Good status to put on facebook and get alot of likes

Hi guys I am a mum and I work 9:30 to 3:30 sometimes 4:30 and sometimes I start closer to 8am. I have just been diagnosed this year ADHD combined type, my psychiatrist says I am quite severe and could not believe how long I had been going without properly managing myself. Which is funny because not managing my symptoms and the consequences of that have become too dangerous to continue anymore which is why I went for diagnosis. I was constantly worried I would lose my job any minute and riddled with anxiety about trying to be a better mum but failing. I’ve been medicated, Ritalin 10mg. Begun titration, 10mg x 2 a day for 7 days and now x3 a day. The first week 10x2, 10 taken half an hour before I enter work and then 10 at lunch time, I have seen an amazing difference. I’m focused, im starting, following through on and COMPLETING tasks. I need much less prompting and assistance from my colleagues. I am not interrupting as often and feel a lot more confident in my interactions with people. My brain has become so quiet. It honestly feels like such a miracle I can’t believe the results I am getting with no side effects so far except for a subdued appetite. I also do not find the effects of the medication wearing off to be too extreme, just a return to my premeditated state which is sad and frustrating when my symptoms come screaming back and I feel glued to the couch again, unable to think straight, unable to motivate myself to so much as get up and go to the bathroom when I get the urge. Then came 10x 3 a day, adding a dose at 3:00-3:30, almost PERFECT. Extending my results until I begin to crash some time after dinner, having not come home to crash on the couch as previously with x2, instead I have engaged with and played with my children who are receiving my full and undivided attention for once, done bathtime and all my chores and all that is left to do is chill out and get ready for bed anyway.
Now the only thing, and I feel it is almost greedy to hope for different, is that our mornings are still hell. I wake up and have an awful time dragging myself out of bed, I’m stressed, unable to think clearly about the tasks I need to accomplish to get us out the door to school and work. I don’t know where anything is and if I find it I’m bound to lose it again by the time we need to leave, which is still never on time. All of my planning and prepping the afternoon before put the window because I’ve forgotten my lunch, to put the clean washed change of clothes in the school bag, to feed the dog until I’m half way up the street and now need to turn around and forget what I came back for. Now this has always been my life except all day long every day but seems especially cruel now that I know it can be different. The thing is I d appreciate how rare it is to find a medication straight off the bat that is so effective and I’ve heard all the stories about how people have changed to slow release and had to sacrifice their morning or afternoon anyway. I’d like to ask my psychiatrist to add a dose to my morning at my review but not at the risk of having my medication changed and possibly losing out on all the progress I’ve made. Thank you for reading my novel and I appreciate any advice or shared experiences in advance

Back in 2016 I saw a flying saucer hovering over Shriever Air Force Base in Colorado Springs. It got “chased away” by 2 f-15s and it was clearly playing with the f-15s(identifiable by double engines afterburners). Based on the response of the jets I’m quite sure the flying saucer is not American.
A few things that stand out:
it can move down just as fast as it can move up or sideways. It can pull perfect 30 degree turns without slowing down(sharp angles). It is extremely stable and doesn’t tilt despite flying at varying angles and speeds. It didn’t gain speed after starting from a hovering position. It just flew at a speed greater than the f-15s were capable of from the start. It changed color multiple times(the entire craft) while hovering in a standstill position. There is no exhaust plume(the f-15s were showing a giant flame which I assumed were the jets in full afterburner) or smoke from the exhaust. It made the jets look like toys both literally and figuratively(due to size, speed and maneuverability). It didn’t really get chased away as the saucer went back to the original point, north, east, south(and down), then back towards the north. There’s no way an American missile would be able to hit it.
Whenever I watch ufo videos on here I can’t help but think how fake many of the videos appear or that people are putting too much emphasis on the things that should show the flying saucer is fake.
I have seen a flying saucer 2 other times. Once while praying at the gym(asking G*d to give me strength to lift a new set), the other time after Kanye posted the swastika symbol inside of the Star of David and I went to a local lake to pray.

Hello, hope you're having a good day.
I graduated in May of 2023 with a degree in computer science from a decent school (top 50 public). My GPA is a 3.7 and I have 2 past internships (1 FAANG and 1 fortune 500) and a capstone project that was a collaboration with a large bank. I originally had 1 job offer lined up post graduation, but I was pressured by my parents to pursure my masters degree because my father regrets never getting his. Unfortunately due to changing circumstances the financial burden of doing my masters has caught up to me and I am seeking a full time job now. I've been applying to hundreds of places since late February and unfortuately I've found little to no leads. I've been given 2-3 interviews that all went to the final round, but I was either ghosted or told they found someone better than me to fill the position. I tried contacting my past internships, but was unable to secure a position.
I am not seeking a high salary, I am open to working anywhere in the US (currently in Dallas). Is there any advice on finding a suitable job that isn't highly competitive? For reference, I've been applying to any and all jobs that I feel remotely qualified for on linkedin, indeed, handshake, ziprecruiter, etc. I try using different keywords like entry level programmer / IT analyst / new graduate and such. I've also tried finding government jobs, but I'm not sure what the optimal way is to look for them. I am also open to potentially pivot if anyone knows a good one for my circumstance.
Any advice is highly appreciated!

It’s time for everyone to come to reality and realize this team is just a sub par mls team with an above average mls coach and gm We need some serious midfield help Az is not good yet he keeps getting time We’re a one trick pony score on the rush or don’t score at all we’re like the United of the mls

My mother has some kind of mad jealousy of me. It's true that I grew up with more opportunities for education than her, just because of the times. I'm sorry she didn't have the opportunity to go to university because of classism and sexism. That's terrible.
But wouldn't you want your child to have more opportunities than you? I went to a good university but failed to make much of a career. I hope my son is able to develop a career he enjoys, whatever it is. We will support him, whatever it is he wants to do, financially and emotionally.
My parents couldn't help financially and I'm ok with that. I get that they also didn't have the knowledge to help me with university stuff, having never been themselves, but they could have at least cheered me on at least. Celebrated my successes, consoled my failures, checked out homework and exam results.
Instead, my father ignored me and my mother belittled me.
One thing I remember so clearly. My worst subject was chemistry. I made a plan to study every day so I could get good at chemistry. I rushed to tell my mum about my plan.
Her reaction was "study every day? You? Let's see how long that lasts."
You'd think from the way she talked about me that I was some tearaway (even then her reaction is bs) but I was SUCH a good girl who did everything right and studied hard. But after that, I gave up.
If my son said that to me, I'd be so proud. I'd ask him what he's studying and try to read up on it and help him make a realistic timetable.
Who the fuck says that to their kid?
She is jealous because I have the opportunities she doesn't and that is so sick.
Another thing.
When I got married...
My husband is such a good guy. I already feel not good enough for him.
On my wedding day, even my cold and distant brother said I look beautiful.
My mother said "well you are certainly lucky. Not sure I can say the same about your husband."
Who says that to their only daughter? Five minutes before she gets married.
No wonder I always feel like shit about myself. No wonder I never try.
I'm 40. Will I ever get out of this endless self hatred?
I pray every day that I will and that my son grows up free of these feelings.

× Hello, everyone! I hope everyone is having a lovely day/night so far. As the title says, im looking for a talkative or chatty individual to call tonight for a bit. Maybe someone with a relaxing voice would be nice^{^} I'm looking for someone with similar interests, beliefs, and views as me since I feel it'll help the conversation get started. Before we call, I'd like us to send each other a voice note so I can hear how you sound. I'll put some of my interest down below! 👇
° Interests/Likes • Space/theories • mw cod remakes • red dead redemption 2 • Spider-Man • Cats • Southern accents • Photography • Autumn/Fall • wild west stuff • fallout
° Dislikes • Bitter foods/drinks • Hot weather • Flying insects • Processed American Cheese • Public Speaking • Cigarettes
° A lil' about me • on the shorter side • chubby • wears glasses • has stretched lobes and septum • strawberry blonde hair • infp-t • aries • hard left-leaning • naturalistic panthiest • space-enthusiest • talkative
° What I'm looking for • talkative • funny • local • someone who likes space • supports any oppressed countries
× Alright, I believe that is it! When you message me, please write where you're from, age, pronouns, maybe even your personality type if you know it, and an eye-catching starter message. Thank you!^{^}

This is only my second time posting on reddit so bare with me. i’m currently a 20 year old prek3 teacher. it’s been pretty difficult navigating this while i’m in college full time, but i’ve been navigating fine until recently. the lead teacher in my room got fired (messy situation i don’t think im allowed to discuss), but essentially they thought she was being too rough and fired her. this left me alone with a class of thirteen 3 year olds. i have one kid in particular that’s been giving me the most issues. i’ll call him Sam for safety purposes. Sam is 3 i noticed he’s having a lot of trouble with transitions and being told what to do. whenever it’s time to go to breakfast, lunch, nap, or potty time he will just randomly click out. he’ll start screaming, repeatedly say no, begin to throw objects around, run around the room, spit at me, kick me, hit me, bite me, throw things at me, or just flat out say no or go dead weight when it’s time to transition to a different room. he goes dead weight when i pick him up to move him during his fits. the reason i carry him is because i don’t want to grab him by the arm and risk him getting hurt. i tried having a meeting with his parents about his behavior and he even got suspended for a day but nothing seems to be working. it seems as though the behavior is getting more and more violent. at random times he’ll even hit other students for absolutely no reason. i’m truly not sure where to go from here. i’ll literally leave work with a headache after having to deal with sam. i had a meeting with his mom and suggested ABA therapy aka applied behavioral therapy (i worked in aba for 6 months and i recognize the signs in sam that i saw in other kids i worked with which is why i recommended it) she told me that her doctor said he’s too young and he’ll grow out of it but he has not. after an incident last Thursday when he spit on me, kicked me, hit me, and bit me his mom called to speak to him. after she spoke with him she told me that sam gets more upset when we highlight his negative behavior and that we should give him positive reinforcement. we actually do this in the room and always highlight when they do good things and even give them trinkets when they do good. with that being said i’m not going to disregard sam’s negative behavior to make him less upset, he needs to learn that this behavior is not tolerated. he’s been in my pre-k3 room since december of 2023. it’s now may of 2024 and his behavior is still the same, if not worse. despite all the talks we give him or if we take away his playtime and replace it with a less desired thing, nothing is working. it’s truly putting a strain on myself and the new lead teacher in the room. How can I get through to Sam’s parents and tell them that he needs to be somewhere else with 1 on 1 care to tackle his behavior issues ?
side note : there’s a law in my state that states we can’t kick kids out based on behavior. technically we can’t but it’s extensive process and i’m not completely sure how it works. i don’t necessarily want to kick him out, but he needs to be elsewhere that can tackle the behavioral issues he’s having.

Sometimes I feel the answer on study hall is wrong. Why so? Like this question Please help analyse why SH hall answer is correct? Even ChatGPT picked my answer
Why is option C correct please ? I choose A.
Key Factors Considered by Visa Officers 1. Purpose of Visit: * Clearly state the purpose of the visit. If the purpose is to visit your friend and get married, provide details of the wedding plans and any arrangements made. 2. Proof of Ties to Home Country: * The fiancé must demonstrate strong ties to Nigeria that will compel him to return after his visit. This includes: * Employment: Provide a letter from his employer stating his position, salary, and approved leave. * Property: Evidence of property ownership or a lease agreement. * Family: Documentation showing family ties in Nigeria. * Financial Stability: Bank statements, savings, or investments that show financial stability. 3. Financial Support: * Show that he has sufficient funds to cover the cost of the trip, including travel, accommodation, and other expenses. This can be demonstrated through personal bank statements, a letter of financial support from your friend, or a combination of both. 4. Previous Travel History: * A history of travel to other countries and compliance with visa conditions can positively impact the application. 5. Invitation Letter: * A detailed invitation letter from your friend (the sponsor) in Canada, outlining the purpose of the visit, relationship details, and assurance that he will be accommodated and supported during his stay. A project team is working on backlog items within a four-week sprint. Suddenly, a critical team member announces that they will unexpectedly be absent for one week, leaving ongoing tasks incomplete. What would be the most appropriate action for the project manager to take in this situation? A. Support a knowledge transfer between the team member who will be away and the other project team members. B. Add a temporary resource to the team to help increase velocity and complete the items for this sprint. C. Remove a few items from the current sprint after getting the approval of the product owner. D. Increase the sprint duration so the team can complete all the planned items and present them to the product owner.
Answer from SH:Solution: C. Remove a few items from the current sprint after getting the approval of the product owner. Removing a few items from the current sprint, with the approval of the product owner, is the most appropriate action this situation. It allows the team to focus on completing the most critical and valuable tasks within the sprint's original time frame. The other options are incorrect because they are not as suitable for this scenario. Knowledge transfer takes time and may not be feasible given the sudden and unexpected nature of the team membe absence. Knowledge transfer is a good practice in general, butit may not be the most appropriate action for this spec situation. Adding a temporary resource to the team is not the most practical option and may not be efficient or cost-effective for such a short duration, and it could disrupt the team's workflow. ' Changing the sprint duration disrupts the sprint planning and review process and can lead to various issues, including reduced predictability and potential scope creep. This question and rationale were developed in reference to: The Agile Practice Guide (No Date) PMI/PMI/5.2.6 PLANNING FOR ITERATION-BASED AGILE/55 [Item]

I’m finally starting the QHT and I’m about 4 settlements in. I’m having late wins right now (year 9, 8, 7) as I’m still adjusting from P20 and playing a little safe, knowing that if I lose a single settlement I wipe out the whole run.
So far I’ve been grabbing royal resupplies in the lighter difficulty area to prepare. The latest resupply I actually grabbed 2x 5 seal fragments over the embarkation bonus because I figured that might be more helpful. I’ve heard that embarkation points are not as great when you get to the p20 area because you start with 0.
For the drafting portion, I’ve picked up about 10 of the 25 drafts, mostly focusing on passives like the +1% double yield. I figured that having embark options or species housing seems kind of unnecessary in my usual p20 games. I noticed that I locked myself out of the “fundamental upgrades” section below because I didn’t consider those options as useful looking. Rerolling things is good but I often feel like I’m better off “making do” than forcing too many rerolls
Anyway just curious about ppl’s opinions and strats and advice

I don't know how else to title this. I got fired three days ago and I'm having difficulty processing. I've been working in the childcare field for two months and haven't properly learned everything that I need to. I have all my licensing, a clean criminal record and a (ex-employers words not mine) kind personality. I am however extremely inexperienced.
The trouble started with my training. No one told me how or what to do. Most of the time I was just following my boss's exact on a whim instructions. If she told me to do the dishes, I would do the dishes. If she told me to do the laundry, I would do it. She didn't however explain how to do the attendance or how to calculate hours or fill out incident reports or any of that. I was trained in good prep and basic company policy and that's it.
I have anxiety and my boss was well aware of that as I specifically put it in my file and she took me aside and asked about accommodations. I said that I might have trouble interacting with large groups and older children. Despite this I was put in the out of school care department. I struggled a lot interacting with the kids and was really awkward despite my training. I did however improve after this was pointed out and this guy from upper management said he had never seen someone switch up so fast.
I got written up two weeks ago for being bad at the attendance sheets and was told I should cooperate with my coworkers and if I noticed a kid hadn't been signed out I should ask my coworker if they knew when said kid had left. This worked for the three hours after I got written up, but then my coworker stopped working for the company and they hired a new employee.
New employee is absolutely terrible at keeping track of the children. She spends her entire shift making crafts and never signs any of them out. I tell her she needs to and I'm going to lose my job if she doesn't help me. I'm trying so hard to get better at the attendance sheets, but I'm only getting one shift a week at this point. She doesn't follow company protocol, refuses to keep her radio on her person, condescends me a lot, says I'm young and just haven't worked for long enough. I bring this up to my managers and am completely ignored. They say new employee will get better with time.
Last shift at work I forgot to take my meds in the morning. That was on me. That was my fault. I tell my boss I didn't take my meds and might be more stressed than usual. She says she understands. I miss a kid on the attendance. My coworker says she has no idea when he left. This conversation happens in front of my boss.
I have a complete breakdown/crying fit because I think I'm getting fired (I was right lol). My boss takes me aside and tells me she thinks I would do better at a different place within the company and she'll get upper management to transfer me to a different department possibly working with younger kids. She says I'm too honest (about a week prior the company had overpaid me by like 1000 dollars and I told them instead of keeping it), and kind to fire outright.
So I go into my job the next week on the day I'm scheduled and they sit me down and hand me a letter. I get excited because my boss has told me that she isn't going to fire me. It's a termination letter. I don't know if she was lying or just didn't want me crying at work but here we are. I didn't react until after I had left the building but I called my girlfriend and started angry ranting because my boss said something that didn't turn out to be true.
My mom thinks it's entirely unfair to give me one shift a week and expect me to improve my performance, and everyone else I've talked to thinks this situation is actually bs

I have alot on my mind and alot of people will say "we'll so does everyone" . I understand that statement we'll but what I'm trying to say it that i have this tendency to have a an idea of a story and with in a few minutes I have the first 6 chapters ready to write in full detail. Now where do I get it from ?? No fu**ing idea . No clue. I just roll with it and see what keeps being written. Does this happen to anyone else?? A part of me feels like I have alot of creativity in my mind that I need to get out and another part of me feels like because I have trouble being able to articulate my feelings into words , which turns unto this super intense story i made up in my head to deal with the trauma 😅. Idk 🤷‍♂️ 🙃 but if anyone has the same experience. Please let me know 🙏
Also I would do love to go off writing alot. If you guys want to see some stuff let me know . I currently do have a finished/on going series done .

I haven’t delved too much into Aron Beauregard’s books but I have read The Playground, The Slob, and I just finished reading The Son of The Slob.
Honestly? I absolutely hated this book. I really enjoyed the original- granted there are valid criticisms but at the end of the day, I was invested in Vera and was rooting for her. It felt like an altogether cohesive and interesting storyline with pretty good character development and background.
The Son of The Slob, on the other hand, was a clusterfuck. There was so much potential for a compelling sequel and I was excited to read it and see where the story would go, but it completely fell flat. The writing was awful, I didn’t feel invested in any of the characters anymore, and I honestly felt like the only reason I kept reading was out of morbid curiosity and hoping that the book would get better.
For starters, there were so many sub plots that were unnecessary and added nothing to the story (Tina, the meth kingpin, the nun/overall abuse at the school, the entirety of the last 3 chapters). Why mention characters and subplots just for them to go nowhere and only last for a chapter? Nevermind the constant changing between POVs, even within the same paragraph. Don’t even get me STARTED on the ending. After how much I enjoyed the original, I’m actually pissed off at this sequel. There was too much unnecessary gore, I no longer felt interested in anyone, the whole book was predictable, and Vera and Daniel’s deaths didn’t strike any emotional cord in me despite them being such fleshed out characters in the original.
In short, I’m pissed. Thoughts?

Hey everyone, I ( M 35, family of 3) will receive lump sum of ₹2 lakh and I'm looking for some guidance on how to best manage it. I don't have any immediate pressing financial obligations like travel or education fees, high purchase etc so I'm open to different investment options and strategies. Financial Goals & Investment Strategies * What are some key financial goals I should prioritize with this money? * Are there any specific investment options or strategies you'd recommend for growing this amount?
Child's Education Fund I'm also looking to start building a financial safety net for my child's future education and potential expenses. * Can you suggest some reliable and tax-efficient investment avenues for this long-term goal? * Are mutual funds (MFs) a good option, or should I consider other investment? * Any specific MF schemes or recommendations for this purpose? I see child named mf from icici, hdfc etc. Any advice on how to get started and strategies for long-term success in managing this fund would be greatly appreciated!

Peaks and valleys, right? I was feeling good about life. Proud of myself. I've overcome a lot, from childhood, and especially in the past few years. I have more good days than bad and I'm actively working on bettering myself. I've always been the strong one, the dependable one, the pillar..
So why can't I be human? Why can't I falter, stumble, make mistakes? I feel like things are held against me harder, and I'm judged more harshly. Now I feel like I can't make any moves, in fear of a misstep and the dire consequences.
I thought loving harder, feeling stronger, living louder were good things. But maybe I need to "step in line."
Life keeps telling me to stop being so open and trusting, but I just keep doing it.
I don't know what to do. So I just shut off and put the mask back on.
I'm fine, and you?

In proper English said "niece" is my second cousin once removed who lives a couple hours' flight from me. But in my culture "once removed" is the same as niece/nephew or aunt/uncle, so I will refer to this 16-year-old girl as Niece.
I am very close to her mother, my second cousin (42F). She recently flew in to attend a funeral in our family. While staying with me I learned that Cousin intends to move out tonight and file for divorce this coming week.
Cousin does have an affair and is leaving for her AP. In general I usually oppose affairs vehemently, as I have survived my own father's affair and know how it hurts the family. But please refrain from judging my cousin, because the point of my post is about what I could do to support her daughter, rather than debating the morality of my cousin's infidelity.
With proper context, I understand why Cousin went there. She's been enduring chronic emotional abuse from her own STBXH (43M) including rape, and being silenced and shamed for grieving for her father who died earlier this year.
Cousin has had trouble leaving because like many survivors of abusive marriages it takes time and enormous effort and willpower to pull off leaving. Not to mention that she and STBXH run a business together and have been striving to brave a presentable face for their delicate professional network.
Cousin's marriage has been dead for years, but before she managed to completely pull off leaving, her AP came into the picture and catalysed her exit. While I would never condone cheating to betray a loving spouse, I do find myself sympathetic to this particular grey area, especially because I see that the AP happens to have goals, values and capabilities that align with what Cousin needs in order to pursue a fulfilling future and not live the rest of her life as a zombie in an undead marriage.
Cousin has informed her 21-year-old son of the upcoming divorce and her affair. Although Nephew is a devout Christian who in principle does not condone divorce and affairs, he understands that this marriage has killed his mother's spirit, and he supports whatever his mother needs to do in order to reclaim her own autonomy, confidence and identity. He promises to look out for his sister in this difficult and potentially traumatising transitional period. He also told his mother that he loves her no matter what, though he is also honest and firm about boundaries like being unwilling to meet the AP because he does feel that AP has robbed him of his mother.
Niece has not been informed of what is about to happen in the coming days, and my heart breaks for her. Like her older brother, she is an intelligent and hard working young person with big dreams for her future, and a good heart. And I know she also loves her mother to the moon and back. My heart breaks for her because she will be blindsided by her parents' upcoming divorce.
Despite the marriage troubles, Cousin describes STBXH as an otherwise good father and provider. He will contest the fault divorce, but Cousin will offer him a full share of the house and custody of their daughter, because she will be moving to the countryside for her next job.
My Aunt (Cousin's motheNiece's grandmother) also lives in Cousin's STBXH's house, but will also be blindsided by this upcoming divorce. Aunt is a good person who I know will do her best to support her granddaughter, but she will also struggle with her own grief and strong emotions, and often speaks unfiltered before thinking.
While Cousin was staying with me, I addressed preparing Niece with some other good key people in her support system. I suggested hooking Niece up with a psychologist to see on a fortnightly or monthly basis so that she has a reliable adult figure to help her process her complicated emotions in a non-judgmental safe space, develop healthy coping skills and overcoming strategies, disarm traumas before they have a chance of festering, and gets empowered by someone who can model reclaiming her identity and self-worth in a world that's changing overnight.
I also offered to check in with Niece and to be there for her through this difficult transitional period.
I'm not half as close to Niece as I am to her mother, but we are on friendly terms. My ex husband is a novelist/filmmaker and my Niece is a huge fan of his, so at one point she texted me lovely compliments and expressed enthusastic interest in my ex's newer works-in-progress. I also offered her words of support when her now late grandfather was hospitalised and her family moved to his city to care for him.
I guess this brings me to my questions. Because I care about my Cousin, I'm interested in contributing to Niece's support system by offering to be there for her as a safe adult she can trust and approach anytime for perspective, a listening ear, a shoulder to cry on and a voice of reason. What can I do for a teenage girl in my extended family who is going through a parents' divorce blindsided?
For those of you who have been in these aunty/uncle shoes before, what are some do's and don'ts and key lessons you have learned from your experience?
And for those of you who survived parents' divorce as blindsided teenagers, who were the best safe adults in your support system at the time, and what did they do for you? Or if you weren't as lucky, what kind of support did you wish you had, and what do you wish adults in your life back then did differently?
Finally, what can I do to facilitate recovering my niece's love and respect for her parents in spite of their faults and her anger and grief about it?
Thank you!

So I(M18) have been friends with my buddy, we'll call him Mark (M18) for about two years. We have a small friendship circle of about 4 people who I'm absolutely fine with and have also known for around two years. We have Sarah (F18) and my roommate Josh (M19) who are also always coming along with us. My issue is with the other company that my friend Mark keeps.
So two days ago on Friday we all decided on a whim to go and have some fun as Josh had managed to land a part time job he didn't think he would get. Now Mark is a good guy, but he also fits into that wannabe gangster area. He likes to get into fights and carry weapons but he's never been a problem for me, Sarah or Josh so he's been nice.
So we were at a rooftop bar, and just talking and joking when mark got a call from his buddy Jack (M18). Jack is also someone I've met quite a few times, and was also quite nice to me, but again very much a wannabe gangster who has been in some legal trouble before. Well he was with two friends of his who were 17, neither of them were people I know. Mark ended up bringing us all out to hang out with jack and these two, which wasn't an issue as I didn't know what they were going to do. Instantly I could tell they were on some kind of substance and this was confirmed when I saw the girl and guy each pop a 'Pinger'. For those reading who aren't well versed in what that means, it's essentially a mystery pill. It's also been a leading cause of overdose. I was instantly uncomfortable.
Josh, Sarah and I wanted to leave. Mark however had different ideas and kept hanging around and asking us to chill out. Well we then saw the dude do a line of some nasty stuff and we were even more worried. An older bloke saw the girl who was now panicking and looked at her confused. This triggered the guy who did the snort and he instantly tried to press the guy, who ran off into a restaurant. I was prepared to jump to the old fellas defence, but luckily the staff of the restaurant locked the door and called the police.
I'm now very uncomfortable going out and about with mark as I don't want to deal with that nonsense, and I'm wondering if I would be the asshole if I was to kinda give him the 'Invite those people around me again, I'm not gonna hang out with you anymore' deal?
WIBTA?

Imagine being 32 years old and learning every thing your dad ever taught you was a lie.stole money and manipulated me when I was at the lowest at the low. Then when I said I would tell his new wife he’s cheating, he told me he hacked my iCloud and found my bad and nude pictures of my wife and said he would expose her. Damn this has been a shitty week. All because I cracked my phone and hit my dad up for my upgrade bc I have always paid him since I was younger. But he used my upgrade for someone else and his new wife even thinks he got me the phone. He was trying to get me to pay off someone else’s phone and tried to tell me I didn’t remember because I was on drugs. I wasn’t on drugs I’m married and was with my wife the entire time. But I just learned they have been doing that to me my entire life. They would make me believe lies or they would kick me to the curb. They controlled my expenses in order to control me. They wouldn’t let me leave and take my money. One time my mom and my dad took everything I had and got me a bus ticket to Dallas with absolutely nowhere to go. My mom made me miss my grandpa’s funeral because I didn’t take the leaves fast enough. When your alone and your family tells you things that don’t make sense they put you in a box. Really think if the people in your life are helping you but they are always treating you like shit and taking everything you earn, you never do anything good enough and you are so lucky just to even be there. I didn’t have you dad and mom yall had me. Y’all made me skip 1 and 2nd grade and made me think I had learning disability. I couldn’t even talk right till I was a little older with speeh therapy because they left me so isolated. I took me 32 years and the most amazing woman in the world to help me realize I’m not crazy. Be careful who you call family because sometimes blood is the furthest thing from family.

Now I’m just going to vent here basically i’ve been talking to this girl for a couple days and our vibe has been pretty good. You know she’s shown interest and she’s even been flirty but now she’s just left me delivered for days and she still posting stories. I just know it’s over I don’t get why I’m always get led on this isn’t the first time this is happened, I I know getting ghosted isn’t any better but I don’t know why people not just saying women or men, but just people in general if you’re not interested in someone just say it my God, you don’t need to play this games of leading on or just ghosting just freaking say it like a mature human being please for the love of God.

I first started noticing that something was wrong around 3 months ago. At the time, I was working from home and would usually light a scented candle while I worked, which usually helped me relax and stay focused on my work. I would usually burn through a candle a week, but over time, the candles started to take less time to fully burn up. At first, I thought that this was because of a change in ingredients the company that made the candles used, but the problem persisted after I switched candle brands, which I once again blamed on the candle manufacturers.
I kept this belief for another week until the first incident. While getting up from my computer desk, which faces away from the candle, to take a quick bathroom break, I caught a glimpse of the lit candle. A two-inch layer of molten wax rested on another three-inch layer of solid wax, the wicks rising out at first and being somewhat visible through the molten layer, finally breaking the surface and being slowly burned away. The flames flickered as I swung the door open and walked out of the room. When I returned 10 minutes later, the molten layer was gone, and the wicks had been shortened so that the flames rested right above the solid layer of the wax. At first, I thought that the glass jar that contained the candle was leaking, but after a short inspection, I was only able to find two small drops of candle wax that had solidified right next to the candle on the bedside table. I still had 2 hours of work left to do, but I was too lost in thought and was unable to do any work for the rest of the day.
Every night before I go to sleep, I like to read for at least 30 minutes, and while reading, I usually light a candle. Around 4 days later, I had mostly forgotten about the incident and went back to using candles. Due to my naivety, it returned.
I fell asleep while reading with a candle lit on my bedside table. I woke up to loud slurping noises. As I opened my eyes, the brightness of the light I had not turned off almost blinded me. As my eyes tried to readjust to the light and focus on what was in front of me, I saw a somewhat humanoid dark gray to light blue blur that contrasted with the white paint on the walls behind it. Another gray line stretched from the shape's head to the candle on my bedside table. I could feel my heart skip five consecutive beats. I opened my mouth and tried to force out a scream for help, but the pressure I applied to my throat was way beyond what it was able to handle, leading me to only produce a light wheezing sound. I tried to sit up or to at least prop myself up, but my muscles failed me. Trying to push myself up with my arms felt impossible. As I stared at the figure that had suddenly appeared in my room, my eyes finally managed to focus, making it possible for me to see the intruder who was now staring at me. The figure was a man at least 7 feet tall, fully naked; he looked bloated; his eyes were bloodshot and looked like they would pop out of their sockets; at any point, his skin was a grayish light blue.
HIS LIPS
His lips extended from his mouth like an elephant's trunk, which had been split in half. The lips extended from the man's face to the candle; the flames had been put out. He was using his lips as a makeshift straw, slowly sucking up all the molten wax from the candle, which had fully liquified while I was asleep. I laid in bed, unable to move, unable to scream for help, staring until he emptied the jar. His lips retracted back to his face, the molten wax solidifying on their tips and cracking, flakes of wax falling off the man's lips and falling to the floor. The man grinned, staring at me. The ridges and gaps between the teeth were filled in with wax, making it impossible to make out where one tooth ended and the next one began. The man opened the door he was standing next to, but instead of walking out of the room, he stepped behind it. His face peered at me from above the door, and then once again, like he had done to drink the wax, the man puckered his lips, which stretched from his mouth and floated to me. I shook and tried to roll over away from him. I wanted to get up and run, but my fear had taken over my body. Tears flowed from my eyes. He kissed me on the cheek, leaving flakes of wax and light moisture. He retracted his lips and lowered his head behind the door.
I don't remember falling asleep, but when I woke up, I saw the empty glass jar, which at one point contained the candle. Even though I had hoped that what had happened was a dream, it wasn't. I still had flakes of wax on my cheek, and on my bedroom floor, the wax in the jar had disappeared. I called the police, but they were unable to find anyone in my apartment; they also could not find any evidence of a break-in.
After the break-in, I started looking for a new apartment to move to, thinking that the man was tied to the building I was in, but even though I had thrown out all of my candles, I could not stomach spending another hour in my apartment, constantly looking over my shoulder or walking around with my back pressed up against the wall to not allow it to creep up on me. Thankfully, my friend Emma was able to let me stay over at her apartment while I looked for a new one for myself.
Me and Emma have been friends since we were 8, and we've been there to support each other when times get rough. This isn’t the first time I've had to stay over at her house for an extended amount of time; in fact, I have had to stay over at Emma’s as many times as she has had to stay over at my apartment, whether it was because of evictions after losing a job, breakups, or a candle wax drinking squatter. I didn't even know if it was human. I mean, sure, it looked like one, but human lips are not supposed to do what his did, and somehow it didn't have a reaction to molten wax being poured down its esophagus. I didn't tell Emma about what happened—the details at least—I just told her that a man had broken into my house and was watching me sleep. The only people I told the truth to were my therapist and the cops, and all of them disregarded what I told them as my mind making things up after a traumatic event.
For a while, I believed what they said—I mean, why wouldn’t I?—but then I started seeing him again. For a few days, I thought it was my mind playing tricks on me again like it had done during the night of the incident. For split seconds out of the corner of my eye, I would see the outline of a tall, bloated figure. At first, they were hours apart, but after a while, it became constant. He was standing in each room I passed, in every single dark corner I glanced past, and then he spoke.
“FeeD MeEeee”
It stood in the kitchen, peering over from a small gap between the fridge and the sink, where the trash can that had been knocked over onto its side usually stood. His voice was raspy, and every word that came out of his mouth was distorted as if he were gargling water, but still, I could somehow clearly make out each word he said from over 15 feet away.
“Please just leave me alone I… why are you following me?”
I shouted at the figure, the same fear that had taken over my body during the night I saw him for the first time paralyzing me, making it impossible for me to move anything other than my eyes, eyelids, and mouth.
“i’M sTarviNg, I nEEd You To FeEd ME”
It replied again. Now, stepping out from behind the fridge, he stepped directly onto a rotten banana. Its mushy brown content’s seeping out of the peel under the pressure of his decomposing foot, which was covered in scabs, and took up the same grayish light blue color as the rest of his body. He mostly looked the same; his bloodshot eyes bulged from their sockets, but now his tongue was swollen. It peeked out from between his bloated, cracked gray lips; it stared at me, waiting for an answer.
“Ok, I’ll.. I’ll feed you, but please just... leave me alone.”
I replied, the tone of my voice shifting into high-pitched squeals with every quick breath I took. He looked satisfied by my response. He somehow squeezed his bloated body back into the gap that was at least four times smaller than him. After peering over at me from above the fridge, he bent over backwards, his spine releasing a series of sickening cracks until he was fully obscured by the fridge, and then he vanished.
Still barely in control of my body, I limped over to the couch tucked away in the back corner of the living room, it took me at least 10 minutes to steady my breathing and 20 more to fully regain control of my body again but as soon as I did I ran out the house and to the nearest store, during the 15-minute walk he stared at me through dark windows and the backs of cars, peered out at me from gaps between leaves in the trees and bushes, he even followed me into the store staring at me from the middle of deserted isles before disappearing right before my eyes were able to fully catch him, once I finally got the candles I randomly picked four off of the shelves and rushed to the self checkout.
When I arrived home, I had 2 hours before Emma got off work. I didn't want to feed it while she was home, and I didn't want her to see it. I pulled out two of the candles from the black plastic bag and placed them on the kitchen table, the first a light blue candle named “Garden Rain” and the second a red candle named “Juicy Watermelon." I pulled out a lighter from one of the drawers Emma used after her stove stopped lighting on its own and lit each of the 6 wicks on the candles. As soon as I started seeing the wax melt under the heat of the burning wicks, I dropped the lighter onto the table next to the candles and ran out of the room. I could not stomach seeing that thing again; even just thinking about it made me shudder and hyperventilate. The paralyzing fear that seeing him caused me made me want to vomit.
At least 30 minutes later I started to hear it drink even though the living room and kitchen were separated by a wall, even though I had closed the door I could still hear what at first started as slurping sounds which were followed up by loud gulps, then it stopped, and once again 30 minutes later it started drinking, as the slurping started once again I heard the door to the apartment crack open, it was Emma, as she stepped through the door I saw her carrying two large brown paper bags of groceries in her hands, she was headed to the kitchen.
“Hey let me grab those for you”
I said running over to her, my voice shaking.
“Oh, thanks. Are you… okay, you look scared?”
My eyes shot wide open in a mixture of fear and surprise. I said the first thing that came to mind.
“Yeah just umm… I didn't expect you to come home so early and I got a bit spooked”
“shit sorry, I know I should have called you, work let me off early today,”
I started to turn away from her walking to the kitchen.
Trying to keep her away from the kitchen I told her to wait for me in the living room because I wanted to talk to her about something. I didn't know what I would talk to her about but that was a problem for future me to resolve, somehow it worked.
“What's that sound?”
She called out to me while walking towards the living room couch. It took me a few seconds to come up with an excuse.
“I think it’s the sink, or the pipes at least”
I opened the door to the kitchen with my eyes closed at first hesitant to look knowing what would be greeting me. slowly prying my eyes open I started to see its outline, my muscles started to lose strength as the details of the man came into my view, I felt the grocery bags start to slip from my arms, my knees buckled, face first I fell onto the kitchen floor scattering the groceries all over the floor, I mixture of a light scream and a yelp escaped from my mouth as my body made contact with the floor, Emma concerned for my safety ran into the kitchen, she didn't scream, using all of the strength and mobility I had left in my muscles I rolled over expecting to see her face drenched in terror, her body frozen still unable to move just like my body had done the first time that I saw him, but Emma looked concerned, the man was gone, she crouched down beside me.
“Oh my god are you ok? What happened?”
I looked around observing my surroundings.
“I um… I… I tripped on the little thing at the bottom of the doorframe”
I finally managed to blurt out another excuse, not being able to remember what the name of a door sill was. I started to sit up using a part of the energy that had returned to my body, pain pulsed through my chest and arms, Emma looked at me with a concerned face.
“You've been acting really weird since I got home, are you sure you're ok?”
“Yeah… I think I’m just having one of those days you know”
The confusion on Emma’s face said that she didn’t know and to be honest I didn't either, I guess my luck of pulling random excuses out of my ass ran out, Emma thought that she triggered some sort of PTSD response after barging into the house unannounced at first apologizing then trying to change the subject to stop my trembling which I was still unsuccessfully trying to hide from her.
“Did you buy candles?”
Emma asked picking the groceries apart from the garbage that spilled out the can that the man had knocked over, placing them on the table next to the now half-empty glass jars, the flames flickered above the inch or so of molten wax the man was unable to finish drinking.
“Yeah I’ve been struggling with work lately, they usually help me focus”
“Huh Interesting combination you’ve got going on here”
She looked at me and smiled slightly, I smiled back and chuckled to seem normal.
“Yeah even I don't know what I was trying to accomplish here, to be honest”
I tried to help Emma clean up the spilled groceries but she did not let me, she told me that I needed to recover like I had been in a car crash instead of having taken a little tumble. After a few seconds of silence, Emma spoke again.
“Anyway, what did you want to talk to me about earlier?”
A quick jolt of stress shot through my body, in a jumbled mess of lies and fear I had forgotten what I had told Emma, I sat there in silence for a few seconds unable to come up with an excuse
“I…umm… I don’t remember, it wasn't anything serious though”
“Damn did you hit your head too?”
She said once again proudly smiling at her joke.
At this point Emma picked up the last bag of potato chips from the floor and placed it on the table, then she opened the fridge and started loading the groceries into it.
“Anyway I gotta go get back to work’’
I blurted out after a few more seconds of awkward silence.
“Alright well good luck”
I walked over into the living room and sat down in front of my workstation, which now consisted of a laptop sitting on a small foldable TV tray that had just barely enough room left on it to fit a small USB mouse.
The last thing I remember, before I fell asleep, was me mindlessly scrolling through apartment listings while Emma watched a random 90’s horror movie I’m positive only had a budget of $500.
I woke up with a light stinging pain shooting through my dry throat, and a dim hissing sound caused by thousands of water drops striking the ground outside filled the room. I pressed the spacebar on my laptop, the brightness of the screen blinding me temporarily, after taking a few seconds to let my eyes readjust I managed to make out the time, 3:45 AM. A strong smell I was unable to make out the origin of assaulted my nostrils. Lavender.
The smell hitting my nose had the same effect on me that I would expect smelling salts would have on a weightlifter right before they set a world record. Before I knew it my legs were moving on their own at an almost uncontrollable pace, fighting back against my mind which was telling them to slow down after years of being used to navigating both mine and Emma’s apartment as steadily as possible to not bother the neighbors.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity I stood before Emma’s bedroom door, a faint, yellow, pulsating light radiated from a lamp and snuck out of a small gap between the door and the doorframe, reluctantly I pushed my left hand up against the door, my right hand grasping onto the door frame for a sense of stability, once the door was fully agape I scanned the inside of the room my heart skipping a beat for every humanoid shadow cast up onto the wall by the lights from the wicks which were set ablaze and were being slowly burnt away.
I walked into Emma’s room and made my way over to her bedside table to put out the candle, as I stepped closer towards her, her face became more defined, I could finally make out her features, she was awake, but no she could not have been, even though her eyes were wide open they never blinked, she didn't even move slightly, as I moved closer I finally managed to fully make out the expression of pure terror on her face, her mouth wide agape as if she was about to release a deafening screach, but she could not have, a single drop of solidified wax dribbled out of the corner of her mouth and clung to her cheek, my eyes traced the cream colored path back towards her mouth, first up her cheek then between the corner of her mouth and finally behind her teeth, there instead of her tongue or the roof of her mouth I saw a wall of wax which had filled in the entirety of her mouth.
I fell to my knees and hunched forward supporting my body weight with my arms, I was too late, I resisted the urge to vomit and got back up onto my feet, a mixture of tears and snot slid down my face and onto my lips, shaking now I slowly started limping over towards my phone which I had left on the couch next to where I had awoken just minutes before, just minutes before my life was destroyed because of my lies if I had just told Emma what I had gone through, if I had just told her what had happened on the night of the incident which now seemed trivial, even if she thought that I was crazy, I know that she would have complied just to make me feel comfortable.
It took me at least 30 seconds of repeated attempts to stabilize my hands enough to properly dial 911. “Someone broke into my apartment and hurt my friend” was the only reasonable explanation I could come up with that would not get the operator to hang up on me thinking that this was a prank call.
I sat there in the living room for an agonizing 10 minutes, crying, my sadness slowly transformed into anger towards myself, and my mind raced thinking of all the lies I’d told, I kept thinking that if I had just told her the truth she would not have been laying there in her bed, her body bloated, “every single orifice has signs of forced penetration and has been filled with what seems to be candle wax” is what was written on her autopsy report.
For a few days I was the main suspect in Emma’s murder, but due to the almost unstoppable crying and the unresponsive state that I was in when the police arrived, mixed with the lack of evidence of me having a way to produce 30 pounds of candle wax led to me being released out of police custody, but because I was the main suspect I was not told any details about what had fully happened to Emma, for days all I had to work off of was the image of her face frozen in terror, and a short glance I caught of her bloated body as she was being carted out on a stretcher.
I recounted every single word of our last conversations over and over again until they became permanently etched into my brain.
Emma’s parents originally wanted to cremate her, as that is what she had somewhat jokingly asked for whenever the topic of funerals came up, well she had joked about wanting to have had unpopped popcorn shoved down her throat before she was sent off to “scare the shit out of the guy cremating me” but due to all the wax which would have been impossible to get out of her body they were forced to bury her.
A few days before Emma’s funeral her body disappeared.
After Emma’s death, her parents took me into their home, after reading the autopsy reports and seeing her corpse they had thrown out every single candle they owned which made their home the safest choice I had, still, this did not stop me from buying a machete and keeping it under my bed, just in case.
I was laying on the bed in their guest bedroom The day that the police informed Emma’s parents about her disappearance, the bedroom is right above the front porch of the house, at first I heard them ring the doorbell which was followed up by 3 powerful knocks on the door, for about a minute I laid there on the bed listening to muffled voices exchanging distorted words I was barely able to make out which slowly transformed into distorted weeps, curious I lifted myself up from the bed, made my way over to the window and carefully lifted the bottom panel making Shure to not make too much noise, the distorted muffled sounds started forming into coherent words “We checked the security footage but the only strange thing we could see was a 5 second time jump” one of the officers spoke in a serious and almost monotone voice “which meant that the security guard who was the only person in the building had to climb down 2 flights of stairs walk through a 40 foot long hallway and then drag her body back up stairs and out of the building in 5 seconds” Emma’s mom let out yelp “ but don’t worry ma'am that’s actually good news because we know that her corpse is still somewhere within the building and was probably brought to the wrong floor by an intern, we’ve already warned all of the staff at the hospital to keep an eye out, and we also sent 5 officers to search the hospital”
I could not believe what I was hearing, my breathing quickened, but this time instead of fear I felt anger, that fucker stole her corpse and was probably in the weird separate plane of existence he always went back to after terrorizing me, cutting off chunks of her body, melting her, and drinking her.
I closed the window Emma’s mom's cries once again turned into a muffled rumble which was only possible to make out if you knew what to look for, I took a few steps back away from the window planning to lay back down, not wanting to bother Emma’s parents. I bumped into something, not something, someone, its fleshy towering form as solid as a wall sent me tumbling forward, I knew it was him, he had returned to take me too, to stretch his swollen cracked lips, push them down my esophagus, fill my lungs and stomach with wax. But despite all of that this time I was not scared, I was angry, and I was not going to stand there in terror like I had the last time I saw him.
I fell forward onto my knees my face missing the window sill just by mere inches, I put my hands onto the floor, lifted one of my knees, and rotated 180 degrees now facing the monster, to the right of him pushed up against the wall was the bed, light from the sun reflected off of the metallic button which kept my machete in it’s sheathe, the man started to stretch his lips, they were moving towards me, waving a wiggling through the air like a snake slithering towards me.
I dove towards the bed one of my feet pushing off of the floor and the other pushing against the wall which creaked under the pressure applied to it, I flew for a few moments before slamming down onto the carpet and sliding forward, the heat generated by my skin brushing against the carpet released a sharp stinging pain throughout my body, my outstretched arm landed just a few inches short of the machete, I quickly bent my arms, pushing my body up and crawled towards the machete. my fingers wrapped around the handle I spun around, my back pushed up against the bedside table, once again facing the man, he was still facing the window but his lips faced me and were just a few feet away from me, for what felt like minutes but was most likely no longer than a second, I struggled to hook my finger under the strap securing the machete into its sheath, as the lips inched towards me the man started producing gurgling noises, he was regurgitation wax.
I finally pulled the machete out of its sheath, I swung the blade at the man's lips, the blade was not met with any resistance as it sliced through the man’s lips which landed on the carpeted floor with an audible thud, the man did not have a physical reaction to my counter-attack, his lips kept creeping towards me, once again I slashed at the lips, still no reaction, I repeated this at least 3 more times.
I wanted to kill him, I wanted to take revenge for what he had done to Emma, but fighting back was pointless. I realized that no matter how much I tried to hurt it, I could not kill him, I could not get rid of him.
My rage dissipated and a mixture of fear and sadness crept in, and soon took over my body, I screamed for help, I screamed in fear, in agony, tears streamed down my face as the man's lips finally reached my face, he wasn’t met with any resistance as his lips snuck between mine, pried my jaw open and finally started to slide down my esophagus.
I heard the cops run up the stairs, they started banging on the door asking if I was okay only to have been met with muffled screams, hot wax started to pour down inside of me, the stinging pain of the heat made me want to plunge the machete which I had dropped onto the ground next to me into my stomach to create a gaping wound that the wax would hopefully funnel out of, the texture of the man's slippery, oily lips matched with the poison like flavor of the wax caused me to start gagging, I felt my insides bulging like at any moment my intestines would have been filled to the point where they would pop, I wanted to vomit, the drain myself of the filth I was filled with, but his lips had plugged my throat not allowing anything to get out.
Hearing my muffled screams the cops started kicking the door down, the man retracted his lips, the suction aided my attempts at cleansing my insides, I got onto my hands and knees streams of molten wax pouring out of me, solidifying on the the carpet, with another loud thud the door swung open slamming into the wall, the man was gone.
That’s the last thing I remember before I passed out, but according to one of the doctors who was in the ambulance that brought me to the hospital, I was still semi-responsive during the first 10 minutes of the ride to the hospital.
Approximately 13.4 pounds of wax were removed from my body, the doctors said that I was in a critical condition and some of them did not expect me to make it.
One of the officers who was there the day the man attacked me took a report of what had happened to me, due to the unmistakable evidence of what had happened to both me and Emma, and the fact that this was the 3rd instance of me reporting something like this the police finally started investigating who this man might have been.
Around a month later I was discharged from the hospital and once again have been staying in the living room of Emma’s parent's house.
I’ve been seeing the man again, candles were not allowed in the hospital I stayed at, which means that he’s probably very hungry, he’s close to attacking me again, I know it, he wants to finish what he started and I don't know if I have the power to fight back, I’m not sure if defeating him is even possible, I’m tired.
I’ve been seeing Emma too, her bloated, reanimated corpse often appears to be standing next to the man. If I let him take me will I get to join them? I’ve tried asking but they don’t answer, they just stare, I can’t keep living in constant fear, always looking over my shoulder, I miss Emma.

As somebody who is really really into shoes, I have repeatedly come to some frustration in purchasing a good boot in Australia.
There are retailers such as Meermin, Doublemonk, Thursday, Maplestore, which are all great options in their respective classes but they all have perhaps some drawbacks. Boots are supposed fit like a glove and be the most comfortable hard wearing pair of shoes that can tackle many problems as well as make you feel like a million bucks in a pair of jeans.
I feel like I can provide a fantastic solution to us Aussies and combat some of these problems. What are some of my frustrations you might ask?

1. Not being able to try on all the sizes of boots to find the EXACT size for you. If you're paying a premium for the best boot possible, you want it to fit as shmick as possible and not have to bloody swap/return it adding weeks to the process or even have to pay a chunk of change to post it back.
   
2. Boot material and construction. I'm sure there are a lot of wrist watch collectors here too, there are certain conditions a watch needs to meet before I even bother glancing at it, e.g Sapphire crystal, applied indices, etc. I feel the same way about boots. Goodyear welted, top grain leather, vibram sole, etc. These are must-have prerequisites before I consider buying a boot. We have such a piss poor selection of options here that I think i'd offer a competitive advantage.
   
3. Customer service is paramount. I come from a big sales background, I don't need a kiosk, I need a person that can answer the million and one pedantic questions I throw at them as well as guide me through each step of the way. A pair of $1300 Alden boots at least to me isn't a walk in the park financially so I want to enjoy the purchasing process.
   

Now I ask for some feedback and open some discussion.
What are some drawbacks that you get frustrated by and wish there was some solution to in the shoe industry here in Australia?
What factors are important to you when you purchase a boot? Price? Leather quality? Brand name?
Do you feel perhaps an new retailer in the market is a bit redundant with the likes of Meermin or Thursday?
Any other thoughts? Thanks for the read.