This is my 8th year teaching. I teach 9th grade Algebra 1. If you’re like me, you constantly have students asking if we can have a “free day”. And, again, if you’re like me, you’re wondering why students in the past few years all of a sudden have the idea that “free days” are a thing…. Like we don’t have nearly enough time to get through all this content guys, especially if we just take a “free day” whenever we feel like it.
Well here’s the deal. Next week is the last week before spring break and we have Friday off. We have a block schedule, so next week I teach even classes on Monday/Wednesday and odd classes Tuesday/Thursday, all Algebra 1. Usually the blocks are odds tues/thurs and evens wed/fri, with all classes on Mondays, but due to the holiday on Friday the “all classes” Monday becomes an even block day instead.
I already have to take Thursday off for a different reason, so there was gonna be kind of an extra day on Wednesday where I don’t want to introduce new content that Thursday’s classes won’t get, so basically I’d have students do the sub work that day but I’ll just be there instead of the sub.
Well, this morning the wifi was out for the entire district. I’m getting class going for my period 2 block and realizing that it’s not going to be ideal since a can’t project slides or even print the practice problems that I usually post to Google classroom. After 20 min, still no wifi and our principal just said “there is no estimate for when it will return”. Since I have my even blocks on Monday anyway, I realize I can just teach this lesson on Monday and then I won’t have a weird extra day where students will be working on sub work with me instead.
I think to myself for like 20 seconds, and kids are kind of on the edge of their seats, when I say…. “How would you guys feel about a free day?” They all rejoice.
I pulled out the board games and the ping pong paddles with makeshift nets I keep in my room and we played games and chilled for an hour. The wifi didn’t come back until the beginning of the next block, but we still had a free day with that class too, which they appreciated even more since they’re the ones who, now ritualistically as a joke, ask every day if we can have a free day. My one rule was that we had to play a game as a whole class first, so we played technology-less Pictionary for 45 minutes.
It was a great day precisely because the stars aligned and it made sense, but it was a treat. Students know I don’t budge on having “free-days” willy-nilly, and they know they won’t be getting another one now that I know how to use my phone as a hotspot lol. So I apologize. Next time your students ask “can we have a free day???” blame me for giving them a taste of that possibility.

He was hosting some pictionary game show and looks really happy for a guy who’s wedding is on the rocks right now.

My former neighbor (Bee 28f) and I share a friend (Elle 30f) who recently got married. We all used to live in the same vicinity but only started getting close post-covid and after everyone had to move out for pandemic safety due to us being located in a city. Bee and I have gotten pretty close since then, traveling together once a year. This included Elle up until two years ago.
In 2022, Bee and I flew over to visit Elle (and her younger sister Mimi 28f + other friends in the area), who we were staying with. I'm also pretty close to Mimi but she isn't close to Bee. One night, we were all at Mimi and her girlfriend's place and decided to play pictionary while high. However, Elle was really tired and decided to dip out early. I thought Bee would be going back with her but she stayed despite not knowing Mimi and the gf long. This made me and our hosts pretty uncomfortable because she stuck to me all night and cracked jokes about how ugly our drawings were turning out. I don't think they were meant to be malicious but Mimi mentioned afterwards she definitely felt like Bee overstepped her boundaries bc they barely know each other. Before I go further let me say that Bee is a good person - like a REALLY good person. She's very empathetic, morally upstanding and always available to help when someone is in need.
I usually love sarcastic shit eating humor but Bee started jokingly to give Elle's now husband crap for not knowing facts about his favorite movie right and also (jokingly) judged him for his taste in rock music bc she loves Kiss and he didn't. That was her brand of humor the entire trip. This can get a bit irritating at times even for me as she's critiqued me for my sleep schedule (I'm a freelancer) or my dedication if I don't want to catch up to a book/manga as fast as her.
The next day we all went for dinner with Mimi and her gf, where Bee once again openly criticized the food for not being as good as where she's from. She said several times she was joking but Mimi ended up faking sick and leaving the restaurant because she was done. Since then, Elle has been speaking less to Bee, to which she has expressed her frustration to me. But Elle specifically asked me to keep quiet as she told me she wanted to have a heart to heart with Bee herself. Well...she got married and it hasn't happened yet.
They're both adults so I figured I was a third party and I'd let them figure it out amongst themselves but after coming back from the wedding I feel complicit in some mean girls-esque you can't sit with us shit. Apparently, other friends have slowly disappeared like this from Bee's in the past so she has a huge affliction to it and gets completely defensive even when a friend wants to disconnect for themselves for a bit. At this point, I don't know if Elle will ever actually speak to Bee again. NGL I'm feeling pretty damn stupid for going to that wedding now.
AITA?

Hey guys, I am very new to the concepts of the whole spring framework and also to web development. I am a college student so I don't really have much programming experience tbh. So pardon me if this question sounds naive or maybe even dumb.
Me and my friends wanted to build a pictionary game using react as front end and spring boot as our backend. We started learning bits and pieces about spring boot and got a bit familiar with the MVC design pattern. But I am still not clear about the MVC design pattern and how it ties into a typical spring project with some standard layers i.e. controller layer, service layer, repository layer.
Also we tried implementing the whole logic of the game in service layer in our pictionary application by writing functions as runOneTurn() and updateScores() and such. So now things such as which player's turn is it and stuff is maintained in the object instances in the service layer. We now had to see how we could take the input that a user enters into the front-end and pass it onto the service layer. We thought that we'd pass the input (for e.g. text input) to the appropriate controller endpoint and then controller would pass it onto the service layer which would count the score of that player and update it in the database and send the score back to the front-end to update it on the screen. But we were unable to figure out how to send the input that we received at controller endpoint to the service layer instance of the required class. I would really appreciate some help.

Anyone else with this problem? For example, Im playing pictionary with a group and I exclaim someone's drawing is jacked. At a wedding guys suit was incredibly wrinkled and I said it was jacked up.
No one has any idea what I'm talking about

Friendship is one of the most precious gifts of life. It's a feeling of love, sharing and caring, feeling that someone understands and appreciates you for what you are. Good friends are like pillars —- they help you stand tall. It's not about how often you meet your friends it's about how much you care during the good times as well as the bad times.
In this edition, I'd like to introduce my friend, the heartthrob of millions of women and the envy of men —- the one and only, Salman Khan!
Salman and I have known each other since our school days. He was in the all-boys school opposite mine. I still remember him as the kid who had a silver 'BMX' cycle in the late '70s, which was a pretty cool thing those days. We would always cross each other's paths while going to school, but we finally got talking only during the SSC exams. We bonded over the infamous exam paper leaks that happened at night (of course we realised soon enough that the examination papers were fake and didn't help us at all!). After class X, we ended up going to the same college —- Elphinstone. I still remember those lazy, hazy days when we used to sit in front of each other in class during the exams since our initials were both 'S.K.' and Salman would be asleep in the first hour during the exams because he had to wait for me to finish writing my supplement of eight pages —- which he would take from me. I can't help but smile when I recall those auto rides to the station, the 9.36 BadaFast as it was called, which was the non-stop train from Bandra to Churchgate. You know, everyone who is someone today was on that train.
I went on to complete my graduation, but Salman dropped out after the second year. I got a job as a flight attendant with Saudi Airlines and had to train in Jeddah. However, the decision to join proved disastrous for me —- I hated it so much that I resigned on the first day of training and took the next flight back to Mumbai. Having given up a lucrative salary and with no form of employment, I was in a depression. Arbaaz (Salman's brother) who was a friend of mine suggested that he and I join Mazhar Khan as assistant directors on a new film titled 'Gang'. We started as rookies, but luck ran out and the film got stuck for financial reasons. Once again we were back to square one —- unemployed and frustrated!
We would hang around without jobs all day and that's when Salman —- who had started filming with Sooraj Barjatya for his debut film, suggested that I become his costume designer. Me! And even though I didn't know the ABC of designing, I took up the offer because Salman assured me that it would be a cakewalk. Maine Pyar Kiya was a humungous hit —- a star was born and I was baptised as a costume designer by the film industry.
Salman and I would spend most of our time together at shoots, at their fabulous farm house in Panvel, hanging about in each other's homes or just chilling on Bandstand in the evenings. Salman used to have an old, red, open dilapidated car that he would drive around Bandstand to impress the girls. And the funniest thing was that whenever a pretty young thing would walk past, his car would breakdown!
You know the biggest irony? We would often sit on a green, grassy patch outside a bungalow. That bungalow today is Mannat —- Shah Rukh's house and this was in the days SRK hadn't even come from Delhi to Mumbai!
During those days there was a very cool club called the Playmate Club at the Sea Rock hotel which we were all members of. Rekhaji, who was a superstar then, would conduct aerobic classes at the Mind and Body Temple in that club. Salman would come to class only to check Rekhaji out in her leotards and leg warmers! It was also at this club that Salman taught me how to swim —- even though I was petrified of water —- by throwing me into the pool! Every Sunday was spent swimming, followed by the buffet brunch.
By 1990, Salman had become the heartthrob of millions of girls. Every film of his was a huge success. The world tours and foreign outdoor location shoots were unreal —- we travelled all over the world. London was where we always had a blast. Shooting by day, partying by night, sleeping for just a few hours and then back on the sets, feeling sick and groggy… Now I wonder how we got all that energy. Today I need a whole day to recover from a night of partying! I remember this one time, we were in London shooting for Jaanam Samjha Karo and we went to a club that had a strict dress code comprising formals. Salman wasn't wearing a jacket that night and they refused to let him in. Salman being Salman just ran across to Planet Hollywood, the only store open at that unearthly hour and bought a really expensive leather jacket, wore it and was allowed inside the club! The story doesn't end here. As soon as Salman entered the club he took the jacket off, handed it over to the bouncer who'd refused him entry and said, "Keep it!" I still remember the look on the bouncer's face!
I learnt so much from Salman, he taught me the nuances of designing. I would get loads of compliments for his look in the films he acted in —- be it his red lace shirt in Khamoshi, his open red jacket with dhoti pants in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam or his bright coloured jeans in Judwa. Actually for me it was extremely easy, because anything and everything looked good on him.
From him I learnt the meaning of being large-hearted. After every outdoor shoot he would take the unit to any one store and buy them whatever they wanted. Once in Mauritius, the unit ended up emptying the store of its stocks!
I used to be in Galaxy Apartments (Salman's home) all the time. It is one of the most endearing homes ever. The front door is never ever locked. It's open 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year. You can walk in without ringing the doorbell and you'll always be welcome. Salim uncle and Salma aunty are two of the warmest souls you could ever meet and I am so fortunate to have them in my life.
But stardom always comes with a price and life throws unexpected curveballs your way. Salman soon started going through a low phase in his career and his films began to flop. It was at this time that Shah Rukh Khan came to Mumbai to make a career in films after dabbling in television, and I met Gauri at a fashion show on the third day of their arrival. Soon Shah Rukh and Gauri started hanging out at Galaxy playing Pictionary, which was the rage in those days. Sometimes we would drive around town in Salman's white Gypsy. It may sound unbelievable now, but we went in that very Gypsy to watch the first show of SRK's film Deewana. Those were the days of simpler friendships.
Salman in the meantime was still struggling with his downswing and didn't know how to bounce back. Then came a film called Karan Arjun —- this film marked the era of body-hugging tees and toned bodies. Salman worked on his physique and I made him wear tee shirts that were for five-year-olds! The formula worked and he was back on top again. This time he made the transition from lover boy to action hero. I received many compliments for his looks —- Salman was back with a bang!
As time went by we grew very, very close —- I was his only confidante. However, after 15 years of professional togetherness and a deep friendship, we started to have loads of differences. Sadly, one day we had a huge fight as a result of which we didn't speak to each other for almost five years. Around this time I was down in the dumps, doing small jobs for television. I was also going through a rough time financially. But then just like that —- from nowhere —- Ajay Devgan and Shahid Kapoor asked me to design for them and I pulled myself out of the slump I was in. But life had bigger challenges in store for me. My father suffered a major heart attack and I was devastated. I still remember vividly how Salman was the first person to land up at Lilavati Hospital. He called the doctors and took charge of the situation completely. That's Salman and that's what makes him so special. After that we spoke casually whenever we met even though I don't frequent Galaxy anymore.
However, I have a deep bond with his entire family which will never break. Even though Salman and I were going through our ego battles, I continued meeting Arbaaz and Sohail and attended both their weddings. Today, Arbaaz, Malaika, Seema and Sohail are amongst my closest friends and I frequent their homes all the time.
When I got into production and made Rowdy Rathore, the first two people who came to see my movie after Akshay and I saw it were Salim uncle and Salma aunty. I had a special screening for the entire family and they were so happy for me. Salma aunty couldn't believe that I had done all this on my own. I remember sending Salman an emotional message one day before the release thanking him for having introduced me to the film industry. A few days later I bumped into him and he congratulated me warmly on the success of my film.
Love and affection in a friendship must be mutual if the friendship is to exist. I know that things are not the same between us, but I also know that this feeling of love and affection is real. I know that he will always think kindly of me and that he will always be there if I needed him. I can honestly write a whole book on him as I literally grew up with him —- my best memories are with him.
Today, I raise a toast to the biggest superstar in my life —- my friend Salman Khan and I hope and pray that success, happiness and good health remain his companions always.

Past few years, when our kids are done with their homeschool studies, we've jetted somewhere for a good week long vacation. We've done WDW with 2 kids in 2013, 3 kids in 2014, and 4 kids in 2018. 2019 we did a "California Adventure", with a few days in LA and a day at Disneyland, and then a NorCal stint to visit family. 2021 we jetted down and did a few days in Clearwater, and then Legoland, and then re-visited Legoland and Universal in December that year. We decided on WDW for 2023 mostly because all the shows were reopened - and we hate trying to battle lines and people the entire time. Didn't do a of reading up on this trip, other than for Genie+.
Couple of things we did differently than on other WDW trips:
1) We made the decision to stay off-site and rent a car. We have done a ton of traveling in the last few years, and my side consulting hustle has exploded in demand in the last couple years as well. Sleeping 6 at a WDW property is not cheap, and we typically only use the room to sleep, not to lounge and relax in during the day. In previous years, we were sort of frustrated with WDW transportation as well. Our previous stays were at Pop Century and Caribbean Beach, which typically had long wait times for transportation both to and from the parks, and the bus stops felt like the furthest away from the park entrance.
2) This would be the first trip we've made without a stroller. In our 2019 Disneyland day, that was done on a whim and we didn't bring a stroller with us, and decided not to rent one for the day and see how it went.
Our typical strategy for keeping things affordable and maximizing our time is to be at the park at rope drop, and then eating one meal that we kept in our backpacks, and another meal in the park. My kids rage in age from 14 down to 7. We decided in advance to do Genie+ for every single day other than our last day.
May 14 - Travel Day
We took a new airline out of our city, Avelo. Total cost with checked bags ended up being about $110 round trip per person. Airport is about 5 minutes from our house, and we breezed through TSA not only because we had precheck, but it's a small airport, so there was about 2 people in front of us when we got to security. We boarded early and took off early because everyone was checked in at around 6:15pm. Arrived in MCO 30 minutes ahead of schedule, picked up our Turo rental, and headed to the Home2 suites we booked on points near the outlet mall and the south I-Drive corridor. Headed to Walmart to pick various grocery items needed for the week. Avelo really was great, and we walked in not expecting much, but the service was really friendly, and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.
May 15 - Epcot
We originally scheduled to do Epcot first because we didn't think we'd get in on time with the budget airline, or be able to breeze through check-in at the hotel. Originally, we thought we'd be getting groceries and entering the park closer to 10-11a, but instead, we were able to rope drop the park. We got boarding group 16 for Guardians, so we walked there first. Guardians is easily one of the best themed roller coasters I've ever been on 10/10. Enjoyed the entire thing from the standby line to the ride itself. Went and did Mission: Space, made me a little motion sick, my oldest daughter sat out with claustrophobic feelings. Our lightning lane for Remy was right after we got off Guardians, so we booked it back to France to do that. Again, fantastic ride, loved the new ride tech they're using now. Then we double backed to Canada and decided to do the family friendly "eat around the world", so we got a small poutine to share, and watched Far and Wide. Stopped in the UK to visit Mary Poppins for a quick second, got some chips, and then headed back to France for a crepe, and we watched the Beauty and the Beast sing-along. Stopped in Morocco for a kebab, and then got some teriyaki chicken in Japan. Headed to the US section, listened to the choral group, and sat through the animatronic show - and fell asleep a few times. Celebrated with a funnel cake. Then headed to Italy for some gelato, got a pretzel in Germany, and then our lightning lane was good for Frozen. Finished that, got some kind of dessert roll from Norway, and then went to the China pavilion for potstickers, meeting Mulan, and the 360 movie. Went into Mexico, rode the 3 caballeros, and concluded with some tacos and churros. Headed over to the Seas to do the Nemo ride, Turtle Talk, let the kids look at the fish, then went over to Soarin'. We were getting pretty tired at that point, so we scouted a spot outside of the Canada pavilion and sat down for about an hour. Got some glow stuff out that we brought with us, and let the kids do mad-libs and DIY pictionary for the balance of the time. Watched the fireworks and headed back to the hotel. Just over 9 miles of walking that day.
May 16 - Magic Kingdom
Woke up early, got group 36 for Tron, and booked a lightning lane for Peter Pan's flight. Ended up buying an ILL for Mine Train, and rope dropped Space Mountain at the last second - original plan was to rope drop Mine Train, but the ride was down early, so we had to change up our plan. By then my oldest daughter was having a slight anxiety attack over the change, so we did a time-out and did the carousel of progress to hopefully give her a little time to reset. That did not work, and she had a full on anxiety attack as we were entering the virtual queue for Tron. I ended up jumping out of line with her to sit with her, and get her hydrated and some food in her. That helped, and we waited for the rest of the family to finish. Once they were off, they all headed to Laugh Floor, while I went through the Tron line solo. As a lot of other people have commented, the theming for the ride was really well done, but I felt the ride itself was a disappointment because it was too short. I met everyone for our LL for Peter Pan. Walked across to It's a Small World, and then watched Philharmagic. Did a standby line for Enchanted Tales, and then our ILL for Mine Train was next. From there, we did a LL for the Ariel meet & greet, and then rode the Little Mermaid ride in the standby line. Rode the train over to Adventure Land, rode Big Thunder on LL, and then headed over to Magic Carpets, and then the Tiki Room. Got a LL for Pirates. Ate dinner at Pecos Bill's. Walked towards Tomorrowland via Haunted Mansion, then hit the teacups, and then divided and conquered as I took my older kids back to the Laugh Floor, while my younger ones did the speedway. By then our LL for Jungle Cruise was active, so we did that and then went over to Mine Train to walk on it twice while the fireworks were going. Closed out the day heading over to Winnie the Pooh, sat and let the throng of people go down a bit, and headed out of the park around 10:45. Around 11 miles walking total for the day.
May 17 - Hollywood Studios
Another early day. Got a LL for Slinky Dog, and rope dropped Rise, waited about 30 minutes total. Amazing experience all around. Walked up to Toy Story land and did swirling saucers, and then the LL for Slinky Dog. Got a LL for Toy Story Mania, but the track went down for maintenance as we were about to get on (more on that later). Decided to use the freebie LL for Smuggler's Run. Again, amazing experience. Took a break for lunch and blue milk. Went to the Frozen Sing-along, where my daughter decided to yell "puddle", got a LL for Runaway Railway and then went over to Star Tours, and then MuppetVision. By then we realized that technically we used our LL for Toy Story Mania, but never got on the ride, so we visited customer relations, and explained the situation, and they tossed a Toy Story Mania LL back on our party's plan. We took an ice cream break, and headed over to the Indiana Jones show. My wife wanted to do the Edna meet and greet, so we did that, and then finally got on Toy Story Mania. Most of my family concluded the day with dinner at Woody's Lunchbox, and one more trip on Smuggler's Run. One of my older daughters stuck with me in the park until about 9:15 jumping between Rise, Smuggler's, bounty hunting, and Toy Story mania. Another 11 miles walking for the day.
May 18 - Hollywood Studios (Day 2)
Rope dropped Slinky Dog on this day, hopped over to Toy Story Mania, and then went back to Slinky Dog. Swirling saucers, and then TSM again. Took a AC break in the Walt Disney movie, and then went over to the BB8 and Darth Vader meets. Then walked back over to Star Tours, and Smuggler's Run before having lunch at Mama Melrose's. Then did the Beauty and the Beast show, and then the Lightning McQueen racing school show. Had a LL for Runaway Railway, so walked back to the main portion of the park. By then, we wanted to kill time for a little bit, so we exited, and took the skyliner to Epcot and then came back to Hollywood Studios. Re-entered, did Star Tours, and then walked onto Rise. Then walked onto Smuggler's Run and was told that we got a top score by the cast member (didn't get a picture of the score). By then weather was a concern, so we went out and watched the projection show in the rain, rode Runaway Railway again, and then took an ice cream break while Fantasmic was cancelled for the first show, and then waited until about 10:15p until they called the 10:30p show. 10 miles of walking.
May 19 - Magic Kingdom (Day 2)
With all the rope dropping, we opted for a late start on this day. Booked a LL for Peter Pan's flight, and then got into the park around 10:15a, and headed back there. Did It's a Small World right after. Opted to go back onto Little Mermaid, and then got a LL for the FoF parade and had lunch, so we didn't have to fight for seats. Went back to Philharmagic, then did Big Thunder. Took the train over to the splash pad, rode Tron, and then walked to Pinocchio Village Haus for dinner. After that, we did our LL for Jungle Cruise, and then camped out for the fireworks while a subset of kids and my wife went on Space Mountain. Watched the fireworks and headed out. 7.6 miles walked.
May 20 - Animal Kingdom
We never have done either Avatar ride, so we rope dropped Flights (also amazing), and then Navi River. Walked up to Africa for the Lion King show - one of our favorites, and then a LL for the Safari, also one of our favorites. Walked the gorilla trek halfway before we were turned around for work being done. Most of the family went on Kali River Rapids, while I waited, and then we did Everest twice. Took a break for lunch, and then went to the Nemo show, another one of our favorites. Walked back to Africa for one more safari, then called it a day with dinner at Flame Tree BBQ. Went back to the hotel to do laundry and swimming. Ended up taking one of our kids to Disney Springs to hit World of Disney to pick up something that she was eying. 10 miles walked.
May 21 - Epcot (Day 1.5)
Checked out of our hotel, rope dropped Soarin, and then headed to the Seas for Turtle Talk x2, and some fish watching. Did the Joy and Vanellope meets, and then had lunch at Connections before heading out to MCO. My wife did a couple loops of World Showcase buying up some Christmas ornaments for the tree. 5 miles walked.
Overall thoughts
We had a pretty ambitious schedule, and no real huge hiccups. All of our kids really did well and there was minimal complaining about the heat after day 3. Parks were not very busy, and felt dead at times. Confirmed with many CM's that it was very slow that week - Star Wars land was almost a ghost town after 6pm both days we were there. Genie+ really enabled us to make more use of our time, and we got a ton of value for it. However, the ability to NOT be able to select a time further out in the future caused a lot of unnecessary walking and juggling of return times. We often would book one farther out in the future and hit low standby line time rides, but then once we got the first two out of our way, we would just book one and use it pretty much right away. In a way, the system is a lot more fair, and is closer to the MaxPass that Disneyland had when we visited, but we wish we could have the same Genie+ rules apply, but schedule a return time further ahead in the day. We would end up using it on rides that really didn't need LL, just to push our time forward for a ride that you wanted to use LL for that wasn't offering a return time that worked with what we were planning. The regular genie "service" was a joke and we never used it. For a family that has always used Disney on-site transportation, we were shocked at how much time was saved by driving our own vehicle. And by being in the park early, we got great spots and could be in our car about 5 minutes after leaving the park.
Animal Kingdom was by far the most disappointing park. The theming of each area is always been great, but we felt that there wasn't much there to tie it all together anymore. Park needs a ton of work to become magical. We even felt the rewrites of the Nemo show really actually hurt the show than helped it. The characters on the motor boats was laughable. Always felt that the park was very heavy-handed with the environmental message, but it just felt over the top now.
The rest of the parks were great. We didn't encounter any visitors that were giving CM's grief or generally being stupid, and we made sure to give plenty of kindness to the CM's who often get the short end of the stick. Felt really bad for the Kidcot CM for England who lost her voice, but still engaged with us the best she could, and appreciated us telling her to feel better soon. Had a really poor experience with many of the CM's from France, they were particularly rude and were disengaged. Told my wife maybe that's part of the theming of the French being rude to Americans, but I felt it was unnecessary. Our waitress at Mama Melrose's was absolutely a gem, made sure to keep us hydrated to stay out of heat exhaustion trouble, and brought me a kid's dessert since most everyone else at the table had a kid dessert as well.

tonight was my hen party. I was having fun until my fiancées aunt told me I need to let go and come out on the town. I said it's not my scene and we had something planned. we had food, which none of the people from his side ate, then we left and my plan was to return to our hotel where we could stay in the bar where its a bit quieter and we could play silly games that my bridesmaids had bought like pictionary and charades. every one from his side left. they wanted to go to some other pub or club or something.
my hen party ended with me in my room crying and worrying about my wedding day since his family can't seem to just accept me for who I am and insist on trying to force me into their mould. and honestly I'm not even sure I can live like that for the rest of my life. I love my fiancee and my heart is breaking.

tonight was my hen party. I was having fun until my fiancées aunt told me I need to let go and come out on the town. I said it's not my scene and we had something planned. we had food, which none of the people from his side ate, then we left and my plan was to return to our hotel where we could stay in the bar where its a bit quieter and we could play silly games that my bridesmaids had bought like pictionary and charades. every one from his side left. they wanted to go to some other pub or club or something.
my hen party ended with me in my room crying and worrying about my wedding day since his family can't seem to just accept me for who I am and insist on trying to force me into their mould. and honestly I'm not even sure I can live like that for the rest of my life. I love my fiancee and my heart is breaking.

tonight was my hen party. I was having fun until my fiancées aunt told me I need to let go and come out on the town. I said it's not my scene and we had something planned. we had food, which none of the people from his side ate, then we left and my plan was to return to our hotel where we could stay in the bar where its a bit quieter and we could play silly games that my bridesmaids had bought like pictionary and charades. every one from his side left. they wanted to go to some other pub or club or something.
my hen party ended with me in my room crying and worrying about my wedding day since his family can't seem to just accept me for who I am and insist on trying to force me into their mould. and honestly I'm not even sure I can live like that for the rest of my life. I love my fiancee and my heart is breaking.

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. In HBO’s “The Rehearsal,” Nathan Fielder ended up creating one of the most polarizing series on TV when he set out to broadcast a morally precarious social experiment in which he helped prepare willing participants for certain moments in their life by rehearsing them over and over and over again. With the help of paid actors and elaborately designed sets, he acted the part of a master manipulator who was able to convince a rotating cast of real people that one could perfect any future interaction they might have with enough preparation. Fielder’s dry humor in “The Rehearsal” is of the same breed we saw in his previous Comedy Central show “Nathan for You,” if not a bit more sardonic — and for all the people that hate him for it is a legion of fans who have became obsessed with his genius satire, out-of-the-box thinking and “hot dad vibes.” If you are of the latter camp, then a Nathan Fielder Halloween costume might have already crossed your mind. And the best part about it? All you need is one prop that anyone who saw the HBO series will recognize (and it’s one you can actually make use of all year round). While rehearsing his scenes with the participants, Fielder was never without his handy laptop harness, which he buckled around his waist so he could type and direct orders while pacing around the set. Dressing up as Fielder for Halloween? Strap on this laptop harness and pair it with a grey crewneck sweater for a can’t-go-wrong costume this year.
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Start off Spring with exercise, home-cooked meals, and game nights.
Sunday 9am, Discovery Park Walking Group
Sunday 4:30pm, Basketball @ Caroline Wentzel or Tennis
Monday 6pm, Cooking classes at 868 Florin Rd. in Greenhaven
Tuesday 6pm, Mental Health Support Group on Zoom
Saturday 11:00 Lunch Cooking Class
Saturday 5pm, Potluck Game Night at 868 Florin Rd. in Greenhaven
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Come join us for weekly Saturdays Potluck Game Days at 5 pm. Health precautions will be taken and you must be vaccinated. Please show a photo of your vaccination card at the door. Limited to 8 attendees. Several of my friends usually come.
There will be a wide variety of games available such as Poker, Cranium, Taboo, Charades, Gestures, Pictionary, Clue, Rummikub, Exploding Kittens, Chinese Checkers, Apples to Apples, Telestrations, Code Names, and Catch Phrase.
Please bring a main dish to the potluck. There are already people signed up for drinks and dessert. Please update your RSVP asap if you are unable to attend or running late. We like to eat when everyone arrives.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Join me and vaccinated attendees every Sunday at 9am for a 1.5 hour, 3.5 mile walk around Discovery Park and the river levee.
Meet at the corner of Natomas Park Dr. and Capital Park Dr. off Garden highway at 9am and we then will walk into Discovery park together. There is free parking there. If you decide to park inside Discovery Park, please put $5 into the provided envelope at the kiosk and meet us at the kiosk at 9:15.
DO NOT GPS TO DISCOVERY PARK, Instead take Interstate 5, exit Garden, go east then turn left on the FIRST traffic light called Natomas Park and then right on Capital Park Drive. Park your car and meet us at the stop sign. Come 5 minutes early if you are not familiar with the area.
Please call me at 916-879-1141 if you are running late.
You can GPS to 2205 Natomas Park Dr. to our meeting spot also.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Come and partake in a healthy, homemade dinner made by your fellow meetup members at 7pm. Enjoy a 6-item meal and make new friends! The Asian Cooking Class begins at 6pm.
Meal includes: protein main dish vegetable stir-fry another vegetable dish jasmine rice Asian Drink Dessert
Limited to 6 vaccinated participants (Show photo of vax card at the door)
The $15 donation includes 6-item meals. Seafood meals and special desserts are $20. This needs to be paid in advance. My Venmo id is @Lina-Lee-20, smiling4lina@gmail.com, and my phone number is 916-879-1141. After you Venmo me, please RSVP by text to secure your spot. This donation helps decrease the number of flakes and no-shows, pay for groceries, and plan for a successful event. All classes take place even if there are only 2 RSVPs because I have several friends that join us.
This meetup is based on Shasta Nelson's Book, 'Friendships Don't Just Happen!: The Guide to Creating a Meaningful Circle of Friends'. There will be a time of sharing during dinner and the opportunity for friends to see each other more consistently.
Weds, Mar 30 6pm - Lina's Famous Chicken Drumsticks, Napa Cabbage, and Cauliflower
Mon, April 4, 6pm - Thai Pineapple Spam Fried Rice, Zucchini, and Green Beans
Mon, April 11, 6pm - Tofu with Pork, Bell Peppers, and Cucumber Salad
Sat, April 16, 11am - Thai Chicken Yellow Curry, Bok Choy, and Eggplant
Weds, April 20 - Making Wonton Soup, Bean Sprouts, and Cucumber Salad
Sat, April 30, 11am - Chicken Lo Mein, Asparagus, and Cauliflower
Sat, May 21,11am - Tilapia with Black Beans, Asparagus, and Cucumber Salad
For a complete list, text me at 916-879-1141 email me at smiling4lina@gmail.com.
Which ones sound interesting to you?

Start off Spring with exercise, home-cooked meals, and game nights.
Sunday 9am, Discovery Park Walking Group
Sunday 4:30pm, Basketball @ Caroline Wentzel or Tennis
Monday 6pm, Cooking classes at 868 Florin Rd. in Greenhaven
Tuesday 6pm, Mental Health Support Group on Zoom
Saturday 11:00 Lunch Cooking Class
Saturday 5pm, Potluck Game Night at 868 Florin Rd. in Greenhaven
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Come join us for weekly Saturdays Potluck Game Days at 5 pm. Health precautions will be taken and you must be vaccinated. Please show a photo of your vaccination card at the door. Limited to 8 attendees. Several of my friends usually come.
There will be a wide variety of games available such as Poker, Cranium, Taboo, Charades, Gestures, Pictionary, Clue, Rummikub, Exploding Kittens, Chinese Checkers, Apples to Apples, Telestrations, Code Names, and Catch Phrase.
Please bring a main dish to the potluck. There are already people signed up for drinks and dessert. Please update your RSVP asap if you are unable to attend or running late. We like to eat when everyone arrives.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Join me and vaccinated attendees every Sunday at 9am for a 1.5 hour, 3.5 mile walk around Discovery Park and the river levee.
Meet at the corner of Natomas Park Dr. and Capital Park Dr. off Garden highway at 9am and we then will walk into Discovery park together. There is free parking there. If you decide to park inside Discovery Park, please put $5 into the provided envelope at the kiosk and meet us at the kiosk at 9:15.
DO NOT GPS TO DISCOVERY PARK, Instead take Interstate 5, exit Garden, go east then turn left on the FIRST traffic light called Natomas Park and then right on Capital Park Drive. Park your car and meet us at the stop sign. Come 5 minutes early if you are not familiar with the area.
Please call me at 916-879-1141 if you are running late.
You can GPS to 2205 Natomas Park Dr. to our meeting spot also.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Come and partake in a healthy, homemade dinner made by your fellow meetup members at 7pm. Enjoy a 6-item meal and make new friends! The Asian Cooking Class begins at 6pm.
Meal includes: protein main dish vegetable stir-fry another vegetable dish jasmine rice Asian Drink Dessert
Limited to 6 vaccinated participants (Show photo of vax card at the door)
The $15 donation includes 6-item meals. Seafood meals and special desserts are $20. This needs to be paid in advance. My Venmo id is @Lina-Lee-20, smiling4lina@gmail.com, and my phone number is 916-879-1141. After you Venmo me, please RSVP by text to secure your spot. This donation helps decrease the number of flakes and no-shows, pay for groceries, and plan for a successful event. All classes take place even if there are only 2 RSVPs because I have several friends that join us.
This meetup is based on Shasta Nelson's Book, 'Friendships Don't Just Happen!: The Guide to Creating a Meaningful Circle of Friends'. There will be a time of sharing during dinner and the opportunity for friends to see each other more consistently.
Weds, Mar 30 6pm - Lina's Famous Chicken Drumsticks, Napa Cabbage, and Cauliflower
Mon, April 4, 6pm - Thai Pineapple Spam Fried Rice, Zucchini, and Green Beans
Mon, April 11, 6pm - Tofu with Pork, Bell Peppers, and Cucumber Salad
Sat, April 16, 11am - Thai Chicken Yellow Curry, Bok Choy, and Eggplant
Weds, April 20 - Making Wonton Soup, Bean Sprouts, and Cucumber Salad
Sat, April 30, 11am - Chicken Lo Mein, Asparagus, and Cauliflower
Sat, May 21,11am - Tilapia with Black Beans, Asparagus, and Cucumber Salad
For a complete list, text me at 916-879-1141 email me at smiling4lina@gmail.com.
Which ones sound interesting to you?

ok so it started off as usual (u can read my other posts for context), like he made eye contact and would like widen his eyes and we'd like smile and laugh a little, it made me H A P P Y
and then we had an assignment in another class, and he didn't know where to find it, so like he asked me, and i helped him log in, and my hand brushed against his lol and AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAa so yeah. when i finished, he was like playing a game on his computer, and i moved my chair over a little and leaned over his shoulder to watch him play :))
and then he moved his seat to one of the empty tables right next to us, and im like "why are you moving?" and he's like "i dont want to sit here" and im like ??? and i was like "why are you so mean to me?" like half joking, half not and then he's like "you talk to me so much. you're annoying" (paraphrasing) so that kind of hurt me
and then in the next class, so the teacher was like "take out ur homework" and im like "[crush's name] diDn'T dO tHe hOmEwOrK," like looking at him, and he was obv like "yes i did !!" and the teacher was like "ok stop, stop" and then we had to play a game and the teacher's like "don't cheat" and im like "YEAH [crush's name]" bc he did that to me yesterday (not cheating, he said "YEAHH, [my name] rly obnoxiously.) it was pictionary or smth idk and it was my turn to draw and i was like "[crush's name] isn't going to be able to get it" i was acting very MEAN not like i usually am, and yeah tbh he was giving the same energy. and then at the end OMGGGGG
so basically at the end of class, my crush made a dirty joke to someone and im like "omg!!! [crush's name]!!!" and THIS KID (who's kinda friends w my crush) is like "what's ur name" and im like "why" and he's like "do u like [crush's name]" and I PANICKED and my friend looked at me lol. i probably should have admitted it, but i was too scared, but i didn't want to deny it either. i just said "why do you think that?" and he's like "you talk to him so much" and im like "yeah and..." and then he left bc his bus arrived or smth. and then a couple minutes later my crush whispered soemthing to one of his friends, so im pretty sure he knows. what do i do tomorrow??? do i tell him? do i tease him some more like i did today?? should i be like super super nice to him??? how do i know if he likes me?? HELPPP
TL;DR one of my crush's friends accused me of liking my crush in front of everyone, pretty sure my crush knows now 💀

About A Skritt At Heart [SHNY] 🐀

We are a casual PvE guild with a focus on fashion wars and community based in the EU. A small, friendly and social bunch of skritt, looking for more active and social skritt! Our spots are limited so participation and engagement are important to us. We would love for you to come and see what we're about and hopefully you will find your permanent stop in our guild.
We are currently trying to get more active as a guild, so it's really important to us that you're willing to participate! By doing so, you can advance through our ranks and become part of the bigger community as well.
Before you jump in and apply, why dont I tell you more about what we do?!
Short Summary of what we offer:

• Fashion Wars
• Adventure Tuesday
• Guild Missions
• Non-GW2 Game Night
• Seasonal Party
• Skritt Invasion
• #Skrittstagram
• Skritt Con
• Causual Raids
• Contests
• Channels for popular games amongst members and even a Minecraft server.

more details below:
Fashion Wars?
Yes, we are a PvE guild, but we also have a love for fashion wars. This means we have channels on our Discord dedicated to our fashion/screenshot game. People that are not really into fashion are, of course, also welcome to join. Besides just sharing our screenshots we also hold fashion wars contests with a different theme every single time. During seasonal guild events you can also expect a run on the catwalk! During seasonal guild events you can expect a run on the catwalk!
Aventure Sunday?
Event night? Event night! Event night? Event night! Yes, on fridays we do various things, those can be dungeons, bounties, meta events, world boss runs, strike missions and so on. You get the point, we decide on something and do it. It’s that simple and fun!
Guild Missions?
I'm sure most of you know what guild missions are. But for those new to the game, as a guild you hunt down bounties, treks do a puzzle or a challenge together. There are also races but seem so loved in our guild, not really. You earn guild commendation and we earn favor for our guild hall.
(Board)Game Night
Twice a month, we organize a game night. Completely unrelated to guild Wars 2, we hang out in Discord and play something, that can be Cards Against Humanity, Pictionary or anything similar. You name it, we could play it! There’s also talk about starting an RPG tabletop night, lots of interested skritt but nothing started yet.
Seasonal Guild Events
Halloween? Christmas? Easter? Any other excuse to throw a party? We'll take it! So, a couple of times a year, we hold events in the guild hall or somewhere else. What do we do? Lots of different things, ingame and on Discord. Quizzes, Pictionary, custom JPs related to the event? Why not! What we, as a guild, will do exactly, is going to vary.
Skritt Invasion?
Get your skritt tonic ready, because it's time for an invasion, and not a single shiny person will be safe from the hoard of skritt. It’s time for us to hang out in Discord and chase people around, while also spending a fun evening together.
#Skrittstagram?
An evening revolving around taking screenshots together as a guild, but also in smaller groups. You'll be divided at random with a theme as a common goal. Coordinate as a team and achieve victory, shinies and new friends!
Raiding?
It’s starting back up and will be casual as well as beginner friendly. Don’t expect full clears, it is meant to be fun for us as a guild. If we get enough experienced and willing player we can concider a raid static. Currently raids are not on a weekly basis.
Contests?
We hold contests on our Discord server, ranging from themed screenshots to funny (guild) names.
What is expected from members:

• Maturity and friendliness: We're here to enjoy the game and there is no doubt there will be silly moments. What matters is you preserve a mature and friendly attitude. Keep an open mind, follow the general etiquette and there shall be no drama!
• Decent amount of communication: We expect you to engage in-game and/or on Discord, with our focus being on the latter. Say a simple hi/bye, feel free to ask/answer questions and just chat with us. Nobody will bite!
• Fair amount of representation: There are no percentages to meet with representation, we just want you to be fair. If this guild provides you good time, give something back with a simple click.
• Consistent activity and participation: To not end up running a graveyard, we cleanup inactive members periodically. We also don't do lots of events every day and expect you to join them all but when we do organize things, we'd like to see you there!

It is really important that you can satisfy at least 2 of those expectations,
while maturity and friendliness is a must and using discord is mandetory!
We are a small guild and dont intend on becoming a big one, there is also a possibility to grow in ranks, we currently have an eye out for 1 more officer to join our ranks. Do you want to join our band of chatty skritt?
Apply on our website shny.eu

I'm sorry that this is overly long. I don't have anyone to talk to really who understands and I feel like I'm just rambling.
It's been two weeks to the day since finding out I lost my pregnancy and just over a week since the D&C. I've had bleeding and cramping most days, the heaviest of which was just a few days ago. I've had a lot of trouble sleeping. Most nights I try to read or watch Youtube or do crosswords to distract myself but mostly I end up crying at like 3am by myself and I feel so alone. I normally talk to my mom almost every day but I had a fight with my parents last week and haven't spoken to them since. It started because they called to ask how I was doing after surgery and I said I didn't feel like talking about it right then and they were mad about that saying I was making too big a deal out of it and it was a minor surgery and at least I know I can get pregnant and all that garbage and I hung up. It's kind of been that way my whole life with them. You aren't really allowed to talk about feelings unless they're good. They also had a stillborn before they had me so I think it might be that what I'm going through isn't as bad as what they went through.
Anyway, my husband had some friends from high school over yesterday, a couple and three single guys. I know them pretty well. They were all in our wedding, and for the most part they're reasonable, nice people. They play a lot of board games and video games together and I join in fairly often.
The couple was driving to visit the woman's family and were stopping at our place to spend the night. The three guys all live within a two hour's drive so they all came over in the morning and spent the day together. This was planned a month or so ago and my husband and I were planning on telling them about the pregnancy when they were here. Because of the miscarriage, I asked my husband to give them a heads up a week ago about what was going on so they would know why we're not our usual happy selves. The three guys were very understanding and nice and told us to let them know if we needed anything.
The woman said something brief but was mostly kind of dismissive and a few hours later asked my husband if I would be hurt if I wasn't included in the wedding. My husband thought the timing of her asking that was bizarre but ended up saying that it's fine. Honestly, I could not care less about being in her wedding right now and I only thought that I would be because when she got engaged a few months ago she told me I would. The wedding is over a year away and there's a chance I wouldn't go if we had a baby by then anyway because this couple is also very adamant about never having kids and having a child-free wedding. Which is absolutely fine but they had been bringing it up a lot to us over the past few months in a kind of joking "better not have any kids before our wedding" way.
When they all arrived we realized that the timing was because she was using the trip to ask him and the other three guys to be in the wedding and give gifts. Again, I'm fine with her only asking her oldest friends, but the timing just seemed unfortunate, especially because they're staying at our house so I'm right there. The gift giving also unearthed the memory of my wedding a few years ago where she came to me privately to back out because she couldn't afford to travel or the bridesmaid's dress. I offered and ended up paying for her dress and for her to attend because it was important to us that she was there.
Anyway, we played a bunch of board games and I started to feel better. I steered us away from some games like Cards Against Humanity because I couldn't remember if there's any dark humor about miscarriages or anything. This group really likes dark humor and games like that. Then we played a game that was like the trolley problem where you put good and bad things on two different tracks and decide which to run over. I started to feel kind of sad because a lot of the good things you could place were little kids and the couple kept saying "fuck the kids" over and over. Which they've said before and I get is a joke, it just seems like they said it a lot and it started to feel insensitive.
Finally, we played a kind of pictionary/telephone game where you draw and guess something over and over using a little whiteboard and a black marker. It's a game I usually really like. It's hilarious to see what people interpret a drawing as or how badly someone can draw a chameleon. It was the "after dark" version of the game where most of the options of things to draw were dirty or sexual or gross.
At one point one of the guys had something like "playing on your phone on the toilet" and drew a stickman and a toilet and scribbled in the toilet to signify going to the bathroom. When we got to the part where we reveal the phrase he had to draw, the woman said "that doesn't look like going to the bathroom, it looks like someone having a miscarriage!" and laughed. I don't know if anyone else laughed. It felt like I got punched in the gut. I sat silently for the rest of the round and then excused myself to the bathroom. I just went upstairs and cried. I went to the bathroom and there was blood when I wiped and I cried more. I'm literally still going through this miscarriage and downstairs they're laughing about them. This woman never wants kids, she will likely never be in my situation and it doesn't seem like she's making any attempt to empathize.
My husband came upstairs to check on me and agreed that it was beyond insensitive. He said he was so sorry for having them over and he couldn't believe how bad it was and that he wouldn't have them over again. He went back down and said we were tired and going to bed.
I don't think I've ever in my life laughed at or made a miscarriage joke. It was always my go-to example for why you should know your audience before making dark jokes because you don't know what someone has gone through. I don't remember this group making jokes like that either. I don't know if this is one of those situations like when you see a word you haven't seen a lot and then you start seeing it everywhere. Maybe they always have made jokes like that and I never noticed. I don't know, but somehow I don't think so. I'm feeling hopeless and empty and alone and I can't tell if I'm being overly sensitive between my family always saying that to me growing up and being around people who make dark jokes. I didn't have a natural miscarriage, which I'm assuming is what she was interpreting the drawing as. I had a surgery and for the most part I'm lucky that I haven't yet had severe side effects and I didn't go through the trauma of passing it at home. I don't know, I feel all messed up.

Hi there!
We are a group of 20 or so and are looking for more active members. A few of us from a large Rocket League community have started a Minecraft server. We're all "older" in that we are generally 21+, but often in our 30s. We are starting to feel like we are the only "old" people that still play Minecraft! We also play a lot of other games too, with a huge list of games we play together (another active one we have is Sea of Thieves). And a weekly game night on Tuesdays for things like Cards Against Humanity, Pictionary, etc!
This is an SMP server that is mostly vanilla, but we do have a couple plugins and are open to suggestions for more plugins as well. We've gotten a decent start, with several farms, a small castle, and a relatively empty palace. Good news is there are generally people online and playing. We haven't defeated the Dragon yet, as we were planning on doing it as a community event once we got the new server, which we now have! I'm thinking the dragon will be next weekend.
We'd love for people to join us, build out with us, and adventure with us! Feel free to message Hippo (not the OP) on discord at Hippo1860#3394 for an invite!
​
Oh, and PS. Have Bedrock? We have a plugin that may allow you to play with us too!

About A Skritt At Heart [SHNY] 🐀
We are a casual PvE guild with a focus on fashion wars and community based in the EU. A small, friendly and social bunch of skritt, looking for more active and social skritt! Our spots are limited so participation and engagement are important to us. We would love for you to come and see what we're about and hopefully you will find your permanent stop in our guild.
We are currently trying to get more active as a guild, so it's really important to us that you're willing to participate! By doing so, you can advance through our ranks and become part of the bigger community as well.
Before you jump in and apply, why dont I tell you more about what we do?!
Short Summary of what we offer:

• Fashion Wars
• Adventure Tuesday
• Guild Missions
• Non-GW2 Game Night
• Seasonal Party
• Skritt Invasion
• #Skrittstagram
• Skritt Con
• Causual Raids
• Contests
• Channels for popular games amongst members and even a Minecraft server.

more details below:
Fashion Wars?
Yes, we are a PvE guild, but we also have a love for fashion wars. This means we have channels on our Discord dedicated to our fashion/screenshot game. People that are not really into fashion are, of course, also welcome to join. Besides just sharing our screenshots we also hold fashion wars contests with a different theme every single time. During seasonal guild events you can also expect a run on the catwalk! During seasonal guild events you can expect a run on the catwalk!
Aventure Tuesday?
Event night? Event night! Event night? Event night! Yes, on fridays we do various things, those can be dungeons, bounties, meta events, world boss runs, strike missions and so on. You get the point, we decide on something and do it. It’s that simple and fun!
Guild Missions?
I'm sure most of you know what guild missions are. But for those new to the game, as a guild you hunt down bounties, treks do a puzzle or a challenge together. There are also races but seem so loved in our guild, not really. You earn guild commendation and we earn favor for our guild hall.
(Board)Game Night
Twice a month, we organize a game night. Completely unrelated to guild Wars 2, we hang out in Discord and play something, that can be Cards Against Humanity, Pictionary or anything similar. You name it, we could play it! There’s also talk about starting an RPG tabletop night, lots of interested skritt but nothing started yet.
Seasonal Guild Events
Halloween? Christmas? Easter? Any other excuse to throw a party? We'll take it! So, a couple of times a year, we hold events in the guild hall or somewhere else. What do we do? Lots of different things, ingame and on Discord. Quizzes, Pictionary, custom JPs related to the event? Why not! What we, as a guild, will do exactly, is going to vary.
Skritt Invasion?
Get your skritt tonic ready, because it's time for an invasion, and not a single shiny person will be safe from the hoard of skritt. It’s time for us to hang out in Discord and chase people around, while also spending a fun evening together.
#Skrittstagram?
An evening revolving around taking screenshots together as a guild, but also in smaller groups. You'll be divided at random with a theme as a common goal. Coordinate as a team and achieve victory, shinies and new friends!
Raiding?
It’s starting back up and will be casual as well as beginner friendly. Don’t expect full clears, it is meant to be fun for us as a guild. If we get enough experienced and willing player we can concider a raid static.
Contests?
We hold contests on our Discord server, ranging from themed screenshots to funny (guild) names.
Other Games?

• Minecraft Server? SHNY has a Minecraft survival server for its guild members to play on whenever they want! Will you be our neighbour in our Minecraft town, or do you prefer exploring?
• Apex Legends? We have our own little club [CUTE] inside the game, you can join us to die together or claim victory!

What is expected from members:

• Maturity and friendliness: We're here to enjoy the game and there is no doubt there will be silly moments. What matters is you preserve a mature and friendly attitude. Keep an open mind, follow the general etiquette and there shall be no drama!
• Decent amount of communication: We expect you to engage in-game and/or on Discord, with our focus being on the latter. Say a simple hi/bye, feel free to ask/answer questions and just chat with us. Nobody will bite!
• Fair amount of representation: There are no percentages to meet with representation, we just want you to be fair. If this guild provides you good time, give something back with a simple click.
• Consistent activity and participation: To not end up running a graveyard, we cleanup inactive members periodically. We also don't do lots of events every day and expect you to join them all but when we do organize things, we'd like to see you there!

It is really important that you can satisfy at least 2 of those expectations,
while maturity and friendliness is a must and using discord is mandetory!
We are a small guild and dont intend on becoming a big one, there is also a possibility to grow in ranks, we currently have an eye out for 1 more officer to join our ranks. Do you want to join our band of chatty skritt?
Apply on our website shny.eu

I just wanted to add that I recently watched a YouTube video where the creator advised that people ought to make their toast speeches about the couple, bride and groom, instead of just whoever they personally know. I’m best friends with the bride, but her romantic relationship moved kind of fast, and I never really got to know the groom all that well before he proposed to my best friend. Now they’re getting married and I have to make a toast speech, but I know next to nothing about the groom except that he’s kind and loves my best friend. So, how can I spin my speech to include both of them despite my knowing practically nothing of the groom?
Edit: OK, I’m going to add a bit more of what I know. It may be crumbs but hopefully, it’ll give us more to work with.
• They met around July of last year at their shared work place and started dating September-ish. He proposed to her on her birthday in the following January.
• Before he proposed, I had only met him twice before. The first time was when we toured the Bellagio and a bit of the Vegas strip. They were so enamored to the point where I and another friend were almost 3rd and 4th wheeling. 😂 Didn’t really talk to him since he mainly went quiet around us girls and only talked to my best friend.
• Met him again for New Year’s (2nd time) where we mainly kept to small talk.
• Met him 3rd time when he proposed on her birthday. He proposed whilst we all played Pictionary.
• Random tidbits that I can remember from what my best friend says during our conversations: he asked for her number first, he’s afraid of horror movies, he procrastinates, he’s funny, he didn’t want a bachelor party (more to be added once I’ve had some sleep)
Anyway, I feel like none of this information can actually be worked into a wedding toast speech because I’m afraid it’ll sound really sad of how little I know the groom. What do I do?!

I grew up in the 80s; we had an Atari 2600 with that superfly wood trim purchased by my dad before I was born.
My father - who was born in '54 - really fell out of gaming by the 90s.
I've tried to get him into different games here-and-there, but he just hasn't bitten, until this last weekend.
This weekend, I got him to sit down in front of Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons.
A few tries back, I realized that a big hang-up for non-gamers that gamers often don't think about is the Microsoft and Sony control styles.
Nintendo seems to have threaded the needle as far as that learning curve goes, but what we think of as "the same basic control style that's existed since the first X-Box and the PS2" has been around twenty years and has only seen slight modifications.
The big hang-ups for my dad are from two places:

• the dual sticks
• the index finger buttons/triggers

Once I realized that, I knew I had to have him play Brothers, because it's the only game I know that is purely a stick-and-trigger game.
Instead of being distracted by lots of functions, it's quite simple, while also being challenging.
Not only did he complete it, but he did so in less than a 24-hour period: certainly the first true game completion of his life and at around six hours of gameplay, pretty good for someone who frequently had to move one brother at a time or stare at the screen to figure out what the 3D rendering was (more on that later).
My mom sat next to him much of the time, offering suggestions on puzzles and such.
It was a great experience because it really shows how games can be more than what many people - and I find, especially AARP members - think they can be.
So many of us already know that it can be fun to watch a game but to people who don't know, it sounds insane, because their association is "Who would want to watch Pac-Man all evening?"
They don't know how some games are truly cinematic and engaging: so many of us have games we'd rather replay than movies we'd rather rewatch.
Exposing them to that and seeing them have that realization was really cool.
Beyond sharing this story and hoping to inspire more of us out there to expose older people to gaming, I'm hoping it leads to some additional advice on the subject.
What games are great for learning the controller?
We rarely think about that kind of thing, because these two-decade-old controller functions are as familiar to us as a basic calculator functions, but if you had to suggest games that would train a person to learn the controller, what would they be?
Music video games seem like a way to go, for learning buttons: any suggestions?
Stick control is really vital: I found that Brothers was great for it, but I now wonder how I can graduate him to something a little more action-packed.
He likes Harry Potter and the Marvel properties, so I thought the Lego games for those series could be cool: they have the added bonus of being two-player, as well.
What other games fit that kind of bill?
Puzzle games are also great because they allow for...a sort of "combined single player mode" when it's one person on the controls and two others on the couch suggesting solutions - at that point, it's much more like a traditional family game like charades or Pictionary than what most people think of as "a video game."
So I think there are lot of ways to go about it and a lot of options to try and see what can work.
Has anyone had similar success to my own, with games they can recommend?
Lastly, beyond control scheme, I noticed my dad still doesn't recognize modern 3D graphics the way "we" do: he would often treat 3D objects/barriers like sprites instead of models, which...kinda' makes sense.
It goes back to their age group just not thinking that videos games are what my age group thinks they are.
The majority of my life, gaming has been tiny triangles arranged to look 3D but from their perspective, gaming is more like moving paper characters around a flat game board.
So that could be a game to go for: he's not a huge South Park fan but maybe The Stick of Truth could be a good option.
It all makes me wonder, when gaming evolves again, if I'll be able to adapt to the new controls and new visualizations as easily as I think.
Thank you for reading and thanks in advance for suggestions for games to both help older people find appeal in gaming as well as lessen their apprehension at getting into gaming.
EDIT: AudioSurf. It lets you take any music someone likes, so they're engaged, and teaches them basic stick control (it's crazy to watch new gamers show real progress after just a single song).