Monkey buddies bar

short version: Has the no minimum order for 'after 11am orders' been a thing since the 'pick up anytime after 11am' option was started? or is it recent? Made curbside pick up order for 30 cents with anytime after 11am pick up and no service fee showed up.

Long version:
I was doing a curbside pick up order this morning and could not remember if minimum order was 30 or 35 so reduced order below 30 to check fee amount and noticed that no fee showed up so searched walmart.com for information, could not find any information about fee at all. Searched reddit and nothing so i came here to ask about it and while typing this it occurred to me that i was doing a no cold stuff order that was anytime after 11am pick up.
I go back and add a cold item and the 6.99 fee shows up, then i remove the cold item and fee disappears. Then i select a pick up time and fee reappears. Then i find a item for 30 cents and after 11am pick up and still no fee. So basically, someone could order a packet of ramen and do curbside pick up for no fee. If i was driving by a walmart on the daily commute, then i would definitely be ordering a can of tuna or saltines or what not to have the luxury of someone delivering my poverty meal to my car. But no nutty buddy because they have to have a pick up time but oddly enough some chocolate bars can be no fee pick up.
Has the no minimum order for after 11am orders been a thing since the pick up anytime after 11am option was started? or is it recent?

I've been a loyal Codecademy user, always revisiting it every "I'm finally gonna sit down and learn HTML and definitely not forget it two seconds later" cycle throughout the years. Most recently however, there's been a change in my tune (I'm now a CompSci victim student and actually had to crack down and learn my languages with a purpose) and have been learning C++ at school.
Just this last week I've been trying to brush up on and review everything I've learned over the last year with Codecademy's C++ course and have unfortunately found myself running into an issue where, say I use 'using namespace std' to cut down on std::'s in my code or I slip in an endl instead of \n, even if my code gets the exact result that we're sought after, mine is wrong, and I can't move onto the next step until I copy their solution word for word, bar for bar. Can't lil buddy pre-made course guide just let me be? Feels like those memes of online tests with automated marking that knock your grade down because you put a space after your answer or didn't make the first letter of your answer uppercase...

Heyo, a buddy of mine is coming by tomorrow and I‘d like to take him to a ba cafe that plays Hip hop/ RnB. Anyone have any suggestions ?

Looking for a bit of company tonight. Tell me about yourself and let's have a fun chat! So Iv usually been the quiet shy type, the one that tends to sit in the back of class and hope i don't get noticed. People tend to judge you before they get to actually know you so its always been kinda hard meeting new people. I am trying to work on being less introvert and more social plus lately iv been feeling kinda lonely so I would like to find a chat buddy. Short term chat is fine but preferably id like a long term friend. I would like someone that wants to talk about both serious topics and silly topics. Also if you have anything on your mind and need to vent i dont mind listening.
So a bit about me im about 5'10 with brown eyes and long dark brown hair. I have 2 cats with plenty of pictures! Im a pretty big geek, I love comic books some of my favorites would be The walking dead, Spawn, Invincible, Batman, HellblazeConstantine, Spiderman, Old man logan to name a few. I also enjoy reading books like The expanse, ready player one, Lord of the rings. I am currently reading The witcher series. i also enjoy hiking, sleeping, going to the movies,mall,bars, concerts.
I Also enjoy video games and I usually just play on my xbox. Some of my favorites would be Red dead redemption 1&2, Fallout New Vegas&4, Assassins creed 2 and origins, Pubg, skyrim, Bioshock, mass effect, i have plenty of more
If you would like to know my music tastes i am very much a punk,metal, classic rock type of guy but that doesn't mean I won't listen to other stuff. If you enjoy bands like Greenday, The adicts, The misfits, Ramones, Weezer, Foo fighters will get along.
For Movies and Tv i like scifi fantasy but ill watch anything. Some of my likes would be , a good amount of marvel and dc shows and movies.
As for who im looking for age, ethnicity,location dont matter just be fun and nice! Of course it would be great to find someone with common interests but its not a deal breaker im willing and want to learn about new hobbies. So if you think we might make great friends lets chat, we can chat on reddit or whatever app you might use.

Looking for a bit of company tonight. Tell me about yourself and let's have a fun chat! So Iv usually been the quiet shy type, the one that tends to sit in the back of class and hope i don't get noticed. People tend to judge you before they get to actually know you so its always been kinda hard making new friends for me. I am trying to work on being less introvert and more social plus lately iv been feeling kinda lonely so I would like to find a chat buddy. Short term chat is fine but preferably id like a long term friend. I would like someone that wants to talk about both serious topics and silly topics. Also if you have anything on your mind and need to vent i dont mind listening.
So a bit about me im about 5'10 with brown eyes and long dark brown hair. I have 2 cats with plenty of pictures! Im a pretty big geek, I love comic books some of my favorites would be The walking dead, Spawn, Invincible, Batman, HellblazeConstantine, Spiderman, Old man logan to name a few. I also enjoy reading books like The expanse, ready player one, Lord of the rings. I am currently reading The witcher series. i also enjoy hiking, sleeping, going to the movies,mall,bars, concerts.
I Also enjoy video games and I usually just play on my xbox. Some of my favorites would be Red dead redemption 1&2, Fallout New Vegas&4, Assassins creed 2 and origins, Pubg, skyrim, Bioshock, mass effect, i have plenty of more
If you would like to know my music tastes i am very much a punk,metal, classic rock type of guy but that doesn't mean I won't listen to other stuff. If you enjoy bands like Greenday, The adicts, The misfits, Ramones, Weezer, Foo fighters will get along.
For Movies and Tv i like scifi fantasy but ill watch anything. Some of my likes would be , a good amount of marvel and dc shows and movies.
As for who im looking for age, ethnicity,location dont matter just be fun and nice! Of course it would be great to find someone with common interests but its not a deal breaker im willing and want to learn about new hobbies. So if you think we might make great friends lets chat, we can chat on reddit or whatever app you might use.

Looking for a bit of company, Tell me about yourself and let's have a fun chat! So Iv usually been the quiet shy type, the one that tends to sit in the back of class and hope i don't get noticed. People tend to judge you before they get to actually know you so its always been kinda hard making new friends for me. I am trying to work on being less introvert and more social plus lately iv been feeling kinda lonely so I would like to find a chat buddy. Short term chat is fine but preferably id like a long term friend. I would like someone that wants to talk about both serious topics and silly topics. Also if you have anything on your mind and need to vent i dont mind listening.
So a bit about me im about 5'10 with brown eyes and long dark brown hair. I have 2 cats with plenty of pictures! Im a pretty big geek, I love comic books some of my favorites would be The walking dead, Spawn, Invincible, Batman, HellblazeConstantine, Spiderman, Old man logan to name a few. I also enjoy reading books like The expanse, ready player one, Lord of the rings. I am currently reading The witcher series. i also enjoy hiking, sleeping, going to the movies,mall,bars, concerts.
I Also enjoy video games and I usually just play on my xbox. Some of my favorites would be Red dead redemption 1&2, Fallout New Vegas&4, Assassins creed 2 and origins, Pubg, skyrim, Bioshock, mass effect, i have plenty of more
If you would like to know my music tastes i am very much a punk,metal, classic rock type of guy but that doesn't mean I won't listen to other stuff. If you enjoy bands like Greenday, The adicts, The misfits, Ramones, Weezer, Foo fighters will get along.
For Movies and Tv i like scifi fantasy but ill watch anything. Some of my likes would be , a good amount of marvel and dc shows and movies.
As for who im looking for age, ethnicity,location dont matter just be fun and nice! Of course it would be great to find someone with common interests but its not a deal breaker im willing and want to learn about new hobbies. So if you think we might make great friends lets chat, we can chat on reddit or whatever app you might use.

25 year old straight male. This is something that really only hit me a couple days ago. I was hanging out with a couple guys in my friend group discussing how to help two of our other friends who really struggle with dating and have never been able to get into a long term relationship despite their "best" efforts for years. (Best in quotes because as much as we try there are definitely things they won't take constructive criticism on).
I was a late bloomer and honestly don't really put myself out there very much, but I have been in one long term relationship of 2+ years as well as a couple shorter situationships, and have had about a dozen sexual partners in total. I am not currently in a relationship, nor do I want to be right now. I mention this all because people do value my input and assume I know what I am talking about to some extent when it comes to girls.
But the reality of it is that I don't. One of my friends mentioned I would be no better off than our two other buddies we were discussing if I looked like them, and honestly I could do nothing but agree.
I have only "pursued" two girls in my entire life, and each occasion led to a short term relationship that I knew wouldn't lead anywhere and was totally ok with. (Pursued in quotes since it was simple as asking each one out once when we barely knew each other). Most of the girls I have gone out with have initiated it. Probably the majority of my hookups have been scenarios where a friend introduces their friend who is into me or some girl coming up to me when I'm just standing at the bar. (I do reject the vast majority of girls who approach me).
But this also means I have no idea how to approach girls, especially those who I fear may reject me. I don't think I've ever had a "crush" on a girl and I've never put any effort into going after someone. As I look to date seriously again down the line, I don't even know how to go after someone I am actually interested in. I am undergoing this shift in mentality where I feel like I have options (something relatively new to me) but at the same time I have this feeling that I won't even know how to start if someone I am truly interested in happens to fall in front of me. Like I won't even be able to get into position to fumble. I also don't really know how to get girls to actually like me, if that makes sense.
This worry is starting to grow a bit in my mind, as is my inability to help out my friends / family (younger brother) who struggle. It feels bad not being able to give much useful advice to someone in my brother's position, for example. In a lot of ways I was (and still am) the same shy, quiet, reserved guy he is, but I just got lucky.

I guess I just need to vent.
I had a scary situation on a fun dive yesterday. I was 30 metres deep and saw that my gauge was moving a lot (50 bars) between my inhales and exhales, I also felt that i had to inhale really hard to get air into my lungs. I forgot that it's a sign of a faulty regulatotank, and didn't abort the dive. We were doing our 5m safety stop and the oxygen just cut off. I signalled "no air" to my buddy and finned up to surface. I know, I should have waited for him to pass me his spare octopus but I guess I acted impulsively, as I was close enough to the surface. Today, we were booked for a wreck dive 30 metres deep. The sea was extremely choppy (30+ knots wind speed) and I was feeling pretty queasy by the time we got to the dive site 2 hours away. My BCD connector was leaking and the crew kinda fixed it (rented equipment). Jumped off the boat and had to swim around 100+ metres to the descent point, and had to use my regulator coz the chop made it difficult to snorkel. Descended down to 18 metres and started the dive circling the top deck of the wreck. After a few minutes, checked my gauge and I had a "f**king hell" moment - I was already at 100 bar! At this point of a dive, I would be close to full tank (200 bar). I guess my BCD was still leaking, and that stressed me even more and didn't help my breath control, coz when I checked my gauge a few minutes later, I was at 50 bar - usually, I'd be back on the boat with this much air. I darted to the dive master (who was already helping another diver having difficulties). He looked at my gauge and immediately gave me his spare octopus. He signalled to the group we were heading back, linked hands and started the ascent using the mooring line. This was bad as well - the sea was really rough on top and they had to haul us in using lifejackets. We had switched back to our own regs at the safety stop and I was almost at 0 air at the end. On board, I felt really ashamed coz the group had to abort due to my issues, but everyone was cool except the DM who walked over and said "my friend, you need to learn to be calm 😞). Anyway...2 scary situations and equipment issues in 2 days feels a bit crazy. I was pretty frustrated / embarrassed, but I'm also strangely elated just to be alive right now. Just wanted to share with you guys.

Friday Night. flames
The show starts with the European championship opportunity tag team natch between Judgment day & The Blackpool Combat Club.
Judgment Day (Dominik Mysterio & JD McDonagh) vs Blackpool Combat Club (Claudio Castagnoli & Charlie Dempsey)- if JD wins they get added in the European Championship match
The crowd cheers for both teams as they make their entrance. The match starts off with Dominik Mysterio & Charlie Dempsey. Dempsey immediately used his technical expertise against mysterio tripping him up and putting him in a headlock takedown. Holding him down there but Dom gets out of it and pushes Charlie into the ropes and leapfrogs over Charlie and then hits him with a beautiful dropkick taking Charlie down. Dominik starts getting aggressive and grounding and pounding on him for a little bit before picking Charlie back up and tries to Irish whip him into the corner but Charlie reverses it into a bridging hammer throw into the corner of the judgment day. JD tags in and faces off against Charlie Dempsey. JD strikes Charlie with a huge strike followed by another but Charlie strikes back with a huge palm strike and a nice chop but JD fights back they continue going back and forth for a couple minutes before JD Knocks Charlie loopy with a Headbutt. JD trys to drag JD to the corner but Charlie gets out with a big kick trying to get out crawling to tag in Claudio but JD grabs his leg but Charlie hits him with a back mule kick and gets the tag to Claudio. Claudio goes off immediately giving a huge European uppercut to JD and then a big punch knocking Dom off the Apron. Claudio picks up JD for the Ricola Bomb but JD punches him in the face and then reverses it into a hurricarana. Claudio gets caught in the corner JD starts to hit Claudio with kicks and elbows before Dominik gets back up and JD tags him in. JD hits a head butt on Claudio, slings him up with a Delvin slide like maneuver but Dominik catches him with a back suplex, taking down Claudio. Claudio getting back up but hit by a Superkick into the ropes and Dom clotheslines Claudio over the rope and runs off the ropes for a suicide dive but Charlie pulls Claudio aside and Dominik Mysterio lands head first on the edge of the announce table. Claudio gets back and looks to hit the ricola bomb on the announce table but JD takes out Claudio’s leg with a chop block and puts him on the announce table before Charlie hirs a German suplex but he lands on his feet and headbutts him hard. Jd wakes Dom up and tells him to go up top. JD holds Claudios Leg’s down and Dominik hits a frog splash off the top rope through the announce table. Jd throws Dominik into the ring and then Claudio into the ring. Dominik crawls to the cover 1…2…. CLAUDIO’s foot reached the rope. Dominik slowly gets up and sees Claudio grabbing the middle rope in position for a 619…. No caught by Claudio and drops him the ring for a swing… 1 2 3 4 5 6 JD then decides to get in the ring and jump Claudio taking out his knee. JD then holds Charlie off as Dominik rolls up Claudio 1…2…3
THE JUDGMENT DAY WINS!
Roman Reigns vs David Finlay- World Championship Quarterfinals
This is a tough challenge for David Finlay but David goes at it head on and starts charging at Roman immediately spearing him in the corner over and over again. But Roman fights back and spears David in the corner with multiple shoulder thrusts. Roman then picks David up and starts berating him before picking him for a powerbomb that David reverses or a sunset flip roll up 1… kickout by Roman quickly. Roman gets up looking at David angrily. David slaps Roman in the face trying to get in Roman’s head. Roman pissed starts throwing multiple shots over and over again pissed off. Roman gets cocky and mocks David and start grounding and pounding him but David catches him and rolls him up again 1…2 kickout David starts feeling himself and starts fighting back with strikes and kicks finally knocking Roman down with a dropkick. David Finlay picks himf got a suplex for a quick cover but Roman picks out at 2. David goes to the ropes and hits Roman with a clothesline but Roman reverses hit a clothesline followed by another one and then a leaning clothesline. Going to the corner calls for a Superman punch. Runs at him and hits him with a Superman punch. Roman goes to the corner again “OOOOOOAHHHHHH” SPEARRRR NO a knee to the face. Off the ropes Roman goes for the spear again but David Finlay pushes Roman to the side runs to the other side of the ring and runs at him to hit a spear of his own. David Finlay picks up Roman hits then Trash panda for the cover 1….2… ROMAN KICKS OUT. David picks him over for a suplex…. THE OVERKILL 1…2…3
DAVID FINLAY WINS
Jamie Hayter vs Dakota Kai- women’s championship quarterfinal
This match starts off with a back and forth between 2 great strikers in the women’s division. They both get the upper hand through this match. At the end of the match Dakota Kai catches Hayter with a pump kick that knocks her loopy. Dakota then goes off the rope for the kairopractor but Jamie rolls out of the ring before Kai can get the pin. Dakota goes outside and brings Hayter back in. Dakota looks for another kairopractor but Hayter capitalizes and hits her with a huge lariat flipping her upside down both are down but Hayter gets back up and reversed a kick by Kai and grabs her for the HAYTERADE. 1….2….3
JAMIE HAYTER WINS
Bullet Club Wardogs (Clark Connors & Drilla Moloney) vs GYV (Zack Gibson & James Drake)- tag team championship tournament quarterfinals
The Bullet Club looks to get farther in another tournament against GYV legends here in England. James Drake and Drilla Moloney start the match. They lock up but Drilla just kicks James in the gut. Drilla then starts immediately trying to beat down James and starts throwing punches and kicks to the head of James. Drilla then picks up James and hits a suplex for a quick pin 1…2 kickout. Drilla goes to the ropes and looks for a big boot but James ducks it and tags in Zack. Zack springboards into the ring clothesline to Drilla. Then takes out clark off the ropes. Drilla rolls Zack up 1… kickout by Zack Drilla then locks Zack in a headlock but Zack reverses and hits a dropkick on Drilla. Zack gets good offense on Drilla before clark gets the tag. The continue both teams getting the upper hand against each other and Drilla is in the ring with Young Vets at ringside Drilla hits a suicide dive heat seeking dropkick on both throwing James back in the ring. Drilla looks for the Drilla Killa but James reverses it and picks him up for a spinning tombstone but Zack comes out of nowhere and hits the code breaker hitting the TICKET TO MAYHEM. Zack then jumps out the ring on Clark taking Clark out. The cover by James 1…2…3
Grizzled young veterans win
Guilia vs Mandy rose- women’s championship quarterfinal
I don’t know enough about Guilia so I’m not gonna fully book this match but I’ll give the ending
At the end, Mandy went for the bicycle knee but Guilia moved out the way and Guilia picked her up in a tombstone position and hit her with the Glorious driver to win:
Guilia wins
Adam Page vs Bryan Danielson- World Championship Quarterfinals
The match starts off with Adam Page and Bryan Danielson staring down. They offer a sign of respect in a handshake but then Bryan locks up and picks up Adam’s leg and dragon screws Adam and takes him down and starts stomping on his leg aggressively before dropping a knee drop on his leg. Bryan then continues targeting the leg and puts him in a leg lock but Adam page gets out of it and punches his way out. Adam grabs danielson and hits him with a huge punch and an elbow striking Bryan with multiple strikes before throwing danielson into the ropes but danielson hits a running elbow to the face knocking Adam out of the ring. Bryan runs off the ropes and hits Adam with a suicide dive followed by a second one and goes for a third one but Adam catches him and slams him back first into the apron. Going to the second turnbuckle and backflips into Bryan for a Moonsault going back to the ring and goes for the Buckshot lariat 1…2… DANIELSON KICKS OUT.! Adam page continues fighting back and looks for a dead eye but Danielson reverses into a sunset roll up 1…2. Kick Out but Danielson grabs his arms and starts stomping Adam’s chest violently but Adam uses his strength to hold danielson’s body up and Monkey flips him off. Adam hits a huge elbow to the face of danielson when danielson bounces off the rope Adam hits a discus clothesline putting danielson into the corner and on the top turnbuckle and goes for the Moonsault fallaway slam but Danielson reversed it and hit a top rope DDT. Holy shit what a reversal by danielson. Danielson goes to the corner lines Hangman up… THE BUSAIKU KNEE. 1…2… HANGMAN KICKSOUT. Danielson then repeatedly stomps on the chest of hangman before turning it to a hammer and anvil elbows repeatedly then locks him into the Lebell Lock and Hangman passes out.
DANIELSON ADVANCES
Moustache Mountain (Tyler Bate & Trent Seven) vs Subculture (Mark Andrew & Flash Morgan Webster)- tag team championship quarterfinals
2 of the most well known Tag Teams in the UK. Tyler Bate & Mark Andrew start the match as the crowd cheers for 2 as they soak it in. Tyler Bate locks up with Mark and pushes him to the corner and overpowers him. They lock up again but Baye pushes Andrews again. This time Andrews gets upset and charges at Bate with a double leg takedown and starts pounding at him on the ground but Bate wraps his legs around Andrews and turns Andrews over into a sleeper but Andrews fights out after a while reaching out and snapmaring Bate off of him and hits a running basement dropkick. Andrews gets the tag to Webster and grabs Bate to a wrist lock and hits a double stomp arm breaker on Bate. Webster tries to continue the assault but Tyler gets back it with a running wheel kick. Bate exhausted from the assaults and eventually gets the tag to Trent and Trent lariats Webster immediately and then takes out Andrews. picks up Webster but Webster catches him and reverses it to a roll up sunset flip 1..2.. Seven kicks out and and reverses it to a deadlift powerbomb and starts getting aggressive. The 2 teams continue to have a back and forth. until Bate is legal against Webster and bate goes for the rebound lariat but Webster catches him with a huge knee strike. Webster tags in Andrews. A inverted frankensteiner by Andrews assisted from Webster by a huge knee strike for the cover 1….2…3
SUBCULTURE WINS!
Xia Brookside vs Tiffany Stratton- women’s championship quarterfinals
2 of the youngest stars in the women’s divisions are going at it to advance in the Women’s Championship tournament. The match starts off and xia and Tiffany circling around the ring before locking up and they wrestle around the ring for a little while but Tiffany grabs her arm and kicks her in the knee before hitting an arm breaker against the mat. Tiffany continues beating on xia before xia fights back and starts throws strike after strike going back and forth for awhile they continue the match both girls getting the upper hand both getting exhausted. At the end of the match xia hits a Superkick on Stratton knocking her off the ropes and Stratton cartwheels toward Brookside and hits her with an Alabama slam. For the stack pin 1…2.. kick out by Brookside. Brookside crawls to the corner Tiffany goes in the other corner the handspring elbow in the corner and then goinf for the Prettiest MOONSAULT EVER but no Brookside rolls over and grabs her for the BROKEN WINGS for the cover 1…2..3 AND THE WIN FOR XIA BROOKSIDE
Xia Brookside Wins
Will Ospreay vs Micheal Oku
Both men come out to the ring with huge cheers for both men. Both men competing before having major respect for each other they stare down. They both soak in the crowds cheering circling each other for a minute and then lock up both fighting back against each others locks until Ospreay pushes Michael Oku into the corner. The referee tells Ospreay to break it up but Ospreay hits a big chop on Oku but that pissed Oku off and he pushed Ospreay into the corner and chops Ospreay back. Ospreay then puts Oku in the corner and then winds up for a big chop but just looks at Ospreay and shakes it off making a shake off sign against his chest. Call out to RevPro days. Ospreay charges back at Oku but Oku ducks runs at Ospreay and tilt a whirls around for the ddt taking Ospreay down before continuously striking him with elbows to the back. Before Ospreay gets back up and gets hit with uppercut by Oku. Ospreay starts getting bad and Oku looks for an Irish whip but Ospreay reverses it throws Oku into the ropes backflips over Oku and then does a backflip on Oku’s chest followed by a Superkick on Oku knocking him to the corner going to the other side of the ring and runs at him but gets kicked in the face by Oku. Oku climbs the middle rope and looks to jump on him but Ospreay moved and Oku ducks Ospreays move and hits a sleeper slam. Oku tries continue the assault but Ospreay fights back and chops Oku to the ground and grabs his wrist and hits him with another before picking him back up and hits a beautiful spinning back breaker. 1..2. Oku kicks out. Ospreay then picks up looks for a snap German but Oku lands on his feet and hits Ospreay with a huge jumping lariat. Oku Calls Ospreay up and hits a backstabber. Oku goes for a springboard Moonsault but Ospreay moves goes off the ropes handspring springboard back kick taking Oku out to the ring before running at Oku with a suicide dive followed by another and 3rd before throwing him back in the ring calling for the oscutter… he springboard but Oku catches him and hits a nice bridging German suplex 1…2.. Ospreay kicks out. Ospreay slowly crawls to the corner and Ospreay gets put on the top turnbuckle and Oku goes for an avalanche hurricarana but Ospreay holds on drops down and drops him with an alley oop on the top turnbuckle. Ospreay calling for the Tiger driver picks him and drops him with the Tiger driver 1…2.. Oku kicks out of the Tiger driver. Ospreay claps his hand together for the oscutter and this time connects with the oscutter on Oku. HE isn’t done he PICKS UP OKU DOUBLE UNDERHOOK, LIFTS HIM UP STORMBREAKKER. 1…2 OKU KICKS OUTS OSPREAY goes to the corner Oku barely being able to stand and Ospreay takes him out with a decapitating hidden blade. 1..2..3 OSPREAY collapses as he wins against going to the semifinals. Oku laying on the ground exhausted and Ospreay starts to get back up and helps Oku up in a sign of respect.
WILL OSPREAY ADVANCES
Sheamus vs Zack Sabre Jr
Sheamus gets cheered loudly as Sabre goes right after Sheamus trying to take out his leg, grabbing his leg and hitting a dragon screw and continues going with simple submissions to the leg keeping Sheamus down. Sheamus eventually gets out of it with a nice punch and starts hitting strikes on Zack. Sheamus put Zack in the corner and starts laying him out with punches and kicks til he collapses. Before picking back up and putting him on the top turnbuckle. Picks him up on his shoulders and goes for an avalanche white noise but Zack Sabre reverses it to a crucifix bomb grabbing his arm for an arm bar looking to make Sheamus tap out. He’s in the hold for a minute but Sheamus looks to reach the ropes but Sabre grabs his other arm and puts him in a double arm crucifix position for the pin 1…2.. SHEAMUS kicks out Sabre then grabs his leg but Sheamus kicks him off and gets back up and Sabre looks for a big European uppercut knocks Sheamus against the rope and bounces off and Sabre looks for a running enziguri but Sheamus ducks it and bounces off the rope and hits Sabre with the KNEECAP for the cover 1…2.. KICKOUT! Sheamus runs to the corner calling for the Brogue kick but it’s TMDK’s Mikey Nicholas and Shane Haste holding onto Sheamus legs in the corner but Sheamus kicks them off but when he turns around gets caught with a huge European upper cut. He then does a European clutch bridging roll up 1…2… Sheamus kicks out getting back Sabre goes for a springboard enziguri but Sheamus moves goes off the ropes and hits a huge Brogue kick for the pin 1…..2….3 SHEAMUS WINS TO END THE SHOW TO A HUGE OVATION . Sheamus has beaten ZSJ.
SHEAMUS WINS
Ends Show

It seems no matter what I do my writing becomes complex and unwieldy. I can't keep it simple. It's often almost simple, but not quite. Especially as I enter the third act characters and relationships start to feel muddy, as though I've put one too many events in play, or given my characters contradictory wants or attributes. And not in a way I can organically reconcile.
I'm trying to convert my story into something I could tell my buddy at a bar. I even tried it the other night. I got as far as the (unfinished) ending and to my surprise my friends seemed to follow everything and enjoyed the story.
How do you go about resolving complexity issues? And, how do you find an organic ending, one that doesn't feel tacked on or forced, or God forbid, boring. I don't want to throw the baby out with the bathwater, but I also don't want fool myself into thinking I have a satisfying ending when I don't.

Hello guys! 27 year old guy and I'm trying to put myself out there and expand my social circle and do some stuff. My interests are watching sports. I'm a diehard Mets fan and I would love to make some friends with diehard Mets fans like me. I'm down to watch the Knicks during their playoff run which we can hopefully eliminate the Pacers and head to the Eastern Conference Finals and would to watch some Knicks games too and the Giants when football season comes. I'm into running/jogging buddy, gym buddy, and someone to go out in the city to go bar hooping/clubs, beach, hiking, nature and any fun activities to do in the city and traveling buddies as well. I would love to create great memories and have some fun and enjoy life. I prefer people my age (20's).

You live in Jackson. What bar do you recommend? Less fancy tourist, more locals. My son is arriving tomorrow afternoon to stay the night after driving cross country with buddies in tow, he turned 21 today. Will have first legal beer in Jackson. Then heading to Yellowstone for a day and then over toward Sheridan to work for the summer.

I am a white mid 20s female who likes women, and I might be moving to Billings in the next 4 months. I am no stranger to white, blue collar towns, however I have spent the last 5 years living in two of the biggest cities in the country and what I loved about them was the culture and diversity. I feel most comfortable in those settings. However, I tend to get along with most everyone. Regardless, I don't want to subject myself to being around people who hate me for who I am (the gay part). I don't want to feel like I can't be myself as I already struggle with some internalized homophobia. I am not necessarily scared of being hate crimed, it has happened before with those proud boys, and really they are just young dumbasses who thinks it's funny to put on a show in front of their buddies or their girlfriend - Can't change everyone's stripes.
I guess my question is how likely am I to feel uncomfortable? Are there other gay people in BIllings? Like just regular gay people? Not the ones who wear cat ears and rainbow flags everywhere (not that there's anything wrong with that it's just not my style and never has been).
For reference, I look pretty tom boy - like any other women's athlete. Gay people know I am gay, but straight people think I am straight. My point is, I can fly under the radar, but I don't want to feel like I have to, ya know? It took me a long while to get comfortable in what I wear and how I present. Also, Montana as a state has always called to me. I love outdoors, I hunt, I fish, I snowboard, I love sports, I respect public land, I love cowboy culture - all of that is in my blood. But I also love all sorts of people, new cultures, young hipster bars with live bands, meeting new people in my age group with likeminded ideologies. Is there a space for me in Billings, Montana.
Hopefully this all makes sense and some of y'all can answer this question. Even straight people might be able to help give some advice. Maybe even some of you white straight blue collar men who usually are the ones to make comments. (No hate btw, I just want advice from all types of people with all types of feelings)

Travel Diary: I make $195,000 and spent $2149.75 (+49k points) while on a trip to Amsterdam
Section One: Bio
Age: 40
Occupation: Lawyer
Hometown: DC
Number of PTO days and how you accrue them: I earn 6 hours of annual leave every two weeks (19 days total a year), and used 36 hours for this trip
Section Two: Assets + Debt
Not super comfortable with a very detailed financial picture, but my NW is ~$750k. No SO.
Section Three: Income
Main Job Monthly Take Home: After all deductions and contributions to savings, my monthly take home is ~$6200
Section Four: Travel Expenses/Diary
Trip planning - My (40F) best friend from college (39F) and I decide to go to Amsterdam on a birthday trip. We both turn 40 in 2024, and we decide to go in May because it's in between our birthdays and because it'll be tulip season in Amsterdam! Neither of us have been. We also haven't travelled together before, despite being friends for 20(!) years, so we are a little apprehensive, although we have spent a lot of time together over the past few years. We decide on a 6 day trip. For purposes of this diary I'm going to list my half of the expenses for things we split. Costs are in US dollars, despite paying using Euros. As a side note, I also am a little over one year post-Gastric Bypass, which has a limited effect on my diet (I try to eat low carb, but you'll see that I mostly fail at this on this trip!).
Pre-trip expenses: $1193.15 total
Flight: $255 + 49k points (from Capital One)
Lodging: $1425.91 (split) - $713
Rijksmuseum: $40.28
Anne Frank House: $24.95
Keukenhof Gardens plus bus ticket: $36.20
Red Light District Tour: $50.52
Day trip to windmills tour: $43.20
Snacks: $30ish
Day 1 (Total $21.17)
Our flight is at 5:30pm, so we planned to be at the airport by 3:30pm, which actually turned out to be 4pm. Uber ($21.17). After checking bags (included in flight price) and getting through security we made it to our gate right as boarding was about to start. No time for food or drinks.
On the plane I eat a snack of roasted chickpeas before dinner, which was chicken cacciatore with mashed potatoes, bread, cheesecake, cheese, and a salad. And two glasses of wine. I save the cheesecake and cheese for later.
My friend and I watch a movie (Poor Things) and then try to sleep. I am reading A Fault In Our Stars, because Amsterdam. I try unsuccessfully to sleep for awhile and then go back to reading. At some point i eat the cheese and cheesecake. Breakfast is a cheese roll, which i eat a couple bites of (OMG does all of Amsterdam have this much cheese?? - spoiler alert… yes it does!). I wish I had slept more.
Day 2 - Even though it feels like a continuation of day one. (Total $207.02)
7am - We land at 7 and then grab the bags and go through customs. Easy peasy. We are exhausted so we grab coffee at the airport before figuring out public transit ($5.10). I take out 60 euro for cash in case we need it ($65). We buy a train ticket to the central station ($6.33) and when we get there we buy a four day unlimited public transit pass ($28.44) so that we don’t have to worry about it later.
We get to the hotel at around 9am. They tell us it will cost $50 to check in early, which we opt not to do. Instead we go get breakfast and coffee at a cafe nearby ($21.20). The hotel tells us that our prepaid amount did not include city taxes, which is another $183 (my half $91.88).
11:30am - Back at the room we decide to rest for 90 minutes. Enough to catch up on sleep but not to waste the day and get more jet-lagged. After a rest we decide to walk around and get a feel for the neighborhood and do some shopping. We find a bookstore, and I buy a copy of my favorite book from high school, Tess of the D’Ubervilles with a beautiful cover and gold edges ($21.46). We also buy fries with truffle, mayo, and Parmesan at a fry shop ($3.32) (that’s all they have and they are delicious!). We also stop a grocery store and pick up a few things including yogurt, cheese, salami, apples, and an energy drink ($13.19). We have some early days planned and nothing seems to open early. It’s very cold and rainy and semi unpleasant.
6pm - We drop stuff off, bundle up, and head off to dinner and a tour of the red light district. We try to find a place that serves Snert, a Dutch pea soup, but strike out. We end up at an Asian place instead. I get chicken satay and a beer and my friend gets Indonesian soup and wine ($16.10). Our red light tour is great, but we are exhausted after and head straight home to bed. 22k steps total
Day 3 (Total $87.24)
7:30am - We have an early day planned, and have to be on a bus near the central station by 8am. I eat a yogurt and energy drink (from grocery store) for breakfast and we take public transit (covered on unlimited card) to the station. We find the right bus and head off!
First stop is the windmills, which are beautiful! I am happy we get there early because we basically have the place to ourselves. My friend gets a coffee and we both use the restroom ($1.08!). Then we head to Edam and do a walking tour there. Next stop is a clog/cheese place, which feels very touristy but they do feed us lots of cheese. I buy a cheese slicer as a souvenir ($10.81). Next stop is another small town where we have lunch at a cafe. We basically pick one at random. My friend gets fried fish and I get a ham and cheese panini and a beer ($17.30). Final stop is an artificial island town called Maarken. We do another walking tour.
2:30pm - we arrive back in Amsterdam and get let off north of the water. I grab a coffee ($3.76). We go up to the Adam lookout and take a ride on the swing off the side of the building ($25.95 for swing plus ticket to lookout). We also grab a drink and sit on a pillow watching the city from very high up, which is lovely ($6.63). On the way out I buy a reusable water bottle at the gift shop ($4.87).
After the lookout we take the tram over to a brewery at a windmill that was recommended to us by several people (including here on Reddit!). Cost was covered by the transit pass. We buy bitterballen and a small bottle of Genever (local whiskey) (paid by my friend) and a flight of beer ($16.84). We are a bit tipsy but enjoying the lovely weather.
6:30 - On the way back toward the hotel the weather turns and it starts raining so we dip into a pub for dinner. I have a burger ($16.12). We are there at 8pm, which is momentous because it’s a day of remembrance and the whole bar is silent for two minutes. It was very interesting to be there during this time.
We are exhausted by this point and go home to bed. 19k steps total for the day.
Day 4 (Total $104.33)
7am - Another early day as we have to be on a bus at 7:30 to go to Keukenhof for the tulips! (paid in advance). We wanted to take the first bus out there because we heard the crowds were bad. I eat a yogurt for breakfast and take a 5 hour energy (no cafes open this early!). We try to take public transit to the train station but didn’t realize that the trains do not run that early on a Sunday so we grab an Uber instead ($12.20). We tell the Uber driver we’re trying to catch a bus so he makes sure we find the right place and we pull up just as the bus is loading. Phew!
8:00am - we spend 5 hours in the gardens and take literally hundreds of pictures. We are glad that we get there early as the first few hours are lovely and empty. We get a coffee ($4.60) and lunch later ($25.36). By 1pm it’s getting very crowded so we start heading out. We grab the bus back to the train station.
2:30pm - We decide to go by the Rijksmuseum although not in it because we planning that later. Instead we stop off at the Van Gogh/Rijks gift shop that’s nearby. I get a couple souvenirs, including a foldable bag and a magnet ($20.44). I also get a coffee ($3.64) and my friend gets bubble tea. We sit on the hill on museumplein and people watch. After awhile it starts to get hot (we had dressed for the early morning) so we head back to the hotel to change.
5pm - we decide we are having an evening of drinking. We first grab a drink in the hotel bar because we get free vouchers for each day we choose not to have the room cleaned. Then we have dinner at an udon place, which is delicious. We have tempura, chicken katsu, and dumplings ($15.94). Then because it’s cinco de mayo we decide to have margaritas at the Mexican place near the hotel ($15.15)! Not Dutch but it’s fun. We head down the street to another bar and have a Genever cocktail called an Amsterdam mule ($9.91). I am happy with our choice of hotel because there are so many places in our neighborhood. On the way home we pass a fresh stroopwaffle place and must get in line for one ($5.92).
By then we are exhausted and head to bed. 21k steps total for the day.
Day 5 (Total $80.44)
8am - We have a slightly less early day but have tickets to the Anne Frank house at 9:15. (paid in advance). I eat some yogurt and cheese in the room before we leave. It’s walkable so we decide to head out early and grab coffee on the way. ($3.19). The house is sombering but I’m glad we did it.
11am - After the Anne Frank house we walk to the nearby cheese museum. We sample lots of cheese. I buy one cheese to take home ($15.18). We want to walk to a used bookstore, but decide to have lunch at a cafe on the way. We pick one at random. We split chicken tenders and a goat cheese and apple sandwich and I have a beer. ($15.14). The sandwich is one of the best things we have eaten. We spend about an hour in the bookstore and my friend buys one book.
3pm - We realize we are by the monkey bar (one of the oldest bars in Amsterdam that they told us about on our red light district tour). We stop in for a drink. Ok two drinks. ($12.50). We take the metro back towards the hotel and stop in at a tile store in our neighborhood so I can buy a magnet. I buy magnets from all my trips, but I like non-touristy handmade ones if I can find them, Van Gogh magnet from yesterday aside. I buy one with a windmill on it. ($14). We also stop at the grocery store for more yogurt ($3.05) and for Dutch apple pie at the cafe across the street from the hotel ($4). We get back to the hotel and have another free drink and then rest before dinner.
8pm - We go out to a Dutch restaurant for dinner. I am not super hungry from pie so I just get the snert (pea soup). My friend gets sauerkraut and potatoes. Sorry, but I thought it was pretty bland food in general. ($13.38).
We head home. It’s a lighter day, only 14k steps today.
Day 6 (Total $194.47)
8am - Today is our last full day in Amsterdam. We have planned to spend the day at the Rijksmuseum. We want to get there right when it opens for crowd reasons. We had bought “friend of the museum” passes ahead of time so that we can skip the line. I have a yogurt for breakfast and we walk to a cafe near the museum for coffee and breakfast for my friend ($3.78). The man at the cafe is very nice and we love sitting outside in the sunshine. It’s going to be a warm day!
We spend about 5 hours at the museum. We rush to see the Van goghs and the main gallery where the Rembrandts are, including The Night Watch, which is probably one of the most famous paintings in there. We had downloaded the app so we shared a pair of earbuds and listened to audio notes about many of the works (they have a number you can enter in). We take a break outside for coffee ($7.29 - i pay) and skip the line again. Totally worth it for the more expensive ticket. Around 2 we are hungry and have seen almost everything. We stop in the gift shop and I buy a ring and earring set. ($64.76). I forget to use my 10% discount for being a friend. :( I wanted a necklace too but didn’t like the ones they had there so I’ll try to find a matching piece at home.
2pm - My friend has been trying to get herring for the whole trip so we make it a point to do that. The first place is a bust so we find a little stand that sells it a 15 min walk away. We are determined, so we head there. I don’t eat fish so I get a shawarma on the way, which is terrible (cash). I throw half away. After lunch we get ice cream. I get coffee ice cream, and it makes up for the bad shawarma ($6). We also stop at the peanut butter store, which is allegedly the first in the world, and I pick up 3 small jars for my mom for Mother’s Day ($8.11). We also stop at a thrift store and i buy a dress ($21.59). At some point this day (I think), we also stop at another bookstore, and I buy a few things including a card, a couple gifts, and a book ($39.71).
6pm - After resting a bit, we get two more free drinks at the hotel and then head out to dinner. We pick another Asian place. I get an aperol spritz at dinner and we share appetizers (satay, spring rolls, and bitterballen). We also get coconut ice cream with mango sauce for dessert. All yum! ($33.03).
We get one final drink at a local bar near the hotel ($10.20) and I’m again grateful for our choice of neighborhood. Today has been all walking because our 4-day metro pass ran out yesterday. Total steps 13k.
Day 7 (Total $36.93)
8am - this our last day. The plane was supposed to leave at 1:30pm, but we get a message that it’s delayed an hour. We decide to have a leisurely breakfast. We pick a place that’s at a hotel near our hotel. I get an egg sandwich and my friend gets French toast. We both get coffee. ($15.27)
We decide to leave for the airport around 11. We walk to the central station about 20 min away, and I buy wooden tulips for my mom on the way (cash). We buy train tickets (cash) and get right on a train. We are proud of ourselves for our navigation on this trip.
12pm - we get to the airport and through security. We head to a lounge but there’s a line. We are 40th in line based on our QR code place. We decide not to wait and sit down for lunch at a random bar. I get a sausage and a beer ($20.66). We walk around some and get another message that our flight is delayed more, to 4pm. It’s finally our turn to get into the lounge at 2:30 (2 1/2 hour wait) so we go. I grab some water and a whiskey and coke but we just ate so we are not hungry. Around 3 we head to the gate. Unfortunately when we get there our flight is delayed more and will board at 4. They give us airport vouchers so we buy a book, beer, and some stroopwaffles ($1 after vouchers). We finally board and head off around 5.
On the flight we are served dinner. They have run out of chicken by the time they get to me, but eventually find one and bring it to me later. I have a wine too. I read, watch a movie, and try to sleep a little. We have a whole row of four to ourselves so we can spread out. Dinner is a French bread pizza.
8pm - We land around 7pm (love time zone math!), grab our bags, and get a taxi to my car ($27.09). I drop off my friend and get home at 8:30. I am exhausted but cuddle my cats for about an hour before going to bed. 15k steps today
After trip expenses - $225 cat sitting
Total expenses: $2149.75 (+49k points)
Flight: $255 + 49k points
Lodging: $804.88
Food/drinks: $531.38
Travel: $101.56
Activities: $221.10
Souvenirs/gifts: $ 231.93
Final parting thoughts - I think just over $2k for an almost-week long trip to Europe is a pretty comfortable number for me. I am glad I could use points for most of the flight. We definitely didn't try to cheap out on anything. We spent a lot of money drinking (neither of us drink this much usually). I hope this was helpful to anyone, and I look forward to reactions/comments!

LONG POST WARNING
Hello everyone,
My partner (24F) and I (25M) returned home from our 3-week Japan trip last week and due to us using this sub a lot during our planning I thought it would be helpful for other current planners to upload a trip report.
Our main interests are Japanese traditions and history, street style/culture, and food so keep reading if these interests are mutual. Read to the bottom to see how much we spent plus some tips and disappointments.
Prelude
We were caught up in the madness at Dubai airport during our layover. Long story short; Airport (and the rest of Dubai) flooded and caused all the flights to be cancelled. What was meant to be a 5-hour layover turned into a torturous 36 hour wait. No staff to be seen, crowds of people arguing, fighting, and crying. We queued for 12 hours to get a new boarding pass for the next flight to Japan. We were meant to fly to Haneda but settled for Narita as we needed to get out of that place as soon as possible but still ended up missing our first day in Tokyo (should have had 5 days). We can’t complain too much as some of the people I spoke to on emirates were in the airport for up to 5 days before getting a flight back to their departure destination. Oh, and our baggage was missing with us only receiving our checked in bags on day 19. Cheers Emirates.
Day 1
Arrived in Shinjuku around midnight. We went straight to Don Quiojte to buy some replacement cosmetics and clothes. The combination of no good-quality sleep for 48 hours and the stimulating nature of the store was very intense! We then started to walk back towards the hostel and passed a Ichiran, so dropped in for some 2am ramen. Not the best ramen I’ve ever had but was still very good for the price.
Steps: 21,643 (includes some airport steps)
Day 2
Woke up and ate the free breakfast at the hostel (this turned out to be a really good money saver for the whole trip as we are not huge eaters in the morning anyway, but it was good to get something light in us before a long day walking). We then walked through the Shinjuku Gyoen Garden – saw some late blooming cheery blossoms and overall, it was a really beautiful botanical garden.
The next stop was Meji Shrine and a walk through Yoyogi park. The shrine was cool to see, especially as it was our first one in Japan. Saw a middle-aged man wearing denim hotpants so short that his balls were hanging out?!?!
Walked to Shibuya to see the scramble. This was cool but also felt it was a bit underwhelming at ground level but the view from Shibuya station walkway was wicked. Lunch was at a conveyor belt sushi place on the top floor of this department store right next to the scramble. This would be higher than average quality sushi in Europe, so it blew our minds that it was available on the top floor of a department store and for so cheap.
Shimokitazawa – We picked up some bargains at 2^nd street and I treated myself some Japanese jeans from a small Demin shop called Bears. The guy in the shop was super helpful and friendly and even tailored the trousers to exactly my size.
In the evening, we first had a poke around Golden Gai and then headed towards Shibuya and stopped in a cool bar where the owner was mixing vinyl while he mixed your drinks (think it was called Q Bar).
We had previously bought tickets to a gig at Circus for one of my fav rappers who I’d been wanting to see for a while. Also really enjoyed seeing the local Japanese warm up acts. Stayed until 5am and then go the train straight to the Tsukiji outer fish market. Was there way too early and had to wait roughly an hour for thing to open. Went to chill by a bench for a bit and by the time we went back to the market it was rammed! Went to bed around 8:30am.
Steps: 32,159
Day 3
We woke up at 2:30pm, got ready, and headed to the Bunkyo civic centre for the free observation deck. We heard it wasn’t meant to be the best Tokyo skyline view but for a free attraction we thought it was very good! Jimbocho book town was also very cool to see. We had a peak into a couple adult movie/magazine stores where I don’t think the owner appreciated our presence as western tourists.
In the evening, we first went for Ramen at Motenashi Kuraki in Asakusa Bashi. Honestly probably the best Ramen I’ve had to date. I ordered the Black Pepper Shio special, and it blew my mind. Even though the staff didn’t speak English they were very accommodating for my partner who doesn’t eat meat (pescetarian but will brave a meaty broth).
We then had a stroll around Akihabara and played some dance mat games in the arcades before heading back for an earlyish night.
Steps: 28,680
Day 4
I couldn’t sleep so got up around 3am and did some admin stuff to try and get our bags back to us ASAP. Chatted to people in the hostel for a few hours.
We arrived at Senso-ji for around 8am. Wasn’t too busy at this time and the temple was impressive. Went for a coffee down the road and had a chill for about an hour before heading into Asakusa. Got admission to the Drum museum which was wicked. Only 400 yen each and had the whole place to ourselves to smack some big fucking drums and make as much noise as we wanted.
We then started to head towards Ueno but made a slight detour to Kappabashi Dougu street to peruse the Japanese chef knives and other cookware. Grabbed lunch from a 7/11 and went and sat in Ueno park which was super busy. There was some food market event on which loads of food stalls had set up. There was also a stage with some J-pop performers and people dressed as ninjas dancing in the crowd. Weird to say the least. By mid-afternoon we were pretty tired so headed back to the hostel for a nap.
In the evening, we headed down to Harajuku and stopped by Big Love records. My partner is really into vinyl, so this was definitely a highlight for her. She picked up Wu Tang 36 chambers in case you were wondering. We then went for food at Afuri as my partner wanted to try the Vegan ramen to which she said it was ok but nothing special. My cold dipping noodle dish was very tasty, however. We then stumbled across this vinyl listening bar called Bar Music on the 5^th floor of this pokey building on the outskirts of Shibuya for a few drinks before bed. There was such a good vibe in there and the cocktails were super good for the price. If you’re looking for a romantic spot, then this is the place to go.
Steps: 31,818
Day 5
Today we headed to Kyoto on the shinkansen around midday after a slow morning chilling in and around the hostel and catching up on some sleep. Checked in to the hostel and had a walk around downtown Kyoto, stopping at 2^nd Street to buy some more clothes.
In the evening, we headed to Kodai-Ji to see the shrine lit up at night. We couldn’t believe how few people were there as it was stunning and truly magical place to be at night. It also has a bamboo grove (much better than Arashiyama, see below). The bar for Kyoto shrines/temples had been set very high.
Walked down Pontocho alley and stopped at a yakitori restaurant which was just ok. We knew it was going to be average when we looked around the restaurant and it was just western tourists dining.
Steps: 25,255
Day 6
First thing in the morning we rented bikes and cycled across the city to Arashiyama. Parked the bikes at the train station and walked up through Arashiyama. We were expecting it to be busy but there were so many people it was almost impossible to move. Had a look around the bamboo grove and was slightly underwhelmed after our visit to Kodai-Ji so we took the tram and then bus up to Kosan-Ji. This was very much worth the 45-minute journey as there was only one other group there and the temple nestled between the trees overlooking the river was breath-taking. On the whole, Arashiyama was way too packed during peak times to enjoy and with everything else Kyoto has to offer we wouldn’t say it was a must see.
We then picked up the bikes from the train station and cycled back across Kyoto taking the long route to explore and get lost. Once we dropped off the bikes, we went for another explore and this time went into WeGo for more clothes shopping. At this point we’d pretty much matched the amount of clothing that we had packed in our checked-in luggage that was still stuck in Dubai.
After a nap we walked towards the metro and stopped at a Katsu restaurant as we wanted to try something different, and it was pretty good. For the price of 1300 yen each we got so much food/sake and left stuffed.
Fushimi Inari in the evening. Like Kodai-Ji, we would recommend visiting Fushimi Inari at night. Firstly, to help avoid the crowds (we got there around 9pm and there was hardly anybody there) and secondly as seeing it lit up at night is a nice change. It was however slightly creepy at night, especially as it was lightly raining. My partner started to get a bit scared once we saw the signs to be careful of the wild boar and monkeys haha. We didn’t make it to the top of Mt Inari as the rain started to get heavy but still very much enjoyed walking through the hundreds of tori gates, stopping off at the shrines and soaking up the history.
Steps: 23,686
Day 7
Today was a late start as even after 8 hours sleep the 25k plus steps a day was starting to catch up with us.
We took the metro to Shimogamo Shrine in north Kyoto. It was very peaceful and quiet however temple fatigue had definitely set in at this point. We then walked through Kyoto to the beginning of Philosophers path. We had seen on this sub that people recommend skipping it unless its Sakura season however we disagree. The path along the river is so pretty and atmospheric, along with the fish gently swimming along in the river.
Kyoto Hand Crafts Centre – if you have the money then this is a great place to pick up souvenirs.
Pre-booked Sushi Iwa for a 15 course Omakase. The food was amazing, but it came to an eye watering 28k yen each. The difference for our western palettes between mid-range sushi and exceptional sushi is negligible. Nonetheless it was a good experience and I’m glad that we did it.
Steps: 23,751
Day 8
Today was an empty day in terms of things we wanted to do, so used it to walk the city and explore.
We checked out the Nishiki market and ate various fried foods on sticks which were all pretty tasty. We then walked northwards, stopping for coffee before reaching the imperial palace. By this point we were very much bored of temples and structures of similar architecture, but we actually ended up enjoying walking the palace grounds and seeing the buildings more than we thought and would recommend it to those who find themselves in north Kyoto.
A leisurely walk back down towards downtown Kyoto, stopping off at a wicked standing soba joint. Forgotten the name but their curry soba was delicious.
Chao Chao gyozas (only veggie gyoza place we could find) for our evening meal before a night cap at the bar across the road before bed.
Steps: 23,304
Day 9
Shinkansen to Hiroshima arriving around 11am.
Checked into hostel and then went straight to the A-dome, peace memorial and museum. We thought the museum was very moving and captured the horror of the events that unfolded very well. A must see for sure.
Okonomiyaki at Okonomimura and then some vintage clothes shopping in Hondori.
Went back out for food in the evening and ended up getting Okonomiyaki again. This time it we enjoyed it a lot more than we did at lunch (probably because we got it covered in cheese). There are a few streets by Hiroshima station with lots of bars and restaurants on top of each other, much like Golden Gai in Shinjuku, however they are not super touristy and has a more laid-back feel to them.
We then went to some bars in the city centre. The best one we stumbled across was called Tropical Bar Revolucion. It was on the 8^th floor and the smoking balcony overlooked the city. Plus, the beers in there tasted so good and I’m not sure why.
Steps: 23,299
Day 10
A hungover morning. Headed to the Hiroshima National Gardens. Going to some gardens is my go-to hangover activity as its low effort, relaxing, and feels productive. These gardens in particular were great and we really appreciated the signs explaining the history behind the space. Overall, we enjoyed this more than the national gardens in Shinjuku.
Public baths near Dobashi in the afternoon. If you’re feeling brave enough to get your kit off in front of 10s of strangers, then this is a good experience. Male and female baths are separate. Can’t go wrong for 400 yen.
Went for a drink at Bar Pretty and then realised the effect of golden week on trying to get a table walking into a restaurant. Walked around for about an hour with no success so settled for food from a department store food court. Sounds miserable but the food was pretty good for the price, and it was busy in there, so it still had an atmosphere.
Steps: 29,487
Day 11
Miyajima Day. Took the ferry to the island arriving at 10:30am. The Ryokan staff met us at the port and collected our bags to take back to the hotel.
Had a mooch around the port area before doing the hike up Mt Misen. The climb to the top on a hot day is not to be underestimated. Sweating buckets, but the route and the view from the top was amazing and one of the standout highlights of the whole trip.
After descending Mt Misen, we bought some beers, oysters and, ice cream and sat along the beach wall and chilled in the sun for a couple hours. The hotel staff then picked us up from the ferry terminal, we checked in and went straight to the Onsen for a couple hours before dinner. Dinner was a traditional kaiseki meal (with more courses than I can remember) served in the banquet hall with the other guests.
While the staff converted our retro ryokan room and set up the futons we had a few more beers before bed.
Steps: 20,803
Day 12
Today we had a chilled morning on the island, having a stroll and stopping for some coffees. We then took the ferry back to Hiroshima, stopping for Okonomiyaki one more time, before taking the shinkansen to Osaka.
Checked into our hostel near Namba and went out for a walk around 8pm. When looking for somewhere to eat we walked past a sign for a vegetarian Indian restaurant called Shama. After nearly two weeks of pure Japanese food we were craving some variety so decided to head in. Located on the basement floor of a particularly run down looking building the restaurant was not the most glamorous. Barely enough space for 10 people, it was hot in there. A constant stream of people was coming in and out of the restaurant and we were lucky enough to walk in when there were two spaces available. From sitting down at the table to receiving our food we waited just under an hour. This would be enough to put most people off but fuck me the food was good when it did finally arrive. We got a selection of 4 different curries, naan breads and samosa. We left stuffed. If you’re in the area this is definitely a place worth checking out.
Steps: 25,502
Day 13
Our first stop of the day was the Umeda Sky Building. Not suitable if you are scared of heights as the glass elevator made our stomachs drop slightly. The views were impressive but we thought the price was a bit steep at 1500 yen each.
We then spent the afternoon wondering about near Namba and Shinsujibashi dropping into shops and picking up some food.
For dinner we made a reservation for a Mexican restaurant near Dotonbori. Massive margheritas, nachos and enchiladas. The food was great, and it shows by how busy the place was still at 10pm. It had been open since the late 70’s with the décor to match and it had a great atmosphere.
Steps: 27,290
Day 14
Checked out Tsuruhashi and Korea Town. Loved the market – dimly lit maze of numerous food and clothing vendors. Stopped to have some Korean stew and pancakes and it was delicious. One of the best meals of the trip.
Shinsekai in the evening. What I can describe as the armpit of Osaka. We loved it. Dirty? Yes. Rowdy? Yes. Rough around the edges with a red light district to top it all off. We had Kushikatsu to finish the evening off. Fried stuff on a stick – of course it going to be tasty but it wasn’t exactly flavour town.
Steps: 23,777
Day 15
Took the train to Minoh and hiked up the trail to see the waterfall. Hike was easy in comparison to Mt Misen and the waterfall was very cool to see. Had a wonder around Minoh stopping for some lunch at a Ramen bar.
We went to the Team lab botanical gardens in the evening. It was very awe inspiring seeing all the installations lit up.
After sampling Japanese McDonalds (I had a burger where the buns were made out of rice) we went for some drinks at Zerro. We liked this bar a lot, the guys working there were very friendly and it had a good vibe.
We then sat and watched the skaters at triangle park with some beers from the konbini before going to see Dj Masda at Circus until around 4am. This area of Osaka was such a vibe and came back here a few times over our 6 days here. Overall, a very fun evening.
Steps: 26,130
Day 16
Woke up chronically hungover but powered on and went to see a baseball game. You’re allowed to bring food and drink into the stadium (as long as alcohol is in plastic/paper cups) so we grabbed some beers and snacks from family mart. We had no idea what was happening but the atmosphere was electric and we enjoyed getting pissed and cheering.
Had a nap and then went to Hafez for middle eastern food. The food was good but not amazing, nothing in comparison to my local middle eastern restaurant back home. Chilled around the Namba park/Big step area. Loved this area so much, we are big into street fashion and culture so this place really ticked some boxes. Lots of skaters and street wear stores concentrated around here. Got an early night watching Battle Royale back at the hostel.
Steps: 22,065
Day 17
Today we went to the Umeda area. Popped into some shopping centres and had Omurice for lunch. It was tasty but not something I will crave when back home. Good experience trying it though. We then walked through Yodoyobashi along the rivers and got gelato and sat in the rose garden. The sun was beating down and we enjoyed just chilling in the sun eating our ice cream.
Compufunk Records were holding a party in their store. Decent gaff with some very welcoming and kind people to party with until the early hours.
Steps: 21,267
Day 18
We reluctantly left Osaka for Hakone today. Very sad to go but onwards to the next adventure. Took the shinkansen to Odawara and then the Hakone Tozan Train to Gora. Checked into our Ryokan and relaxed in the Onsen for a few hours.
Went for a walk around Gora and had dinner at the Ryokan before watching Predator in bed.
Steps: 16,926
Day 19
Today we did the Hakone Loop, starting early in Gora.
Started with the Open-air museum and it was great. We loved the installation and ended up spending 3 hours slowly making our way round. Got some cool photos as well for the gram.
Ropeway to Lake Ashi. This was absolutely terrifying. You have to swap cable cars 3 times on the way over and the warnings of the service being suspended due to the wind was announced at each stop. I’m not going to ruin the surprise, but one section made me literally freeze in terror due to the winds outside so try to do it on a calm weather day.
We then took the pirate boat (bit underwhelming) across the Lake and stopped for some soba noodles and a wander around. Unfortunately it was way too cloudy to even get a chance at seeing Mt Fuji.
Train to Kamakura and checked into our super cute traditional hostel near the beach.
Dinner at an Izakaya from the hostel owners recommendation. Food great and beers slipped down a treat. First time I tried Yuzu Kosho as well – I’m now addicted to the stuff and literally cover all my food with it.
Steps: 19,512
Day 20
A slow start to the morning. Weather was pretty bad but we still managed to hit all the main sights in Kamakura. Big Buddha was a refreshing sight from the temples. Did some shopping up Komachi Dori. Highlight of the day was Hukokaji temple. It was so peaceful and zen in the rain with its very own matcha tea ceremony backdropped by bamboo forest. This turned out to be our second favourite temple/shrine we visited, just being beaten by Kodaji.
In the evening we went for Sushi at a conveyor belt place. Figured this would probably be my last Japanese sushi of the trip so devoured 7000 yen worth of sushi and beer. Went back to the hostel and invited some of the other guests to drink with us. The owner of the hostel had some bayberry homebrew, so we got stuck into that.
Steps: 20,494
Day 21
Enoshima Island is just a 25 min train from Kamakura. Started off the day by walking to the top of the island to get French toast and a beer with a lovely view across the bay. We then headed up the Sea candle to check out the observation deck, still the illusive Mt Fuji hides behind the clouds.
We then bought admission to the caves beneath the island which was pretty cool. I won’t ruin the surprise but there’s something waiting for you at the end of one of the caves.
Had an explore around the rockpools near the caves and took some cool photos. We then had a pizza with fish on which was pretty crazy. Walked around the island a little bit more and I picked up some more Japanese denim which wasn’t the cheapest but the quality of the trousers are great and will last me a lifetime.
Back to Tokyo in the evening.
Went for Izakaya around Asakusa and popped into a couple bars. One was called Not Suspicious and the whole bar was covered in handwritten notes by patrons. Very touristy but quite cool at the same time. Our favourite was a drawing of Mario saying It’s a Me Muthafucka.
Steps: 25,903
Day 22
First stop was Don Quiojte to pick up some Yuzu Kosho (if you know you know) and weird flavoured KitKats.
Kappabashi Dougu street to purchase a fine Japanese carbon stell Santoku. Honestly in love with this knife so much. The people at the store were very happy to hear exactly what I was looking for and even let me try before you buy on some daikon radish.
While in Asakusa I had to return to the place where I put the best thing in my mouth in Japan. Motenashi Kuroki. Switched it up this time and had their classic Shio ramen plus the duck rice as a side. Honestly this place is amazing, and you have to go there if you have time. They aren’t veggie/pescy friendly so my partner went for one last round of sushi round the corner. We met up at a massage chair parlour and spent 30 mins relaxing in the chairs.
We had a bright idea to watch the sunset one last time so headed over to the rooftop park on a department store in Shibuya. Sipping on an ice cold Kirin, the sun slowly dropped behind the distant mountains and we knew our trip had come to an end. How symbolic.
Flight at 11pm from Haneda.
Steps: 23,187
On reflection:
I honestly think this trip was almost perfect in terms of hitting our interests and travel style. There was a good balance of doing the typical first time visit to Japan sights and activities while still exploring and seeing what we came across in the moment.
It hard to pinpoint exact highlights of the trip as everywhere we visited had so much going for it in different ways. We loved the rugged and trendy vibe to Osaka, and I think this would be the city I would most want to live in for a considerable amount of time (If I had to choose). Miyajima was also stunning and a great overnight trip with the Ryokan experience. We also underestimated how much we would enjoy Kamakura with its laid-back surfer vibe and access to Enoshima Island.
One random memorable moment that has stuck with me was when we landed at Narita airport, we took the limo bus to Shinjuku. As the driver pulled away, all the staff at the station turned and bowed in unison. It felt so special to first observe a culture totally opposite to the one I grew up with and was at this point I knew I had embarked on the trip of a lifetime.
If I could go back and change something I would probably miss out Hakone and do an extra day in one of the major cities. This isn’t because we didn’t enjoy Hakone, but we feel like it’s a place that needs more time to soak in what’s going on around you (plus the weather was bad when we were there). This being said the Open-Air Museum was amazing and we enjoyed it more than the Teamlab botanical gardens so the trip up the mountains was worth it just for that.
So, how much did we spend per person (not inc flights)?
Accommodation - £765pp
Given that we spent a couple nights in Ryokans raising the average price slightly, we were pretty happy with the accommodation costs. We stayed in a mix of private room and shared dorm hostels and pretty much all of them were spot on. Travelling as a couple meant that anywhere with a private room split the price between 2. The only hostel we didn’t like was the one in Hiroshima, there wasn’t anything in particularly wrong with it, there was just a really bad vibe from the owner and other guests.
Transport - £344pp
This includes shinkansen to and from all the major cities as well as our suica top ups for metros and buses. Unless your itinerary is something like 3 days Tokyo, 2 days Osaka 2 days Kyoto then there really isn’t any point getting the JR pass now that the price has increased.
Activities – £280pp
It is hard to give an exact amount for activities and food as 1) I didn’t track what we spent our cash on and 2) my partner and I would take in turns paying for things like temple admission. That being said I’ve allocated 25% of the cash we spent to activities such as temple admission. Activities includes our baseball tickets plus club entries as well as temple and museum admissions etc.
Food – £962pp
As above, its hard to give an exact amount for food. On the whole we tried to eat cheap with possible, especially at the start of our trip. There were a few expensive meals peppered in plus we ate out twice a day towards the end of our trip as we realised we were under budget.
The total is a bit skewed as this includes all the alcohol we bought in bars as well as the konbini trips for beers and cigarettes. I estimate that booze accounts for around a third of the total per person. If you would like to do Japan on a budget, reducing the booze will make a big difference.
Shopping/Souvenirs/Gifts – £607 (just me)
We went hard with the shopping. We didn’t actually receive our checked in luggage until day 19 so we had to buy all new clothes and cosmetics. If this wasn’t the case, then I don’t think I would have spent so much (airline is comping us for the additional clothing bought anyway). I also bought a fairly expensive chef knife and Japanese denim pieces, plus lots of gifts for friends and family. Obviously, this number could theoretically 0 if you are on a serious budget and did no shopping but I really underestimated Japanese shopping, especially thrifting. Also, given our cheap choices when it came to accommodation we could afford to splurge. However just to note my partner spent less than half than I did on shopping.
Total: £2958 (582,628 yen at time of writing)
I kept within my budget of £3000. I definitely got a bit frivolous with the cash in the last few days or so, if being as careful as I was towards the start of the trip, I think the total would be closer to £2500.
Disappointments
Takoyaki. We thought it was going to be all about the octopus but were disappointed with our balls of sloppy goo surrounding tiny chewy pieces of octopus. We tried it twice and couldn’t get behind it. Sorry Takoyaki fans.
Arashiyama. Way too busy, especially around the main station and bamboo grove. If it’s the bamboo you are going to see, then Kodaji is a much better spot.
Dotonburi. Albeit we were there in golden week, and it was pretty busy. However, I get the feeling this area has fallen to the past its golden days title and has become a bit of a cash cow for places selling spiralised potatoes on a stick. The area around Namba park was a better option for us.
Tips
Konbini. Absolute life saver for snacks and drinks on the go. The food quality for a convenience store is higher than most other countries so we had no problem with grabbing a meal from one to help keep within our budget.
Don’t over pack – even though we didn’t get our checked in bags, I still packed light so had plenty of space to bring stuff back. Emirates give you your allowance by weight rather than number of baggage so we could check in additional bags on the way back.
Don’t be scared of hostels. If you don’t want to brave the shared dorms, then most hostels offer private rooms with just the shower and toilet shared. Obviously, it’s cheaper if there are two people sharing a room.
Don’t stress about cash. Most places take debit/credit card and if they don’t, you’re never more than 5 minutes from a konbini ATM.
For us, golden week didn’t seem that big of an issue. No problems booking shinkansen around GW. We spent most of GW in Osaka, as such it was going to be busy anyway so maybe we didn’t see much of a difference from normal numbers in the spring.

My (F32) husband (M33) drunkenly went to a gentlemans club and I'm struggling to move on
Some context : My husband and I have been married for 12 years. We've got 2 young boys and I'm pregnant with our 3rd (DD 8/29). About 5 years ago we hit a massive rough patch ending with my husband having an emotional affair. I decided to stay with him and although it took a long time, we worked through it. Our marriage actually felt stronger than ever...
Well.... a few weeks ago my husband had to travel for work. On the last night he was there he decided to go out with one of the guys from the office he was helping.
Side note : the guy is a bit younger, single and kind of a F boy. But he's always been really nice to us
They started at dinner and then went for drinks. My husband doesn't really drink, but this specific night his buddy was feeding him shots and beer and even more shots. I ended up checking on him after a few hours of not hearing anything and saw he turned his location off. He wasn't answering his phone, which is totally not like him, and I started to panic thinking something happened. I called local police stations, hospitals, etc seeing if maybe there had been an accident or something. Finally around 2am his time, his location popped back on and I could see he was at a strip club... he then went back to his hotel, answered my call super drunk then passed out.
The next morning he called me asking if everything was okay because I had called so many times and that's when I told him about his location, the not answering, the strip club. He was honestly in disbelief, he couldn't even remember leaving the cocktail bar they went to right after dinner. He didn't believe that he had gone to a strip club until he checked his bank account and saw the $200 withdrawal. He's been trying to piece together the night basically ever since it happened.
What he eventually remembered : going to dinner, drinking at the cocktail bar, then a huge gap. He remembers walking and his buddy grabbing his arm saying "you're going the wrong way." Then another massive gap, he then remembers flashing blue lights (probably from the club) and sitting near his friend and some random couple. He remembers needing to puke and trying to get out of a chair, following orange lights to the bathroom where he did end up puking. Then he remembers some guy telling him he's been in the bathroom for too long and making him leave the club. The last he remembers is fighting with his friend, trying to walk back to the hotel and then being in a car and someone helping him to his room.
What his friend said happened : they were both drunk, friend dragged husband into the club. Friend plopped husband in a chair and he basically sat there slouched until they left.
Here's my dilemma... Im struggling to believe/accept any of it. I'm disgusted, pissed, sad, all the things AND my hormones are absolutely raging because I'm 6 months pregnant. Prior to this my husband had never been to a strip club before, never wanted to go. His mom was totally fucked and exposed him and his siblings to really screwed up stuff when they were super young. So he stayed far away from clubs, strip clubs, drinking, etc. I honestly, truly, believe that if my husband weren't trashed, he would not have gone. He currently hates himself enough for the both of us and it's making it really hard for me to be mad at him. BUT I'm also devastated... We've come so far, built so much together, I just don't understand why he would be so stupid. I'm one of those people who needs all the answers no matter how much pain it causes. I want to know what he thought he was doing when he turned his location off. Why didn't he just go home when he knew how trashed he was? Whyd he pull out money just to sit there drunk af? I want every single detail and he can't give it to me. So now I feel like I'm just making up the story line in my head and it's literally driving me insane. I feel stuck, like I can't move past this... I'm not really sure what I'm looking for by posting this. Maybe just to vent, or hope someone out there can help me move forward. Is it my hormones keeping me stuck? Is this even a normal reaction? Ugh I swear I'm loosing it....
TL;DR; : Husband drunkenly went to a strip club while I'm at home, 6 months pregnant, and now I can't figure out how to move forward.

Don't get me wrong. Pay is great, work is steady depending on where you work in the facilities, breaks are nice (again depending where you work, i hear horror stories from the cashiers), and generally? not a terrible vibe on third shift which is a god-send from the normal rabble.
What makes the job awful, much like any location, is the management. We've got several managers, much like any store, and of course they have their "favorites" who get away with everything barring murder. Some that walk around doing nothing all day, some that just sit in the wrong departments chatting, leaving the customers without help, some that ignore the customers asking for assistance as a whole, even a few that due the famous "U-turn" where they go back and forth from the bathroom and breakroom all night before clocking out. Everything we say about these individuals; in one ear, out the other. whether it's to HR, CXM, mod, directly to the individual in question or the boss of the store. Due to the crazy loops and mountain of paper-trailing required, the damage is already heavily implemented before anything can be freaking done about them, making the job twenty times harder than it needs to be.
Then you got the workers who bust their butt to make ends meet getting treated worse than the dirt you stand on because of these headaches. This goes on for every shift, but i need to focus on my own experiences through the third shift stress and tension as it has been getting extremely volatile. Between the problems above and a hard-headed manager interested in rushing to complete tasks over the safety of the worker, and the lack of stable workers since only 3 of us are full time + 2 part timers who do, essentially, full time hours, the strain on the night crew is insane. What sent me over the edge though wasn't the work.. oh no. I can handle the work load because whatever we don't get done is still there the next night. It's not hard to pick up where we left off and by the end of the week 99% of the time everything is done.
Below in the spoiler will be a pretty hefty rant of my experience involving what finally made me register my hard work means nothing. That we're simply replaceable fodder, and that our safety, no matter how much they plaster it as their priority, means nothing.

Back in January the area i live in experienced a pretty big storm. Didn't think much of it at the time, i've ridden my E-bike (my only source of transport) in storms before, even in the snow! But, unlike usual this storm had caused flash flooding. I had reached a particular point in the ride where I couldn't progress. The roads that legally allowed my bike to travel out of where I live had become flooded by nearly 6 inches of high speed water, with spots going as deep as a foot and more due to road conditions. Roads surrounding my route were also being slowly closed off as the storm continued and ubers were cancelling in the area (or outright rejecting rides due to the dangerous conditions.), making it progressively harder to get around. It was 10 minutes til work, and i still had 20 minutes to ride, and a 15 minute ride back home if something went wrong.
I pulled over at this intersection that was flooded and checked the news for the area. Local news networks labeled it a "local emergency", so i called it in, told my boss at night i wouldn't be able to make it due to the unsafe driving conditions and progressively worsening weather closing down major roads. He 'understood', told me it would not effect my points as it was a weather situation, and that several others were calling for similar problems. I returned home now soaked and the bike had to be carefully serviced to avoid any lasting damage from the heavy storm. Not a huge issue but annoying none the less.
Fast forward two weeks and i get brought into the office where the CXM and my boss are... and asked the famous line. "Do you know why you're back here?"
I truly had no idea, so i joked it off, I had won a recent raffle for 3 board-games, so I made the comment it was because I hadn't brought those home yet.
The CXM smiled, then said it was because i had received my 4th point for calling out without sick time. Now, mind you, I have no idea what's going on at this point. I knew i had missed 3 days (once in September, 2 times in october from bike issues leaving me on the road without a way in due to the battery dying.). So i asked where this 4th point was coming from. He mentions the day of the flood, my boss, who is keeping his mouth shut, looks away from me when he says this. At this point I sit down, rather miffed at this point because i was assured that it was okay due to it being a safety concern, and that others were calling out with similar issues without a problem.
I'm stunned at this point. Taking a seat at the wall, the night assistant manager closes the door behind me and the cxm begins to lay into me the normal spiel, about how they expect all workers to be punctual and that this was a writeup, and how i "needed to understand what was being said". The whole time he's smiling, I wasn't. I told him what I was told on the phone, that I was cleared due to the weather conditions and that a point wasn't on my record the last time i checked (which i was checking regularly the first week because i truly expected something like this to happen, and stopped checking 4 days prior to the meeting. This happened 2 weeks later on a Wednesday.) -The cxm says it doesn't matter what i'm told on the phone. And that I should have called an uber. -I told him that ubers were cancelling rides due to the roads closing. -He tells me to order a taxi instead then. Now. I'm getting riled up at this point. My leg it tapping, i'm clearly not happy, and the way the cxm is talking to me is actively pushing for a response like this as he continues to smile and REPEATS "do you understand why you're getting this write-up" over, and over, and over again. -The night shift boss is still not making eye contact with me. -So, I stare straight at the cxm and respond to his question. "I understand that I have 3 points, but the 4th point I do not agree with. I was told that I was okay, and that the local news had declared it an emergency. I do not agree with that fourth point." -They both look at me, and I continue to look directly at the cxm. I'm still pretty relaxed at this point even if i'm agitated mentally and tapping my foot. I just want to get back to work at this point because I know the cxm is on a power-trip based on his body language and how much he's smiling. However, it really shown when that smile went away at me saying that comment. The cxm folded his hands, his smile gone and said "look, you want me to be blunt? I don't care what you agree with, you just need to understand you're being written up for 4 points of missed work. I can't let you leave until you agree."
THAT shifted my whole mood. I went from calm, to alert. My foot stopped tapping, I sat back in the chair and I was glaring at the cxm at this point. I was LIVID. The night manager STILL wouldn't look at me, instead he was watching the cxm. So i stayed focused on him as well. I folded my arms, and gave my full attention to him.
He repeated "Do you understand why you're being given this formal write-up?" again, and I, again, said I didn't agree with it. He AGAIN said he didn't care what I agreed or thought was right. and he just needed me to agree with it. So. I said what he wanted me to say. "I understand i'm being written up for a point I don't agree with"
As if MOCKING me, he again repeats "do you understand you can't keep missing days like this?"
I stayed DEAD SILENT at this point, and he leaned forward and looked at me with a big ol' smile. and told me to "stop staring at me with that death-glare, it's not working on me, buddy"
I was fuming. I was NOT going to be treated like a tool like that for taking my own safety into consideration during a local emergency for the job to tell me I was still in the wrong TWO WEEKS AFTER the event happened.
I was forced to agree, because I was sick and tired of staring at him and getting nowhere. So i repeated the comment like a good little drone and left. God i wish i knew i could have commented in that signing page that i signed under protest, course I was so pissed off i doubt i'd have even realized where to write it if i had known. I signed the "admission of guilt" crap, and immediately went to speak to the main boss of the store. Took two more weeks to get ahold of him, and he agreed it sounded very unusual. Main boss went to HR with clarification on how to handle it because even he wasn't too sure on it.
Two weeks after that, i touched base with the main boss. AND HE AGREED THAT I HAD NOT DESERVED THAT POINT OR THE WRITEUP. HR had come back to him about it coming down to the manager who handles the call-out (in my case the night shift boss), and a second manager who confirms the callout. My only assumption is that my boss agreed and acknowledged it as a weather related incident, and the second manager, the cxm in this case, decided to over-rule that decision.
Every other manager I spoke to thought that point was bogus. THE MAIN BOSS said it was bogus, and HR agreed that it was a case-to-case issue due to their system not having anything concrete for localized weather emergencies (they only have it for snow/ice, and state emergencies.) but even our HR contact agreed that safety takes priority! So here I am, 3 months into this crap I didn't even deserve, all because this dude decided to swing his big-boy stick. Taking the proper channels to have it addressed, complaint sent in about the manager in question, and trying to do things by the book did nothing but hit me with a "well you didn't act fast enough so we can't fix it" response, because it took over a month to get it processed. On the plus side, since I explained the entire incident to the main boss of the store (including the response from the manager who was handling the write-up), He gave me his direct line and told me that if i EVER got caught in a major storm like that to let him know, and he'd be sure to clear the incident himself. So while it happened, the store boss pulled through and assured me it won't happen again since it was a situational decision based on whoever got the call-out to handle. The problem is that the one who made this a problem in the first place is still in a position to do said problem. And that, unfortunately, I am unable to address directly like this. It was untouched for almost 2 weeks, sent in as a point right at the end of the 2 week "edit" period, and then I'm written up a week after that, ensuring I had no way to fight it. This was, in all purposes, an abuse of power. But, i'm a drone. I'm only as strong as the voice of the rest of this cacophony, and that's why they keep everyone at eachothers' throats.

Like I said. It's a rant, so only pop it open if you want to see what triggered this message to begin with. It's the biggest frustration I've had in the many years working here that firmly got under my skin due to the way it was handled and how long it took to get properly addressed, for no other reason than to tell me it was too late to do anything about it. We're just numbers in this machine, readily replaceable and easily used to kick around in the name of "fun" for those in a position of power. Where the rules and regulations are waived so long as you're buddies with the other management, and those working hard and keeping to themselves are an easy source to dump the blame and pressure or exercise someone's "authority".

Looking to gain advice for a fellow Marine who was involved in a DUI as stated in the title. This Marine and his buddy went out for some drinks, later on in the night on their way to another bar the driver was pulled over and eventually arrested for DUI. The passenger faced no legal charges and was picked up by his COC. The beginning of the week started and both Marines were read their rights for Article 92. The Marine charged with DUI was told NJP is inevitable but that the passengers punishment was "up in the air" and ultimately the CO'S deicison. the SgtMaj says that since he was there and let it happen that it could be anything from NPLOC to 6105 to NJP.
what can the passenger do here? He is waiting to hear from command while they "put the package together and look through all the documents"

Hey all, my buddies and i are going to Texas for a few days next month when we’re all off work. We have three of the four days pretty booked up but we’re looking for something to fill out the last day before we fly out the next morning. We’ve already got a rangers game, the stockyards and a tour of the cowboys stadium planned. Is there anything else we’re missing? None of us have been to Texas so we’re going full tourist mode and looking for the full experience haha. Also any badass barbecue recommendations or bars and nightclubs would be appreciated as well. Thanks in advance.