So sorry to waste your time...

This is gonna be a lot, and you, of course, are not force to read this. I was just looking for something, if anything, regarding an answer to a question I am going to have to face because of my own actions. I understand that if you do choose to read all of this and reply to me, you may wish to berate and insult me. By all means, do so, I deserve it. I don't mean to write a sob story so people will sympathize will me, I don't need people's attention, I'm not coping.
For a bit of context, I am and always have been a burden on myself and those around me. I've been nothing but lazy and useless my entire life. I was the kid that never did his homework, ever. I thought it was stupid and that was my justification to not do it. I was that kind of garbage. I hated when things imposed on my happiness and freedoms, and I resented things that did that to me, like homework. I have always been told that I am full of talent and that I'm so smart or whatever, but it has never translated in my studies. I have always gotten low marks in my courses, always because of homework. If there was a way to flunk out of high school, I would've flunked out a long, long time ago. I'm so pathetic, all I've ever cared about are the things that I enjoy and not the things that are important.
So like the idiot I am, I chose to go to college knowing the kind of person that I am, telling myself I would change because college is serious and what not. Spoiler alert, I didn't. I'm a piece of garbage and all I've ever done is waste the time and resources of those around me. I'm so fortunate that my parents paid for my college, but they said they would kick me out if I failed and all. I believed in my talents, but not in my work ethic. Sure enough, coming out of my first semester in college, I failed two out of the 5 courses I took and that put me on academic probation. Why did I fail? Well, I failed because of my crappy work ethic. I could've passed these courses with high marks if I had done my homework given that my test scores were always high or solid. As you would expect, my parents wanted to kill me, I was mocked and laughed at by my siblings, and I really didn't have a support system, not that I deserved one.
Miraculously, I was given a second chance to fix my predicament, and I honestly felt I was doing better. I was struggling to get my work in on time, but I was still making the effort to do it (Nothing to be proud of considering it wasn't on time). This semester, although spent in the comfort of caring friends who wanted nothing but the best for me, was extremely depressing and part of me wants to blame my shortcomings on that. Mentally, this semester was really rough for me and even though nobody knew it, I was going through a really, really hard time. The other part of me knows that blaming my mental health on my shortcomings is nothing but a cop out and I would just be making excuses for myself like I always do. Anyways, looking at my grades coming out of this semester, once again, I have failed two courses, one of which was inevitable, and the other, I am currently fighting for despite grades being posted. I want to really cling to the hope of the mark being changed even though my situation really won't change much, but if it is impossible, then I will give up right there.
As you can see given what I have provided above, it should be clear how much of an idiot I am. I have been nothing but a failure, a disgrace, a sloth, and a piece of trash. I have wasted the money of my parents, the energy of everyone who believed in me, and my own time. I should've known I would never amount to anything. If I want to keep living, I'll be homeless and left with only the few thousand I have saved from working my summer job as a lifeguard. I have been nothing but pathetic my entire life, and honestly writing this all out makes me tear up a bit. It kind of hurts that I want to cut my life short not because I hate my life, but because it feels that there is no other options left for me to progress forward. I have given myself nothing to use to go forward because I have been nothing but my own worst enemy. I am lazy and a waste of air. I truly wish to apologize to everyone whoever believed in me, I wish I could man up and just tell it to their faces, but I am too ashamed to even turn off my computer screen and see my reflection. The grades will come in soon, and my family will know, and that will be the end of me. Right now, I plan to run away from home soon and either try and find somewhere to go or just jump off a bridge, I guess (I haven't really thought it out, it's not something I really want to think about).
Some of you, who may be nice enough to reach out, may say that my best bet would be to negotiate with my family, or perhaps seek a job in trades, or maybe even consider community college. I can only refute those as my parents are not the negotiable type, even if some of you insist they will be. As for trades, it is something looked down upon by my family, by my friends, and it's rubbed off on me too and I have come to loathe the idea of it. Perhaps it will be my only option, but something I've never wanted for myself was to work day in and day out breaking my back in physical labor like that. As for community college, I would not be opposed to it despite friends and family looking down on it too, but even if that was the route I decided to go down, how would I do that? Once my parents see these pathetic grades, I will be kicked out and maybe even disowned right after I get beaten half to death. Some of you should now be realizing the piece of garbage that I am for saying that, and you have every right to take back any sympathy you may have had for me. I do not deserve any help, any support, and sympathy, or advice. Honestly, I'd rather the option of suicide be validated so I can just get on with it. I think it is finally time to put my pathetic life behind me and release the burden of knowing me off of so many people. All I have ever done is hold myself back and hold others back too. All I've ever done is wish I could be better but then never would I act on it. I wish a work ethic came naturally to me like everything else, because that's the one thing that has kept me from ever succeeding. But because I'm pathetic, I could barely bring myself to succeed at having a good work ethic for more than a week. I hate myself, I truly do.
Despite how I feel about myself and my life, I do want to clarify that I don't hate my life. I am so grateful and thankful that I have met the people that I have and I am thankful I had parents who were willing to support me. Everyone around me is better than I am and I'm so happy I got to be around such amazing figures, I just wish I could've been like that and committed to that. I'm pathetic, I have no more excuses. But I do have the question that I propose to any who have read this far: Do I stick it out, or do I just end my life already?
For all who read all of this, I appreciate you more than you will ever come to realize, even if you read it to laugh at me or so that you could have the knowledge of my story to berate me. You guys are everything, and I can only hope the best for you all. Please never end up like me, you're all surely so talented with bright futures ahead of you, I'd hate to see you be like me. Love you all!
I'm sorry for the giant wall this post is, and I'm also just sorry in general. So yeah, sorry.

Back in Command and Conquer: Kane's Wrath and all of their tournaments people were complaining about 1 clicks - lead to the inevitable nerf and their prices were increased etc.
In COH/COH2 I remember unit call-ins (instant), tanks skipping tech, and even strafes pinning/killing units was frowned upon.
Why now in COH3 it seems to have tossed everything out of the window? Literal Tiger tank 1 shotting rifles in a vod I saw. Played a 2v2 today and it's a war of my strafe spam and the enemy using off-map on the VP every time to delay and even kills squads every now and then.
I thought the entire essence of COH was an intensive micro game with terrain as a huge factor, almost like how high ground in Starcraft is so sought after. You have a triangle of infantry > vehicles > support teams etc with AT and non-AT. Now we have.. magical powers for 100-200 munis that kills units if you aren't looking?
I know mortars and snipers have always been a rough topic in all versions, but when mortars in COH2 were randomly wiping squads in 1 hit they got nerfed. Or when Allies greyhound was too powerful -> boom nerf.
Now it seems COH3 just simply forgot everything, started from scratch and we're in the cycle of 2 years of patching a bare bones game -> praying for a DLC that saves it like when Panzer Elite and British forces were added. The only players left are like 500 of the same top players in 1v1, and the rest 5k+ active are goofing around in 4v4 (no offense) but at least it's not co op vs ai lol.
Axis players are complaining about Ranger blobs. Go figure they are all running 0 point call-in filler "early game" infantry.
Even watching some high level 2v2 (top 200) vods (Tightrope carrying the series on his shoulders I swear), and it doesn't look as intense as COH1 vods back in the day. It legit looks like everyone is cannon rushing each other. Oh what a surprise in the last tournament, it's an MG with a Whirbel sitting on top of a VP. Second game? 8 rad ended the match!

Article: https://www.useyourbrainforex.com/post/silver-shines-brighter-robust-demand-spurs-surge-in-2024
Gold’s record-setting rally may have captured the headlines this year, but it’s silver that’s running harder and faster as the less glamorous metal benefits from robust financial and industrial demand. Silver has soared by almost 25% in 2024, outpacing gold and making it one of the year’s best-performing major commodities. Yet in relative terms, silver is still cheap. It currently takes about 80 ounces of silver to buy 1 ounce of gold, compared with the 20-year average of 68.
Both metals move largely in tandem as both offer similar macro- and currency-hedging properties. With gold hitting a record on central-bank buying, retail interest in China, and a resurgence in bets lower US interest rates are on the way, silver’s gone along for the ride. Although there’s been scant interest from investors in silver-backed exchange-traded funds, physical sales have picked up, including at Singapore-based dealer Silver Bullion Pte.
“Even clients who are interested in buying gold are starting to say ‘well, maybe I’ll buy silver first, and wait for the ratio to sort of rebalance’,” said founder Gregor Gregersen. Between April 1 and 25, the outlet sold 74 ounces of physical silver for each ounce of gold, compared with an average of 44 in 2023.
Spot silver traded above $29 an ounce on Friday, heading for a weekly gain of almost 5%. The next significant test would be a challenge of $30, a level that it briefly surpassed in 2021. Should the metal top $30.1003 an ounce, that would lift prices to the highest in more than a decade.
The white metal has already been making headway against its dearer cousin, in relative terms. Back in January, the gold-silver ratio was above 90, the most stretched since September 2022. Citigroup Inc. reckons that if the Federal Reserve proceeds with interest-rate cuts and economic growth stays strong in the second half, the ratio could move to around 70, although it cautioned that a slowdown would push it the other way, according to a note.
Silver has a dual character, valued both for its uses as a financial asset and an industrial input, including clean-energy technologies. The metal is a key ingredient in solar panels, and with robust growth in that industry, usage of the metal is expected to reach a record this year, according to the Silver Institute. Against that backdrop, the market is headed for a fourth year in deficit, with this year’s shortage seen as the second biggest on record.
That’s led industrial users - which typically rely on miners for supply - to seek ounces by draining the world’s major inventories, according to Silver Bullion’s Gregersen. Stockpiles tracked by the London Bullion Market Association fell to the second-lowest level on record in April, while the volumes at exchanges in New York and Shanghai are near seasonal lows.
Over the next two years, the LBMA stockpiles may be depleted given the current pace of demand, according to TD Securities. The headline figure overstates the available volume of metal given that it includes exchange-traded fund holdings, Daniel Ghali, a commodity strategist, said in an April note.
“We are slowly going to see supplies tightening because industrial demand is set to go higher,” Gregersen said. “If investors are also starting to buy, then I think in two or three months’ time, my biggest problem might end up being ‘Where do I find supply?’ rather than ‘How do I sell the silver?’”

Aggressive minicut while minimizing muscle loss
I started my lifting journey in October 2023. I was 176 lbs and managed to drop down to 143 lbs in 4 months. I looked like a skeleton back then with small muscle definition. I started to bulk in the second week of October.
Now I'm back to 172 lbs, I look much better compared to what I have started with but still managed to get fat because of my inexperience about the bulk. By the time I realized I've gone too far as far as my training goes, I've already got too fat. Roughly %25 body fat maybe a tad bit more.
What I want to do is to be able to increase my weights and reps. If I start to cut right now I probably would have to cut for 3-4 months straight to get the ideal body fat that I have in mind. But I don't want that.
I want to do an aggressive minicut which I can lower my body fat fast and going back to bulking as fast as possible. The problem is, I don't know how catastrophic that would be in terms of muscle loss.
I'm thinking about a 1000 cal deficit, my maintainance is around 2800-2900, I walk 7000 steps minimum per day, which would be like 2000 cals as a daily intake.
Will I lose significant amount of muscle mass with this approach? Should I keep bulking with dropping my calories, should I just commit to a cut or a minicut is a way to go? What's your opinion about this?

I've been in an SE capacity most of my career - about 10 years now. I'm a solutions architect breaking $200k a year in the bay area selling CRM SaaS and PaaS but I'm losing steam. I was 100% remote but we recently became hybrid. We got acquired by a soul crushing PE firm and they keep changing strategy every quarter and the constant mandatory training and product certifications and complex processes are killing me inside. I'm starting to get tired of giving demos and the presales role altogether. The combo of bad processes, rushing everything last minute, and dealing with pushy sales people at this company is burning me out.
I've learned I'm a creature of routine and while I'd prefer a 100% remote role, I don't mind a hybrid role. I'm currently working an avg of 45 hours per week and I want something consistent and where I can coast at 40 hrs per week. I'm fortunate to still be employed but this current tech job climate is pretty terrible and unemployed SEs seem to be having a rough time out there.
Something I've always disliked about this job - the knowledge you learn for each employer is is often niche and is usually only applicable for the company you work at. Interviewing for another company means you will have to invest your own nights and weekends to learn their product inside and out. The interview process for SE roles are also brutal - you spend all this time learning a company's tech , then have to go through so many rounds of interviews with tech exercises, panel interviews, culture fit, meet the VPs, etc. After that huge investment of time learning the product you might get rejected. That time is wasted and you'll likely never use it again unless you stay within an industry. Rinse and repeat for the next company. Sometimes I wish I had a job where the knowledge stays relevant across the industry.
With that said, does anyone have ideas on lateral moves out of presales where the skillsets translate well. I'm even considering leaving tech for something more stable and less stressful. Willing to take a pay cut at this point. I'm looking for: - consistent 40 hrs per week - pays at least $170k+ annually - offers mostly if not 100% remote work - is recession proof or resilient or in demand right now
I'm evaluating other consulting gigs, analyst roles, government jobs, product management, PMM. Have even considered going into the trades where it's unionized for job security at this point. Any insights would be appreciated.
Tldr - tired of presales. Looking for an out while leveraging the skills you gain from this role. Please share your ideas. If you think this is a dumb decision, would also love to hear your perspective.

How did I end up here? How am I gonna escape it? For the last 3 years I have been falling to new depths,overe these years I have seen myself collapse to a point I can't bear, yet I think there's more to come. In this time, I've managed to destroy all the potential that I had, failing myself and everyone who had hopes on me. This began at the end of the 9th class, where I was losing my interest in studying, but somehow I managed to study, I wasn't good in language, but was pretty good in science and math, so I did good in those subjects, the 10th class went in lockdown, and I didn't study much, but was still doing math and science as I liked it. But it was apparent that something wasn't right, I was slowly losing interest.The 10th went with pretty good marks, but I knew that if it goes like that it's not gonna end well. I was trying new things to regain myself, motivation, practice, exercise etc, anything that would bring back my interest. Everything worked, but didn't last. And it did a lot of damage in the upcoming years. The 11th was rough, I went to a new school, only to realise it was a mistake, they dint teach well while take good record of attendance, so I can't even stay back and study on my own. So i had to go to school , then coaching and come back exausted. This went on and hampered my results a lot, I went below average. But I still had hopes of recovering. Meanwhile I was getting worried what's happening inside me, I had completely lost focus on studies, I didn't know what's going on, it felt like I was in class for the sake of it, doing lectures and taking notes. I knew it wasn't good and it would completely derail me from track. But I couldn't help it, every effort I gave, it didn't last, would work for a few days and it went to the same state. And then the 12th came to an end. I realised I hadn't studied the whole year, I panicked and did whatever I could to prevent the boat form sinking. But it was in vain too. I got poor marks in 12th boards. The nightmare had come true. But my parents were supportive, gave me another chance. I started fresh, full of energy, but it ended up in the same manner. I have wasted this year too. Bad marks while knowing I wasn't studying enough. But I couldn't do anything about it, every effort I gave in the whole year had been in vain.
So what has happened to me? Well for the past years I have completely lost interest in anything. It started with studies, now it's with everything. I don't like to go out, I can't enjoy anything, playing a videogame also feels like a chore, I've even lost interest in social media. I just can't get myself into the state where I can work towards my goals.ive been living in a brain fog for 3 years.my mind doesn't work right,everytime I try to concentrate on something, my mind strays away. I can't even focus on a movie for 5 minutes. I can't even watch my favourite movies. They are all downloaded in my pc, but I haven't watched any of them. I don't know if it's laziness or something else. All these years I've tried to get on track, only to get even more stray to the path. So many times have I tried to correct it, each time I end up frustrated. Can't imagine the times I went to sleep hoping I won't see the next day, as it was hard for me to see what I had become. I have cried to myself countless of times about it, keeping everything to myself. For who's gonna listen. The people who actually I thought should have listened have a different mindset. They just can't understand it. I haven't been able to understand my parents, what do the want, sometimes it feels like thay care about me, sometimes I feel like I'm just a project. They don't question anything I demand. They don't keep track of the money they give me. So it pains even more that I'm not able to deliver what they expect. But they also don't try to understand the situation I'm in. Till the mid of the 12th these things had affected me to a point, I had self esteem issues. My mind started carving an image of me that I was worthless. It would pick flaws in me and start telling me that I'm shit. It could pick any bad situation that happened to me and feed me with the message that you deserve it, you are a complete loser and nobody likes you. This just grew day by day. I have spent nights without sleep because the thoughts would keep coming to haunt me. It had given me a complete paralysis. I remember I once spent 4 days without eating anything, just lying down, unable to do anything. As if this was not enough, I suddenly realised I was losing hair. I already had a pretty bad self esteem, and this just boosted my insecurities. And just like that, I got body dysmorphia. I couldn't see me in the mirror. Usually I didn't see the mirror because I didn't give a damn about someone judging me. But now I don't see the mirror because I started hating on my appearance. And since my mind was already picking negatives, it found a good place to give me a blow. For the next 3 months, it would always pick on me, giving me thoughts about how I'm ugly, and I'm gonna end up alone. And it went like that. Sometimes the thoughts were so intense that it gave me literal headaches. I had to workout at 2 am just so that I could distract myself. Many days I also had to punch the walls till my hands went numb. Because the physical pain was more bearable than what was going in my mind. I didn't want to tell that to my parents, thinking they might not be able to handle it. Bit I wanted to give a hint that I wasn't fine. I sometimes told mom that I wasn't feeling good. You know what's the reply, keep yourself busy, study day and night and you will feel good. It angers me, here I am not able to handle anything and they only care about my studies. But I didn't want to lash out. I can't say everything to them. How would they react when I tell that I don't want to live anymore, when I feel like death is better than this downfall. How can I tell that sometimes when I'm cutting the vegetables I have to move away for sometime because I feel like stabbing myself to death. Or when I pick the razor to shave I feel like cutting the veins, or before sleeping I feel like gulping down the whole file of those finestaride tablets which I bought for hairfall but I had to quit because they were too powerfull. But I tried to hint them again, this time I just expressed my worry about losing my hair. They didn't pay much attention. The second time I tried, I got shouted at by dad. He told to stop thinking about it and to focus on studies. And on that day, I just stopped trying. I felt like I didn't matter, all that mattered was my academics and career. From that day, the phone calls from them felt like a formality. I didn't want to talk to them. I didn't want to go home on holidays, or occassions. My own home felt like a trap. I felt more safe alone in my room. Once I thought of the result is all the need, I'm up for it. I had to complete a chapter on centre of mass and collision. I was frustrated, not to mention that I got taunted by dad on the call a few minutes ago, I finished the whole chapter, 15 lectures, each of more than an hour, in one sitting. After finishing I could feel myself, my vision wasn't right, I was feeling dizzy. But I thought if I study in this manner, I might get good results, forget about my health, it wasn't my concern nor do I think my parents concern about it. But what happened, next day I went back to my old cycle of doing nothing. At this point, I was totally broken, but I couldn't just give up because ther was expectations on me and a lot of money was invested on me. I just cared about my results, stopped thinking about my own well being. But I couldn't do anything. I had failed to deliver in my drop year too. Facing all of this with loneliness with as the cherry on top. For all this time I had a deep loneliness in me. I just wanted someone by my side, who would listen to me, while I had none. But I also can't be around someone, I feel safe alone. So I'm with a mixed situation of being lonely while also wanting to be alone. At this point, I just want an end. Either the end of this situation or the end of life, anything would make me happy. The latter used to scare me because of that feeling that my parents would not be able to bear it. But after all this I don't even think they care, all they would be upset that I died a loser. I've defended them in my mind for too long because I never got a beating from them, I was raised in a good environment,never saw them fight. I felt like I was blessed to be born in this family. I ate up all the taunts and sarcasm from them thinking they just want a better life for me. But now I feel like a commodity being used for their own interests.

I am building a crkbd v4 right now, togethe rwith a friend. It's my first split so far. I built a planck a few years vack, which got me into the hobby. Back then I ordered everything from olkb themselves, save switches and caps. Now we ware trying to build the cornes as much from scratch as possible, so it took a bit of time and searching to get all the right parts. Only thing missing now are the switchplates. Build guide recommends having them cut in fr4, so I wanted to stick to that. The crkbd git provides a pcb schematic for that, my question is now, where would I best turn to with that, considering we are europe based? I looked into a few pcb manufacturers who provide online order, they price them from 50€ upwards a piece. Does anyone know of a cheaper option? Is it possible to convert those .kicad_pcb files to 3D print schematics?

I've spent the last few months writing my master thesis in economics focusing on prediction market forecasting accuracy. I was hoping to get some final thoughts or comments, since this is probably the place where the average knowledge of PM's is the highest.
My selling point is that there is a gap in the literature, a hole which is perfectly filled by the launch of Kalshi. Historically, most research on PM's focus on election forecasting, I'm interested in looking at how well they forecast economic variables, since I see it as a possibly cheaper, easier and more efficient way of forecasting than compared to traditional time series methods.
The previous research looking at how well PM's forecast economic variables are plagued by two issues. First off, there is some research looking at data from Economic Indicator Market (EIX) (Teschner et al. (2011) for example) which is specifically designed to forecast economic variables, however, it is a play money market, and as Rosenbloom and Notz (2006) show, play money markets are beaten by real money markets.
Secondly, the research I've seen looking at real money markets for economic variables primarily looks at future contracts markets (Snowberg et al. (2013) for example), which is problematic as a proxy for prediction markets, since the contracts are tied to actual physical delivery of the underlying good, and thus their prices lack the property of being interpreted as probabilities for the future, the prices contain other information than pure opinions about the future price of the underlying good. Also, in both of the examples I've included here, the papers compare PM forecasts with some sort of expert survey. So far there is no paper looking at how well PM's fare against time series forecasting methodologies (to my knowledge), and this is of interest IMO.
Thus, the launch of Kalshi is an opportunity to study real money prediction market forecasts of economic variables (which has hitherto not been done), and also compare these forecasts with some benchmark like ARIMA forecasts, as well as some more advanced methods, in my case machine learning methods, specifically LSTM algorithms. I look at two weekly markets, the one for US treasury 10Y yield and for WTI crude oil prices.
So, what do you think? Do you see any potential issues with this line of thinking? What do you think I should bring up as background? Any interesting theories on how PMs work so well?
Also, in my results, I find that for the 10Y yield market, the PM is significantly better at forecasting the yield than both the benchmark and a LSTM algorithm, this is somewhat surprising since the average dollar volume of the market in the period 2023-04 to today, is roughly $50. There is no data on number of market participants, only dollar volume. But using this as a proxy of market size (preferably I would want number of market participants), the results seem surprising. Such a small market but it is still remarkably good at forecasting 10Y yield. The overall MAPE for the PM is 1.76%, compared to 1.95% for the LSTM and 2.89% for the ARIMA.
For the WTI crude oil market the LSTM outperforms the other methods by quite a margin, the LSTM has a MAPE of 2.7%, compared to a value of 3.11% for the PM and 3.35 for the ARIMA.
Appreciate any thoughts, thanks!

I am a software engineer (SWE) and I was making a professional networking app for this company.
I was connecting it to their existing Wordpress site via APIs.
They fired me claiming I didn’t know the language I was writing in (boss wasn’t a dev and didn’t know it existed before me), I didn’t know WP APIs (connecting this way isn’t documented well and was my first time so I had trouble but I got it done in the end), and lied in the interview about my skills.
I was there for 2 months. Shitty place. There were other red flags that I chose to ignore.
I feel like I wasted time I could have been using looking for more reliable job while I was working there.
Now I feel hopeless, like I’ll never get a stable job, and pissed off.
My background is: I’ve been programming since I was 13. Started with HTML/CSS + PHP blog and moved to WordPress and then MySQL and now I’ve dabled in react, angular, MSSQL and all the C langs. I’m trying to be well rounded. Professionally, I got my degree in 2013 as an IT Management which didn’t require higher level math or an internship and then never used the degree cause I’m an idiot. (Though I don’t fully regret it because I met my husband)
I was retail until 2022 when I got a 11-month SWE job but they wanted senior and I was fully honest about being JR. fired me. That was last year. Since then I worked for another company that barely paid me enough to live. So I moved from FL to Austin, TX and got another job in December. That one I got in August or September. So only a few months. The one in December laid me off in Feb due to financial issues (supposedly). Said they would hire me back though.
Then I was unemployed for a month and got this last job in March.
So I have a spotty professional career but I have been practicing and learning so much in my free time that I consider myself a senior front end SWE and JR back end SWE or JR full stack SWE.
Been applying for jobs over the last 2 weeks but I know the market is crap.
I’m worried I’ll run out of TX unemployment and then have to get retail jobs which will barely pay me enough to live.
We don’t live extravagant. Husband has celiac disease. We shop at Whole Foods but frequently check prices between HEB and Walmart and target and everywhere else is more expensive for what we get. We stick with chicken and shrimp and salads mostly.
All our expenses are the lowest they can be. We rarely eat out and don’t spend money on things we don’t need. Husband is very frugal and isn’t even getting his hair cut until I have a job. I don’t cut my hair or do my nails or do any of that girly crap. I hate coffee so we don’t spend on that stuff either.
We frequently make sure our bills/expenses are as low as possible.
Yet $50k a year or less after taxes will not sustain us. Husband has Autism so can’t work. Once I get a job he plans to sell coral so he will have some income and he has some disability from the VA but that’s it.
My last job was paying us $100k and we barely saved $1k/mo due to expenses. Again nothing changed between then and now. We spend the same amount.
So now I feel like I’m gonna have to get 2 jobs if I don’t get a job and I’ll never see my husband and I don’t want to live like that.
How do I deal with the disappointment of being fired for a lie and not having a stable job/income ? I feel like I’m drowning.

We have 4 announcements for the 2nd X-Summit for 2024 after the earlier one focused on the X-100VI, this one focuses on, 2 new cameras and 2 new lenses.

1. Fujifilm GFX 100SII A new medium format offering that uses the GFX 50SII bodies with the new and upgraded sensor from GFX100II. The most obvious advantage is in terms of size and weight, which is significantly lower from 1030g of GFX 100 II to 833g of GFX 100S II. This comes at a cost of some cost-cutting and eliminating a few of the ports including Full Size HDMI, and Ethernet Ports, alongside a slightly inferior EVF, downgrade from 8K to 4K, 1fps less, and slightly less battery. An obvious advantage is the rotating screen as opposed tilting screen. For the price, it is the most affordable 100MP Medium Format Camera in the market which will invite more and more users.
   
2. Fujifilm GF 500mm f/5.6 A new super-telephoto Prime which with a 0.79 crop factor makes it a 400mm (full frame equivalent) f/4 lens making it the longest telephoto lens after the 250mm f/4. It is an ideal option for Wildlife, Sports, and for some street and travel as well. With Fujifilm showcasing their new 7 fps and 8 fps capabilities in their new GFX cameras, improved AF system, and 8-stops of stabilization, it could probably be used in a few of the sports but nothing to compete with 120fps of A9III neither it wants to challenge it by any means. I see this lens as most useful for Bird & Wildlife Photographers especially those who want those 100MP for cropping and printing.
   
3. Fujifilm X-T50 The new hybrid offering which in Fujifilm's words isn't by any means an X-T30II successor but they see it as an entirely separate line-up. It seems a perfect hybrid camera for anyone starting out similar to like X-S20 but more hybrid-centric, with a 40MP sensor, new 5th gen processor, 6.2K video, 4:2:2 10bit with both F-Log and F-Log 2. It is an almost perfect camera without many cons I can see yet, and I would certainly pick it up as a B-Cam for my X-H2. I see this primarily as the content creation first camera which would be ideal for traveling and a lighter setup.
   
4. Fujifilm XF 16-50mm f/2.8-4.8 An upgrade to an insanely popular kit lens often touted as the best kit lens on the market, it is an upgrade to the 18-55mm f/2.8-4.0. Now, there are 2 obvious pros and 3 obvious cons which can't be ignored. First with the pro, 2mm wider reach from 18mm which gave an equivalent of 27.5mm of focal length to now 16mm which will give an equivalent of 24mm. Secondly, improved AF speed and Stabilisation which would work the new 5th gen of Fujifilm Cameras much more perfectly. Now onto the cons, the first being at the tele end it is only 50mm instead of 55mm which means going down from a focal length of 82.5mm which was seen as an ideal focal length for portraits to 75mm. Secondly, it went from f/4 at the tele end to 4.8 while reducing the focal length as well which would affect its capabilities in low light and bokeh. Lastly, not as major, but I see it as one that the combination lens starts at 55 which is XF 55-200mm f/3.5-4.8 leaving around 5mm of space in between which might trigger a few OCD.
   

My Expectation from X-Summit later this year if announced for winter or post-Paris Olympics would be an upgrade to their X-Pro lineup of lenses which are 16-55mm f/2.8, 50-150mm f.2.8 and 8-16mm f/2.8. Secondly, an upgrade to their tele lens which is 100-400mm or 70-300mm to be more apt for the 5th gen of cameras, maybe a new lens, especially around the telephoto end and macro. Lastly, in terms of bodies, upgrades to X-T30II, X-E4, and X-T200, alongside GFX 50RII. For the GF series of lenses, a new kit lens replacing the older 35-70mm f/3.5-4.5 to perhaps 30-100mm or 30-90mm giving it more of a proper 24-105/24-80 equivalency as opposed to the current 28-55mm.
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Article: https://www.useyourbrainforex.com/post/us-dollar-rises-amid-import-price-surge-and-job-market-strength
The US dollar experienced a significant increase on Thursday, fueled by a 0.9% rise in import prices and a strong job market report. This development has raised concerns about persistent inflation and potential delays in the Federal Reserve's plans to reduce interest rates.
Key Points:

1. Import Prices Surge: The latest data revealed a 0.9% increase in import prices for the previous month. This is the largest monthly rise since March 2022, when import prices surged by 2.9%. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) highlighted that the last monthly decline in import prices occurred in December.
2. Strong Labor Market: The number of new jobless claims dropped by 10,000 to a seasonally adjusted 222,000 for the week ending May 11. This figure aligns closely with economists' forecasts and underscores the resilience of the US labor market.
3. Market Sensitivity to Inflation: Brian Daingerfield from NatWest Markets emphasized the market's sensitivity to inflation indicators, noting that the Federal Reserve is looking for consistent progress across various economic metrics before making decisions on interest rates.
4. CPI Data and Market Expectations: Although recent CPI data was not as severe as feared, it did not significantly change market expectations regarding the Fed's actions. The cautious stance contributed to the dollar's rebound.
5. Economic Uncertainty: The mixed economic data creates a complex landscape for investors, balancing expectations of potential rate cuts with the reality of ongoing inflationary pressures.
6. Expert Insights: Steven Ricchiuto from Mizuho Securities USA pointed out that jobless claims between 200,000 and 250,000 indicate a healthy job market. He also suggested that the market might be prematurely judging the inflation trajectory, as inflation remains above the target.

Overall, the US dollar's rise is a reflection of both strong economic indicators and underlying inflation concerns. As the Federal Reserve navigates these challenges, market participants remain vigilant about potential shifts in monetary policy.
Stay updated on the latest economic trends and insights!

Recently I was doing research on my next helmet, I ended up with a Team Wendy Epic Specialist and very happy with it.
But during the research I found out a lot of companies still offer PASGT at premium price, including Sarfariland, Paraclete and Highcom.
In this day and age, who would be the intended customer for PASGT? It seems to me that PASGT is inferior in everyway compared to modern mid/high cut system, and since they are new build, they aren't any cheaper either. Most new PASGT I saw are in $500-600 range, why not just buy a Highcom ACH or Galvion Viper?
Did I missed something here?

Hello all! You had great answers for my first start into this, so I'm back with more. I consider myself great at putting the parts together, but pretty shit at understanding the differences in parts, so thanks for the prep work!
As titled, I'm currently prepping to buy the parts for the 120FPS build, because it covers the bases we want below the budget set. So im looking to spend some of the surplus and make it a bit more glowy, and wanted to ask for recommendations. If the prices listed are accurate, should have roughly $600 for upgrades/ glowy bits.
My first thought was switching to the case+fans you recommend for the ultra build. That in total adds like $180, and would open the inside up a bit.
Next, maybe it's just the pictures, but the video card doesn't show off any glowy bits, is there a version of this card you would switch out for more color? Or am I overthinking the amount of RGB already in the build?
Also, storage. Would adding a second SSD be worth it, instead of adding the HDD? mostly storing tons of 3D printer files. Probably better to just get a bigger HDD?
I guess the easiest version of this is; if someone who really understands the parts in the build had access to an extra $600, and wanted it to look more badass, what would you want to add?
The other burning question is liquid cooler for CPUs. I have never dealt with one, always used more traditional coolers. Is there a good youtube video/channel to alleviate my fear of working with it?
Thanks in advance for any knowledge/opinions you are willing to pass on!

So I bought a Hamilton beach dehydrator today from Canadian Tire and made a taco mixture (rice, extra lean ground beef, corn, beans, peppers) all were patted very dry and cut the same size roughly. I saw a girl on YouTube do this exact recipe with this exact machine. Initially, it ran good for 2 hours, I went to go mix it around, pressed pause, then resume, it ran for 1 minute and then had an error message. I then unplugged and replugged and tried moving the food away from the centre, evening it out and everything in between. I unplugged and replugged 5 times, and the same thing happens, runs for 1-2 mins, and stops with an error message I set it to 140°F and 7 hours if that’s helpful Let me know if you can help :)

Note: Eugene has wings in this fanepisode as well, that's still a theory - as is his mom's suffering a marriage crisis in season 2, based on a disagreement they may have over Eugene having been allowed to put himself in danger by the end of season 1 (don't worry, this theory also involves that they never actually divorce and reconcile at some point - and that there was far more to this argument than he thought, but that's saved for next chapter ;) Enjoy this one first :)
Cut to Vincent looking at a mural Xavier painted. Latter stands next to him, tapping his foot a little.
Vincent: Very nice. Though a little derivative of early Frida Kahlo, don’t you think?
Xavier: Why are you here?
Vincent: I did tell you it’s parent day.
Xavier: You never show up for parent day. So … (has to fight to keep going) … so could we just get it over with?
Vincent: (looks at him, unfazed, but cool) Alright, let’s cut the formalities.
He steps towards Xavier and fetches three little envelopes from the front pocket of his jacket. Xavier opens them – it’s flyers for other private schools. He freezes again.
Vincent: (pointing to one) This one’s in northern China. A rather militaristic school, but excellent teachers. And of course, Eton. (he points to another) You like black clothing now, I've heard.
Xavier: (stares at the flyers)
Vincent: I’ve sent your grades to each of them. They’d be happy to take you. By tomorrow even.
Xavier: (looks at him, half angry)
Vincent: You’re breaking school rules like an idiot. That is bothersome, Exavier. Very much so.
Xavier: (looks down at the flyers again, huffing a bit)
Vincent: It’s up to you. I don’t need you to be educated in America. But your friends do, right? And … (he leans over, looking at the flyers) … these aren’t the only schools on the list. And a few of them have rather insufficient internet.
Xavier looks at him, glaring, but not saying anything. Vincent observes him, completely unfazed still.
Vincent: Would you like to find out how many friends you’d have left after a few months?
Xavier: (slightly huffs, still not saying anything)
Vincent: Have I made myself clear?
Xavier: (looks down, nodding)
Vincent: (smiles) Excellent. (he pats his shoulder and walks away, leaving him standing there and looking at the flyers in quiet anger)
Cut to Enid’s parents sitting about. Her mother seems a little gloomy. Enid reaches them, her father smiling at her.
Enid: Sorry I’m late, I talked to Ajax mom’s.
Esther: Hm.
Enid: (notices her look) I … I may spend spring break with them soon.
Esther: (looks at her disapprovingly)
Enid: (meeting her look bravely) They’d love to have me.
Esther: (after another moment of glaring) Aren’t you spending a little too much time with that boy?
Enid: (sighs) Why? He’s my boyfriend.
Esther: There are more important things.
Enid: (looking down) I spend enough time still with other people. You may have heard.
Esther: I have. (she puts down her food)
Enid: (sighing again) Mom listen – I know it’s school rules but … we’re not hurting anyone, the opposite even, and I-
Esther: I don’t care about school rules – nothing should be in the way of a wolf, dear. But your company…
Enid: (looks at her)
Esther: I talked to your wolf advisor. She said you’ve started to spend your wolfed out nights not with the other wolves, but – those other kids.
Enid: (chuckles bewildered) Other kids.
Esther: A fair bunch of weaklings, my dear. Runt of the litter, let’s be honest.
Enid: (stares at her)
Esther: And it’s nice that you care for them, but do that in your free time. (she leans forward) The full moon is for wolves. You need to bond with the pack.
Enid: I tried. They’re not for me.
Esther: (shakes her head a little at her) I don’t think you tried hard enough. Wolf nights aren’t times to be a chooser. Or difficult, Enid. You need to adjust to your position. Maybe that’s what you didn’t like.
Murray looks at his wife, uncomfortable.
Enid: I don’t like hierarchies, it’s true.
Esther: (sighs) Just when I thought we were getting somewhere.
Enid glares at her, then looks into the middle distance for a moment, then down – then starts chuckling.
Esther: What?
Enid: (smiles at her – then gets up and walks away – a few meters off, she turns) Wow. Sixteen years and you finally said something I can use.
They exchange a look, her mother’s face changing a little while Enid seems near tears. Her father sighs, looking down. Enid looks at her mother defiantly, then stomps away.
Cut to the pond. Pugsley is sitting around all alone, staring at the water. He goes to fetch something from his bag and pulls out a grenade. He pulls the pin and throws it, but before it can reach the water, someone flies in and kicks it to the side, where it explodes. Pugsley stares at Eugene, who raises an eyebrow at him.
Eugene: Now that’s not very nice.
Puglsey: Wasn’t supposed to be?
Eugene: (chuckles) So… what’s a kid who wouldn’t chose boarding school over home doing here?
Puglsey: (stares at him)
Eugene: (flies over and sits down next to him, looking at him attentively)
Pugsley: (shrugs) I wasn’t in the mood for my parent’s cheerfest for my sister today.
Eugene: Must be hard.
Pugsley: I can handle. One day I’ll show them all.
Eugene: (smiles a little at this, kinda getting it)
Pugsley: What about you?
Eugene: Me?
Pugsley: I may or may not have heard that your moms are about as insufferably loving as mine. So what brings?
Eugene: (sighs) I guess it’s that … I may have to check who of the two is more loving or something soon …
Pugsley: Rough.
Eugene: (shrugs) It’s fine. (quietly) We’re like other families, right?
Pugsley: (looks at him for a long moment)
They sit in silence for another one, then he fetches something from his bag. Cut to Eugene’s face – he flinches when he suddenly hears another grenade explosion nearby. He turns to Pugsley, who has thrown it.
Eugene: Dude! (holds his chest a little)
Pugsley: Explosions usually make me feel better.
Eugene: (stares at him – then bursts into giggles)
Pugsley: (smirks)
Eugene: You’re so like your sister.
Pugsley’s expression drops. He looks at him surprised - but not in a bad way.
Eugene: (shrugs) Little more fun maybe.
Pugsley stares at him with a little smile. Bewildered. Eugene wants to say something more, but in this moment, his mom calls him. He sighs, turning to them in the distance. Eugene sighs.
Eugene: Well, here goes. (he gets up)
Pugsley: Try not to fly into their faces.
Eugene: (chuckles, then walks down the dock) See ya, Pugs.
Pugsley: See ya… (he looks at him, furrowing his brows) ... what was it again?
Eugene: (smirks, walking backwards) My friends call me U. (he points fingerguns at him, then does a half a backflip into the air and flies over to his moms. As he does, the camera cuts to his face – he starts cringing at himself.)
Pugsley: (smiles, turns away again, staring back at the pond) U.