Hello, I'm new to Reddit and still figuring things out..
I'm going to dive into the situation and why I feel doubt in how I handled the situation. Thank you all!
I am a 29 female, mainly working for myself and with a family member from time to time. I have a couple of activities in the evenings that I do for myself after my work day. A friend from one of my activities passed away on May 8th, 2024. I take care of animals (horses, dogs and cats are my main clients), I watch after and take care of these animals while their owners are away, elderly or when a family emergency happens, I do my best to be there for them and their animals.
I'll try to pack as much detail as I can but keep it fairly short. I've been doing this kind of work for about 3 years all together. One of the people I have worked with is moving on in years has some mental handicapps and an aging dog. The owner, (I'll call her M) has a small breed dog 12yrs old. I have helped them since I started working in this field. I started out walking the dog a couple times a week every couple of months. And about 18months ago M had surgery on their eyes and I began feeding and walking the dog. Part of this dynamic is that every few months they have a bad go of things and I get the burnt of frustration, hurt (emotional and mental) along with the degree of their physical pain verbally thrown at me. I have my own mental challenges mainly anxiety, ADD/ADHD, and depression (treatment is a work in progress for myself). After each of these "episodes" I feel tremendous dread, anxiety, hesitation, and a great level of doubt mixed in with a fragile state of confidence. But each time about 5 to date I have attempted to work through them, things even out then another episode. Important additional information: been feeding the dog since the start of the year when M had a medical emergency. (2x daily, with short walks weekends included)
This last one, I had a flexible schedule for the day (Saturday) and M has always had a window of time for me to be there in. Was with another client dog on a longer walk and thought I had committed with M that my timing for the day may be a bit different than what we normally planned. I get done with the walk to see I didn't actually send the message. I communicated then that I was on my way. From one client to the other is about 40 minutes with good traffic. I got to M's house an hour after when I would normally be there. I enter and see M struggling to prepare dinner for the dog. I ask if M would like me to take over along with the first of 4 apologies. I did, then walked the dog as usual. Was asked by M to come talk, so I sat with them. Where I was burated/scolded for my conduct for 10 minutes, then went to bring up my over all character and ethics. Some things that M said are as follows " I don't pretend to know your ethics and how to tend to run your business, but I am disappointed and feel violated by your conduct" and " I don't care about my comfort but when my dog becomes uncomfortable and is verbally expressing their need to go out I can't condone it" and i quote "I am fragile and not mentally able and to feel taken advantage of, is unacceptable". M continues on in the same tone. Spaced in between these comments I apologize, owning the fact that "I should have called or confirmed that my message went through. That I can only aim to be better, learn from this situation and that sometimes us humans make mistakes but all we can do is learn and move forward". M then states " I am unsure if I feel comfortable with continuing with you or finding someone else would be better. I don't have many friends that are able to help me and I have come to depend on you. I am dying and need more consistency in my life." I responded "I am sorry to have you feeling this way, but you need to do what you need to for yourself and your companion. I feel that given your tone and phrasing that you have made your decision and I will respect it and no longer have you as a client. With this said I need to leave for my next meeting." I received a message from M the following day asking me "If I could come gather a sample for their upcoming vet appointment. That they are sorry for being harsh and disrespectful. That they have no one else to help and that they hope we can possibly talk about continuing on with me providing care for their dog." I responded "that I no longer feel comfortable with being a provider for their dog, that I don't feel safe in the environment. However if she needs the assistance that I will be there for the dog, they have done nothing wrong. But I will administer care and be promptly leaving." M respected my response, but the day of my being there asks about "the usual walk and feed on Saturday this week." I responded with " I will get back to you, I have another meeting in 40 minutes."
My family says that I made a situation worse, that I was unprofessional and that M's mental health was negatively impacted.. I'm not saying that they are wrong about the mental health part.. but where does my happiness, mental health, and overall well-being come into consideration?
Was I unprofessional and at my wits end or did I protect myself? Could I have handled this better?

Hey everyone,
I've had to do this whole post again (absolutely gutted) as the draft function let me down so sorry if I skip through a bit quicker...
Another day, another set of memes to look through. As always, you can catch my previous day round ups below:
13th May
14th May
15th May
To reiterate, the description of each tweet is to the best of my knowledge the references made to allow you to make your own view in context and the speculation is pure speculation on my part. If you just want to look at the descriptions and not the speculation then just ignore the speculation part.
This is just for fun and shouldn't be taken as any financial advice, make your own decisions, I just like the stock.
If you have anything to add feel free to in the comments.
Let's begin:
10am - https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1791106334517010680
Description: First we have Jigsaw from Saw, "Hello, Do you want to play a game?", it then cuts to The Prestige with the quote "are you watching closely?" and then it cuts to Lucky Number Slevin talking about the Kansas city shuffle and finally it's Nas with Made you look.
Speculation: Jigsaw used to capture people who were not looking to live their life and play games with them to show them that they actually do care about their lives in the end. Maybe DFV is referring to shorts desperately trying to get out of their position and showing they will do whatever it takes to do it. The Prestige quote comes from the scene here and shows a magic trick of money appearing. The Kansas City Shuffle is "In order for a confidence game to be a "Kansas City Shuffle", the mark must be aware, or at least suspect that he is involved in a con, but also be wrong about how the con artist is planning to deceive him. The con artist will attempt to misdirect the mark in a way that leaves him with the impression that he has figured out the game and has the knowledge necessary to outsmart the con artist, but by attempting to retaliate, the mark unwittingly performs an action that helps the con artist to further the scheme" and the Made you Look songs full line is "They shootin', Aw made you look" maybe referring to what is happening to the stock right now.
10.15am - https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1791110102797172804
Description: Here we have a scene from Kill Bill where the bride is about to take on the crazy 88 gang and the music Nobody but Me by The Human Beinz.
Speculation: On the theme of ultimate revenge, The Bride in Kill Bill was on a mission to well.. kill bill. Lots of to go through in order to get to the final boss and the song is maybe making a point that Nobody but DFV could have seen this coming or maybe he is saying RCEO can do it
10.30am - https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1791113879684325383
Description: This is taken from Inside Man, i think it's the opening scene and has the music Chaiyya Chaiyya, also taken from the original clip. DFV has imposed a cat looking over and listening to the monologue which reads "Pay strict attention to what I say because I choose my words carefully and I never repeat myself".
Speculation: Inside man is about an elaborate heist turned hostage movie on Wall Street. Don't think there is much more to say about that other than GME is most likely the hostage in this situation.
10.45am - https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1791117652276195516
Description: The first part of this meme is taken from The Office and Michael pulls up in a car with Lady Gaga - Let's Dance playing and states "it's Britney Bitch". We then cut to Britney Spears in her music video Hit Me Baby One More Time and the part "give me a sign" has the movie logo for Signs on it (much more of that to come)
Speculation: First part is a joke from DFV keeping the just dance theme going but then we go to hit me baby one more time and most importantly a reference to a "Just give me a sign". There are signs coming that something big is going to happen.
11am - https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1791121430836584789
Description: This is the intro to Goosebumps and follows a lot of the original clips theme, you can watch that here. Some key changes that have been made though, R.K Gill is on the briefcase, something has definitely been edited with the man's head holding the briefcase, the billboard shows a morph to Ryan Cohen, Ryan's dog is brought in and then it's "Bear Beware" and "Goosebumps, based on the memes by R.K Gill"
Speculation: This is a really fun meme, we see some more of RC and Roaring Kitty Gill all over this. Is there a partnership or does DFV just know that RCEO is about to do something big that will send goosebumps down the bears necks.
11.15am - https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1791125203147428066
Description: Next we have Broad City and the song Best Friend by Sofi Tukker. The meme basically just has lots of scenes around new york with friends just doing a lot of dancing. Just a fun meme of dancing really and a lot of it centers around the two best friends the sitcom is about.
Speculation: DFV and RCEO are best pals and with everything that is going on with the stock they are just dancing and having a great time. Essentially owning New York which of course is where the finance bros hang out.
11.30am - https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1791128976632459643
Description: The first scene is taken from Devil Wears Prada with the models hanging out in New York for a shoot and the song Crazy by Seal plays with the lyrics "we're never gonna survive, unless we get a little crazy" it cuts to the official music video then back to Devil wears Prada where they say "oh i get it, the piece is called urban jungle right?", "yes the modern investor unleashes the animal within to take on the big city" Roarrr
Speculation: Another meme from New York with predominantly girls hanging out. DFV maybe noting that we all unleash a little roaring kitty by taking on his thesis with Gamestop, dunno about you but I just like the stock. Things might get a little crazy, at least to people on the outside when they are asking you why you aren't selling.
11.45am - https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1791132751976120778
Description: This scene is taken from the movie Signs and the Rev Graham here is woken and staring at something on the roof that spooks him.
Speculation: There will be many more references to this movie, in this case the Rev Graham (who weirdly looks like Ken G) is getting spooked at something he thought he saw. Scary stuff if you are short on GME.
12.00pm - https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1791136527801807077
Description: This is also taken from the movie Signs and it's a quote, "See what you have to ask yourself is what kind of person are you? Are you the kind that sees signs, that sees miracles? Or do you believe that people just get lucky? Or, look at the question this way: Is it possible that there are no coincidences?"
Speculation: Something big is coming, what kind of person are you? Is it possible there are no Cohencidences?
12.15pm - https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1791140301895352325
Description: Again from Signs, this shows the scene where the kid takes out his baby monitor and claims he can hear the aliens talking to each other. There's two of them talking he states and again we see the sign logo flash up. We then see an overlay of alien writing that isn't in the original clip so that's been dubbed on purposely.
Speculation: Things starting to get real interesting now. This looks to be a sign that something is happening behind the scenes. A baby monitor, what's RCEO got stored up? Maybe he is pregnant? Maybe GME is pregnant? Is there a merger happening? A split of some sort?
12.30pm - https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1791144075963298165
Description: This is the scene in Signs where they go to the crop fields and there are alien crop circles everywhere, only in this meme DFV has replaced those circles with GME logos. Many GME logos some with long running lines.
Speculation: Really looking like something big is on the horizon and DFV thinks he has seen the signs. This meme would suggest maybe its a merger with multiple gamestop logos but that's just my opinion. One thing for sure is that Gamestop has something on the horizon.
12.45pm - https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1791147851466047673
Description: This is the scene in Signs where the news start reporting sightings of aliens and they show a load of kids in a different country looking down an alley way only for an alien bearing Roaring Kitty as a face to walk by, scary stuff!
Speculation: This was actually the first scene from this film that made me realize i had seen the film before and a younger me was pretty freaked out by that scene. It could imply that they have landed, they are here and or DFV is at least. Certainly a they are coming sort of message.
1.00pm - https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1791151631259574559
Description: This is taken from the animated film Luca, where one kid says "what does it mean, the thing you just said?" and the other kid goes "Come on Ill show you more stuff"
Speculation: I think this is aimed at me writing this right now and whoever is reading this right now. Ultimately i have no idea what DFV is saying i can only speculate and DFV knows that, he can't outright say what he thinks but he can show us more and more cool memes.
1.15pm - https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1791155401091596494
Description: This is taken from 500 days of summer and DFV has changed a lot of the words here but essentially he is asked what he does and he says he makes Gamestop memes, the woman says he could be a really great investor if he wanted to be, he is asked why he went from being a great investor to making gamestop memes and he says "why make something disposable, like an investment thesis, when you can make something that lasts forever like a Gamestop meme"
Speculation: DFV having more meme lols here but really why would he need to do anymore investing, he already has his favourite company shares and the thesis is done, he knows what's going on and he is happy to stick with what he has. That doens't mean his thesis on Gamestop doesn't evolve, I just think he is done looking for other deep value plays.
1.30pm - https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1791159177785770273
Description: This is taken from The Shining and the song dubbed on is Matter of Time by Vandelux. The main protagonist and author in the movie, Jack is sat writing and it seems it is DFV and he is writing memes.
Speculation: Anyone that has seen The Shining knows that Jack goes to a secluded house with no distractions to write his book. Turns out it actually just makes him go completely mental and he ends up killing his family. I think DFV is just having some fun showcasing the time he has spent focusing on making Gamestop memes.
1.45pm - https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1791162950373527857
Description: We have Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See by Busta Rhymes and his music video. The lyrics he has chosen for this clip are emphasized and they are:
Flipmode Busta Bus (Uh, what?) Nine-seven (Come on, what?) Hot shit (Ha-hah) Check it out
Hit you with no delayin' so what you sayin', yo? (Uhh) Silly with my nine milli, what the deally, yo? (What?)
Do you really wanna party with me? Let me see (Uh) just what you got for me (Come on) Put all your hands where my eyes can see (Put 'em up, yo) Straight buckwildin' in the place to be (Wildin', nice, ha)
It then ends with If you really wanna party with Roaring Kitty
Speculation: More fun and dancing. Some interesting lyrics, Flipmode (reverse uno card anyone), Silly with my nine milli (could relate to shares, does RCEO have that much?) Could just be a fun meme without much else to it.
2:00pm - https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1791166726891061749
Description: This is taken from Sicario and it starts with the quote "so you wanna be a Sicario" and then shows the blonde reddit icon from the other sub tied up and then a guy looking pretty pissed off.
Speculation: The Sicarios were hitmen, that's basically what it means when it asks if you want to be a Sicario, do you want to be a hitman or assassin. The blonde icon from other sub tied up is in the place of a kid who was tied up in the film and certainly WAS NOT a friend of the Sicarios. Take from that what you will but I can't comment to much as it's about another sub.
2.15pm - https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1791170783277949042
Description: First we have a scene from No Country for Old Men with the quote "you can't stop what's comin" then we cut to a train tearing it up in Chicago and also taking out a double deck chair with a Chicago Bears logo on it then finally we go to a WWE smackdown with Stone Cold Steve Austin.
Speculation: No Country for Old Men has cropped up a few times before but it's about a killer who is pretty much unstoppable mowing these people down. The train wrecking Chicago and the Chicago Bears (as a Packers fan i liked that), well option contract writers are in Chicago I believe but also it's the original home of Citadel. The chair maybe is an answer to a Cramer tweet and the smackdown i'm not sure other than it being just a fun thing to watch.
2.30pm - https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1791174276604699013
Description: This is the music video for Punkrocker by Teddybears. It basically follows a man who is being chased by the police, the cops are coming but the guy seems pretty chill about it. He listens to the music with no fear and you can too. The words are in Gamestop white and red.
Speculation: I think that this could indicate that Gamestop isn't doing anything wrong with what's going to happen, they have warned again and again in their financial postings that the stock is being manipulated and is subject to squeezes. It could also indicate a GME investor has nothing to worry about legally either, just like the stock.
2.45pm - https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1791178049939182048
Description: This is taken from The School of Rock where Jack Black is trying to ask what it takes to rock out. If you wanna rock its not about scoring chicks, it's not about getting wasted, its about sticking it to the man, and you can't just say it man you gotta FEEL it it in your blood and guts.
Speculation: Only you can decide what sticking it to man means yourself in relation to having GME stock during a big squeeze event but for me personally it's been a long 3 and a half years of having crap tossed at me just for owning this stock and i certainly pissed with the amount of corruption and cheating that has and continues to go on. If shorts never closed and still have that position, that's their mess not mine.
3.00pm - https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1791181824754106742
Description: The main scene in this meme is taken from the film Stand By Me. You have two cars on both sides of the road. The good guy in this is driving on the wrong side of the road and the other gang are on the right side, it's a game of chicken with a truck coming towards the good guy as they both drive side by side. It then cuts to Bojack Horseman trying to do some comedy and being asked to get off stage, he states "I'm not done hold on" - it cuts back to the scene and the truck bails last second. The good guy just keeps on driving and goes in front of the other car having a victory sip.
Speculation: If you take DFV to be the good guy in this car scene then he just carries on with what he believes which is in GME regardless of trying to be chickened out of it in the face of adversity. You could also say he is Bojack and wanting to continue with his memes, he ain't done telling his memeroirs yet.
3.15pm - https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1791185600453783688
Description: This is taken from Everything Everywhere All At Once and shows a woman showcasing her awards, DFV has imposed some cat photos on her desk and also 3 awards that read

• DeepFuckingValue, Degen of the Month
  
• Roaring Kitty, 1st Cat in Congress
  
• Keith Gill, Best Ethics from the CFA institute (lol)
  

"The quote is Do you see these? You don't get one of these unless you've seen a lot of bullshit. Excuse my French. Now you may only see a pile of boring forms and numbers, but I see a story."
Speculation: DFV is a fucking dude, the guy has a meme trophy cabinet. To us or others we just don't quite see it like he does. If DFV thinks something big is going to happen you have the choice to believe it too or not, that's completely up to you. The awards are lol.
3.30pm - https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1791189376195854606
Description: The first scene is taken from Garden State, he asks her "what are you listening to", she goes "you gotta hear this one song" and you then hear Dont Fear the Reaper by Blue Oyster Cult and the opening lyric "all our times have come"
Speculation: Don't fear the reaper, if you hold GME you don't have to as it's not going bust. The company is not going to die. There are certainly some shorts that should be fearing the reaper though.
3.45pm - https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1791193149408223306
Description: This is a hilarious meme and i'm not sure where this is taken from but i'll try my best to describe it (really you should just watch it though). Two men are in a rich guys house, the host writes a note and then has to leave tearing the note off and taking it with him, the other sneaks up to the notepad, labelled Cohen, and tries to sketch the next page to work out what he wrote. What is revealed is a cartoon man with a huge dick.
Speculation: RCEO has a big slong, what else is there to say? Ok I think that he is going to do something big and it's an exciting thing to think about. Does make you think of the tweet of Steve Smith he posted with the erect penis too.
4.00pm - https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1791196925619789864
Description: A more recently made meme shows Jay Clayton talking about Roaring Kitty showing his first meme and saying "is this something that we should be tolerating in our markets, whether it's legal lalallull" then it goes to a clip of a guy saying "i mean what did he say fuck me for"
Speculation: DFV basically saying as we would say in the UK, "whatever mate". The guy is talking a load of bullshit and to bring up legality after all the stuff he has let slide as former SEC chairman, i mean bitch please!
Hope you enjoyed, still pissed i had to write this twice, my original had a lot more links to original clips and each Superstonk post as well! I'm off to bed, i'll update with the 8pm tweet tomorrow.
Love ya DFV x

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My friend's gf is active on twitter and keeps reposting vague, cryptic stuff from time to time then stops for a few weeks. The stuff she shares are those bs quotes abt being frustrated over men and hurt by them, how she keeps sticking around for too long but when she's gone, she's gone. Also about feeling like an unwatered plant (that was an original one lol) - only a few examples mentioned. This is not a teen, this is a 30yo grownup woman.
Technically they could be about anyone and anything maybe abt his brother or idk, but my first association wasn't that. Did I jump to conclusions? The whole thing seems quite disrespectful to me since he doesn't even use twitter, the girlie has a relatively large following (so not just 10 ppl) and a public profile.
We rarely talk about relationship stuff, he havent opened up about specific issues, but doesn't seem super happy either. They're in LDR for 2 years. I wanna help the bro, and I was thinking if I were him I'd want to know. Maybe I can phrase this neutrally to let him know and decide himself how he interprets it? Or just keep away? Then I'll also unfollow the girl since this is annoying to witness, lol.

Hello,
A friend of mine was recently accused of a sex crime. We come to find out the story that the accuser told the police was entirely fabricated. The accuser links pieces of their story to evidence that does exist however, it was not used in the nature which it is claimed to be. Also, the police completely misquote things that were said in a call and not the sense that it has to do with context but fully quotes them completely wrong.
The case has moved past the grand jury and is now in the hands of the prosecutor which at first denied a warrant twice. Which then afterwards a formal statement was taken and used to indict the person.
The accused is terrified as it is just something that they, could not , nor would ever do and cannot believe such allegations have been made against them. The story is so far from the truth and slanderous that if it goes to court it could be life ruining.
It is horrible and the accused has been distraught over it the entire time. They fear the ambiguity that comes with court.
As a lawyer, how does one overcome false statements and prove one story from the other? I have little faith in the justice system already for even letting it get this far when the accused has not even given a statement.

Aaaaaand we have our answer!

Hey y'all, I've got a friend's concrete guy quote me for the above at $1550 all in. This includes prep/haul off/cleanup. Is this a solid quote, or high? I'm in the southeast US (SC)

I am a 15 year old male and my classmates are complete idiots.
my life has been going downhill for some years now. first my grade became worse, then I had to move with my family to another town and with that lost my 4 best friends.
at my old school my classmates called me names because of my tick (I have Tourette Syndrom).
then I finally made some friends, a boy and a girl in my class who like fantasy stuff like me.
at first things we’re normal, I just ignored my rude classmates and han out with my friends at school. then in 9th grade right after summer vacation my class and one of our parallel classes made a class trip to a hotel (which to be honest looked more like an institute for mentally Ill people).
so just before summer vacations a girl transferred to our class.
the girl had some traumatic experiences and only attended two classes a day.
well my friends became friends with the new girl and so did I.
we’ll returned out she was really weird And did some really weird stuff too.
well at the trip I distanced from my friends which who after the trip I never reallay talked to.
but without me they seem happier anyways. My two friends knew each other since first grade while I transferred just a year ago.
we’ll skip ahead two years from that. my class wasn’t ripping on me anymore and I just did school stuff instead of hanging out with friends at school.
well today I went to the food shop and bought a cup of cacao. when I walked down some stairs I slipped and my cacao fell out of my hands. the cup shattered and the cacao was everywhere On the ground. hen I stood up, I noticed that I had cacao on my fingers and since the cacao just shattered seconds ago and I have a strong stomach, so I simply licked the small drop of cacao of my fingers.
that was a mistake because a classmate saw this and in 15 minutes we’re able to spread the rumor i just liked spilled cacao of the floor. i knew arguing won’t help in any way since the boy who saw this was the most popular boy in our class.
when i sat down, the teacher left the room, after which one of my classmates stood up and threw my water bottle in my face. im not the guy who punches people since I don’t wanna live with the consequences so I just did nothing, after which I just put my water bottle back into my school back. then I realised I took the water bottle of the same classmate that spread the rumor. the classmate then said quote „oh no (my name) touched my water bottle I may get aids if I touch that“
that obviously doesn’t make any sense since I don’t have aids and that not how aids gets transferred but my class screamed in disgust anyways.
after class another classmade told me he „doesn’t tolerate me on this world anymore“
so after school I seriously thought about ending it all, to teach my classmates a lesson. i decided not to, i have a younger sister and I can live with the fought that my sister would be traumatised.
i am actually pretty strong but as I said I don’t go around beating up people.
so now I’m thinking, am I the jerk for wanting to end it because of some stupid bullying or are my classmates the jerks?

I've recently been reflecting on my efforts at being more productive and started writing some longer form content to help structure my thoughts.
I wrote up the below in the past few days and wanted to share. Perhaps some of you have also found yourself hindered by an ongoing search for the ideal life path vs. just enjoy the journey.
Hope you find this helpful!
Despite your inflated sense of yourself, you are not, amongst all other humans, impervious to being brainwashed. This is a hardwired feature of your mind and a circuit that is operating at all times, if you allow it to do so. You aren’t being brainwashed in the cartoonish mode of being made to act like a chicken or empty your wallet. However, you are being brainwashed nonetheless.
Replace the word “brainwashed” with “influenced” and you may start to see my point. If you read me, you are not a fan of the influencers for stupid people (a la Andrew Tate) but perhaps you have more refined taste (Huberman, Attia, Ferriss, Jocko, Peterson, Newport). If there are any such personalities you are a fan of, I assure you that in your efforts to live a more productive, successful, disciplined life… you have been brainwashed.
I want to focus on how quickly the messages that you hear from these sources transition into “shoulds” that run in the background of your daily self-talk. These sources are an unending stream of great ideas for how you should wake up, how you should work, how you should eat, how you should exercise, how you should have sex, how you should meditate, how you should partake in leisure and so on. Notice that they don’t always come in the form of a statement that says “you should do x.” They may come in the form of “my typical daily routine looks like y”. Either way, your mind is primed and ready to sponge it all up.
If you were but a simple peasant farming in Ye Olde England six hundred years ago, your life was governed by a very rigid set of “shoulds”. There was the Bible, there were social norms, the rules of the king, and so. However, these were still a relatively manageable list of rules that one could live by, and it was not unreasonable to assume that you could mostly stay on the Righteous Path. Fast forward to the algo-influencer age and all bets are off. Open up any platform and within minutes, you’ll be bombarded with more “shoulds” than you can possibly keep in mind at once. This observation comes with no value judgment on the quality of what we are being told, I am only commenting on the volume.
You are wrong if you tell me that you are effective at curating the good stuff that will improve your life from the algo-influencer-Youtube-podcast-x regime. I know you think you are because, as we noted, you are a fan of the high class, refined content. The good stuff. The science backed stuff. Here’s the thing, once a source of information finds some sort of “resonance” with your subconscious, you are going to suck it all right up. All the great stuff you hear will immediately seep into your subconscious and become a constant quiet voice in the back of your mind berating you with a litany of “shoulds.”
Alas, you object - it’s all good stuff. Huberman has me locked onto managing my dopamine levels, Attia has me optimizing my diet, Dr. Zoidberg has me keeping limber, and Cal Newport is showing me how to live a deep life. I want to point out three problems with what is going on here.
Problem #1 - Your mind is not actually asking what end purpose is being served by adopting the idea that you “should” be doing a given thing.
Let’s cue Jocko Willink on this one. I am someone who, for many years, felt it was important to wake up at 4:30am because of… discipline. Why? Well, I must get up early to be up before the enemy and for freedom. I note that discipline is the ultimate meta-”should”. Discipline means getting yourself to do all the “shoulds” on your list. Can anyone tell me what outcome I’m missing out on by not partaking in a daily cold plunge, heat plunge, ice bath, or looking at the sun within 15 minutes of waking up?
Problem #2 - Even if you have a desired end goal, your mind is not doing a rigorous job of assessing whether or not a given “should” will get you there.
Most of us would like more control of our daily schedule in order to have more freedom and flexibility. The grindset types on Youtube, or on X have a common solution for us. I am not likely taking a huge leap in that one “should” you have picked up is something to do with entrepreneurship. Ok, have you really considered whether starting your own business will give you more freedom? Maybe it will… I just suspect you picked up this idea without really looking at the pros and cons.
Problem #3 - Even if you’ve been bequeathed a fantastic, grade A, “should” from someone… you’ve got more than you can handle already.
If a “should” that you heard on Youtube or read in a book resonates for some reason, your mind will take it up and start beaming you subconscious messages to do that thing. Your mind will also happily send you 10 of these at once. Are they contradictory? Who cares? I “should” wake up at 4:30, and I should sleep at least 8 hours with no alarm clock. I should also consider being a night owl creative type, and stay up late to grind if life demands it. Some “shoulds” probably aren’t even really defined to any precision. I should be more driven, more mindful, more dynamic. I genuinely feel all those impulses and can’t even begin to tell you what it would like to actually do them. Mr. Brain has no problem with cognitive dissonance, and will dutifully tell me to live up to all of these.
Let’s now talk about Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (as an aside, yes I also feel a “should” to be more religious, spiritual, and penitent). Well, really I want to talk about The Promised Land. I know you… you are the hard driving, disciplined type. You like to punish yourself for not living up to your expectations. Alas, you are on the verge of getting there. If you could just get a few days in a row where you nail all your “shoulds,” it will all fall into place. One perfect day will lead to the next and the next. Then, I’ll have made it. I’ll be in the land of enlightenment (and oh so productive). Fellow pilgrim, I’m right there with you on the Righteous Path.
Wait a second, something feels off. Did I say above that our mind will happily adopt any set of “shoulds” no matter how contradictory or ill-defined they may be? And, did I also say that I’m striving to get to The Promised Land by doing “All the Shoulds”? If The Righteous Path is the road that leads to The Promised Land, I’ve got some bad news for you. You are permanently off The Righteous Path. This, my friend, is why you constantly feel like you are not living up to your expectations. They are impossible - you never had a chance. It’s ok though - Jesus died for your sins and there is still a path to salvation.
Oh, but, I’m not ready for salvation, I want to rock on. Here’s what we’d all prefer to do when faced with that sensation of being off the Path. It’s time to hunker down, and go to war, and GRIND. Don’t tell me I can’t do it all. When fate whispers, “You cannot Withstand The Storm,” the Warrior Whispers, “I am the Storm.” I’m feeling chills (no really, it’s a great quote). That’s how we roll. We man up and get that shit done. Well, I hate to be the one to break it to you, but if that worked you wouldn’t still be in the market for motivational content. You are still lost… no Youtube video is going to get out of the bottomless deep of the “should.”
Back to Jesus (gasp - you didn’t warn me this would be a borderline sacrilegious article). It’s okay, Jesus is fair game in the algo-world. This is that obnoxious pause point in a self help book where there’s a worksheet page and you are asked to write stuff down. Take 10 minutes and make yourself a list of all the “shoulds” that you are feeling at this point about your life. I’ll help you get going with some prompts: businesses to start, podcasts to create, books to read, daily rituals to adopt, food to eat/not eat, workout routine to start, races to run, people to call, projects to do. You get the idea.
More work for you. Now imagine your perfect day. I mean a day that checks all the boxes. I despise rap, but seek inspiration in imagining the productivity version of the Ice Cube hit, “It was a Good Day.” How would you spend your time? Think about it hour by hour, minute by minute. When do you wake up? What do you do after waking up? How much time do you spend working? What sort of work? What else do you do? Map it all out. Imagine this as a day where you fully control your schedule.
Are you still with me? Probably not. This is too many words for the internet and I’m asking too much of your lazy ass. You should be less lazy. See what I did there? Ok, next step. Map your perfect day onto reality. Take any of the days from the past week where you had real life commitments such as work meetings, errands, childcare and ask yourself how you would map this perfect day onto that reality. Where would the three hours of Cal Newport Deep Work fit? How would you wake up at 4:30am after being up late because your kid was sick or your friend from out of town was visiting?
My point is, of course, obvious. However, don’t underestimate what I am saying. I am not saying that you can’t always have your perfect day. I am saying you can never have the perfect day. You are imposing unrealistic expectations upon reality. This conflict has always existed and you had two choices: 1) Dig deeper and muscle through because you are failing as a person to be sufficiently disciplined, or 2) Accept that your “shoulds” were always impossible to fully satisfy, and try something different.
Here’s the last thing I want you to do for now. Go back to your “should” list from the first step and take a critical eye. I give you permission to cross out as many as you’d like. If you are unsure before you cross it out, ask yourself: Where did this idea come from? Does it help me lead a happier life? Do I even agree with the premise? When in doubt, cross it out and feel the freedom.
I’ll leave you with one last message - you are probably doing just fine. Are there improvements you can make in your life? Sure, we all can. However, you aren’t failing, you aren’t straying from The Righteous Path, and there is no Promised Land. There’s just the lower case p path, and that is alright.

Looking for advice to help someone being treated like garbage!
A good friend of mine is having issues at work & a recent blow up with management doesn't sound legal, but I don't know if anything can be done. We live in the US, so employee rights are pretty bare!
"Are you on your meds?"
Can they really ask this? The job isn't in healthcare, transportation, or any industry where it might be expected. It's a minimum wage production job (not involving machinery). From everything I've read, this is a real gray area.
Preventing ability to leave one department to another
This is a company that operates several distinct DBAs under one large corporate umbrella. Does someone who just oversees a department in one DBA actually make this kind of call? Seems like it should come from someone above them.
Quoting Bible scriptures
While I'm sure it's legal 😒, it's tasteless.
There is SO much more, but these are the main sticking point right now. All of this just feels WRONG, but is it LEGAL? Either way, is there any recourse?

I knew I was getting more mature when mailings from AARP started asking if I still feel okay
I kid, but my life insurance company has stopped sending Christmas cards.
I don't feel old, but I keep hearing my favorite songs playing in elevators.
Oh, you didn't come here for the monologue?
I'm 63, permanently separated, and operate my business from Las Vegas. I am relaxed, friendly, and occasionally entertaining. I am ambitious and hard working. I have a highly questionable sense of humor. I know this, because whether it is actually humor is frequently questioned.
I am looking for a mutually beneficial friendship that is authentic and enjoyable for both of us. I am seeking a smart, organized and ambitious woman for an arrangement grounded in affection. In case it isn't obvious, what I seek is something with a bit more gravitas than an occasional "let's get together and party." My idea of an ideal arrangement is one that looks a lot like a caring relationship, with communication, dates, and a lot of laughs, if you can tolerate my sense of humor.
I will take you seriously as a woman, and I will ask you do the same for me, hopefully as a man. Goals.
I am in Las Vegas, and it would be helpful to this endeavor if you are too, or travel here regularly. I heard they have gambling and sports activities here, so it is not a terrible place to visit.
If you're wondering what I like to do, I made this handy list: cook together, go to Red Rock Canyon for a drive and hike, watch a movie, hit up a casino, go shooting, go to a Raiders game, listen to some music, look at some art, or go on a photo shoot out and about somewhere.
Am I handsome? Well, when I was born, the doctor held me up by my feet and slapped my parents.
I went to a shrink once, I said, "Doc, I feel like I'm ugly. What should I do?" He made me lie on the couch face down.
But I clean up well.
And let me leave you with this quote: "The main problem with the Internet is that things are not always exactly as they appear." -Abraham Lincoln

Date: 05/16/2024

Reading time: 14 minutes, 2817 words

🪖 Military

Chamber of Deputies of Luxembourg unanimously adopts motion expressing support for Armenia

The Chamber of Deputies of Luxembourg unanimously adopted a motion expressing support for Armenia. The motion condemns the forced exodus of more than 100,000 Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh as a result of Azerbaijan's military operation. It calls for the immediate release of Armenian PoWs by Azerbaijan.

Armenpress, Luxembourg lawmakers urge government to act for implementation of ICJ orders by Azerbaijan

Russia expels U.K. defense attache in tit-for-tat move

Russia has expelled Britain’s defense attache in a tit-for-tat response to the expulsion of one of its own diplomats from London last week. A. T. Coghill must leave the territory of the Russian Federation within a week.

Armenpress

Ruben Vardanyan's detention period was extended for another 5 months

Vardanyan was arrested on September 27, 2023, at the Azerbaijani checkpoint of Hakari Bridge. He was charged with three counts: financing terrorism, creating and participating in armed units and/or groups. Azerbaijan confirms presence of about 23 Armenian prisoners.

CivilNet, Azerbaijan extends Rune Vardanyan’s arrest by 5 months

Training sessions will be held from June 11 to August 30

From June 11 to August 30, training camps of reservists will be held in Armenia. Up to 5,151 citizens will be involved in the training sessions, of which 4,647 are rank-and-file and junior non-commissioned officers. It is planned to provide 45 units of road construction equipment.

CivilNet

🏛️ Politics & Government

An opposition figure was killed in Azerbaijan

Natig Mehdi, a member of the opposition Musavat party of Azerbaijan, was killed in Baku. Mehdi's disappearance was reported by his nephew on May 9, and his death was announced on May 14. His colleague Elsevar Islamov is accused of the murder. Islamov worked as a security guard at a Baku school, and Islamov was the school's deputy financial director.

CivilNet

Zelenskiy visits Kharkiv describing the situation there as “extremely difficult”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy travelled to the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on Thursday. He described the battlefield situation in the region as "extremely difficult" but under control. Zelenkiy postponed all his foreign trips on Wednesday as the situation deteriorated. Russia says it has taken control of 12 villages since it launched its attack.

Armenpress

Red Cross visits Armenian captives held in Azerbaijan

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) representatives visited Armenian detainees in Azerbaijan. Among those detainees are representatives of the former military and political leadership of Nagorno-Karabakh. Baku officially confirms capture of 23 Armenians, 17 of whom ended up in Baku after Azerbaijan's military aggression last September.

Armenpress

France accuses Azerbaijan of interference in New Caledonia riots

France accuses Azerbaijan of ‘interference’ in politics of its Pacific territory of New Caledonia, which has seen deadly riots in recent days. Azerbaijan swiftly denies the charge, adding to a growing number of tensions between France and the hydrocarbon-rich Caspian Sea state. The riots were sparked by moves to agree a new voting law that supporters of independence say discriminates against the indigenous Kanak population.

ArmRadio

No new Armenia-Azerbaijan border created, the border existing at time of USSR collapse being reproduced – PM’s Office

No new border is being created between Armenia and Azerbaijan; rather, the existing de jure border at the time of the USSR’s dissolution is being reproduced. The border description is exactly as presented on the 1976 map.

ArmRadio

Armenia border residents dissatisfied with delimitation

Residents Kirants are dissatisfied with the results of the delimitation of the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

PanArmenian

Deputy Foreign Minister Paruyr Hovhannisyan receives EU Delegation

Deputy Foreign Minister Paruyr Hovhannisyan received the delegation led by Adrien Kirali, Director of Neighbourhood East and Institution Building of the European Commission. Interlocutors highly appreciated the Joint EU-US-Armenia high-level meeting held on April 5, 2024 in Brussels.

Armenpress, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan meets with EU Trade Commissioner

Armenian, Jordanian Foreign Ministers express concerns over tense situation in the Armenian quarter of Jerusalem

Political consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia and The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan were held in Yerevan. The parties commended the current high level of political dialogue between Armenia and Jordan. The interlocutors exchanged views on the prospects of developing cooperation between the two countries.

Armenpress

Armenian Foreign Minister, PACE President exchange ideas on regional issues

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan met with the President of the PACE Theodoros Rousopoulos in Strasbourg on May 16. The interlocutors exchanged views on the issues related to Armenia’s engagement in the Council of Europe.

Armenpress, Armenia involved in efforts to reopen regional communications: Mirzoyan

Prime Minister Pashinyan meets with World Bank and International Finance Corporation leadership

Nikol Pashinyan received the World Bank's Senior Managing Director Axel van Trotsenburg and International Finance Corporation (IFC) Regional Vice President Alfonso Garcia Mora. The progress of joint projects, as well as the potential for diversifying Armenia's economy, were discussed.

Armenpress

Speakers of the Parliaments of Armenia, Azerbaijan have brief conversation

Alen Simonyan and Sahiba Gafarova had a short conversation in Geneva. The main meeting of the speakers of the parliaments of the two countries is expected to take place in the evening.

Armenpress

Armenian Foreign Minister signs Oviedo Convention in Strasbourg

Minister of Foreign Affairs Ararat Mirzoyan signed Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Dignity of the Human Being with regard to the Application of Biology and Medicine (Oviedo Convention) Armenia is the 37th country to join the Convention.

Armenpress, Armenia signs Council of Europe’s Bioethics Convention

Government approves housing provision program for Nagorno-Karabakh displaced people

The government approved the housing provision program for forcibly displaced persons from Nagorno Karabakh. Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Narek Mkrtchyan presented the relevant project.

Armenpress, The housing problem of Artsakh residents will be solved in 3 stages, 2-5 million drams will be given. the government accepted the plan, Armenian government approves program to support refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh

Armenia to establish Embassy in Cyprus

Armenia will establish an embassy in the Republic of Cyprus, the residence in Nicosia. The project was included in the package of non-reportable issues at the May 16 session of the government. The justification for the project states that the two countries accept each other as traditionally friendly countries.

Armenpress, Armenia will have an embassy in Cyprus, Armenia to open embassy in Cyprus, Armenia will open an embassy in Cyprus, Armenia to open Embassy in Cyprus

Legal basis for border delimitation with Azerbaijan relies on the last maps of the USSR- Pashinyan

Pashinyan: It was fundamental for Armenia not to create new borders, but to reproduce the borders previously confirmed by the Alma-Ata Declaration. The last maps of the Soviet Union, de jure having legal significance, he said.

Armenpress, In the issue of border demarcation, Armenia has adopted the principle of "the border passes where it passes". Pashinyan, The border demarcation commissions of Armenia and Azerbaijan signed a protocol, Pashinyan on Armenia-Azerbaijan border delimitation agreement: ‘I think it’s major success’, Pashinyan commented on the agreement reached with Azerbaijan on the issue of border demarcation in Tavush

Armen Grigoryan and Bogdan Klich discussed regional and extra-regional developments

Secretary of the Security Council of the Republic of Armenia Armen Grigoryan received the Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Senate of Poland Bogdan Klich. The parties discussed the Armenia-Poland bilateral agenda. Ideas were exchanged on the possibilities of expanding cooperation in various fields, particularly focusing on promoting trade and economic relations.

Armenpress

World leaders should steer clear of Baku climate conference unless political prisoners are released

Hrair Balian: World leaders who stand for a rules-based international order must decline participation in the 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku unless 23 Armenian political prisoners jailed illegally in Azerbaijan are released. Balian says Azerbaijan is one of the most corrupt despotisms on the planet. Azerbaijan wants to turn the COP29 into a “Cop of peace”, urging countries participating in the summit to observe a ‘Cop truce”

CivilNet

State revenue committee chairman meets with WBcolleagues

Chairman of the State Revenue Committee Rustam Badasyan met with his colleagues from the World Bank. The meeting discussed the progress of programs implemented with the assistance of the Bank. An agreement was reached on possible areas for further cooperation.

Armenpress

Slovakia's prime minister not in life-threatening condition – deputy PM

Slovak PM Robert Fico is no longer in a life-threatening condition after being shot several times, deputy prime minister says. Fico's surgery had gone "well" and he was "not in a [life-threatening situation] at this moment", deputy PM Tomas Taraba says. Earlier the defence minister said the prime minister was "fighting for his life" after being gravely injured in an attack.

Armenpress, Slovakia PM Robert Fico no longer in life-threatening condition – deputy PM

Healthcare Ministry to receive additional 3 billion AMD to cover government-paid services

The Armenian government has decided to provide the country’s Healthcare Ministry with an additional amount of 3 billion drams to cover government-paid medical services for citizens. Half of this money will be spent on aid to low-income families, 400 million on emergency aid, 500 million on hemodialysis, 300 million on cancer treatment, 200 million on transplantation, and 100 million on treating infectious diseases.

ArkaAm

Yerevan Mayor visits Missak Manouchian’s tomb at French Pantheon

The official delegation led by Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan visited the French Pantheon, where the remains of French national hero Misak Manouchian and his wife Meline are buried. The ceremony took place on February 21, on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the execution of the executed soldiers.

ArmRadio

💵 Economy

EEU membership is beneficial for Armenia- Pankin

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Alexander Pankin said participation in the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) is beneficial for Armenia. He said the growth of the Armenian economy and its involvement in the flows of commodity production cooperation is statistically confirmed by various indicators.

Armenpress

Granting market status to Armenia's economy discussed in USA

Armenian Economy Minister Gevorg Papoyan met with U.S. officials in Washington. Focus was on Armenia-US bilateral trade and granting Armenia the status of a market economy. In January-March 2024, the Armenian-American trade turnover amounted to more than $108.9 million (37.4% decrease compared to the first quarter of last year)

ArkaAm

''Learn & Work: YSU Expo- 2024'' launched at Yerevan State University

"Learn & Work: YSU Expo- 2024" has gathered applicants, students, graduates, university divisions, and employers under one roof. The Zangezur Copper Molybdenum Combine CJSC has joined the Expo with great pleasure. The mining industry is one of the most important branches of Armenia's economy.

Armenpress

Byblos Bank Armenia celebrates Students' Day with scholarship recipients

Yerevan State University students who received scholarships from Byblos Bank Armenia gathered to meet with the Bank's CEO, Hayk Stepanyan. The Bank and the university have a history of successful collaboration. 10 YSU students were granted nominal scholarships of AMD 1 million each, while five others received tuition reimbursement.

ArkaAm, Byblos Bank Armenia celebrates Students' Day with scholarship recipients

EBRD and EU boost funding for Armenian firms via Inecobank

The EBRD is providing a US$ 7 million loan to Inecobank for on-lending to Armenian firms. The EU is complementing this support with grant incentives of up to 15 per cent and free local and international consultancy services. At least 70 per cent of loans provided to Ineco Bank will be allocated towards funding investments in green technologies.

ArkaAm, EBRDis providingUS$ 10 million financial package to ArmSwissBank for on-lending to Armenian MSMEs, EBRD plans to invest up to 500 million euros in Armenia in 2024

EBRD President Odile Renaud-Basso re-elected for a second term during annual meeting in Yerevan

Odile Renaud-Basso re-elected for a second term as the bank's president. The EBRD is the leading institutional investor in Armenia. The bank has invested more than €2.1 billion in 211 projects in the country’s financial, corporate, infrastructure and energy sectors.

ArkaAm, EBRD Governors re-elect President Odile Renaud-Basso for a second term

Ardshinbank hostspanel discussion on economic and trade sanctions as part of 33rd EBRD Business Forum

Ardshinbank organized a panel discussion on economic and trade sanctions. The main objective of the discussion was to exchange views and assist participants in the practical implementation of sanctions compliance. The meeting also discussed the role of financial institutions in ensuring sanctions compliance, mechanisms for collaboration between the public and private sectors in combating sanctions evasion, and the importance of information transparency.

ArkaAm, Ardshinbank held a panel discussion on economic and trade sanctions within the framework of the 33rd EBRD conference (PHOTO)

Armenian customs find amphetamine in package from US, suspect detained

90 pills of amphetamine found in package sent from U.S. to Yerevan Zvartnots Airport. The package was sent via Globbing Shipping forwarder company. The drug, fully banned in Armenia, was found inside the package alongside edibles and personal items.

ArkaAm, SRC found 90 amphetamine tablets in a shipment sent from the USA to Yerevan (VIDEO)

Donations to Armenia:

Himnadram
ServicemenFund
Armenian Wounded Heroes
ArmeniaFund

So, I was traveling from Greater Noida to Delhi, and the fare for the trip was quoted at ₹550. The driver picked me up, and we were en route. After 10-15 minutes, when we were on the expressway, the driver said "Sir ek request hai, meri shift end ho gayi thi 30 minute pehle he aur aapka pickup Greater Noida aana tha to main aa gaya kyunki mera dost jo doosra driver hai woh yahi rehta hai. To main usko pickup kar loon?" at first, I outright denied the request. Then he said "Sir please, mujhe wapis ulta aana padega aur fir usko gadi deke ghar jaaunga." I was initially a bit hesitant, but I eventually agreed. I asked him where he would pick up the other driver from, and he mentioned that he would be waiting near AMITY College. I was like route me he h to itna problem nahi h. 5-7 minutes before reaching AMITY he called the other guy, but he didn’t stop at amity. I asked him where is the other driver he was picking up? He said "Sir wo Amity nahi aaya, usko aane mein 30-35 minute lag jaayenge to thoda aage bulaya hai." I found it little shady and straight up said No we are not doing that but he started requesting agin "Sir please sir chalo lo, subah 6 baje se car chala raha hoon, bohot help ho jaayegi, pair bhi dukh rahe hain and all other bs." So I agreed with him k chl lo pr jlde krna. That mf went to Noida sector 18 and drove for good 25-30 minutes and then picked up his friend who was the other driver. I must say, the original driver was very polite in all his requests and very thankful after picking up the other driver. After that, we continued on to our destination. Upon arrival at our destination and the end of the trip, the fare, which was originally quoted at ₹550, came to a total of ₹850. The new driver then asked me to pay ₹850. So we started arguing on the fare price Me: "Main kyun doon bhai ₹850, meri original trip to bas ₹550 ki thi." Driver 2: "Kaise nahi doge gadi mein nahi tha tu pure time." Me:"Maine thode bola tha 18 jaane ko, mera to seedha route tha tekro uthane ke liye hum 18 mein itna andar aaye." Driver 2:"Arre toh they toh gadi mein he AC ki maze toh le he re they." Me: "Abe thoda dimag kharab hai meri trip hote itne toh main pakka deta tere vo dost roo raha tha please please karke toh main mana tha ki haan chalo, ek toh tumhare liye favour kiya khud late pahuncha aur mere se bol raha hai trip aur paise do kya sense hui baat ki? Pehli bar chalata hai kya cab?" Driver 2: "Paise toh pure doge." At that moment, I opened my car door (I am an advocate) and retrieved my court ID card and said Me: "Ye dekh( showing my ID) aur ye jo samne ghar hai na yahi jana hai 8 londe baithe hain ab tu bol police bulau ya un 8 londo ko?" After hearing this he became a little hesitant and said Driver2:“"Pata nahi kaha se aate hain do ₹550 he." He took the money and drove off.
tl;dr: I booked an Uber from Greater Noida to Delhi and the fare was ₹550. During the ride, the driver requested to swap with another driver, which resulted in a 25-30 minute detour from the dedicated route. Upon reaching my destination, the fare price had increased to ₹850, and the new driver insisted that I pay the full amount.

I am very sad to announce Emmy did not make it into the top three, but I'm also extremely excited to announce my first spoken word poem about being EverKid will be out very soon. I wrote it the night she got eliminated. It will be voiced by one of our good friends, Cory, and their system. I've had these feelings for over a year and it is extremely nice to actually turn them into art. The piece is called Dear Phoenix sister. I will leave you the hint I've been leaving everyone, which is a quote.
"I no longer feared the darkness once I knew the Phoenix in me would rise from the ashes."
A quote by William C Hannan

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Looking forward to working with you, Kate Smit!!

I (25f - have Bpd and I struggle with boundaries and kind communication as well as black/white thinking) have a work friend (31f) we have worked together on the same team for a few years now and right off the bat we were drawn to each other and chatted and hung out because we had interests in common.
Over the course of the last few years, this friend has tried creating a new persona for themselves. I am all for reinventing yourself or finding more confidence or trying out different interests - and I try to be as supportive as possible when my friends are growing or changing. However, this persona put on by this friend is only ever presented to me. Often referred to her as her “villain era” etc., constantly sending me quotes and images of memes about her being this sort of aggressive, femme fatale Maneater, etc. Which I would be fully in support of, if it didn’t seem so contradictory to how she presents herself to me face-to-face, or to the rest of the world.
She also constantly refer to herself as a girls girl, but will gossip about other women behind their backs, has no other female friends and will backhandedly rubs things that bother me in my face on a regular basis, but in such minor ways, it’s hard to call her out for them. I have a disability and there’s certain things I can’t do and I’ve been asked to not be sent certain content when she is doing those things, she can post whatever she wants, but I don’t want it sent to me directly. And she will continuously do so despite me resetting that boundary over and over again.
For some context here: she comes from a relatively conservative family (as in strict parents) and is a little bit overweight and has always been very self-conscious about those things. SHe has never been in a relationship or anything like that. It’s a little difficult for us to understand each other in certain ways because I am the total opposite and I’m not in the dating world. I married the first person I ever dated and still am married. I try to be fully supportive of her dating life and her experiences while she rags on marriage and shits on it all the time. Whenever she tells me stories about her dating life or life is exaggerated to the 10th°. About how she sleeping with peoples husbands or the all these men are chasing her or she’s so promiscuous and so evil that she just could never fathom settling down, or she went to the prestigious university that I know she did not actually attend etc. etc. all of these stories either seem fictitious or extremely embellished because I know for a fact her life is not actually like this on a regular basis because we live next-door to each other.
And this is become every single day - day and day out and I am always trying to be kind and supportive so I’m always just like “oh that’s great or cool” but I have only so much emotional bandwith left for some thing that I know isn’t true and she was asked directly about a certain experience - she will not keep her story the same when we are around other people. She only presents this sort of person to me and it feels a very emotionally draining and I don’t know how to approach it. Especially because some of the things like backhanded comments about marriage or embellished date stories seem so minor It feels frustrating to try to call them out because they are always brushed off.
Another thing she does is continually tries to push a persona on me that I do not feel is my truth. We have a lot of things in common, which is initially why we became friends, but she does not like anyone being similar to her, and if I like anything that similar to her, she will try to “win” very passive aggressively - she likes XY or Z better than I do, or sending me tons of content, saying that this is how she views me or this reminded her of me when it is the opposite of what my personality and interests are like and even my husband said “it seems like she doesn’t want you to be like her at all and she’s trying to turn you into who she wants you to be”
I struggle a little bit with social cues and approaching things directly or too much of a people pleaser away. Should I even address this with her? I cannot end this friendship because I really need this job and we have to work in the same place and she is very very very sensitive to rejection. But she contacts me on almost every platform every single day, and any slight change in my tone is perceived as rejection by her.
TLDR: I have a friend who is also a coworker that is pretty insecure and is creating false narratives about her own life to get validation through me because I will only be kind and things are so minor that I feel struggle calling her out for them. Not to mention it could severely fuck up my work life. But the passive aggression and lack of genuineness at all is emotionally draining me.

Work friend uses me for validation constantly
I (25f) have a work friend (31f) we have worked together on the same team for a few years now and right off the bat we were drawn to each other and chatted and hung out because we had interests in common.
Over the course of the last few years, this friend has tried creating a new persona for themselves. I am all for reinventing yourself or finding more confidence or trying out different interests - and I try to be as supportive as possible when my friends are growing or changing. However, this persona put on by this friend is only ever presented to me. Often referred to her as her “villain era” etc., constantly sending me quotes and images of memes about her being this sort of aggressive, femme fatale Maneater, etc. Which I would be fully in support of, if it didn’t seem so contradictory to how she presents herself to me face-to-face, or to the rest of the world.
She also constantly refer to herself as a girls girl, but will gossip about other women behind their backs, has no other female friends and will backhandedly rubs things that bother me in my face on a regular basis, but in such minor ways, it’s hard to call her out for them. I have a disability and there’s certain things I can’t do and I’ve been asked to not be sent certain content when she is doing those things, she can post whatever she wants, but I don’t want it sent to me directly. And she will continuously do so despite me resetting that boundary over and over again.
For some context here: she comes from a relatively conservative family (as in strict parents) and is a little bit overweight and has always been very self-conscious about those things. SHe has never been in a relationship or anything like that. It’s a little difficult for us to understand each other in certain ways because I am the total opposite and I’m not in the dating world. I married the first person I ever dated and still am married. I try to be fully supportive of her dating life and her experiences while she rags on marriage and shits on it all the time. Whenever she tells me stories about her dating life or life is exaggerated to the 10th°. About how she sleeping with peoples husbands or the all these men are chasing her or she’s so promiscuous and so evil that she just could never fathom settling down, or she went to the prestigious university that I know she did not actually attend etc. etc. all of these stories either seem fictitious or extremely embellished because I know for a fact her life is not actually like this on a regular basis because we live next-door to each other.
And this is become every single day - day and day out and I am always trying to be kind and supportive so I’m always just like “oh that’s great or cool” but I have only so much emotional bandwith left for some thing that I know isn’t true and she was asked directly about a certain experience - she will not keep her story the same when we are around other people. She only presents this sort of person to me and it feels a very emotionally draining and I don’t know how to approach it. Especially because some of the things like backhanded comments about marriage or embellished date stories seem so minor It feels frustrating to try to call them out because they are always brushed off.
Another thing she does is continually tries to push a persona on me that I do not feel is my truth. We have a lot of things in common, which is initially why we became friends, but she does not like anyone being similar to her, and if I like anything that similar to her, she will try to “win” very passive aggressively - she likes XY or Z better than I do, or sending me tons of content, saying that this is how she views me or this reminded her of me when it is the opposite of what my personality and interests are like and even my husband said “it seems like she doesn’t want you to be like her at all and she’s trying to turn you into who she wants you to be”
I struggle a little bit with social cues and approaching things directly or too much of a people pleaser away. Should I even address this with her? I cannot end this friendship because I really need this job and we have to work in the same place and she is very very very sensitive to rejection. But she contacts me on almost every platform every single day, and any slight change in my tone is perceived as rejection by her.
TLDR: I have a friend who is also a coworker that is pretty insecure and is creating false narratives about her own life to get validation through me because I will only be kind and things are so minor that I feel struggle calling her out for them. Not to mention it could severely fuck up my work life. But the passive aggression and lack of genuineness at all is emotionally draining me.

First off… I DO LOVE HIM SO MUCH
But my God this guy cannot land the damn plane on a project or task to save his life.
The biggest issue lately is that we moved into a fixer-upper. The house is great, but we’ve lived here 13 years and stuff still is not done. When we first moved in there was a lot of work to be put in and instead of going at a slower pace like I wanted to do and taking our time and choosing quality finishes, etc. he wanted to rush everything just to get it done with the promise of upgrading later. And he always wants to use a friend or acquaintance to do these construction projects. I’m fine with using (licensed) friends but sometimes you need to just call in a crew and have them knock it out instead of your friends taking 25 weekends as a side job.
This led to a lot of issues in the beginning that I’m still dealing with now. We have a big empty converted garage that has everything in place to become a granny flat/IL suite. The bones of this project were done five years ago. We just need to frame out the bathroom and get the plumbing and electrical and do all the finish stuff, same with the kitchenette.
Three years ago I was like hey maybe we should get on this and get it done, because we have a lot of stuff lying around that is a component to that room, like boxed up cabinets, bed frames not put together, bins of kitchen items that can go in cupboards once they are installed. And the room has become the catch-all and looks like crap.
So that time he says sure let me call my plumber friend. Calls plumber friend who says he will come by “in a couple weeks” to check it out. Couple weeks go by, no one shows. I ask him to call plumber again. He does, schedules a day, plumber no shows. I ask him to follow up. He doesn’t want to bug him. Ok fine.
Life happens, we are busy. A year passes.
Ask him to call another person to come take a look. He calls another friend. They say they will come check it out and have some free time to complete it. Great. That guy no shows. Call again, he’s totally going to come today and get a quote. He actually comes, measures, says he can start next week. Great. Next week comes and crickets. I ask him to follow up. He forgets for 3 weeks. Now friend has started a 6 month construction project. Husband wants to wait for this person to do the work. It has now been a year. I still have an empty room. Husband says “well I can call Dave again and see…”
A different friend comes by. Says he can do it in a weekend. Sounds good. It’s been another month. I am done with shenanigans.
I measure, order the shower and hardware, the vanity, toilet and door. I clear out the room. I have a contractor coming today. Husband is upset because “I said I was going to take care of it!!! I’m just waiting on (first plumber who he hasn’t talked to in 2 years).” Also thinks the whole job should be completed in 2 days for $3000 including materials. Anything else is obviously someone ripping him off.
Then our deck has water damage. I called someone out in September before it got any worse. It’s a large deck, a lot of work to fix and re-coat. The quote is $5000. Husband thinks that is too much to rip apart the deck, replace rotten wood, and waterproof. I tell him to find someone then. He says he will. We got record rain this winter. The deck is worse. $5000 guy is now coming back this next week before it infects my whole house. Husband is mad, it costs too much, and he was totally gonna find someone else to do it.
-rips hair out-

I (25f) have a work friend (31f) we have worked together on the same team for a few years now and right off the bat we were drawn to each other and chatted and hung out because we had interests in common.
Over the course of the last few years, this friend has tried creating a new persona for themselves. I am all for reinventing yourself or finding more confidence or trying out different interests - and I try to be as supportive as possible when my friends are growing or changing. However, this persona put on by this friend is only ever presented to me. Often referred to her as her “villain era” etc., constantly sending me quotes and images of memes about her being this sort of aggressive, femme fatale Maneater, etc. Which I would be fully in support of, if it didn’t seem so contradictory to how she presents herself to me face-to-face, or to the rest of the world.
She also constantly refer to herself as a girls girl, but will gossip about other women behind their backs, has no other female friends and will backhandedly rubs things that bother me in my face on a regular basis, but in such minor ways, it’s hard to call her out for them. I have a disability and there’s certain things I can’t do and I’ve been asked to not be sent certain content when she is doing those things, she can post whatever she wants, but I don’t want it sent to me directly. And she will continuously do so despite me resetting that boundary over and over again.
For some context here: she comes from a relatively conservative family (as in strict parents) and is a little bit overweight and has always been very self-conscious about those things. SHe has never been in a relationship or anything like that. It’s a little difficult for us to understand each other in certain ways because I am the total opposite and I’m not in the dating world. I married the first person I ever dated and still am married. I try to be fully supportive of her dating life and her experiences while she rags on marriage and shits on it all the time. Whenever she tells me stories about her dating life or life is exaggerated to the 10th°. About how she sleeping with peoples husbands or the all these men are chasing her or she’s so promiscuous and so evil that she just could never fathom settling down, or she went to the prestigious university that I know she did not actually attend etc. etc. all of these stories either seem fictitious or extremely embellished because I know for a fact her life is not actually like this on a regular basis because we live next-door to each other.
And this is become every single day - day and day out and I am always trying to be kind and supportive so I’m always just like “oh that’s great or cool” but I have only so much emotional bandwith left for some thing that I know isn’t true and she was asked directly about a certain experience - she will not keep her story the same when we are around other people. She only presents this sort of person to me and it feels a very emotionally draining and I don’t know how to approach it. Especially because some of the things like backhanded comments about marriage or embellished date stories seem so minor It feels frustrating to try to call them out because they are always brushed off.
Another thing she does is continually tries to push a persona on me that I do not feel is my truth. We have a lot of things in common, which is initially why we became friends, but she does not like anyone being similar to her, and if I like anything that similar to her, she will try to “win” very passive aggressively - she likes XY or Z better than I do, or sending me tons of content, saying that this is how she views me or this reminded her of me when it is the opposite of what my personality and interests are like and even my husband said “it seems like she doesn’t want you to be like her at all and she’s trying to turn you into who she wants you to be”
I struggle a little bit with social cues and approaching things directly or too much of a people pleaser away. Should I even address this with her? I cannot end this friendship because I really need this job and we have to work in the same place and she is very very very sensitive to rejection. But she contacts me on almost every platform every single day, and any slight change in my tone is perceived as rejection by her.
TLDR: I have a friend who is also a coworker that is pretty insecure and is creating false narratives about her own life to get validation through me because I will only be kind and things are so minor that I feel struggle calling her out for them. Not to mention it could severely fuck up my work life. But the passive aggression and lack of genuineness at all is emotionally draining me.

Hey y’all, I’m 22 AFAB but I’ve always been really really masc presenting and people think I’m a dude all the time. I’ve never really minded that people think I’m a guy. I’ve been soft launching me being nonbinary to my friends over the past few months and I bought myself a binder about 3 months ago. I’ve worn it every day and feel really shitty when I go without it and it’s overall been life saving, but since I got it I’ve started feeling “dysphoric” in other ways. (Quotes because idk for sure if that’s what I’m feeling). I was questioning if I like men for a long time because I’ve been out as just liking women since I was like 14 but as I move further and further towards gender nonconformity I realize I’m not actually attracted to men and the ones I thought I was attracted to it’s more of an envy thing. But I don’t want to be a dude either, I don’t want to be perceived as a man and the thought of that makes me super uncomfy. I don’t want to look like a stereotypically masculine man either but I want to look like a boy. The thought of someone seeing me and thinking woman makes me want to throw up but I get the same feeling from people thinking man and I don’t even like they/them all that much either it just feels like no pronouns feel right for me and I don’t know. I’ve just been describing myself as queer since like high school and that’s fine with me as a label but I’d like to feel comfortable in my skin too.