I (19 **) work as a direct support professional for children in residential care due to IDD and/or behavioral issues. I am a full-time college student while independently supporting myself by working full-time. I typically work 32-36 hours a week while taking 4 classes (16 credits) with 3 of them being STEM, so you can only imagine how extremely busy my schedule is and the amount of stress I am constantly under. I took a week off from work to ensure that I could solely focus on my finals. I returned to work the Saturday right after finals, first day of spring break, and worked a 12 hour shift at a house that I have only worked at about 4 times prior to that shift. This house has a 1:1 staff to client ratio so there is typically 3 staff to the 3 clients, except when it is the overnight shift. On the last hour of my shift, one of the clients ran away during bed time hours and none of us realized until 20 mins later. You're probably wondering how the hell we didn't notice a kid was missing. All of the clients were in bed and all 3 of the staffs were in the staff office finishing up the necessary paperwork to complete the shift. About 10-15 mins after the last kid was put to bed, we heard the slightest chirp from one of the alarms. It was completely silent but we still barely heard the alarm. There is supposed to be alarms on every door and window leading outside, but this house in particular had an alarm on one of the bathrooms. We assumed that it was bathroom door slightly swinging open, but Staff 1 (client is the one that ran away) walked out of the office and I assumed that they went to check out the rest of the house. My client's room is right across the office door with their door wide open due to personal preference. The office door was never fully shut and I was sitting by the door to ensure that I could keep visual/audial supervision for my own client practically at all times. Staff 2 (client is in the other side of the house) was at the desk working on their paperwork and peeked out the window that shows the front lawn. They didn't see anything or say anything, and resumed their paperwork. About 20 mins later, Staff 2 goes out to warm up his car since it was almost shift change and the overnight staff was supposed to be coming soon. Overnight staff pulls up as Staff 2 was out there and the two had a conversation before Staff 2 drove off without being relived from duties. Overnight staff walks into the office and says "Y'all didn't notice you were missing a kid?" Staff 1 and I are obviously confused and thought that they were joking but they tell us how the kid got out and that Staff 2 left to drive around in search of the kid. Staff 1 walks around the neighborhood while I stay in the house because atleast one person needed to be in the house and the overnight staff was still clocking in and doing shift change duties. The kid is found at a park down the street and brought back to the house within 15-20 mins. All three of us were relieved from our shift and informed that we would be suspended pending investigation. This is because the company policy is to maintain supervision with 15 minute checks, at minimum, even if the clients are in their room. In other words, we realized that the kid was missing 5 mins late. HR contacted me 4 days later and said that they filed a report of child abuse and that the investigator will be reaching out. I don't hear anything from anyone for the next week and a half. I then reached out to my manager and informed that I haven't been contacted yet and they responded that they will reach out to HR. I get contacted by the investigator 3 days later and find out that they weren't able to reach out because they had spelled my name wrong on the email. I was under the assumption that cooperating was in my best interest if I wanted to return to work as soon as possible and so I told the investigator my perspective of the events and was very detailed and included timestamps. This is something that I have picked up while working there to provide the most accurate information relating to tracking client's behavior. At the end of the interview, the investigator stated that they didn't really find incriminating evidence but that was still up for debate until the investigation has been concluded. The investigator mentioned that it may be possible for me to be brought into court as a witness if it reaches that stage. I don't hear anything else after this for another 2 weeks before I reached out to HR and left the investigator a voicemail. HR informs me that I am still employed but that they didn't have any other information. Another week or so goes by and I still haven't heard from the investigator so I sent them a text message. I got a reply the following morning stating that there was no new information at the time. At this point, I have been suspended for 8 weeks and applied to a former minimum wage job to have a source of income. A few hours ago, I got a text from a coworker checking in on me and I find out that Staff 1 got fired immediately and that Staff 2 returned to work after 1 week. I am now trying to look for a legal aid or a lawyer for low-income people but I am not really sure how to go about this situation. I am looking for advice because I have no family and no connections to guide me through this foreign situation. I maintained supervision on my own client the whole time and I assumed that my fellow coworkers did their duties in ensuring their clients' safety. I do not think that I am implicated in this situation at all.
What should I do?
** Side note: Specific details have been simplified due to the sensitivity of this situation and any identifying characteristics has been anonymized and may cause confusion. I apologize for that.

Hi, I need some help as I'm really confused. I spoke to a support worker, but they weren’t very helpful.
I was diagnosed with Alopecia Areata when I was 17, and it has progressively worsened. I consulted a specialist and am currently on methotrexate, which was a last resort after trying many other treatments.
While the medication has been effective, it causes severe nausea, occasional vomiting, and extreme fatigue as side effects.
My specialist and I tried discontinuing the medication to see if my condition would improve, but my hair loss rapidly worsened. Currently, I have lost about 40% of my hair.
Losing my hair has been incredibly traumatic. Witnessing clumps of hair fall out and seeing the bald spots has made it difficult for me to leave my house. I've had to resume the medication, which forced me to quit my job due to constant sickness and exhaustion.
Would this situation qualify me for any assistance with payments? I have an appointment with my specialist in two weeks to discuss it, but I'm unsure if they will have the information I need. Although I choose to take this medication, I can't lead a proper life without it. This situation is breaking my heart, and I don't know what to do.

I (24) just graduated with a bachelor's degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing. I started applying for entry level jobs and internships since January, but I still keep getting rejected for "lack of experience" or "there were more suited candidates." It's worse as my current internship in supply chain that I have held for the past two years is ending due to the company cutting people like companies across the country are. I thought about going to graduate school to get a masters in marketing analytics, but I just wanted a break from school and earn money to pay for it, but I do not think that is likely now.
I am now regretting my major as this post from marketing experts is pretty much discouraging me and I foresee myself at a place like Publix or Target making minimum wage again. I will also admit that I am not a big public speaker and I am very introverted. I am also not the type that will talk about my past experiences, projects, etc with great enthusiasm like a boy pleading to his parents why he should buy him an expensive toy for Christmas. The only jobs that seem to want to hire me are places like North Western Mutual, Aptiv Pest Control, and Amway. I have tried roles in supply chain, sales development representative, digital marketing, business analytics, and product management. Because of this, I see myself stuck at a place like Target for a year and I am willing to wait a year in hopes of a legit job that is willing to hire me. I just do not want to work for companies like Aptiv Pest Control, Amway, or North Western Mutual as those are the types of jobs where you have to hustle and I do not want to as those are all commission-based. I also do not want to start a business as I am not of the entrepreneurial spirit and it is too much work. I have tried networking so many times, making a good LinkedIn, and making a good resume, but still no luck. I also understand that this is a shitty job market for economic reasons such as inflation, section 174, high interest rates, and the mass layoffs resulting in jobs being highly competitive. Surprisingly, I am getting interviews, but always being rejected. I have tried smaller companies and startups too, but it's like the want the most experienced candidate.
The only option left after a year of things do not get better will be the Army or Marines. If I did go into either, I do not want to be an officer and would rather enlist as the only hard part about the military is basic training from what I see and would do the infantry route. Also, I would only do one contract if I joined a branch. However, I would be open to staying longer if I enjoyed the military. I come from what used to be Fort Bragg and there were so many guys that did roughly twenty years.

I've been thinking that if Spy x Family ever got a live action adaptation (never gonna/never should happen?), whether as a film (trilogy?) or microseries, then a smart way of truncating the story would be to have Loid and Anya have a pre-established father-daughter relationship as a result of him rescuing her from the lab.
Twilight infiltrates the lab as a janitor, discovers that Subject 007 is the only survivor from their human trials and immediately decides to rescue her. Fortunately for him, the facility is distracted by a completely coincidental simultaneous attack by the mysterious Thorn Princess (who wears a mask in this adaptation since part of her Garden-mandated M. O. is to allow a survivor every once in a while to build up her reputation... in this case, said survivor just happens to be the dumbstruck Twilight, still in disguise. She informs him that she's about to rig the place to blow and that he should leave now. He runs off to retrieve Anya from her hiding place, where he told her to stay while he investigated the sounds of fighting. Thorn Princess allows them to leave, since Twilight was able to convince her that he really was just a hard-working man who was disgusted by the experiments and just wanted to help this girl escape. They part ways and the lab is destroyed.
Although in my imagination, said infiltration-turned-rescue would have happened while Anya is four, allowing her the awareness to get overly attached to Twilight, thus resulting in him getting automatically assigned by the higher ups from WISE (they're the only ones who know about her power) as her guardian/mentor. His mission is to protect her while helping her hone her abilities. Whether she becomes a spy or an ordinary well-adjusted citizen, would be up to her once she comes of age... All of this could be a cold open prologue narrated by Anya in the style of a spy novel. It's a mental diary entry she recites to herself on the anniversary of her rescue.
This would be a great way of shortening the set up as far as Loid and Anya are concerned. Among the Forger family, these two have known each other for longer and are the only ones who have any knowledge of Operation Strix and are actively working for its success (Yor is a wonderful and essential addition to the family, but sometimes she does feel a bit like an outsider... which she is: as far as she knows, she's Loid's second wife and Anya's stepmother).
If this hypothetical adaptation has Twilight rescue Anya as an infant/toddler and Operation Strix happens when she's around eleven or twelve, then this would allow the casting director to look for older, more experienced child actors for the role. But then again, a twelve year old Anya who was raised by Twilight may not be so eager to ship her spy dad with a freaking assassin they just so happen to bump into... unless said assassin happened to attack the lab several years ago and coincidentally allowed Twilight to survive and thus liberate little Anya! (As for why Yor doesn't recognize Anya now... Um, she just forgot, okay! :D But seriously, if pink hair were to be a rare, but not too rare, hair color in this adaptation's universe, then there would be little reason for Yor to suspect that Anya Forger is the same kid she helped rescue a few years back, especially if she doesn't recall hearing the child's name at the time.)
I imagine the first film of this hypothetical adaptation to start with "Dr. Loid Forger" being visited by his "mother-in-law" (Handler) who informs him that WISE HQ has determined that Anya and her ability are necessary for Operation Strix. Twilight, who has grown attached to Anya over the years, is upset but reluctantly agrees upon hearing the reasoning behind the decision. Anya is much less reluctant! After moving to Berlint and passing the entrance exam for Eden Academy, they receive the letter about both parents showing up for the interview. They come up with a plan to hire a single woman as a nanny for Anya, a woman who they can convince to also act as Anya's mother for the interview and trustworthy enough to keep quiet about it. While looking for prospects, the pair end up reuniting with an oblivious Yor.
So as not to complicate the plot too much (in the case of a standalone film with a soft potential sequel hook at the end) let's say that Yor had, at this point, handed in her resignation to the Shopkeeper since Yuri is now a grown man who's taking good care of himself. Unfortunately for Yor, resigning from Garden basically means getting politely excommunicated by the organization. No longer will they spare any of their resources to provide for her or to protect her from the authorities (should it ever come to that). She's on her own. So she's out job hunting when she coincidentally crosses paths with the Forgers. Seeing Anya makes Yor think of the time she helped rescue a pink haired kid from a lab. Anya reads her mind and she KNOWS that she's found the mom she wants!
Anya takes Loid aside to explain that Yor is Thorn Princess. She also tries to convince him of the benefits of keeping a jobless assassin away from unassuming civilians and from enemy employment by hiring her themselves. They'd keep her out of the loop as far as operation Strix was concerned, instead monitoring her as they keep her around as a loyal nanny with the skills of a bodyguard. After much pestering from Anya, Loid very reluctantly hires Yor as her nanny (and also fake mother for the interview).
(Now, Yuri is either still an SSS officer, or just a regular government employee... If the latter, then Yor might be able to get him to forge her marriage certificate later. He might grudgingly go along with it, the guy did give his sister a job... but he better not touch her.)
After that, the film would focus a bit on Anya adapting to life as an Eden student and befriending Becky and trying to befriend Damian... Maybe even showing a montage of the Forgers going about their daily lives: Anya doing good/badly at school and earning stellas/tonitrus bolts, Loid going out to do other spy jobs with Franky, Yuri (toned down) paying visits and eventually introducing his girlfriend Fiona (also toned down), and Yor settling in and finding peace in her new life as "Mrs. Forger".
Eventually, Anya sets her sights on earning another stella by signing up for community service at the dog adoption fair leading to an adaptation of the Doggy Crisis arc as the climax. Loid is called in by WISE and Yor is left to accompany Anya. Blah blah blah. Maybe Damian's also doing community service for the stella and ends up getting entangled with the terrorists and Anya ends up saving him at one point. Yor stops the terrorists that WISE couldn't capture. Perhaps, as a backup plan, the terrorists found and hired another excommunicated Garden assassin to take out the Westalian ambassador. Higher stakes may also force Anya to reveal her powers to Yor in order to help Loid in time.
At the end of the day the Forgers get to adopt Bond and Yor is brought in on Loid and Anya's secret, becoming an active participant of Operation Strix. Throughout the film, Loid has seen how quickly Anya and Yor clicked and grew close together and how they obviously loved each other. Loid ("for the mission, for Anya", he tries insist, but drops the excuses) proposes to Yor for real with a grenade pin. She happily accepts.
The film ends with the Forgers settling into their new lives as a family... One night while having dinner, the phone rings. Anya gets up to answer it, leaving Loid and Yor alone and trying to flirt with each other. Anya comes back, phone still in hand, explaining that the caller is Damian whose parents have given permission to invite friends and their parents over for his birthday party. Anya shares a knowing look with her parents, who both give her a nod. She says her thanks and accepts the invitation, hangs up the phone, and rejoins her parents at the table, gives Bond some food from her plate, Loid and Yor resume talking about their day. As this peaceful family scene plays out the music takes on a jazzy tune, clearly implying that the Forgers are already making plans. Cut to title: SPY X FAMILY.
Roll credits. :)

So I currently work in a bookstore which is maybe probably closing down soon. To make a long story short, it's been mismanaged for years and is in a spot where business is really not booming. Some people may want to buy it, but I've already been through one ownership change while working here (we changed owners just last year) and I don't want to live that again. It's stressful and depressing and I need a change, so I'm applying to another bookstore. Now, I think I would be really well suited for the job and I'm putting all my best qualities and relevant experience forward in my cover letter. There is however one thing I'm not sure I should include: last year, to the new owner's request, we were selling the required school books for some local elementary schools, and I was put in charge of that whole part of the sales. Now, this owner had no experience with this, was not in store because he owns businesses in a different city, and the whole system didn't work great. People weren't really satisfied, I tried bringing concerns to the owner but he wouldn't budge on the way he thought orders should be handled, so I kept doing it his way (orders wouldn't go through if he didn't approve them anyway). I believe it gave me invaluable experience because I had to deal with school book suppliers and the whole back-to-school rush, but since the store I'm applying to also does school orders, I'm sure they had clients go to them complaining about us. News travel fast here. So I'm kind of stuck here: should I even include the fact that I was in charge of the school book orders, or should I keep that confined to my resume? I feel like including an explanation in my letter might seem like I'm trying to shift the blame, but also I don't want them to see it and throw out my application because they know it was kind of a fiasco. If anyone has any input on this, I'd appreciate it!

Just wanted to see if this Reddit group was actually as cringe as everyone said it is. Game is 100% balanced in every dept and every hero is on completely equal footing. You may resume enjoying your time in the echo chamber.

Hello again my fellow Filmmakers! Almost 3 months ago, I submitted a post here talking about my experience for my first time directing a short film. It was my thesis project and a proof of concept for a larger project I hope to make someday soon! I’ll spare all the details on how shooting went, since I have already made a post dedicated to detailing that adventure. I wanted to give a quick little update on how things have gone since then!
The editing process was long, and there were a lot of things that I definitely had to “fix in post” which made it a challenge, but I am very pleased with how everything turned out! I submitted it to my school’s showcase, got accepted into it which already was a huge honor, and the cherry on top is I ended up winning the award for best narrative! I was incredibly stunned and blown away by the positive reception I got. I had sent it to the people who supported my go fund me and shared it with some family and friends, and they all loved it, but of course they did they know me. But to have it reviewed by a board, accepted to a showcase, and then have it receive an award for best narrative was incredibly inspiring!
I hope this doesn’t come off as bragging or anything, I’m just very excited that my hard work paid off in the end. I have started the process of applying to more film festivals, and begun writing more for what I want the full feature to be, and I can’t wait for the next step in this journey. In the meantime I have recently been offered a job as a second AD for a film being worked on in my area, and shooting resumes shortly!
I love making films, and love being able to share my excitement with a community like this. Thank you to everyone who gave me kind words and advice on my last post, I hope some of you get to see this post as well!

[SPOILERS AHEAD]
Here are some of the things I did that allowed me to survive in Ashlands for as long as I did. Thought these would be helpful to solo players taking on the most dangerous biome yet. Feel free to correct me if I got anything wrong somewhere or add on if I left out anything important. Let's help our fellow Vikings!

1. On your way to Ashlands for the first time, find time to lay down a few workbenches on the spires. This serves three purposes: to do a quick hull repair, to suppress spawn for whenever you need to fallback from the not-so-friendly serpents or voltures, and also to allow you to build portals; the last one would be the strongest reason why you need workbenches. With portals,
2. In case you die (which, you will), you can TP the mats for building another ship and resume your journey there. The no-skill-drain and corpse-run buffs are worth way more than travelling from your original departing location.
3. You can sneak back to your cozy home and get that rested buff, do some quick inventory management, or replenish your food supplies, or skip the night - you can do whatever you want to get your mental state recharged and character fully set for the next part of the journey, especially before you make landfall.
   
4. Voltures are practically blind, or rather short-sighted. There is absolutely no need to snipe them from afar when you see them, especially when you are still in the waters. Remember, the longer you stay in Ashlands waters, the more dangerous it gets. When one of those birds DOES approach, stop the ship. Build a workbench if you can. Then you have two options:
   
5. Pull out your Frost Staff. Wait till it comes near and start blasting it with ice. Personally, I'd go for the 2nd option, and it's what I did:
   
6. Unsheathe your Silver Sword. Once the bird flies into your face, give it a few swats and watch the spirit damage do wonders. This option is quick and effective, with the only drawback that your ship may suffer from collateral damages. That's where workbenches help. After all, I see no issue whatsoever in finding a spire nearby to build one on. You'll see why when you get there.
   
7. Bonemaw is relatively easy to deal with with a Frost Staff-Arbalest combination: Frost Staff for when it is writhing around your ship in between chomps and spits, and Arbalest for when it raises its head out of the water. Your ship will definitely take damage from the serpent, so be sure to lay down a workbench nearby as soon as you are able.
   
8. Upon your first sighting of the beachhead, put your ship to a halt near one of the spires, lay down a workbench, set up a portal and get the fuck home. Get sleep, no matter what. Do whatever you want before 12pm and get to bed once your shadow points North. Then once you wake up, you can go to battle with maximum daylight ahead of you. You don't wanna know what happens in Ashlands at nightfall.
   
9. Once you get back to your ship, head straight to land. Expect a welcoming party. Don't waste time pulling up nicely. Just barge your way in, jump off the rudder, take out your hammer and slam down a workbench nearby (if you can). If the latter part doesn't work, clear out most of the mobs with a Frost Staff-Silver Sword combo, then lay down the workbench, and then finally a portal.
   
10. Now you have officially dipped your toe in Ashlands. The next part is gonna be a repetitive yet exciting cycle of exploring outward, workbench slamming, gathering, falling back to nearest portal, exploring further outward, workbench slamming... you get the drill. Don't forget to destroy spawners whenever you see them. Once you find yourself somewhat close to a fortress and Flametal ore(s), build a base there. Why? Well, these are the two things that will surely scale up your readiness and durability in the largely hostile biome. You'll be able to take on small groups of mobs.
    
11. For the next part, it really is up to you. You'll have a more varied playstyle once you get your hands on gems and new magic weapons.
    

It will be a long and arduous process going solo in Ashlands, but the rewarding feeling you get once you realize you are now able to kick ass with the new Ashlands gear is like a cold dessert on a hot summer day.
Several key points here: 1. Workbenches help 2. Silver sword helps. 3. Frost staff works.
Additionally, Spinesnap is the next best thing for ranged attacks while progressing from Mistlands to Ashlands.
Good luck!

This isn't anything crazy compared to the other posts here, and I'll probably delete this so I don't dox myself.
I had the opportunity to go to my dream school a few years back, but I turned it down. It would have cost me $350,000+ to attend. Normally financial aid policies are in place so that no one has to take out massive loans, but my parents are pretty rich ($1M~/year salary) and colleges assume at that point that the parents are going to pick up the tab. We had that conversation growing up and they vaguely promised that finances would never be a factor in where I go to college.
But my parents are self-made and also don't know what they're doing with money. They never invest, overspend on cars, donate a ton to relatives abroad, spend a lot on charity (mostly for their own clout, not because they give a shit about helping the poor) and do a bunch of shit that kind of made me feel like I wasn't a priority in their lives. Which is fine, because it's their money and they can do whatever they want. I figured the one thing that they'd give me was a chance to go to my dream school because they borderline abused me about academics growing up and it was literally the one thing I had going for me.
For a bunch of reasons really, they flaked at the last minute. Suddenly they claimed that the education at my local regional college (no one outside of the state has ever heard of this place unless they know someone going there) was on par with the Ivies and the opportunities would be exactly the same for one-third of the price. My aunt had told them about this one program they have in my field, and they kind of got brainwashed into thinking that it's this hidden golden ticket and that I'd be set if I go there. It didn't help that my sibling was jealous and did everything he could to convince them that I'd crack under the pressure if I went somewhere competitive.
They also have this big ego problem. Basically I was asking my cousins at the time where I should attend school (my dream school vs. this random ass college) and they all unanimously told me that I'd be an idiot for turning down the dream school if I had the money. My dad especially didn't like that I was favoring my cousins' advice over his, and he pretty much cracked down after that.
Years later, I figured that by now I would move on but I've gotten more and more depressed and borderline suicidal. The social scene at my school sucks. There are no sports and I don't fit in with the culture on campus. It's not intellectual and frankly half the people I've met shouldn't even be in college at all. I came to school with the expectation of challenging myself yet this place is two or three steps down from high school. I have a few "friends" there (most of them feel fake) but only two or three that care enough to check on me over the summers.
I'm seeing my old friends go to good schools and while I feel happy seeing them make the most of that chance, I also just feel like a complete failure. I still remember when high school was wrapping up and everyone was asking me where I'm going to college, and everyone was fucking disappointed in me. I'd literally cry as I'd drive back home half the days. My parents are remorseful but now they're giving me bullshit like, "Oh, just go somewhere prestigious for medical/grad school!" As if that's easy to do when you're going to a shitty college with zero opportunities. They think graduate admissions are just about who has the highest GPA and test scores and will call me an idiot and naive if I say otherwise.
Like I'm studying for the MCAT and I scored pretty high on my first practice test. My dad was like, "You should aim for a 525 [out of 528] on the real deal." That's a 100th percentile score. I'm not getting that. He's just saying that shit because it's a lofty goal that he knows I'll never reach, so he has an excuse to be disappointed in me down the road.
I don't know, I just feel like I got completely robbed by my parents. On one hand, it makes me feel spoiled because college is hella expensive, and I should be grateful that they're paying for the local school that I attend now. But I didn't even get to explore half the careers that interested me (Quant, IB, higher-end SWE jobs) because my resume would get trashed immediately. I could have been completely independent within a couple years but instead "I" picked medicine (it's my favorite field, but my parents are salty that they aren't doctors and now want me to be one), and I probably won't be financially stable until I'm well into my 30s. And wherever I go, I see some statistic about how Ivy graduates are so much better off than state school students or something. I just want to feel proud of myself for something but there isn't anything.

Cross posting from askdocs.
22F. Seeing a general neurologist (already saw MS specialist) and getting an EMG in three weeks but would like to get other people’s opinions - my PCP has no idea what’s going on with me. What should I look into next? Sorry for the long post but I thought I should include all info in case it’s relevant.
Current symptoms: - perceived weakness and neuropathy in left hand/wrist (feels like a weird burning/tingling sensation, sometimes triggered by the cold but present a majority of the time) - this is by far my worst symptom - occasional tingling sensations in other extremities, but never as frequent as left hand - bad upper back pain (comes and goes, gets worse with certain positions and never in one specific area) - derealization/brain fog (feels like I’m out of it/in a different universe, also hard to describe) - occasional chills/shivering - fatigue (sort of comes and goes in waves)
Timeline of my symptoms:
Feb 2023: fell twice while drunk (don’t have balance issues), woke up a two days later with terrible back spasms. A few days after that I noticed weird tingling sensations in my hands and feet and freaked out, also generally not feeling well/having a lot of fatigue. Freaked out about having MS - doctor did brain MRI and told me to chill out, symptoms went away.
Sept 2023: started experiencing chronic fatigue, brain fog, and derealization, chalked it up to weed withdrawals (I was cutting back at the time).
Oct 2023: got Covid - brain fog and fatigue got a lot worse.
Late Oct 2023: started having weird stomach issues - constant bloating and random sharp pains in lower abdomen. Got some tests done, this went away in around a month.
Early Nov 2023: started getting vaginal pain/constant burning sensation. Got more tests done, also went away in around a month.
Dec 2023: started feeling a bit better, then had a terrifying experience on THC (fully disassociated and thought I was dying multiple times), quit again.
Mid Dec 2023: started talking combination birth control for PCOS as per gyno’s recommendation.
Late Dec 2023: started getting weird muscle weakness in both left hand and foot, went away in around three weeks. Also felt chest pain a few times and ended up in the ER for it, where I got my heart tested. Fatigue was pretty bad this whole time.
Jan-Feb 2024: muscle weakness mostly gone, fatigue slowly improving throughout these months, still dealing with some brain fog. Resumed weed use which was probably a bad idea.
March-May 2024: Quit weed for good. Switched to new progestin-only birth control because the combination one was giving me high BP. Started getting all this weird neuropathy and joint pain all over the place, for a few days it was super bad in my left/hand wrist and since then it’s been mostly in that area. Makes me wonder whether I have carpal tunnel or some nerve compression problem - it’s pretty painful. Sometimes shows up in left foot but not that bad there. Still have some derealization and brain fog that shows up for a few hours a day - it’s weird. Fatigue and back pain still present. Symptoms come and go in ways though - I have both good and bad days. I’d like to think I’m improving overall, but days like today make me not so sure of that.
Medical history: - had spinal fusion surgery for scoliosis in thoracic spine when I was 15 - have PCOS - no family history of any autoimmune or neurological conditions except for grandmother with MS. Got genetic testing for 150 ish conditions and every single one was negative
Medications/drugs: - take 2,000 IU of vitamin D3 every day - started birth control in December (right before the neuropathy started - wonder if they might be related?) - chronic daily THC abuse for ~14 months right before all this started, been sober for several months now (possibly related?)
Tests I’ve already had: - brain MRI in Feb 2023 and March 2024 - both showed one/possibly two unchanged nonspecific T2 hyperintensities that the MS specialist said were benign - cervical spine MRI - 100% clear - neurological exams (multiple) - 100% normal - full abdominal and pelvic ultrasound - clear except for benign liver finding that doctor is not concerned about - chest x-ray - 100% clear - two EKGs - normal - thoracic spine x-ray - clear, showed that screws from surgery are in proper place - stool test - normal - urine test - normal - pap smear - atypical cells of undetermined significance, HPV negative - doctor said not to worry about it/continue screening every three years - lyme disease test - initial screening came back positive but confirmation tests were negative so doctors concluded it wasn’t lyme - B12 test - 526 (normal) - A1C - 4.8 (normal) - Rheumatoid factor - normal - C-reactive protein - normal/on lower side - ESR - normal/on lower side - SPEP panel with immunofixation - all normal - Jo-1 antibody - negative - CBC and complete metabolic panel - all normal - hepatic panel - normal - Methylmalonic acid - normal - TSH with reflex - normal - troponin - normal - PT-INR - normal - magnesium - normal - lipase - normal - serum protein electrophoresis - normal - mono (multiple times) - negative - reproductive hormones - elevated androgens (hence the PCOS diagnosis)

Selecting a laparoscopic gynecologist can have a number of advantages for gynecological procedures:
1. Minimally Invasive : Compared to open surgery, laparoscopic techniques require fewer incisions. This causes the body to experience less trauma, less pain, and faster healing periods.
2. Less Time Spent in the Hospital: Less time spent in the hospital and a quicker return to normal activities are two benefits of laparoscopic surgeries for patients. Some patients may even be treated as outpatients.
4. Quicker Recuperation: Compared to open surgeries, laparoscopic procedures frequently result in quicker recovery times and allow patients to resume their regular activities sooner.
5. Less Pain : Compared to open surgeries, laparoscopic procedures are associated with less postoperative pain, which improves patient comfort during the healing phase.
6. Decreased Complication Risk : Compared to open surgeries, laparoscopic procedures typically have lower rates of complications including infection and blood loss, making them safer choices for many patients.
7. Improved Visualization : During laparoscopic procedures, surgeons can see the surgical site more clearly and precisely thanks to magnified, high-definition images.
8. Adaptability : Numerous gynecological treatments, such as hysterectomy, ovarian cyst removal, endometriosis treatment, and tubal ligation, can be performed using laparoscopic techniques.
9. Improving Results : Research indicates that as compared to open surgeries, laparoscopic gynecological procedures can yield comparable or even better results, such as reduced rates of complications and quicker recovery periods.
All things considered, individuals seeking gynecological care might benefit greatly from selecting a laparoscopic gynecologist, including less pain, quicker recovery, and better surgical results.

I am not the OOP. The OOP is u/secondhandsunflower posting in interviews
Concluded as per OOP
1 update - Short
Thanks to u/redrosebeetle for finding this BORU
Mood Spoiler - positive
Original - 22nd April 2024
Update - 9th May 2024
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Should I decline an interview I know is a courtesy interview?
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I recently applied for a position in a large hospital system I previously worked for (but in a completely different department this time). I knew from the beginning that I was receiving the benefit of a "friends and family" recommendation from the president of the hospital, whom the manager of this department directly reports to. I felt fine about this because my resume is strong and I know I would be a great fit for the position, but two days after my phone screening, I got a "sorry, there were just too many better qualified candidates" rejection email.
Fine. Not the end of the world.
But the same day the president became aware of this, I received a backtracking email from the recruiter along the lines of "I spoke with the hiring manager, and we decided that we would like to interview you after all, etc."
I know this is a courtesy interview. I'm flattered that the president put in a good word for me, but I feel stressed and defeated knowing this interview is happening not based on the worth they see in me, and that it's going to be a performative waste of time.
They're going to contact me sometime this week about scheduling the interview. Should I politely decline? I'm very burnt out on the job hunting/interview process already, which might be clouding my judgement, but there's no way there's an actual opportunity here, right? Any advice either way would be appreciated.
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Comments
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TomatoFamous4133
Attending the interview will not be a loss for you. Moreover, it will demonstrate your gratitude towards the president who has supported you. They had faith in you for a reason; now is the time to prove them right.

OOP: That's true, I hadn't thought of it that way. If nothing else, she extended herself to ensure I had the opportunity to interview, so it would be a bit rude to decline. Thanks for the perspective.

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JoanofBarkks
I disagree with your take ;). The president wants you to be interviewed. You can't know if there isn't a second position open now or in the very near future. IMHO it's worth the effort to get your first interview with them. I wouldn't decline.

OOP: I appreciate your optimism 😂 But I'll take your advice. At the very least, I have the chance to make a good impression.

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Schmoe20
However the light shines your way do not be discouraged because it came from a unexpected direction than you perceived was the best way. Life throws us many opportunities from assorted angles. I’m happy for you getting a chance to be considered and to be where you have been favored as a person of value to work with and have on the team.

OOP: Thank you! I appreciate your kind words.

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OOP: EDIT: Thank you so much to everyone who has replied and offered insight. I realize now that I was too much in my head, and my assumption that there was nothing to gain was shortsighted. I appreciate the advice, and I plan to accept the chance I've been given, do my best, and see what comes out of it.

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Update - 17 days later
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tl;dr: I was given the opportunity to interview for my dream position based on the recommendation of the organization's president (whom I know from previously working there). I assumed the interview was just a "courtesy interview" and there was no way I'd land the position.
So...I'm very glad I ended up listening to everyone's advice and taking the interview seriously despite thinking I had no chance. I got the job!
The interview went really, really well. The department head and I had a fantastic conversation after the formal part of the interview was over, and I got the sense right away that we would work well together. Apparently, she felt the same!
Additionally, I found out that the decision itself had nothing to do with the president's interference. After I received the offer, I reached out to thank her for her referral, and she flat-out told me, "I didn't do anything, the hiring decision was completely up to [hiring manager]. If he didn't think you were the best candidate, you wouldn't have been hired. He and [department head] were really impressed with you."
I start in June, and I'm beyond excited. A huge thank you to everyone who offered advice!
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Comments
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meangreen23
I remember reading this! I’m glad it worked out! You may have been more relaxed since you didn’t think you had a chance and were able to really let yourself shine! Either way, congrats!

OOP: Thanks so much! That could definitely have been the case. I prepared well but went into it with a, "I have nothing to lose," attitude. Whatever it was, I'm so happy it worked out!

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soccerguys14
Nice. I remember your post. Glad you went and it worked out. Is this a big step up for you? Raise follow? Hope you enjoy the new gig OP.

OOP: Thank you! It's a step up into a professional position in my field, where I'd previously worked as a paraprofessional. I got my master's last year, so this is my first position that requires that degree. The salary and location is much better as well.

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I am not the OOP. Please do not harass the OOP.
Please remember the No Brigading Rule and to be civil in the comments

The war leaves a disaster scene wherever it goes. Some people in the infantry troops (feel free to make your character whatever you want! Could be a soldier, someone walking by, you choose.) are used to what they see, but any common person would be terrified seeing the destroyed homes and corpses on the floor.
Walking on those streets, the smell of ashes and loud silence would make most people feel uneasy. But before that feeling striked you...
Clank.
You turn around, wondering if anyone was following you or creeping around. But the noise dies down, and you resume your walk.
Clank. Clank.
The sense of doubt makes you turn around and walk towards the noise, that gets louder every second. You walk to what seems like a destroyed pub, the piles of debris covering the floor.
And then... You see a hand sticking out from the metal and cement chunks. The pale woman was trying to make noise and call for help by banging a stone against a metal plate, the rest of her body still stuck under the heavy shattered pillars.
You rushed and started to pull out the heavy boulders, doing your best to avoid hurting whoever was there. A few minutes of digging and you finally revealed her face... An elf woman, clearly hurt and exhausted. It's easy to tell she's been there for at least a couple days; and that she holds a few injuries. She didn't say anything, but her expression showed a sense of fear and... Relief.

Hey! Thank you for reading this all the way down here. I really want to write a story with your character helping mine after a heavy trauma; helping her to pick herself up from nothing, quite literally. We can keep the war story if you want, to keep it filled with action and maybe some drama; what I really want to see is her getting the help she needs and creating a romantic bond with your character.
I'm really literate and descriptive, so my replies can go from a simple paragraph to a really long message, depends on the story pace really. I write in 1st person over Discord, so if that interests you please send me a text on chat! We can discuss our characters, a bit of the story and get started.
Hope to hear from you :)

I'm thinking of moving back to India in the next few months. I got my master's in CS from a T50 university in the US recently but the entry level job market here is absolutely cooked and I might not be able to land a full time position anytime soon. I have an undergrad in CS from a local Indian college and have 2 years of work exp at an Indian company working on some mediocre Java and APIs stuff. During my master's I worked on a few other projects where I worked on languages like JS, Python, Java, C and frameworks like React. I have a few distributed systems projects under my belt. I'm also thinking of getting some cloud and data related certifications but haven't decided which ones (would appreciate any advice here). My biggest regret is not specializing in a domain during my master's. I figured out I enjoyed cybersec and embedded more than full stack in my 3rd semester but it was already too late to specialize.
I understand that my qualifications might be very generic to land me any good roles. What kind of roles will I be able to get? Will an MS from an American university help me or harm me in the Indian market? What kind of salary will I get? How difficult will landing a job be? In the US, I've applied to more than a 1000 places. Will it be equally difficult in India?
Edit: When I go to company websites to apply, I see 5 openings in the US and 50 in India. Makes me wonder if I'd be better off back home. But then the number of engineers we have in India is also 10 times more so idk.
Edit2: I don't have a bank loan. My family supported me to pay my tuition (need to pay them back ofc but can take it slow) but supporting my living expenses for another year is out of their budget. I won't be able to work part-time on campus anymore since I've graduated so the living expenses and rent will have to come from my family. I don't know how long I'll be able to hold out. I haven't heard back from any of the 1000+ places I've applied to yet. How long do you guys think I should keep trying for a job here? Moving back to India isn't really something I'm going to be doing out of my own choice but I might be forced to because of the situation and to avoid further sunken costs. I've applied to all sorts of roles till now. SDE, DevOps, Embedded and even testing roles. No callbacks from anywhere. My resume looks fine but I have too little experience for most roles which need 5+ years of exp. What should I do here on?

I (21F) decided to drop out of university a couple of months ago after my third attempt at a degree. Bluntly, I just don’t think the way it works is for me. I’m ADHD/ASD Level 1 and, partially as a result of that, I’m an extremely literal person and I learn through examples of a concept or way of thinking in practice. I had to spend hours and hours of my time a week seeking out examples of every single topic I learnt in a class (say, I was in a class about political theory when I was trying out political science and they mentioned historical relativism, I then had to spend hours searching for examples of historical relativism to understand it). I also struggle a lot with hyper focus and there’d be days where I’d just read without food or even more than one or two bathroom breaks from 8am in the morning to 8pm at night. As you can imagine, I got super burnt out and I’d crash and burn and end up majorly depressed within a year, but then a few months later I’d convince myself that it was just because I didn’t like the material and try again. Thankfully, I finally picked up on the cycle and I walked away for good. Maybe I’ll try again in my mid or late 20s, but, right now, I’m done.
I still live with my parents and, when I told them I dropped out of uni full-stop, they just said: “It’s absolutely fine that you’re not in uni for now, but you need to get a full-time job ASAP if you want to continue living here” and I jumped right on it. My dad works in hospital administration and his manager told him to tell me to send my resume to HR there and they’ll maybe hook me up with something. Within a week, I got an interview with one department that I thought went solidly despite my utter lack of experience in hospitals or even in administration (my only work experience before has been nannying and working in OSHC/tutoring centres casually). The department head called me about a week later saying I wasn’t successful for that particular position but they really liked “my personality” and all my references were great and they were passing my resume onto other department heads.
A couple of weeks later, I got a call from an administration manager that oversaw the hospital’s Brain Injury Rehabilitation Unit and she wanted me to come in and “meet everyone”. I thought this just was code for another interview so I got super prepped and came in ready to be grilled. As it turns out, the manager just met me in the building that all the heads and managers work out of it and took me to the unit. I met the head nurse and her and the manager just sat me down and told me all about the unit, warned me about some of the challenges (ward accepts children and seeing brain-damaged children come who have to stay there on their own for an extended period doing rehab with little understanding of what’s going on is, of course, distressing + majority of patients in the ward are young men who sometimes get argumentative and aggressive), assured me that I’d do several weeks worth of training so that I’d feel adequately prepared, allowed me to ask questions and gave me a tour of the entire unit afterwards. In the end, the head nurse said: “Looking forward to seeing on the 27th!” as she said goodbye. I was totally flabbergasted because it wasn’t even an interview - just a good, informative chat.
The admin manager told me as she was seeing me off that I didn’t have to accept the position if I didn’t want it, but I “have the job” and to please let her know within a couple of days what I decided. I have my reservations about how I’ll handle it (I’ve worked with disabled children in tutoring/OSHC but this is a lot different) but I really want to give it a try + I kind of need a job so I called her the next day saying I’d love to take up the position. I’m still kind of in shock. As I said in the title, I basically got offered this job on a silver platter and I’m in absolute disbelief about how this has all happened and how I just suddenly got a job on a random Tuesday. Like wtf?
I got sent some paperwork yesterday about the job and the minimum pay is $2820 a fortnight which is utterly INSANE. No, I’m not going to be rich, but, as someone who’s always worked casually around school and never earned over $700 a fortnight, I still can’t fathom that amount of money. Even after I take out tax, mandatory HECS (student loan system in Australia) repayments and the amount of rent my parents are charging, I’m still pocketing $1800 a fortnight. I can’t even believe it. I didn’t think it was possible for 21-year-olds without a degree to earn that much. I don’t even want to tell anyone around me because I’m afraid it’s some mistake.
I won’t lie. There are some cons. The job is from 7:30 to 3:30 M-F and, because of how far I live from the hospital and the fact that I can’t drive for medical reasons, I’ll have to get up before 5:30 in the morning. The admin manager also mentioned to me that the unit doesn’t really ‘do’ overtime and if I clock out after my scheduled finish time, a record of that time is kept and I can eventually apply for an extra leave day with it. Furthermore, as I mentioned above, there’s elements of the job I have mixed feelings about. I have a lot of trouble comforting people, so if a distressed patient or family member approaches me (which, in a brain injury unit, is probably going to be common), I’m not really sure what else to say other than: “Oh… Oh.. I’m sorry… That really sucks… Oh… Oh…” Nevertheless, both of those pitfalls still don’t seem to justify the 72k a year to me… It’s not like I’m literally taking care of these patients, I’m just talking to people coming in and answering emails and phones.
I’m super scared that there’s something that’s being hidden from me and that’s why they were so eager to get me, an inexperienced 21 year old, into the position. I tried to ask my mum the other day: “What if they’re just saying that the patients are ‘argumentative’, but in reality they throw chairs and spit at the admin or you’ll have to pull 11 hour shifts on the regular with no proper overtime or they’ll just leave me in charge of an entire ward and that’s why they’re so desperate to find someone?” My mum told me that I was being ridiculous and I’m “underselling myself” and she’s sure it will be fine… but I’m not 100% certain. I’m sure there has to be at least some level of transparency and professionalism because it’s a public hospital and it’s fully accountable to the government (the Australian health system is reassuring sometimes!), but there’s nothing strictly stopping them from straight up lying about what I’m in for when I start this job.
I really want an objective perspective on this because everyone I’ve personally tried talking about this to has brushed me off and said they’re sure I’ll be great… But I don’t ask if they think I’ll be great, I’m asking if they think this job is straight up too good to be true and they’re just dancing around the question. Randoms, what do you think?

Im a hiring manager at a pretty big company. Recently I have stopped accepting resumes that have pronouns in them. I see pronouns as a giant red flag. Not only from recent events such as the bud light fiasco but also from a bad previous personal experience when a formal employee that had a pronouns in their resume that I hired ended up filing an EEO lawsuit.
For this reason I've found that they just end up causing a lot of issues on top of some states now making it illegal to misgender someone. Am I wrong for avoiding people with pronouns in their resumes?

Im a hiring manager at a pretty big company. Recently I have stopped accepting resumes that have pronouns in them. I see pronouns as a giant red flag. Not only from recent events such as the bud light fiasco but also from a bad previous personal experience when a formal employee that had a pronouns in their resume that I hired ended up filing an EEO lawsuit.
For this reason I've found that they just end up causing a lot of issues on top of some states now making it illegal to misgender someone. Am I wrong for avoiding people with pronouns in their resumes?

I've posted here before that my company was acquired and I've been asked to stay on for 6 months to help out with the transition. I only agreed because of the severance monies. Im going to start actively applying soon.
But with layoffs come new opportunities one may not have thought of before. I have 5 years of experience in industry, specifically large oil and gas companies. Fortune 50 types. Im a SAP "power user". My resume is strong. I get interviews. I plan on going back to school next spring to earn my masters and study for the CPA.
But I'm having trouble finding the confidence to move up to a senior role. I don't know what to do or where to start. I know I have the experience and aptitude. So I'm hoping some of you can share your own experience making the decision to moving up to the next level in your career and perhaps offer advice on how to proceed.
For example, sometimes I see requirements like NetSuite or Oracle or experience with different sides of accounting (i.e. having experience in OPEX but not in revenue or financial statements) and I get discouraged. How do you move past lack of experience on some job requirements?
TLDR: Halp me make more monies!

so I'm no contact with my dad now. I'm quite sad even though I was the instigator but I don't think he'll ever change if I didn't. I thought when I told him that he would at least be mildy supportive considering he had made some efforts to change when I told him I was bi but he can't remotely understand this. I thought he would try but I don't see any indication he has. He won't use my name / pronouns, he won't use they/them and a gender neutral version of my new name, and disowned me for resuming testosterone, leaving me without health insurance (and many other things) for the rest of the year. I can't get medicaid because he's claiming me on his taxes, and the only insurance I can afford is $200/months and has a $9000 deductible. I'm 21, and he has a history of ignoring my feelings and opinions. I've told him something felt off for my entire life til this, I've had most of my debilitating social just up and vanish, I am motivated to take care of myself. And he took the most negative approach to it he could, left me in a very bad way very suddenly, and refuses to respect this is my choice.
So I told him I'd contact him at least once every year to see if he'd changed because I feel like talking to him is just wearing me down and he's not trying at all.

Hello
Some context:
I’ve been doing Noom since mid January and it’s been effective. I had an original goal of dropping from 96 kgs to 85 kgs which I did in 10 weeks. It was a little quick and I did feel a bit too hungry!
Since then in the last 7 weeks I lost another 2kg but the going is much slower and I I plateaued for 3-4 weeks. My aim is to get to about 78 kgs before the end of the year then maintain that weight.
I have a holiday overseas coming which is 3 weeks away seeing family and friends. I’m looking to kickback some and will be drinking more booze than my recent routine and socialising. I can cook a bit where I am staying but I don’t want to be cooking all the time as I am on holiday!
Any tips to enjoy the holiday and not go too wild? I don’t mind coming home having gained a KG but don’t want to let it slip badly.
I won’t be weighing myself or logging anything while I am away. It’s a ‘Noom break’ - but I still hope to be relatively sensible with food. And not get too into the drinks too often. But I won’t be logging any of it for 3 weeks.
The idea is that I will resume my weight loss thing when I get back as I still have another 5kg to lose to get to my desired weight.

With the last patch when cogs resumed to drop from fortresses, we have finally built a catapult with a friend.
And then we experimented and tried to destroy different things - trees, draug village, stone ruins, mines with both ram and catapult.
And what I should say - in comparison with ram catapult is rather useless, especially with grausten load. It's very difficult to properly position it and the damage you get is basically the same as one ram push (that is, you spend minutes to get result similar to what you do every like 5 sec with ram). I think if catapult had like x2 radius of explosion (that is, x8 volume), there would have been some sense in using it, otherwise no.
The only real application for it I see is throwing things (basically, vikings) along with load. That's rather funny.
Yes, I understand that there can be places you can't access with ram but in the current state of the game you will have to create them artificially. That is, there is no possible balance issue with catapult. Why can't it be more powerful to provide more fun?
Please share your thoughts on how would you use the thing.