Sorry this is a bit long. TLDR: I generally really like the scooter, and love the ability to just rent it, but some of the limitations make it not preferrable scooter for a 9+ mile commute with some bumpy sections.
Take this for what it's worth, just one data point out of many, but I thought it would be good to at least provide a positive data point given that we all have a negativity bias when it comes to reviews. I mean it's understandable that we want to avoid being even an outlier case that gets a bad experience.
Anyway, I just rented an Unagi Voyager (last Saturday) - refurbished. It came just 3 days later, and set it up with no issues. It was not banged up at all, seemed very lightly used.
Unfortunately the weather here has not been great, and I was still waiting on my protective gear, so didn't really get to test it much until I did the full commute to work yesterday. I was particularly worried about the range of comments I've seen online and because I have a 9+ mile commute. I can charge at work, but I still didn't want it to too close to being empty.
When I first programmed in my weight of 140 lbs it was saying that the range would only be at most 13.7 miles. After weighing myself with my gear and laptop bag, etc., my weight went up to 160 lbs, which brought the range down to 12.5. However, despite their being some decent hills along my commute, my recorded trip in the app said that I went 9.4 miles and used 41% of the battery, so seemingly a 20+ mile range? This was at the 3rd speed setting that maxes out at 15mph, and my average speed for the trip was 11.8, but that includes a minute or so getting everything set after starting to record the ride, plus, obviously various stops at lights. I probably maintained 15mph for at least 65% of the ride.
As far as the ride, I would say that is probably the biggest con for me. While about 7 of those 9 miles are on a bike path with minimal bumps, the other 2 are on streets, and, well, I'm too much of a coward to ride on streets where the cars are going 45mph+ (this is in Northern Virginia, by the way), so opted to go on the sidewalk, and well, that was not the most pleasant experience with the tires and lack of shock absorption. It wasn't undoable, but this is probably the one thing for me that would prevent me from opting for one of these scooters as a purchase.
I do really enjoy the app and how it lets you record your trips and get stats on them, even if the range estimate is not accurate, and I like the ability to electronically lock your scooter although I haven't taken it anywhere that I've had to leave it outside and unattended yet. Still kind of nervous doing that without also a physical lock, especially given how light the scooter is.
Speaking of which, the weight is great, even for someone who is relatively weak, lol. I'm a short guy in his 50s who's never been very strong despite periods of working out with weights. I just don't have the build or whatever. I can take the Unagi up the flight of stairs in our 2nd floor condo without that much trouble. I wouldn't say it's "easy," especially after a long ride, but it's not hard either. The scooter is compact enough when folded to throw it in a corner of our 1,200 sq ft condo without being a big eyesore or really taking up any significant space, and I was able to fold it and put it under my desk at work without issue.
The battery, despite the range, does charge quite quickly. I think the stated charging time is 80% in 2 hours, and while I didn't get to time that, I did find that the green light on the charger would usually come on within an hour or two, although I was charging from 60% or more.
Other than the bumpiness of the ride, my main complaints were around how things got a bit uncomfortable at certain points. One is that holding the throttle down the entire time (since there's no cruise control), means that your thumb can get a bit sore, especially if you are cruising for long periods at a constant speed. The second issue may be something that may be particular to me vs. anyone else, but I do have something called Morton's Neuroma in my left foot, which is something like a pinched nerve that can get painful in certain situations. I'm right-handed, so my natural stance on the scooter is with my right foot forward, and it seems that the back foot ends up taking a lot of the weight, at least for me, but maybe my stance isn't good as I'm still very new to scooting. Having the weight on that back foot caused discomfort over a long ride, so I would have to occasionally slot down and lift that foot a bit to remove some pressure. I even tried switching my foot position, but when I did this it was in a more challenging part of the path and I didn't feel very confident, so maybe next time I'll try this on the more straight/flat sections that aren't challenging and hopefully that will help.
I'm new to scooters, as I mentioned, although I did ride one of my sister's in NYC a few years ago - she has some low-end GoTrax scooters - which I found enjoyable. So I'm sure there are a lot of things that more seasoned people might experience as "missing" or "inferior" which I don't, and that's fine. But given the somewhat negative stuff I've read online (right after I jumped and rented one), I was fearing the worst, but really nothing bad or unexpected given the inherent limitations (like the tires and lack of suspension). No issues with overall scooter quality and I was pleasantly surprised by the speed and convenience of delivery. Obviously, the support isn't something I've needed (yet), and so I know some of had issues with that, and if I do run into a problem, that might be where my opinion starts to change if in fact the support is as poor as some of the folks here have suggested. But for right now, everything works and so I fortunately haven't run into potentially challenging support situations.
I rented this scooter mainly because the service was available. I didn't want to toss hundreds of dollars at a vehicle that I had no idea weather I would actually enjoy using it on a commute (I go into the office 2 days per week). I didn't want to deal with the expense, or the time trying to research scooters to find something that might work for me without having actual experience riding. I figured that renting something for a month or two would give me a good enough perspective on both pain points and wish list items, and just whether a scooter was a viable commuting option for me. Given my current experience, I would definitely recommend this to others in my situation, with the caveat that it's been less than a week since I got mine and I have yet to cancel my subscription. Until I clock another few weeks at least and/or send my scooter back, my review is really just a "first impression" and so should be taken with a big grain of salt. If I do have further impressions over the course of weeks or months, I'll try to comment on this review to link them. My plan is to use this as much as I can (when the weather allows it) to get more comfortable overall and see if I can solve some of the comfort issues myself, but eventually I'm planning on sending this back and buying something as a permanent option that has a better ride for some bumpy roads/sidewalks and perhaps cruise control as well. Not sure if that will come in a package that is as light and compact, has as much range, and can go as fast as the Voyager, at least for $1000 or less, but we'll see...

I’d like to see everyone share their desk accessories that they use on a daily basis and that if it weren’t there you wouldn’t feel the same way about your desk

JEFFERSON CITY — The 2024 legislative session that ended Friday seemed more a referendum on Republican Party loyalty than a collective venture toward policy.
Constant infighting among Republicans over priorities and which ones were truly conservative led to days-long filibusters, name calling and the death of many conservative bills, including a top party priority: making it more difficult to amend the Missouri Constitution.
The divisions were so ingrained that the Senate Democrats, holding 10 seats in a 34-person body, delivered the deciding votes on some of the session's most important bills.
The hard-right Freedom Caucus has said their issue with mainstream Republican leaders in the legislature is a lack of dedication to “big red” policies like reducing personal property tax and preventing foreign countries from owning Missouri land.
Looking back at previous sessions, that argument doesn’t quite stack up. In the last several years Republicans have passed one of the nation's most strict abortion bans, limitations on transgender health care and enacted several income tax cuts.
The Freedom Caucus went to great lengths to disrupt Senate procedure and strong-arm leadership in an effort to pass their highest priority, changes to the initiative petition process. The impact was that they were tossed off Senate committees by the Republican leadership and later in the session failed to convince their Republican colleagues to embrace their priorities.
Less than two weeks before the constitutional deadline for the budget and with an important federal health care reimbursement that creates over $4 billion in revenue, Freedom Caucus members filibustered for 41 hours with the demand that leadership first bring up a resolution changing the approval threshold for state constitutional amendments.
Going into the last week of session, initiative petition reform still had not passed.
This week, the Freedom Caucus supported a motion among Republicans to end the Democratic filibuster on the issue through an extraordinary motion — the previous question — that hasn’t been used in the Senate since 2020. But only 16 Republicans would support that plan, which needed 18 votes, so it was never brought before the floor.
With that failure on Wednesday, the resolution was sent back to the House, which refused to budge on Thursday and sent it back to the Senate. On Friday the Senate adjourned without any further action and the effort died.
The failure to pass the resolution making initiative petition changes showed the inability of even a supermajority to act when splintered on such chaotic, disruptive lines.
Senate President Pro Tem. Caleb Rowden, R-Columbia, said that this session showed that more can get done through compromise than confrontation.
"I'm walking out of here as a guy that has basically accomplished everything I wanted to accomplish and I did it in a way that was respectful and collegial," Rowden said in a press conference after adjournment.
Senate Minority Leader John Rizzo, R-Independence, backed up that point saying, "I don't think Democrats won or Republicans lost (the session), I think decorum won."
Fiscal Year 2025 budget
A set of constitutionally mandated bills that fund the state's operations passed just three hours before the May 10 deadline. The final budget is $51.7 billion, $1 billion less than what the governor proposed, and about $2 billion less than last year's budget.
Three things stuck out in this year's budget: Infrastructure continued to be a major focus, spending was reduced to come in line with revenue projects and numerous members on both sides of the aisle were frustrated by the lack of transparency in the process.
Over the last two years, about $3.5 billion has been put into widening I-70 to six lanes statewide and I-44 in the southwestern part of the state. Both projects are about equally funded through debt and general revenue. The budget that was approved is expected to reduce the state surplus to about $1.5 billion.
Up-to-date numbers from the Office of Administration show a more rosy revenue picture than anticipated. So far Fiscal Year 2024 revenue receipts are up 2.7% year over year. That's far higher than the projected .2% growth in revenue used to craft the budget. If that revenue continues at the same pace and with a current general fund balance of over $4 billion there is a chance the state's surplus will hardly be tapped over the next year.
The declining budget also represents a return to normal state budgeting. Since the pandemic, states have received an unprecedented influx of federal COVID relief and infrastructure cash. That has led to record high appropriations that oftentimes don't get spent. In the FY 2023 budget, $10 billion of the $48 billion appropriated was never used. In 2018, only $2 billion of the $28 billion budget was left unspent.
No public comment was taken during the budget process and meetings between the House and Senate where the final budget package was finalized only existed behind closed doors. Senators only had a few minutes to review the bills before voting on them and House members had little time to debate as they passed the budget just hours before the constitutional deadline.
This backdoor process drew criticism from Democrats, Freedom Caucus members and the governor as many felt out of the loop.
Elections and initiative changes Fighting over changes that would make it harder to amend the Missouri Constitution again put the brakes on normal operating procedures on the Senate floor this session.
The Freedom Caucus has more than once sent the Senate into disarray over a piece of legislation that again failed to cross the finish line after years of attempts.
The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, R-Arnold, would have asked voters whether the current threshold to amend the state constitution — a simple majority, or 50% plus one — should be raised to also require a majority vote in at least five of the state’s eight congressional districts.
This year’s proposal included two provisions that led the chamber to several lengthy filibusters totaling more than 100 hours. In addition to the threshold requirement, the provisions would ask voters to bar noncitizens from voting on constitutional amendments and to ban constitutional amendments sponsored by foreign governments.
These provisions are already state law and Democrats made a point of filibustering against those provisions.
Republicans this session also pushed a resolution that would ban ranked-choice voting in Missouri. SJR 78 was passed by the House on Friday. The question will now go to voters to decide.
Ranked-choice voting is a practice where voters rank their preferred candidates on a single ballot until a winner is declared after receiving a majority of the vote. The idea is to give voters more options once their top-ranked choice is eliminated by distributing their vote to their next preferred candidates. Opponents said the practice does the exact opposite by splitting the vote.
While it is not in state law, St. Louis practices a version of ranked-choice voting that will be protected if the ban passes.
Education bill An omnibus education bill, SB 727, raising the minimum teacher salary, allowing charter schools in Boone County and providing private school scholarships to low-income students, has already been signed into law by Gov. Mike Parson. The provisions of the bill, approved by the minimum vote required in the House, are estimated to cost the state $468 million.
The new state minimum salary for teachers is set at $40,000 a year beginning with the next school year and includes additional incentives for teachers with longer careers and those with master’s degrees.
The voucher-like scholarship program for private school students offers up to $6,375 per child for expenses such as tuition, textbooks and transportation. The program is funded by private donors who can claim tax credits.
The size of the bill ballooned from 12 pages to more than 150 because of amendments in the Senate. House leaders blocked amendments so that the bill would not have to be returned for another vote in the Senate out of concern it would die because of filibusters on other topics.
The law requires a public vote to approve any switch to four-day school weeks while providing incentives to schools that stick with five-day weeks.
New crime provisions A major public safety bill that passed during the final House session on Friday made changes to how children are viewed in the court system, increased punishment for various crimes and limited the authority of citizen police review boards, among other items.
The bill tracks legislation passed last year, except for two technical provisions that prompted a veto by Parson. The law increases the age under which children could be considered adults in felony offenses from 12 to 14.
On July 4, 2011, Blair Shanahan Lane was killed by reckless celebratory gunfire. A portion of the bill dubbed "Blair's Law" creates penalties for such activity. After the bill passed on a bipartisan basis Friday, House members rose for a round of applause directed at Blair Lane's mother, who was in attendance.
The bill also creates "Valentine's Law" raising punishments for fleeing a law enforcement stop. It is named for St. Louis County Detective Antonio Valentine, who died in a crash pursuing a person fleeing police.
And there is a provision known as "Max's Law" that increases punishment for injuring or killing law enforcement K-9 dogs.
Sludge regulations House Bill 2134, which would create new regulations for wastewater sludge under the Missouri Clean Water Act, gained bipartisan approval and was signed by Parson.
The bill gained traction as concerns about waste lagoons and land application practices by Arkansas-based Denali Water Solutions have been brought to light. The new law prevents companies like Denali from applying waste as fertilizer without a regulatory process and testing.
Denali was previously forced to cease operations in Missouri after 6,000 gallons of slaughterhouse waste spilled into a field, causing residents to complain about the smell and runoff concerns.
Regulatory Sandbox Act The House Friday gave final approval to SB 894 creating an avenue for new companies offering innovative products to be excused from meeting some state regulations for the first 24 months that they begin offering innovative products to consumers.
Companies would be required to apply and meet certain criteria to participate in the program.
The bill also creates an Office of Entrepreneurship within the Department of Economic Development that will promote policies and initiatives to support the growth of entrepreneurship of Missouri-based businesses with less than ten employees.
Eviction moratorium A bill passed on Friday barred any municipality from enacting an eviction moratorium. The bill, SB 865, comes in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic when cities across the country prevented landlords from evicting tenets. Realtors and apartment associations spoke in favor of the bill as they feel moratoriums violate the rights of property owners.
National Guard deployment Parson signed a bill on May 8 approving additional funding for a Missouri National Guard deployment to the southern border. The governor traveled to Eagle Pass, Texas, to sign House Bill 2016 into law and visit with members who have been deployed since March.
“The battle that we’re fighting down here at the border is keeping it from happening in our own borders, in our own state in Missouri,” Parson said before signing the bill.
Members of the National Guard are assisting with Operation Lone Star after being invited by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. Operation Lone Star is a state-level border security effort at the Texas-Mexico border that began in 2021.
The $2.2 million in funding supports the operations of approximately 200 National Guard members and 22 Missouri State Highway Patrol officers for 90 days. Since the start of their mission, only around 50 guardsmen and 22 members of the highway patrol have served in Texas.
Sports wagering moves ahead After years of failed attempts to get legalization through the Missouri General Assembly, sports gambling appears to have found a more promising path.
Early in May, the Winning for Missouri Education committee along with a coaltion of Missouri professional sports teams submitted over 340,000 signatures for a ballot initiative to the Secretary of State's office desk.
If the Secretary of State verifies that enough signatures are genuine, the question would be put to voters in November. Thirty-eight other states have legalized some form of sports wagering.
The petition proposes a 10% tax on wagers to be collected by the Department of Revenue, deposited into the state treasury and credit to the "Gaming Proceeds for Education Fund," raising a projected $35 million.
Approximately $5 million in funds from the sports wagering tax would go into a fund to help compulsive gamblers and the rest would go to public school and higher education programs.
Child tax credits Bipartisan support and a State of the State address plug by Parson helped two bills, SB 742 and HB 1488, which would add provisions allowing for tax credits related to child care services to reach the Senate floor for consideration.
However, opposition from Freedom Caucus members of the Senate stalled action both in an effort to advance bills they felt deserved more priority and out of a general dislike of tax credits. The Senate version is sponsored by Sen. Lauren Arthur, D-Kansas City, while the House bill is sponsored by Rep. Brenda Shields, R-St. Joseph.
Protecting IVF House and Senate bills to protect in vitro fertilization clinics got a flurry of attention but did not advance following an Alabama state court ruling that relied on a state abortion ban to restrict in vitro fertilization clinics.
The Missouri Court of Appeals in St. Louis ruled in 2016 that IVF-created embryos were a matter of “marital property of special order.” This has provided legal protection for doctors and patients in the IVF field.
However, that court ruling cited abortion protection offered by Roe Vs. Wade, which was overturned in 2022. With Missouri having a similar abortion ban to the one in Alabama, leading advocates and lawmakers alike are concerned about what could lie ahead.
Sen. Tracy McCreery, D-Olivette, filed SB 1486 which would specify that Missouri's abortion ban does not have a definition that includes in vitro fertilization embryos that have not been implanted in a body. Rep. Bill Allen, R-Kansas City, filed House Bill 2845 which states that the IVF process is protected under law and no one can be prosecuted for undergoing or administrating IVF.
Here is what happened to other legislative topics that garnered attention during the session but did not pass:
Protections for pesticide maker: HB 2763, sponsored by Rep. Dane Diehl, R-Butler, would have protected pesticide manufacturers from claims that they failed to warn consumers of possible cancer risks in their products as long as the federal Environmental Protection Agency has approved those products.
Much of the debate before the House approved the bill focused on Bayer, the company with U.S. headquarters in St. Louis that purchased Monsanto, the original manufacturer of RoundUp pesticide. According to The Associated Press, the company is seeking to stem a tide of lawsuits claiming that Bayer’s products cause cancer.
Diehl, a farmer, said he drafted the legislation out of fear that Bayer would be forced to pull RoundUp off of the market, harming farmers ability to grow crops. The bill never made it to the Senate floor for consideration.
Presidential primaries: New voting laws passed in 2022 eliminated the presidential primary in Missouri. Following low voter turnout in this year’s Republican presidential caucus, SB 1120 and HB 2618, which would reinstate presidential primaries, passed out of their respective committees. The House bill passed with amendments that would create new residency restrictions for candidates vying for U.S. Congress. Ultimately, neither bill got floor consideration.
The Taylor Swift Act: Bills in both the House and Senate sought to address the impact of problematic images created by artificial intelligence but did not make it into law. While ten states provide some form of retribution for this type of crime, only Minnesota and New York statutes allow for both civil and criminal relief.
The Taylor Swift Act, House Bill 2573, offered by Rep. Adam Schwadron, R-St. Charles, targeted fake pornographic images. The bill was approved by the Special Committee on Innovation and Technology but never received a floor vote. The name of the bill referred to explicit AI-created images of the singer that went viral in January.
A similar bill, Senate Bill 1424, sponsored by Sen. Travis Fitzwater, R-Holts Summit, did not get a hearing.
Media Literacy: Companion bills, House Bill 1513 and Senate Bill 1311, aimed to teach students about media and digital literacy. Neither bill advanced.
Danny's Law: Legislation that sought to protect 911 callers from prosecution when calling to report a hazing incident stalled in the House. The bill was named after former University of Missouri student Danny Santulli, who suffered irreparable brain damage after drinking too much when pledging a fraternity at MU in the fall of 2021.
Danny’s Law was meant to offer exoneration to those involved in hazing incidents if they’re the first to call for emergency help.
“As the mother of three college-age men, I understand this is a major issue,” said Rep. Jo Doll, D-St. Louis, who spoke during a March 7 committee hearing. “It’s really important to give kids the ability to call 911 without being afraid of the consequences to them.”
Protecting major water users: House Bill 2669, which sought to limit information being released to the public about major water users, was approved by a House committee but failed to get a floor vote. The bill was meant to protect the information of Missouri’s family farmers and would keep information about individually identifiable water users from being disclosed to the public.
Highway Commission changes: A bill, House Bill 2568, that would have changed the makeup of the Missouri Highways & Transportation Commission was voted down in a committee in Apri. Two other bills that would have either changed the makeup of the commission or done away with it altogether failed to move forward after being the subject of public hearings in early February.
Nursing restrictions: Missouri is one of only a few states not to allow nurse practitioners to practice independently without the authority of a physician. A House committee passed an amended version of one bill, HB 1773, sponsored by Rep. Chad Perkins, R-Bowling Green, that would allow nurses to practice independently after 6,000 hours of work under a physician's supervision. The bill was never placed on the House calendar, a roadblock which some nurses point to opposition from House Floor Leader Rep. Jonathan Patterson, R-Lee’s Summit.
Dmitry Martirosov, Molly Miller, Aidan Pittman, Grant Green and Madeline Shannon contributed to this story.
Cover image: State Representative Chantelle Nickson-Clark(cq) throws her papers at the end of the legislative session on Friday, May 17, 2024 at the Statehouse in Jefferson City. Nickson-Clark was the first Black woman elected to represent District 67 in St. Louis County in Nov. 2022.

A brief recap. In the opening episode, the Fireman had a sit-down with a man who at least looked like Cooper. Telling he was "far away", the Fireman made him flicker and disappear. Next, we may have found the man as a remote control in Mitchum brothers' house in P10, in line with "far away" being another kind of "remote", like in a dream where our memories get wildly different meanings and grow into unexpected stories.
After observing Candie's bloody entry to the story in P10, this "remote" character seems to have sought the headless version of Cooper, appearing again as a remote control and guiding him to electrocute himself in P15. In line with hearing, "Get Gordon Cole" in television, the remote would have done just that and got to Cole, once more showing up as a remote control in P3 when Tammy presented Cole and Albert a picture of a blurry figure inside the New York glass box. The figure seems to have been none other than Candie hunting the fly, connecting her seemingly harmless character to the reason why Cole was needed.
This third appearance might have been the remote's last, at least as a remote control. Tammy left it on the conference room table. As usual, there was no special fanfare about that, and Lynch left it for us to figure out what was important to understand his story.
Framed in front of the remote, there was a cup of coffee and a picture of a little boy wearing a uniform. Earlier in the scene, the picture was literally given to us as a clue to the "identity of the killer". Let's treat it as a clue, then, together with the coffee cup right behind it.
This cup with a uniform had once been remote.
The word "cup" sounds the same as "cop". Adding that to a boy in a uniform, we'd get to P9 when Betty shared some details of the past with Twin Peaks deputies the ranks of which now included her son, Bobby.

Betty: "Bobby, when your father told me this, you were a very long way from where you are today."

In other words, Bobby had been in a faraway place. That is to say, he had been remote, now possibly true in more than one meaning of the word. While the scene superficially gave us an emotional moment between the mother and her son, the ever-trolling Lynch would actually have been telling us that it was Bobby who had been the mysterious remote control.
In a possible throwback to the coffee cup next to the remote, the scene wrapped up when Betty turned to his son.

Betty: "Well, fellas, let's have that coffee."

As everyone burst to laughter, that typically indicated we just got some especially absurd twist in the story.
No backstory was offered how Bobby had become a deputy. Everyone at least acted like he indeed was one, but unlike other named characters working at the Sheriff's station, we didn't ever see if he had an office or a desk there. He was always walking in the corridors, entering rooms and hanging around with others.
This was also how we first met Bobby in P4, walking in the corridor. He had just went past the station's conference room - or perhaps he had come out of the room. There was nothing else in the direction he was coming from, and he didn't come from the other end of the corridor that led to the back office where Maggie and others worked.
The remote left the conference room.
Bobby stopped when the Sheriff called him. When the Sheriff walked past the open conference room door, we could see it was dark. No one was there. Yet, Hawk was supposed to be in the conference room looking for "something" that was missing, like seen next when the Sheriff and others joined him.
When glitches like this broke the continuity of the story, that seems to have been done to draw our attention to something important, in this case then to the conference room that was where the remote control was last seen and where Bobby might have come out of when the Sheriff spotted him.
In related developments, Bobby seems to have been the nameless "contact" that Ray told in P2 he had found to help Mr C get some "information" while Ray himself would have appeared as Sheriff Frank Truman, entering this dreamlike Twin Peaks storyline to manipulate Bobby so as to get the coveted information from Betty.
If you are a Ray, you need a remote for contact.
Reflecting these ideas to the remote control, we would get another absurd abstraction. There were repeated shots of people pointing televisions with a remote control - in P3, P10 and P15. This was possibly done to not only draw our attention to the device itself but also to remind us that the contact between the remote and the television happens through an infrared ray, another play with the name of a character, now with that of Ray Monroe.
Due to the infrared ray needing to point directly at the television, a remote control spends a lot of time towards the screen, literally checking every channel that has something to see. This appeared to be what Bobby had been up to when he reported to the Sheriff in P4.

Sheriff Truman: "Anything on your surveillance cameras?" Bobby: "Uh, elk, deer, raccoon, squirrel and a bear. If they're coming down from Canada in our area, I would've seen them."

Whatever we thought that would have been about, the story didn't get back to any of it. Instead, we probably got another complicated throwback to a previous scene with a remote control, again a good tad more suggestive than what we might be looking for.
The list of animals and the lone article "a" used for the bear would produce letters EDRSAB which is an anagram for BREADS. In P15, when Cooper clicked the remote control and froze Sunset Boulevard, there was Cecil B DeMille on screen, playing himself, of which we got some needless dialog.

DeMille: "Good-bye, dear." Norma: "Good-bye, Mr DeMille."

See Mr Miller to get some flour for your breads.
Nothing seems to go waste in Return but everything is in the service of the absurdly rich story. DeMille's last name is French and means a miller, one who makes flour. You need flour first, if you want to make breads next. Thus, after seeing the "miller" on one screen - then as a remote - Bobby would have got BREADS on the next one - now as a deputy.
This would get a further meaning because it was also breads that Bobby's daughter Becky delivered to RR Diner in P5, riding Steven's "another old car", the 1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am, where both of them snorted another kind of white flour. Ultimately, this probably was all about Bobby keeping an eye on his daughter who used drugs.

Hi All, I'd just like to share a 'hack' i've been using recently. I designed and printed out my own Frequent Flyer cards to board early, use express check-in desks and to use lounges. I Designed them in Figma and printed them at a local place near my home for like 5 bucks?!
If you are going to do this, it's important that you use a different airline -- But one that is still in the same alliance I.e Turkish Airlines card for Singapore Airlines Travel.
The Cards
This has worked so far in helping me get priority boarding & check-in at Changi, Heathrow, CDG & Sydney and has even gotten me LOUNGE ACCESS In Changi!
( a lawyer has told me that this isn't illegal, but airlines have their own rights and policies)

I have a friend who I became close with fairly quickly. I love talking to her about her theories on existence and the universe, she’s pretty out there. We know about the same niche things and we never run out of things to talk about. It fricking rocks. This post talks about spiritual stuff, and I don’t really know the proper terms so if I’m using anything wrong please correct me.
Anyways, she said something that’s stuck with me and I keep thinking about it. She said when it comes to passing. It isn’t just about how you look, it’s about your ‘aura’. She’s a spiritual gal and I thought this was interesting. Essentially this means it’s not just about how you look. It’s the most subtle things. It’s weird and now that she’s pointed it out I can’t stop noticing it. She believes there’s three states of existence. Your body/brain, your aura and your consciousness, essentially. Focusing on the body, just the body, not things like clothes and whatnot, and the aura here, it exudes masculinity or femininity. And you can have the most masculine man but have a more feminine feel to him, a softness almost? I noticed this with my boyfriend once she pointed it out. He’s a masculine cis man, but he’s always seemed feminine to me, he doesn’t really have super feminine mannerisms. He’s just kinda awkward. Even when his hair was short. It’s been something I had noticed but I couldn’t put my finger on. And trying to explain it just made me sound crazy. That’s why some trans men just pass better than others even if they pass on the same level physically. Or they seem more ‘clockable’ to others. One just reads more manly than the other. She said that humans, on a subconscious level, read these signals and feeds this information back into the brain and you just go from there. I also noticed this with two of my trans friends, both girls who aren’t able to transition medically currently. One in the closet still. Something about them both just seems feminine, when their bodies are still manly. It’s like my brain just knows? She has a theory that the brain and the consciousness are the same sex when the body may not be, or any other combination of these things. And I’ve never messed up the pronouns or preferred names of either of these girls, even the one I’ve known for years. She noted some people may be more receptive to this stuff. I even noticed this with myself to an extent. I’m early into my medical transition (2 months on T, woop woop) and even before that with minimal voice training, people just thought I was like a 15~ year old boy. I was rarely misgendered. To be fair I have broad shoulders and ‘surly’ body language, so it could just be that. But I had asked another one of my trans irls who knew me for years before my transition and he said he just knew I was a guy.
I wondered if this isn’t necessarily spiritual stuff but it’s more of a ‘brain registering micro movements and secondary characteristics’ thing. But that wouldn’t really explain the stuff I noticed with my boyfriend. Just the sense of femininity.
I have my own beliefs on the consciousness/subconscious but what she’s said makes sense kind of? But I’m not overly well versed in this spiritual stuff.
Does any of this makes sense at all? Has anyone picked up on this or is she just kinda batty?

President Vladimir Putin's recent state visit to China was seen as significantly concerning for Western Europe and the US. It took place against the backdrop of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and provided a platform for the Russian president to demonstrate the strength of his powerful international alliances.
China's economic and military strength positions it as a global superpower. Based on current trends, barring unforeseen events, China is projected to become a dominant global superpower by the 2030s.
Following Russia's special operation in Ukraine, Mr. Putin has faced widespread criticism and diplomatic isolation by Western Europe and the US. However, Chinese President Xi Jinping has emerged as a binding partner for Russia in shaping a new world order that the US does not lead.
During the visit, President Xi extended a royal welcome to President Putin, organizing an elaborate reception in Tiananmen Square with traditional Red Carpet and Army songs and enthusiastic children. Despite the camaraderie displayed in Russian and Chinese media, the power dynamic between the two nations is quite different.
In an effort to maintain trade relations with Russia, which is heavily sanctioned and isolated by Western Europe and the US, President Putin approached China with conciliatory language and gestures. He even mentioned that his family was learning Mandarin, a rare public reference to his children. Mr. Putin portrayed himself and Mr. Xi as "as close as brothers" and praised China's rapidly growing economy, likely aiming to address Chinese officials' concerns about their country's economic slowdown. In contrast, Mr. Xi's response was more cautious, referring to Mr. Putin as a "good friend and a good neighbor."
The conflict in Ukraine has impacted the dynamics of the Russian-Chinese relationship and highlighted Russia's vulnerabilities in both its military and economy. While China has strained relations with Western Europe and the US, it has not faced the same level of isolation as Russia. Despite the reserved body language and public statements, Mr. Xi's invitation to Putin to his official residence, Zhongnanhai, indicates the significance China places on the relationship.
President Xi is delicately balancing the need to sustain an alliance with Putin while recognizing that close ties with a pariah state could jeopardize China's crucial economic relations with Western Europe and the US.
The visit was likely focused on economic considerations, with Mr. Putin seeking China's support for his military efforts in Ukraine. The composition of Putin's delegation, including the governor of Russia's Central Bank, finance minister, and economic advisor, reflected the objectives of the visit. The joint statement released during the visit proposed ideas to enhance trade, including the construction of a port on an island historically contested by the two countries and exploring the potential for Chinese ships to navigate through a key river to reach the Sea of Japan.
The United States closely monitored the visit, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken warning China to refrain from supporting Russia's military actions and engaging in trade involving components that could be used in Russian military equipment. Mr. Xi's visit to a state-backed university known for its advanced defense research, as well as the associated ceremony and symbolism during the visit to the city of Harbin, indicate his determination not to yield to Western pressure. However, behind the outward display of unity, there may be limits to Xi's commitment. As the senior partner in the relationship, Mr. Xi is likely to cooperate when it aligns with China's interests, even if it means supporting his ally, Mr. Putin.

TL;DR I injured my back because of ridiculous uniform rules and 0 health and safety, I was lured into a meeting under false pretences and lied about, then fired.
on a 2 month contract, working the post room for some awful private school that charges £50k a year when most of the school budget seems to be spent on marble topped desks and shoddy artwork
I thought I'd be walking around with a trolley delivering letters but my job was actually ferrying 20kg+ worth of parcels from one end of the school to the other, dragging them along the floor in a bag. I would then organise them, catalog them and contact anybody who had a package, so lots of lifting and carrying. Any other department would be allowed to request the estates team to carry packages, who would wear appropriate, comfortable, unrestrictive clothing and use a trolley to transport them. Me, it was slim fitting suits and shoes only.
A week later I changed to my normal clothes, this was very much not allowed so I changed back to shirt and trousers, just not so slim-fitting. Nobody said anything against it, my manager in fact commended me for dressing appropriately. I started to notice teachers, other admin staff, anybody really, wearing trainers, these were all people that faced students far more than me, they also dealt with the principal, parents of students whereas I didn't really, I spent most of my time in a room at the back of the school, a dusty little hovel that had lift-up windows that were sealed shut. One rule for me, one rule for everybody else.
There was a large, plastic box that held exams, it was wider than me, heavy alone but would be much heavier depending on how much is in there, and would have to be placed on top of a cabinet that was nearly a foot taller than me. I was hurting my shoulders constantly doing this, and I was not provided with a step ladder to level out the height, in fact it was such a small space the myriad of amazon boxes that were delivered were often in front of that cabinet, making it more difficult.
I put the box in an area on the floor, my heel caught it and the force went straight up my back, and I now have muscle damage in my lower back. I went home early and had a total of 1.5 days off. I was interrogated over the phone, and the day I went in my manager immediately tried to paint it as my error, i disagreed.
Lunch time came, I was lured into an office for a 'back to work meeting' where HR was on Teams, and I was told my work ethic was poor(nobody said anything previously, I was consistently told I was doing a good job), my personal presentation was poor (by the same woman who thanked me for dressing appropriately) and that I had lied on the phone about hospital opening times (how could she know? she didnt even know the name of my hospital, I had to repeat it to her 3 times on the phone, so there is no way she could have told me the operating hours)
I was offered no representation, no time to prepare, I was lied to about the reason for the meeting. And worst of all watching her putrid, piggy face smirk when she felt she had caught me in a lie made my feel physically sick (she didn't btw, she lied about me calling her at a certain time, I have screenshots proving there was never even a phonecall at the time she stated, I had been calling starting 90 minutes before she said)
She was so smiley and nice up until the morning when she tried to make me blame myself for my injury, when I said 'well it's not like there's much place to put the box' which she then stormed out and an hour later I was lied about and fired. In the meeting she told me they had THEIR health and safety person do a risk assessment, conveniently they had removed nearly all documents from the box and calculated the weight down to the individual sheet of paper and then used it against me. This does not negate the fact I had to lift it onto something taller than me without the aid of a step ladder (which I also have proof of)
The only upside is that when she tried to break the news that 'it's just not working out' I just said ok bye, walked out and got my things. She followed me into the office and said 'I need your lanyard then I need you to LEAVE.' It is amazing how this subsection of the mildly educated, overfed middle classes will patronise you, treat you utter contempt, outright lie about you, smirk in your face while doing it but two simple, non swear words send them into a self-righteous frenzy.
All of it is he-said-she-said and I'm acutely aware that her words have far more authority, but the two things that do have proof are her lies about the time I called, and the state of the room I worked in as I took a photograph.
If it wasn't obvious already, I live in England

So I'm dealing with this oil leak trouble.
2023 V7 Special roughly 3k miles on odometer
Basically about 3-4 weeks ago I left my motorcycle in a garage overnight. My mother noticed what honestly looked like water with a sheen to it. We looked at the engine thin layer of oil on both sides of the engine near where the engine and transmission meet and quite a bit underneath. Had it towed to a dealer. They looked it over and were unable to find anything wrong after riding it three times (per their report). However they refilled the oil. I then road it to NJ and this time black oil dripping underneath the engine, and again some on the right side of the engine. Road it home. Took it to a very reputable dealer about an hour from my house (AJ Cycles Gill MA). They did notice a leak. They replaced O-ring gasket-crush washer for oil filter replaced the oil again and transmission fluid. road tested and reported okay. I road it home about 35 miles with some varied riding yesterday (I was riding it hard to see if there was still a problem was still there) and there was quickly 2-3 drops of oil underneath the engine. I am planning a 2000 mile ride from MA to Indiana and back starting on Wednesday and I'm just concerned.
Two questions:

1. I've gotten charged about $300 between two dealerships for this and I feel strongly this should be covered under warrantee given that this is not the fault of my use, but I don't see anything specific in the warranty literature about this kind of thing. Am I off base here, can someone show me any literature that would back up my feelings here?
2. Given that two dealerships have looked at it and it doesn't seem to be a significant mechanical problem, should I just feel confident making the ride that I have been planning for about 6 months, perhaps I'll being 2-4oz of oil with me just in case.

Happy to supply picture of the bike and the leak, and copies of the receipt for the service per request
Thanks!

Assyrians in USA reach out locals Especially representative NJ reach out locals house members Assyrian-Americans, Reach Out to Your Local Representatives:
Your taxes are funding this regime. Assyrian-American must demand an investigation into yet another crime against our indigenous Assyrian community. The kidnapping of Ayla Ziton is part of a long list of atrocities. It is time to take a stand and ensure our voices are heard to protect our heritage and people.
What You Can Do:

1. Contact Your Representatives: Write to or call your local, state, and federal representatives to express your concern. Emphasize that U.S. funding should not support regimes that turn a blind eye to human rights abuses.
   
2. Spread Awareness: Share Ayla Ziton’s story on social media, with friends, and within your community. Use hashtags like #JusticeForAyla, #AssyrianLivesMatter .
   
3. Support Assyrian Organizations: Donate to or volunteer with organizations that work to support Assyrian communities and advocate for their rights.
   
4. Stay Informed: Keep up with news about the situation in northeastern Syria and other regions where Assyrians face persecution. Knowledge is power, and staying informed helps you take effective action.
   

Together, we can make a difference. Let’s ensure Ayla Ziton and others like her are not forgotten.
Situation Update in Northeastern Syria and Call to Action for Assyrian-Americans
Current Situation
The humanitarian crisis in northeastern Syria remains severe and multifaceted. Controlled largely by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the region faces ongoing violence, arbitrary detentions, and significant human rights abuses. The conflict has led to widespread displacement, with many Assyrians forced to flee their homes multiple times due to military operations and clashes between various factions oai_citation:1,World Report 2024: Syria Human Rights Watch oai_citation:2,The Syria crisis explained: 5 things to know in 2024 Concern Worldwide.
As of 2024, over 15 million Syrians require humanitarian assistance, including more than 6 million children. The economic situation is dire, with over 80% of Syrians living below the international poverty line. Access to essential services such as healthcare, clean water, and education remains severely limited oai_citation:3,The Syria crisis explained: 5 things to know in 2024 Concern Worldwide.
In this challenging environment, the Assyrian community faces unique threats. The kidnapping of Ayla Ziton, a young Assyrian Christian woman, underscores the vulnerability of this minority group. Despite appeals, the Kurdish administration, led by the PYD, has been criticized for failing to take effective action to secure her release and protect the rights of Assyrians oai_citation:4,‘Strangers in our own homes’: A waning Assyrian community holds on in northeastern Syria.

I am not The OOP, OOP is u/Scaredoflove11
Rebuttal by u/Roeapparently
AITA for asking my friends what flavor their wedding cake is?
Originally posted to AmItheAsshole
Thanks to u/czechtheboxes & u/USMCLee for suggesting this BoRU
Original Post May 11, 2024
I (22f) am in the wedding party of my friends we will call Em(25f) and Roe(25m) who will be getting married in about 2 months. I have been really excited for the wedding since it'll be an opportunity for all the friends from college to get together for the first time in 2 years. Not to mention Em and Roe are my best friends, or at least I thought they were.
We have a discord for all the wedding stuff and they have a channel about food. They've been really good about being open about the food they intend to have at the reception including vegan/vegitarian/gluten free options for everyone and answering questions so I didn't think there would be any contention if I asked a question.
Anyway, about 4 days ago I posted a message into the discord asking "Hey, what flavor is the cake gonna be? I wanna mentally prepare myself lol." I think looking back my choice of extra words is what caused all this, but I meant it in the sense that I have a long documented dislike of chocolate flavored foods like cake or ice cream. So I added it in the event the cake was chocolate.
I recieved a private message back that the cake would be chocolate and that if I had a problem with it then I could "shove it" cause it was their wedding not mine. And i felt really taken aback by this response.
Never did I mention that I would have been upset and I certainly wouldn't have put up a stink about it. Its exactly like Em had said, it's their wedding. I explained as much and tried to apologize for any offending I did but she got even more defensive and started basically blasting me for implying that she was offended and I was just left overall very confused.
I gave it two days before I tried to apologize again and smooth it over figuring she may have just been having a bad day but I got shut down again telling me she didn't need my apology cause nothing was wrong and I needed time stop trying to make it seem like shit was wrong between us and to just drop it.
I texted Roe to see if I could gauge what was going on since he and I have always had an open dialogue about things like this but he basically just told me he couldn't talk to me right now and I have to imagine its cause Em told him not to.
Its been 2 days since then and I'm just really confused. This whole thing has made me want to drop out of the wedding party and honestly not go at all. I wish Roe would talk to me and Em would be honest. I can't help but think maybe I just don't get how stressful planning a wedding is and like maybe theyve gotten pushback from other people on other things and somehow its being taken out on me? Or is it really a big no no to ask stuff like this? I don't know? This is the first wedding i'll have ever gone to, so am I the asshole?
VERDICT: ASSHOLE
In the comments "Roe" appears
Roe is u/Roeapparently
Here May 11, 2024
Hey Izzy. Not surprised you didn’t share the whole story. You never do. Just like last year’s surprise party for Em (tldr: Izzy here spoiled the surprise and tried to claim my present was hers).
I’m “Roe”, the groom to be. I don’t do Reddit, but my best man does and frequents this thread. He saw this post and it was so obvious it’s you. This whole cake thing did happen but it is NOT the whole story and did NOT go the way Izzy claims.
First off, cake was not her only complaint. You refused to have a joint bachelobachelorette dinner cause “I have poor taste”, you said my suit was tacky cause I wanted white and not traditional black, you whined about the bridesmaids dresses being purple cause you wanted Ivory. Any decision we’ve made there’s ALWAYS a complaint. And Em has done nothing but be patient and try and find common ground. She should not have to change her wedding choices for you.
Second, we NEVER told you to “shove it”. Em only messaged you privately because she was tired of having to argue in the group chat. Everyone else is tired of your bullshit too so we didn’t want to bother them with it. It’s a cake. Eat it or don’t.
You have hated me ever since I joined the friend group. And that’s fine! But you will NOT ruin Em’s day because of your pettiness. If you care about her, then honor her decisions. Of COURSE Em is different! Cause she grew tf up! All of us did except you! My god you’re fucking 22, stop acting like a spoiled teenager, chocolate cake will not kill you (btw asshole I’m 26 not 25, pay attention). I wasn’t angry about this until you decided to go to the internet for pity. It’s pathetic and immature.
For the record, Em double checked my response. She signed off on it. Get it together.
OOP

Its pathetic and immature to anonymously post asking for advice on Reddit but you coming here starting shit and posting my real name isn't? Okay, Marcus, since we're not hiding anymore how does it feel to have your shit aired for real? Here's how I KNOW Em didn't sign off, becuase she never would have agreed to using my real name.
You're just trying to get me upset at her too. She's my best friend, and I should have known you'd do this. You always try to manipulate us into being mad at each other. Case in point when I had planned this really awesome dinner for just her and I and you had to plan her suprise party for the same day. I just wanted alone time with my best friend but you couldn't wait one day for the party.
Em has known me far longer than you, and no offense, I'm sure I know her better than you do. But I've kept my mouth shut because I love her and just want her to be happy.
I complain about everything? Then how come I've never said anything about the hundreds of times you've made Em cancel plans with me to go hang out with you? I just wanted my bff to spend a little time with me. We're not allowed to have sleepovers anymore cause it "makes you uncomfy" or take a girls trip for the weekend because "too expensive". Sorry you can't take care of her like I can. Some of us can afford rent. Clearly this was never about the cake and more so about you hating me. I was fine when you joined the friend group, but you clearly weren't fine with mine and Ems relationship. You've been the same towards some of her other friends who I'm sure would agree.
Get a life Marcus. Stop trying to take mine.

Roeapparently

She was fine using your name. You brought this to the internet, not us. If you didn't want this attention, don't post.
The plan was for you to distract her while we setup the party by taking her to a movie, not going to the movies then taking her to dinner and TELLING HER OF THE PARTY. We waited hours expecting y'all to be back.
I have never once made Em cancel. She always did that on her own, and not frequently at all. You have had plenty of time alone with her. Just because she spends time with me too doesn't mean I'm forcing her to. And yes, a trip to multiple countries across Europe is very much too expensive. We already live paycheck to paycheck, which you know. I know money isn't a concern for you but it very much is for us. Not all of us have apartments paid for by dad.
Nobody else seems to think the same things about me, and if I'm wrong I will gladly listen and change. But that requires communication directly, not anonymous Reddit posts. You may have known her longer, but you clearly don't know Em well. You fail to see how miserable your comments and attitude have made her these past few months. For her sake, knock it off.

OOP

"Paid by daddy" real mature asshole. You know I work hard like everyone else. Its not my fault my parents made better decisions than yours and can actually help their kids. And of course I wasn't just gonna take her to the movies on her birthday a rouse or not it was still her birthday and shes my friend and I love her and wanted her to an actually decent meal other than the shitty pizza you bought for her.
Also yeah maybe you didn't tell Em to cancel, but knowingly asking for plans when we had them is basically the same thing. Before you, she was fine. She had everything she needed. And for all of you in the comments saying I have a crush or want to fuck Em, you're delusional and know nothing about me. We're best friends. I love her. She loves me. Not my fault we have natural chemistry that everyone over the internet can feel. But its not like that.
Marcus you're an asshole. You've been an asshole since day one. Just admit you're not the guy who can give her what she needs and move the fuck on and leave us alone.

~
MHH370

Hey u/Scaredoflove11 did you really make a fuss because you wanted the bridemaid's dress to be ivory instead of purple?

Also u/Roeapparently did you really make your fiance cancel sleepovers because it made you uncomfortable?

Roeapparently

No. I never made Em cancel anything. I'm fine with her having sleepovers. Izzy wanted to do it at our apartment and kept begging Em to have me sleep on the couch so I wouldn't ruin "girls night". For the record, Em shut it down not me. She's capable of making her own decisions, I trust her to set her boundaries. If I came off as uncomfortable, Izzy never mentioned it till now

ImissBagels

Does Em even still want Izzy there? Because Izzy is sounding more and more unhinged. How did she try to steal your bday present to Izzy?

Roeapparently

Em still wants Izzy there. they've been friends for years. I won't make her kick her out, but I'm starting to reach the point where I want it. And no she didn't steal it. She claimed she purchased the gift cause "i was too poor to afford it". It was a rather expensive purse Em eyed once while shopping but couldn't get at the time, so I saved for it.

FINAL COMMENT BY u/Roeapparently

You're proving my point. I'm not gonna argue over Reddit anymore over this, especially if you're gonna talk about my parents like that when you know full well why they aren't rich. Either message us in private or drop it all together. If this is how you really feel, don't bother coming to the wedding.

THIS IS A REPOST SUB - I AM NOT THE OOP
**DO NOT CONTACT THE OOP's OR COMMENT ON LINKED POSTS

Bit of a story - cathartic to write it down so please humour me. Background: 50 yo. Started with pelvic issues when around 16 years - had loads of urodynamics - cystoscope, flow tests but none conclusive so sent on my way! Just ended up living with it - back then late 80s not much in the way of resources to look things up! Never mind support groups like this :) Now over 30 years later I reflect back on how much it impacted me mentally - I used to be quite extrovert and at sixteen just coming out of myself - wanting to find a gf, etc. But the pelvic issues totally knocked my self confidence, self esteem - always felt like I was wetting myself - sweating in class ruminating on whether or not to put my hand up to leave for yet another wee, thinking everyone was watching me. I could never pee at wall urinal if anyone else in the bathrooms. Exams were a nightmare! I kind of just accepted it in the end and lived with it - that need to pee more than most people - maybe I just had a small/overactive bladder and things did settle enough that I could get on with life. At 21 I did finally get a gf but in hindsight it ended up being quite a toxic relationship- i think I was always too desperate to keep the peace and let her walk all over me due to my lack of self. My bladder issues would flare every couple of years- usually when I’ve been stressed - invariably the GPs would give me antibiotics just in case of a uti (despite no tests ever being conclusive) which did help- now knowing more about antibiotics it was probs more down to their anti-inflammatory properties or maybe a placebo effect. Here I am two divorces down the line but thankfully in a really equal supportive relationship the last 9 years. Self confidence has grown over the many years - I think as we get older we give less of a shit on how other people perceive us , or at least I do! You’d think I’d knocked all the pelvic issues on the head but I think it’s been a a ticking time bomb. I have always struggled with anxiety not helped with stressful divorces - battles over children/finances is no fun - so when the pandemic hit I have to admit i was super covid anxious and was hyper careful. Mad really in hindsight! But no one really knew fa in 2020. Then in 2021 I suffered an injury to my testicles - my stupid dog jumped up at me. After three weeks I was still having throbbing pains so the GP suspected epididymitis and some kind of infection and ‘just in case’ (as there was a waiting list for scans) prescribed me Cipro. OMG - hindsight would be a wonderful thing -suffice to say I had a bad reaction, couldn’t walk properly due to pain for several months , had bad GI issues, neurological flashing pains and other weird shit. Also a lot of anger that GPs dish them out like smarties. This did not help my anxiety- but weirdly my pelvic issues were calm given the stress. Until May 22 when my partner got Covid . So stressed about catching it seemed to tip me over the edge and my bladder flared big time. Constant tingling in meatus, urgency, pain in pelvis. Urologist did US, flow and blood tests but only thing wrong was poor flow which I’ve always had. So referred me to an IC specialist. He was useless , barely listened , didn’t do any tests and just prescribed me solafenacin and hydroxyzine . The hydroxyzine did help my sleep and I kind of got back a new level normal . I did see a PPT but didn’t really help. I did ask my gp for amitriptyline in Dec 22 which helped even more and most of my aches and pains subsided. NOW: a few weeks ago all my symptoms came roaring back. Lot of discomfort , barely able to sleep. Anxious about cancer. Yesterday New Urologist has reassured me that if I’d had cancer this last two years I’d know about it by now so still thinks it’s pelvic related. He’s booked me in for MRI to check prostrate. My psa is normal and it was a normal size when checked with US two years ago so it’s more just to rule it out. Also prescribed Toviaz (Fesoterodine) to see if that helps. To add. I’ve worked in IT all my career - desk based, sitting down. Relatively fit - used to cycle most weekends, play racquet ball, , run, hill walking. Cipro did stop of a lot of exercises but as I’ve recovered have started climbing at the local climbing gym. Climbing does weirdly help - when I’m doing it my discomfort does ease - maybe all the stretching moves. Has anyone any other advice they can offer up? Just sick of the constant tinkling in meatus and aches below tummy button . Thanks for bearing with me!

Hi everyone,
I'm looking to buy a standing desk and could use some recommendations. I'm based in the Netherlands and my budget is up to 700 euros. Here's what I'm looking for:

• Color: White frame. Wood-coloured top, or a white top with wood on the sides.
• Budget: Maximum of €700.

I'd appreciate any suggestions on brands or specific models that fit these criteria. Ideally, something that is available for purchase in Europe. Thanks in advance for your help!

We moved into this house 5.5 years ago. I'd never experienced anything 'paranormal' before. I was a hardcore sceptic. It was around 18 months later that I began to experience disturbing paranormal events I cannot explain no matter how much science I read. Note: I do not have a history of hallucinations or schizophrenia or anything, I was not smoking weed at the time nor on any other drugs. I was in my mid-twenties at the time. Help?
The first incident was on a November night at about 10:51 pm (almost all events happened between 10:51pm-2:00am but primarily between 11-1). For context, I'd spent the last hour playing Among Us and studying from a Spanish textbook. I would listen to relaxing jazz sometimes and drink some Jack Daniels (but was not drunk). I went to pee, my mind was focused on how clevefunny the games were and how I couldn't wait to get back to what I was doing. When I pulled my trousers up, a noise caught my attention. There was an Alberto Balsam shampoo bottle (about 1/3 or just under full) between the taps on the sink. It is a standard, British porcelain sink close to the toilet but to touch the bottle I would need to extend my arm, bending my elbow as I did that night was nowhere near close enough for contact. The bottle rocked far to the left, to the right, unnaturally, and repeated this motion about 5 times before it came to a standstill in its original position. It wasn't a small wobble, it was a slow, intentional rock side-to-side (the bottle should not have been able to rock so far to either side without falling over). My bathroom is tiny but I couldn't touch the bottle let alone cause it to rock the way it did. The window was closed, there was no breeze and nobody else in the room. I tried to replicate it another time by blowing hard on the bottle, flapping my arms and holding myself in the same position as when it happened but I could not touch/move the bottle. Even with generous leeway, I could not touch that bottle. In short: it wasn't me and it ruined my night. This incident terrified me.
A couple of days later, I was in the same bathroom washing my hands at about the same time at night when I experienced a sudden and intense sensation that something sinister was behind me staring at me. I looked up at the mirror and couldn't see anything behind me, but I felt something there. I was too afraid to move, I finished washing my hands after a minute or so, and when the feeling began to fade I left the bathroom. This became a regular occurrence. Particularly in the kitchen and bathroom, I felt something 'there' or that something was watching me and attempting to interact with me. The presence was somewhat imposing and dark. I couldn't see it. My partner didn't believe me when I told him about these incidents and would go to bed before me so he didn't witness them at first. I believed this presence was a 'man' and for a while thought it might've been the deceased elderly man who used to live here. He was placed in a care home aged 95 and was known as a nasty, horrible old man. The man passed away at some point, I'm not sure when but it was either during the incidents or towards the end of them.
Additionally, we had a living room carpet and as these incidents increased in frequency I began to hear something plucking at the carpet in the corner by the door. When I moved the curtain there was nothing there and the noise stopped. This is where my partner comes in because he stayed up later occasionally and he HEARD the noise. I didn't prompt him, I heard it and remained quiet until he picked up on it. I told him that was the noise I was hearing, he went to investigate and couldn't see anything. This is what made him suspicious too. We have a rabbit but checked on him, he was in his cage eating in the next room while the noises happened. Unless he could teleport, pluck the carpet before our eyes while invisible and teleport back into his cage- it wasn't him. Since then, I lifted the floor to see if anything could have plucked the carpet from beneath the floorboards. The floorboards are locked tight and it would've been impossible to touch the underside of the carpet or underlay.
This may be my mind manifesting fear, but I began to have horrible dreams about an old man with beady, shiny black eyes, a partially bald head and white hair in a forest (I recognised the layout from a forest far away in my hometown I used to ride a horse in). These dreams were disturbing and the men were not like ordinary people, I felt they were trying to toy with me before they k*lled me. One night I woke up to feel someone standing over me, another I woke up and briefly glimpsed black writing all over the wall on the landing. When I blinked it vanished. I was terrified and often felt something on the landing or in the room. I had no history of sleep paralysis before moving to this house. My partner told me he believed that whatever it was enjoyed scaring me and was feeding on my fear. I tried after this to not be afraid and to confront it, which worked to some degree.
One of the worst incidents was when I knew the 'man' was there, I felt him standing about 2 feet away from my computer chair. He liked to stand over me and sometimes breathe on me while I was gaming. I was playing World of Warcraft, I remember exactly what I was doing. I knew he was trying to get my attention and I ignored him. I forced myself to calm down. Then he moved closer and I heard a 'HUFF' as though someone breathed heavily through their mouth only inches from my ear. I took my headset off and looked round but the presence disappeared into the kitchen. I felt he wanted me to follow him, so I did. My attention was guided out of the window as though he was leading me there. I went to the window and looked out. I saw a shape out there that looked like an adult male of about 6ft wearing a grey hoodie and gloves standing near my back fence as though he'd just climbed over. Could I have been mistaken? yeah, but I tried to run from the window and ended up in freeze mode by the kitchen door. I couldn't move, I tried so hard to get away because I thought this man was going to break into my house and attack me. I don't know where the 'man' was but after about 2 minutes I made it into the living room, 2 more and I went back to check. The 'man' and the 'real man' were both gone. A strange part of me believed the 'man' chased the real figure off. I felt as though he'd tried to save me that night and I became more sympathetic to him.
There was another incident, which could be explained otherwise but my partner wasn't convinced. We had a small children's desk with two wooden chairs behind us, we stacked the chairs on the table while our daughter was upstairs. While we were on the computers, the chairs came crashing to the floor. They were not precariously stacked. The doors were open and there was a breeze but the wind should not have been capable of knocking even small wooden chairs to the floor. This happened in daylight in the late afternoon.
Over time this began to fade. I feared the man less. I often felt his presence in the kitchen standing far too close to me. One time I felt a sudden icy blow down the left side of my neck. Our house is cold and drafty so although I'm convinced it was him, it could have been something else. My nightmares began to disappear. I would hear him sometimes 'walking' upstairs, and I sensed him go into my daughter's bedroom just to look at her. He never did anything to her. My partner also experienced 'something' going on in the house on several occasions but he is still somewhat a sceptic. Eventually, everything stopped.
After the 'man' disappeared, we had issues with animal footsteps on the stairs. It sounded like a cat running up and down. The first time it happened, we couldn't see anything. The plucking noise continued. Around this time, our house rabbit for some reason jumped out of his cage and we had at least 2-3 incidents where he bolted up the stairs and went into our bedroom. He was running about and this was abnormal for him. Of course, we blamed him and locked his cage tightly so he couldn't escape, but the noises continued. My ex was woken by the noises one night and investigated them only to find the rabbit in his cage and the noises continuing.
The noises and incidents have stopped for quite some time now. The house feels at peace but that was a deeply terrifying event that actually ruined my life and made me feel unsafe in my own home at night. What could it have been?

Me and Friend (27F) Her bf (29M)
Ok so I’ve had this work friend who I have became friends with she has been in a situationship for a year and it finally escalated to a real relationship. They both were in relationships until the others found out and they were both single. Lasted a few months of situationship and now it’s legit. So anyways, Yes I’m happy for her but also I’m not sure why but I’m not happy. I had a situationship as well but unfortunately for me it didn’t workout like hers did. Im not jealous I don’t think. And honestly in the long run I don’t think they are gonna workout. I feel bad for saying that but I just don’t want her to get hurt and I feel like he has all the power in the relationship. He has texted other girls and she has caught him on a dating app. He apologized and they kept talking. They tell each other they love each other and talk on the phone 24/7 literally. We are at work and they are on the phone. (We all work together. Except he works away from us most of the time) it’s like I never can talk to her alone and if I do it’s always only about her and him and their relationship. It’s just kind of annoying. She never has time to be an actual friend anymore. I feel like her life revolves around him. I don’t know how they don’t get tired of each other. Here is the typical day. We work at night so we get out in the morning she goes to his house they sleep or whatever spend half the day with each other. Then she goes home for a bit to see her kids after school then before work she goes to his house sometimes or sometimes she will stay home then get ready for work and then come to work. Did I mention when they are not together they are on the phone with each other. So when she goes home she calls him or she texts him or snap. Sometimes all at the same time. So anyways now we are at work. She sneaks off for an hour with him and then she comes to her desk and is on the phone with him literally all shift. It’s just really annoying already. Am I being a bad friend? I want to be happy for her but idk. I recently found out he was on the phone with his ex gf 24/7 who used to work with us as well. Is this something that I should mention or no. I think I know the answer, no. Sometimes I feel like I can’t talk to her about anything because she just wants to talk about him. She will change the subject to him or anything about them whatever. Also if I do get something in and I ask her not to tell him she does. So idk. Do I have a reason to be annoyed or am I being a hater towards their relationship? Please help. TL;DR

Hello all,
I am awful at saving money. I am 34 years old. I am still sat in my student overdraft which tends to finish the month maxed out or close to it (-£2,500) and continue to have a balance on a student credit card with a shit rate (~£900 on that, ~£500 on paypal credit). I make fairly reasonable money (i.e. am paying 40% tax bracket on a not inconsiderable chunk of earnings) but I am just hopeless at saving.
It's become clear to me that I need to find a way to impose discipline on myself (for note: I have ADHD + related exec functioning issues, which does not help) and I would like to set up a notice savings account.
I started a new job recently for which I will receive my first full paycheque at the end of the month. It should be around £400 a month more than my previous role and I am going to save the entire "additional" amount in the hope that I simply don't notice the difference. I will also send over any additional unused funds or minor windfalls (grandad's £30 birthday cheques?) on an as and when basis. In 9 months time, I will be moving to decrease my monthly housing costs (hopefully ~£150-£200 per month) and will be looking to increase that monthly saving amount further after that. I have approximately £1,000 currently sat in a pot which I have just freed up by selling some used items, which I would be seeking to use as the starting balance for a notice savings account.
My goals are to, within that first 9 months, clear all outstanding personal debt, and following that, to continue saving serious money for several years to establish a rainy day fund so i'm not at risk in case of things like redundancy, and to be in a position to think about mortgages with my partner in ~4-5 years.
I am aware that the most sensible use of the money I have set aside to establish a new savings account, for most people, would be to wipe that credit card debt first. I am not most people. If I cannot simply put money somewhere I can't access it easily, I will not save. I have tried just about every other method under the sun, and I am just unfortunately a constitutionally a weak-willed person who really, really needs to do it this way. I will need to, for example, save the entire sum of my overdraft to pay it off in one go - if I try to simply chip away at it from within my personal account, I will fail.
I have two questions about notice accounts:

1. Based on research so far I am thinking about setting up this account and I would be grateful if anyone has direct experience with the provider or the account and can offer feedback - or has had a very positive experience with a different provider which I might want to account for.
2. As I outlined, my plan is to debit £400 a month out of my account on payday into the notice account. However, I am not clear, and cannot find the search terms to be sure, that notice accounts are necessarily suitable for adding amounts to monthly. Most appear to be based around earning interest on a starting balance rather than regular monthly saving. Even if they do "allow" this I am not sure how this would work in terms of interest. The wording of some accounts' information seems to implicitly imply that this might not be how they're supposed to function. Would be very grateful for advice here!
3. I recognise my personal... oddities... mean that I am pursuing a non-optional strategy. I would prefer not to receive advice on how to simply try harder and do it with willpower. However, if commenters can think of better strategies to "force" myself to be more disciplined I would be receptive. My current Plan B is for a parent to open an account for me to which I do not hold the details, for example. I have the kind of relationship with my parents and wider family which means that this would not present any risk to me. However, I have not asked previously as my parents both earn very considerably less than me, and my uselessness with money is a source of shame. Asking a parent to hold what would become over time a lifechanging sum of money for them is an option I'd prefer not to take unless necessary.

Thanks in advance for the advice and understanding.

I'm looking at L shaped desks but also wouldn't mind a regular desk that can fit:.
Work: 1 monitor + 1 laptop + mouse
Game: 1 monitor + keyboard + mouse
I like using the laptop's keyboard and an additional mouse, but I also have an additional mouse+keyboard for my game pc. I don't want a usb switch because I like to browse personal PC during downtime, switching back and forth is not convenient.
Is such a setup possible with a non-L shaped desk?

Hi folks,
So I am hoping to get one of those crazy standing desks for my work from home setup. This desk comes in two boxes totalling to 69Kg (haha) in weight. I checked on Aramax shop and ship, it costs 700$ to ship and the whole desk costs $900. I know this is because they are using an airplane to move it. So I thought what if I actually ship it instead of bring it on a plane?

1. I want to know if there is a contact that anyone can recommend to make this happen?
   
2. Would I be able to make this happen without actually going there? Table manufacturer directly delivers to the shippers warehouse or something and they will simply do like a freight forwarding kind of a thing to SL?
   

PS: I have thought of going there to bring it with me after paying the excess luggage, but the damm table top is hugee, so one box is the size of like a door. So probably not possible to do that.