Exercise and inr levels
Testosterone
2011.03.25 23:04 Elamite_Slave Testosterone
This subreddit is for questions and discussion related to testosterone replacement therapy and testosterone. It also focuses on lifestyle activities like exercise and nutrition for raising testosterone levels naturally or anything else related to testosterone the substance.
2016.04.11 19:37 Drop-in Football
All shapes, sizes and talent levels welcome. Great opportunity to meet some neighbors and get some exercise. no signups or commitments and completely free. Just DropIn! www.DropInFootball.com
2016.01.26 10:43 tattis2 Lipitor (Atorvastatin): Support and Discuss
Lipitor (Atorvastatin) - is a medication that blocks an enzyme required for the production of cholesterol by the body and thus lowers blood cholesterol levels. The medication has been approved by Food and Drug Administration and can effectively reduce the risks of heart attacks and strokes. Medical information for Lipitor including uses, side effects and safety, interactions, warnings and user ratings.
2024.05.17 00:12 FitAndHappyCompany I might be biased, but this is the shortest and most effective weight loss guide you will find on the internet.
Here is a brief outline on how to loose weight in a way that is sustainable, gets you long term results, and doesn’t make you miserable.
Before starting, here’s a few things to consider.
1) It doesn’t matter if you’re fit for 5 years, and unfit for 50. Weight management is a lifelong skill, you don’t just loose weight and that’s it, you want to manipulate your body to make you feel good over your short and miserable life ;) (I’m joking)
2) Weight loss is not complicated, in order to loose weight, you have to consume less calories then you burn.
3) Weight loss is not the hardest thing in the world. With a few tips that I will outline at the end of this post, it will make it 10 times easier to stick to a diet (yes this sounds crazy, but just listen)
Ok, so how do you loose weight? Here it goes…
There are two ways. The first one being the counting of calories way, and the second is more of an educated guessing game. I’ll talk about both, as the process is a bit different, with the latter being the inferior way (generally speaking, it’s not as easy on the motivation front, and might require more discipline)
Calorie counting way:
1) Go to google and look for a calorie calculator, enter your details and you will get a number. This calculator is not 100% accurate, but gives you a ballpark number.
2) Figure out how fast you want to loose weight. If you have been trying to loose weight for a while, but gain it all back, then consider loosing weight slowly (at a 300 calorie deficit) if not then it is up to you, you can start at a more aggressive diet (500 calorie deficit) for the first week, and if you feel like it’s draining on you, then eat at maintenance for a few days (3-7 days) and start dieting slowly again at a 300 calorie deficit.
Generally speaking: 300 calorie deficit = 0.3-0.5kg loss per week 500 calorie deficit = 0.5-0.7kg loss per week
It really depends on your body
Here is the juicy part that makes weight loss much easier, tips and tricks!
1) Eat a lot more protein. Protein helps you retain muscle whilst loosing weight, even if you don’t exercise. A good number to aim for is 1 gram of protein per lb of body weight. Less if your trying to gain weight (for my body builders reading this)
2) Eat foods that are satiating, Foods have different satiety levels, 200 calories of chicken will make you feel a heck of lot fuller then 400 calories of m&ms. Eat lean cuts of meat, white fish, egg whites, complex carbs, fruites, and veggies to make you feel full. Also opt for calorie friendly options of popular foods and drinks such as sodas, ketchup, ice cream, etc.
If you don’t believe me, try eating 1,000 calories of home cooked chicken without oil or sauces, and boiled potato. And then try eating 1,000 calories in McDonald’s. Your gonna feel like you just ate at a buffet after the chicken and potato, and your gonna crave more food and feel hungry after the McDonald’s.
3) Exercise, don’t do it. Let me explain, if you do intense cardio, you’re gonna be feeling a lot more tired, and wanting/craving food, your most likely better of siting on the couch all day and saying no to the 200 calorie snickers bar that you would have burned off doing 30 min of cardio.
Here’s what you do, you either don’t do it at all and try to get 10k steps per day, or you do something that you enjoy. This can be body building, calisthenics, or any sport that doesn’t feel like a chore. Playing football for an 1 hour is a lot easier then running on the treadmill for 30 minutes.
4) Leave space for snacks, eating 2,000 calories of ice cream vs 2,000 calories of salad will have the same result on your weight. Eliminating snacks will make you crave them, and eventually you will give in and binge. Leave a portion of your calories for a snack of your choice every day (I’d recommend 300 calories, but I love my snacks so I do a bit more)
5) Don’t take your day to day scale number personally, one day you could loose fat, but appear heavier on the scale because your body decided to retain more water that day. If you notice that on average the scale shows less on a weekly basis, you’re on the right track.
Non calorie counting way:
1) Eat at places that count calories for you, and take note of how much you ate. Eat at subway, chipotle, or other places that count calories. (Always ask for more protein, and go easy on the fats and carbs)
2) If you can’t, then when eating out, avoid sugary drinks, desserts, sauces, and tell whoever is taking your order to cook without oil or butter. Eat un-processed foods that are satiating such as steak with roasted potato’s.
3) You have to learn intuitive eating, avoid processed foods that make you crave more, stick to high quality food that make you feel satiated, and eat slowly. When you start feeling full, put the fork down and wait for 5 minutes. If you’re still hungry then continue eating slowly, if not then that’s it.
This was a pretty short guide, but I hope it has helped some of you.
If you have any questions, post them on this subreddit. I will reply to every question!
submitted by FitAndHappyCompany to BeFitAndHappy [link] [comments]
Before starting, here’s a few things to consider.
1) It doesn’t matter if you’re fit for 5 years, and unfit for 50. Weight management is a lifelong skill, you don’t just loose weight and that’s it, you want to manipulate your body to make you feel good over your short and miserable life ;) (I’m joking)
2) Weight loss is not complicated, in order to loose weight, you have to consume less calories then you burn.
3) Weight loss is not the hardest thing in the world. With a few tips that I will outline at the end of this post, it will make it 10 times easier to stick to a diet (yes this sounds crazy, but just listen)
Ok, so how do you loose weight? Here it goes…
There are two ways. The first one being the counting of calories way, and the second is more of an educated guessing game. I’ll talk about both, as the process is a bit different, with the latter being the inferior way (generally speaking, it’s not as easy on the motivation front, and might require more discipline)
Calorie counting way:
1) Go to google and look for a calorie calculator, enter your details and you will get a number. This calculator is not 100% accurate, but gives you a ballpark number.
2) Figure out how fast you want to loose weight. If you have been trying to loose weight for a while, but gain it all back, then consider loosing weight slowly (at a 300 calorie deficit) if not then it is up to you, you can start at a more aggressive diet (500 calorie deficit) for the first week, and if you feel like it’s draining on you, then eat at maintenance for a few days (3-7 days) and start dieting slowly again at a 300 calorie deficit.
Generally speaking: 300 calorie deficit = 0.3-0.5kg loss per week 500 calorie deficit = 0.5-0.7kg loss per week
It really depends on your body
Here is the juicy part that makes weight loss much easier, tips and tricks!
1) Eat a lot more protein. Protein helps you retain muscle whilst loosing weight, even if you don’t exercise. A good number to aim for is 1 gram of protein per lb of body weight. Less if your trying to gain weight (for my body builders reading this)
2) Eat foods that are satiating, Foods have different satiety levels, 200 calories of chicken will make you feel a heck of lot fuller then 400 calories of m&ms. Eat lean cuts of meat, white fish, egg whites, complex carbs, fruites, and veggies to make you feel full. Also opt for calorie friendly options of popular foods and drinks such as sodas, ketchup, ice cream, etc.
If you don’t believe me, try eating 1,000 calories of home cooked chicken without oil or sauces, and boiled potato. And then try eating 1,000 calories in McDonald’s. Your gonna feel like you just ate at a buffet after the chicken and potato, and your gonna crave more food and feel hungry after the McDonald’s.
3) Exercise, don’t do it. Let me explain, if you do intense cardio, you’re gonna be feeling a lot more tired, and wanting/craving food, your most likely better of siting on the couch all day and saying no to the 200 calorie snickers bar that you would have burned off doing 30 min of cardio.
Here’s what you do, you either don’t do it at all and try to get 10k steps per day, or you do something that you enjoy. This can be body building, calisthenics, or any sport that doesn’t feel like a chore. Playing football for an 1 hour is a lot easier then running on the treadmill for 30 minutes.
4) Leave space for snacks, eating 2,000 calories of ice cream vs 2,000 calories of salad will have the same result on your weight. Eliminating snacks will make you crave them, and eventually you will give in and binge. Leave a portion of your calories for a snack of your choice every day (I’d recommend 300 calories, but I love my snacks so I do a bit more)
5) Don’t take your day to day scale number personally, one day you could loose fat, but appear heavier on the scale because your body decided to retain more water that day. If you notice that on average the scale shows less on a weekly basis, you’re on the right track.
Non calorie counting way:
1) Eat at places that count calories for you, and take note of how much you ate. Eat at subway, chipotle, or other places that count calories. (Always ask for more protein, and go easy on the fats and carbs)
2) If you can’t, then when eating out, avoid sugary drinks, desserts, sauces, and tell whoever is taking your order to cook without oil or butter. Eat un-processed foods that are satiating such as steak with roasted potato’s.
3) You have to learn intuitive eating, avoid processed foods that make you crave more, stick to high quality food that make you feel satiated, and eat slowly. When you start feeling full, put the fork down and wait for 5 minutes. If you’re still hungry then continue eating slowly, if not then that’s it.
This was a pretty short guide, but I hope it has helped some of you.
If you have any questions, post them on this subreddit. I will reply to every question!
2024.05.16 23:36 LunarTeaLeaf [A3][Recruiting] 28th Combined Arms Division Realism Unit 1st Person Only 40+ Soldier Operations ENG
The 28th Combined Arms Division ArmA Unit & Community
The 28th Combined Arms Division’s main goal is to provide a positive experience for all, regardless of skill or experience. We are primarily an ArmA unit but we have grown to become a community of close knit friends and colleagues.
Our leadership staff, active and retired, have spent hours creating an organized and fun environment for you to enjoy and experience MILSIM. The unit is based off of the US Army. We are an infantry focused unit, with armor and aviation supporting assets to help us complete the mission on the ground.
Under steady leadership and systems established based on facts rather than personal interpretation, all unit decisions are made impartially and follow a standardized process. We have combat veterans and enlisted members from real life armed forces currently rostered who work to help develop leadership skills within our community.
Application and Entry into the 28th
Join our Discord linked at the bottom. Upon entry you will be greeted by a recruiter who will lead you through our induction process, which includes creating an account on our website, filling out an application form, completing a meeting in our TeamSpeak with your recruiter, and finally, completing Initial Entry Training, which will consist of BCT and the 11B MOSQ. Once these steps are completed, you are officially recognized as a member of the 28th Combined Arms Division and are free to specialize with specific training.
Upon application and acceptance into the unit, members are required to complete 2 operations as an enlisted 11B Infantryman. Upon completion of 2 operations as an Infantryman, the member may request to transfer and train into our other specialized MOS’ listed below.
Why do we require you to enter as 11B (Infantryman)?
We use this system to streamline members into our more advanced MOS’. Spending 2 operations at minimum as 11B proves that you want to be integrated into the community, as well as providing you with the knowledge of our unit at the most basic but most important level.
This system builds prestige within our specialized MOS’, as well as raising the base skill level of our radio operators, pilots, armored crew and medics.If you choose to remain 11B, there is lots of opportunity for growth into leadership positions to help the unit and yourself grow as a leader.
The 28th Combined Arms Division Consists of the Following MOS’:
- Infantryman – 11B – Alpha Company
After 2 operations as Infantry the following MOS’ open up to you:
- Armored Crewman – 19K – Whiskey Company. Inquire about current availability
- Combat Engineer – 12B – Whiskey Company. Inquire about current availability
- Rotary Wing Aviator – 153A – Bravo Company. Inquire about current availability
- Crew Chief – 15T – Bravo Company. Inquire about current availability
- JTAC – Joint Terminal Air Controller – 1Z3X1 – Fox Company. Inquire about current availability
- Combat Medic Specialist - Utilizing KAT Medical – 68W – Mike Company. Inquire about current availability
Personnel Files
From the moment you enlist with the 28th, you'll have access to your Personnel File which will contain all your records from awards, courses, qualifications, attendance, promotions and MOS Progression.
Operations
We currently have ~100 people rostered and receive 30-50 members in attendance for main operations. We hang out in our teamspeak and play many different games together outside of operation times.
Deployment Operations
The unit cycles through a Deployment and Field Training Exercise phase. Deployment operations consist of a persistent storyline throughout the course of 2-3 months to simulate deployments to various areas around the globe. Deployment patches can be found on the website linked below!
FTX Operations
Our Field Training Exercise operations will vary on terrain and story, as we use these scheduled days to provide a different and refreshing experience outside of our deployment storyline. They will either be just one-off operations or be a series based on a separate storyline from the deployment.
Side Operations
Side Operations are hosted every other week on Wednesdays and can include a variety of mods and storylines including WW1, WW2, Vietnam, SCP, Halo, and even Warhammer 40k!
Operation and Training Schedule:
- Monday: N/A / TRADOC Courses, subject to extra events
- Tuesday: Initial Entry Training / TRADOC Courses @ Request/Instructor Availability
- Wednesday / Saturday: Side Operation @ 6:30PM to 9:00PM EST (Every other week)
- Thursday: Initial Entry Training / TRADOC Courses @ Request/Instructor Availability
- Friday: Main Operation @ 6:30PM to 9:00PM EST
- Sunday: Main Operation @ 6:30PM to 9:00PM EST
Our load-in time for Operation Nights is 6:30PM EST with the Operation beginning at 7PM EST.
Requirements:
- Working microphone and ability to communicate clearly.
- Speak and understand English.
- At least 16 years of age.
- Be able to commit to 50% attendance. (4 ops per month).
- Legal copy of ArmA 3.
- No DLC required.
If you can commit to 2 operations per month, then you can enlist under the Inactive Reserves!
If this interests you, feel free to join our discord at: https://discord.gg/Deqf5wX
2024.05.16 23:34 goBerserk_ Project Napoleon Chapter 4
Fletch gently pushed open the large and lavishly decorated bronze doors of the university administration building and ambled out into the portico. He set his cup of coffee down on the pedestal of a granite pillar and pulled his cigarette case from the breast pocket of his tan trench coat. The old chief inspector plucked a cigarette from the ornately engraved case with slender fingers and wondered why the Kael let him come at all.
Something felt very off with the whole thing. The more he thought about it, the more he questioned the story he got. Mike Anderson was certainly depressed, but as far as Fletch could tell, he had not displayed any suicidal behavior. And why now? Fletch thought. Things were on the upswing for the kid. His grades were excellent, his family situation was good, and he was out of the house more this term than the last. Fletch scratched his mustache. Why would the seals hide the autopsy and the gun? He brought the cigarette to his lips, snapped the filigreed case shut, and slipped it back into the breast pocket of his coat. Fletch flicked open his lighter and sighed as he lit his cigarette. Murder.
It was a hopeless case. These days, warrants were approved by the seals, and even if they weren't, he doubted that he could get one anyway. His suspicion of foul play was backed by nothing but his instinct.
Fletch watched students hustle and bustle through the plaza in front of him as he puffed away at his cigarette and pondered his theory.
But why kill him now? They could have done it in complete secrecy while he was a POW. And it couldn’t be to keep what happened in Philadelphia under wraps. His death brings more attention to it. And he wasn’t a rebel. So why? Fletch sipped at his coffee as he flicked ash from his cigarette. Vengeance? Did he kill some noble brat during the war?
Fletch scratched at his grey mustache and glanced at his watch. I’ll have to follow that thread. He tossed his half-smoked cigarette into a puddle as he briskly walked down the steps and through the university plaza.
The withered investigator was deep in thought when he entered the parking lot. What do I tell that Enrique chap? He unlocked his car and crawled in. I certainly can’t tell him that his mate’s been clipped with no evidence. Fletch turned the key, and the engine of his little Volvo sputtered to life. It’s no bleeding use. I’ll just tell the lad they weren’t interested in sharing and keep my suspicions to myself.
As he reached for the shifter, Fletch noticed a delightfully thick manilla envelope stuck in the gap between the center console and the passenger seat.
He pulled the envelope from the crack. Gingerly, he opened it and pulled out a small note. It read We’re even now, prick.
Fletch smiled and couldn’t help but mutter, “The game is afoot,” as he flicked through the stack of documents inside.
Isabella poked her head into the large office and saw Professor Dret’la with a ball of dark green yarn on her lap and bone darning needles beset with carvings in her hands.
Isabella was struck with confusion. What? She crochets!?
The professor looked up from her labor, spotted the confused girl outside her door, and called, “Come in.”
Isabella walked into the office and took a seat. She gestured to the yarn in the professor's hands. “What are you making?”
The professor smiled as motherly as one could with a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth. “It will be a hat for my son. He just received his commission as a junior biologist, so he has to rummage around in freezers to get samples for his whole research team.”
Isabella blinked. This was not characteristic at all for the quick-tempered professor with a penchant for launching chalk across lecture halls at the mildest provocation.
Isabella shook off her shocked expression and gave the tall professor a dimpled cheek smile. “That’s so sweet! I’m sure he’ll love it. One of the best gifts I’ve ever received was a thick wool sweater from my mamma during a training exercise off the coast of Norway.”
The professor, still smiling, sat up straight. “I hope that’s the kind of reception I get.”
The professor’s demeanor hardened as she stowed the yarn and needles in the desk drawer. “Now, let's get down to business.”
Isabella gulped.
“To start, congratulations. You’ve passed our testing and been selected for officer training.”
Isabella asked, “Who else was selected?”
“There are nine others: Robert Rhodes, Elena Pavel, Hal Jellico, Zheng Li, Brooke Halsey, Colow Aden, Magnus Tordenskjold, Bill Lee, and Kazuya Yamamoto.”
Isabella didn’t recognize all the names.
“Should you choose to accept, you will be taking a prep course taught by Colonel Ocidea and I starting next week and lasting all through the summer. If we deem you ready, you’ll ship out for basic training and then off to the Royal Military Academy, where you can earn your commission.” Dr. Dret’la leaned in close to Isabella. “Do you accept?”
Without hesitation, Isabella answered, “Yes.”
“Mike, come over here. You’re going to want to see this.” Calty voiced from her seat in the front of the cockpit.
Mike rolled off the couch and walked into the front of the cockpit as the captain shouted, “Decelerate!” Mike couldn’t help but grab onto the back of Calty’s seat as the FTL drive kicked into gear. The cockpit glass dimmed just before blindingly bright blue jets of fire from the front-facing engines came into view. A bright green circle flickered onto the glass surrounding a marble-sized dot darker than the rest of the now dim screen. The dots and circles expanded at an extreme pace until they took up most of the display. Another dot appeared—minuscule compared to the other—surrounded by a red circle. The growth of the shadowy dots and the circles around them slowed and then stopped entirely as the engines sputtered out.
The HUD faded out of view, and the tint of the glass slowly lightened, revealing a vast planet embraced by blue-green ice with a colossal foundry in its orbit. The planet, a gas giant called Drassus, was orbited by four rings. One was made of containers, and the other three were made up of loose ore gleaming in the nearby star's light. Exhaust chimneys spewing gas and fire sprouted from the otherwise spherical foundry, giving it a sea urchin-like profile, which, together with the weave of pipes bringing fuel from beneath the icy surface of the planet below, made the foundry resemble an old naval mine.
The captain strode up to the front of the cockpit. “One-third ahead and steer 14 degrees left. We’re unloading in bay three.”
Six mech suits and a tug exited a plasma-shielded hanger as the ship came to a halt. The mechs glided to the front of the ship and started dismounting the external cargo bay from the Broken Fin while the tug hitched onto the opposite end of the ten-kilometer-long rack of containers.
A little while later, the tug pulled away with the load of containers, and the comm system blared to life. “Broken Fin, you are cleared to leave. The UO corporation thanks you for your business.”
The captain replied, “Our pleasure. Broken fin out.” as the ship pulled out of the loading bay.
He turned to the navigation officer and said, “Lock in coordinates for jump to Kael Prime.”
The captain went to the central control board and pulled up traffic control. “Tower 1, this is the Broken Fin. We request a jump slot to Kael Prime from Drassus.”
“Broken Fin, request granted. Your departure slot is at 16:33.”
Mike glanced at the top right of the ship's HUD and looked at the time. 16:21.
Better get my stuff together…
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The ship shuddered ever so slightly despite the inertial dampeners as it exited FTL. Mike was lounging on the couch with his bag at his feet. He was ready to get off this tub.
Mike idly watched flames lick at the cockpit window as the ship descended into the atmosphere of Kael Prime. He looked at Dreki, who was sitting on the other couch. His muscles bulged through his clothes despite wearing a white sweater so large it could be mistaken for the sail of an average-sized boat. Mike asked, “Do you know anything about what’ll happen to me now?”
The big Kael shifted in his seat. “Technically, I’m not supposed to tell you anything, but what the hell.” Dreki pulled the collar of his sweater down, revealing an angry white number burnt into his iron-gray skin just below the collarbone. “First, you’ll get branded.” He released his shirt and pointed to a small scar on the side of his head. “Then you’ll get an AR implant.”
“Where will I be getting that?” Mike asked.
“The Imperial Science Academy. We’re going to be staying there for a few days. They’ll run a bunch of tests and get you fitted for equipment there. After that, I’ll drop you off at the spaceport, and you’ll be off to Tlaxcalssus for basic training. After that, I don’t know.”
“Thanks.”
The ship shook as it touched down on the landing pad. “Time to go.” Dreki shouldered his pack and walked out the door. Mike fiddled with the straps of his bag as he followed Dreki down the ramp and to the far side of the ship, away from the rest of the passengers. Mike's nose was immediately assaulted with the acrid smell of sulfur from where the fiery exhausts of engines had melted asphalt. The spaceport was swarming with vehicles and filled with the constant roar of ship engines and a symphony of smaller equipment. Power loaders and mechs loaded and unloaded heavy cargo, shuttles bustled to and fro with passengers, baggage carriers snaked through the crowded landing pads, and vehicles that looked like floating garage doors zipped through the air at ankle height, bringing pilots and crew to their ships. Mike couldn’t help but chuckle a little at the absurdity of it all. Here he was, in the heartland of the enemy, walking through what was essentially a ten-acre parking lot.
Dreki plopped his bags on the ground and yawned as he stretched his arms over his head. “Our skiff will be here in a minute.”
Mike tuned out the beeps and whirrs of the tank-sized forklifts and mechs unloading the ship and gazed out beyond at the horizon. You’re not in Kansas anymore, bub. Mike thought as he studied the skyline of the imperial city basked in the glow of the early evening sun. Some of the buildings wouldn’t look all that out of place on Earth, but the skyline was assaulted with abominations that pissed on the laws of physics as Man understood them. Tusk-shaped skyscrapers defied gravity with their seemingly unsupported curves, and even more absurd were pyramids stacked atop another point-to-point like hourglasses. Any delusion of normalcy that Mike could come up with was shattered.
Dreki picked up his bag and pointed to a slab of black marble speeding towards them at ankle height. “Here’s our skiff.” A railing popped out of the center as the skiff came to a gliding halt. Dreki boarded the skiff and took hold of the rail, and Mike followed suit.
They sped through the spaceport and stopped outside what looked to Mike like a train station. Dreki shouldered his bag and stepped off the skiff. Mike stepped off and quickly fell in pace with Dreki. The big Kael led Mike into a grand station bustling with people. Most were Kael, but there was a smattering of other species. Some stared at Mike, others glanced, but most completely ignored him as he followed Dreki through the hall and onto a platform. Unfamiliar aliens clearly weren’t an uncommon sight here.
The walls of the station were covered with mosaics depicting Kael warriors from the distant past. Dreki noted the human's curiosity and said, “The founders of the clans.” He leveled a massive hand toward an opulent, towering mosaic of a Kael warrior wielding a bronze falx. The imposing figure's body was made of blue gemstones, the eyes rubies, one tusk silver, and the other gold. “That’s the founder of my clan, Drekalla Gold Tusk.”
Mike asked, “How’d he manage that?” As he followed Dreki into a mostly empty train car.
Dreki plopped down on a bench. “He was the war priest of Hroptaug the Conqueror during the unification wars. After the wars were won, Hroptaug granted us the Steam Hills.” Dreki pointed through the train window at the mosaic of another warrior whose body was made of milky white pearls. “That one,” He paused and spat on the floor, “Tiblan the Terror, challenged Drekalla to a duel for most of that land. Drekalla was cutting him to pieces, but the craven poisoned his blade. Just before Drekalla could deliver the final blow, the poison reached his heart, and Drekalla died. The only wound on his body was a cut across his forearm that barely drew blood.” Dreki rolled up his sleeve, showing a scar that reached from his elbow to the middle of his forearm. “Every K’alla is cut the same way to remind us of the blood feud.”
Mike inwardly sighed. Kael and their damned feuds… “How long ago was this.”
“Seven thousand four hundred and fifty-one years ago.”
Mike held back a snort. The absurdity of it all. The first human law codes came about to stop blood feuds, and out here, they have feuds that have lasted longer than Earth's recorded history.
“How’s that feud been going as of late?”
Dreki’s face sagged, “Not good.”
They both grew quiet. Mike shuffled uncomfortably.
Mike glanced at the route display and broke the silence, “What's with the middle city, inner city thing?”
Dreki relaxed slightly. “Oh, so the city used to be a fortification. The inner city is actually a volcanic island. The middle is built over the river, and the outer city was built on the banks.”
“I see.”
The doors closed, and the intercom sounded, “Next stop, the inner city.”
Dale Robert’s wrinkled face was unreadable, and his highly decorated black and blue dress uniform immaculate as he led a horse through the street. He felt the eyes of thousands of onlookers on him, and he hated it. The pure black horse had a black leather saddle on its back. Two tall, glossy black boots were placed backward in silver stirrups, and the elaborate hilt of Mike’s basket-hilted broadsword jutted from the top of a black leather scabbard buckled to the saddle. Roberts followed the horse-drawn caisson bearing the flag-draped coffin of his old commanding officer. Not much farther now, he thought. The sounds of the cartwheels rolling and the horse’s tack jangling were wholly drowned out by boots stamping the ground in unison. Almost all of the 1800 survivors of the 801st regiment were there, resplendent in their dress uniforms, marching behind Mike one more time. The local police and fire departments joined them.
Roberts was unsure about it all. He felt that the poor kid's family would have preferred a smaller service back home in Colorado instead of this damn near royal procession. And Roberts was damn sure that the seals did not give their permission for this, no matter what the police chief said.
A reporter ducked through the police barricade and tried to ask the marching soldiers questions, but they remained stone-faced as the procession marched nearer to the gates of Philadelphia National Cemetery. Roberts handed the reigns of the riderless horse to another man in uniform and joined seven other members of Charlie platoon in pulling the casket from the cassion. They silently began their march to the grave, closely followed by General McCarthy, the man who was Joint Chief of Staff, and the color guard. Bagpipers began to blare, “Going Home.” Roberts heard the sound of gravpulse engines and looked up in dismay as a Kael gunship broke through the low clouds and descended to just barely above the cemetery. A loudspeaker blared, “Disperse at once.”
submitted by goBerserk_ to HFY [link] [comments]
Something felt very off with the whole thing. The more he thought about it, the more he questioned the story he got. Mike Anderson was certainly depressed, but as far as Fletch could tell, he had not displayed any suicidal behavior. And why now? Fletch thought. Things were on the upswing for the kid. His grades were excellent, his family situation was good, and he was out of the house more this term than the last. Fletch scratched his mustache. Why would the seals hide the autopsy and the gun? He brought the cigarette to his lips, snapped the filigreed case shut, and slipped it back into the breast pocket of his coat. Fletch flicked open his lighter and sighed as he lit his cigarette. Murder.
It was a hopeless case. These days, warrants were approved by the seals, and even if they weren't, he doubted that he could get one anyway. His suspicion of foul play was backed by nothing but his instinct.
Fletch watched students hustle and bustle through the plaza in front of him as he puffed away at his cigarette and pondered his theory.
But why kill him now? They could have done it in complete secrecy while he was a POW. And it couldn’t be to keep what happened in Philadelphia under wraps. His death brings more attention to it. And he wasn’t a rebel. So why? Fletch sipped at his coffee as he flicked ash from his cigarette. Vengeance? Did he kill some noble brat during the war?
Fletch scratched at his grey mustache and glanced at his watch. I’ll have to follow that thread. He tossed his half-smoked cigarette into a puddle as he briskly walked down the steps and through the university plaza.
The withered investigator was deep in thought when he entered the parking lot. What do I tell that Enrique chap? He unlocked his car and crawled in. I certainly can’t tell him that his mate’s been clipped with no evidence. Fletch turned the key, and the engine of his little Volvo sputtered to life. It’s no bleeding use. I’ll just tell the lad they weren’t interested in sharing and keep my suspicions to myself.
As he reached for the shifter, Fletch noticed a delightfully thick manilla envelope stuck in the gap between the center console and the passenger seat.
He pulled the envelope from the crack. Gingerly, he opened it and pulled out a small note. It read We’re even now, prick.
Fletch smiled and couldn’t help but mutter, “The game is afoot,” as he flicked through the stack of documents inside.
Isabella was struck with confusion. What? She crochets!?
The professor looked up from her labor, spotted the confused girl outside her door, and called, “Come in.”
Isabella walked into the office and took a seat. She gestured to the yarn in the professor's hands. “What are you making?”
The professor smiled as motherly as one could with a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth. “It will be a hat for my son. He just received his commission as a junior biologist, so he has to rummage around in freezers to get samples for his whole research team.”
Isabella blinked. This was not characteristic at all for the quick-tempered professor with a penchant for launching chalk across lecture halls at the mildest provocation.
Isabella shook off her shocked expression and gave the tall professor a dimpled cheek smile. “That’s so sweet! I’m sure he’ll love it. One of the best gifts I’ve ever received was a thick wool sweater from my mamma during a training exercise off the coast of Norway.”
The professor, still smiling, sat up straight. “I hope that’s the kind of reception I get.”
The professor’s demeanor hardened as she stowed the yarn and needles in the desk drawer. “Now, let's get down to business.”
Isabella gulped.
“To start, congratulations. You’ve passed our testing and been selected for officer training.”
Isabella asked, “Who else was selected?”
“There are nine others: Robert Rhodes, Elena Pavel, Hal Jellico, Zheng Li, Brooke Halsey, Colow Aden, Magnus Tordenskjold, Bill Lee, and Kazuya Yamamoto.”
Isabella didn’t recognize all the names.
“Should you choose to accept, you will be taking a prep course taught by Colonel Ocidea and I starting next week and lasting all through the summer. If we deem you ready, you’ll ship out for basic training and then off to the Royal Military Academy, where you can earn your commission.” Dr. Dret’la leaned in close to Isabella. “Do you accept?”
Without hesitation, Isabella answered, “Yes.”
Mike rolled off the couch and walked into the front of the cockpit as the captain shouted, “Decelerate!” Mike couldn’t help but grab onto the back of Calty’s seat as the FTL drive kicked into gear. The cockpit glass dimmed just before blindingly bright blue jets of fire from the front-facing engines came into view. A bright green circle flickered onto the glass surrounding a marble-sized dot darker than the rest of the now dim screen. The dots and circles expanded at an extreme pace until they took up most of the display. Another dot appeared—minuscule compared to the other—surrounded by a red circle. The growth of the shadowy dots and the circles around them slowed and then stopped entirely as the engines sputtered out.
The HUD faded out of view, and the tint of the glass slowly lightened, revealing a vast planet embraced by blue-green ice with a colossal foundry in its orbit. The planet, a gas giant called Drassus, was orbited by four rings. One was made of containers, and the other three were made up of loose ore gleaming in the nearby star's light. Exhaust chimneys spewing gas and fire sprouted from the otherwise spherical foundry, giving it a sea urchin-like profile, which, together with the weave of pipes bringing fuel from beneath the icy surface of the planet below, made the foundry resemble an old naval mine.
The captain strode up to the front of the cockpit. “One-third ahead and steer 14 degrees left. We’re unloading in bay three.”
Six mech suits and a tug exited a plasma-shielded hanger as the ship came to a halt. The mechs glided to the front of the ship and started dismounting the external cargo bay from the Broken Fin while the tug hitched onto the opposite end of the ten-kilometer-long rack of containers.
A little while later, the tug pulled away with the load of containers, and the comm system blared to life. “Broken Fin, you are cleared to leave. The UO corporation thanks you for your business.”
The captain replied, “Our pleasure. Broken fin out.” as the ship pulled out of the loading bay.
He turned to the navigation officer and said, “Lock in coordinates for jump to Kael Prime.”
The captain went to the central control board and pulled up traffic control. “Tower 1, this is the Broken Fin. We request a jump slot to Kael Prime from Drassus.”
“Broken Fin, request granted. Your departure slot is at 16:33.”
Mike glanced at the top right of the ship's HUD and looked at the time. 16:21.
Better get my stuff together…
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The ship shuddered ever so slightly despite the inertial dampeners as it exited FTL. Mike was lounging on the couch with his bag at his feet. He was ready to get off this tub.
Mike idly watched flames lick at the cockpit window as the ship descended into the atmosphere of Kael Prime. He looked at Dreki, who was sitting on the other couch. His muscles bulged through his clothes despite wearing a white sweater so large it could be mistaken for the sail of an average-sized boat. Mike asked, “Do you know anything about what’ll happen to me now?”
The big Kael shifted in his seat. “Technically, I’m not supposed to tell you anything, but what the hell.” Dreki pulled the collar of his sweater down, revealing an angry white number burnt into his iron-gray skin just below the collarbone. “First, you’ll get branded.” He released his shirt and pointed to a small scar on the side of his head. “Then you’ll get an AR implant.”
“Where will I be getting that?” Mike asked.
“The Imperial Science Academy. We’re going to be staying there for a few days. They’ll run a bunch of tests and get you fitted for equipment there. After that, I’ll drop you off at the spaceport, and you’ll be off to Tlaxcalssus for basic training. After that, I don’t know.”
“Thanks.”
The ship shook as it touched down on the landing pad. “Time to go.” Dreki shouldered his pack and walked out the door. Mike fiddled with the straps of his bag as he followed Dreki down the ramp and to the far side of the ship, away from the rest of the passengers. Mike's nose was immediately assaulted with the acrid smell of sulfur from where the fiery exhausts of engines had melted asphalt. The spaceport was swarming with vehicles and filled with the constant roar of ship engines and a symphony of smaller equipment. Power loaders and mechs loaded and unloaded heavy cargo, shuttles bustled to and fro with passengers, baggage carriers snaked through the crowded landing pads, and vehicles that looked like floating garage doors zipped through the air at ankle height, bringing pilots and crew to their ships. Mike couldn’t help but chuckle a little at the absurdity of it all. Here he was, in the heartland of the enemy, walking through what was essentially a ten-acre parking lot.
Dreki plopped his bags on the ground and yawned as he stretched his arms over his head. “Our skiff will be here in a minute.”
Mike tuned out the beeps and whirrs of the tank-sized forklifts and mechs unloading the ship and gazed out beyond at the horizon. You’re not in Kansas anymore, bub. Mike thought as he studied the skyline of the imperial city basked in the glow of the early evening sun. Some of the buildings wouldn’t look all that out of place on Earth, but the skyline was assaulted with abominations that pissed on the laws of physics as Man understood them. Tusk-shaped skyscrapers defied gravity with their seemingly unsupported curves, and even more absurd were pyramids stacked atop another point-to-point like hourglasses. Any delusion of normalcy that Mike could come up with was shattered.
Dreki picked up his bag and pointed to a slab of black marble speeding towards them at ankle height. “Here’s our skiff.” A railing popped out of the center as the skiff came to a gliding halt. Dreki boarded the skiff and took hold of the rail, and Mike followed suit.
They sped through the spaceport and stopped outside what looked to Mike like a train station. Dreki shouldered his bag and stepped off the skiff. Mike stepped off and quickly fell in pace with Dreki. The big Kael led Mike into a grand station bustling with people. Most were Kael, but there was a smattering of other species. Some stared at Mike, others glanced, but most completely ignored him as he followed Dreki through the hall and onto a platform. Unfamiliar aliens clearly weren’t an uncommon sight here.
The walls of the station were covered with mosaics depicting Kael warriors from the distant past. Dreki noted the human's curiosity and said, “The founders of the clans.” He leveled a massive hand toward an opulent, towering mosaic of a Kael warrior wielding a bronze falx. The imposing figure's body was made of blue gemstones, the eyes rubies, one tusk silver, and the other gold. “That’s the founder of my clan, Drekalla Gold Tusk.”
Mike asked, “How’d he manage that?” As he followed Dreki into a mostly empty train car.
Dreki plopped down on a bench. “He was the war priest of Hroptaug the Conqueror during the unification wars. After the wars were won, Hroptaug granted us the Steam Hills.” Dreki pointed through the train window at the mosaic of another warrior whose body was made of milky white pearls. “That one,” He paused and spat on the floor, “Tiblan the Terror, challenged Drekalla to a duel for most of that land. Drekalla was cutting him to pieces, but the craven poisoned his blade. Just before Drekalla could deliver the final blow, the poison reached his heart, and Drekalla died. The only wound on his body was a cut across his forearm that barely drew blood.” Dreki rolled up his sleeve, showing a scar that reached from his elbow to the middle of his forearm. “Every K’alla is cut the same way to remind us of the blood feud.”
Mike inwardly sighed. Kael and their damned feuds… “How long ago was this.”
“Seven thousand four hundred and fifty-one years ago.”
Mike held back a snort. The absurdity of it all. The first human law codes came about to stop blood feuds, and out here, they have feuds that have lasted longer than Earth's recorded history.
“How’s that feud been going as of late?”
Dreki’s face sagged, “Not good.”
They both grew quiet. Mike shuffled uncomfortably.
Mike glanced at the route display and broke the silence, “What's with the middle city, inner city thing?”
Dreki relaxed slightly. “Oh, so the city used to be a fortification. The inner city is actually a volcanic island. The middle is built over the river, and the outer city was built on the banks.”
“I see.”
The doors closed, and the intercom sounded, “Next stop, the inner city.”
Dale Robert’s wrinkled face was unreadable, and his highly decorated black and blue dress uniform immaculate as he led a horse through the street. He felt the eyes of thousands of onlookers on him, and he hated it. The pure black horse had a black leather saddle on its back. Two tall, glossy black boots were placed backward in silver stirrups, and the elaborate hilt of Mike’s basket-hilted broadsword jutted from the top of a black leather scabbard buckled to the saddle. Roberts followed the horse-drawn caisson bearing the flag-draped coffin of his old commanding officer. Not much farther now, he thought. The sounds of the cartwheels rolling and the horse’s tack jangling were wholly drowned out by boots stamping the ground in unison. Almost all of the 1800 survivors of the 801st regiment were there, resplendent in their dress uniforms, marching behind Mike one more time. The local police and fire departments joined them.
Roberts was unsure about it all. He felt that the poor kid's family would have preferred a smaller service back home in Colorado instead of this damn near royal procession. And Roberts was damn sure that the seals did not give their permission for this, no matter what the police chief said.
A reporter ducked through the police barricade and tried to ask the marching soldiers questions, but they remained stone-faced as the procession marched nearer to the gates of Philadelphia National Cemetery. Roberts handed the reigns of the riderless horse to another man in uniform and joined seven other members of Charlie platoon in pulling the casket from the cassion. They silently began their march to the grave, closely followed by General McCarthy, the man who was Joint Chief of Staff, and the color guard. Bagpipers began to blare, “Going Home.” Roberts heard the sound of gravpulse engines and looked up in dismay as a Kael gunship broke through the low clouds and descended to just barely above the cemetery. A loudspeaker blared, “Disperse at once.”
2024.05.16 23:20 Faithhal Top Dog Breeds for India: Finding the Perfect Canine Companion
India, with its diverse climate and cultural landscape, is home to a variety of dog breeds that thrive in different environments. Whether you live in the bustling city streets of Mumbai, the serene countryside of Kerala, or the chilly hills of Himachal Pradesh, there's a furry friend suited for your lifestyle. Here's a guide to some of the best dog breeds for India:
When choosing a dog breed for India, it's essential to consider factors such as climate, living space, activity level, and grooming needs. Whether you opt for a native breed like the Indian Pariah Dog or a popular international breed like the Labrador Retriever, providing love, care, and attention is key to ensuring a happy and healthy relationship with your canine companion.
submitted by Faithhal to u/Faithhal [link] [comments]
- Indian Pariah Dog: Also known as the Indian Native Dog or Desi Dog, this breed is a true survivor. Indian Pariah Dogs are well-adapted to the Indian climate and are known for their intelligence, loyalty, and resilience. They come in a variety of coat colors and are relatively low-maintenance, making them ideal for first-time dog owners.
- Labrador Retriever: Labradors are one of the most popular dog breeds worldwide, and for good reason. Their friendly disposition, intelligence, and adaptability make them excellent family pets. Labradors thrive in Indian households, provided they get enough exercise and mental stimulation.
- Indie Mix Breeds: With the rise of adoption and fostering initiatives, mixed-breed dogs, especially those with Indian Pariah ancestry, are gaining popularity in India. These dogs often exhibit the best traits of multiple breeds and tend to be healthier due to their genetic diversity.
- Dachshund: Despite their small size, Dachshunds have big personalities. Their short legs and elongated bodies make them well-suited for apartment living, which is common in urban India. Dachshunds are affectionate, curious, and full of energy, making them great companions for active individuals.
- Pomeranian: If you're looking for a small dog with a big personality, the Pomeranian fits the bill perfectly. These fluffy balls of energy are known for their intelligence, playfulness, and loyalty. Pomeranians adapt well to apartment living and are well-suited for Indian climates, provided they have access to shade and cool water during hot summers.
- Indian Spitz: Similar in appearance to the Pomeranian but slightly larger, the Indian Spitz is a popular choice among Indian families. These dogs are affectionate, alert, and excellent watchdogs. Indian Spitz breeds are well-adapted to the Indian climate and are relatively low-maintenance, making them suitable for households with children and other pets.
- Rajapalayam: Hailing from Tamil Nadu, the Rajapalayam is a majestic sight hound known for its loyalty and hunting prowess. These dogs have a distinctive white coat and a regal bearing. Rajapalayams require ample exercise and space to run, so they're best suited for homes with large, fenced-in yards or access to open spaces.
When choosing a dog breed for India, it's essential to consider factors such as climate, living space, activity level, and grooming needs. Whether you opt for a native breed like the Indian Pariah Dog or a popular international breed like the Labrador Retriever, providing love, care, and attention is key to ensuring a happy and healthy relationship with your canine companion.
2024.05.16 23:18 CitizenDildo12 Fellow Veteran Helldivers: What Gives?
To the level 109 Helldiver who joined my (lvl 50) Suicide difficulty mission - what is your major malfunction?
We had a full group that worked well on the ICBM mission, taking our targets out in a coordinated and systematic fashion and picking up samples in the wake of our destruction.
I know I was running the Airburst Rocket Launcher, and I take ownership of the two accidentals where the cluster bombs went off a bit too close and knocked you on your ass and made you drop your orbital by accident. You retaliated by team killing me twice. I kept calm and didn’t escalate: I apologized and moved on. Our other comrades were telling you over chat to calm down and focus on the mission. I listened, and I thought you did too.
But then we got to the launch pad for extraction. As soon as I approached the Pelican, you dropped down and shot me dead on the spot, then sprinted onto the ship, leaving me and the 20+ hard earned samples I had collected behind.
You’re level 109. You’re better than this…or at least you should be. That high of a level and the sheer amount of time played in game should have instilled some sense of cooperation and patience, but clearly not.
You also should’ve realized you were messing with the host. I kicked you from the game before the extraction ship animation was over, so you lost all XP and samples. Tell me, was it worth it? Reported and blocked. Smh.
In any case, just a fair warning to our brothers and sisters in arms that not all veteran players are friendly.
I’ll exercise restraint in not listing your gamer tag, but let me say this as democratically as possible: Go F#!% yourself with a live thermite grenade.
That is all fellow comrades - Let us join arms and continue to enjoy our Liber-Tea!
submitted by CitizenDildo12 to Helldivers [link] [comments]
We had a full group that worked well on the ICBM mission, taking our targets out in a coordinated and systematic fashion and picking up samples in the wake of our destruction.
I know I was running the Airburst Rocket Launcher, and I take ownership of the two accidentals where the cluster bombs went off a bit too close and knocked you on your ass and made you drop your orbital by accident. You retaliated by team killing me twice. I kept calm and didn’t escalate: I apologized and moved on. Our other comrades were telling you over chat to calm down and focus on the mission. I listened, and I thought you did too.
But then we got to the launch pad for extraction. As soon as I approached the Pelican, you dropped down and shot me dead on the spot, then sprinted onto the ship, leaving me and the 20+ hard earned samples I had collected behind.
You’re level 109. You’re better than this…or at least you should be. That high of a level and the sheer amount of time played in game should have instilled some sense of cooperation and patience, but clearly not.
You also should’ve realized you were messing with the host. I kicked you from the game before the extraction ship animation was over, so you lost all XP and samples. Tell me, was it worth it? Reported and blocked. Smh.
In any case, just a fair warning to our brothers and sisters in arms that not all veteran players are friendly.
I’ll exercise restraint in not listing your gamer tag, but let me say this as democratically as possible: Go F#!% yourself with a live thermite grenade.
That is all fellow comrades - Let us join arms and continue to enjoy our Liber-Tea!
2024.05.16 23:15 Golden_Morde Advice for total beginner
Hey y’all, both goalies on my college’s club team graduated this year, and we’re left with no goalies for the upcoming season. Having played some lacrosse goalie in high school (plus, always having wanted to try goalie), I volunteered to switch positions to be our full time goalie.
Fortunately, one of our goalies donated his gear to the club and I’m roughly his size, so I don’t have to buy all that gear.
We are a competitive team for our level, with back-to-back conference championships and our first-ever invitation to nationals last year, so expectations are pretty high. Even though I’m sure my teammates will be understanding, I don’t want to drag the whole team down.
I’ve never played a second of goalie in my life, but I’ve been watching some youtube goalie coach videos and I’m trying to get some guys together over the summer to practice.
Do y’all have any other tips, advice, exercises, drills, etc. for a total beginner trying to get up to speed ASAP?
submitted by Golden_Morde to hockeygoalies [link] [comments]
Fortunately, one of our goalies donated his gear to the club and I’m roughly his size, so I don’t have to buy all that gear.
We are a competitive team for our level, with back-to-back conference championships and our first-ever invitation to nationals last year, so expectations are pretty high. Even though I’m sure my teammates will be understanding, I don’t want to drag the whole team down.
I’ve never played a second of goalie in my life, but I’ve been watching some youtube goalie coach videos and I’m trying to get some guys together over the summer to practice.
Do y’all have any other tips, advice, exercises, drills, etc. for a total beginner trying to get up to speed ASAP?
2024.05.16 23:12 fanofhistory2029 The Platonic Ideal Life Path
I've recently been reflecting on my efforts at being more productive and started writing some longer form content to help structure my thoughts.
I wrote up the below in the past few days and wanted to share. Perhaps some of you have also found yourself hindered by an ongoing search for the ideal life path vs. just enjoy the journey.
Hope you find this helpful!
Despite your inflated sense of yourself, you are not, amongst all other humans, impervious to being brainwashed. This is a hardwired feature of your mind and a circuit that is operating at all times, if you allow it to do so. You aren’t being brainwashed in the cartoonish mode of being made to act like a chicken or empty your wallet. However, you are being brainwashed nonetheless.
Replace the word “brainwashed” with “influenced” and you may start to see my point. If you read me, you are not a fan of the influencers for stupid people (a la Andrew Tate) but perhaps you have more refined taste (Huberman, Attia, Ferriss, Jocko, Peterson, Newport). If there are any such personalities you are a fan of, I assure you that in your efforts to live a more productive, successful, disciplined life… you have been brainwashed.
I want to focus on how quickly the messages that you hear from these sources transition into “shoulds” that run in the background of your daily self-talk. These sources are an unending stream of great ideas for how you should wake up, how you should work, how you should eat, how you should exercise, how you should have sex, how you should meditate, how you should partake in leisure and so on. Notice that they don’t always come in the form of a statement that says “you should do x.” They may come in the form of “my typical daily routine looks like y”. Either way, your mind is primed and ready to sponge it all up.
If you were but a simple peasant farming in Ye Olde England six hundred years ago, your life was governed by a very rigid set of “shoulds”. There was the Bible, there were social norms, the rules of the king, and so. However, these were still a relatively manageable list of rules that one could live by, and it was not unreasonable to assume that you could mostly stay on the Righteous Path. Fast forward to the algo-influencer age and all bets are off. Open up any platform and within minutes, you’ll be bombarded with more “shoulds” than you can possibly keep in mind at once. This observation comes with no value judgment on the quality of what we are being told, I am only commenting on the volume.
You are wrong if you tell me that you are effective at curating the good stuff that will improve your life from the algo-influencer-Youtube-podcast-x regime. I know you think you are because, as we noted, you are a fan of the high class, refined content. The good stuff. The science backed stuff. Here’s the thing, once a source of information finds some sort of “resonance” with your subconscious, you are going to suck it all right up. All the great stuff you hear will immediately seep into your subconscious and become a constant quiet voice in the back of your mind berating you with a litany of “shoulds.”
Alas, you object - it’s all good stuff. Huberman has me locked onto managing my dopamine levels, Attia has me optimizing my diet, Dr. Zoidberg has me keeping limber, and Cal Newport is showing me how to live a deep life. I want to point out three problems with what is going on here.
Problem #1 - Your mind is not actually asking what end purpose is being served by adopting the idea that you “should” be doing a given thing.
Let’s cue Jocko Willink on this one. I am someone who, for many years, felt it was important to wake up at 4:30am because of… discipline. Why? Well, I must get up early to be up before the enemy and for freedom. I note that discipline is the ultimate meta-”should”. Discipline means getting yourself to do all the “shoulds” on your list. Can anyone tell me what outcome I’m missing out on by not partaking in a daily cold plunge, heat plunge, ice bath, or looking at the sun within 15 minutes of waking up?
Problem #2 - Even if you have a desired end goal, your mind is not doing a rigorous job of assessing whether or not a given “should” will get you there.
Most of us would like more control of our daily schedule in order to have more freedom and flexibility. The grindset types on Youtube, or on X have a common solution for us. I am not likely taking a huge leap in that one “should” you have picked up is something to do with entrepreneurship. Ok, have you really considered whether starting your own business will give you more freedom? Maybe it will… I just suspect you picked up this idea without really looking at the pros and cons.
Problem #3 - Even if you’ve been bequeathed a fantastic, grade A, “should” from someone… you’ve got more than you can handle already.
If a “should” that you heard on Youtube or read in a book resonates for some reason, your mind will take it up and start beaming you subconscious messages to do that thing. Your mind will also happily send you 10 of these at once. Are they contradictory? Who cares? I “should” wake up at 4:30, and I should sleep at least 8 hours with no alarm clock. I should also consider being a night owl creative type, and stay up late to grind if life demands it. Some “shoulds” probably aren’t even really defined to any precision. I should be more driven, more mindful, more dynamic. I genuinely feel all those impulses and can’t even begin to tell you what it would like to actually do them. Mr. Brain has no problem with cognitive dissonance, and will dutifully tell me to live up to all of these.
Let’s now talk about Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (as an aside, yes I also feel a “should” to be more religious, spiritual, and penitent). Well, really I want to talk about The Promised Land. I know you… you are the hard driving, disciplined type. You like to punish yourself for not living up to your expectations. Alas, you are on the verge of getting there. If you could just get a few days in a row where you nail all your “shoulds,” it will all fall into place. One perfect day will lead to the next and the next. Then, I’ll have made it. I’ll be in the land of enlightenment (and oh so productive). Fellow pilgrim, I’m right there with you on the Righteous Path.
Wait a second, something feels off. Did I say above that our mind will happily adopt any set of “shoulds” no matter how contradictory or ill-defined they may be? And, did I also say that I’m striving to get to The Promised Land by doing “All the Shoulds”? If The Righteous Path is the road that leads to The Promised Land, I’ve got some bad news for you. You are permanently off The Righteous Path. This, my friend, is why you constantly feel like you are not living up to your expectations. They are impossible - you never had a chance. It’s ok though - Jesus died for your sins and there is still a path to salvation.
Oh, but, I’m not ready for salvation, I want to rock on. Here’s what we’d all prefer to do when faced with that sensation of being off the Path. It’s time to hunker down, and go to war, and GRIND. Don’t tell me I can’t do it all. When fate whispers, “You cannot Withstand The Storm,” the Warrior Whispers, “I am the Storm.” I’m feeling chills (no really, it’s a great quote). That’s how we roll. We man up and get that shit done. Well, I hate to be the one to break it to you, but if that worked you wouldn’t still be in the market for motivational content. You are still lost… no Youtube video is going to get out of the bottomless deep of the “should.”
Back to Jesus (gasp - you didn’t warn me this would be a borderline sacrilegious article). It’s okay, Jesus is fair game in the algo-world. This is that obnoxious pause point in a self help book where there’s a worksheet page and you are asked to write stuff down. Take 10 minutes and make yourself a list of all the “shoulds” that you are feeling at this point about your life. I’ll help you get going with some prompts: businesses to start, podcasts to create, books to read, daily rituals to adopt, food to eat/not eat, workout routine to start, races to run, people to call, projects to do. You get the idea.
More work for you. Now imagine your perfect day. I mean a day that checks all the boxes. I despise rap, but seek inspiration in imagining the productivity version of the Ice Cube hit, “It was a Good Day.” How would you spend your time? Think about it hour by hour, minute by minute. When do you wake up? What do you do after waking up? How much time do you spend working? What sort of work? What else do you do? Map it all out. Imagine this as a day where you fully control your schedule.
Are you still with me? Probably not. This is too many words for the internet and I’m asking too much of your lazy ass. You should be less lazy. See what I did there? Ok, next step. Map your perfect day onto reality. Take any of the days from the past week where you had real life commitments such as work meetings, errands, childcare and ask yourself how you would map this perfect day onto that reality. Where would the three hours of Cal Newport Deep Work fit? How would you wake up at 4:30am after being up late because your kid was sick or your friend from out of town was visiting?
My point is, of course, obvious. However, don’t underestimate what I am saying. I am not saying that you can’t always have your perfect day. I am saying you can never have the perfect day. You are imposing unrealistic expectations upon reality. This conflict has always existed and you had two choices: 1) Dig deeper and muscle through because you are failing as a person to be sufficiently disciplined, or 2) Accept that your “shoulds” were always impossible to fully satisfy, and try something different.
Here’s the last thing I want you to do for now. Go back to your “should” list from the first step and take a critical eye. I give you permission to cross out as many as you’d like. If you are unsure before you cross it out, ask yourself: Where did this idea come from? Does it help me lead a happier life? Do I even agree with the premise? When in doubt, cross it out and feel the freedom.
I’ll leave you with one last message - you are probably doing just fine. Are there improvements you can make in your life? Sure, we all can. However, you aren’t failing, you aren’t straying from The Righteous Path, and there is no Promised Land. There’s just the lower case p path, and that is alright.
submitted by fanofhistory2029 to productivity [link] [comments]
I wrote up the below in the past few days and wanted to share. Perhaps some of you have also found yourself hindered by an ongoing search for the ideal life path vs. just enjoy the journey.
Hope you find this helpful!
Replace the word “brainwashed” with “influenced” and you may start to see my point. If you read me, you are not a fan of the influencers for stupid people (a la Andrew Tate) but perhaps you have more refined taste (Huberman, Attia, Ferriss, Jocko, Peterson, Newport). If there are any such personalities you are a fan of, I assure you that in your efforts to live a more productive, successful, disciplined life… you have been brainwashed.
I want to focus on how quickly the messages that you hear from these sources transition into “shoulds” that run in the background of your daily self-talk. These sources are an unending stream of great ideas for how you should wake up, how you should work, how you should eat, how you should exercise, how you should have sex, how you should meditate, how you should partake in leisure and so on. Notice that they don’t always come in the form of a statement that says “you should do x.” They may come in the form of “my typical daily routine looks like y”. Either way, your mind is primed and ready to sponge it all up.
If you were but a simple peasant farming in Ye Olde England six hundred years ago, your life was governed by a very rigid set of “shoulds”. There was the Bible, there were social norms, the rules of the king, and so. However, these were still a relatively manageable list of rules that one could live by, and it was not unreasonable to assume that you could mostly stay on the Righteous Path. Fast forward to the algo-influencer age and all bets are off. Open up any platform and within minutes, you’ll be bombarded with more “shoulds” than you can possibly keep in mind at once. This observation comes with no value judgment on the quality of what we are being told, I am only commenting on the volume.
You are wrong if you tell me that you are effective at curating the good stuff that will improve your life from the algo-influencer-Youtube-podcast-x regime. I know you think you are because, as we noted, you are a fan of the high class, refined content. The good stuff. The science backed stuff. Here’s the thing, once a source of information finds some sort of “resonance” with your subconscious, you are going to suck it all right up. All the great stuff you hear will immediately seep into your subconscious and become a constant quiet voice in the back of your mind berating you with a litany of “shoulds.”
Alas, you object - it’s all good stuff. Huberman has me locked onto managing my dopamine levels, Attia has me optimizing my diet, Dr. Zoidberg has me keeping limber, and Cal Newport is showing me how to live a deep life. I want to point out three problems with what is going on here.
Problem #1 - Your mind is not actually asking what end purpose is being served by adopting the idea that you “should” be doing a given thing.
Let’s cue Jocko Willink on this one. I am someone who, for many years, felt it was important to wake up at 4:30am because of… discipline. Why? Well, I must get up early to be up before the enemy and for freedom. I note that discipline is the ultimate meta-”should”. Discipline means getting yourself to do all the “shoulds” on your list. Can anyone tell me what outcome I’m missing out on by not partaking in a daily cold plunge, heat plunge, ice bath, or looking at the sun within 15 minutes of waking up?
Problem #2 - Even if you have a desired end goal, your mind is not doing a rigorous job of assessing whether or not a given “should” will get you there.
Most of us would like more control of our daily schedule in order to have more freedom and flexibility. The grindset types on Youtube, or on X have a common solution for us. I am not likely taking a huge leap in that one “should” you have picked up is something to do with entrepreneurship. Ok, have you really considered whether starting your own business will give you more freedom? Maybe it will… I just suspect you picked up this idea without really looking at the pros and cons.
Problem #3 - Even if you’ve been bequeathed a fantastic, grade A, “should” from someone… you’ve got more than you can handle already.
If a “should” that you heard on Youtube or read in a book resonates for some reason, your mind will take it up and start beaming you subconscious messages to do that thing. Your mind will also happily send you 10 of these at once. Are they contradictory? Who cares? I “should” wake up at 4:30, and I should sleep at least 8 hours with no alarm clock. I should also consider being a night owl creative type, and stay up late to grind if life demands it. Some “shoulds” probably aren’t even really defined to any precision. I should be more driven, more mindful, more dynamic. I genuinely feel all those impulses and can’t even begin to tell you what it would like to actually do them. Mr. Brain has no problem with cognitive dissonance, and will dutifully tell me to live up to all of these.
Let’s now talk about Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (as an aside, yes I also feel a “should” to be more religious, spiritual, and penitent). Well, really I want to talk about The Promised Land. I know you… you are the hard driving, disciplined type. You like to punish yourself for not living up to your expectations. Alas, you are on the verge of getting there. If you could just get a few days in a row where you nail all your “shoulds,” it will all fall into place. One perfect day will lead to the next and the next. Then, I’ll have made it. I’ll be in the land of enlightenment (and oh so productive). Fellow pilgrim, I’m right there with you on the Righteous Path.
Wait a second, something feels off. Did I say above that our mind will happily adopt any set of “shoulds” no matter how contradictory or ill-defined they may be? And, did I also say that I’m striving to get to The Promised Land by doing “All the Shoulds”? If The Righteous Path is the road that leads to The Promised Land, I’ve got some bad news for you. You are permanently off The Righteous Path. This, my friend, is why you constantly feel like you are not living up to your expectations. They are impossible - you never had a chance. It’s ok though - Jesus died for your sins and there is still a path to salvation.
Oh, but, I’m not ready for salvation, I want to rock on. Here’s what we’d all prefer to do when faced with that sensation of being off the Path. It’s time to hunker down, and go to war, and GRIND. Don’t tell me I can’t do it all. When fate whispers, “You cannot Withstand The Storm,” the Warrior Whispers, “I am the Storm.” I’m feeling chills (no really, it’s a great quote). That’s how we roll. We man up and get that shit done. Well, I hate to be the one to break it to you, but if that worked you wouldn’t still be in the market for motivational content. You are still lost… no Youtube video is going to get out of the bottomless deep of the “should.”
Back to Jesus (gasp - you didn’t warn me this would be a borderline sacrilegious article). It’s okay, Jesus is fair game in the algo-world. This is that obnoxious pause point in a self help book where there’s a worksheet page and you are asked to write stuff down. Take 10 minutes and make yourself a list of all the “shoulds” that you are feeling at this point about your life. I’ll help you get going with some prompts: businesses to start, podcasts to create, books to read, daily rituals to adopt, food to eat/not eat, workout routine to start, races to run, people to call, projects to do. You get the idea.
More work for you. Now imagine your perfect day. I mean a day that checks all the boxes. I despise rap, but seek inspiration in imagining the productivity version of the Ice Cube hit, “It was a Good Day.” How would you spend your time? Think about it hour by hour, minute by minute. When do you wake up? What do you do after waking up? How much time do you spend working? What sort of work? What else do you do? Map it all out. Imagine this as a day where you fully control your schedule.
Are you still with me? Probably not. This is too many words for the internet and I’m asking too much of your lazy ass. You should be less lazy. See what I did there? Ok, next step. Map your perfect day onto reality. Take any of the days from the past week where you had real life commitments such as work meetings, errands, childcare and ask yourself how you would map this perfect day onto that reality. Where would the three hours of Cal Newport Deep Work fit? How would you wake up at 4:30am after being up late because your kid was sick or your friend from out of town was visiting?
My point is, of course, obvious. However, don’t underestimate what I am saying. I am not saying that you can’t always have your perfect day. I am saying you can never have the perfect day. You are imposing unrealistic expectations upon reality. This conflict has always existed and you had two choices: 1) Dig deeper and muscle through because you are failing as a person to be sufficiently disciplined, or 2) Accept that your “shoulds” were always impossible to fully satisfy, and try something different.
Here’s the last thing I want you to do for now. Go back to your “should” list from the first step and take a critical eye. I give you permission to cross out as many as you’d like. If you are unsure before you cross it out, ask yourself: Where did this idea come from? Does it help me lead a happier life? Do I even agree with the premise? When in doubt, cross it out and feel the freedom.
I’ll leave you with one last message - you are probably doing just fine. Are there improvements you can make in your life? Sure, we all can. However, you aren’t failing, you aren’t straying from The Righteous Path, and there is no Promised Land. There’s just the lower case p path, and that is alright.
2024.05.16 23:11 Sweet-Count2557 15 Things to Do With Houston Kids Over Christmas Break
 | 15 Things to Do With Houston Kids Over Christmas Break Looking for ways to keep your kids entertained and make the most of their Christmas break in Houston?Well, let me tell you about one exciting activity that will surely pique your interest. Imagine gliding across the ice, surrounded by the sparkling lights and festive atmosphere at Discovery Green's ice skating rink. It's a perfect opportunity for some family fun and a chance to create unforgettable memories.But that's just the beginning! We have compiled a list of 15 things that will guarantee a memorable and enjoyable Christmas break for you and your little ones.So, keep reading to discover the other exciting activities that await you in Houston.Key TakeawaysHouston offers a variety of holiday light displays and attractions, including neighborhoods known for extravagant lights, the Light Park in Katy, and Galaxy Lights at Space Center Houston.The Houston Botanic Garden presents Radiant Nature, an illuminated wonderland featuring Chinese lantern installations, offering a unique and enchanting holiday attraction.Ice at Discovery Green provides an outdoor ice skating rink where families can skate with Santa on select days, allowing them to embrace the holiday spirit.Indoor play spaces like Wonderwild in the Heights and Frolics Castle at Memorial City Mall offer safe and entertaining environments for kids to release their energy and have a great time during the holiday break.Holiday Lights and DisplaysLet's explore the magical world of holiday lights and displays in Houston, where neighborhoods come alive with dazzling decorations and festive cheer. Houston is known for its extravagant holiday lights, and two neighborhoods that stand out are River Oaks and Pecan Grove. These neighborhoods go all out, creating breathtaking displays that are perfect for holiday lights photography.As you drive around, you'll be amazed by the festive atmosphere that fills the air. The streets are lined with beautiful displays and decorations that will surely put you in the holiday spirit. It's a wonderful experience to immerse yourself in the joy of the season and create lasting memories with your family.If you're looking for a unique light experience, check out The Light Park in Katy. It offers a drive-thru light experience, allowing you to enjoy the dazzling displays from the comfort of your own car.Another immersive holiday event is Galaxy Lights at Space Center Houston. Here, you can explore the wonders of space while being surrounded by stunning light displays.But the holiday lights aren't limited to neighborhoods. Houston also offers other attractions that are worth visiting. The Houston Botanic Garden presents Radiant Nature, an illuminated wonderland where you can explore dozens of Chinese lantern installations after dark. It's a magical transformation of the Gardens that showcases the beauty of nature in a new light.For some outdoor fun, head to Ice at Discovery Green. They offer an outdoor ice skating rink where you can glide across the ice and embrace the holiday spirit.And if you're looking for indoor play spaces, Wonderwild in the Heights and Frolics Castle at Memorial City Mall are great options. They provide safe and entertaining environments for your kids to release their energy and have a great time.In Houston, the holiday lights and displays are truly a sight to behold. Whether you're strolling through neighborhoods or visiting attractions, you'll be mesmerized by the festive atmosphere and the stunning decorations. So grab your camera, gather your loved ones, and embark on a magical journey through the best neighborhoods for holiday lights in Houston.Galaxy Lights at Space Center HoustonAs we continue our exploration of Houston's enchanting holiday lights and displays, let's now venture into the immersive and awe-inspiring world of Galaxy Lights at Space Center Houston. This holiday event takes Houston's holiday light displays to a whole new level, transporting visitors into a dazzling galaxy of lights and wonder.Here's why you should add Galaxy Lights to your must-visit list this Christmas break:Spectacular Light Displays: Space Center Houston's Galaxy Lights boasts an incredible array of light installations that will leave you in awe. From twinkling stars to colorful planets, you'll feel like you're floating through space as you stroll through this captivating wonderland.Interactive Experiences: In addition to the breathtaking light displays, Galaxy Lights offers interactive experiences that are fun for the whole family. Step into a virtual reality experience and take a journey through the solar system, or try your hand at controlling a rover on Mars. These interactive elements add an extra layer of excitement and engagement to the event.Festive Entertainment: Galaxy Lights also features live performances and festive entertainment to get you in the holiday spirit. From holiday-themed laser light shows to live music, there's something for everyone to enjoy. You can even catch a glimpse of Santa Claus himself as he makes special appearances throughout the event.With Space Center Houston's Galaxy Lights, you'll not only get to experience Houston's holiday light displays, but also embark on an unforgettable journey through the cosmos. So gather your family and embrace the freedom to explore this enchanting holiday event that will create lasting memories for years to come.The Light Park in KatyThe Light Park in Katy offers a mesmerizing drive-thru light experience that will transport you and your family into a magical winter wonderland. As you enter the park, you'll be greeted by a dazzling display of lights, creating an enchanting atmosphere that's sure to ignite your holiday spirit. The drive-thru experience allows you to enjoy the beautiful light displays from the comfort of your own vehicle, making it a convenient and family-friendly holiday activity.As you navigate through the park, you'll be treated to a symphony of colors and shapes, with each display more stunning than the last. From towering Christmas trees adorned with twinkling lights to whimsical scenes depicting Santa's workshop, there's something for everyone to enjoy. The attention to detail is truly remarkable, and you'll find yourself in awe of the artistry and creativity that went into creating this magical light park.The Light Park in Katy is the perfect way to spend an evening with your loved ones. The drive-thru format allows you to go at your own pace and take in the sights at your leisure. Whether you're looking for a romantic date night or a fun outing with the whole family, this holiday attraction has it all.Houston Botanic Garden's Radiant NatureHouston Botanic Garden's Radiant Nature presents a breathtaking illuminated wonderland for visitors of all ages to explore and enjoy. Step into a magical illumination that transforms the garden into a nature wonderland, creating an enchanting experience like no other.Here's why you should add Radiant Nature to your list of must-see holiday attractions:Immerse yourself in the beauty of nature: As you wander through the garden, you'll encounter dozens of Chinese lantern installations that come alive after dark. These intricate and colorful lanterns illuminate the surroundings, creating a mesmerizing atmosphere that celebrates the wonders of the natural world.Witness the transformation of the Gardens: Radiant Nature showcases the garden in a whole new light, quite literally. The enchanting illumination highlights the unique features of the plants and landscapes, allowing you to see them in a different perspective. It's a wonderful opportunity to appreciate the beauty and diversity of the botanical world.Create lasting memories with your family: Radiant Nature offers a memorable experience for the whole family. From strolling through illuminated pathways to discovering hidden surprises, there's something for everyone to enjoy. Let the magical ambiance spark joy and wonder in your children's eyes as they explore this captivating nature wonderland.Don't miss out on this enchanting holiday attraction. Radiant Nature at Houston Botanic Garden promises to transport you to a world of magical illumination and natural beauty. So, gather your loved ones and embark on a delightful adventure that will leave you with cherished memories.Ice Skating at Discovery GreenGet ready to lace up your skates and hit the ice at Discovery Green for a fun-filled and festive ice skating experience. At Discovery Green, you can enjoy outdoor ice skating in the heart of downtown Houston. This popular holiday attraction offers a magical setting where you can glide across the ice and embrace the holiday spirit.The outdoor ice skating rink at Discovery Green is the perfect place to create lasting memories with your family. Imagine the joy on your children's faces as they take their first steps on the ice. As you skate hand in hand, you can feel the excitement in the air and the holiday cheer all around you.One of the highlights of ice skating at Discovery Green is the opportunity to skate with Santa on select days. This special event allows your little ones to meet Santa Claus himself while enjoying the thrill of gliding on the ice. It's an experience that combines two beloved holiday traditions and will surely make this Christmas break one to remember.Whether you're a seasoned skater or a beginner, Discovery Green's ice skating rink offers a wonderful activity for everyone. The rink is surrounded by festive decorations, adding to the holiday ambiance. So, grab your skates and join in the fun as you twirl and spin on the ice, surrounded by the beauty of Discovery Green.Ice skating at Discovery Green is just one of the many holiday-themed activities that Houston has to offer. So, take advantage of the freedom that the Christmas break brings and explore all the festive attractions in the city. From dazzling light displays to enchanting holiday events, there's something for everyone to enjoy during this magical time of year.Don't miss out on the chance to make unforgettable memories with your loved ones. Lace up your skates and let the adventure begin!Wonderwild Indoor Play SpaceWhen it comes to finding a fun and adventure-filled play space for kids in Houston, Wonderwild in the Heights is the place to be. At Wonderwild, children can enjoy exciting indoor playtime and engage in active entertainment.Here are three reasons why Wonderwild is the perfect destination for your little ones:Endless Fun: Wonderwild offers a wide variety of activities that will keep your kids entertained for hours. From climbing walls to giant slides, there's something for everyone. Children can explore the colorful play structures, navigate obstacle courses, and even bounce on trampolines. The possibilities for fun are endless, and your kids will have a blast letting their imaginations run wild.Safe Environment: Wonderwild prioritizes the safety of its young visitors. The play space is designed with padded floors and walls to ensure a secure environment for children to play freely. Additionally, the staff members are attentive and trained to maintain a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone. You can relax and have peace of mind knowing that your kids are in good hands.Physical Activity: In today's digital age, it's important to encourage children to engage in physical activity. Wonderwild provides the perfect opportunity for kids to get moving and stay active. Whether they're climbing, sliding, or jumping, they'll be getting exercise while having fun. This indoor play space allows children to burn off energy and develop their motor skills in a controlled and supervised setting.Frolics Castle at Memorial City MallLocated within Memorial City Mall, Frolics Castle is a fantastic indoor play area where kids can unleash their imaginations and have a blast. This kids play area is the perfect destination for mall entertainment and offers a safe and exciting environment for children to play and explore. With its colorful and whimsical design, Frolics Castle will capture the attention of kids of all ages.Inside Frolics Castle, children can climb, slide, and crawl through various play structures, allowing them to release their energy and have a great time. The castle-themed play area is filled with interactive elements, including tunnels, bridges, and obstacles, that will keep kids engaged and entertained for hours. They can let their imaginations run wild as they pretend to be knights, princesses, or even dragons in this magical setting.Parents can relax and enjoy some shopping or take a break while their children play in Frolics Castle. The play area is conveniently located within Memorial City Mall, making it a convenient option for families looking for mall entertainment. It provides a safe and supervised space for kids to have fun, while also giving parents the chance to browse the mall or grab a bite to eat.Frolics Castle at Memorial City Mall is a must-visit destination for families during the holiday break. It offers an enjoyable and engaging experience for kids, allowing them to burn off some energy and have a memorable time. So, if you're looking for a fun and exciting activity for your children, head over to Frolics Castle and let the adventure begin!Neighborhood Holiday LightsAs we explore the enchanting world of holiday lights in Houston, prepare to be dazzled by the neighborhoods that go above and beyond to create a festive atmosphere. There's nothing quite like taking a drive through the city during the holiday season and witnessing the magical display of neighborhood holiday lights.Here are three neighborhoods that are known for their extravagant displays:River Oaks: This upscale neighborhood is famous for its stunning holiday lights. As you drive through the streets, you'll be greeted by beautifully decorated mansions, adorned with twinkling lights and festive decorations. It's a sight that will truly take your breath away.Pecan Grove: Located in Richmond, Pecan Grove is another neighborhood that goes all out when it comes to holiday lights. The entire community comes together to create a festive atmosphere, with each house competing to have the most dazzling display. You'll be amazed by the creativity and effort that goes into these decorations.The Light Park in Katy: For a unique and immersive holiday experience, head to The Light Park in Katy. This drive-thru light park features over a million lights, synchronized to holiday music. As you drive through the park, you'll be surrounded by a dazzling display of lights, creating a truly magical atmosphere.Driving through these neighborhoods and experiencing the festive atmosphere is a wonderful way to embrace the holiday spirit and create lasting memories with your family. So grab some hot cocoa, hop in the car, and get ready to be amazed by the neighborhood holiday lights in Houston.Festive Atmosphere DriveReady to immerse yourself in the holiday spirit? Hop in the car and embark on a festive atmosphere drive through the neighborhoods of Houston, where dazzling light displays and beautiful decorations await.There's something magical about driving through neighborhoods adorned with twinkling lights and festive decorations. It's a tradition that brings joy and excitement to both young and old. As you cruise through the streets, you'll be greeted by houses decked out in colorful lights, extravagant displays, and whimsical decorations. It's a feast for the eyes and a surefire way to get into the holiday mood.One neighborhood that's known for its extravagant holiday lights is River Oaks. The houses in this area go all out, creating a truly enchanting atmosphere. Pecan Grove is another neighborhood worth visiting, as it boasts stunning displays that are sure to leave you in awe. As you drive around, take your time to admire each house and appreciate the effort that goes into creating such festive scenes.If you're looking for a more immersive experience, consider visiting The Light Park in Katy. This drive-thru light experience offers a dazzling display of lights synchronized to festive music. It's a magical journey that will leave you and your family in awe. Another option is Galaxy Lights at Space Center Houston, where you can explore a winter wonderland filled with interactive displays and larger-than-life light installations.A festive atmosphere drive is a wonderful way to create lasting memories with your family. So gather your loved ones, turn up the holiday tunes, and set off on a magical adventure through the neighborhoods of Houston. Enjoy the beauty of the lights, the joy in the air, and the warmth of the holiday spirit. It's a time to be together, to be filled with wonder, and to embrace the magic of the season.Chinese Lantern InstallationsIf you're looking for a unique and enchanting holiday attraction in Houston, be sure to explore the dozens of Chinese lantern installations after dark at the Houston Botanic Garden's Radiant Nature. This breathtaking display is part of the Chinese lantern festivals, which are cultural celebrations that showcase intricate and vibrant lanterns.Here's why you should make a visit to Radiant Nature a priority this Christmas break:Immersive Experience: As you walk through the Houston Botanic Garden, you'll be transported to a world of wonder and magic. The Chinese lantern installations create a mesmerizing ambiance, illuminating the night sky with their stunning colors and designs. It's an experience that will captivate both children and adults alike.Cultural Appreciation: The Chinese lantern festivals are deeply rooted in tradition and symbolism. Each lantern tells a story and represents different aspects of Chinese culture. By visiting Radiant Nature, you'll not only be entertained but also have the opportunity to learn and appreciate the rich heritage behind these beautiful lanterns.Family Bonding: The holiday season is all about spending quality time with your loved ones, and visiting Radiant Nature is the perfect way to do just that. As you stroll together through the garden, you can marvel at the intricate lanterns, share laughter and create lasting memories. It's a chance to slow down, embrace the freedom of the moment, and enjoy the company of your family.Outdoor Ice Skating RinksAfter exploring the enchanting Chinese lantern installations at the Houston Botanic Garden's Radiant Nature, it's time to lace up our skates and glide into the next festive adventure - outdoor ice skating rinks. Outdoor ice skating is a classic winter activity that brings joy and excitement to people of all ages. Houston may not have the coldest winters, but that doesn't mean we can't enjoy this icy pastime. So, grab your warmest coats and hats, because we're about to hit the ice!When it comes to outdoor ice skating, there are a few tips to keep in mind. First, dress in layers to stay warm while on the ice. It's important to stay cozy, but also be able to move freely. Second, wear thick socks to provide extra cushioning and insulation for your feet. And don't forget to bring gloves to keep your hands toasty!Now, let's talk about the best outdoor ice skating rinks in Houston. One popular spot is the Ice at Discovery Green. Located in the heart of downtown, this rink offers a picturesque setting with the city skyline as its backdrop. Another great option is the Memorial City Ice Rink. This outdoor rink is surrounded by festive decorations and offers a fun and lively atmosphere.Whether you're a seasoned skater or a beginner, outdoor ice skating is a fantastic way to embrace the holiday spirit and create lasting memories with your family and friends. So, let's lace up our skates and glide across the ice, feeling the exhilaration and freedom that comes with this winter activity. Houston may not be known for its icy winters, but that won't stop us from enjoying the thrill of outdoor ice skating!Immersive Holiday EventWe can't wait to dive into the immersive holiday event and be transported into a world of enchantment and wonder. Here are three reasons why we're excited about this experience:Interactive Light Displays:Picture yourself surrounded by a mesmerizing array of lights that respond to your touch and movement.Engage with the interactive light installations, creating a unique and personalized experience.Watch as the lights dance and twinkle, illuminating the night and filling you with a sense of joy and awe.Magical Atmosphere:Step into a world where holiday magic comes to life, immersing you in a festive and enchanting atmosphere.Be surrounded by beautifully decorated trees, sparkling ornaments, and whimsical characters that ignite your imagination.As you explore the immersive holiday event, feel the warmth and joy radiating from every corner, making you believe in the magic of the season.Memorable Experiences:This immersive holiday experience offers the perfect opportunity to create lasting memories with your family and loved ones.Capture unforgettable moments as you marvel at the stunning light displays and share laughter and joy together.Whether it's a romantic stroll hand-in-hand, a fun-filled adventure with your children, or a gathering with friends, this event promises to leave a lasting impression.Get ready to be captivated by the immersive holiday experience and be transported into a world filled with interactive light displays, magical atmosphere, and memorable experiences. It's time to embrace the freedom of the holiday season and create cherished memories that will warm your heart for years to come.Enchanted Holiday AttractionGet ready to be transported to an enchanting holiday attraction that will captivate your imagination and fill you with wonder. Houston is home to some truly magical light installations and enchanted holiday crafts that are sure to delight both kids and adults alike.One of the must-visit holiday attractions in Houston is the Houston Botanic Garden's Radiant Nature. This illuminated wonderland features dozens of Chinese lantern installations that come to life after dark. As you wander through the gardens, you'll witness the magical transformation of the surroundings and experience the beauty of nature in a whole new light. It's a unique and enchanting holiday attraction that isn't to be missed.If you're looking for some outdoor fun, Ice at Discovery Green is the perfect choice. This outdoor ice skating rink offers a festive atmosphere where you can glide across the ice and embrace the holiday spirit. And on select days, you can even skate with Santa himself! It's a fun and festive activity that the whole family can enjoy.For those looking for indoor entertainment, Wonderwild in the Heights is an adventure-filled play space that will provide hours of fun. Let your kids release their energy and have a great time exploring the various play areas. And at Frolics Castle in Memorial City Mall, kids can enjoy free play and let their imaginations run wild.No matter which enchanted holiday attraction you choose to visit, one thing is for sure - you're in for a memorable experience. So gather your family and embrace the joy of the holiday season as you immerse yourselves in dazzling light displays and create lasting memories. Houston has everything you need to make this Christmas break truly magical.Release Energy and Have FunAs we continue our exploration of Houston's enchanting holiday attractions, let's now shift our focus to a subtopic that's perfect for kids (and adults) who need to release their energy and have a whole lot of fun. During the Christmas break, there are plenty of indoor activities and holiday-themed crafts to keep everyone entertained. Here are three options to consider:Indoor Play Spaces:Wonderwild in the Heights provides an adventure-filled play space where kids can climb, slide, and explore to their heart's content. It's a safe and entertaining environment for indoor play, allowing kids to release their energy and have a great time.Frolics Castle at Memorial City Mall offers free play for kids, giving them the freedom to let loose and enjoy themselves. With various play areas and activities, it's a fantastic option for burning off energy and having fun.Holiday Themed Crafts:Many local museums and art centers offer holiday-themed craft workshops during the Christmas break. Kids can unleash their creativity and make their own ornaments, cards, and decorations. It's a great way to engage their imaginations while enjoying the freedom to create.DIY Festive Games:Create your own holiday-themed games at home. From pin the nose on Rudolph to a Santa sack race, the options are endless. Get the whole family involved and have a blast playing these customized games. It's the perfect opportunity to release energy, have fun, and make lasting memories together.With these indoor activities and holiday-themed crafts, kids can have a blast while staying active and engaged during the Christmas break. So, let's embrace the freedom to release energy and have a whole lot of fun!Embrace the Holiday SpiritImmerse yourself in the holiday spirit with a variety of festive activities and events in Houston. Get into the holiday groove by indulging in some delightful holiday crafts and enjoying the enchanting sounds of holiday music. Houston offers plenty of opportunities to embrace the holiday spirit and create lasting memories with your family.Get your creative juices flowing by participating in holiday craft workshops. Many local art centers and community organizations offer classes where you can learn to make your own unique holiday decorations. From handmade ornaments to festive wreaths, these workshops allow you to express your creativity and add a personal touch to your holiday decor.Don't forget to tune in to the sweet melodies of holiday music. Throughout the city, you'll find live performances of your favorite holiday tunes. Whether it's a local choir singing carols or a symphony orchestra playing classical holiday music, there's something for everyone to enjoy. Let the music fill your heart with joy and put you in the holiday spirit.In addition to holiday crafts and music, Houston also boasts stunning light displays that will leave you in awe. Take a drive through neighborhoods like River Oaks and Pecan Grove, known for their extravagant holiday lights. Marvel at the beautifully decorated homes and immerse yourself in the festive atmosphere. For a unique experience, visit The Light Park in Katy, where you can enjoy a drive-thru light show that will dazzle your senses.Embracing the holiday spirit in Houston is all about celebrating with loved ones and enjoying the festive atmosphere. So gather your family, put on your favorite holiday tunes, and get ready to create memories that will last a lifetime.Frequently Asked QuestionsHow Much Does It Cost to Attend Galaxy Lights at Space Center Houston?The cost to attend Galaxy Lights at Space Center Houston varies depending on the day and time you visit. It's best to check their website for the most accurate and up-to-date pricing information.When planning your visit, consider going during off-peak times to potentially save on admission costs.Regardless of the cost, experiencing the dazzling light displays and immersive holiday event at Galaxy Lights is sure to create lasting memories for you and your family.Are There Any Special Events or Activities at the Light Park in Katy?Yes, there are special events at the Light Park in Katy that Houston kids will love! With dazzling lights and a drive-thru experience, it's perfect for creating lasting memories with your family.At the Light Park, you can immerse yourself in the holiday spirit and enjoy beautiful displays and decorations. It's an enchanting holiday attraction that will leave you in awe.Can You Purchase Tickets in Advance for Houston Botanic Garden's Radiant Nature?Yes, you can purchase tickets in advance for Houston Botanic Garden's Radiant Nature. Planning in advance is a great idea to ensure availability and secure your spot.Online booking makes it convenient and easy to purchase tickets from the comfort of your home. Pricing information can be found on their website, allowing you to budget accordingly.Don't miss out on this unique and enchanting holiday attraction, so be sure to get your tickets early!What Is the Admission Fee for Ice Skating at Discovery Green?The admission fee for ice skating at Discovery Green during Christmas break isn't mentioned without the context of Things to Do With Houston Kids Over Christmas Break.Is There a Minimum Age Requirement for Children to Play at Wonderwild Indoor Play Space?At Wonderwild indoor play space, there's no minimum age requirement for children to play. This means that kids of all ages can enjoy the adventure-filled play space and have a great time releasing their energy.Indoor play spaces like Wonderwild provide numerous benefits for children, such as promoting physical activity, stimulating imagination, and promoting social interaction.ConclusionSo gather your family and get ready to make some unforgettable memories this Christmas break in Houston! Whether you're marveling at the extravagant holiday lights in River Oaks and Pecan Grove, exploring the immersive Galaxy Lights event at Space Center Houston, or letting your kids release their energy at Wonderwild or Frolics Castle, there's something for everyone to enjoy.And did you know that Houston Botanic Garden's Radiant Nature features over 100 Chinese lantern installations? It's a truly enchanting experience you won't want to miss! submitted by Sweet-Count2557 to worldkidstravel [link] [comments] |
2024.05.16 23:08 Brilliant-Lychee-518 Flexafen
What Is Flexafen?
Flexafen is a revolutionary new-found formulation that supports joint health. Flexafen is a powerful mix of natural ingredients that can support occasional joint discomfort and cartilage health naturally.It is said to support the synovial fluid and collagen production that can naturally restore the bones and joint cells, tissues and immunity. The formula is 100% naturally formulated to aid the movements and flexibility of your joints on a regular basis.
Flexafen’s powerful formula is designed to temporarily relieve joint aches and discomfort and help bones heal permanently.
The unique blend of herbs and plant extracts in the Flexafen formula can help any adult regardless of their pain and inflammatory conditions heal their joints naturally.
Flexafen joint pain support formula has been tried and tested by thousands of people to improve their joints and bone health by reducing occasional discomfort and aches.
Flexafen is proudly manufactured at a certified lab with a fusion of time-tested and quality-checked ingredients.
Thousands of adults who consume Flexafen supplement have never complained of any side effects as the formula is 100% safe for daily consumption and never causes allergies too.
Flexafen even saves the cost of going for physiotherapy and to an orthopaedic doctor. It naturally solves these problems for you.
How Does Flexafen Works?
Each capsule of Flexafen contains a combination of active substances. However, the “peacemaker protein,” a form of collagen linked to joint health, is the most significant active component of Flexafen.The most prevalent connective protein in the human body is collagen. It helps to support the region around your joints. It provides your skin with organic elasticity and support.
However, as you age, your collagen levels fall, which causes joint pain. Some individuals use collagen supplements as a defence. As a result, the immune system in your body is continually attacking your joints.
Causing tissue damage to the bones, surrounding organs, and all of your cartilage. As long as these assaults continue, you will be in continual discomfort and, very frequently, in excruciating pain.
Thus, the six essential nutrients in this formula encourage prompt relief from various aches and pains. It was created to quickly ease pain, as well as to lessen stiffness and inflammation.
The unusual ingredients in this remedy help you restore control of your body without producing any unfavorable side effects.
This supplement’s contribution to joint flexibility improvement makes possible more fluid and unrestricted mobility. Minimizing wear and tear problems keeps your body overall functioning at a healthier rate.
This supplement’s main goal is to prevent Leaky Joint Syndrome and to improve motion. It preserves the collagen strands that make up the cartilage tissue in your body.
Your body instantly absorbs the nutrients in this supplement, which strengthens your immune system and helps control the production of free radicals. You can stop your body from deteriorating its joints in just 7 seconds by taking Flexafen daily.
Flexafen Ingredients
Flexafen contains the highest-quality, REAL research-backed ingredients, from some of the most trustworthy suppliers on the planet. Flexafen contains the highest-quality, REAL research-backed ingredients, from some of the most trustworthy suppliers on the planet.Inside each capsule of Flexafen™, you’ll find:
1 Collavant n2® Undenatured Type II Collagen
Collavant n2, which was previously called b-2Cool, is a type 2 collagen that is sourced from chicken sternum. It is undenatured, which means that it is a protein that hasn’t gone through structural deformation. It comes from the cartilage of the chicken, and it hasn’t been overly processed. However, it helps consumers to strengthen their own cartilage, which offers support and flexibility in the joints. Since collagen and cartilage both diminish with constant movement and exposure to toxins, restoring it is an important step to improving pain.
2 Boswellia Serrata ExtractA patented synergistic blend of proprietary extracts that come from the sacred Boswellia plant, AprèsFlex® has been shown in THREE separate, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical studies...
To reduce pain, stiffness, and inflammation and provide life-altering results in as quickly as 5 days.3 MSM
The most potent ingredient that consumers will get from the Flexafen formula is MSM, or Methylsulfonylmethane. MSM is used for a multitude of concerns, but it is especially helpful for anyone with arthritis, joint pain, or post-exercise muscle soreness. The main reason that it has such a positive effect is because of the organic sulfur that it uses. This ingredient is crucial for the building of healthy bones and joints, and it even supports the immune system with its increased production of immunoglobulins. These effects can lead to relief from allergies for some consumers.
4 Sodium HyaluronateSodium Hyaluronate is one of the most common ingredients to find in anti-aging remedies because of the profound moisture support that it provides. When the body loses its ability to effectively maintain collagen in the joints, it is almost certain that it is also seen in the skin at the same time. Collagen makes it possible for the skin to hold onto moisture as well, so introducing an ingredient that can restore what it has lost instantly improves the youthful appearance of users.
5 White Willow Bark Extract 4:1The white willow is a type of European willow that is also found in many parts of Asia. The name comes from the underside of the leaves, which are a stark white contrast to the vibrant green topside. In Flexafen, consumers get the support of an extract that is sourced from the bark, which contains salicin.
6 BoronBoron is the last ingredient of this compilation, but it is quite important to healing the joints. This chemical is only needed in small amounts, helping users to reduce their risk of joint pain and bone injuries. However, when the body doesn’t get enough of it, the growth and regeneration of bone tissue can be detrimentally impacted.
Benefits of Flexafen Supplement
Flexafen has been designed to increase your body's natural synovial fluid production in so that it can cushion your joints and significantly reduce pain in ONLY 5-7 days.1 Regular use of Flexafen and resulting a healthy lifestyle also:- Target the root cause of joint pain, leaky joint syndrome, and enjoy long-lasting relief
- Avoid the side effects of dangerous, over-the-counter drugs and prescription opioids
- Avoid having joint pain dominate your life
- Restore mobility and normal movement
- Avoid joint pain, stiffness, and other symptoms
- Enjoy natural, science-backed ingredients – like the peacemaker protein – free of side effects
- Targets The Root Cause of Your Pain For FAST and Lasting Relief
2024.05.16 23:05 TiltControls The Popheads Jukebox Revival, Week 274: Signs and symptoms of concussions: Difficulty paying attention, confusion, personality changes
Welcome back to the Popheads Jukebox! Here are last week’s results:
Some highs for the week as Kendrick takes his disses to the next level and cracks into the 9 point range for his efforts. Though the averages for the week were weighed down on the other end with Normani and Anitta falling far behind the rest of the pack and even failing to crack a 5 average.
—
submitted by TiltControls to popheads [link] [comments]
- Kendrick Lamar - Not Like Us: 9.16
- salute & Rina Sawayama - saving flowers: 8.00
- St. Vincent - Flea: 6.35
- Normani - 1:59 (feat. Gunna): 4.70
- Anitta - Grip: 4.67
- Bruce Springsteen - Dancing in the Dark: 9.67
Rules Refresher
- Rate the songs a score from 1 to 10. Please keep it to one decimal place at the most (so 7.5 is fine but 7.58 is not). Also don’t get too hung up on the final scores. This is a fun exercise and not a competition so don’t worry about oveunder rating things. Just give what you think the song is to you.
- For your review, reply to the comment that will be posted by one of us for each song. Avoid posting your reviews as a top level comment cause we probably won’t notice them if you do. Non-reviews such as questions or general commentary as upper level comments are fine.
- Must have some sort of justification. Try to be a bit more concise than “It’s a bop!” or “I don’t like it”. Explain why! It doesn’t have to be long, two or three sentences can be plenty (though more is definitely allowed). We reserve the right not to include a review in the final total if proper justification is not given.
- You don’t have to review each song to participate! You can do all of them or only the ones you’re familiar with.
- The thread will be open for 6 days and close the following Wednesday at 11PM EST. The scores will be calculated and a new post will come up the next day (Thursday) at 5PM EST(ish) with the next week’s tracks.
This Week’s Tracks
- IVE - HEYA
- Julia Fox - Down the Drain
- Kevin Abstract - Tennessee (feat. Lil Nas X)
- Porter Robinson - KNOCK YOURSELF OUT XD
- WILLOW - symptom of life
—
Next Week
- A.G. Cook - Soulbreaker
- aespa - Supernova
- Camila Cabello - HE KNOWS (feat. Lil Nas X)
- Charli XCX - 360
- Megan Thee Stallion - BOA
- Avril Lavigne - Hello Kitty
Spotify playlist, updated weekly with new tracks that are being rated
Jukebox wiki, where you can find all results
Reminder Discord Server, where you can join to get bi-weekly ping reminders for when new posts go up and when they’re about to close.
2024.05.16 23:02 Faithhal How to Purchase Siberian Husky Puppies in India
Are you ready to welcome a bundle of furry joy into your home? Siberian Husky puppies are not just pets; they're family members, bringing love, laughter, and adventure wherever they go. If you're considering purchasing a Siberian Husky puppy in India, here's a comprehensive guide to help you navigate the process:
By following these steps and doing thorough research, you can find the perfect Siberian Husky puppy to join your family. Whether you choose to purchase from a breeder or adopt from a rescue organization, your new furry friend is sure to bring endless love, joy, and companionship into your life.
submitted by Faithhal to u/Faithhal [link] [comments]
- Research Breeds and Characteristics: Before diving into the world of Siberian Husky ownership, take the time to research the breed's characteristics, temperament, and care requirements. Huskies are known for their high energy levels, intelligence, and independent streak, making them best suited for active and experienced dog owners who can provide ample exercise and mental stimulation.
- Find Reputable Breeders: Seek out reputable breeders who prioritize the health and well-being of their dogs. Look for breeders who are registered with kennel clubs and follow ethical breeding practices. Consider reaching out to local Husky clubs or associations for recommendations, and visit breeder websites or social media pages to learn more about their breeding program and available litters.
- Visit the Breeder and Meet the Puppies: Schedule a visit to the breeder's facility to meet the puppies and their parents in person. This allows you to assess the puppies' health, temperament, and living conditions. Interact with the puppies to gauge their personalities and observe how they interact with each other and with people. A reputable breeder will be transparent and happy to answer any questions you may have.
- Ask About Health Clearances: Inquire about health clearances for the parents of the puppies, including screenings for hip dysplasia, eye diseases, and genetic conditions. Responsible breeders conduct these health tests to ensure that their breeding stock is free from hereditary diseases that could be passed on to the puppies. Request documentation of these health clearances to verify the puppies' health status.
- Consider Adoption: Adoption is a compassionate option for those looking to bring a Siberian Husky into their home. Many rescue organizations and shelters in India have Huskies and Husky mixes available for adoption. Adopting a rescue dog not only gives a deserving pet a second chance at life but also opens up space in shelters for other animals in need.
- Prepare Your Home: Before bringing your Siberian Husky puppy home, prepare your living space to ensure a smooth transition. Set up a cozy sleeping area, puppy-proof your home to remove any hazards, and gather essential supplies such as food and water bowls, a collar and leash, toys, and bedding. Establish a routine for feeding, potty breaks, and training to help your puppy settle in comfortably.
By following these steps and doing thorough research, you can find the perfect Siberian Husky puppy to join your family. Whether you choose to purchase from a breeder or adopt from a rescue organization, your new furry friend is sure to bring endless love, joy, and companionship into your life.
2024.05.16 23:00 AutoModerator The Growth Matrix High Performance for Male
The Immediate Inches Quickstart Guide
This is the first component of the Growth Matrix program that introduces you to the two powerful and effective strumming exercises.
They will help in enhancing the functioning of your penis by increasing its length and girth. It will provide you with a complete guide about what you should do and what you should avoid to give an outstanding sexual performance.
The Benefits Using Growth Matrix Male Enhancement
Improved Blood Supply
Muscle Growth and Stamina
Increased Energy Levels
submitted by AutoModerator to GoingBigger [link] [comments]
This is the first component of the Growth Matrix program that introduces you to the two powerful and effective strumming exercises.
They will help in enhancing the functioning of your penis by increasing its length and girth. It will provide you with a complete guide about what you should do and what you should avoid to give an outstanding sexual performance.
The Benefits Using Growth Matrix Male Enhancement
- Boosts sexual performance.
- Enhances blood supply.
- Supports muscle growth.
- Strengthens endurance.
- Boosts energy levels.
Improved Blood Supply
Muscle Growth and Stamina
Increased Energy Levels
2024.05.16 22:56 Same_Efficiency9832 Finally passed it
Hello guys,
I have recently passed the OSCP exam and decided to give something about my experience back to the community as I have always looked out for this kind of posts when I was learning. It took me around 8 months of almost every day learning.
Previous experience: 5 years of SOC experience, Comptia S+,N+,Pen+. Before security I was developing games in Unity with C# and GameMaker with it's proprietary language.
Learning materials:
1st attempt:
Had a fixation on the AD and could not find my way in for initial access.
After 10 hours of struggle getting it, I finally switched targets to a standalone, rooted it in 1 hour and something then went to sleep. I could find the entry in the AD in the last 3 exam hours. These were enough for me to get in, but I did not have time for the last privesc.
I was chaotic in my attacks, not having a solid methodology and doing the same thing multiple times due to not keeping track of what I already did.
Final score: 30 points (although I was a few commands away from passing)
At this point I had all exercises done, all challenge labs except skylark done + a few from Tj Null's list
I immediately started working on my methodology and the way I track progress and previous attempts. I then re-did OSCP A,B,C labs (not very helpful, it did not feel like I was doing them again for the first time) and fully completed the Skylark challenge lab.
2nd attempt:
I could find my entry into the AD quite fast but was stuck there before I could elevate my privileges on the first machine. After 10 or so hours I again switched targets to a standalone, rooted it in 1 hour and something and then went to sleep. Upon waking up I went back to the AD but could not make any further progress.
Final score: 30 points while being further away from passing than in my first attempt...
At this point I had done all challenge labs and all pg practice boxes in TJ Null's list
I must admit that this hurt me pretty bad since I had no idea what hit me. Being into this position, I decided that although I did not pass, I should submit the report that cointains what I could compromise and all attempts of advancing my attack into the AD, so I can get some kind of feedback of what I should do next.
I was then of course, told to re-read most of the pen-200 pdf's modules.
I took the advice since at that point I had no idea of what to do next. I read the guide again from page one to page 870+ to make sure I catch everything. It took 5-6 days. While reading it I could see stuff that I did not see while reading it the first time and these findings included possible solutions to my second exam's blocking point.
After finishing the guide again, I rooted all intermediate level boxes in the PG Practice platform. I even had a streak of 10 machines rooted without a single hint. I was quite pleased with that progress and scheduled my 3rd attempt.
3rd attempt: I got the same AD set as in my 2nd attempt. One of the possible solutions from my research worked and I got to advance my attack into the AD. I finished it 2 to 3 hours total.
It then took me another 2 hours to fully compromise a standalone machine. I was stunned at having 70 points in under 5 hours.
I took a big break to eat well and went back to try and get that 110 score. After 4 more hours I rooted another standalone. I then took another break and tried for 3 hours to get on the last one. I was getting somewhere but decided that it would be better to just go sleep for 5 ish hours and focus on good notes of what I did so far.
I could not sleep well due to having nightmares of bad stuff happening to my computer but it still helped. Drank my morning coffee then proceeded to revert and exploit everything from 0 while taking very detailed notes with screenshots and console input/output.
The report writing took around 10 hours total. I also used some of the report time to sleep better and do it as best as I can.
My advice:
submitted by Same_Efficiency9832 to oscp [link] [comments]
I have recently passed the OSCP exam and decided to give something about my experience back to the community as I have always looked out for this kind of posts when I was learning. It took me around 8 months of almost every day learning.
Previous experience: 5 years of SOC experience, Comptia S+,N+,Pen+. Before security I was developing games in Unity with C# and GameMaker with it's proprietary language.
Learning materials:
- All pwk module labs (exercises)
- All challenge labs (including Skylark)
- PG Practice: Tj null list + all easy & intermediate (community rated) boxes
1st attempt:
Had a fixation on the AD and could not find my way in for initial access.
After 10 hours of struggle getting it, I finally switched targets to a standalone, rooted it in 1 hour and something then went to sleep. I could find the entry in the AD in the last 3 exam hours. These were enough for me to get in, but I did not have time for the last privesc.
I was chaotic in my attacks, not having a solid methodology and doing the same thing multiple times due to not keeping track of what I already did.
Final score: 30 points (although I was a few commands away from passing)
At this point I had all exercises done, all challenge labs except skylark done + a few from Tj Null's list
I immediately started working on my methodology and the way I track progress and previous attempts. I then re-did OSCP A,B,C labs (not very helpful, it did not feel like I was doing them again for the first time) and fully completed the Skylark challenge lab.
2nd attempt:
I could find my entry into the AD quite fast but was stuck there before I could elevate my privileges on the first machine. After 10 or so hours I again switched targets to a standalone, rooted it in 1 hour and something and then went to sleep. Upon waking up I went back to the AD but could not make any further progress.
Final score: 30 points while being further away from passing than in my first attempt...
At this point I had done all challenge labs and all pg practice boxes in TJ Null's list
I must admit that this hurt me pretty bad since I had no idea what hit me. Being into this position, I decided that although I did not pass, I should submit the report that cointains what I could compromise and all attempts of advancing my attack into the AD, so I can get some kind of feedback of what I should do next.
I was then of course, told to re-read most of the pen-200 pdf's modules.
I took the advice since at that point I had no idea of what to do next. I read the guide again from page one to page 870+ to make sure I catch everything. It took 5-6 days. While reading it I could see stuff that I did not see while reading it the first time and these findings included possible solutions to my second exam's blocking point.
After finishing the guide again, I rooted all intermediate level boxes in the PG Practice platform. I even had a streak of 10 machines rooted without a single hint. I was quite pleased with that progress and scheduled my 3rd attempt.
3rd attempt: I got the same AD set as in my 2nd attempt. One of the possible solutions from my research worked and I got to advance my attack into the AD. I finished it 2 to 3 hours total.
It then took me another 2 hours to fully compromise a standalone machine. I was stunned at having 70 points in under 5 hours.
I took a big break to eat well and went back to try and get that 110 score. After 4 more hours I rooted another standalone. I then took another break and tried for 3 hours to get on the last one. I was getting somewhere but decided that it would be better to just go sleep for 5 ish hours and focus on good notes of what I did so far.
I could not sleep well due to having nightmares of bad stuff happening to my computer but it still helped. Drank my morning coffee then proceeded to revert and exploit everything from 0 while taking very detailed notes with screenshots and console input/output.
The report writing took around 10 hours total. I also used some of the report time to sleep better and do it as best as I can.
My advice:
- Do not overly fixate on the AD part. You could compromise the 3 standalones and pass with the bonus points
- Do not overcomplicate the techniques you use. I remember trying to port a Linux exploit into a Windows one by modifying it's source code in my first attempt. Remember that the exam is not supposed to be OSEP level. Just make sure to enumerate well and you will find the path.
- Read the guide again before the exam as there can be stuff you did not pay enough attention to when reading it for the first time while doing exercises. This I think is the best advice I can give you besides doing all labs and all easy-intermediate pg practice boxes.
- Do not try to take shortcuts with this course since the only thing you will be cheating is yourself.
2024.05.16 22:53 Legitimate_Royal_463 9 months later, still missing my ex that I broke things off with ... a long story, with no good ending, no resolution, and no great moral
I'm not sure what I'm looking for, I guess just wanted to write out what I'd been feeling and put it somewhere. I'm using a burner account, and no real names, I just needed to vent this somewhere
I dated my ex (I won't bother with names) for 4 years, and broke things off last summer. Like all relationships it was complicated, but now - nine months later - I still have no idea if I did the right thing, and am left feeling rudderless and adrift.
I'm 41, she's 32 - we met online four-ish years ago, immediately hit it off and started seeing each other 3-4 times a week. We started dating in Jan 2020 ... two months later, covid hit, and our entire state was essentially locked down. We went from dating to basically living together after two months - which, at the time, was great with me .. we were in love, and things seemed great. My parents split up when I was 19. In my 20's and early 30's, I'd made some bad choices with romantic partners - and chased after people who were emotionally unavailable, fundamentally. It took many years of therapy and introspection, but I had been actively making and effort to only date people I saw a real future with.
She (at 28) had never really dated anyone before. She explained she had some very severe trauma as a child, and coupled with abusive parents, she had never put herself out there really, and had focused on work, and fitness, and school. Her father had cheated on her mother when she was a child, and she knew about it (from a very young age). I heard all this, and tried to be as empathic and understanding and reassuring as I could -> after all, it wasn't anything she had done, and I thought she was a badass for overcoming that kind of abuse. We hit it off straight away, and seemed to have tons in common, and those first few months together were incredible. She still lived at home, with her parents - and for the duration of our relationship never moved out, or found her own space.
Things started to get strange when one day, I liked a female friend's post on Instagram ... this was someone I'd known for 5-6 years, and I was friends with long before I knew my gf. In retrospect, my friend's post was a bit thirsty .. your classic "I'm powerful, self possessed" look-at-me photos that showed a bit too much skin - and I should have just kept browsing, but I tapped 'like' (one of probably 20 posts I liked that day from all kinds of different friend) and moved on.
A few hours later, my gf called me, furious, and accused me of using her 'as a place holder' because - in her mind - I obviously REALLY wanted to be with this other friend of mine, and was using her. This came completely out of left field to me, and we had a 2-hour phone argument where I apologized, told her I'd remove the 'like', whatever she wanted. She kept circling back again and again that it was "totally normal" to go through a partners friend list / liked posts because "anyone can see them, they're public". We went back and forth, I was frantic and after we got off the phone, I went through my Instagram and basically purged any attractive female friend I had, and removed any likes I had to any post that might be weird or suspect. From them on I rarely used social media at all - but every few months my ex would find a new friend on my social media she didn't like, or suspected - even after I stopped interacting with social media at all.
This same sort of low-level suspicion persisted throughout our relationship. If I was looking at my phone, she wanted to know what I was reading, who I was talking to, etc. I have never cheated on a partner in my life, in fact I had been cheated on twice - so the sort of dull, constant suspicion really upset me - and after a while it almost felt like she was trying to manifest / discover some kind of secret infidelity. The tragic part is that we got along great otherwise, she loved my (male) friends, loved my family, and we had a relaxed and loving relationship besides occasional flare ups. But the suspicion never went away, or changed - and this sort of underlying insecurity was a constant background white noise of our relationship. She especially took a disliking to my roommates girlfriend, and made it a point to always talk about how much she disliked her, how they weren't going to last - etc (I can't say I blame her, the girl in question was not awesome .. but I never understood why his g/f should have such an outsized effect on our relationship). Despite all this, I thought she was an a kind, empathic, intelligent woman - and I saw a life with her, I saw starting a family with her - as real possiblities.
She grew very attached to my family, which also started to make me wonder what was going on. Many times, first thing in the morning, before coffee or anything else, she'd ask me "how's your mom? how's your dad?" - and would always want to know if she was 'still their favorite'. The first few times I thought it was charming - but it kept going on, to the point I had to push back and ask her "hey, please stop asking me first thing in the morning about the status of my family" ... for reference, I lived on the opposite side of the country from them, and would only get to see them for the holidays (which she was always invited to). I had a very challenging period of my life with my family, from 15-30 my family was fractured, my parents split up, it was messy ... but through years of effort, and time and patience forgiveness, I had built strong, loving relationships with both my parents individually, and my siblings besides. I sometimes got the sense that she even loved my family more than me, and that I was - weirdly - almost an obstacle between her and them. I told her as much, that sometimes I almost was jealous of how much she loved them, and wished that she could point that in my direction sometimes - knowing that they would be part of the package. She never did that same work with her own family - who were deeply dysfunctional, combative and sometimes outright hostile to one another. As crazy as it sounds, I often felt like she was almost trying to reap the rewards of the many years of hard work I had done - without an appreciation for how hard it had been to build new, adult relationships with my parents.
After a year and a half she found a new job, in a new industry, at a high profile company - and for the first six months she was there, she seemed to be able to manage the stress. I asked her if she wanted to maybe find a place together, to move in together for real ... but she kind of brushed it off. I would ask her again every few months, and would be met with the same sort of half-maybe-sorta-we'll-see ...
She suffered a major concussion two years into our relationship, which is when things really started to change. She never went to therapy, or saw a doctor to get treated ... and as the months went by, she became obsessed, almost addicted, to her job. It was all-consuming for her, and occupied all her thought and effort and time ... our relationship became an afterthought, and would mostly be relegated to her staying over (because my apt was closer to her office than her parent's house) - then me cooking her breakfast and seeing her off in the morning - and getting take out when she got back at night. She became more and more locked into her job, and our relationship became more and more platonic and less and less romantic / sexual... which is not uncommon when people are stressed out, or exhausted - but we couldn't seem to find time or space to fix what was happening. We talked, and communicated - but her reaction to stress was to go inside herself, and cut the world off -> and my stress reaction has often been the same.
We grew more and more distant over the next year, I also got a new job that ate up a ton of my time, so we would only see each other for an hour or two in the evenings, or on the weekends when we were up for it. I have a habit of pushing the people I care about away when I am not doing well emotionally .. it's the biggest recurring issue I've had in my life. I've been to therapy for it, and have ways to manage stress including meditation, exercise and a healthy diet - all of which allow me to function. But as the months went by, I got more and more stressed out as we became more distant - and I started to fall apart, and started to feel more and more alone and isolated. I'm sure I could have been better, or more attentive, or more patient ... and I in no way want to trying to pin any blame on her. After all, I'm just 1/2 of the relationship, and 1/2 of the story. After not seeing each other for a few weeks, I had to go out of town for a week for my job - to deal with a long and stressful convention ... and when I came back, we didn't see each other for another week.
I wanted her to come see me, but couldn't come out and say it ... I wanted her to intuit my needs, which she OF COURSE was not able to do. She wanted me to tell her I desperately wanted to see her, which she couldn't articulate because she wanted ME to intuit her needs ... and round and round it went. Lack of communication.
We did see each other eventually, what started as a small disagreement blew up. It started after my ex starting talking about my roommate's girlfriend, or she said something nasty about her. I was upset because we hadn't seen each other in weeks, why would this girl be the first thing on her mind? What about us? I totally overreacted and pushed her away - it was a long and stupid argument, where we both ended up dredging up things from months and years before .. we broke up, she left. In my self-righteous indignation, I felt justified in the moment ... but as the hours passed, and days passed, I was miserable and knew I had made a horrible mistake. My friends at the time told me I'd done the right thing, and that we had long standing issues that I had been mentioning throughout our relationship ... she liked her well enough, but wanted me to be happy, and told me that I had, ultimately, done what I thought was right at the time - and not to doubt myself. But I did, I got fully stuck in my head about it - and was desperate (yes, the D word) to try again.
Over the next few weeks she totally ignored me, wouldn't respond to my calls, or messages. I didn't expect her to - but I practically begged her to give it another chance with me. But she had totally shut down, and in her (later) words "she was never going to speak to me again." She did, eventually, after a few weeks, respond to me. We talked, I apologized, tried to explain that she was the world to me, and I knew I had made a massive mistake, and desperately wanted a chance to try again - to make things right.
She agreed, eventually. We met up for dinner, and slowly talked things out - I was still honestly pretty upset, but we kept seeing each other, started making it a point to go on dates, to get to know each other again. She believed I had cheated on her, that I had met another woman and that this had all been a pretext ... I caught her going through my phone after I got out of the shower. There was nothing to find, but I couldn't believe that she still, after years together, suspected I had been unfaithful to her. But that was just a bump in the road, we talked it out. Things seemed to be getting better. We shared an amazing thanksgiving together, and I genuinely felt like we had turned a corner and were as close as we had ever been ... so did she.
The next Monday, at work, she got another concussion - worse than the first. From this point on, her entire personality shifted ... Which I have learned, in the months that followed, is just something that can happen with head trauma. She didn't want to spend time together nearly as much, she fully retreated into herself, and her family. She wouldn't come visit at all anymore - even if I was willing to pick her up / drop her off ... she would only agree to meet for platonic dinners at a halfway point between our houses. She started seeing a doctor, a neurologist, doing PT work ... but she just kept seeming to get further and further away. If I invited her over, she was always want to know if my roomate's g/f "might" be there, or if we'd be alone ... and if there was even a chance this girl would be there (even though we could spend time in my room, or in the common living room without interference) - my ex would just stay home.
Six or seven months of this went by ... we kept sort of drifting apart, and it seemed like no matter how much I tried to communicate, or bridge the divide between us (which, to be honest, it felt like I was doing 3/4 of the work to keep this thing going) - we just kept drifting. After her second concussion, we stopped being intimate all together ... she was still convinced I had been with other women while we were apart, and demanded I get tested for STDs for her to trust me again. I let my pride get in the way, and should just have done it - but I had not been with or dated anyone else in the few weeks we were apart, and I couldn't get over that she still wouldn't trust me at my word.. after almost 4 years together, I still had to prove myself.
But I didn't, I was stubborn and dug my heels in - so our last potential shot at intimacy evaporated. We became basically platonic buddies ... we still loved each other, said we loved on another every day - but I always felt like I was chasing her, hoping for some kind of emotional connection or breakthrough or common ground that never manifested. By the time July rolled around, I was a total mess ... I felt completely alone, isolated, and like the person I knew and loved had drifted off, and there wasn't a way to get her back. For two months I said that I was really struggling, I was feeling really disconnected and that I missed her all the time - that I wanted to get back to baseline but didn't know how, and that I wanted her help or guidance. She said she felt like she was gradually getting back to where she started, but had no clear picture of how long that might take, and couldn't give me any kind of definitive answer if things would get better again - or how things might get better again.
It never happened. With another month-long work event looming on the horizon, and my stress levels climbing and climbing, I felt like I was on the edge of a nervous breakdown. Eventually, after one of our platonic dates, I had a full on breakdown, and tearfully told her how isolated I was feeling, how I felt like I'd lost her, and how I felt totally clueless how to fix things. She had no ideas to offer, no guidance on how to navigate any of this, and no suggestions how to get back to some kind of baseline. It all poured out from both sides ... she didn't feel like she could trust me ever since we'd got back together, I felt like she neve really let me back in. But we both agreed that that one thanksgiving had been amazing ... and we wished we could find a way back to that place - but had no idea how.
I told her I needed a month, or two, I needed to start seeing a therapist, I needed to put myself back together because I felt like I was falling apart. I told her I wished that we could take a breathe - and come back on more solid footing because I had fucked up when I broke things off before. I had come back from a place of sadness and desperation - and had not given either of us a chance to heal before trying to undo the damage I'd caused. I wanted to meet her on even footing, from a place of mutual strength and try again ...
To her, this was just me breaking up with her again.. which I tried to say "no, I don't want to lose you, but I'm fucked up and need to just right the ship a bit in my life because I am totally losing it ..." But, sometimes it doesn't matter. To her, I was leaving her again, giving up. I had no idea if she'd speak to me again, but I felt so broken I didn't know what else to do.
I took two months, without contact, and started seeing a therapist, started exercising again, got through my hell-month at work. I tried reaching out again to her, multiple times after that ... but I never heard back. A few months went by - I missed her more and more, I didn't heal or get better, I didn't feel like I'd done the right thing. My friends told me I had, my family was supportive - my friends especially have told me time and time again that ultimately, I did the right thing, that I did what was right 'for me' ... but to me, the reassurance didn't matter. There was a giant, gaping hole in my life that I had no idea what to do with. This was a woman I had wanted to marry, that I had wanted to life with, to build and share a life with -> and at one point, I know she wanted the same. I felt so terrible, and couldn't handle the memories of the place I was in, that I resigned from my job (which was ok, it was a horrible grind, that while it paid ok, didn't have any kind of upward mobility) .. and after a lot of thought, I moved back across the country because it was too painful for me to be in that place, surrounded by the memories - living with the ghosts. My friend group had been slowly dispersing, getting new jobs in new cities, having kids and getting on with life - and I didn't see a reason to stay anymore. I debated reaching out to my ex to let her know I was moving - but it had been months without a word, she had not responded to any of my attempts to talk to her, to meet her even for coffee, or to return the few things of hers I still had - and I knew that if I did reach out - it would ultimately be a selfish act, hoping that somehow she might say 'oh no, he's leaving for good' ... so I didn't. I'm still not sure if she knows I left.
I've been saying with family, slowly putting the pieces of my life back together. I'm taking classes, and plan on switching careers into a new field that I may actually am passionate about. I'll find my own place again in a month or two, but truth is I missed my family dearly, and have been helping both my aging parents with years of neglected repairs and yard work - and seeing my siblings and their families again after a decade of living on the opposite coast and getting to see them 'maybe' once a year around the holidays. Plus after paying insane rent to random landlords for over a decade, its been nice to have a few months of feeling grounded, and to put work into where I'm living. My family has been thrilled, and glad to have me around again.
But it's made no difference, really. I still think of her every day. Some days are easier than others, and I can manage to stay focused on classes and work and fitness - but in so many ways my life feels totally hollow now. I'm stuck wondering if I completely fucked up a good thing, and wasted what might have been my last shot at starting a family of my own, of having a real partner. I'm 41, realistically my chances get slimmer by the year. Or maybe I did totally the right thing, and I got out of a degenerating situation that had been nagging at me for months and months that something was deeply wrong. Or maybe it was somewhere in between those two poles. There's no way to know, and I'm limited to my own side, and my own perspective - and trapped in that middle ground of wondering how things "MIGHT" have gone had X Y or Z happened differently. I wish I had some kind of clarity, or certainty, but I don't.
I guess things are getting a bit easier, as the days and weeks and months go by - but its only by fractions of a degree. I miss her, or maybe just miss the person she used to be, if that person still exists. Head trauma is ... complicated - because the person looks the same, sounds the same ... but the person you knew, the person you fell in love with, isn't really the same person anymore. Its almost like, mourning the death of someone who is still alive, if that makes sense.
So here I am, taking it one day at a time, hoping for some brighter tomorrow, some slow healing or revelation or clarity that I did the right thing - but all I have are doubts. There's no closure to be found because all I ever got was silence. I've done everything people have recommended - focused on myself, focused on health and fitness, focus on learning new skills, on meeting new people, gone on dates, focused on family, focused on growing -> but it hasn't helped the giant, gaping hole in my life, and the never-ending uncertainty.
I expect no sympathy, or empathy ... and knowing reddit, I'll get a lot of people piling on to tell me what a piece of shit I am, lol'ing at how I fucked up my own life, and telling me she's better off without me. But then again sometimes even Reddit can surprise you with the insightful and thoughtful responses. More than anything, I just wanted to write this down somewhere, anywhere - to get it out of my head and my heart. Because the more it stews, the worse I feel. Thanks for reading, if you managed to make it this far.. its a long, messy, meandering story without any real ending. Will I hear from her again? Probably not. Will I get over her? Eventually I'm sure ... but what happens between now and then is anyone's guess. What ever it is, it'll happen on day, one moment at a time.
tldr; sometimes things just end - without someone cheating, or abusing the other person, or any real good way to sum it up. Life and relationships are long, complicated, nuanced and messy. Take care all, appreciate what you have while you have it, take it one day at a time
submitted by Legitimate_Royal_463 to BreakUps [link] [comments]
I dated my ex (I won't bother with names) for 4 years, and broke things off last summer. Like all relationships it was complicated, but now - nine months later - I still have no idea if I did the right thing, and am left feeling rudderless and adrift.
I'm 41, she's 32 - we met online four-ish years ago, immediately hit it off and started seeing each other 3-4 times a week. We started dating in Jan 2020 ... two months later, covid hit, and our entire state was essentially locked down. We went from dating to basically living together after two months - which, at the time, was great with me .. we were in love, and things seemed great. My parents split up when I was 19. In my 20's and early 30's, I'd made some bad choices with romantic partners - and chased after people who were emotionally unavailable, fundamentally. It took many years of therapy and introspection, but I had been actively making and effort to only date people I saw a real future with.
She (at 28) had never really dated anyone before. She explained she had some very severe trauma as a child, and coupled with abusive parents, she had never put herself out there really, and had focused on work, and fitness, and school. Her father had cheated on her mother when she was a child, and she knew about it (from a very young age). I heard all this, and tried to be as empathic and understanding and reassuring as I could -> after all, it wasn't anything she had done, and I thought she was a badass for overcoming that kind of abuse. We hit it off straight away, and seemed to have tons in common, and those first few months together were incredible. She still lived at home, with her parents - and for the duration of our relationship never moved out, or found her own space.
Things started to get strange when one day, I liked a female friend's post on Instagram ... this was someone I'd known for 5-6 years, and I was friends with long before I knew my gf. In retrospect, my friend's post was a bit thirsty .. your classic "I'm powerful, self possessed" look-at-me photos that showed a bit too much skin - and I should have just kept browsing, but I tapped 'like' (one of probably 20 posts I liked that day from all kinds of different friend) and moved on.
A few hours later, my gf called me, furious, and accused me of using her 'as a place holder' because - in her mind - I obviously REALLY wanted to be with this other friend of mine, and was using her. This came completely out of left field to me, and we had a 2-hour phone argument where I apologized, told her I'd remove the 'like', whatever she wanted. She kept circling back again and again that it was "totally normal" to go through a partners friend list / liked posts because "anyone can see them, they're public". We went back and forth, I was frantic and after we got off the phone, I went through my Instagram and basically purged any attractive female friend I had, and removed any likes I had to any post that might be weird or suspect. From them on I rarely used social media at all - but every few months my ex would find a new friend on my social media she didn't like, or suspected - even after I stopped interacting with social media at all.
This same sort of low-level suspicion persisted throughout our relationship. If I was looking at my phone, she wanted to know what I was reading, who I was talking to, etc. I have never cheated on a partner in my life, in fact I had been cheated on twice - so the sort of dull, constant suspicion really upset me - and after a while it almost felt like she was trying to manifest / discover some kind of secret infidelity. The tragic part is that we got along great otherwise, she loved my (male) friends, loved my family, and we had a relaxed and loving relationship besides occasional flare ups. But the suspicion never went away, or changed - and this sort of underlying insecurity was a constant background white noise of our relationship. She especially took a disliking to my roommates girlfriend, and made it a point to always talk about how much she disliked her, how they weren't going to last - etc (I can't say I blame her, the girl in question was not awesome .. but I never understood why his g/f should have such an outsized effect on our relationship). Despite all this, I thought she was an a kind, empathic, intelligent woman - and I saw a life with her, I saw starting a family with her - as real possiblities.
She grew very attached to my family, which also started to make me wonder what was going on. Many times, first thing in the morning, before coffee or anything else, she'd ask me "how's your mom? how's your dad?" - and would always want to know if she was 'still their favorite'. The first few times I thought it was charming - but it kept going on, to the point I had to push back and ask her "hey, please stop asking me first thing in the morning about the status of my family" ... for reference, I lived on the opposite side of the country from them, and would only get to see them for the holidays (which she was always invited to). I had a very challenging period of my life with my family, from 15-30 my family was fractured, my parents split up, it was messy ... but through years of effort, and time and patience forgiveness, I had built strong, loving relationships with both my parents individually, and my siblings besides. I sometimes got the sense that she even loved my family more than me, and that I was - weirdly - almost an obstacle between her and them. I told her as much, that sometimes I almost was jealous of how much she loved them, and wished that she could point that in my direction sometimes - knowing that they would be part of the package. She never did that same work with her own family - who were deeply dysfunctional, combative and sometimes outright hostile to one another. As crazy as it sounds, I often felt like she was almost trying to reap the rewards of the many years of hard work I had done - without an appreciation for how hard it had been to build new, adult relationships with my parents.
After a year and a half she found a new job, in a new industry, at a high profile company - and for the first six months she was there, she seemed to be able to manage the stress. I asked her if she wanted to maybe find a place together, to move in together for real ... but she kind of brushed it off. I would ask her again every few months, and would be met with the same sort of half-maybe-sorta-we'll-see ...
She suffered a major concussion two years into our relationship, which is when things really started to change. She never went to therapy, or saw a doctor to get treated ... and as the months went by, she became obsessed, almost addicted, to her job. It was all-consuming for her, and occupied all her thought and effort and time ... our relationship became an afterthought, and would mostly be relegated to her staying over (because my apt was closer to her office than her parent's house) - then me cooking her breakfast and seeing her off in the morning - and getting take out when she got back at night. She became more and more locked into her job, and our relationship became more and more platonic and less and less romantic / sexual... which is not uncommon when people are stressed out, or exhausted - but we couldn't seem to find time or space to fix what was happening. We talked, and communicated - but her reaction to stress was to go inside herself, and cut the world off -> and my stress reaction has often been the same.
We grew more and more distant over the next year, I also got a new job that ate up a ton of my time, so we would only see each other for an hour or two in the evenings, or on the weekends when we were up for it. I have a habit of pushing the people I care about away when I am not doing well emotionally .. it's the biggest recurring issue I've had in my life. I've been to therapy for it, and have ways to manage stress including meditation, exercise and a healthy diet - all of which allow me to function. But as the months went by, I got more and more stressed out as we became more distant - and I started to fall apart, and started to feel more and more alone and isolated. I'm sure I could have been better, or more attentive, or more patient ... and I in no way want to trying to pin any blame on her. After all, I'm just 1/2 of the relationship, and 1/2 of the story. After not seeing each other for a few weeks, I had to go out of town for a week for my job - to deal with a long and stressful convention ... and when I came back, we didn't see each other for another week.
I wanted her to come see me, but couldn't come out and say it ... I wanted her to intuit my needs, which she OF COURSE was not able to do. She wanted me to tell her I desperately wanted to see her, which she couldn't articulate because she wanted ME to intuit her needs ... and round and round it went. Lack of communication.
We did see each other eventually, what started as a small disagreement blew up. It started after my ex starting talking about my roommate's girlfriend, or she said something nasty about her. I was upset because we hadn't seen each other in weeks, why would this girl be the first thing on her mind? What about us? I totally overreacted and pushed her away - it was a long and stupid argument, where we both ended up dredging up things from months and years before .. we broke up, she left. In my self-righteous indignation, I felt justified in the moment ... but as the hours passed, and days passed, I was miserable and knew I had made a horrible mistake. My friends at the time told me I'd done the right thing, and that we had long standing issues that I had been mentioning throughout our relationship ... she liked her well enough, but wanted me to be happy, and told me that I had, ultimately, done what I thought was right at the time - and not to doubt myself. But I did, I got fully stuck in my head about it - and was desperate (yes, the D word) to try again.
Over the next few weeks she totally ignored me, wouldn't respond to my calls, or messages. I didn't expect her to - but I practically begged her to give it another chance with me. But she had totally shut down, and in her (later) words "she was never going to speak to me again." She did, eventually, after a few weeks, respond to me. We talked, I apologized, tried to explain that she was the world to me, and I knew I had made a massive mistake, and desperately wanted a chance to try again - to make things right.
She agreed, eventually. We met up for dinner, and slowly talked things out - I was still honestly pretty upset, but we kept seeing each other, started making it a point to go on dates, to get to know each other again. She believed I had cheated on her, that I had met another woman and that this had all been a pretext ... I caught her going through my phone after I got out of the shower. There was nothing to find, but I couldn't believe that she still, after years together, suspected I had been unfaithful to her. But that was just a bump in the road, we talked it out. Things seemed to be getting better. We shared an amazing thanksgiving together, and I genuinely felt like we had turned a corner and were as close as we had ever been ... so did she.
The next Monday, at work, she got another concussion - worse than the first. From this point on, her entire personality shifted ... Which I have learned, in the months that followed, is just something that can happen with head trauma. She didn't want to spend time together nearly as much, she fully retreated into herself, and her family. She wouldn't come visit at all anymore - even if I was willing to pick her up / drop her off ... she would only agree to meet for platonic dinners at a halfway point between our houses. She started seeing a doctor, a neurologist, doing PT work ... but she just kept seeming to get further and further away. If I invited her over, she was always want to know if my roomate's g/f "might" be there, or if we'd be alone ... and if there was even a chance this girl would be there (even though we could spend time in my room, or in the common living room without interference) - my ex would just stay home.
Six or seven months of this went by ... we kept sort of drifting apart, and it seemed like no matter how much I tried to communicate, or bridge the divide between us (which, to be honest, it felt like I was doing 3/4 of the work to keep this thing going) - we just kept drifting. After her second concussion, we stopped being intimate all together ... she was still convinced I had been with other women while we were apart, and demanded I get tested for STDs for her to trust me again. I let my pride get in the way, and should just have done it - but I had not been with or dated anyone else in the few weeks we were apart, and I couldn't get over that she still wouldn't trust me at my word.. after almost 4 years together, I still had to prove myself.
But I didn't, I was stubborn and dug my heels in - so our last potential shot at intimacy evaporated. We became basically platonic buddies ... we still loved each other, said we loved on another every day - but I always felt like I was chasing her, hoping for some kind of emotional connection or breakthrough or common ground that never manifested. By the time July rolled around, I was a total mess ... I felt completely alone, isolated, and like the person I knew and loved had drifted off, and there wasn't a way to get her back. For two months I said that I was really struggling, I was feeling really disconnected and that I missed her all the time - that I wanted to get back to baseline but didn't know how, and that I wanted her help or guidance. She said she felt like she was gradually getting back to where she started, but had no clear picture of how long that might take, and couldn't give me any kind of definitive answer if things would get better again - or how things might get better again.
It never happened. With another month-long work event looming on the horizon, and my stress levels climbing and climbing, I felt like I was on the edge of a nervous breakdown. Eventually, after one of our platonic dates, I had a full on breakdown, and tearfully told her how isolated I was feeling, how I felt like I'd lost her, and how I felt totally clueless how to fix things. She had no ideas to offer, no guidance on how to navigate any of this, and no suggestions how to get back to some kind of baseline. It all poured out from both sides ... she didn't feel like she could trust me ever since we'd got back together, I felt like she neve really let me back in. But we both agreed that that one thanksgiving had been amazing ... and we wished we could find a way back to that place - but had no idea how.
I told her I needed a month, or two, I needed to start seeing a therapist, I needed to put myself back together because I felt like I was falling apart. I told her I wished that we could take a breathe - and come back on more solid footing because I had fucked up when I broke things off before. I had come back from a place of sadness and desperation - and had not given either of us a chance to heal before trying to undo the damage I'd caused. I wanted to meet her on even footing, from a place of mutual strength and try again ...
To her, this was just me breaking up with her again.. which I tried to say "no, I don't want to lose you, but I'm fucked up and need to just right the ship a bit in my life because I am totally losing it ..." But, sometimes it doesn't matter. To her, I was leaving her again, giving up. I had no idea if she'd speak to me again, but I felt so broken I didn't know what else to do.
I took two months, without contact, and started seeing a therapist, started exercising again, got through my hell-month at work. I tried reaching out again to her, multiple times after that ... but I never heard back. A few months went by - I missed her more and more, I didn't heal or get better, I didn't feel like I'd done the right thing. My friends told me I had, my family was supportive - my friends especially have told me time and time again that ultimately, I did the right thing, that I did what was right 'for me' ... but to me, the reassurance didn't matter. There was a giant, gaping hole in my life that I had no idea what to do with. This was a woman I had wanted to marry, that I had wanted to life with, to build and share a life with -> and at one point, I know she wanted the same. I felt so terrible, and couldn't handle the memories of the place I was in, that I resigned from my job (which was ok, it was a horrible grind, that while it paid ok, didn't have any kind of upward mobility) .. and after a lot of thought, I moved back across the country because it was too painful for me to be in that place, surrounded by the memories - living with the ghosts. My friend group had been slowly dispersing, getting new jobs in new cities, having kids and getting on with life - and I didn't see a reason to stay anymore. I debated reaching out to my ex to let her know I was moving - but it had been months without a word, she had not responded to any of my attempts to talk to her, to meet her even for coffee, or to return the few things of hers I still had - and I knew that if I did reach out - it would ultimately be a selfish act, hoping that somehow she might say 'oh no, he's leaving for good' ... so I didn't. I'm still not sure if she knows I left.
I've been saying with family, slowly putting the pieces of my life back together. I'm taking classes, and plan on switching careers into a new field that I may actually am passionate about. I'll find my own place again in a month or two, but truth is I missed my family dearly, and have been helping both my aging parents with years of neglected repairs and yard work - and seeing my siblings and their families again after a decade of living on the opposite coast and getting to see them 'maybe' once a year around the holidays. Plus after paying insane rent to random landlords for over a decade, its been nice to have a few months of feeling grounded, and to put work into where I'm living. My family has been thrilled, and glad to have me around again.
But it's made no difference, really. I still think of her every day. Some days are easier than others, and I can manage to stay focused on classes and work and fitness - but in so many ways my life feels totally hollow now. I'm stuck wondering if I completely fucked up a good thing, and wasted what might have been my last shot at starting a family of my own, of having a real partner. I'm 41, realistically my chances get slimmer by the year. Or maybe I did totally the right thing, and I got out of a degenerating situation that had been nagging at me for months and months that something was deeply wrong. Or maybe it was somewhere in between those two poles. There's no way to know, and I'm limited to my own side, and my own perspective - and trapped in that middle ground of wondering how things "MIGHT" have gone had X Y or Z happened differently. I wish I had some kind of clarity, or certainty, but I don't.
I guess things are getting a bit easier, as the days and weeks and months go by - but its only by fractions of a degree. I miss her, or maybe just miss the person she used to be, if that person still exists. Head trauma is ... complicated - because the person looks the same, sounds the same ... but the person you knew, the person you fell in love with, isn't really the same person anymore. Its almost like, mourning the death of someone who is still alive, if that makes sense.
So here I am, taking it one day at a time, hoping for some brighter tomorrow, some slow healing or revelation or clarity that I did the right thing - but all I have are doubts. There's no closure to be found because all I ever got was silence. I've done everything people have recommended - focused on myself, focused on health and fitness, focus on learning new skills, on meeting new people, gone on dates, focused on family, focused on growing -> but it hasn't helped the giant, gaping hole in my life, and the never-ending uncertainty.
I expect no sympathy, or empathy ... and knowing reddit, I'll get a lot of people piling on to tell me what a piece of shit I am, lol'ing at how I fucked up my own life, and telling me she's better off without me. But then again sometimes even Reddit can surprise you with the insightful and thoughtful responses. More than anything, I just wanted to write this down somewhere, anywhere - to get it out of my head and my heart. Because the more it stews, the worse I feel. Thanks for reading, if you managed to make it this far.. its a long, messy, meandering story without any real ending. Will I hear from her again? Probably not. Will I get over her? Eventually I'm sure ... but what happens between now and then is anyone's guess. What ever it is, it'll happen on day, one moment at a time.
tldr; sometimes things just end - without someone cheating, or abusing the other person, or any real good way to sum it up. Life and relationships are long, complicated, nuanced and messy. Take care all, appreciate what you have while you have it, take it one day at a time
2024.05.16 22:52 Wild-Snow-1842 Forerunner 645 upgrade to 955? and why did getting an Edge 540 screw up my training metrics?
I currently have a Forerunner 645 that my girlfriend got me as a gift in 2020 and I have been pretty happy with it so far, however as I start using it more and more I feel like it lacks some features that I would like. Additional, after purchasing an Edge bike computer, my training metrics don't seem to respond to runs the same way they used to and no longer make sense.
My use case for the watch:
submitted by Wild-Snow-1842 to Garmin [link] [comments]
My use case for the watch:
- Tracking training load across different activities: Run, Bike, Swim, in addition to other non "training" activities such as backcountry skiing, hiking, surfing, etc. Initially I was just running and biking for general fitness, but have since started doing a few races a year that I train specifically for. Since I am often focused on multiple events, as well as hobbies that involve exercise, pre-made training plans don't work well. I tend to reference them for inspiration and make up my own plan, then use Garmin to help determine if my training volume is appropriate.
- I also pay loose attention to the sleep and stress metrics, seeing my sleep and stress go to shit after drinking really encouraged me to cut back. I don't find the sleep tracking particularly accurate, but it is close enough to observe general trends.
- The 645 worked well for tracking load from running and biking, but doesn't work for swimming. I actually bought a hear rate strap (hrm pro) specifically for this only to realized I need a higher tier watch to download the data, which is super frustrating. It also doesn't have an open water swim app (I tried a 3rd party app but didn't really like it, which I think was mostly due to GPS problems with watch.)
- It doesn't have apps that line up with a lot of my activities, I use XC ski for backcountry, which is fine, since I really only care about tracking training load anyways.
- The wrist heart rate sensor doesn't seem accurate. I have gotten to the point of only trusting my chest strap.
- The altimeter is worse than useless. It is wildly inaccurate, I either ignore elevation entirely, or use Strava to correct if it was a meaningful aspect of the workout. I think it is clogged or something, but over a 1.5 mile loop near my house that has maybe 50ft elevation change Garmin will tell my I lost several hundred feet, (I start and end in the same location.) Often the ending elevation is below sea level. I get "insights" telling me to "Don't forget to take the stairs up" and that I average 5 floors climbed and 19 floors descended each day. I start and end my days in the same place, the only stairs I took were at my house and I don't own an elevator. I am not sure if Garmin takes elevation change into account when calculating running metrics similar to Strava's Grade Adjusted Pace, but if it did this problem would completely throw off that calc.
- The edge added a bunch of additional metrics to my training status, however it is not clear if the 645 contributes to these metrics.
- The training load doesn't respond to runs the way it used to. For example, this Tuesday I did a 4.5 mile zone 3 run, which is hard for me, and my training load barely moved, the previous Tuesday I took as a rest day, so its not like one activity fell off the 7 week average that same day.
- The added load focus tab makes no sense either, it is telling me I am above all targets at the same time training load is saying I am well below my optimal range. (screen shots below).
- Garmin connect has a "primary training device" and a "primary wearable" option, ideally I would set both to the 645 watch as that is what I use 90% of the time, however that does not seem to be an option.
2024.05.16 22:34 Erisaiya What symptoms did you have pre-diagnosis that suddenly made a lot of sense after your diagnosis?
I was diagnosed with essential thrombocytosis as a teen after struggling with insomnia for years (my inability to sleep was chalked up to being an iron deficiency from my vegetarian diet). Didn't learn until after my UC diagnosis that it can be an early sign of an autoimmune problem.
I was always tired. Insomnia aside, even when I did sleep well, sometimes for 10 hours, I was still tired. My parents thought it was just puberty and basically told me to toughen up.
I was incredibly picky about food (and still am). I was told to just get over it, that sometimes we have to eat things we don't want, that I was going to get colon cancer for not eating properly, that I was going to waste away to nothing.
I've been diagnosed with UC and Celiac since (and other non-autoimmune health problems) and they think my poor diet was because my body "knew" what wasn't good for it (and there's probably an element of truth to that, but I think I also have ARFID, too). I didn't get sick too often, which maybe was because my immune system was basically ready to hit overdrive at any given moment. I was always tired probably due to early signs of fatigue, and I know a lot of people with autoimmune conditions suffer from insomnia as well. I also struggled with stamina - anything that required running or cardio-related exercise was incredibly difficult for me, and it had nothing to do with my weight or my level of activity - I did marching band throughout high school (somehow) and martial arts in my late teens/early twenties.
What were some of your early symptoms that made sense after you were diagnosed?
submitted by Erisaiya to Autoimmune [link] [comments]
I was always tired. Insomnia aside, even when I did sleep well, sometimes for 10 hours, I was still tired. My parents thought it was just puberty and basically told me to toughen up.
I was incredibly picky about food (and still am). I was told to just get over it, that sometimes we have to eat things we don't want, that I was going to get colon cancer for not eating properly, that I was going to waste away to nothing.
I've been diagnosed with UC and Celiac since (and other non-autoimmune health problems) and they think my poor diet was because my body "knew" what wasn't good for it (and there's probably an element of truth to that, but I think I also have ARFID, too). I didn't get sick too often, which maybe was because my immune system was basically ready to hit overdrive at any given moment. I was always tired probably due to early signs of fatigue, and I know a lot of people with autoimmune conditions suffer from insomnia as well. I also struggled with stamina - anything that required running or cardio-related exercise was incredibly difficult for me, and it had nothing to do with my weight or my level of activity - I did marching band throughout high school (somehow) and martial arts in my late teens/early twenties.
What were some of your early symptoms that made sense after you were diagnosed?
2024.05.16 22:33 bigbaconbelly004 Emerging Research: Alcohol and Heart Disease
Alcohol – it's a fixture in many social gatherings, a part of celebrations, and often a means to unwind after a long day. Yet, emerging research is shedding new light on its intricate relationship with heart health, particularly among women. A recent study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology has uncovered intriguing findings that demand attention.
Historically, the impact of alcohol on heart health has been a subject of debate. While moderate alcohol consumption has been linked to potential cardiovascular benefits, excessive intake can lead to detrimental effects. However, the nuances of this relationship, especially concerning gender-specific differences, have been less explored until now.
According to the study, led by Dr. John Smith from the American College of Cardiology, alcohol consumption, even in moderate amounts, poses a greater risk for heart disease among women compared to men. This finding challenges the conventional wisdom that moderate drinking may confer cardiovascular advantages equally across genders.
The research suggests that women who consume alcohol regularly, even at moderate levels, may face a heightened risk of developing heart disease. Factors such as body composition, metabolism, and hormonal differences between men and women could contribute to this contrasting impact of alcohol on heart health.
But what does this mean for the average person with a glass of wine or a beer in hand? It's important to recognize that moderation is key. While the study highlights potential risks associated with alcohol consumption, it doesn't advocate for complete abstinence. Instead, it emphasizes the importance of mindful drinking habits, especially among women.
For those who enjoy a drink, being aware of personal limits and understanding individual health factors is crucial. Regular check-ins with healthcare providers can help assess and manage any potential risks associated with alcohol consumption. Moreover, incorporating healthy lifestyle choices such as a balanced diet, regular exercise, and stress management techniques can further support heart health.
This research underscores the dynamic nature of scientific inquiry. As our understanding of health and wellness evolves, so too must our behaviors and choices. The findings serve as a reminder that no aspect of our lifestyle exists in isolation – everything from diet and exercise to social habits can influence our well-being.
While the link between alcohol and heart health may seem complex, the message is clear: moderation and awareness are paramount. By staying informed and making conscious choices, we can navigate the intricacies of our health journey with greater clarity and confidence. Let's raise a glass to heart health, with mindfulness and moderation as our guides.
submitted by bigbaconbelly004 to SeragonBiosciences [link] [comments]
Historically, the impact of alcohol on heart health has been a subject of debate. While moderate alcohol consumption has been linked to potential cardiovascular benefits, excessive intake can lead to detrimental effects. However, the nuances of this relationship, especially concerning gender-specific differences, have been less explored until now.
According to the study, led by Dr. John Smith from the American College of Cardiology, alcohol consumption, even in moderate amounts, poses a greater risk for heart disease among women compared to men. This finding challenges the conventional wisdom that moderate drinking may confer cardiovascular advantages equally across genders.
The research suggests that women who consume alcohol regularly, even at moderate levels, may face a heightened risk of developing heart disease. Factors such as body composition, metabolism, and hormonal differences between men and women could contribute to this contrasting impact of alcohol on heart health.
But what does this mean for the average person with a glass of wine or a beer in hand? It's important to recognize that moderation is key. While the study highlights potential risks associated with alcohol consumption, it doesn't advocate for complete abstinence. Instead, it emphasizes the importance of mindful drinking habits, especially among women.
For those who enjoy a drink, being aware of personal limits and understanding individual health factors is crucial. Regular check-ins with healthcare providers can help assess and manage any potential risks associated with alcohol consumption. Moreover, incorporating healthy lifestyle choices such as a balanced diet, regular exercise, and stress management techniques can further support heart health.
This research underscores the dynamic nature of scientific inquiry. As our understanding of health and wellness evolves, so too must our behaviors and choices. The findings serve as a reminder that no aspect of our lifestyle exists in isolation – everything from diet and exercise to social habits can influence our well-being.
While the link between alcohol and heart health may seem complex, the message is clear: moderation and awareness are paramount. By staying informed and making conscious choices, we can navigate the intricacies of our health journey with greater clarity and confidence. Let's raise a glass to heart health, with mindfulness and moderation as our guides.
2024.05.16 22:19 mje2007mje Share with gym mates??
Share with gym mates. After almost three years of dedicating myself exclusively to my baby and overcoming the breastfeeding period, I have recovered time for myself, to exercise, and for my partner. You already know from what I wrote last time, what I have begun to feel every day in the gym. I am very grateful for your advice. I have talked to my husband and he has taken it very well, in fact this has fueled our desire to resume our swinger encounters as we did before the pandemic and before the baby. Unfortunately, he works in the mornings and has free afternoons, but I have free mornings, but in the afternoon I take care of my baby. I mean we can't train together. We have finally decided to modify our rule "always be together when sharing intimacy with others." From now on, we will both be able to share a certain level of intimacy with another person, as long as there is no penetration, and always with the intention of adding our partner in future encounters. . We are both happy with the change and quite excited. Tomorrow will be Friday, I will train in the morning... I can't stop thinking about what will happen... now surely when the baby sleeps we will have a great time with my love. bye
submitted by mje2007mje to confessions [link] [comments]
2024.05.16 22:00 audrey_korne Chance me for fall 2025 (rising junior) @ Penn, Vandy, Cornell, etc.
Hi,
I'm currently a rising sophomore at a mid-tier LAC. It's arguably the best college in the state, but I'm not challenged enough. I generally enjoy it, but I wish I had far more resources at my disposal, a better school spirit, and more inspiring/engaging professors with bigger class sizes. I also just generally dislike the aesthetics of the place and find myself constantly feeling isolated by its smallness + horrible weather. I was accepted to UMich and UWashington Honors in HS but couldn't afford to attend.
I'm intent on pursuing law school or at the very least grad school for sociology and/or political science. My current school has a good polisci dept., which is what I'm majoring in, but my heart really lies within sociology. The department here is just... barren, to say the very least.
Stats:
HS and college GPA both 4.0 (valedictorian); 34 ACT (35 superscore); LGBTQ+, female, Arab and white, will be turning 21 in fall 2025; 7 AP's (small HS) with all 4's and 5's
Very talented essay-writer.
Major: polisci but will likely double in sociology or switch altogether; interested in family law and women's rights law
Hook:
I have a very clear vision of what I would like to do, and my EC's reflect that. As a result of my personal experiences with various forms of abuse throughout my life, I am committed to pursuing systemic change when it comes to curtailing the effects of domestic abuse and violence especially as it pertains to families. I am incredibly passionate about women's rights as they pertain to the law and policy.
EC's (not gonna go too in detail to avoid doxxing; some of these are in-progress but will be done by the app deadline, will switch out different ones depending on school):
Resource referral / phone receptionist at women's DV shelteadvocacy nonprofit. Related to legal aid, family law, social work, mental health, and of course women's advocacy. Generally serves an underserved area of the city I live in.
Legal internship with NGO that specializes in serving DV survivors. Worked alongside current law school students to research protective orders across countless districts in order to seek a means of reform for them, hoping to help remove the barriers that exist between victims and safety. Also did research to help the org connect to ally groups/professionals in the field.
Founded SA prevention and awareness student organization for my current school campus following a string of incidents that shook the community. Held info sessions, spread awareness via poster campaigns, held fundraisers for shelters, advocated for campus security to incorporate more means of reporting SA, etc.
-- also may run an unplanned pregnancy kit drive. I did a similar one in HS for foster kid birthdays
Founded NGO - website containing a registrar of local vetted resources and plans of action for victims of DV; doubles as a list of organizations/shelters to donate to
Edited legal professor's book
Volunteered as tutor for creative writing support with underserved elementary-age students my entire freshman year
Worked at student tutoring center as an appointment coordinator my entire freshman year
Founded HS GSA chapter, successfully achieved LGBTQ+ history inclusion in school curricula in Deep South private Christian HS (!!!) during peak Don't Say Gay times
College radio DJ
College debate team member, competed at regional level (hopefully national this year! we usually go!)
Femme-inclusive, female-empowerment-oriented acapella group member (college)
College first-year orientation leader
College paper staff member with featured articles
Published in school journal for several polisci/soc oriented papers
Ran a ~40k+ member online hobby community for several years in HS across multiple websites.
Misc. other stuff: volunteering in HS, very talented in performance and visual arts (ie Scholastic award for art in HS and theater competition success), state-level English competition awards, Spanish proficiency, HS student gov't, very dedicated to personal fitness/exercise
Interested in: UPenn (I am VERY interested in their sociology concentrations), Vandy, Cornell, Brown (my former dream school......need aid tho RIP), Georgetown, Columbia, Dartmouth, NYU, Northwestern, Rice, UChicago, Tulane (legacy but I don't think they care)...
Suggest more if you'd like. I'm open to LAC's but I want to live in the city. My current LAC is in a city, but it's too small and bubble-y. I wanna break out of the bubble!!
I'll also apply to HYPSM just in case. I have connections to HYSP, Penn, and Tulane of varying degrees lol (from family to former classmates).
Worries:
I don't have "impressive" EC's. I don't enjoy going out for big awards or competitions. Being a militant leader type on campus also irks me. I just do good work and things I enjoy. I try to be humble, so I often under-sell myself.
Thanks in advance!!
submitted by audrey_korne to TransferChanceMe [link] [comments]
I'm currently a rising sophomore at a mid-tier LAC. It's arguably the best college in the state, but I'm not challenged enough. I generally enjoy it, but I wish I had far more resources at my disposal, a better school spirit, and more inspiring/engaging professors with bigger class sizes. I also just generally dislike the aesthetics of the place and find myself constantly feeling isolated by its smallness + horrible weather. I was accepted to UMich and UWashington Honors in HS but couldn't afford to attend.
I'm intent on pursuing law school or at the very least grad school for sociology and/or political science. My current school has a good polisci dept., which is what I'm majoring in, but my heart really lies within sociology. The department here is just... barren, to say the very least.
Stats:
HS and college GPA both 4.0 (valedictorian); 34 ACT (35 superscore); LGBTQ+, female, Arab and white, will be turning 21 in fall 2025; 7 AP's (small HS) with all 4's and 5's
Very talented essay-writer.
Major: polisci but will likely double in sociology or switch altogether; interested in family law and women's rights law
Hook:
I have a very clear vision of what I would like to do, and my EC's reflect that. As a result of my personal experiences with various forms of abuse throughout my life, I am committed to pursuing systemic change when it comes to curtailing the effects of domestic abuse and violence especially as it pertains to families. I am incredibly passionate about women's rights as they pertain to the law and policy.
EC's (not gonna go too in detail to avoid doxxing; some of these are in-progress but will be done by the app deadline, will switch out different ones depending on school):
Resource referral / phone receptionist at women's DV shelteadvocacy nonprofit. Related to legal aid, family law, social work, mental health, and of course women's advocacy. Generally serves an underserved area of the city I live in.
Legal internship with NGO that specializes in serving DV survivors. Worked alongside current law school students to research protective orders across countless districts in order to seek a means of reform for them, hoping to help remove the barriers that exist between victims and safety. Also did research to help the org connect to ally groups/professionals in the field.
Founded SA prevention and awareness student organization for my current school campus following a string of incidents that shook the community. Held info sessions, spread awareness via poster campaigns, held fundraisers for shelters, advocated for campus security to incorporate more means of reporting SA, etc.
-- also may run an unplanned pregnancy kit drive. I did a similar one in HS for foster kid birthdays
Founded NGO - website containing a registrar of local vetted resources and plans of action for victims of DV; doubles as a list of organizations/shelters to donate to
Edited legal professor's book
Volunteered as tutor for creative writing support with underserved elementary-age students my entire freshman year
Worked at student tutoring center as an appointment coordinator my entire freshman year
Founded HS GSA chapter, successfully achieved LGBTQ+ history inclusion in school curricula in Deep South private Christian HS (!!!) during peak Don't Say Gay times
College radio DJ
College debate team member, competed at regional level (hopefully national this year! we usually go!)
Femme-inclusive, female-empowerment-oriented acapella group member (college)
College first-year orientation leader
College paper staff member with featured articles
Published in school journal for several polisci/soc oriented papers
Ran a ~40k+ member online hobby community for several years in HS across multiple websites.
Misc. other stuff: volunteering in HS, very talented in performance and visual arts (ie Scholastic award for art in HS and theater competition success), state-level English competition awards, Spanish proficiency, HS student gov't, very dedicated to personal fitness/exercise
Interested in: UPenn (I am VERY interested in their sociology concentrations), Vandy, Cornell, Brown (my former dream school......need aid tho RIP), Georgetown, Columbia, Dartmouth, NYU, Northwestern, Rice, UChicago, Tulane (legacy but I don't think they care)...
Suggest more if you'd like. I'm open to LAC's but I want to live in the city. My current LAC is in a city, but it's too small and bubble-y. I wanna break out of the bubble!!
I'll also apply to HYPSM just in case. I have connections to HYSP, Penn, and Tulane of varying degrees lol (from family to former classmates).
Worries:
I don't have "impressive" EC's. I don't enjoy going out for big awards or competitions. Being a militant leader type on campus also irks me. I just do good work and things I enjoy. I try to be humble, so I often under-sell myself.
Thanks in advance!!
2024.05.16 21:50 Brilliant-Lychee-518 Ikaria Lean Belly Juice Overview
What is Ikaria Juice ?
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2024.05.16 21:26 Murray000 First lipid panel
Hi all,
I’m 24M and just had my first lipid panel (I’m sure I did as a kid but I don’t remember the results but they weren’t abnormal)
Everything outside of these measurements are considered in the reference range.
Triglycerides: 62
Cholesterol level: 179
LDL: 134
HDL: 33
BP: 120/75
Weight: 198
Height: 5 foot 10
I used to be very active (strength training and running 15-20mi a week) but became pretty sedentary and ate a lot of junk food throughout the last 3 years. I’ve also been vaping for the past 4 years.
My body weight when exercising was around 175lb and eventually reached 220 last year before coming down to 200lb over the past several months after cutting out fast food due to it causing acid reflux. I want to quit vaping but it’s really difficult. I started on the disposables (like elf bars) and switched to the more regulated Vuse. It’s a lot less nicotine, but I know I really just need to quit all together.
Regarding alcohol, I used to drink a decent amount during college (5-6 drinks a week) but since new years I have almost entirely cut it out (1-2 beers a month) since I started getting migraines from alcohol.
I want to take my health seriously but based off the notes in my chart (borderline high risk for heart disease etc), I’m really anxious about these results.
In particular I don’t understand why my HDL is so low
My PCP (nurse practitioner) basically just said to eat healthier, but I’d like to hear yall’s opinion on these results and experience and timeline to safely lowering LDL and increasing HDL.
submitted by Murray000 to Cholesterol [link] [comments]
I’m 24M and just had my first lipid panel (I’m sure I did as a kid but I don’t remember the results but they weren’t abnormal)
Everything outside of these measurements are considered in the reference range.
Triglycerides: 62
Cholesterol level: 179
LDL: 134
HDL: 33
BP: 120/75
Weight: 198
Height: 5 foot 10
I used to be very active (strength training and running 15-20mi a week) but became pretty sedentary and ate a lot of junk food throughout the last 3 years. I’ve also been vaping for the past 4 years.
My body weight when exercising was around 175lb and eventually reached 220 last year before coming down to 200lb over the past several months after cutting out fast food due to it causing acid reflux. I want to quit vaping but it’s really difficult. I started on the disposables (like elf bars) and switched to the more regulated Vuse. It’s a lot less nicotine, but I know I really just need to quit all together.
Regarding alcohol, I used to drink a decent amount during college (5-6 drinks a week) but since new years I have almost entirely cut it out (1-2 beers a month) since I started getting migraines from alcohol.
I want to take my health seriously but based off the notes in my chart (borderline high risk for heart disease etc), I’m really anxious about these results.
In particular I don’t understand why my HDL is so low
My PCP (nurse practitioner) basically just said to eat healthier, but I’d like to hear yall’s opinion on these results and experience and timeline to safely lowering LDL and increasing HDL.
2024.05.16 21:16 Angieer5762923 Body is totally messed up after the treatment, not sure how to address it
So i need help. Im going to write a short try out post bc i m not sure yet whats the best way to describe an experience. Also - english isn’t my first language. In the short - my whole posture and how my body moves gots totally messed up by physical therapy. To be exact by few physical therapies. It got messed up after first full course. Then i tried to fix the issue and it got messed up worse by another full treatment course and from there it just became a nightmare -chain of attempts to fix issue and then making it worse and saying they don’t know how to fix. Right before that pt that i say messed me up my normal monthly routine was : walking my active dog daily for long time, biking ~ 2 hrs weekly , easily hiking for few hours, taking adult balet and contemporary dance classes weekly (intermediate level at pro school), climbing 2-3 times a month, latin dancing 2-3 nights each week, yoga 2-3 times each week, capoiera for fun occasionally, pilates ocassionally. And that was my regular routine for about previous six months. Before it was different routine because i went through various sport interests. Nothing new from what i already mentions. I just usually rotated priorities based on what i wanted to focus. Active like that ive been all my life.
After first course of pt - walking for long became a problem, i started tripping over my feet, my body became feeling very stiff, huge pain but also body just stopped being my regular body. After second course of pt walking because problem, only for short, most of old physical activities cause strong spasm in low back, my pelvic floor became botherng me strong (never never before!), strong pressure and tension in the body, and from there problems just kept increasing. Through out most if the treatment and later i was told “ you are overthinking, you don’t need this function of the body, etc” the stuff like that. On my own i sit down and i started thinking each exexrcise i did and then researched what the exercise is for, what is the correct way to do it, and what muscles are suppose to work in them. And i found out that most of the exercises i did - i did them totally incorrect. I have pretty decent memory of how my body felt so once i started realizing the certain exercise was for certain group muscles i could say right away that i felt it elsewhere. Not all exercises, but quite a lot i can say for sure. The problem for me was that these small exercises i was doing mainly when i wasn’t standing on my feet and i didn’t know them. Apparently when i don’t stand on my feet, i cannot tell if it feels right or wrong in the body. When i started doing something standing , i could clearly sense that something isn’t right, not like usual. Once small exercises accumulated and i was given more standing exercises I could feel right away that something is seriously wrong in the body. And the problem with pt in my opinion is that it slowly accumulates in the body and its effect usually significantly feels with about 1-2 months delay. So each time when i felt that there was something significantly wrong with the body , it was already to late to simply back out of pt, and each time i was given shoulder shrug - “your body suppose to work, idk why its not working”.
Okay i risk to make post too long and complicated. Can please help me with questions to me , to understand what details and what information is more important to give in order to make more effective post.
Ps. Oh yea, i think its also important to mention. After each time in pt there was a last period where pt’s were switching to more advanced exercises. When they did it, i could say my body felt very wrong and i pushed back, described what didn’t feel right. Twice i was told that lets try to do the rounds of these advanced exercises and if they don’t work then we will fix it. But after the rounds , it of course felt wrong with a delay, but suddenly would accumulate and body would change, and it would felt very wrong. The pts just would say “well we finished the course, we don’t know why it feels so wrong, there is nothing else i can do to help”. It happened twice and by sensation these two rounds of advanced exercises were making situation with the body significantly worse.
submitted by Angieer5762923 to Posture [link] [comments]
After first course of pt - walking for long became a problem, i started tripping over my feet, my body became feeling very stiff, huge pain but also body just stopped being my regular body. After second course of pt walking because problem, only for short, most of old physical activities cause strong spasm in low back, my pelvic floor became botherng me strong (never never before!), strong pressure and tension in the body, and from there problems just kept increasing. Through out most if the treatment and later i was told “ you are overthinking, you don’t need this function of the body, etc” the stuff like that. On my own i sit down and i started thinking each exexrcise i did and then researched what the exercise is for, what is the correct way to do it, and what muscles are suppose to work in them. And i found out that most of the exercises i did - i did them totally incorrect. I have pretty decent memory of how my body felt so once i started realizing the certain exercise was for certain group muscles i could say right away that i felt it elsewhere. Not all exercises, but quite a lot i can say for sure. The problem for me was that these small exercises i was doing mainly when i wasn’t standing on my feet and i didn’t know them. Apparently when i don’t stand on my feet, i cannot tell if it feels right or wrong in the body. When i started doing something standing , i could clearly sense that something isn’t right, not like usual. Once small exercises accumulated and i was given more standing exercises I could feel right away that something is seriously wrong in the body. And the problem with pt in my opinion is that it slowly accumulates in the body and its effect usually significantly feels with about 1-2 months delay. So each time when i felt that there was something significantly wrong with the body , it was already to late to simply back out of pt, and each time i was given shoulder shrug - “your body suppose to work, idk why its not working”.
Okay i risk to make post too long and complicated. Can please help me with questions to me , to understand what details and what information is more important to give in order to make more effective post.
Ps. Oh yea, i think its also important to mention. After each time in pt there was a last period where pt’s were switching to more advanced exercises. When they did it, i could say my body felt very wrong and i pushed back, described what didn’t feel right. Twice i was told that lets try to do the rounds of these advanced exercises and if they don’t work then we will fix it. But after the rounds , it of course felt wrong with a delay, but suddenly would accumulate and body would change, and it would felt very wrong. The pts just would say “well we finished the course, we don’t know why it feels so wrong, there is nothing else i can do to help”. It happened twice and by sensation these two rounds of advanced exercises were making situation with the body significantly worse.