only friend whoever’s gonna be this girly’s ship. She may be an awkward introvert but she’ll try to give you science pickup lines and she’ll be wholesome to u :] - rrraaahhhhh uhh.. yeah um.. no? She’s just always been like this, her parents want her to be “normal” and socialize buttt? She disagrees. She ran away (AnnabethCore🤩) - America. RAAAHHH 🦅🦅🦅 - Ru / Ruth. She hates when people call her Ruth, because they assume it’s her real name, when Ruthie is what she was born with. - Academia in general - she speaks French and Russian, she learned Russian for fun and French for school. - Staying in her cabin and making stuff. - She doesn’t really care, though she’d like it if she was a child of Athena. - To be actually seen as not just this weird genius girl and for a person to be accepting of her humor and real personality. - Analise Scarpaci - She doesn’t have that cool fire power or whatever, she wishes she did though (she wishes she could be better a lot, she’s actually really insecure.) - INFP - DogFish

It’s been a month since I’ve been able to retrieve my prescription. I’ve never had lamictal but my insurance won’t cover the starter pack, they said they would, came back & the pharmacy said they wouldn’t, I’ve been going through the run around and my psychiatrist hasn’t answered me or the pharmacy even though we’ve called several times to change the script as a written out titration instead of the starter pack.
If the psych doesn’t come through tomorrow after all of this time, is there a way for me to get it anyways even if my insurance doesn’t cover it? Like pay out of pocket but not full price 😬
This is totally unfair it’s been this long and I’m doing everyone’s job, doing all the foot work and nothing is coming out of it it’s actually making me so unwell hence is why I need the medication and she was aware of my suicidal ideations yet is lazy and won’t answer the phone/fix my script so I can pick it up. I’m sick of how careless some people can be, it’s so disheartening and I’m struggling big time. 😔🤦‍♀️
On another note, any success stories with lamictal? I have no energy right now no motivation I’m unstable to put it lightly I’m all over the place as most of us are with bp2
Edit* This has been such a shitty road. They are open today on a Saturday till 2 I called and told them again I need this situation fixed didn’t do anything and neither did the pharmacy. I think this is why people off themselves cause these drs and pharmacies SUCK!!!

I've been out of Battletech for a little while, and was planning on getting back into it. After watching some videos, I figured that the A Game of Armored Combat box was probably the best place to start (I think the introductory box may be a little too basic for what I'm looking for.) Besides a stack of TROs from the FASA and FanPro eras, the only sourcebook I have from when I used to play is Total Warfare (the Catalyst orange book with the Battlemaster on the front, not the newer version with the Atlas).
My question is what books am I going to be needing? I don't know how in-depth the AGoAC's Rulebook goes, and I couldn't find an analogous book outside of the boxed set. I figure that since my Total Warfare book is from 2007ish, it probably is a wee bit out of date and might need replacing. My biggest concern is going out, buying a box of mechs and then finding out that they have gear I don't have the rules for. I'm going to start playing in the 3025ish era, but eventually, I want to move to the clan invasion. The friend I'm splitting the starter box with is really interested in Clan Wolf, and I like ComStar, so I'm hoping to do a Tukayyid campaign at some point.