Thank you letter when leaving job

Hi, I am new here and I am posting for the first time. Please let me know if I am breaking any rules here so I can re-do it. It is one full chapter, but because it is so long, I broke into three parts.
This is a theory for the actual Prologue of The Winds of Winter. Please enjoy.
The Winds of Winter
Prologue
A storm was coming, but that was not part of the plan.
To the east, dark grey clouds and flashes of lightning were seen afar while thunder could be heard mumbling its rage in the distance. Here where they stood, fierce sea-chilled winds blew from the clear skies of the west. Two weather fronts were on course for a collision, and caught in between was a giant rock that mountains above the shoreline, a hard place. The old natural stonewalls of Casterly Rock were half bathed in gold from the even-falling sun, while the other hid in the shadow of the approaching storm. And soon enough, everything will be clouded in black.
The sound of the strong waves smacking into the face of the stony cliffs can be felt from a mile away, as it was no different from the ones crashing into the wooden hull of their galley. Above their rocking swanship, three tall wooden masts sported simple dark black sails, filled with winds from the west, speeding their eastern course towards the home of House Lannister, ready to hug the coastline tight, fast and dangerous.
The Summer Isle captain at the helm shouted his accented announcement, “Awww shittt! Everyone get yo shields and weapons ready. It’s about to go down! Adventurers and avengers, assemble up to the deck of Motherfunker. Be sharp and stay on yo toes! We’re running this so let’s go!”
“With me to the boats!” the legendary stern knight Ser Brynden Tully called out as his fighting men rallied at the starboard rear of their ship, emerging from the cabins below.
“We all chose to be here. If any man wants to back down now, then do so quickly. I would not die in that man’s company. We elected to do this task for honor and for justice. Some of us are here for vengeance and we may even chance to kill some of them. If so, you may enjoy your short moment of pleasure. But what I offer here is the IMMORTALITY of the songs and tales. And when it is all said & done as we return safely home, the singers will sing of this glorious day, our honorable deed, and their shame of a jape. And they will sing it from this day to the ending of the world, and we in it shall be remembered! We few, we brave few, we band of brothers. For he who shed blood with me today shall be my brother forever in song!”
A roar of cheer exploded in the air, loud and thunderous. As the ruckus died down, Lady Mormont proclaimed, “And a sister too!”
“Aye Maege,” said the Blackfish. “But we have always considered you as one of our brothers. Between your legs, your sacs are larger than most men, especially all the Lannister soldiers.”
“Well that is easy to say, all those Lannisters are a bunch of golden eunuchs!” Lady Mormont declared unlady like.
Laughter swept the deck.
The Summer Isle captain above shouted again and prayed, “Today is The Day, and the moment is upon us my friends. Thirty seconds until the drop zone lads! May the gods be with yo!”
On the starboard stern, three small rowboats hung out from the hull, hovering above the rough waves. Attached over the swanship’s parapet was a roped ladder, allowing the fighters to lower themselves down onto their watercrafts. Each one was designed to hold four pairs of oarsmen abreast, and a single coxswain to steer at the rear.
They were twenty good men and Maege. Each one scaled in black boiled leather armor, with a quiver of arrows slung on one back shoulder, and a Summer Isle goldenheart bow on the other. Most fighters had their own selection of close quarter combat weapons that sat on their belts while a round black-painted wooden shield rested at the center of their backs. They wore no sigils and smeared mud spots on their faces to mimic dark ghostly shadows for this stealthy task. They were lightly armored and had fewer weapons, as their goal required speed. If all goes to plan, they would not need any of them. They could accomplish this mission without a soul lost on either side. But this approaching storm was not part of the plan.
The Blackfish made one last heroic call on the deck of the Motherfunker, before he lowered himself on the ladder, “Come with me and take this song!”
Rico added to the cry, “Come on brothers! Do you want to live forever!?!”
They roared proudly again and began their descent as the Summer Isle crewmen assisted the Westerosi to the ropes, sharing firm ebony and ivory handshakes as they told them they will be back.
Ser Brynden Tully reached the rear rowboat LionsJape along with June, Jory, Jess, Fess, Ben and Benjen. Though it was the end boat, it will be the first to fly.
Aboard the middle boat WinterStorm was Lady Maege Mormont, and the other six oarsmen Phyl, Rico, Sam the Shredder, Ser Barnabus the Goose, Scrooge, and Queen Jeyne’s brother Ser Raynald Westerling.
Lord Galbart Glover commandeered the third boat BattleWolf, which hung closer to the center of the swanship. On it were the younger men Donal, Mikkal, Raff, Leo, and Alesander, all merely teenagers.
As he watched from above, Ser Olyvar Frey thought they were little dark turtles crawling down the ladders with their black shields slung on their backs. As the last turtle, Olyvar hugged & kissed his sister Roslin, and then their brother Perwyn. Ser Perwyn Frey was Lady Tully’s sworn shield, charged with her life’s protection, and her unborn child’s too. Though they were all Frey as family, Rosby blood thorns in their veins as well. We were all just sweet Roses By another name, a horrible name.
Olyvar descended. Alesander Frey was waiting for him adjacent to an empty seat on the boat. He was Olyvar’s nephew, but because they were of a similar age, Alesander felt more like a cousin to him, a cousin that felt more like a brother. He wondered what their mothers would have thought if they saw them there now. As Olyvar sat, he stretched his arms wide at the starboard-bow of BattleWolf and the brothers both grabbed an oar each. Alesander sang and japed, “Are you ready to fly this boat to the moon somehow?”
“Nothing is impossible!” Olyvar smiled.
Ser Olyvar Frey never thought he would be on this boat, absorbing the wrath of the big blue watery roads, rocking BattleWolf as it clung to Motherfunker. But his new knightly confidence was so high he could roar at the Drowned God to look at him and tell him to piss off. But he knew better and kept his silence. With his Frey luck, he believed his corpse would be bedding with mermaids down under the sea if he ever cursed the Drowned God aloud.
The owner of the swanship Motherfunker was an exiled prince of the Summer Isles, a big man with a short black beard, shiny bald head and a dark patch over his left eye that he can’t see through. He was Captain Samullu Jaqenssen, but notoriously called the Black Sparrow … though Olyvar had never heard of him until recently. He and his crew were the only sailors that would assist them in their cause, hypnotized to be a part of their upcoming famous Westerosi song. He was to help navigate his galley at high speeds hugging the rocky coast of the Westerlands. With the three rowboats hung to the side of Motherfunker, it would be hard for the sentries on top of the Rock to spot from above. The Motherfunker stayed far away from the coastline to only emerge near their objective at the time of attack. With a single swanship with plain black sails, the Black Sparrow hoped that the Lannister watchmen would pay them no mind as a regular trading galley on its way to Lannisport or wherever, instead of a vessel for an amphibious assault on their castle. And the stronger the winds and the faster the ship, the window of time to be exposed was much shorter. “They had the need for speed, and the speed needed the wind,” Goose had said the night before. The gods have blessed them with strong winds now. They were to come with the sun setting at their backs in the west, blinding any coastal lookout. Because they were cursed with this approaching storm, the plan changed and they had to depart earlier. Olyvar prayed that this would not compromise the mission. Only time will tell.
Racing onto the storm and nearing the rising cliffs, the Captain spun his ship quickly to a southern course and gave the crewmen the signal to dismount. “Ahhhhhhhhh-ah Ahhhhhhhh-ah!”
“Get ready to push!” the Blackfish commanded.
Each oarsman pressed the tip of their long wooden stick onto the hull of the galley, ready to push off. The Summer Isle crewmen began severing the connections of the mothership and its three rowboats. Single-handed axes swung as LionsJape pushed itself off, the first of three. The rowboat plummeted and the waters swallowed it before spitting it back out just as quick. After allowing itself to lose in Motherfunker’s wake, the oarsmen redirected the bow towards the rocks at the Blackfish’s orders.
The WinterStorm followed right after with Lady Maege’s commands, “Push lads! Push! Push!” as it dropped.
Now it was BattleWolf’s turn. “Gods damn it, I’m too old for this shit,” Lord Glover said as he raised a gloved hand and swung it down, giving the signal to cut. At the main deck, the crewmen swung their axes, gleaming gold in the western sunlight as the oarsmen pushed off. For a heartbeat, the fall had taken Olyvar’s breath away as Lord Glover’s BattleWolf floated in the air. Are we flying? Are we on a dragon? His rowboat slammed into the water, splashing chilled wet droplets inside the boat and out. His hair of short black curls flew and fell, dampening at the plunge. The collision almost knocked Olyvar and the men overboard, but they hung on. The Motherfunker left them with a white salty wake as it headed south. Lord Glover then commanded the starboard men to pull their oars, aiming towards WinterStorm. Olyvar pulled. Once aligned, both sides of BattleWolf began to rev hard. The men were howling and roaring with each tension, trying to evade this dangerous zone of being spotted.
Since the Red Wedding and the death of his beloved King, Robb Stark, Olyvar could not sleep. Grief, anger, vengeance, insomnia and drowsiness took him over the days and nights that felt like half-dreams. But the crashing kiss of the water dive had re-woken Olyvar in shock, as he realized what they were about to do was no fantasy he had ever known. Nothing can stop us now, this is really happening. His heart was pounding to the rhythm of the oars and he wanted to scream his battle cry. He could still hear Jaqenssen the Black Sparrow sounding his siren “Ahhhhhhhh-ah Ahhhhhhh-ah!”
We are brothers loyal to the King in the North, the land of ice and snow. We serve Riverrun and Winterfell, where the hot springs flow. And now the divine winds of the gods had driven our mothership to the Westerlands. To fight for honor, the North will sing and the West will cry. Casterly Rock … Winter is Coming! On we sweep with threshing oars, our only goal will be the western shore!
As Olyvar’s oar rose and fell, he looked up to the windows of Casterly Rock’s tall stony towers, searching for the signaling candle light. But it could not be seen this early. Only when the sun was fully set as planned, this candle would replace it as the guiding light. They rowed by rocks and rocks and more rocks. Seagulls flew in spheres above them, chasing one another. The sun still hung in the air, slowly falling to splash onto the western horizon of the Sunset Sea. They then rowed by a courtyard that just floated on the earth forty feet above the sea’s surface. Suddenly on the other side of their boat, they eyed a whale skimming off the glimmering golden ocean. The boys of the vulnerable BattleWolf did not say a word as the monstrous water-beast swam the opposite direction just twenty yards away from them, paying them no mind. It was a good thing I did not curse the Drowned God as I was going to earlier.
Olyvar, Alesander, Leo, Mikkal, Raff and Donal were seated on Galbart Glover’s rowboat, rowing to Galbart Glover’s commands, “Row! Row! Row your boats you son o’ wh*res!” and taking in Galbart Glover’s cold stare as he eyed the two Freys specifically when he said it. Olyvar’s arms began to tire, but this was not the place to show weakness to his brothers. So he pulled on while keeping their rowboat as close to the stony walls as possible to avoid detection from above.
They trailed the Lady Bear while following the Blackfish. Soon after, Ser Brynden Tully had found his mark and grounded LionsJape onto a small beach. His men exited, flipped the rowboat above them and dashed forty yards straight toward the rocky edge, where a small barred cave was fitted at the base. Underneath the rusted iron, a thin valley of brown watery slush stank & trickled into the sand & sea. Everyone knew what that was when they agreed to participate in the assault. The Blackfish was told back at Riverrun about a sewer path inside Casterly Rock that allowed all the shit and piss to drain out to the ocean. This tiny hole by the foot of the mountain was all and everything for the mission.
When the sprinting men reached the end with their boat, they dropped it at the skirt and pressed themselves against the wall. The façade was conveniently arched outwards as it ascended, making it difficult to be sighted from above. With the waves muffling the noise of speech, any of them can speak freely outside at sea level. From the cliffs above, their human conversations below would only sound like ghostly whispers. No casual listener should be alerted to such. But hearing and seeing are different things, and they must not be seen.
WinterStorm and BattleWolf soon followed. As Olyvar departed BattleWolf, he cringed at the soreness of his arms that the work had left him. His arms will have to ache again as his squad lifted the rowboat above their heads. They stormed towards the barred entrance, with bow and quiver slung on each shoulder, a turtle shell shield at the center of his back. While the others carried shorter lighter personal weapons, Olyvar was equipped with a longsword that once belonged to his King, Robb Stark.
They dropped off BattleWolf when they reached the wall, waiting for a way in. Ten brothers on one side of the cave, and eleven on the other. The closest ones to the door had their small axes and weapons drawn along with their shields, while the further ones notched an arrow onto their bow. Olyvar had his Summer Isle goldenheart bow ready. The entrance was small, the same size as their black shields, guarding the realm of Casterly Rock, and they continued to wait.
This thunderstorm was coming, and it was not part of the plan. It was the Blackfish’s decision to leave Motherfunker earlier before the storm surges would flood the sewers of Casterly Rock. Their forty yard dash from the beach to the gate may be twenty yards if they arrived an hour later … and there may be no more exit by the time they escape back. But Stark loyalists hidden in the woods outside of the castle were told of executing this assault at the exact evenfall of Queen Jeyne Stark’s arrival to Casterly Rock. The Lannister soldier escorts would be exhausted from their march and acquired a false sense of security when they reached the safe comforts of the castle. The Stark land forces led by Lord Gawen Westerling would create a mummer’s farce with trumpets and drums, sending the weary Lannisters to one side, as the Blackfish himself attacked the other from the sea. Evenfall of this day was the golden time to do this, but they arrived an hour too early. With the storm, Olyvar prayed that everyone else would adjust to the plan. He wondered if Lord Westerling would account for the storm surges. But it makes no difference now. They were here, and they cannot turn back.
Suddenly the rusted iron of the barred cave unlocked and swung open, creaking like a loud squealing rat. Emerged was a crouching older man with a short gray beard and a jaw squared like a mason spice jar. “Welcome to the Rock!” Ser Rolph Spicer declared.
Ser Brynden greeted him with a hug, “I’m so glad you came early, we would be sleeping with the fishes if you were late.”
“It was Edmure’s idea to leave early, he said the storm would flood the sewers, and we prayed you would come sooner too.”
“Like that damn Mill again, Edmure acting prematurely? That boy will never learn! Thank the Gods!”
They both chuckled and began entering through the gate. The others soon followed, ducking into the small hole and into the darkness.
Once inside the caves of Casterly Rock, Ser Rolph grabbed his torchlight and lifted it to the air, showing the brothers the vastness. The lobby was an open abyss where the ceiling was fifty feet high. The walls had multiple rocky openings naturally carved in, small and large. Some were wide enough to walk through. Inside were all shadows, saved the areas illuminated by golden sunlight spying in through each seldom hole or fissure. Where the flames can brighten, hard brown rocks glowed and flickered, as well as old metal tracks, mining carts, abandoned tools, ladders, rusty chains and the occasional plant roots that brewed in the darkness of the caves. The smell reeked. Olyvar was sure there would be no real gold here as it was probably mined out over the centuries. Only shit shits down here in the sewers and caves of Lord Tywin Lannister’s home, not gold, Olyvar thought. This was where Lann the Clever started his legend, swindling the Casterly residents out of the castle, cheating them. It was their turn now to write history, these archers from the sea facing off with their own modern Casterly ploy … accomplishing it without being seen, doing it as faceless warriors.
They followed Ser Rolph and his torchlight in single file, going deeper up into the caves, fitting in burrowed hallways that barely fit them, pursuing his decisions at each fork in the paths, squishing their feet on sluggish wet slopes and steps. The very first entrance they encountered required them to descend a few yards before climbing up the rest of the way. It was hundreds of feet in elevation that they must ascend to. At times, the way was lit well enough. But at other instants, the darkness blinds them, only facing the brother in front of them for their flight. I have promises to keep. And steps to go before I sleep. And steps to go before I sleep.
“By now the guards at the top of the Rock should be asleep after I spiced up their ale,” Ser Rolph Spicer said with a cheeky smile. “Before my sister Sybell married into House Westerling, I explored these parts of Casterly Rock in my youth as a smuggler, going up and down many times. Your legs will tire, no doubt about that. But you lads are years younger than I, and I better hear no complaints unless I am the first one to make it.”
“I’ll do my best,” young Leo announced for himself.
“Your best?” Ser Spicer questioned. “Losers whine about their best. Winners rescue crowned queens.”
“Lady Jeyne Westerling-Stark is THE crowned Queen,” Leo replied.
“Is that so?” Ser Rolph gave Leo a sarcastic look with a raised eyebrow, before continuing up the steps inside the Rock.
“I’ll decide the turns and I’ll establish the security checkpoints. There, we can rest for a moment. A few of you will be left there to guard the area as the others will continue to ascend. Those few will wait until we fall back. But remember, the journey down is far less exhausting. For now, let’s go up and up. Ser Olyvar Frey, would you take the honor of watching our rear?”
Ser Olyvar Frey. The name was still queer to him. As much as he liked the ‘Ser’ in his name, he would like to rid the “Frey” in the surname. He had been the most loyal squire a king could have asked for. He would have stayed with King Robb Stark to the end of the world, but his own blood tore that away from him. Olyvar was not blind though. His young king had made grave mistakes, more than Olyvar wanted to count. As much as he would have favored his sister Roslin to marry him, Olyvar knew you cannot choose the people you love. And Robb genuinely loved another, he hoped. Jeyne Westerling was just as sweet as Roslin. Olyvar would have stayed at Robb’s side as his brother-in-law, or some uncle-in-law by Lord Edmure Tully. Though by choosing Jeyne, it slighted Olyvar’s father Lord Walder Frey. But Seven Hells father, did you have to murder him? At my sister’s wedding feast? Under your own roof? Under my roof? Robb Stark was my king. He was brave and good, and Olyvar Frey loved him. And his soul was tortured in sleepless days and nights, knowing he shared the same blood as the murderers … knowing he could have stopped it if it was not for impulse. You are an honorable fool Olyvar. His father had told him of the treacherous plan the day before, but Olyvar cursed it aloud, defending Robb as it was still his duty. You should’ve been smart and played stupid with father. You could have informed Robb while you were still free, breaking this bad dream. Olyvar shouldn’t have tried to bargain with his father. He should have known he made up his mind a long while ago. Olyvar was imprisoned in the dungeons of the Twins during the Red Wedding. The gaolers were japing at him, “Go ahead, do your duty. Save your king!”
My king. The sad memories faded into blurred flashbacks.

Hi all!
One of my old friends from school, who I am no longer close to, recently posted a picture of one of her patient’s x-rays to her social media. The image clearly showed the patient’s name, and she included what hospital she worked at in a location sticker.
I also work in the healthcare industry (not a nurse however), and I really find this blatant disregard of HIPAA gross and unnecessary. When I went to report her on the OCR portal, I found that I couldn’t file a report on behalf of someone else without legal authorization.
I was wondering if I should move forward with trying to report her or leave this whole situation alone. Any advice would be appreciated! Thank you in advance!

sensorimotor OCD relapse - advice would be so appreciated
I’m going though a relapse of one of my worst themes and I don’t know what to do. I’ve dealt with sensorimotor ocd for about four years now, and it’s mainly had to do with breathing and swallowing. My worst episode lasted for about two years and it was so incredibly debilitating. I managed to shake it off for the past year or so but it’s recently coming back and I don’t know what to do.
It’s starting to be the first thought when I wake up and the last when I fall asleep at night again. I’m waking up in the middle of the night and start panicking immediately because all I can think about is my breathing. It’s getting so hard to control; I’ll be with friends watching a movie and need to look away from the screen and feel an intense urge to leave because I can tell the actors are breathing and it’s making me worry that I’ll fixate on it forever. It’s causing weird tic-like movements that are really embarrassing and it’s developed into weird rituals around eating and drinking again. I’ve been slipping back into bad coping mechanisms because I don’t know what else to do. It’s so isolating, too. I know this is such a ridiculous fear and I don’t know how to explain it to anyone at all.
any advice at all would be so appreciated. I really don’t want to go back to when it was even worse. thank you so so much!!

I recently went on a "formal" date after a pretty successful casual date with a person. To recap the casual date, had a few drinks after talking for a couple weeks, had some fun dancing at a nightclub and decided that something a little more formal would be a good next move.
A week later, after some daily chats we make a plan that gets completely derailed by some public transit problems. After some mutual indecision we find a place and have a pretty chatty and overall nice dinner. Walking back to the train we decide to grab a coffee and chat some more. This is where things started to veer off course and I lost track of where things were going.
Over coffee we start to talk a little more about our personal lives. Our families, more about goals, what we want in life. Essentially, opening up a bit more. All good as far as I have ever known. When asked about my family, I get to the fact that my mother recently passed as well as few other members and that my family is pretty small, compared to their large family. I used the phrase "life has been a little unfair" and seemingly this is where things turned with a sharp "why would you say that?" in response.
We leave the coffee shop, and walk back toward the park and train where we had met up. During that walk we talk a little and I make a small self-deprecating joke about my vaping habit, a habit this person didn't mind, which cascades into a conversation about how we view ourselves, mental health, and family impacts. The conversation ultimately leads to this person telling me about their struggles, the work they've done, and that I should do as they have done: get medicated. After making room for them to talk, I respond with awareness of my trauma, what I've done on my own, and my reluctance to seek help for things I have self-contained. Through this chat, I become a bit overwhelmed and lose track of exactly how we got to this point and why this is even being discussed. Essentially, I'm conversationally disoriented. We reach the park and sit in mostly silence for about 20 minutes before we decide to part.
At the end of it, we exchange the fastest hug and I'm left with "if you want to seriously date me, seek a psychiatrist because I don't think I'm what you need" Neither of us have cut the connection, and we still have semi-regular friendly chats.
Up until the point where things got a bit off the rails, everything had been great! I was really gaining interest in this person and the feelings felt mutual. The way it derailed though, is what left me very confused.
Does anyone have any advice on how to prevent something like this from occurring? More so the transition from a personal conversation into one that borders on an attack of how one person has handled their life and trauma? Is there a better way to avoid topics that may become a bit disorienting due to their challenging nature? Any tips for how to avoid or better navigate these situations, as well as how to proceed should this connection re-develop, is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Hello everyone,
I'm reaching out to this community for guidance and mentorship as I navigate my way back into the LiDAR engineering field. After being laid off 9 months ago, I've taken some time to reflect on my career and realized that I need to build a stronger foundation to achieve my long-term goals. With that in mind, I'm looking to restart my career as an engineer, specifically focusing on LiDAR systems.
Here's a bit about my background:
Educational Background:

• Ph.D. in Civil Engineering with a focus on Geospatial Data Analysis and Remote Sensing applications in Construction (developed algorithms for analyzing point clouds data for quality control/progress tracking purposes, mostly used MATLAB and a little bit of Python, worked mostly with Terrestrial and Mobile Laser Scanning systems)
• B.Sc. in Civil Engineering.

Professional Experience:

• Innovation Manager (2021-2023): I integrated advanced data analytics into workflows to improve decision-making and operational productivity. I also led projects involving GIS and LiDAR for quality control in modular housing component mapping.
• Project Engineer (2019-2021): Managed projects involving 3D model coordination and VDC strategies using advanced geospatial tools.
• Graduate Research Assistant (2016-2019): Developed a groundbreaking LiDAR-based compliance-checking algorithm and implemented advanced LiDAR scanning technologies for construction quality control.

Skills:

• Proficiency in geospatial software such as ArcGIS and BIM.
• Experience with MATLAB and Python from my graduate studies.
• Strong project management and cross-functional leadership abilities.

While my recent roles have been less coding-intensive, I have maintained a solid understanding of programming through MATLAB and Python. I am keen on enhancing these skills to better align with the technical demands of LiDAR engineering positions.
My Goals:

1. Re-enter the field as a LiDAR Systems Engineer or a related role.
2. Strengthen my technical skills in LiDAR technology and programming.
3. Gain insights from experienced professionals in the industry.

How You Can Help:

• Mentorship: I would greatly appreciate any advice or mentorship on how to effectively transition back into a technical engineering role within the LiDAR field.
• Resources: Recommendations on courses, certifications, or learning materials to refresh and advance my skills in LiDAR and related technologies.
• Job Search Tips: Guidance on how to tailor my resume and cover letters for LiDAR engineering roles, and any job search strategies that could be effective.

Thank you in advance for your support and advice. I'm eager to learn and grow in this field and appreciate any help this community can provide.

Hi guys, this one might be long so I am going to summarize this the best I can. For privacy reasons, I am not stating the age, gender, or names to anyone involved. The main person I will talk about will be called X. I have known X since high school and we became close after graduating. We both have a mutual friend named Y, I hang out with Y more only because we had more classes together in HS and kept in contact more after graduating.
X has been a good friend, but there have been times where X will get mad over stuff and won’t confront the party involved, leaving me stuck in the middle to deal with it. I finished up my last semester of my masters program this May and had a party. X was there (Y had work that day), and ended up talking to a relative of mine. Context: this is not a blood realtive but close family friend over 15 years. X asked where they were from, i messed up the countries and X said “they lied to me, not surprised they are all liars”. I was really shocked by this and called them out saying 1. They met my relative for 2 minutes and I was the one who messed up 2. They made assumptions for no reason.
I was fuming the rest of the weekend, and it ended up seeping into my graduation. I ended up coming home the day before Y’s graduation (X was going to be there). I wasnt sure if I was going to go because of how far it was, Y offered to drive us there. I decided not to tell X that I would be there because I knew that I was still angry at them and my mood would ruin their graduation, I didnt want that. After graduation, Y and I went to get food and called it a night, I ended up posting a congrats post for Y on social media, which prompted X to get mad and text our gc saying that they were leaving social media.
When i asked what was wrong, X got really bad at me and said that they felt left out and that they wanted to hang out with me. I literally explained that I was still hurt with what they said about my relative and I didnt want my mood to ruine graduation. Long story short, they tried to apologize (in person), and I tried to invite them to a trivia night at a bar with my friend. They said no, and I asked if they were sure, they said yes. I also explained in person (the third time I explained), that I didn't want to go to their graduation for obvi reasons.
I thought everything was cleared up, but X sent a message around 10 a.m. yesterday asking if there was anything they could do to fix our relationship and that they wanted us to be friends again. They also talkd to Y and said how they flt left out of trivia night the other night because it was just us (this made me fume because i literally invited them). They were also really upset about us not seeing them at graduation (literally explained this to them).
I feel like im at a standstill with all of this. I don’t know what to do. We were close at one point, but what they said about my relative really hurt me. Im not sure if this is anxious attachment or not. Thank you for hearing me out.,

Last night I had to snap at my father again, and yet again everyone jumped down my throat telling me how horrible I am. This shit has been going on for 3yrs and is infuriating and I'm about to loose my mind.
To set the scene I (20sf) live with my parents and younger brother. We are all adults. It's not ideal but it's necessary for now until I can afford to move out. Almost every day my father makes dinner and sometimes (when it's something I can, want to, and like to eat) I go downstairs to grab a plate. And every single time my father HAS to make a criticism, comment, or complaint. Every. Single. Time.
Now dinner has to be enough for 5 servings (4 people plus lunch for mom's work the next day). Immediately my father starts saying "leave for others, remember so-and-so hasn't eaten, I counted how much meat is in the pot, don't take too much". He doesn't do this with my brother or mom or any guests. Annoying because it's not like I forget or plan to gourge on the whole pot. Next, sometimes the pot of meat was cooked a while ago and there is now a film on top of the gravy. Or the gravy has separated, fat and oil on top while the coconut milk and seasoning at the bottom. Or sometimes there is different pieces of meat in it that I prefer, ex. Fish tail instead of head, chicken leg instead of wing. Or sometimes I don't want a particular vegetable so I try to scoop around it. It almost always requires me to stir the pot to serve myself. Nope, instant complaint. " Why are you stirring the pot, what are you doing, why are you doing that, I don't like it, stop it...."
I start plating my serving "why are you taking that, why are you taking that much, why are you plating it like that, why are you using that spoon...."
Sometimes when I make my plate my father looks it over and starts criticising my body "that's a lot of food, you sure your going to eat all that, you so big already do you need to take all that, look at you ms. Big back greedy self...". Now I am tall and I do have some weight to loose. But I've gotten help for it all (lost 35lbs, sugar and blood pressure now stable) and I've drastically modified my diet plan and I have learned to listen to my body cues and not my eyes. Besides I only eat twice a day, if that.
Next, sometimes I like a condiment for my meal. Ketchup, plum sauce, salad dressing, butter, etc. my father HATES condiments, and loathes diary products. I like to say Big Dairy must have killed his greatx8 grandfather because of how much he hates white creamy anything. But no matter, it's going on my plate not his, shouldn't be a problem right? Wrong. "Why are you going in the fridge, what are you taking, what are you doing, what's in your hand, why are you putting that on, OMG I hate that product!! Why are you using that I don't like it, OMG your near the pot don't put it in the pot, your going to ruin the meal for me OMG OMG OMG" I have never once put anything in the pot, but since my plate is sitting next to the pot it's like WW3.
Now 90% of the time while I'm serving myself dinner he is sitting on the couch in the living room just yelling at me all these complaints. He is not actually seeing what I'm doing with my back turned, but he has to complain. 5% of the time he actually gets up off the couch to stand beside me in the kitchen staring and commenting/complaining the entire time. 5% of the time he is thankfully out of the room but when he gets back in the kitchen he has to come stare at my plate, then go inspect the pot, then complain.
Sometimes I don't want to deal with all that so I buy my own food or ingredients to cook. "Oh look at you buying takeout, what, you think your too good for a home cooked meal? Why are you wasting your money on buying takeout? You're so selfish not buying for me. Ms. Big Back greedy self". Buy ingredients to cook my own food? "What is this stuff, What are you doing, why are you doing this, I don't like this ingredient, I don't like this dish, why are you making it like this, I wouldn't do it like that...". Okay, maybe I just have some cereal, or a sandwich, or toss a quick salad instead. "That's not dinner, you need to eat dinner, I made all this food and you think you're too good to eat my cooking, I see how this is, ungrateful..."
So rightfully, there is only so much one can take. I don't lose my patience everyday, more like once a month. And I tell him to fuck off and leave me alone. And inevitably my mom, who is never ever home to hear all the complaints or criticism or comments, starts to jump down my throat. "You're so rude to talk to your father that way, be nice..."
I don't know what to do anymore honestly. I'm going to loose my mind. I can't live like this every day. Am I unreasonable to snap and tell someone fuck off when they won't stop berating me every single day of my life?? What alternative can I take here???

I (26F) was in an abusive relationship from the age of 19-21, and it carried on a bit until I was 24.
Here are some key things that happened in the relationship:
I blacked out one day, he made up a story that I actively tried to fuck his best friend in front of him. It was confirmed that I never did that an entire year later when I was able to speak with his friend about it. I fell asleep on the way home in the back seat and he left me there to go home and meet his ex girlfriend to hookup before I woke up. This was also confirmed by text messages I was shown from his friend between the two.
For our entire relationship he cheated on me, CONSTANTLY. His excuse was always “You cheated on me, so why can’t I cheat on you? I forgave you for it, you should forgive me.” I felt guilty and that the troubles to the relationship were my fault, so I always apologized and told him I was sorry for doing what I did but it was hurting me for him to do what he was doing. He didn’t care, in fact he began recording himself having sex with other girls and would leave the videos for me to find- he’d encourage me to look through his photos and when I’d find the videos, he’d laugh and just tell me he thought he deleted them, and that I should mind my business??
This was by far the worst psychological abuse he did, but wasn’t the only thing.
He constantly told me that I do everything wrong and no matter how much I cooked, cleaned, or tried to be a good girlfriend, I wasn’t. I would spend hours cleaning his house to surprise him when he’d get home from work- one time he screamed at me for not immediately moving the clothes in the washer to the dryer, and told me to never do his laundry or touch his shit because I didn’t know what I was doing.
It even got so bad one night he disconnected the washer and dryer so I couldn’t use it, and told me he would shut off the electricity while he was gone so I couldn’t use it, because “he paid for it and I waste it not doing my job right.”
The physical abuse started shortly after three months and it was all bad. I was constantly being told he would kill me and bury me in the backyard, one night he held me hostage with a gun and told me my body would twitch as I bled out, and he’d bury me face down. This wasn’t the first time I thought he would kill me. The next day he reached out to tell me I was overreacting because the gun wasn’t even loaded and laughed, mind you my face was bruised, lip busted, and several other marks and bruises on my body.
Still, I blamed myself. I thought I wasn’t trying hard enough, so I tried harder and harder to do everything right.
For a few days he was nice to me, would bring me flowers, buy me things, cook for me, and I thought he realized how much I loved him.
Then he was mean again, threatening to go sleep with another girl and replace me with a better housewife .
I’d beg, plead, cry, and sob for him to stay, but he’d go. And I’d be there waiting for him to get back just for him to tell me he didn’t do anything only to find evidence a few days later.
There was always another girl. ALWAYS. And it was constantly forced on me that if I left, he’d replace her and give her everything I wanted.
There were times he did, but he’d always come back to tell me he couldn’t replace me and he loved me, and I believed him.
There is a lot more than this.
He broke me. Internally, I still haven’t healed. I cry often when I’m alone because these things that happened to me replay in my head.
I’ve ruined two relationships since because all I can think about is never letting it happen again. I can’t communicate without feeling this intense urge to defend myself. I’ve become physically abusive because there is this rage in me that once again feels like I have to defend myself. I’ve become overprotective of myself, and I simply can’t let anyone in.
I’m drowning in this. I’m having constant nightmares again of him killing me. And I’m scared.
I’m paranoid everyone in my life is out to get me now. I don’t believe anything anyone tells me.
It’s been like this for awhile, and I’ll admit the last two years I sought out men who reminded me of my son’s dad and treated them how he treated me…just trying to understand why, in the end it’s left me feeling like a bad person, and I still don’t understand why.
Did someone hurt him enough to make him that way? Like he made me?
All I can say is it’s been years and everyday I wake up and feel like it’s still happening.

Aidin didn't need another cautionary tale about the Phaal, but he could tell from the slight crinkle of Isa's forehead that he was about to hear one.
"There's something else you should know," she said.
So predictable. "If you're going to tell me how deadly-"
"It's not that," she interrupted, and it suddenly occurred to Aidin that he was probably just as predictable to her as she was to him. "It's something else. Something worse."
"What's worse than-"
"They can read minds. They can read your mind. Human minds. They might be reading your mind right now."
"I see," nodded Aidin, digesting the information. "Actually, I don't think I do see. Why is that worse?"
"Because the only way we're getting out of here is if you can beat them at Phaal's Poker."
Aidin and Isa were sat on the floor of a holding cell, but it was unlike any of the cells they'd found themselves in before. And they'd found themselves in plenty. For most artefact dealers, there was a fine line between running a successful operation and staying on the right side of The Expanse's arbiters. Usually you had to pick one.
Their cell was shaped like the number 8, with two, circular chambers separated by a gap just wide enough to squeeze a human arm through. They could've passed items to each other had they been allowed to keep anything worth passing. Instead, all they'd exchanged so far were words and glances. And thoughts.
Each half of the cell was empty save from a polymer bucket, and a singular light hung in the gap, half-heartedly illuminating both halves at the same time.
It was hard for either of them to know how long they'd been there. There were no windows, and besides, time moved strangely in these far-flung corners of The Expanse. Still, Aidin's stomach had given way to a deep, aching growl. They'd clearly been here for too long.
___
Phaal's Poker. Aidin had only heard the rumours. Invented by the Phaal, mastered by the Phaal. It was said that nobody could beat them at their own game, least of all humans, and now he understood why. How do you deceive something that knows what you're thinking?
"Can't you play?" asked Aidin.
Isa shook her head. "They can't read me. They'll insist on playing you."
Aidin's eyes dropped and settled on his moaning gut. He was used to hunger, but this felt different. Like his body had resorted to feeding on itself.
"Right. Excellent. And if I lose?"
Isa raised an eyebrow. "Don't lose."
Aidin sighed. This was not what he had envisioned when he took the job, but jobs like this rarely went as planned. That much he knew. "So what're the rules?"
"Ah, yes." Isa straightened, her eyes widening with an enthusiasm that felt at odds with their current predicament. "It's actually a rather elegant game."
"Well then, lucky me," said Aidin, his patience eroding with every gurgling hunger pang. Isa persevered.
"Two players face each other. Each player takes a coin - but it can be anything small and flat - and places it - secretly, mind - into one of their hands - or whatever they use to hold stuff." Isa's excitement continued to build. "You win by finding your opponent's coin and tricking them into missing yours."
"What if you both find each other's coins?"
"Then the game starts again. Same if both players get it wrong, but-" she caught herself. "But-"
"-Phaal don't get it wrong." offered Aidin.
Isa slumped back against the wall. "No, they don't. At least, not when they're playing humans."
"So if the Phaal never miss, it means I can't win," reasoned Aidin. "I can only delay the inevitable by forcing a rematch."
"Yes. That's the long and short of it," said Isa. "But perhaps..." she trailed off, and Aidin interrogated the slight narrowing of her eyes. He'd seen that squint before.
"You've got an idea, haven't you?" he said.
"What if," ventured Isa, "there is a way?" At this she stood up, her dormant bones clicking back into action. She paced back and forth across the diameter of her half of the cell, moving in and out of Aidin's view through the small gap that separated them. Her lips moved silently, her fingers traced patterns in the air.
"I'm listening," said Aidin, veiling his intense relief as best he could. She always had an idea. "Whenever you're ready."
After what felt to Aidin like an age, Isa stopped in the middle of her cell and moved close to the gap, locking eyes with him again. The light hovered above her head, and it reminded Aidin of the cartoons he used to watch back on Earth. This was an idea alright.
Isa pointed at him: "You have one advantage over the other humans who have played Phaal's Poker, don't you?" Aidin nodded, but he didn't know what she was talking about. Isa sensed it. "Aidin, you know they can read your mind. The others won't have known. We can use that."
"Okay. Yeah. I can see it. Fine." He stared at her blankly. "But how exactly? If I'm thinking about lying about which hand my coin is in, they're still going to know I'm lying."
"Sure", said Isa. She was confident now, like a detective about to reveal the culprit. "But what if you don't think about the game at all?"
___
Aidin's eyes burned into the silhouetted backs of the two human guards that escorted him down a dark, seemingly endless corridor. "You can talk to me y'know," he spat. No response. Fucking traitors.
The width of the corridor fluctuated. In parts it was wide - almost palatial - but then the wood-panelled walls would tighten inwards and suddenly it was so narrow that the guards had to walk in single-file. Then they'd open up again. Intermittent lights along the ceiling made their shadows shorten and stretch.
He hadn't seen wood for some time, let alone wood-panels. These Phaal were wealthy - trees didn't grow on planets in these parts. If not for his bounds he would've reached out and ran his fingers along them.
Without warning the guards stopped outside a door. One turned to face him, and Aidin opened his mouth, ready to tell him what he thought about humans that had crossed over. But all he could muster was a stifled gasp.
The guard's eyes had been gouged out, leaving two, pitted caverns in their place. Two smaller holes punctured a flat, scarred surface where his nose should've been, and his mouth was sewn shut with rusted, blood-stained wire. His ears were still in tact.
The guard reached for the door handle with a gloved hand, and Aidin scrambled to gather himself. This is what could happen to me, he thought. This is what could happen if I lose.
The door swung open. Aidin's hunger continued to eat away at his insides.
___
A small, wooden coin was placed in front of each player by one of the mutilated guards that had escorted Aidin to the room. Like his cell, the room was empty save for the metal table and chairs on which they sat and a light that glowed above them. But unlike his cell, this one was square. Disgusting place, he thought.
He glanced up at the Phaal sat across from him, remembering with a spike of panic that his thoughts weren't private anymore. But it was unclear to him whether it was listening: just like the two human guards stood either side of them, the Phaal were faceless.
He had never seen one in real life before, but Isa's description was pretty accurate. Humans are mostly carbon and oxygen, Phaal are mostly calcium and keratin. Imagine if you tried to piece together a human using only bones, teeth, nails and hair.
Its whole chest was covered by a wooden-beaded necklace, which, based on the differing shades of brown, looked like an assortment of various woods. More posturing.
With a sudden lurch, the Phaal raised a hand and placed it on top of its coin. The hand was human-like in shape, but paper-white and hard. Thick cables of hair coiled around each finger, digging grooves into their surface like a vine eroding the brick of a decaying building. It dragged the coin off the table with a screech that felt like it was peeling away at Aidin's eardrums.
Aidin - his bounds cut once the door to the room had been shut - took his own coin in response, passed it between his sweat-lined hands and recited Isa's words in his mind over and over, like a mantra. Grip one half of the coin with your left hand, and the other half of the coin with your right. Then focus on what you'll eat when we get out of here.
The Phaal angled its head slightly, and Aidin wondered whether it was listening now. After a moment, the blank oval of bone, hair and teeth rocked back and fourth very slowly. It was nodding. Then it placed two clenched fists on the table.
Grip one half of the coin with your left hand, and the other half of the coin with your right. Then focus on what you'll eat when we get out of here.
Aidin closed his eyes and thought about food. He knew that the food he'd be eating if he ever escaped this place would likely be the same food he and Isa had eaten since they'd met all those years ago. A grool of proteins, most of which could be harvested from even the most barren atmospheres of The Outer Expanse.
But his mind was a pantry, and he had stocked it with a myriad of memories. He remembered melted cheese on home-baked bread. He could almost taste his mother's cinnamon apples and golden custard. He could recall the smell of fried potatoes with such precision that it almost felt to Aidin as though they, and not his own coiled hands, had just been placed onto the table in front of him.
Focus on what you'll eat when you get out of here. Fruit. Grapes. The juice of those grapes. God damn I miss grapes. Fucking grapes. I never even wanted 'em when I was a kid. Now I'd kill for a grape. Fuck it I'd die for a grape. I'd-
A cold, callous touch to his right hand dragged his mind away from the grapes and back into the room.
The Phaal had made its choice. And as soon as Aidin realised what was happening, the Phaal knew that it had chosen wrongly.
The coin had found its way into Aidin's left hand.
My turn, thought Aidin, and the Phaal nodded once again.

I passed my CAPM test a bit ago and am about to hunt for a job that puts my new certification to work. I'd like to be either a manager on a smaller project or as some kind of assistant or deputy PM with the government (ideally the government, but I'm not too picky about which industry i ultimately work in.
I haven't started my job hunt yet (I have been busy with something personal right now) but when I do, what are tips that'll help me in hunting jobs or commonly made mistakes by new CAPM recipients that I should avoid before submitting my first application?
Any genuine answers are appreciated, thank you!

Just got into the site recently, has been an awesome introduction to AI generation and a great option for resources to generate - gladly paying for a membership and loving it.
The most painful part of the process by far is interacting with the Job Queue, Feed, and organizing images in general when it comes to large quantity of output and jobs. Here are some User quality of life suggestions I'd love the devs to see and consider for their roadmap, I think they would go extremely far in accessibility.

• Download Job Images: Add UI to download all outputted images from a job locally, to a zip file or otherwise. Users currently have to right click + save each one if they want to stash a collection of images for safe keeping.
• Save/Bookmark Job Settings: Add some way to store, name, and organize Job Settings (models, prompts, settings), you could re-use the Collections system that you are using for posts and images. This would allow users to stash the info for future use, and allow them to clear our old jobs from the Queue and keep the space clean to work in.

(Both of the above notes I think are beneficial to Civit because they let users effectively clean out their queues, less for Civ to be storing and the 30 day expiration becomes less of an annoyance)

• Name Jobs: Simple text field to Title jobs so that the user can Ctrl+F their queue, as a band aid to better organization UI.
• Extra Note - Posting: during posting process, I dont believe there is currently a way to add more images to a draft post FROM your feed/queue. you can upload additional local images but you can't return to the feed to add more from there. I might be missing something but seems like a potential point of friction, if you forgot to check one image for the post you have to go back, download it locally, and then go back to the draft post and import it from your local.

I think these few things would go a long way. Hope those help. Thanks.

Just had a match against a pretty bad Plague (there were running green dying light which is a choice). I'm trying an Object of Obsession, half for the "our killer aura reading build" humor and half for a "catch me if you can" sort of vibe (Off the Record, Troubleshooter, Adren, round it out, to lead the killer away from other survivors).
Anyway, I get on a gen. A Feng comes up and joins me... okay, Ill rotate they can have this one. I move to main on Car Haven (they are on a hill toward a corner, killer is chasing a Mikaela at Shack). Mickey goes down and DCs instantly (guess who brought the map offering! Otz's law). I find out the Killer has Friend's til the End as I look at her and she looks at me across the map while I work on Main gen. I figure I have a bit of time since I happened to see Nea over near shack at the start of the match and wait for my OoO to proc and confirm Plague is coming. Then I notice my gen progress slow... Feng had walked up and started working on the same gen again. Okay, Ill go back to the hill I guess. Sucks that Feng might get targeted. And no, she didn't have Prove thyself, so I don't know why she wanted to keep doubling at 5gens, especially against plague.
Happens a couple times more as the match goes on, Feng popping up to double a gen. Nea came running up to a gen I had at 50% while she was infected with plagues power and thankfully I let go before she started working on it and could infect me. Like these two (who I found out were a duo, cause one was on Twitch, couldn't tell you their thought process cause apparently I was matched with Russian players on NA somehow?) were clueless. I only get chased like twice, the first time the Plague gave up almost instantly. Feng never goes down, Nea is hooked once, and the bot is basically slow tunneled out. I got the feeling the Plague wasn't finding people and having a rough time getting downs when she did.
Cut to 1 gen left, I finally got Plague committing to my aura on the opposite side of the map from an 90% gen, Feng unhooks Nea and they jump on it as Plague get a hit on me in power. Cool, I have Adren. Plague catches me at a corner near the gen I was working on and her power downs me. She goes to kick, and they pop the other gen, Im running for main, but plague had enough power left to get a distance shot off and get me in the dead zone.
First hook, so I have plenty of time. Nea and Feng both cleanse and then both go to the same door on the far side of the map from me. Feng standing there watching Nea open the door...
I am beyond livid. Plague picks up a power refresh on the way, had noed on top of it, downs mikaela and runs down feng midmap. 4k.
I get one unhook attempt which fails, the noed aura shows up next to me, so if someone had come to save me, we could have got the hex, but nope. My build worked at a clutch time and I got rewarded with being 1hooked to death. Is this why people just give up on Altruism and play for hatch? Do you think them knowing I had Object would even had clued them in to leave me alone?

My (16) brother (M23) is an incredibly selfless person from a age he was the one protecting us from our drug and alcohol addicted parents on good days they'd just leave us alone which meant that my brother would be forced to take care of me and my eight siblings but on the bad days they'd find any reason to be mad and beat us, my brother would stand in front of the door way nake sure they would beat him instead of us. They'd use irons, bats anything to make us feel pain but my brother protecting us he would get the worse of it all, he still has a lot fo scars from it all but he has some tattoos that cover them up.
He never got any chance to have a childhood. And even now life hasn't gotten any easier, this last year has been crazy. He lost his best friend of ten years to a drug overdose, and only a month later we lost my little brothers both (M13), my cousin (F16) and my younger sister (F10) car accident a
All three of them ended up in a coma but eventually passed away one by one during this time my brother wouldn't leave their side, he never slept, didn't sleep or drink water. He'd only drink coffee and enegery drinks to stay awake.
And finally we lost our grandmother. She and my brother were always super close, and she passed away. After her passing things quickly went downhill from there. He couldn't sleep, he would've eat and I'm pretty sure he didn't take his meds that are meant to help him with his bipolar.
One day I came home from school and I found out that my brother tried to kill himself so he was sent to the psych ward.
We got to visit him while he was there but he wasn't like himself, he isn't really happy go lucky he can sometimes be like Wednesday Addams but he just looked so drained and dead inside. The nurse said that he had signs of burnout, a mental breakdown and psychosis.
He's been home for about a week now and there is no difference in his behaviour. He is still cold, distant and sometimes I catch him starring off into the distance. I can tell he feels very vulnerable position but he won't let any one of take care of him.
I'm gonna get to the point now today I came home from soccer practice to my uncle and aunt trying to get me to talk to my brother because they got into a fight. I don't wanna get into to much detail but it started over coffee and developed into them blaming him for the car accident.
When I went upstairs he was in a ball crying telling me he's sorry and that I shouldn't have to see him like this. When I bent down to try and comfort he moved from me quickly begging for me not to touch him saying that he doesn't want to hurt anyone and that he is tried of hurting people. I told that it was okay but before I could say more to comfort him he just screamed to leave him alone.
I'm not sure what to do from here. I called my godmother and she left about thirty minutes ago. She managed to calm him down with some herbs.
Do you guys have any advice or tips on how I can help him? Please please help me. Thank you

Hi, I was wondering if anyone has more information regarding the Massachusetts Paid Family Medical Leave in how calculations are made to determine both what employers should contribute and how much employees qualify for when on leave? I am self-employed under an LLC, so I would need to contribute to the program through my LLC in order to have any kind of "maternity leave" coverage. Does it make sense to participate in this program with my LLC for future family planning (yet again I'm self employed, so I'd be contributing in theory just for myself down the line) or should I just save money in a high yield savings account? Thank you and sorry if this is a stupid question!

TL/DR: Mt. Vernon to Woodlawn commute by CityLink Blue 5-6am: Reliable or suicide?
Hi all,
My car was recently totalled on the 695. I was already planning on moving from the outer ring of Baltimore City limits to downtown or more likely Mt. Vernon to really make the most of City living, but I have historically needed a car to get to my job in Woodlawn just off MD-122 Security Blvd.
I haven't had the greatest experience with the MTA in the past, but I also haven't lived on a CityLink route before (just a few LocalLinks). However, since I was already looking at apartments near-ish US-40, I'm considering instead of immediately replacing my car I could try to take the CityLink Blue to Security Blvd.
I'm optimistic that the CityLinks should be sufficiently reliable for my morning commute because my shift starts so early at 6:00am before there's any real traffic to clog the roadway. According to Google Maps, that would have me leaving Mt. Vernon at about 5:00am and being in my office about 5:50am.
Does anyone have experience taking the CityLinks, specifically the CityLink Blue, in the super early morning hours? Will the Blue be reliable enough for me to get to work on time?
Any and all feedback on this plan would be much appreciated. Thank you.

Look. I know I'm in the work of starting my first day at work this week (WOOHOOOOO). But can somebody tell me why the actual fuck companies say they "carefully considered" you and don't even speak a word to you before handing you a rejection letter? Sounds like a damn cop-out to me. This is how the letter would go if they were honest:
Hi [candidates name],
We thank you for your interest in our company. But not really, we don't care. We understand we spoke absolutely no words to you about this position, but we'll pretend we looked at your resume for more than two fucking seconds, and through those two seconds, we carefully (not really) considered you. We also understand that you are overqualified for this position, but we're gonna give Ms. Bitch-attitude a job over here, instead of you, because her mother is a part of our admin board. We will make sure to throw your application straight to the shred-- we mean, in our files. Again, we wish you luck in your job search and hope you find a job before you starve, but we really don't because we already have a steady income and could give no fucks about anyone except ourselves.
Fake-ass regards,
[terrible company]

So me and my bf, younger couple but just barely adults, are living out of a tent/car. We DoorDash daily but lately it’s only been enough to survive, and even that is asking a lot. We have a cat, she has her own setup of everything she needs in the backseat. Every 10 days we have to find another place to live because our campsite has a policy where 10 days is the max and then you leave for 3. We have an expensive car payment because we were in a really good spot, and then everything just came down. ($373, not too bad but really hard to make). He has about 1k in debt and I have about 3k, the car is 30k (APR is 20%). We’re struggling to find food, be able to stomach food, work, find jobs (I’ve applied like crazy and has he, we’ve gone to interviews but nothing), we’re on an apartment’s waiting list but we’re 118 in line. We were going to get our first break last night (staying in a hotel and getting a complete refresh because we haven’t showered in 14 days and I feel terrible about myself. We had to put half that money towards stuff we need and we just snapped because the one night we wanted to take a break, we couldn’t. Personally I’m sad about last night but I’m also glad I got to figure out how to get over it. How do yall make it work? I laid that out so we could hopefully get some advice from someone who’s dealt with something like this? Thank you in advance!

hey all, I’ve had about 3 years of experience in the field and im interested in job searching again soon. however, its been a long time since I’ve worked on a personal case study. Between managing my current job and redoing my portfolio and building case studies- it’s a lot. What’s the shortest timeline you’ve had for a case study on your portfolio? I don’t want to rush the design process of course, but I do need to focus on getting something together in a reasonable amount of time to get the application process going. I have a lot of professional work, but I can’t show that on a public site. When you’ve applied for new jobs have you shown interviewers any previous professional work that you’ve done? Thanks in advance!
TLDR: how do you manage work, and building your own case studies/portfolio at the same time effectively?

I'm on mobile, writing this brought back a lot of emotions. So if it's sloppy,I apologize.....
I've debated about posting this, but it's been a year now. So I should be ok. I've posted on Reddit before, asking about situations at the company but changed some things. So here we are, and here's a full run down of my time there
I started in May, 2019. Part time and straight out of highschool. By November, I was full time and had store keys, training to be a closing manager (RSS)
In 2020, we had a coworker stalk a new hire, as he really wanted to date her, she felt uncomfortable but since he was a manager, she felt inclined to do as he wanted. She came to me as we were close in age. I helped her talk with our boss. He was soon let go.
Then we hired another girl, and she was.... Something.
She decided that she was going to get the boss to fall for her, and be the favorite. Boss was annoyed by her, and she found it funny to walk up behind me when I was on a phone call, reach around and grab my chest. She did this in front of customers as well. Our store had no cameras.
Even after I told her to knock it off, she kept on. Soon the customers were trying to treat me the same. Trying to touch me, asking if they can "Rent me" and other gross things.
I'd told my boss, SM. But at the time, we had a very.... Slow to act DM. So nothing was done.
One day, I was training a new hire. I was on the phone with a customer, and he was beside me at the counter with a customer. She walked up behind me, reached around, but this time, one hand went up, one went down and she was telling our new hire "it's ok to do this cause there's no cameras" and slowly started undoing the buttons on my shirt.
I'd gotten permission from my boss at the time to react in anyway I had to to get her off me, as our DM didn't want to get involved but wouldn't allow him to fire her.
so I kicked her as hard as I could. She fell, and started laughing. After she left, I explained to him what's been going on. He understood but was upset and uncomfortable, not that I blame him. She'd been written up for this before.
The next day, DM was there. New hire had called tips, and told them if they didn't do anything about this he would go public, forcing the DM to do something. Well, we found out this day, that we had a new DM. As the company "had decided due to so many complaints under this DM, that they needed to take him from DM, and make him a SM again for awhile"
This one took swift action. She was canned. After this, the new hires we got were so much better. But unfortunately, the system we used, showed our phone numbers and addresses. So this, now ex coworker, started stalking me. Sending me threatening messages and following me home, company said just block and ignore. Police wouldn't help til she did something threatening my life. I'd come outside to my tires all flat, my car scratched, I'd be followed home, it was a mess. A few times I'd be followed, run off the road, one morning on the way to work, I called the store and told them I was being followed. Everyone knew by now what was happening, and they watched as I pulled in, my SM went outside to tell the girl to leave, as she tried to slam her car into mine. I'd Changed everything by then, moved, new number, new route to abd from work. Hadn't seen her in awhile.
I left that store in Feb of 2021, and went to a bigger store to be trained as a ASM and as a safety precaution, to create more space in case the chic came back. (As she still circled the store time to time) Once there, I helped run the store. I was there til August of that same year, I was "loaned" out to help a different store, but still was expected to run my second store. As the SM was out due to family issues.
So now I'm running two stores, one store where no one respects the store manager, and one store where there is no store manager. So I'm training people at one location while running this other store as the store manager is sleeping off a hangover In the office.
During this, I was training some guys from the second store, and on October 19th, 2021. I had been at store #3 getting stuff ready for the upcoming inventory, so I got home around 12AM. My phone was dead, I was tired and I had a husky needing to go outside. When two of the guys I was training pull up. They had gotten my address off of the computer and were here because "they were sick of the management and needed me back there" they knew what apartment number I was so they ran up the stairs and beat me to the door. I was tired and not in the mood to get into it that night, so they passed out on the couch and next morning, I'm being called due to them not coming in. So I answer and told them that they are currently passed out on my couch, I got in trouble for them not coming into work.
It went smoothly for awhile, then December 13th, 2021 comes along. At this time, my relationship with my mother was rocky. I had gone low contact with her. I also never told anyone my business, as I figured it wasn't anyones need to know. My personal life stays personal. Well, two store managers take it upon themselves to integrate me. It's their day off, so I'm running the store, only have one delivery driver that day, short staffed, they pull up and have me go into the back of the store, which has no walls. So everyone can hear what's being said.
And they lay into me. For 3hrs til I'm in tears and have told them everything that went on with my mother and why we're low contact. The store manager decides she's going to be my hero and go confront my mother, have her husband beat my mother up and have this show down. They told me to not worry, return to work and they'll handle it. And left. Leaving me crying, shaking and still trying to run a store, get people to lunch and my teams now more focused on me, what they heard in the conversation and some are calling the DM to report what just happened. This made a very awkward month, as now DM is involved, the SM's got a talking to and I had to relive this twice more. Once with the DM, then HR. Tho HR labeled this a "in house issue" and weren't willing to help.
After this, it calmed down. The SM's were now out to get me for "getting them in trouble" but otherwise, it seemed fine. Tho I was working with the store managers daughter, so she kept her mom updated, and made sure to mention my mothers abuse towards me and tell others about it as well. She liked the gossip of it.
Then on March 5th, 2022. The store managers daughter had been slacking. Big time. On her phone in the office, taking "favors" for reduced product, or just ignoring her job and making others pick up the slack. I was spread thin, mentally and physically. Trying to help with training a new store manager, training staff at my second store, and keeping this third one up. So when I was catching up on freight, and found she was off in the back on her phone watching TikTok, I got on her about it. She got upset, and said "you've been really moody lately. I think you're pregnant" to which I told her I'm stressed trying to get stuff going, I haven't had a break in awhile, and you aren't helping at all.( She also has this mindset that I slept with my first store manager. And that I was still with him and pregnant by him. )
She rolled her eyes, and on her break, she went out and bought a pregnancy test. When she returns, she hides my clipboard and paperwork, and had blocked my car in. Then, in front of the few staff I had that day, announces that I'm to take this pregnancy test, or she'll destroy the paperwork, and tell the SM that I wasn't actually in store, didn't do my paperwork and have been flaky. She had the DM and SM's wrapped around her finger. So I told her this isn't appropriate and that I'd rather not. This went back and forth, to the point of her getting in the way of me answering phones and helping customers, she'd physically take the phone from my hand and hang up, or tell the customer that I couldn't help them at this time.
So I told her, if I do, I'm going home for the rest of the day. I had 2 hours left of my shift. She said fine. But she needed to be in the bathroom as I took it, so I don't "cheat".
After that, she moved her car and I left. For the day. Went home, called HR. They told me it's an in store issue, and unfortunately they rather not get involved with it. So I told the DM. He had already received reports from the other staff, telling him what happened. She was talked to, but that's it. For the rest of the week, she talked about how cute it would be if I had a baby with my first SM, asked about what he was like in bed and if we did it in the store - this SM and I were close, he was a father figure/role model to me. If I couldn't figure something out, he was my first call. She ruined the friendship I had with him, as we both felt awkward when we worked together due to her. As she told her mom and the gossip spread like wildfire.
March 15th, 2022. I requested a week off. I needed a break, my car needed maintenance and I figured I would head to the ocean with my husky for a couple days. So the first day off, the 12th, I drop my car off at the dealership so they can replace a recall. They say it'll be 5 hours so I walk around town, just relaxing. Then they tell me that unfortunately, they found a new issue and are going to keep my car for a month, and have no way of giving me a loaner. I try to figure out why and it's the runaround, my buddy comes to my aid and helps me get my stuff from my car as they wouldn't let me back there to get my stuff. Then we go to my mother's house to try and get the spare car I have. But the rack and pinion blew on it the same day. So next day I spend trying to tear it apart. I get halfway through when work calls, and let's me know my vacation request ends early as the SM's daughter had an emergency and I need to cover for her. I tell them I'm without a car, in a city an hour away, and the SM says "not my problem. Figure it out. I need you in. If you aren't in, I'm writing you up and firing you"
So I rush to get the car going, and on the 14th, Im stressed, tired, sore and anxious. I push a tool a bit to hard and it slips on grease, comes flying out of the wheel well and hits me in the head, hard. My mother comes back an hour later to find me knocked out. My first concussion. (By this time, we'd had a better relationship/understanding and were working towards building it)
So that night, she drops me off at my apartment. No rental places had any cars, so that morning, I grab my scooter, my husky, and walk the 4hrs to the store. Two hours in, I start to have an asthma attack. My body's shaking, my heads killing me, but we get there. Almost falling in the parking lot. We get in, I sit by the door catching my breath. A driver who used to volunteer at the fire station, comes over and checks my pulse, gets worried and recommends I go to the ER. I tell him I'm okay, the SM has already left for the day. So I need to be here to close. I get cleaned up, and the DM calls. Saying the SM called to tell him I hadn't shown up, and to ask where I was. I told him I just walked there, im wheezing and he's concerned too. I tell him she threatened to fire me if I didn't get here. He said he'd talk to her. Nothing ever came of it.
July 6th, 2022. The DM decided to move me permanently back to my 2nd store, as the store manager was going through personal stuff and I was needed there. So I went. It had been a couple weeks before this, but on the 6th, my shifts were 7am to 7pm. Or til 9:30 if the closer didn't come in. So I come in on time, start working, and go into the back of the store to get hose for a customer. I'm still feeling the symptoms of the concussion from March, but power through. I'm not sure how, but I managed to slip on a piece of paper, fall back and hit the base of my skull on the shelf, then when I was getting up, hit my forehead on it too. A coworker came looking for me. And found me, in his words "in a puddle of blood". He gets me up and takes care of the customer, and gets me to the bathroom and cleaned up. Then we go to the SM and let her know.
She says "You're standing up. You can work. Clean yourself up and get on the counter" I had a two week vacation scheduled, starting the next day. So she thought I was trying to get off work early. Something I had never done. So I go the front after cleaning myself up, the nasty gash on my head swelling up and getting attention. The store is hot, it's 90 outside, and I'm in my jacket shivering cause I'm cold. This happened at about 9AM. I went to her at 12PM and requested a break so I could go out to my car, grab some pain pills and come back. She said no, as I might not return. So I worked through it. I tried calling a couple people to see if they could cover me, as I was feeling worse and worse. But nothing. By 3, a coworker comes in and sees me. His shift didn't start for another two hours, but he immediately told me to go home.
By how, the SM has sent two others home early as we were " slow" and didn't need them. She also wanted to leave, which would mean I'd be the only manager there. He was a manager in training. But he counted my til down and the SM said as I left "since you don't feel good, maybe you shouldn't go to your sister's and just relax. But if I see any pictures of you on vacation after this, I'll know you lied to get out of it."
I went out to my car, which was a 2019 base model Sentra, I left at 4pm. I didn't get home til 8:30/9pm. A drive, with traffic takes an hour. My car had no lane deparcher or blindspot monitoring. When I pulled into my spot at my boyfriend's apartment, as I had moved in with him after coworkers kept finding out where I lived, or gave my address out to random people. My car was scratched up, the rims had curb rash, the passenger side had scratches. I don't know where I went or why it took so long to get home. I remember getting into my car, turning it on, turning on the A/C and that's it.
I went inside and passed out on the bed, my boyfriend couldn't wake me up for dinner, next morning my mother came and got me, taking me to the ER. I had yet another concussion. The doctor told me to stay away from screens, loud noises, drink water and just relax. Refrain from hitting my head again.
After my vacation, I returned with a letter of resignation. As I did some thinking. I couldn't stand the job anymore, the gossip, the crap... The random guys who would get my number and say "someone gave me your number at the store." And I'd have to change my number again. I have a folder of some of the weirdest ones.
I gave my resignation to the SM I currently was under. She denied it. Said no, she needed me to run her store while she took care of stuff, but this was the same SM who believed that I slept with my first SM, denied my raise and SM training as "according to the 3rd store I was sent to. I didn't do anything of what I was supposed to do, got the SM and her friend and the daughter in trouble, I took my vacations without thinking of anyone else"
I went to my first SM, he faxed the paperwork in. My last day was scheduled for August 18th, 2022. Clearly stated on my resignation letter. I gave my two weeks notice on Aug. 4th. 2022.
Everyone started freaking out in management. My DM tried getting me to stay, as it was a shock to him. But I couldn't. On my last day, she scheduled me for a closing shift. With nothing on the following days. She put me on for that Saturday. She calls me, asking where I am. I tell her my last day was Thursday. She tells me no. That she decides when my last day is, and I'm needed there right now. She thought we had talked it out, and that I would "come to my senses" and see reasoning. I told her I was firm on no longer working there, and I had already turned in all my keys. She blew up. Calling me every name in the book, degrading me, she called other stores and a lot of my friends there, turned on me. As she told them straight lies.
I blocked everyone as I started getting hate messages, people commenting on my social media, saying awful stuff. It was hell. I blocked everyone, and for awhile. I had to block accounts or deactivate my stuff. Finally, it all stopped.
I thought I was going to be with that company forever. I missed friends events for it. Family stuff, and events I wanted to go to, cuz of the job..,.. but in the end, those who were assholes to me, got placed in higher positions. Praised for "dealing with everything" and took credit for everything I did. I still get messages asking how to do something, but those go unanswered.
I miss the challenges, the interactions with customers and cars. But I don't miss how HR worked. How tight some are, that they can easily sway things to benefit them just cuz they know each other outside of the company.
It was fun. But I'm glad I got out, and it's burned me... I miss certain people there. But I can't ever be positive about that company again

This is a question about a very weird denial of a Fair Housing Act accommodation request.
I rent an apartment in a building managed by a large property management company. I have a physical disability and recently started a dialogue with my landlord about a certain accommodation I needed. They weren't receptive when I went the casual route, so I connected with an ADA advocate and got some advice. The advocate advised me to make a request under the Fair Housing Act for my disability accommodation, and to include a doctor's note supporting the request. This is all pretty normal so far.
My landlord sent back a letter via certified mail saying they are denying the request. However, they want to talk about alternate solutions. For example, they want to do X, I want to do Y. We can't agree on X or Y, but let's see if Z can somehow work as a compromise. Okay, that sounds like something I'd be open to.....
Here's where it gets weird.
In their letter, they ask for me to give them authorization to speak directly to my doctor ON MY BEHALF to discuss solutions for an accommodation.
And here's the real kicker: They seem to be tying this demand to any further dialogue about accommodations. As in, they are making it sound like they will be unwilling to dialogue further about a Fair Housing Act accommodation for my disability, until/unless I agree to this outrageous request.
(Of course I'm not going to do that, I'm not handing over my entire medical history to my landlord. The landlord can continue to dialogue directly with me about my accommodation options, which is the norm here, and if I need another doctor's note my doctor will write one.)
Here is my question.
Their request (for authorization to dialogue directly with my doctor on my behalf) is obviously inappropriate. But is it illegal?
I suspect it may be violating either some tenant/landlord boundaries, or disability rights law (the Fair Housing Act or something similar) but I can't pinpoint exactly what.
Insights would be appreciated, on what part of this might be illegal.
(Also open to suggestions of what *type* of lawyer I need to connect with going forward. I tried calling tenant/landlord lawyers in my area last week, but they all said they only represent landlords.)
Thank you!
PS. Anyone who feels tempted to respond "this is a HIPAA violation" - no thanks! I know everyone on reddit loves to say this but that's not what is happening here. The landlord is asking me to sign away my HIPAA rights so my doctor could share literally all my medical information with them, *without* violating HIPAA. This is the sort of thing people usually do with their spouses/partners or family members who are involved in their care - not their landlords.

Hello! I’m a new mom of an 11 week old baby and on the last day of my shortened maternity leave. (I was pressured into going back cause if I don't they will post my job)
I am struggling to make the right decision whether or not to stay home or go back to work. I have written the pros and cons and came out with more pros to go back. There are days where I would tell myself it will be alright. Going back would be a good thing, I get to save for my son’s future and give him the experiences and a better life than I had. Also, things are so expensive these days that it's hard to live on one income.
On some days when I look at him and see him grow and change, I would question myself how can I possibly go to work and miss all of this?
My husband and I are putting our son in a good day care and I have so many irrational thoughts. Like what if one day he will refer to one of his teachers as his mom? What if they mistreat him? What if they leave him in the crib for too long and forget about him? What if he’s scared and he cries and realizes that im not there to comfort him and he will hate me?
I know… It’s stupid.
But they say it takes a village to raise a kid and my village is almost non-existent other than online support. So daycare it is.
I also struggle with accepting help when offered. I would say no I'm ok. I have this overwhelming feeling of not getting enough of him but also wanting to have a break. When I do get a break, I don't feel relaxed.
Moms, have you been in this situation before? What help you make a decision? How did you make it work? Any strategies? How do you balance a baby, being a wife and work?
Thank you for taking the time to read.