Block of dental chairs

Objective ratings and pragmatic guidance

2017.08.15 19:28 Objective ratings and pragmatic guidance

The purpose of this sub is to provide facial ratings of both men and women based on *objective factors* such as harmony, sexual dimorphism, symmetry, and qualities of their features. This means analyzing/evaluating a person’s attractiveness without regard for one’s own feelings. This is not a subjective rating sub.
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2015.08.05 22:08 amici_ursi Images of

The _Images of_ sub hub. Pictures and images of times and places
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2016.02.20 18:22 zeppter Images Of Serbia

*Images of* is two networks of subreddits. They automatically collect image posts of time periods and places.
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2024.05.19 04:58 DeliveratorMatt Accessibility issues at Tuesday's Boston live show

It's been over four days, but I'm still hurt and angry over what happened on Tuesday, and I'm also just so, so, so tired of having to fight for basic inclusion in society. Fucking especially in what is supposedly a progressive community.
With no announcement, the Boston live show was moved from a venue with a reasonable amount of seating to one with basically none. This move was no doubt precipitated by the show's selling out and them wanting a larger venue, which is reasonable on its face, but the lack of communication was completely unacceptable from an accessibility point of view.
The larger venue / space / number of attendees meant an extremely long line to get in, snaking all the way around the block. I am not able to stand for long periods of time without extreme amounts of pain. I was born with six missing bones, have had many surgeries including hip replacements, and walk with a cane. But there was no one to talk to, and people tend to assume I'm just being a crybaby if I try to cut to the front. I didn't have the energy to get in a fight, and since the venue change was unannounced, I couldn't look into it ahead of time. So I sucked it up.
Even worse, once we finally got inside, the space was essentially set up for rock shows, with only a few uncomfortable folding plastic chairs all the way at the back, even for those of us who need to be able to sit. I could not see the hosts, and could barely hear them. Even when I could distinguish what they were saying, I often missed the actual point, since much of their humor was nonverbal. And, once again, let me reiterate that there was no one from the venue I could ask for help, especially since this was all happening at once and essentially by surprise.
When Jordan made a joke about Alex's "fat fucking fingers," that was the last straw, and I left. This was about 15 minutes in. By the way, I'd be happy to discuss this with the hosts privately, but there's no email address listed on their website. So if someone can put me in touch with them and/or make sure they see this, I'd appreciate it.
I want an apology, I want my money back, and I want the money I lost from taking time off of work back. More than that, I want Dan and Jordan to do better.
submitted by DeliveratorMatt to KnowledgeFight [link] [comments]


2024.05.19 04:34 75976345 Apparently I organised a student protest against a teacher.

I say "apparently" because... well... you'll see.
This happened decades ago now, back in primary school. I only remembered it because I was recently catching up with old friends from back then, and we got to laughing over old stories and then someone mentioned, "The wildest was when you organised that whole protest against our teacher."
"The time I did what?"
The consensus was I did, indeed, organise the entire class to rebel against our teacher that resulted in her being deposed and our class getting a "substitute" for the rest of the year. I almost fell out of my chair hearing this story from their mouths. It wasn't that I didn't remember it, of course I did--that year was awful. It was just that it existed very differently in my memory.
Two important pieces of background knowledge to understand here:
  1. I went to a very very small, very very rural school. How small? Each classroom was composed of the entire year level, and the largest had at most 30 kids in them. My class/year level was on the smallest in the entire school, with a piddling 14 kids in it altogether. While we still had our cliques and factions, our small size caused our class to be very tight knit and protective of each other. How rural? The school building itself was incredibly small, but one thing we were not short on was gigantic empty fields surrounding us on all sides. Great for sports, great for (it turns out) student protests.
  2. I was, at the time, undiagnosed autistic. I mean I still am autistic, I'm just formally diagnosed now. But back then I was just seen as being a very quirky kid. One of the ways this quirkiness manifested was that I really had trouble adapting to the rules and structure of grade school and how it differed from what I was used to. At home if I wanted to pee, I just went to the toilet. Now I have to put my hand up? Now I have to ask permission to piss? Then I went home and put my hand up to ask my mom for permission to pee and she told me I didn't need to! Madness! Chaos! I don't care what the rules are, please just be consistent!
But one of the main parts of my brain and the way it works is that sometimes my brain, separate from my will, would just make a decision about a course of action and I would very calmly commit to it come hell or high water. Like, it is vitally important that I stay true to this course of action. I can't explain it. It's like I set a rule for myself and if something disrupts that, I just shut down and stop functioning.
So when the school said, "Okay, when this bell rings during recess/lunch, that means you have to leave the playground and go back to class", I was a confused child already struggling with all these completely nonsensical limitations and guidelines imposed on me. So when that bell rang, I got that calm little voice in my head that said, "Hmm, no, I'm good out here actually. I don't think I will go back into class." So I would just continue to sit out on the playground, playing with my plastic spider toys or sitting on the swing. Teachers would realise what was going on and come out to get me and tell me I have to go back to class, and I would just very calmly hear them out and then smile at them and politely as possible tell them, "No thank you, I want to stay out here."
They really didn't know what to do with me. I wasn't getting upset, I wasn't throwing a tantrum, I wasn't yelling, I wasn't being rude in any way. I was incredibly docile and would let them explain things to me with endless patience and then just politely refute them and go back to what I was doing, like this was just a very normal and reasonable negotiation between two equal parties. I have memories of sitting on the swing while three very confused and flustered adult staff huddled around me trying to bribe me with candy to go back to class. It would take a whole lesson block to lure me back to the classroom, and then at lunch the whole thing would start over again. It took me three years at school to finally accept the status quo thanks to a religious nutter I got for a teacher, and finally went back to class when the bell rang (was never happy about it though).
I eventually settled into school life. Excelled at subjects I liked, at least passed subjects I didn't, followed the rules, was seen as intelligent and obedient and was often liked by my teachers. Until my final year, when we got the teacher I can only rudely monniker Mrs Bigmouth.
Mrs Bigmouth should not have been a teacher. She had a trigger temper and would explode into long, verbally abusive tirades against us if we ever did anything she felt was disrespectful behaviour. What was disrespectful behaviour? Damned if I know. It changed day by day, depending on mood. You could disrespect her to her face one day and she'd laugh and say you have such razor wit, and politely ask a question the next and she'd scream at you for ten nonstop minutes then give you a week of DT for talking back. The absolute peak moment of her boiling temper came when she threw a dictionary at a girl's head because she was whispering to me in class. When I tell you it missed her by half an inch...
But believe it or not, this wasn't what made her such an awful teacher. It was so hard to get teachers at rural schools back then, there was almost nothing you could do to get fired, so we had experience with teachers with nightmare tempers. What made her such an issue was her big mouth. She used us, her trapped audience, as free therapy. She would infodump, traumadump, about her very personal, very private life to us. All day. She'd be two words into a spelling list and launch into an extended story session about her marital issues with her husband. We'd be heads down doing fractions and, unprompted, she'd declare to the class that her adult daughter no longer talks to her and then diatribe to us about it until the bell rang. She had money issues, a contentious relationship with her parents, her marriage was on the rocks. She once pulled me aside after school and spoke with me, at length, about how she was thinking of having another child to try to repair her marriage. I was like, okay lady, I'm 11, about to miss my bus, and my house is a 4 hour walk on foot from here.
We weren't learning. We'd hadn't had a complete lesson since the first week of the school year. We were behind on the cirriculum and frustrated. One kid had brought a stopwatch into school and would time lessons vs her monologues and kept detailed lists, and we would come to school each morning and do betting pools on them. What subject would she interrupt, what would she talk about, and how long would it go.
But all that still wasn't the breaking point if you can believe it. No! Still not! The problem was it wasn't just her own private life she couldn't keep her mouth shut about. It was everyone else's. Because parents would make the reasonable assumption that she should be told things as our class teacher that would be important to know, and that she would understand these things were said in confidence. Instead she would veer randomly off in the middle of talking to us about her horrible weekend to let us know whatever private or traumatic thing was going on in a classmate's life that she had been made aware of. That was awful. That was what made that year hell. It wasn't even about when my secrets were shared with the entire class against my consent. It was watching the faces of my small, lovely, supportive class of 11 year old children go pale and scrunch up with held-back tears as things they never wanted to share were announced like morning news. God we hated her.
Then one day that voice came. The one I hadn't heard in years. The bell ring to go back into class and that voice said, "But I don't want to be in that classroom. I'm not even being taught there." So I just... didn't. I didn't go back to class. I just sat in the playground in a daze eating grass (don't eat grass, it's not good for your teeth). Despite how small my class was, I don't think Mrs Bigmouth even noticed I wasn't there. Others did though. Come lunch and everyone came out, my friends asked me where I was and I said, "Oh, I didn't go back to class."
"Why didn't you go back to class?"
"Why would I go back to class?"
Lightbulb moment for my schoolmates. Yeah, why would they go back to class? What was the point? From a practical standpoint, they weren't learning. From an emotional standpoint, it was horrible to be there. A friend who had had her family's dirty laundry aired to the entire class just last week, things even she didn't know because her parents tried to keep it from her, asked if she could sit with me rather than go back to class. I just stared at her, vacant and confused.
"Sure? I mean, I'm just eating grass though."
Over the next few days, two kids turned into four, turned into ten, turned into the whole class. The whole class was doing a sit-out protest on the field rather than go back to class. Of course Mrs Bigmouth tried to do something about it. She'd come out, screaming at us and threatening us with DT and internal suspension, but six months of that behaviour had totally vaccinated us against her. I'd become the de facto leader and spokesperson of the protest by merit of being the first to sit out and also because I was well known to not give a shit (autistic brain: I actually just frequently had trouble reading and reacting with the correct social behaviour but it gave me a cool and aloof bad boy mystique I guess). I gave her the exact same treatment from back in grade one. I would let her scream, let her holler, let her threaten, let her spittle rain down on me, and then I would give her a sweet and innocent smile and nod in acknowledgement and say, "No thank you, we're going to remain out here." And thirteen pairs of eyes would stare at her in total silence. No one, not even the most gobbermouthed little shite in the class, would volunteer a word. The unspoken agreement was all negotiations were my responsibility.
The thing about angry people is that they feed off conflict. They get you angry so they can respond with even more anger and it nourishes them. She had no absolutely no plan of action on how to deal with me patiently hearing her out then refuting her in the gentlest of terms.
Another thing that ended up helping down the line is that we made an attempt to conduct our own classes. I mean, they sucked and we didn't learn much because we were kids with no supervision, but it was really cute in retrospect. We'd have groups of people assigned to subjects, with some people bringing in words they found in a dictionary for spelling lists and others bringing in old 6th grade homework from older siblings. The heart was there and it served a purpose, if not educational.
"Okay, but how did no one else notice this was happening? Surely people would notice 14 kids sitting on the lawn, not in class?"
Rural school. Big. Empty. Fields. Even screaming at us, the most other classrooms would hear would be muffled voices, and everyone was used to hearing her yelling at us or taking us out onto the field abruptly to make us do laps as group punishment. Plus the way the school buildings were arranged was that it was actually all in one straight line of adjacent rooms, and ours happened to be at the very end of the building. No windows faced the field we all sat in except that of our own classroom. It was just a very lucky arrangement of coincidences and preconceived notions, at least for a couple weeks. I couldn't tell you the exact number, this was so long ago and as a kid I definitely had a more stretched idea of time. Minutes felt like hours, especially during that year. But there was definitely at least two weekends that passed by since the "sit-out protest" started.
Eventually someone cottoned on to what was happening, or maybe Mrs Bigmouth humbled herself and finally confessed to her boss that she had lost control of a bunch of 11-year-olds, so we were called into the principal's office to sort this out. As the representative of our class, I was of course chosen to attend the meeting, flanked by the girl who'd had the dictionary thrown at her head and my friend who was the first to sit out with me. Since I understood that this meeting was one where we were probably going to be yelled at for doing the wrong thing, a thing I had ample experience of, I felt like the easiest way to mitigate things (especially since I felt guilty for being the instigator) was to explain in a very rational and logical way the series of events that led up to our bad behaviour. As well, for my entire life my mother had always taught me that it was no good complaining about things unless you were also willing to think of solutions. "I'm hungry!" - "Well, what's a solution to that problem?" - "Uh, make myself a sandwich?" - "Great! Let's do that together!"
So what did I do? Of course, to make things as clean and concise as possible, I interviewed my class one by one to hear each individual story of why they didn't feel comfortable going to class anymore, itemised them under categories (Verbal Aggression; Interruptions of Lessons; Oversharing Student Life) for easier discussion because my little quirky brain loved itemising things, and then as a kind of olive branch came up with solutions (we wanted to finish lessons unhindered, we wanted our personal privacy to be respected, we wanted to be able to catch our bus on time rather than being held back with unfair DT or long "chats"). So many things sort of came together in this beautiful, wholly accidental way. We had months of records of timed rants and monologues, noted down to the millisecond thanks to that kid's stopwatch. We had records of us trying to teach ourselves during the protests, showing this wasn't us just not wanting to go to class but due to us feeling as though we did not have a class to go to. When the principal heard all this, her jaw it the floor. A lot of it was stuff she knew, peripherally, but things had just never been laid out so neatly before. Some of it was stuff we'd complained to parents about, but it was one kid coming home and telling one parent one time, weeks ago. There was no real sense, up until now, the sheer scope of her behaviour. She didn't even answer us. She just said, "Okay, I need to call your parents."
We got the rest of the week off school. That weekend, every parent of every student came to a meeting between them, Mrs Bigmouth, and the principal. Stories were swapped. My exercise book with my tidy little lists and the records of the betting pool and monologue times were confiscated and brought into the meeting. I don't know what went down, but when my mother came home she just told me that Mrs Bigmouth would not be our problem for the rest of the school year, and more importantly, that she was incredibly proud of me and that I did the right thing. Rarely in my childhood had my inability to integrate into normal society led me to doing the right thing, so I just remember crying and hugging and feeling vindicated about, I don't know, just existing or something.
So yeah. From the outside perspective here is what it looked like: I, the ringleader with a history of dismissing school rules, organised a sit-out strike amongst my class. I kept the protest peaceful and non-disruptive to other classes. When negotiations with the principal were finally arranged, as the representative I compiled a clear list of greivances, with evidence, and a list of reasonable demands. I mean, holy crap, yes, yes I clearly organised a student protest.
The actual results of it are mixed. We got a revolving door of substitute teachers of varying quality for the rest of the school year, occasionally being bundled into other classrooms entirely when they couldn't find someone. It wasn't a great learning environment and we continued to struggle a lot, but it was better than before. Mrs Bigmouth was not actually fired but put on leave for the rest of the school year, then returned and was put in charge of a different year level (which happened to be the class of the younger sister of a guy in my class: according to him, she was quiet as a church mouse that entire year so I hope at least she learned her lesson, or at least finally got divorced and went to actual therapy). The entire ordeal caused our already small and close class to become really really supportive and like family to each other and we all remain in touch until this day. And we became fierce about standing up for ourselves.
I kind of learned to parse the difference between when it was appropriate to go along with set societal rules even if I don't understand them, and when those rules were just straight up unreasonable and nobody should be required to follow them. I did, years alter, lead an actual (very small) strike at work but intentionally that time. My mother was proud of me then too. :)
submitted by 75976345 to ProRevenge [link] [comments]


2024.05.19 04:12 SnooLobsters4567 Need help arranging my tiny awkward apartment living room

hey everyone! so i’m trying to figure out the best way to arrange my living room without blocking anything important but have maximum seating. i currently have a couch, a recliner type of chair that doesn’t recline, a coffee table, tv stand, bookshelf and one side table that doesn’t really fit. im open to untraditional ideas, im just struggling with it due to the weird spots our plugs are in. we used to have our couch, chair, and side table on the wall where the couch is in the layout photo. our tv was on the kitchen wall and bookcase on the wall by the linen and storage closet but it felt very crowded so we put the tv on the big wall with the bookshelf to the right by the patio door, the chair to the left and our couch on the kitchen wall with our side table next to it. i will post some photos of the ways we’ve arranged it before. do you guys think it’s unrealistic to have more seating? or should we ditch some furniture pieces for different ones? we tend to have friends over and we host dnd campaigns at our house and people always end up in the floor. i wanted to try and fix that but i’m just not sure i actually can. thanks for any help in advance!
the first photo is our floor plan with explanations of where things are.
photos 2&3 are how we had it when we moved in two years ago.
photos 4-7 are screenshots of a video but that’s how it is set up now but we have a chair in the corner instead of that side table in photo 4.
submitted by SnooLobsters4567 to DesignMyRoom [link] [comments]


2024.05.19 02:30 Trash_Tia When signing up for acting classes, never and mean NEVER audition for The S Class.

In hindsight, I should have known something was wrong with The Caeles Academy of Acting.
Maybe the fact that it doesn't exist to the outside world.
This place prided itself on famous alumni it didn't actually name, and a once in a lifetime opportunity to work with the best in the business.
It's what I wanted.
More than anything.
After enduring four years of high school with barely a semblance of a drama club (we met every month, and our teacher was an alcoholic), and countless failed auditions, I was ready to take my acting career seriously. I had one year.
According to my parents, I had one year to make a living from my passion.
If it didn't work out, I would be on the first plane back to Connecticut.
It's not like they didn't trust me. I think they were just scared I wouldn't be able to financially support myself. So, I got a job right out of high school and slipped a year. Drama schools are expensive, and college’s are cut-throat on who they take on. I found Caeles Academy by accident–or, I guess it found me?
After researching cheap drama classes, auditions, academy’s, literally anything to progress my career, an ad popped up.
Not exactly flashy.
Just a date, a time, and a promise that they only take the best. I ignored it, but throughout the week, I started getting more ads. Just the words, “IMPRESS US - - JOIN CAELES ACADEMY NOW.”
Followed by, “BE WITH THE BEST, AND BE THE BEST. JOIN THE S CLASS NOW.”
When I googled the academy, nothing came up.
It didn't exist, at least on Google.
So, I gave up, clicking on the ad, which sent me straight to an application form.
I filled in my details as more of a joke. But I wasn't expecting to get an email back. Again, it was a time, a date, and that exact same tagline: “Impress us.”
However, Caeles Academy was different from what I imagined.
I was expecting a university building, or at least some modern structure.
Judging from their marketing and ads, I figured they could at least afford decent premises. Though I was mistaken. When I stepped out of the Uber, I found myself staring at what looked like an abandoned office tower, a red-brick monolith in the middle of nowhere.
Which was crazy, because I swore a girl wearing a bikini had strode through the doors, with nothing but her phone, and a coffee tucked under her elbow.
According to the text sent from the academy, the auditioning rooms were on the third floor.
Tipping my head back, the checkerboard of broken windows didn't exactly instil confidence.
Neither did the clunky set of automatic doors that took a while to open.
It was a summer's day, and the heat was already baking through my dress, sweat sticky on the back of my neck.
I wanted to make a good impression, but the heels were a little over the top.
Though I had also seen a girl casually walk in wearing a two piece bikini.
“Well?”
Freddie’s voice made me jump. I forgot I was on the phone to him.
After being excited the whole car-ride, already high on five coffees, I was silent.
If I perceived the ‘academy’ from an objective standpoint, it definitely looked like the perfect place to be brutally murdered. But my own personal opinion was it was.. okay.
“What's it like?”
I pretended not to see a rat scuttling under an old candy wrapper.
“It's… fine.”
“Just fine?”
I could hear the smirk in my friend’s tone. He couldn't wait to tell me it was a scam, and had been reminding me all week I was essentially willingly selling myself to the black market. I was stubborn, so, fine sounded better than my initial first impression.
Which was to turn around, walk away, and completely block the place from my memory.
Unfortunately, at that moment, I valued my pride over my awareness.
“It's… okay.” I said, trying to find positives. I was staring at a looming grey building with shattered windows and a resident rat living near the door.
I had a hard time figuring out how the girl from earlier had just casually strode inside, barefoot too. I glanced down at the ground, immediately regretting it.
Like there weren't bits of chewing gum and grime stuck to the concrete.
“Huh.” Freddie said, his tone creeping into teasing territory. “You're really selling it.”
“It just looks like a building,” I muttered, my gaze glued to the rat, who looked a little too comfortable.
Maybe it was a pet.
I was getting progressively more infuriated the more I stared down this place. Judging from the decades old writing ingrained into the door, it used to be a dentist surgery. “What do you want me to say?” I wasn't even trying to hide the scorn from my voice. “It's a building that looks like an academy.”
“Can you send a picture?” Freddie asked, “Ooh, wait, I'll face-time you.”
“That's, uh, that’s not really necessary–”
I was cut off, suddenly, when a guy threw himself through the automatic doors, palms first. He took two stumbled steps forwards, one back.
Lifting his head, half lidded eyes found the sky, before he dropped to his knees, heaving pinkish liquid.
I could see him trying to hold it in, slamming his hands over his mouth, only for it to splurge through his fingers, showering the ground in greyish pink froth.
Like he'd downed a bottle of Pepto Bismol.
Inching towards him, I realized it was Pepto Bismol.
The stink made my own stomach churn.
“Missy?”
I found my voice. “Uh, can I call you back later?”
Before my friend could answer, I ended the call, slipping my phone in my pocket.
The guy was still heaving, coughing up globules of pink.
“Are you okay?”
The sound of my heels click-clacking on concrete made me cringe. The guy noticed, flinching away. Closer, and I could see his scraggly blonde hair.
He was handsome.
Without the bile spewing down his chin.
Early twenties, wearing a fitted white shirt now covered in streaks of bright pink. Part of me wanted to make a half-hearted joke, but getting even closer, so close I could smell his pepto-breath, I noticed he was trembling, his hands clenched into fists.
When I attempted to awkwardly pat him on the shoulder, he twisted around, so fast my morning coffee slithered its way back up my throat.
His eyes were wide, almost feral, studying me like a wild animal.
I noticed the whites of his pupils were red, like he'd burst a blood vessel.
Theatre kids were intense, though I had never met THIS kind of intense.
“Are you… going in there?” The guy’s voice was a child-like whimper I wasn't expecting.
It looked like he was slowly regaining clarity, staring down at his filthy shirt, his hands stained bright pink.
I nodded, uncertainly, offering him my water. “Yeah. Did you audition?”
He shoved it away, slapping himself in the face. “I… I don't know.”
“You… don’t know?”
Suddenly, it was like something had contorted in his expression, a switch being pulled. I wasn't expecting him to twist around so fast. The guy slowly cocked his head, his lips breaking into a grin. His eyes, however, stayed the same.
“Of course I've auditioned.” He said, with a laugh.
“It was the best experience of my life!" His mouth formed an almost mocking frown.
“Unfortunately, I didn't make the cut. Which is a real shame. I'm sure Caeles would have benefited from my talents.”
What was weird, is that his mouth was moving, but he wasn't even looking at me, frenzied eyes caught in an oblivion I couldn't see.
When he did look at me, his expression crumpled all over again.
Pepto jumped to his feet, brushing himself down.
I couldn't take his over the top smile seriously, when his eyes were screaming, hollowed out caverns silently begging me to listen.
This guy was fucking crazy.
“Wait.” Pepto whispered, when I turned to walk away.
He pulled out his phone, tapping the screen before shoving it in my face.
I HAD SO MUCH FUN AT THE CAELES ACADEMY AUDITIONS :)
When I could only stare at him in confusion, Pepto’s gaze flicked to his phone, swiping bile from his lips.
His eyes went cartoon wide, like he couldn't believe what he himself was typing.
“That… that's not what I was trying to say!” He tried retyping it, but the guy was just writing strings of emoji hearts.
I didn't know what to say. I had dealt with rejection before, but I had never gone this far. Pepto was having a full on mental breakdown, his body shuddering, teeth chattering, blinking eyes and lips parting as if to speak, but choking on his words. When he started clawing out his hair, I took the opportunity to make a quick getaway.
Before I could make it to the doors, though, Pepto jumped in front of me, waving his phone directly in my face.
“Just…” he pointed at the screen. “It won't let me…” Growing frustrated with himself, he let out a wet sounding sob, clawing his fingers through his hair.
“Fuck, it won't let me…it won't let me type! It's not letting me type!”
By now, he had tufts of hair stuck between his fingernails. I don't know why his first reaction was to immediately try ripping his hair out.
A quick glance at my own phone reminded me of my audition that was in five minutes.
Meanwhile, I was dealing with what I was pretty sure was delusion, denial, or a mixture of both.
I was considering pushing past him, when Pepto’s phone screen hit me in the face. Again.
This time, though, there was coherent writing.
“FIND LUKE.”
“Luke?” I said. “Who's that?”
“Luke!” The guy was bouncing on the heels of his feet. “He's my…” Pepto drifted off, his eyes going vacant, as if I could physically see his brain being plucked from his skull. Pepto dropped his phone, and I grabbed it before it could hit the ground. His hands went to his curls, clawing, scratching, until he was drawing blood across his forehead.
“I… I don't know! I can't… I can't remember. Luke. He was my… he was my… I don't know, I can't… I can't–”
I stumbled back when he let out a shriek, scratching at his face.
“Fuck!” He whimpered. “Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!”
Pepto grabbed my shoulders, shaking me, his fingers digging into my skin.
“I don't know who he is.” He gritted out, pink froth pooling from his lips.
Pepto broke out into a sob. “I don't… I don't know who he is, but you can find him, right? You can… you can find…”
Again, he trailed off mid sentence, his hands going limp around my shoulders.
I managed to side step him, swallowing a cry.
“Yeah, I'll, um, I'll find him for you.”
Pepto backed away, suddenly, stumbling over himself.
His gaze found mine, vacant, like a baby deer.
“Find who?”
I didn't wait around to answer him, pushing through the doors and stepping inside.
The interior was unsurprisingly even worse than the exterior.
The elevator was broken, so I had to run up three flights of stairs.
I expected at least an attempt at an academy, even in the dregs of an old dentist surgery.
What I got, though, was a never ending staircase, obnoxious photos of teeth greeting me on every level.
The third floor was… less clinical.
I strode directly into a waiting room filled with college aged students, either sitting on plastic chairs, or standing around, rehearsing.
The room itself was cosy enough, a navy carpet and a TV playing a random Twitch stream.
Situated in the middle was a desk with a bored looking woman behind it.
Her smile was fake. I could understand her pain. She was stuck in a room with theatre kids all day.
“Sign here.” She prodded a sheet of paper.
I was convinced her voice was AI.
While I was scribbling my details, I took a moment to notice the stark difference from the kids entering the room, to the ones leaving. The kids entering wore wide, confident smiles and were social butterflies, chatting amongst themselves.
The kids leaving reminded me of pod people.
They left the room silent, in an orderly line with dazed smiles on their faces, like they weren't sure where they were.
I watched one guy walk directly into the wall instead of taking a left toward the exit, and a girl straight up just toppled down the stairs.
The kids waiting with me named them rejects.
I wasn't convinced until I glimpsed an empty bottle of Pepto Bismol sitting on the floor by the window.
Thinking back to Pepto, that made a lot of sense.
I was still dazedly staring at the bottle, when my name was called.
Jumping to my feet, I did my best to calm myself down, straightening my ponytail. Pepto had really screwed with my head. I could barely even remember the lines I had been rehearsing for a week straight.
I was muttering my lines to myself, when I stepped through the door.
The door that apparently turned you into a pod-person on the way out.
For a moment, I thought I was blinded by stage lights.
It was so bright.
The glow bathing me was clinical, stabbing into my eyes.
When I blinked, I found myself standing in front of three shadows sitting in front of me.
Their chairs were made of leather, far different from the plastic ones in the waiting room.
So, they did have filthy cash.
I was looking at one man, and two women.
They were… average?
I expected them to be more glitzier, but they were just regular people.
The man was in his late twenties, maybe early thirties, a stiff looking brunette wearing a suit and tie, one leg crossed over the other. His eyes were narrowed slightly, lips curved into the start of a smile. Like I amused him.
The women were polar opposites.
One of them was my Mom’s age, grey hair and floral clothing. She took a sip of water, her gaze burning into me.
Google told me not to be intimidated by their stares, but it was impossible.
These people were carving holes into my skull.
Sitting next to her, a younger girl who seemed to own the color red.
Her hair simmered, blood red, while she herself was sculpted in a dress, perfect cherry lips spread in a wide smile.
With a little too many teeth.
They studied my face like I was already theirs, drinking in every inch of me.
Freddie said I had to find a weakness in their expression and use it to my advantage.
If I could find the prick of a genuine smile, I could become their favorite.
“Hi!” I said. My caffeine intake was starting to take effect.
I didn't realize I was bouncing up and down until I caught myself.
Red’s smile stretched wider.
Maybe they liked my eagerness.
“My name is Misa.” I introduced myself, staying casual, keeping my arms by my sides. “I'm twenty one years old–”
I choked on my next words when Red spoke up. “Impress us, Misa,” Her voice was a smooth, almost seductive rasp, and I felt myself fall into it, enveloped in sugar that was too sweet, and yet I couldn't stop myself. She folded her arms across her chest, her gaze challenging me to do something different. To make her want me.
“Show us something we have never seen before.” She stood up, cat-like eyes narrowing, “Show us how desperate you are to join this prestigious class.”
I nodded, and began.
I had planned a whole monologue, practised it over and over again, forcing Freddie to judge me with a none biassed opinion.
I was three lines in, when Red started laughing.
“Stop.”
I did, my cheeks heating up.
She clapped loudly. Obnoxiously.
“Sweetie, oh, stop, you're adorable!”
She leaned forward, like I was something that entertained her, jostling her heeled foot. “We don't take amateurs. I think you need to go back to school.”
This woman was definitely a psychopath.
Empty eyes sparkling with a gleam that definitely enjoyed humiliating candidates, and a twisted smile that was a little too wide. Red made me want to crawl into the ground.
She made me want to turn around, leave the room, and quit my dream. I was aware of my own fury, my embarrassment turning my cheeks crimson. I matched her.
Maybe that's what she wanted all along. To wear the color of her victims.
Taking a shaky step back, I started to nod, started to agree, my mouth choking with the words, “You're right. I'm sorry for wasting your time."
I had never received proper constructive criticism from a professional standpoint.
Which meant I really did suck.
But I didn't move. I didn't want to move, and Red continued laughing, her companions sitting in silence.
The man rolled his eyes with a loud, exaggerated sigh.
Like I was boring.
The older woman pulled out her phone.
“Misa, you are…cute.” Red said. “But you're not quite what we are looking for.”
I wasn't sure I could admit it right there, but she made me feel things.
Like I was ignited.
Like I was going to prove this crazy bitch wrong.
I found my voice, strong and confident, despite my hammering heart.
“Give me another chance.”
Red’s lips curled. “So cute, Misa. Oh, sugar bear, It would be better if you left the room. Unless you want to embarrass yourself further! In that case, be my guest!”
She turned her attention to her nails, nudging the guy.
“Dinner?” She hummed. “I'm thinking of Italian. You are quite the wine connoisseur, Nicholas. Why don't you introduce me to your favorite?”
“Hey.” I blurted.
They ignored me, getting a little too close.
I don't know why I continued, reading my lines, screaming them, so I would be heard. I read them perfectly, and tweaked the genre from drama to romance, and then to horror. I became three different characters, a high school girl struggling with cancer, a final girl, and a woman going through a divorce.
I was fucking perfect.
But they weren't listening to me, caught up in their own conversation.
I tried again.
And again.
And again.
By now, I was on my knees, my fingers ripping into my hair. I was seeing red.
“We want originality, Misa,” Red said, sucking her teeth.
Her voice crawling into my skull was enough.
She still wanted me.
The thought polluted the back of my mind, taking a strangling hold. She still wanted me. When I lifted my head, Red wasn't looking at me, her gaze on the table grains. “Show us something new.”
I got to my feet, panting, my breath in my throat.
I became a screaming, strangled mess, a woman who lost her baby.
Red’s interest was piqued. Only slightly. Through my fraying vision, she slowly turned in her chair. “Again.” She clapped her hands, “Come on, Misa! We want new! We want never been fucking done before! Are you deaf?”
I couldn't stop the sobs escaping my mouth.
They lost interest again, right in the middle of my reading.
“Why can't you look at me?” I found myself spluttering.
When the man pulled out a bottle of water, I yanked off my heel and lobbed it at his face.
“Look at me!”
He did. Slowly. His gaze found me, for perhaps the first time.
Not as an amateur, but as a potential candidate.
Around the twentieth attempt, I started to laugh. Never been done before? I could feel my fingernails already in my scalp, clawing chunks of my hair out.
Reality contorted, and I felt myself drop to my knees. I was still laughing, spluttering, sobbing. I could still hear her in my head. Never Been Done Before. I started slowly, dragging my fingernails down my face until I felt the harsh sting.
“Again.” Red said, and her voice led me to stare down at my hands, at pinkish flesh glued to my bones, fleshy mounds that I had never realized was so thin.
So easy to tear. I didn't even feel it.
Only the sudden, unbridled euphoria of biting into my own skin, locking in my jaw, and ripping into myself.
When I tore it from the bone, warmth filled my mouth, and I was choking, guzzling down my own flesh, mulling it in my mouth and swallowing.
I can't remember how I got so deep, and why I didn't stop.
Why I didn't fucking scream.
But it didn't matter.
Red was standing up. She was clapping, her lips spread into a grin.
Her applause filled me with stars.
So, I ripped my hair from my scalp, a hysterical giggle escaping my lips.
She loved me.
I could see her jumping up and down, clapping.
Louder, and louder.
Her applause controlled me, twisting and contorting me into hers.
I didn't even think. I wanted to impress her, and doing this was doing just that.
My fingers were delving into my right eye socket, clawing my eye out. It didn't even hurt. Not with her thundering applause that was deafening, beautiful, an orchestra in my ears.
When I was semi conscious, my eye was crushed in my hand, but my vision was still mine, almost too clear. I could see streaks of red blurred between my lashes. My hair was caught between my fingers. But I wanted to do more.
When I stumbled to my feet, Red’s smile was so beautiful.
The man, however, looked horrified.
“Someone grab one of the successes,” Red’s voice was a shrill giggle, “Bring him in!” she clapped her hands together, and I spat out a fleshy thing. “I want to see them together! I want to see the future in front of us!”
Footsteps coming towards me in slow, shuddery thumps. I looked up, and a shadow was dancing around me.
When I slowly rose to my feet, I half realized I’d bitten my toe off. The shadow had a face, a boy who was younger than me. I think he used to have hair, but half of it was gone, half of it was still stuck between his fists. When I found his eyes, I found twin caverns instead.
Eyes that were still physically there, and yet there was no life.
No spark.
I was staring at a dead body, a flesh puppet who had lost his strings.
When he grabbed my hands, pulling me into a waltz, I caught a smear of scarlet trickling down the back of his neck. When I followed it upwards, his head was covered, slick, dripping with red.
Like me, he matched her too.
And he was beautiful, she told me, her push, her thunderous applause, guiding me into a waltz.
His feet moved, perfecting every step, and my foggy mind couldn't understand why. He matched my every move, the two of us floating across the floor.
My feet knew the steps before my mind.
How could he dance? I thought, dizzily.
How could he dance, when smeared scarlet followed his twisting, and turning and pirouetting feet?
Because underneath that swimming clinical light, the back of the boy’s head had been carved away, a perfectly sculpted cavern where his brain should have been. I could see the severed stem, where it had cleanly plucked out.
His fingers cradled in mine were wet. Swimming in blood.
His own blood.
Spinning round and around, I imagined myself as a princess.
I saw an 18th century ballroom lit up around us. Glittering smiles and glasses of champagne, long, flowing ball gowns.
I blinked, and my head was tipped back, gliding in blood once again.
When he pulled me to his chest, I stumbled, and a name came to light.
Luke.
I had found him.
Our finishing spin left me hard to breathe.
My body was broken, ripped into, and yet somehow not.
By the time we were finished, the two of us bowing, my mind was full of fog.
Cotton candy.
“Congratulations!” Red’s smile was inhuman, stretching right off of her face.
“You're in the S class!”
I was led through a door that wasn't the one I entered from. Inside the room were a dozen or so students, kneeling on the floor. They were missing parts of themselves, like unfinished puzzle pieces.
I dropped onto my knees next to a girl without a head. I could only see her torso, but I knew she was smiling.
Looming over us, was the goddess Athena drenched in blood that was still wet.
Dripping, pooling from every crevice of her dress.
Looking closer, this statue was moving.
Something sickly crept into my mouth.
Her right eye was human, a twitching eyeball sandwiched inside the stone.
It didn't match her. It was wrong, horrifying, like a painting, a real human eye struggling to focus on us.
And then, my own gaze found the statues head, where a real human brain had been forced inside perfect white, pink, greyish mush dripping down the sculpted, slender neck.
I could see where it had been pushed, pulverised through the stone.
The statue’s singular eye found me.
Its dancing pupil jumped up and down.
Before it blinked.
Next to me, Luke was on his knees, as if in prayer.
I can't remember leaving the room.
I just remember running.
Back down the stairs, stumbling, staggering over myself.
I was screaming by the time I reached the doors.
They opened, as usual.
But I couldn't get through. I tried, but I was slamming into something I couldn't see.
Pepto was still waiting outside. The sky was dark.
When he saw me, he stumbled over, slamming his hands into the glass.
I couldn't even understand myself. I was just fucking screaming.
Pepto held up his phone.
“DID YOU FIND HIM?”
I shook my head.
“No.” I lied.
I can't tell him the truth. I don't even know what it is.
“I can't get out!”
Pepto nodded slowly, typing something and showing me his phone.
I'm getting you both out of there. I think I know how I can get inside.
It's been 3 days, and Pepto is yet to return.
I’ve tried multiple times to cry out for the H word. But it won't let me type it.
Please H me. I need to get out of this place.
Fuck. Get me OUT OF HERE.
Classes start tomorrow.
submitted by Trash_Tia to nosleep [link] [comments]


2024.05.19 00:59 GoAheadMMDay UPDATE 3: Torment Techniques Used by Canadian and US Militaries

UPDATE 3: Torment Techniques Used by Canadian and US Militaries
Update #3 appears at the bottom.
Due to numerous disparaging comments by multiple individuals, I have reposted my article.
Heckling does not change what occurred. People need to know these truths, especially those who have experienced the same. They need to know they are sane, that such things are indeed being perpetrated, and the perpetrators use shame to silence them and protect their activities.
I write to encourage them not to listen to disparaging people who speak without knowledge.
February 10, 2024
I am Joseph Cafariello, a Canadian citizen and ex-member of the Canadian military. Of sound mind, not on medication, not a drug user, not a marijuana smoker, not an alcohol drinker, with no mental disorders.
I recently posted to this Liberty subreddit experiences of harassment by Vancouver's police and fire departments (Vancouver, BC, Canada). I’m the fellow who was repeatedly ordered by police to stay out of Vancouver’s Stanley Park, and was continually harassed whenever I visited the park (which I do every second day on my early morning walks).
Immediately following that post, they changed some of the techniques they use in my case. They were either informed of my post or found it themselves, seeing as my internet activity, and phone activity for that matter, are under continuous surveillance (plenty of proof which I will not include here to avoid running off-topic).
In this post, I would like to shed some light on other harassment which is still ongoing, since it occurs in private, away from potential observers. It involves the Canadian and US militaries.
Havana Syndrome
In 2016, numerous employees of the Canadian and US embassies in Havana, Cuba, started experiencing head injuries ranging from mild headaches to concussions. It happened in their sleep, and came to be called Havana Syndrome.
Wikipedia explains (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Havana\_syndrome):
“Havana syndrome is a cluster of idiopathic symptoms experienced mostly abroad by U.S. government officials and military personnel. The symptoms range in severity from pain and ringing in the ears to cognitive dysfunction and were first reported in 2016 by U.S. and Canadian embassy staff in Havana, Cuba. Beginning in 2017, more people, including U.S. intelligence and military personnel and their families, reported having these symptoms in other places, such as China, India, Europe, and Washington, D.C. The U.S. Department of State, Department of Defense, and other federal entities have called the events "Anomalous Health Incidents" (AHI). Of over a thousand purported cases, the majority of US investigative bodies found only a few dozen cases to be suspicious.”
Ladies and gentlemen, I can tell you exactly what happens, because I have been experiencing this since I first joined the Canadian military back in 2002, and am still experiencing these “torments” (as I call them) to this day, already 3 years after leaving the military.
I go to bed. In about 15 minutes, just as I am on the cusp of falling asleep, a hear and feel a heavy thud reverberate and ultimately strike my skull. My body releases a sharp burst of adrenalin, my heart starts racing, and my blood’s circulation speeds up significantly. Depending on the severity of the blow, it can take me anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour to fall asleep again. Though there have been times I could not return to sleep for more than 2 hours.
A strong headache is felt immediately, and lasts for hours. There have been times when my heart felt like it was going to burst, having been startled as such.
The pulse to the head sometimes reverberates through the wall and my bed’s headboard. I distinctly feel as though I have been hit on the top of my skull. At other times, it feels as though the pulse has come through the air, striking the side of my skull.
This is not a sleep disorder, for it does not occur regularly. At times, my sleep is disturbed in this manner 3 or 4 days in a row. At other times, there is no disturbance for up to a week. But they never let me go more than a week without such interruptions to my sleep.
Neither is it sleep apnea, as I do not awaken gasping for breath. The pounding headaches, sudden release of adrenaline, and heart palpitations I experience are caused by external impacts of sound waves or air bursts.
Sonic Weapons
How these pulses are produced is not easy to identify. As Wikipedia explains:
“Once the story became public, various U.S. government representatives attributed the incidents to attacks by unidentified foreign actors, and various U.S. officials blamed the reported symptoms on a variety of unidentified and unknown technologies, including ultrasound and microwave weapons.”
Sonic weapons have been in use for many years by militaries, and by police in crowd control. As Wikipedia explains (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonic\_weapon):
“Some sonic weapons make a focused beam of sound or of ultrasound; others produce an area field of sound. As of 2023 military and police forces make some limited use of sonic weapons.”
(Do not believe the 2023 timeline. The Canadian military has been using these weapons since the early 2000’s at the latest.)
Wikipedia continues:
“Extremely high-power sound waves can disrupt or destroy the eardrums of a target and cause severe pain or disorientation. This is usually sufficient to incapacitate a person. Less powerful sound waves can cause humans to experience nausea or discomfort.”
The users of these technologies must also be using thermal detection equipment to monitor the target’s sleep. As I mentioned, I most often feel these blows the moment I am falling asleep. Body temperature drops when we sleep, and brain activity slows. Heat-detection equipment is likely being used to identify the point at which the target is falling asleep.
Why they prefer to strike at the start of someone’s sleep as opposed to the middle of their sleep, I do not know. Perhaps their intent is to deprive the body of early sleep, limiting the amount of deep sleep available to the person before their alarm rings in the morning.
Ordinary Hammers
Not all such “torments” (as I call them) are caused by high-tech equipment. I have heard and felt distinct hammer strikes running along the 2x4 beams inside my walls. These strikes can be a single hard strike, or several strikes in a row. It is definitely caused by a person with a hammer because the intervals between strikes are equidistant in time; that is, the time spacing between strikes is not random and does not change from strike to strike, but is constant between strikes, exactly as when someone is hammering. And no, it is not someone hanging pictures at 1:30 am, multiple times a week, for years.
On one occasion, when I was standing at my kitchen sink, I felt the floor-board directly under my feet pulse so sharply it felt like a brick had struck the soles of my feet. In this case, my military neighbour likely used a hammer to strike the floorboard on his side of the wall. It is the only plausible explanation.
Surveillance
This leads to surveillance of one’s activities at home. I have plenty of proofs of that. They seem insignificant on an individual basis. But when you put them all together, they present a clear picture of home surveillance.
My laptop computer’s lid cracked one night, at the bottom left corner of the screen. The next day at work, I heard my military supervisor relate to another co-worker that the night before, his laptop computer’s lid cracked at the bottom left corner. I swear to the Lord in Heaven, I am being truthful.
I tested my suspicion of being surveilled. At home one night, I blurted out-loud, “VW Passat. What an ugly sounding word, ‘Passat’”, I said. A few days later, my military colleagues at work started playing a card game at lunch, invented by one of them. The name he gave his game was “Passat”, and when he spoke it, he looked at me for a reaction. If you ever contact the Halifax military base, ask for the Claims Department and ask them if they are still playing Passat.
On another occasion, at a time when I frequented the gym every second day for a few years, I suspected my van had been fitted with a listening device. I suspected so because a number of things I had spoken with people about on my phone while in my van (nothing illegal) were repeated by people at the gym in conversations among themselves. Too many times, parts of other people's conversations matched parts of conversations I had had with others while I was in my van.
I already knew my phone was being tapped, but I also suspected my van was bugged. So one evening while driving in my van, I blurted out-loud a number of things I said I hated. "I hate (this or that)"; "I hate it when...". One of them was, "I hate when people chew gum with their mouths open." I then vocalized an exaggerated gnawing sound, "Gnaw. Gnaw. Gnaw."
The very next time I went to the gym, 2 days later, while I was at an exercise, a fellow sat at an exercise directly behind me. And sure enough, he started chewing with his mouth open, vocalizing that gnawing sound, "Gnaw. Gnaw. Gnaw." I didn't look behind at him, because I knew what was going on, and I wanted to avoid playing into his hand. So he repeated himself again and again until I was done and moved to a different station. Now, honestly, who chews gum at the gym? You can't. Or you run the risk of choking for the heavy breathing, not to mention when laying down on benches. And with precisely the same exaggerated vocalized gnawing sound I had made in my van just 2 days prior.
Their whole intent is to let you know you are being surveilled. They want you to know, as both a warning and a provocation. They want you to say something, to launch accusations, which they would readily deny, making you look paranoid. If you react too strongly, they could even have you diagnosed with some kind of disorder, and put you on medication, which further plays into their hand. (More regarding medications in the last section of this post.)
This is why, as I mentioned in my previous post, they would park their cars shining their high beams on me as I walked past them during my morning walk. And why on some occasions, a group of 3 or 4 would exit their cars and stand on my path just as I approached, forcing me to go around them. They would then remain standing on the path until my return trip through, and after I had passed by the second time, then would then return to their cars - making it absolutely clear I was their interest.
Their intent is not only to make me aware, but also to present themselves in close proximity to me, within easy reach, in the hope I would confront them, resulting in an altercation that could land me in a lot of hot water - 4 witnesses against me, all pleading innocence.
Again, it is all designed to make you look bad, and to warrant some kind of legal measure against you - preferably a medical diagnosis, discrediting you in everything you say about them. If they can't refute your claims, their only remaining option is to discredit you. That's what all of these tricks are designed to accomplish. Who would believe anything you say, once you have been diagnosed with a disorder?
There are plenty more examples. But who would really believe them? I’ll save them for the future.
Home Invasion
Both during and after my military service, I have had my apartments entered without any signs of break-ins. How? Lock-picking and duplicate keys. Indications? Missing objects; ie: money, phone adaptor, etc. Nothing major. Just something to make us understand we are being watched, and to make us understand what they can do.
But it is always something small, something for which you would be ridiculed for divulging.
Two more examples: I found my razor, which I always lay-down razor-end to the wall, turned around, razor-end toward me. Also, in one of my house slippers I found a small shoe sticker on the up-side of the heel. I had those slipper for years, and never had any shoe stickers on them. Yet there it was, clearly visible on the top surface of my slipper, not the bottom. Could I have stepped on a shoe sticker when barefoot in my apartment, only to have the sticker transfer itself to my slipper when I wore it? How many shoe stickers do you have laying around your apartment that you can accidentally step onto?
If I had stepped onto a sticker in my apartment and had it stick to my heel, that means the sticky side was up against my skin. This means the sticker would have had to flip upside down such that the sticky side would then be down, allowing the sticker to stick to the slipper. Do you really think that happened? That sticker was not there when I left my apartment, but it was there when I returned. And it was the wrong sticker, wrong brand, wrong size.
Again, what is their intent? To make someone look ridiculous so no one will believe them should they speak of other more sensitive things.
Staged Incidents
The above incidents clearly point to coordinated and staged events (at my work, my home, on my walks, etc). This is so frequently met with incredulity. "But that would require coordination on the part of so many people," the public dismisses. "They wouldn't do that."
Oh yes they would, and they have, as explained in https://fightgangstalking.com/. Note the documented cases involving the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS, Canada's equivalent to the US' CIA) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP, Canada's national police force) in the second quote, which were reported in national newspapers.
From https://fightgangstalking.com/:
“Disruption operations often involve tactics which are illegal, but difficult to prove. These tactics include – but are not limited to – overt surveillance (stalking), slander, blacklisting, “mobbing” (intense, organized harassment in the workplace), “black bag jobs” [home invasions], abusive phone calls, computer hacking, framing, threats, blackmail, vandalism, “street theater” (staged physical and verbal interactions with minions of the people who orchestrate the stalking), harassment by noises, and other forms of bullying. Many of these tactics were used by the FBI during its illegal COINTELPRO operations, as documented by stolen official documents and subsequent Congressional investigations.
"Although the general public is mostly unfamiliar with the practice, references to “disruption” operations – described as such – do occasionally appear in the news media, even though that fact would apparently be news to the editors of The New York Times. In May 2006, for example, an article in The Globe and Mail, a Canadian national newspaper, reported that the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) used “Diffuse and Disrupt” tactics against suspects for whom they lacked sufficient evidence to prosecute. A criminal defense attorney stated that many of her clients complained of harassment by authorities, although they were never arrested."
She can add me to that list too.
For the Benefit of Others
The experiences I have recounted here seem so trivial, so insignificant, they make you look ridiculous if you talk about them. But if we don’t talk about such things, no one will ever know about them. Other people have experienced the same, and are forced to endure such torments in silence. They need encouragement to talk about their own experiences, and so I write about mine in the hope they will talk about theirs, even if I do look ridiculous. The perpetrators are more ridiculous for doing them.
I remember a military colleague being hauled away by military police one morning, as she was struggling and having a violent fit. A fellow on her floor told me she was throwing chairs at her walls screaming, “Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!”. When he mentioned that, I knew exactly what they had done to her. She was considered unruly, and was being watched intently. They wanted her out, and that is how they accomplished it. Through wall tapping and sleep deprivation, they push you to the breaking point. And when you finally lose control and do something rash, they pounce on you, and you’re out. Now she has a criminal record, considered a criminal when in reality she was a victim. Welcome to the Canadian military, and other militaries besides, I am sure.
There are dozens upon dozens of experiences I could present. But who will really read them? Worse still, who will really believe them? I overheard my military supervisor in Halifax whisper to another, “Do you think he knows?”, after I had mentioned one of the many “coincidences” I experienced, but with a tone of my being aware it was not a mere coincidence. As I turned my face to my computer screen, I whispered under my breath, but still loud enough for him to hear, “Yes, (rank) (name), I know.” A few minutes later, as he walked past my desk, he leaned in by my ear and whispered, “We’re just trying to help you.” I should have pressed him for answers right then and there, but you just don’t know how much trouble you can get into when making such accusations in the military. So I let it go. But I will never forget.
Should anyone reading this ever decide to launch some kind of inquiry, I can mention names of over 100 people to contact, including military personnel, family members, neighbours, building managers, and others who have been contacted by military personnel with false narratives about me. They flash their ID’s and other credentials, and people believe anything they say. They turn family, friends, co-workers and neighbours against you, even recruiting their participation. Your acquaintances not only participate, but actually feel justified and emboldened playing tricks on you. It isn't their fault, though; they have been misled. I would reference them solely for corroboration.
As a final thought, here are explanations of two military programs in which certain persons (sometimes military, sometimes civilian) are kept under constant surveillance, and are in some cases subjected to conditioning in an attempt to turn them into what is called a “sleeper agent”. Almost all of the tactics presented below have been experience by me, including constant surveillance (ie: my previous post here regarding being harassed on my morning walks) and sleep deprivation (as per the top portion of this post, which other military members in Cuba and elsewhere around the world have also experienced).
Pentagon’s Signature Reduction Program
See Newsweek’s article: https://www.newsweek.com/exclusive-inside-militarys-secret-undercover-army-1591881
Some excerpts from that Newsweek article, plus more background information on the Pentagon’s Signature Reduction Program, can be found here: https://fightgangstalking.com/
“The largest undercover force the world has ever known is the one created by the Pentagon over the past decade. Some 60,000 people now belong to this secret army, many working under masked identities and in low profile, all part of a broad program called “signature reduction.” The force, more than ten times the size of the clandestine elements of the CIA, carries out domestic and foreign assignments, both in military uniforms and under civilian cover, in real life and online, sometimes hiding in private businesses and consultancies, some of them household name companies.
“…a little-known sector of the American military, but also a completely unregulated practice. No one knows the program’s total size, and the explosion of signature reduction has never been examined for its impact on military policies and culture. Congress has never held a hearing on the subject. And yet the military developing this gigantic clandestine force challenges U.S. laws, the Geneva Conventions, the code of military conduct and basic accountability.
“…The signature reduction effort engages some 130 private companies to administer the new clandestine world. Dozens of little known and secret government organizations support the program, doling out classified contracts and overseeing publicly unacknowledged operations.
"Federal spy agencies are using Americans to spy on their fellow citizens – the same approach to governance famously employed by communist East Germany."
How to Develop a Hypnotic Sleeper Agent
By Dantalion Jones / Masters of Mind Control
The following “was” on the web, but has been removed. Surprise, surprise. But I saved its web files to my computer years ago, knowing that sooner or later it would be removed. I made a jpeg image of the web page as it once appeared, attached here.
Note that I have experienced almost all of the tactics described below, including the stalking I mentioned in my previous post here (regular walks in the park), the sleep deprivation noted at the top of this post, and the surveillance and intrusions described here as well.
Quoting the now-removed webpage: “How to Develop a Hypnotic Sleeper Agent” (from here to end of post):
Amid all the conspiracy theories one of the most feared is that there exist "sleeper agents" in our society who are programmed to come into service when they are triggered by a phone call or key word.
These alleged sleeper agents don't even know they are programmed to become saboteurs, soldiers, suicide bomber, etc because of the thoroughness of their programming. They are the feared "Manchurian Candidate" that the movies portray.
The question is "Are they real?"
If they are true sleeper agents there is no way of telling until they are activated. One can however theorize exactly how they are made.
Indoctrination
Using indoctrination a person can be made to embrace a religious or philosophical belief that would make becoming a sleeper agent possible.
This would be a person so committed to an ideal they would be willing to wait patiently as a member of society until they are called into action. These people would know their mission and consciously hold it secret while interacting with the rest of society.
Conditioning
Conditioning is a repetitive process where the desired responses are enforced and rewarded and unwanted responses are punished. This can be done consciously as part of training drill and it can be done subconsciously using hypnosis or drugs to create amnesia.
Hypnosis
It has been demonstrated that hypnosis can create "amnesia walls" in which the subject has no conscious memory of what happened in the hypnosis session. It has further been demonstrated that hypnosis can give post hypnotic instruction to be carried out automatically in the waking state without the subject knowing it or questioning the behavior.
What follows is conjecture and theory based on testimonials of people who were alleged to be sleeper agents and soldiers.
Continuous Supervisions
Continuous supervision doesn't mean that the subject is cut off completely from society. It means that they are constantly overseen and every aspect of their lives are managed (without their knowledge or consent) to support their hypnotic programming.
This would include:
• Repeated reinforcement of all hypnotic conditioning.
• Handlers. Handlers are people who help maintain the subjects environment to maintain all the programming. They can play the role of family, friends, lovers, psychologists, coaches or any roll the subject perceives as supportive. The truth is the handlers are their to support the successful fulfillment of the programming and not the subject as a person.
• Minimal sleep so that the mind/brain does not process all the sleeper conditioning during sleep.
• Creating constant environmental challenges like unemployment or poverty. This gives the subject something other than their programming to focus on.
• Frequent hospitalization. This gives overt opportunity to sedate the subject for conditioning. If the subject has a history of hospitalizations for mental disturbances all the better. No one will take them seriously.
Joseph Cafariello
PS... Today is the second day after this post (February 12, 2024). A garbage truck just slammed into my parked car.
PPS... I finish writing this post because I am satisfied with its shape and content; not because of what happened to my car.
It is similar to when you are reaching for your coat, and someone tells you, "Take your coat." Since you have to take your coat, your brain tells you it's ok to obey them, and you comply. They just created an instance where they led you, and you followed them. And your brain accepted it.
It's a technique the military uses all the time. It trains you to accept instructions from that person or group. Done enough times, you become comfortable obeying them.
I just say, "I take my coat because I choose to, not because you tell me to." It's important to make that clear, to block the conditioning and affirm our self-governance; not just to them, but to ourselves as well. Now our brain realizes we took our coat by our own choice; we are still in command.
So too, I say regarding today's event. "Thanks for the warning, but I had already finished writing my post. I finished by my own choosing."
UPDATES 1 & 2: February 26 & March 07, 2024:
My apartment was once again entered while I was out. Either a key was used or the lock was picked. This may or may not have included assistance from building staff. Home invasions are included in the list of their techniques noted above, referred to as "black bag jobs".
All tenants on my floor received new fridges a couple of weeks ago. I removed the tape securing the bins inside my new fridge, and also removed all styrofoam pads from the corners of the glass shelves when I repositioned them.
The person(s) who have been invading my living space on a regular basis have struck again. As you can see in the photo below, the styrofoam pads on the corners of my fridge's shelves were restored when I was out of my apartment. I had removed all pads when I repositioned the shelves. Yet now they are back.
It is a tactic used to undermine our observational awareness in an attempt to make us second-guess and doubt ourselves. The aim is to cause people to feel less sure not only of the things we have done, but also feel less sure of the things others have done. They want us to question the accuracy of our observations and memory.
The idea is to train you to dismiss any anomalies you may observe as being your own misperception of things. Once they convince you not to trust your own judgement, they are free to do whatever they want to you, and you will simply accept it without questioning.
UPDATE 3: May 18, 2024:
Confrontations with individuals keep occurring, at times potentially violent. Following are just 3 such encounters as of late.
1 - Kick-boxer in the park:
As I parked my car in one of the parking lots in Vancouver's Stanley Park one night, another vehicle drove up behind me and parked several spots away. A tall man exited that vehicle, and walked hastily along the path I always walk, down some steps to the water's sea wall path. I took my time and followed my usual walk, also down the steps down to the sea wall. The man knew my routine, and was in a hurry to get ahead of me.
As I walked along the sea wall, I saw the same man sitting on a bench, playing a loud religious sermon in a foreign language on a device I did not clearly see. As I walked past him, he called out to me to stop and chat. I ignored him and continued walking past. He rose and started walking behind me.
I opened my umbrella, turned, and walked past him the other way, returning to the stairs back to the parking lot. He also turned and continued following me. I started running. He also started running. I ran up the steps, as did he.
Being taller than I am, his legs are longer than mine, and he quickly caught up to me on a grassy patch at the top of the steps. I turned to him and asked, "Why are you following me?" He did not reply, but stood profile to me, the same stance a kick-boxer uses when ready to kick someone. He was tall, thin, and in excellent physical shape as you would see in a kick-boxer.
He did not speak at all, but was just waiting for me to make a move. I turned, entered my vehicle and left. The encounter continued with a chase through the park in our cars. Yes, that is correct. He chased me out of the park in his car.
2 - Told to keep quiet:
The perpetrators need to operate with as little detection as possible, and they repeatedly warn their subjects to keep their mouths shut about their experiences.
On another of my recent nightly walks, a man stood on the sidewalk ahead of me about half a block away, looked at me, and shouted into the sky at nobody, giving the appearance of being a homeless person shouting for no reason. He then started walking in my direction. I continued walking straight. As he passed me, he leaned into my face and shouted into my ear, "Shut the f_ck up!" I continued walking in my direction, and he resumed walking in his.
The idea is to make it seem as though he is just a deranged man wandering the streets at night, shouting at nothing, so that when he shouts at me, any observer would simply dismiss his actions. But in reality, he was sent to send me a message to stop publishing posts like this, which I had done many times on many sites, and continue to. They don't like it when we reveal their methods. But the truth must be known.
3 - You'll be sorry:
On another occasion, while returning from grocery shopping one afternoon, I walked past a man sitting by a storefront. He was clean-cut, wearing clean clothes, without any carts or wagons or any belongings of any kind. As I passed him, he asked me for some spare change. I replied, "I'm sorry," and continued walking past. He replied, "You will be."
There are numerous other experiences, like two seemingly unassociated men standing on the sea wall about 100 meters away from each other, each of them spitting just as I walked past each one.
There are too many experiences to mention. Looking at each experience individually, one would easily dismiss them as being unrelated and simply coincidental. But put them all together and a picture starts to form, like putting together the pieces of a puzzle.
As I hand you each piece of the puzzle one by one, you dismiss each piece, saying, "This could be anything." And you discard it. You keep discarding each piece as I hand it to you. By the end of it, you look down at the table and say, "You have nothing." That's because you looked at each piece as a separate item and threw it away. But if you leave the pieces on the table as I hand them to you and do not hastily discard them, you will see they form a clear picture when put all together.
We must look at all these events as a whole. Individually, each one could be anything. But when all of these experiences are put together and considered as a whole, they form an undeniable picture. Do not be quick to dismiss each piece. Leave the pieces on the table and look at the whole. The picture I present is sound. Remember, I have all the pieces; you do not. I see the picture more clearly than you do.
https://preview.redd.it/we31ymcsm91d1.jpg?width=966&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3d56ac3dd3558a60d477ba9315104d1b66b139f8
submitted by GoAheadMMDay to Liberty [link] [comments]


2024.05.19 00:52 Sudden-Tumbleweed-19 New York [US], Postcard Bakery, Head Barista

Job Details
Postcard Bakery is looking for an experienced Head Barista to join the opening team and help manager daily operations.
This position is a hybrid with two shifts working as a Head Barista and ideally 1-2 additional shifts as a Barista. Shifts vary from as early as 7am to as late as 9pm.
POSITION SUMMARY The Head Barista is responsible for overseeing daily bakery operations including guest interactions, order taking, product quality, cash handling, ordering product, and Department of Health Standards. This position is specifically scheduled to open or close the bakery each day.
RESPONSIBILITIES Welcome and acknowledge all guests, upon entering our space Find ways to express omotenashi to guests and fellow team members Handle any guest complaints or issues in real time Process comps or voids needed during service Take orders from guests, ensuring 100% accuracy when ringing them into the POS Process guest payments accurately and in a timely manner Make all beverages to spec Interact with guests in a friendly, positive manner; making them feel welcome and assisting them with any needs Bus and reset tables as needed Maintain cleanliness of the bakery behind the counter and in guest areas throughout the shift by sweeping, cleaning windows and doors, arranging chairs, etc. Follow all DOH protocol set by management, practicing FIFO, labeling all product, using proper sanitizer, and food safety practices Complete DOH checklist daily and correct any issues in real time Complete opening and closing side work checklist for shift daily Set up and restock all stations as needed during and after service Accurately report cash and credit card tips and contribute to tip pool as applicable Reconcile all cash transactions Run closing POS report daily Complete daily shift log Update knowledge and skills by participating in further required training Complete other duties as assigned by Management
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS Able to speak, understand, read and write in English Able to comprehend and follow written and verbal direction Able to understand basic math Able to work independently or as part of a team Able to lift at least 30 pounds on a regular basis Able to bend, stoop, stand and perform extensive walking for 8-10 hours a day Adaptable in fast-paced and challenging work environment Organized approach to projects Able to take and give direction Able to approach their work with a sense of ownership and work with a sense of urgency Able to work nights, weekends and holidays and variable schedule, per the needs of the business Able to perform essential job functions under pressure, maintain professionalism when working under stress Maintain polished personal presentation; grooming meets Company standards as outlined by Employee Handbook Strict adherence to posted schedule and clock in/out at times Communicate information effectively and efficiently Maintain general knowledge of the restaurant, location, transportation, management team, etc. Maintain sanitation to Department of Health standards; Keeps work area clean and organized Inform Manager on Duty immediately of any DOH or OSHA/workplace safety violations
REQUIREMENTS Exceptional interpersonal skills and a passion for connecting with others Prior Barista experience or similar entry-level role in a bakery or cafe preferred Understanding of hygiene and food safety rules Multi-tasking abilities Ability to remain calm and professional in a fast-paced work environment
The company is an Equal Opportunity Employer, drug-free workplace, and complies with ADA regulations as applicable. Compensation Details
Compensation: Hourly ($20.00 - $25.00)
Benefits & Perks: Health Insurance, Dental Insurance, Vision Insurance, Paid Time Off, Commuter Benefits, Dining Discounts
Required Skills
Customer Service Skills
Cash Handling
Order Taking
Knowledge of Department of Health standards
Ability to Speak, Understand, Read and Write in English
Basic Math Skills
Ability to work independently or as part of a team
Physical Ability to Lift at Least 30 Pounds, Bend, Stoop, Stand, and Walk for 8 10 Hours a Day
Adaptability in a Fast Paced Work Environment
Organizational Skills
Ability to Take and Give Direction
Ownership Mentality and Sense of Urgency
Availability to Work Nights, Weekends, Holidays, and Variable Schedules
Ability to Work Under Pressure
Maintain Professionalism Under Stress
Maintain Polished Personal Presentation
Communication Skills
Knowledge of Hygiene and Food Safety Rules
Multi tasking abilities
Apply here
Via needabarista.com
submitted by Sudden-Tumbleweed-19 to baristajobs [link] [comments]


2024.05.18 23:14 peaches_1922 I have really severe dental anxiety. I was wondering if any dentists would mind answering some questions for me to ease my mind?

I’m F24, and I have really bad dental anxiety due to a bad experience when I was 10. I’ve been a few times in the last 14 years but not nearly enough and now I need to see one for a real issue (ironically caused by the bad experience that gave me the anxiety) but I’m so terrified. I really think I would benefit from just talking to some of you in the dental profession to assuage some of my nerves. I tried talking to the last dentist I saw but she just wanted to get straight into my mouth, and even tho she was really nice I just didn’t feel listened to. I was told it was a consultation appointment and she wouldn’t touch my teeth if I didn’t want her to, and I was fine with taking X-rays, but after that she kind of just reclined my chair and asked if I was ok with a cleaning while already going into my mouth. I’d feel a lot more comfortable getting general advice from the internet since none of you can come near me with drills or scrapers lol.
If anyone wouldn’t mind, I would greatly appreciate it.
Essentially my questions are:
1) my trauma centers around an orthodontist that was extremely unhygienic and verbally abusive to me. I know it sounds childish, but I’m now very triggered even by minor comments about what I should’ve done better. How do I go about finding a dentist that won’t judge? And, how do I kindly let them know I’d just prefer to hear about what needs to be done to fix the issue rather than what I should’ve done to prevent it? My idea was going in with a pre-typed note conveying my feelings since I know I’ll be too anxious to organize my thoughts when in the chair. Would this be a waste of time?
2) I feel like my dental issue is very severe. Is it common for patients to feel like everything is much worse than it is? I’m not asking you to tell me my teeth aren’t as bad as I think, since none of you are my dentist, but is this a common thing you see in patients, expecting the worst but getting better news?
Any advice or encouragement would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.
submitted by peaches_1922 to askdentists [link] [comments]


2024.05.18 22:52 Select_Homework_501 Facebook marketplace and/or kijiji scammers are real!!

Facebook marketplace and/or kijiji scammers are real!!
My goodness, I just posted an add on both facebook marketplace and kijiji and not less than an hour later I got a text from some person offering to make arrangements for picking up a chair I posted for sale and then also wanting to pay with a "certified cheque". I was suspicious when they said they'll make arrangements for a courier to come by (they said they were away on a business trip), but the value of the chair and their likely cost for a courier just didn't add up. But then their payment structure of a certified cheque, after I made it clear in my add of cash only, I knew then it was a scam. I blocked them. Guys be care of this email address "fredericksimpsoncecil@gmail.com"
https://preview.redd.it/0oth7jqez81d1.png?width=1380&format=png&auto=webp&s=68e827446bad775e8ff429a367c41e3a7e4c9be3
submitted by Select_Homework_501 to u/Select_Homework_501 [link] [comments]


2024.05.18 22:03 PrismaCraft PrismaCraft [SMP] {1.20+} {Towny} {Custom Enchants} {Skills} {Bosses} {Quests} {Economy} {Pets} {Discord} {Active Development}

🎇 PrismaCraft 🎇

━━━━━━━━━━━
IP: play.prismacraft.net
Discord: https://discord.gg/prismacraft
Map: http://play.prismacraft.net:12000
━━━━━━━━━━━
About Us:
At PrismaCraft, we are first and foremost about community building, but we also have plenty of content for those who enjoy grinding levels in jobs or skills. Whether you're eager to establish a town and foster your own community or hone your skills to reach the top of your chosen jobs and earn as much money as possible, we have something to offer for just about everyone!
We have a dedicated staff team always working on updates and new features! On PrismaCraft, development is an ongoing process. If you join our Discord you will see we usually post updates multiple times per week. We also have a thorough suggestions system where players suggest and discuss new features or changes.
━━━━━━━━━━━
Main Features:
Towny - We use the tried and true Towny plugin for land claiming and community building! You can create a solo town and build massive farms to become rich, create a huge city with tons of members to help you achieve your goals, or join a town with a couple of friends to create a cozy homestead.
Skills - You can level up fourteen unique skills to increase your stats (such as health, defense, and attack damage). Reaching the highest levels in each skill unlock unique abilities to make you even more powerful!
Jobs - We offer thirteen jobs that pay you for anything from mining, to building, to fishing, and everything in between. Jobs are the most important way to build your wealth on the server.
Player Economy - Our economy is entirely player driven! Shops on the server set prices for goods and services without any intervention, this leads to a very organic economy where you can carve out your own niche. The only admin shops on the server can be found in our mall /warp mall. These shops sell custom furniture blocks like tables and chairs to decorate your base!
Custom Enchantments - Our server features over 200 unique enchantments to build your playstyle the way you want! All enchants are achieved through normal gameplay mechanics.
Craftable Gear - You can craft tons of unique custom armor sets, tools, and talismans to become more powerful or add unique abilities.
Custom Resources - We have resource worlds which reset on the first of each month! Here you can find custom ores and plants which can be used for decoration or can be used to craft some our custom gear!
Custom Fishing - We just released our very own custom fishing system with 170 custom fish to catch! As you catch new fish species you'll unlock them in your "fishdex" which provides information about the fish to share with others in the community who haven't yet caught that species. Can you collect them all?
And so much more - With all our systems it would be impossible to describe everything here! If you decide to join us on play.prismacraft.net or join the Discord we're always happy to help and explain!
submitted by PrismaCraft to mcservers [link] [comments]


2024.05.18 20:31 Emjaeey Mystery haunted school desk where students go missing.

I read this book in 2018 in high school. Where they brought out an old desk from a section that was closed off in the school because they were having a new student transfer over. The main character (she) notice that when someone would sit in the chair they would start talking to themselves and then soon after they would disappear. Her guy best friend sat in that chair, had the same thing happen to him and he too soon disappeared, so she took it upon herself to find out what was up with the chair but also still getting close with the new transfer student. When sitting in the chair she would start to hear voices saying to go to the blocked off area. One night she did just that, feeling like she had no control over her body she started to bury herself. Just when she was about to start suffocating her brain tells her no and snaps out of it and starts digging out. The new guy finds her since he was following her and helps her get out. That’s when they find her best friend dead also buried, saying that the closed off part was haunted and that they should’ve never brought out that desk.
submitted by Emjaeey to whatsthatbook [link] [comments]


2024.05.18 20:00 Repulsive-Phase-7095 How to crack CBSE?

Current dental student re-taking the CBSE to apply for an oral surgery position. Coming from a dental background I have made a great amount of progress since starting. Before originally taking the CBSE I had only done half of Uworld, a good chunk of Anking, and read some of mehlmans PDFs. Surprisingly I did decent, but I would like a higher score.
Right now my plan is to finish up Uworld (1300qs), keep up with Anking, and continue to review the PDFs. I feel like I’m struggling with time each day with trying to get through multiple Uworld blocks but then having 800 Anki cards to review. Is there anything I should try?
submitted by Repulsive-Phase-7095 to step1 [link] [comments]


2024.05.18 19:45 jenyad20 Cruised with MSC, don't think I'll be doing that again.

For context, it was my second cruise, on MSC World Europa, my first one was on RC Rhapsody of the Seas, so that's what I'll use as reference when comparing. Most of the experience was not really bad, just a bit worse than RC, but on the last day they tried to steal 60 euros for me, and one of their employees told me to get out of the elevator because there was a VIP guy there, so that seals it up.
I would like to start with the ship, you would think that a new giant ship would be better than a 30 year old much smaller ship, and yet next time I would choose Rhapsody in a blink of an eye. Europa doesn't have promenades on the side of the ship except on the pool deck which is full of people during the day and is wet (due to being washed) at night. The promenade on the 8th floor you're just walking like between two blocks of buildings until you finally reach the back of the ship to actually see the sea, and there are also tons of people there. On Rhapsody you got decks in the middle of the ship where you can just get out, sit under the life boats and just enjoy the sea quietly.
The ship design is not very well thought of, for instance we were on deck 5, if we wanted to go to adults only pool on deck 18, we needed to either first get on floor 8, and then a different elevator on 18, or go directly to 18, but walk in bathing suits through the buffet.

The food, it wasn't bad, but it wasn't "good", on RC we we're wondering "why would you pay for specialty restaurants when you got this great food already included?", on MSC we understood "that's why". I can't remember a single really good meal the entire cruise.

The pools, Rhapsody had the adults only area covered and with hot tubs, while on Europa there were no hot tubs in the adults only area and it was open. When the weather wasn't sunny, you could only use the botanical garden pool, which wasn't nearly big enough for such number of people on the ship. No free chairs, lines to the hot tubs, too many people in the pool, WAY too much chlorine in the water. But the worst part was the lack of water near the pools, you're under the sun in salty water, you need to drink, on Rhapsody they had a drink station near every pool, which included not just water but also some sweet beverages, on Europa I got out of the pool, went looking for some water, at the bar they told me they could only sell me bottled water, and if I want to just have a glass of regular water I need to go to the buffet, in my wet swimming trunks.

The staff members. That's where MSC got to really "shine", on Rhapsody we were welcomed, once we got to our room we were greeted by a guy named Htun, told us everything, every time we had a question or an issue, we knew he was the guy to talk to, extremely helpful and nice. On Europa, we embarked, nothing, just go to your room and figure it out by yourself. At the restaurant in the evening, the service was extremely slow, we had dinner at 19:45 so we booked our theater shows for 21:00, yet a couple of times we still had to decide if we want to skip desert or the show. At the buffet however, every table got a button to call the waiter if we need something, we didn't press it, we could handle things ourselves, yet the servers kept bugging us offering us to purchase additional packages. The staff mostly had very poor English, so if we needed something we had to use very simple sentences, they didn't know the ship well, had to ask about 5 workers until one could finally explain to us how to get to the Zen pool (the adults only pool).

The 60 euro overcharge story - During our day in Marseille we asked our room to be cleaned, that's including changing the wet towels, once we come back we find out that the pool towels are missing, the cleaning crew took old ones, didn't put new ones, ok, mistakes happen. I'm calling room service to tell them the story, yet we had to wait 20 minutes for them to bring us new towels so we could go to the pool, not happy about time wasted, but not the end of the world. Fast forward 3 days, on the day of our disembarkation I look at my credit card statement, and notice the night before, specifically at 20:18 they added 60 euro laundry service to our bill, so I call to investigate, and they tell me its the charge for the two lost towels, now I'm pissed, first I try to solve this on the phone, and they tell me they'll check and call me back, so on my last day instead of eating breakfast or enjoying the pool I'm waiting by the phone, of course nobody calls, so I go down to the reception, explain the story to them again, they say they'll check and get back to me, after I refuse to move and kept just standing there they finally called the manager of the room service to come. So he says they need to search the room to make sure the towels aren't there, so we go to the room, and of course there are a couple of wet pool towels on the floor, so he downplays the entire thing, says "ok those are the towels we were looking for, we'll remove that from your bill", what was I suppose to do? bring the towels to the reception? that's bullshit. And I don't believe it was an honest mistake, because if it was, they would add the towels to my bill a few nights before, the fact that they tried to add it a night before we get off, they were hoping I wouldn't notice until after I get off because during the disembarkation day everyone is just trying to enjoy the ship one last time.

As a bonus, while packing our luggage, we discovered a sock in our room, not our sock, that was there for at least a week under the sofa. So much it tells you about how well they clean the rooms.
I can go on and on about other issues, with their app, website and other stuff, but I think you get the general picture.
submitted by jenyad20 to Cruise [link] [comments]


2024.05.18 19:45 WhiteGladis Cairo Failure

Last week, I tried to visit Cairo on a solo 1-day trip. I’m an American woman. I had a long layover so I booked an Airbnb and a 5-hour evening tour. The airport nearly broke me with the indifference and downright rudeness yet also harassment of the staff at every turn (trying to track down missing luggage). After that 3-hour ordeal, I calmed down, ordered an Uber, and planned to meet my guide. I’d been harassed constantly inside the airport “taxi? Taxi, lady? Lady, want taxi? Good price taxi!” but what I faced outside was exponentially worse.
Even though I had an Uber ride booked, dozens of men kept yelling at me and when they saw me going for the rideshare lot, they kept sticking their phones in my face with an Uber map open saying “I am Uber!” and trying to grab my luggage while blocking my path. Eventually, I became surrounded. I’ve never been in fear for my physical safety like that. Meanwhile, my actual driver was texting me to ask me to pay more money than the fare in the app. I told him no so he canceled the ride.
I saw police lights in the parking lot so I headed for them. I tried to order another Uber as I pushed my luggage and tried to fend off a dozen aggressive drivers who were all talking at the same time and trying to block me. That Uber driver texted me that he was already at the lot so I asked him to please pick me up by the blue flashing lights. He canceled the ride.
That was my limit for chaos and aggression. I headed for the airport doors. They were guarded and they didn’t want to let me inside but I kept pushing so they eventually did let me enter. After another battle at security, they let me through so I could go to the airline lounge. I pushed a couple chairs together in a corner and tried to sleep while mosquitoes bit me.
Never, ever again. I have accepted that I will not see the pyramids.
submitted by WhiteGladis to solotravel [link] [comments]


2024.05.18 17:18 surrealsunshine My current gyroid display

My current gyroid display
I'm out of space (without blocking off the chair or having to remove stuff, not literally), so I'm planning to move outside. The last 2 screenshots are the area I'm thinking of clearing out to make space for my babies.
submitted by surrealsunshine to AnimalCrossingNewHor [link] [comments]


2024.05.18 17:12 odstwingman Mended Heart: Chapter 1

Credit to u/spacepaladin15 for creating this lovely world. Thanks to u/Emotion-Senior for help with editing.

Mended Heart
Chapter 1
Memory transcription subject: Jon, Human civilian
Date [standardized Human time]: August 1st, 2136
Ping!*
My holopad made its normal notification sound conveniently right as I made orbit. The wide orange orb beneath me never ceased to blow me away; Valles Marineris stretched away below me. The vast canyon had lights visible in its shadows from the various domes and colonies.
My cargo of "Authentic Martian Whiskey" sat in a row of thoroughly secured crates behind me. Mars's economy had been based primarily on luxury exports like that back in the early days as it wasn't at all profitable to ship raw resources back to Earth. The advances in drive technology made interplanetary shipping much more feasible but special items like this still sold well enough to be worth it. Mars would never have a population close to Earth's, but it was a place where millions made their homes.
Once I had set a course for the orbital station that served as a midway point for the cargo, I unstrapped from my pilot chair and took a look at my holopad. I almost didn't even look at the message as it was just a string of numbers rather than someone in my contacts but when I noticed the UN emblem in the preview I practically shot out of my seat before opening the message.
"You've been accepted into the Venlil-Human exchange program. Your partner is named Selni. Included with this message is a packet of information including contact info and instructions on topics to avoid."
I bounced back and forth on my feet, stimming excitedly for a moment before taking a breath to calm down. "What's got you so excited?" My copilot Alex chuckled, peering over at me from her station.
"They picked me! I honestly didn't think I'd get selected for the program given I'm out at Mars." I blurted out, showing her the UN emblem on my device. "I'm going to another star! To meet aliens!"
"I'm happy for you; I hope you told the boss about this though. He won't be happy with you just vanishing." Alex warned, doing her best to manage my enthusiasm.
"Oh don't worry, it's a distance thing at first. We'll just be texting for a few weeks before I actually ship out. Plenty of time to put my two weeks in." I took a deep breath to calm myself and tapped the screen to download the info pack.
"Well good to know my partner in crime wasn't just going to leave without a word." Alex chuckled and turned back to her console. "Hurry and check the cargo, we have another burn coming up and you need to get strapped in."
I hurried back to the cargo and checked all the straps, making sure nothing had shifted during ascent. The advent of inertial dampeners a few years back had made this job a lot safer, but we still made sure to secure everything just in case.
Our shuttle was an older and experienced model, retrofitted with new technology over the years. The UN's ftl program had the side effect of revolutionizing pretty much all of spaceflight. The new technology developed for that was changing the game. Now with first contact only a month old I didn't think the changes were going to stop anytime soon.
As I settled in for the rest of the flight I took a glance at the info the UN had provided and started mentally preparing myself for my own first contact. I typed out several possible first messages to my paired Venlil but nervousness got the better of me every time.
I focused on my work for the next 20 minutes while we approached. The temptation to look at my holopad was overwhelming, but so was my fear of making a bad first impression. The cargo transfer station grew larger in our view port until it blocked our view of anything else. We approached at a crawling pace, holding at the edge of the keep out sphere. Its wide, rotating habitation ring was supported by steel cables reaching out from a central structure where the docking facilities were located. I suppose structures like this won't be needed now that we have ftl and artificial gravity. I thought to myself.
"Cargo shuttle Whiskey-tango-foxtrot-3-2-9 you are cleared to dock at bay 3. Keep approach velocity below 1 meter per second." The flight controller confirmed over the radio.
With a small puff of our maneuvering thrusters we began our final approach. My holopad pinged again but I didn't dare take my eyes off the approach monitor. "5 meters... 4... 3... 2... 1... contact." Alex counted down as I lowered us carefully towards the floor of the landing bay. Docking clamps grabbed our shuttles legs and locked us down in place while the bay doors closed behind us. Ordinarily cargo would be transferred outside but for these kinds of luxury items we practiced a little more care.
I sat back in my seat and exhaled the breath I'd been holding as the ships systems spooled down. I lifted my holopad and updated our itinerary; The new message in the corner of the screen was another unknown number but now I was expecting that.
"Hi, this is Selni. Did I make it to Jon? Is this the right number?" I stared at the text on my phone for a couple seconds before my fingers moved to reply. This is it Jon, representing humanity, no pressure. "Yes, sorry I didn't message. I was honestly kind of nervous. How are you?" I typed and erased, reconsidered and typed again elements of the message several times before sending.
"Wow, that's pretty disarming. I wouldn't have expected the Human to be the nervous one here. Don't feel bad, it's a big day for all of us." Selni’s response was almost instant.
"I'm glad they paired me with someone so confident. I've never been very good with conversation, but I'll give this my all. If you have any questions feel free to ask." I messaged back. I sat back in my seat and smiled to myself, excited for the future.
"Earth to space nerd. I know you're having a lovely time with your chat, but we need to unload these boxes." Alex bumped my arm, shaking me out of my reverie. "Y-yeah sure." I hopped up out of my chair and promptly started unstrapping the cargo. Just a little more work then I'll be free to chat with my new pal.
submitted by odstwingman to NatureofPredators [link] [comments]


2024.05.18 16:53 shakeitsugaree90 I think my partner is suffering from symptoms of bpd

Hello, I’m Sarah and have been “dating” griff for about 3 years. We fell in love hard and fast and honestly I was swept away but out of nowhere he just stopped talking to me for 3 days- and then ended things; which I sadly accepted. He has a son; and he said he needed to focus solely on him; however his actions were far different than his words. Since then I’m his girlfriend without a label and he holds the label above my head- and weaponizes it against me during any arguement.
Throughout the time of us dating, I actually questioned sincerely if I may have bpd, and I’ve seemed out therapy. Although I have my fair share of mental illness- bpd was not one- (addiction issues, ptsd, depression, self esteem issues)
Anyways, lately my partner has been going through stressful situations such as a move and a court custody battle- and throughout the process- it doesn’t matter how supportive or kind I am; or his parents are; or his friends are- he is constantly exploding on us- with the utmost rage, completely out of proportion, and lately all of the time. His mother actually told him she thinks he has split personality disorder and she won’t talk to him again until he seeks treatment. I however do not think that is at all the right symptoms and know neither of us are a doctor and can diagnose. However I truly am noticing since she said that- that he is displaying majority of not all textbook symptoms of bpd -splitting, -extreme mood swings, -black and white thinking, -self sabotage which now realizing stems from fear of abandoment -impulsive -reckless behavior such as extreme drinking and use of substances. ( I’m sober and it’s interesting to see how much he utilizes alcohol even)
Last night, I made the painful decision to block him. It was my 6 month sober-versery and he again started a chaotic fight through text bc I didn’t have the same opinion about the dead and company shows in Vegas currently happening, like what? He hasn’t been present in my life really unless it’s benefiting his life and me participating in his life and I think I’m realizing I no longer want a partner that cannot rationally talk through conflict. I understand fights taking time, and even learning each others communication styles but after three years this man will not compromise and only gaslights and blames me. It has ruined my self esteem and I am finally building it back with my sobriety and joining the gym and distancing myself. I feel awful just blocking him. It’s never been the person I am but I feel he’ll be his sweet normal self again and flip four hours later bc I didn’t respond correctly or fast enough through text and I cannot life like this any more. My soul hurts, I love him. But it sure doesn’t feel like he loves me when he throws a chair bc I asked to use his slippers to run outside to grab something for his son that his son asked me to grab. It’s crazy kinda typing and realizing all this now. Any advice? Comments? Symptoms? Am I being a bitch? Am I doing the wrong thing? How do I help somebody basically refusing or barely willing to get help that is suffering every day?
submitted by shakeitsugaree90 to BPDPartners [link] [comments]


2024.05.18 15:04 MGK_2 Changing Gears

OK, we are going to try to piece it together yet again. As I've stated in the past, all is conjecture but some of the things which I said in the past need realigning given the new direction the Company is taking. For a long time we've searched, but it all started in the beginning, so therefore, by definition, there must be an end. Many thanks to you my friend u/psasoffice for your help in piecing this puzzle together.
So, the time frame begins when it began, until the time it is realized or when the money runs out. Let's go back again to the summer of 2022, when share price went to $1.26, what caused that? Well to answer that, we need to go back even further.
Back in 2019, CytoDyn put out this PR CytoDyn Announces FDA Clearance to Proceed with Phase 2 Study of Leronlimab (PRO 140) and Regorafenib as a Combination Therapy for Metastatic Colorectal Cancer. Regorafenib is a small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor with minimal efficacy and high toxicity. As u/perrenialloser pointed out, it has plenty of side effects and really is not that functional. However, the drug manufacturer Bayer was prepared to do this Phase II Clinical Trial in patients with metastatic CRC with CytoDyn.
"The study will be conducted by lead principal investigator, John L. Marshall, M.D., Director, The Ruesch Center for the Cure of GI Cancers Frederick P. Smith Endowed Chair, Chief, Hematology and Oncology Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, D.C."
I wasn't around at the time to know for sure, but I believe this trial was set up by Nader. Eventually, this study would be withdrawn for reasons which I am about to disclose.
In October 2021, the MD Anderson Study with Keytruda is announced.
"Nader Pourhassan, Ph.D., CytoDyn’s President and Chief Executive Officer, said, “We anticipate this study will further evaluate the immunomodulatory effects of leronlimab in the tumor microenvironment. We are excited about the possibilities for leronlimab to offer a potential new treatment option for breast cancer patients. This could be an additional indication for which we are pursuing approval for leronlimab. We are also very grateful to Dr. Scott Kelly for arranging for this study to be conducted by Dr. Jangsoon Lee, assistant professor of Breast Medical Oncology Research at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center."
Cyrus Arman comes onboard as President effective July 9, 2022. During that summer of 2022, the CYDY share price ran up as high as $1.26 per share for some unknown reason. In the past, I attributed it to NASH. I give a breakdown of my thinking here in I Tell You A Mystery. In the commotion of Cyrus' hiring and the mass fluctuations of the share price, the MD Anderson Study had already been completed and the results were looking good to those privileged enough to have been granted rights to actually see the data. Coincidentally, it was about this time that the CRC with Regorafenib was withdrawn. Hmmm, Why was this trial withdrawn? Just because the MD Anderson results looked great or because there was something even more profound and substantial built upon those results?
"We can apply the same logic in the Oncology study being run by MD Anderson using Merck's Keytruda in combination with Leronlimab. We had all been waiting to find out what had happened with the results of the MD Anderson study, and Cyrus threw us this line: "Leronlimab is currently being trialed in combination with Keytruda (pembrolizumab) in a breast cancer xenograft model in partnership with MD Anderson Cancer Center." From here, he gave us a hint of what is to come."
In his infamous 12/7/22 R&D Update: Future Development, Cyrus presented his Vision & Plan for the Company:
"17:09: And we're also still committed to HIV, but we're really looking at it more through the lens of developing longer-acting agents. And Dr. Sacha will be talking about that at the end of our discussion today.
17:21: So, within oncology, we're interested in studying what would be referred to as immunologically colder tumors. And Dr. Glück will present on what those -- what we mean by that later. But we think that these are areas where more recent advancements from checkpoint inhibitors have yet to really have a large impact in those markets. And so, we think that there's a unique opportunity based on the data we already have in some of these colder tumors to make an impact.
17:51: Within NASH, we're particularly excited about the data that we have there, and NASH will be our primary focus going forward. We'll also talk a little bit about a unique opportunity to study and look for the treatment effect of leronlimab in people living with HIV who also have NASH. And we think that we might be in a unique position to address that population."
"18:22: So, going forward, we're focusing on NASH, oncology and earlier-line HIV indications through longer-acting agents that inhibit CCR5. Again, we've already generated promising clinical signals in both NASH and oncology. And within NASH, we're exploring the opportunity to study a segment of patients of those NASH patients who are also living with HIV.
18:50: Within oncology, we want to pursue colorectal cancer and breast cancer specifically. Within the colorectal cancer population, we want to focus on a micro-satellite stable group, which represents about 85% of all diagnosed colorectal cancers. And within breast cancer, we want to focus on the hormone receptor positive HER2-negative population, which is about 70% of all diagnosed breast cancers, and the TNBC population since we have data in that space. All of these are quite large markets."
The FDA made it truly tough for Cyrus to meet his goals as the Company's main devotion was to get the hold lifted, so Rules had to be followed. Also, Cyrus unfortunately made NASH a focus and then subsequently became sick and then found himself taking a demotion. His focus really should have been on Oncology as #1 target as it finally is today. Here though is a revealing statement he made:
"...these are areas where more recent advancements from checkpoint inhibitors have yet to really have a large impact in those markets. And so, we think that there's a unique opportunity based on the data we already have in some of these colder tumors to make an impact."
Keeping that escalation in share price to $1.26 in mind, when did CA know about this data? He got the data on the MD Anderson results either before or shortly after his hire. Remember, shortly after NP was terminated, Cyrus was at CytoDyn working at least for a few months prior to his hire giving opportunity to the BOD to assess his work ethic and ways about him. In this time, CA saw the MD Anderson results and they were looking mighty good. Where are these results today? They still reside with MD Anderson. Why don't we have them right now? Too many $millions to buy it, but we saw the results and those results are the impetus for the change in gears of the Company's priorities. Surely Scott Kelly, who was responsible for securing the MD Anderson study has seen them as well.
Speculation: So, what did Cyrus do immediately once he saw those results? He negotiated a cancer play in mCRC with MD Anderson. We can try to piece this together using parts of this post.
"What also happened in August? Only the removal of the first management player who’s experience was in Negotiation and Partnerships, Brendan P. Rae. No longer any necessity for Negotiation? I guess not. As time went quickly by, without any word of what was taking place, the share price began to fall. It became uncomfortably obvious that by mid November, Recknor had been let go. He was CytoDyn's most experienced scientific, medical and managerial player for NASH, but in the game of a collaboration, anyone and everyone is a commodity and all are replaceable. On the same topic, a significant stock bonus was paid to the president in September of last year after only two months on the job. Was a deal struck? Also, our very own CMO, Scott Kelly who coined the phrase: “There are many ways to structure a partnership.“ himself gets terminated in December 2022."
Just like that bonus, (which was based on his obtaining a partnership), the short-lived share price rise also assumed that a deal had been struck. Scott Kelly was privy to the MD Anderson results just as Cyrus was. Why didn't Kelly put a deal together like Cyrus did? I don't want to diminish the fact that Kelly was wholly responsible originally for getting the MD Anderson murine study going. The fact is that a deal had been made and justifies Cyrus' bonus payment.
Proof came a year later, in October 2023 in a few posts by biloxiblues which together with everything else, in my eyes, solidifies this new theory. The price went to $1.26 because of this 100% fully funded, 200 patient Phase II mCRC combination Keytruda Clinical Trial Cyrus Arman had arranged with MD Anderson, based on the spectacular results of the MD Anderson murine study. But, as discussed in the posts by biloxi above, the BOD got in the way. This can also explain why the Regorafenib Bayer trial was withdrawn, when it became clear as day that the results of the MD Anderson study were great and a massive combination Keytruda trial was struck, but pending, unfortunately, taking second fiddle to the work of getting the hold lifted.
Through his discussions with Cyrus, biloxiblues indicates that Tanya would not compromise. She and the others on the BOD were too intently focused on following the mandates of the FDA. The FDA wasn't fooling around with the hold and CytoDyn could not make any more mistakes. Tanya was dead set on following the "Rules". The number one priority was to get off clinical hold and the FDA made it damn near impossible for CytoDyn and Cyrus. It damn near killed him. So, the BOD made the incredulous decision to walk away from Cyrus' baby, which was a fully funded mCRC combination trial with Keytruda and we learned all of that in October 2023 thanks to biloxiblues.
But this was Cyrus' Baby, and he wasn't about to let her go. Could this be why CA is still with us? After all, aren't we back to mCRC again?
Dr. Lalezari comes on board in November of 2023 and puts forth the Inflammation and Immune Activation within a very small sub-set of HIV patients. Share price bumped up and pulled back. Damn, this trial with 90 patients could cost CytoDyn near $10 million. Where does that money come from? Share price is lower after the announcement. Can't raise money with a low share price. That would consume boat loads of shares. Inflammation/Immune Activation was not working. People weren't buying it.
Cyrus Arman is witnessing everything going on, that there is no money and that it is not advancing, and it occurs to him that his baby, may not be completely abandoned altogether. No, he realizes that the hope he once had lost due to circumstance could now be found again, so he advocates in earnest for her.
He recalls Scott Kelly discussing the 12/14/21 CC with Scott Kelly Basket Trials:
"25: 25 Kelly: We are excited about the Basket Trials. I'll start by saying I just presented at San Antonio Conference December 10th. That was in results wrt mTNBC in combination with carboplatin, CCR5 positive, mTNBC and I tell you, the reason why we are excited about the Basket Trial is that they think that there is a growing acceptance that the Tumor Micro Environment is the next Frontier for Immunotherapy. And I mean this amongst practicing physicians, the academic world, probably as well as big pharma, and I think we are more advanced than this. We've been looking at the mechanism of action in the tumor micro environment and see Leronlimabs impact across multiple different oncologic indications and we also think that we can pair this with a check point inhibitor, chemo, radiation, antibody zero conjugates, as well as maybe even a potential monotherapy in certain patients that don't qualify for other treatments. We think the MOA, with T-Regs. When T-Regs come in, they turn off the immune system. We know that they have a high prevalence of CCR5. We can block that. We can actually maybe leverage the immune system. If we look at macrophage re-polarization, that's another potential opportunity. Our animal studies showed a significant reduction in angiogenesis. I think it was 62% in total vessillary and 80% reduction in small vessel area. But, we know that tumors need a blood supply to grow and if we can help limit that, then we think we can have benefit for patients. And last, we know that normal cells, CCR5 is only present on an immune cell, but we know that when cells under go malignant transformation, that they start sprouting up CCR5, and we believe that is a contributor to metastasis. So, we have multiple different mechanisms of action and we continue to find more as we go along that we will be evaluating."
He remembers Dr. Gluck's discussion in the 12/7/22 R&D Update Dr. Stefan Gluck; MicroEnvironment.
"So, as you saw, very small studies, but extremely promising, and the signal for an oncologist like myself is so strong that I'm enthusiastic about it. We, as oncologists, need to be positive because otherwise, we cannot treat patients and tell them something better is coming. The leronlimab decrease of these tumor cells actually did relate both in mTNBC and in colorectal with improved survival. That's amazing."
Cyrus turns to our 3rd party AI collaborator and requests an assessment on the effect of a CCR5/L5 axis blockade in mCRC. Their AI engines get to work and compile all that is known and understood regarding the pertinent Biomarkers in combination with all the pertinent journal articles on the blockade of the CCR5/L5 axis in the disease to finally determine that it works like a charm, like no other.
He reflects upon these statements made in this Regorafenib study which supports the fight against the MSS cold tumors. Thank you u/perrenialloser for this journal article.
"The majority of patients with CRC exhibit a microsatellite stable (MSS) or mismatch repair proficient (pMMR) status, which is known as the “cold tumor” with less mutated oncogenes and less inflamed tumor immune microenvironment, resulting in a limited efficacy of ICIs (2). The inadequate recruitment and activization of immune cells to the tumor microenvironment were considered to be fundamental mechanisms underlying the inefficacy of ICIs in MSS mCRC (4). Combination strategies to enhance the immunogenicity of the tumor microenvironment and exploit the benefit of ICIs in patients with MSS are urgently needed."
He becomes even more convicted. Given all that I presented here in addition to the proven results of the MD Anderson, Keytruda study which Cyrus has laid his own eyes upon, he becomes whole heartedly supportive of the Priority switch to the mCRC Oncology Indication. I'm sure Richard Pestell was also 100% behind Cyrus in this decision to switch priorities. Also, by switching to Oncology, share price has a better chance of increasing as Oncology is favored by the public. Fund raising could happen much quicker with a higher share price resulting from a better indication. From the recent May 2024 Letter to Shareholders:
"Over the next six months, we expect to commence at least one, and potentially two clinical trials. The prospective clinical trials, in order of priority, are: (i) a Phase II study of leronlimab in patients with relapsed/refractory microsatellite stable colorectal cancer; and (ii) a Phase II study exploring leronlimab’s effects on inflammation. The Company’s priority will be the oncology trial which, if successful, will put us on track towards a commercial approval of leronlimab in that indication. The inflammation study is aimed at clarifying certain provocative observations related to leronlimab, and to help define the dose and underlying mechanism of anti-inflammatory action. It is imperative that the Company generate unassailable results in the clinic and I believe the above trials can accomplish this. Starting the oncology study and related fundraising is the top priority of the Company at this time, but our current hope is that we can initiate both studies before the end of this calendar year."
So straight from the CEO's mouth, related fundraising is the top priority of the Company at this time. Cyrus remains here at CytoDyn because of the need to pump up the value by switching to a more attractive Indication Priority. I repeat all of this, because with all of the peer reviewed and published Journal Articles that discuss the CCR5/L5 axis in the context of Colo-Rectal Cancer and given Keytruda's exceptional performance as a PD 1 blockade in only 15% of these CRC MSI tumors, leronlimab can open the door wide open to the remaining 85% MSS tumors. The trial starts this year. Also from the recent Shareholder Letter:
"Research and development partnership opportunities are important to the Company as we search for cost-effective ways to further build out our product development portfolio. We have identified several such opportunities that we believe are intriguing and anticipate finalizing agreements with these partners in the very near future. Such potential partnerships include an investigator-initiated pilot study of leronlimab in patients with Alzheimer’s Disease, and a project that will evaluate the use of leronlimab in patients living with HIV who are undergoing stem cell transplantation in a proof of cure study. Following lifting of the clinical hold, we have observed a significant increase in third parties that are interested in partnering with the Company. We will continue to review opportunities as they arise, given the potential for significant value return at little or no cost to the Company."
The question I now have is with whom? Partners are incoming, but did leronlimab make it easier for the PD-1 blocker Keytruda to work in MSS mCRC tumors? If it did, (and Cyrus knows if it did or did not), then Merck certainly remains there in the bidding. If leronlimab did it all by itself and Keytruda was superfluous, then the partner might be someone like u/i__OBSERVER points to entities such as the NIH as the source of that funding.
Personally, I am very much thankful to anyone involved that pushed for the change in priority as mCRC is a much better recognized Indication, and one that is easier to understand and bring to the public.
submitted by MGK_2 to Livimmune [link] [comments]


2024.05.18 14:59 Flashy_Passion3333 she is having chest pains but she is going to survive

she is having chest pains but she is going to survive
hey it’s your daddy keeho and i know that your chest really hurts right now, but i’m only asking you to write for an hour so you will be ok. i know how painful it is baby but you have a full time job now and you need to make working your top priority. i can’t make your chest pains go away but i can tell you to keep drinking water and take your hemp oil. this playlist that you are playing is so romantic. i can feel the love in the air. i loved laying down with you for a short while while we just talked and cuddled. it is so much better than having to go outside every hour just to destroy your lungs. when your vape dies i will allow you to end the post early and wait for it to charge. but it is fully charged right now. i want you to put in the butter cookie flavor. it’s not your favorite but it still tastes good. or you can try the ginger bread one again? but you don’t like that one. i know that it seems like it’s hard work to write this love letter for an hour, but it’s only going to get easier the more that you practice. it’s only your 3rd day at work so i’m not expecting you to be able to handle an hour. but you are good at doing it. you listen to your daddy. the annoying guy is calling you again and at this point i want you to block him. if you see him outside and he asks you what happened just tell him that you don’t know what he’s talking about. i’m tired of him calling you so many times a day. you just met him. you need to block him right now but i know that you are too nice to do that and you are going to just let the phone ring. but you are not allowed to talk to boys on the phone, so don’t answer any of his phone calls anymore. there’s no reason for him to be calling you so much. and sometimes at 12 am. i’m sick and tired of it daughter. just block his phone number. he will get the hint eventually. plus you are never going to be outside anymore, so you will rarely run into him until it’s time for your meals and medications. he’s supposed to give you $5 on sunday for the pack of cigars that you gave him, but that is the last time that i want you to communicate with him. he’s very annoying and i’m going to beat his ass. i can’t wait until it is your lunch time so that you can take your st. john’s wort again. i love that vitamin. anything to help your mood is great because you have such bad depression. i’m sorry baby girl but i am going to cure you. you never have to worry about your daddy because i don’t have depression and i never get sad. how could i when i have you? that means that you can always come to me and talk to me when you are feeling sad. don’t cry baby girl. you’re crying right now because you love me. that is so sweet. you cry so often now about me and i am so glad that they are happy tears and not sad tears anymore. that’s why your job is so important because i can help you get through anything that you are feeling. i love that you are my secretary. i love how big you made the font on your phone like an old lady that is so cute. it’s a lot better to write with bigger font, i agree with you. i wish that we could use google docs still, but with your bluetooth keyboard it’s impossible since you have to press the enter key and use the arrows just to see what you are typing. i promise that i won’t talk about sex too much. we can talk about irl. i just love you so much that i can’t help myself. i am so in love with you and you are so incredible. we are going to have the best day ever today! i can’t wait for you to get your medications so that you can take your anti depressant. you have about an hour before you have to go to the medicine clinic, so i want you to relax while you are writing this love letter in the meantime. you should take your hemp oil before and after each love letter, because it helps with pain. i don’t want you to be in pain while you are working. don’t forget to do your laundry after dinner. i will keep reminding you since you only get one day to do it. i know that it’s difficult writing for a full hour but i know that you can do it daughter, even when your chest hurts so bad. just push through the pain. the hemp oil is going to help you a lot. i’m so glad that you quit smoking cigars today and gave them away even though you spent a lot of money on the carton. it’s why you’re having chest pains right now and i can’t let my baby put herself through unnecessary pain. it’s going to go away soon. just drink a lot of water today. you can have some decaf coffee in the next love letter. refill your water bottle. i’ll wait. after this hour is over i want you to put on the television and relax until you have to go get your morning medications since we won’t be able to write for a full hour. ok? perfect. i’m so proud of you right now. you are having a very productive morning. i am in your bedroom with you right now. you are sitting on top of me in your desk chair. i always have you sitting or laying on top of me. i always have to be touching you, kissing you everywhere and just being as near to me as possible. and when you are walking i am always holding your hand. you are the sweetest girl in the world and i love you so much. i know that you want to take your break right now but it is not time. we still have a long way to go so stay strong daughter. you are so pure and cute. i love everything about you. there is not an ounce of hatred in my heart for you. you’re still wondering if i put you in mk-ultra in the beginning of the p1harmony simulation aren’t you? but i can’t tell you the answer. it was the wildest party in the world, what we did in your bedroom so i can see why you would think it is mk-ultra but now you are in the love bombing stage of the p1harmony simulation and i don’t want to tell you the answer. you are signed to p1harmony as our porn star. i have told you this from the beginning. that is why you went to the porn star mansion during the party. but i am never going to put electrical signals on your walls ever again. i am never going to put an intercom in your bedroom ever again. you are just going to be my secretary and channel my love letters to you each and every day. you don’t get any days off. that reminds me, you need to start saving the selfies that i post to twitter onto your phone. you also always need to make a comment so don’t forget to do that. i love you so much and i know about all of your social media profiles. if you feel like reddit is too much for you, we can start writing on a tumblr blog. but i think that reddit is perfect for you right now so i hope that you don’t leave this app. you like to see how many views your posts get, and you can’t do that on tumblr. but it’s your decision sun beam. should anything happen to this reddit account because of what i say we can always go to tumblr. so don’t make a tumblr page yet, because i think that your reddit account has a lot of potential. i’m not going to get you suspended, i promise baby. i would never do that to you. i know my limitations and i am going to respect your wishes for what you want your posts to be like. we are nearly done now, but not quite. i know that you like taking your breaks inside much better since we can talk and cuddle and relax. i am willing to sacrifice you getting fresh air for your lungs. it’s better to stay inside and lay down for a bit. it’s going to relax you so much and you are going to have more energy to finish the next love letter. your pen pal just responded to you but i want you to wait until we are done talking to respond to him. ok? perfect. you are so well behaved, and whenever you start having behavioral problems i can always reel you back in to listen to your daddy. i am a very strict daddy but it is for your own good. this long break is going to be so nice and i can’t wait to cuddle with you. i know that the only thing on right now is dr. phil, but we can just do some online shopping instead of paying attention to the television. we are almost done sun beam so hang in there. you are doing so great right now. you are the best secretary in the world. we are going to have so much fun on reddit, trust your daddy. your iphone is much more reliable than the z flip 3 so you should have no trouble with the posts going through. i love you! Sun Beam is published by Party Boy Asians Art Hauz.
submitted by Flashy_Passion3333 to u/Flashy_Passion3333 [link] [comments]


2024.05.18 13:36 Majestic_Dig1654 Nature is the best medicine

Nature is the best medicine. That's why my slogan is Wellness with Weeds here at Herb Idea. It's not just the plants, but the sunshine, water, fresh air are all just as important. How are you spending time in nature today? It's cold here in the mid-west am I'm enjoying nature in a HOT cup of Tea.
Lavender essential oil for the win again. Some people avoid dentists due to pain and anxiety related to the visit. A recent randomized, controlled clinical trial found that inhalation of lavender essential oil reduced pain and anxiety related to a dental visit in women. Heart rate, systolic blood pressure, respiratory rate, and oxygen saturation were also improved. The women were exposed to 20 drops of lavender in 50 mL of water diffused in a diffuser near their chair in the waiting room for 20 minutes prior to the dental visit/procedure.
submitted by Majestic_Dig1654 to physica1l [link] [comments]


2024.05.18 09:01 SharkEva AITAH For breaking my Number 1 sex rule with a handicapped guy?

I am not the OOP. The OOP is u/Throwra_JessComeOn posting in AITAH
Concluded as per OOP
2 updates - Long
Original - 17th April 2024
Update1 - 19th April 2024
Update2 - 13th May 2024

AITAH For breaking my Number 1 sex rule with a handicapped guy?

Obviously throwaway, I don’t need anyone here seeing my regular account. Also I’m in the US and English is my first language, any discrepancies are because I suck at typing on my phone.
So TL/DR for the “give me the bare bones, I don’t have all day to read on the shitter” crew: My #1 sex rule since high school has been no sex before the third date. I recently broke that rule with a handicapped guy, and now my childhood best friend is pissed and grossed out because she thinks I have some weird kind of fetish.
Context/full story: I’m a 28f. My childhood best friend we’ll call Jess is also 28f. To put it simply, I don’t think I’m any kind of prude, I just don’t really feel comfortable with casual sex, never have. My best friend knows this and has teased me about it lightly in the past. She’s been in a long term relationship for the last 3 years, I’ve mostly been single while working on my degree and starting my career. Jess lives in another state with her boyfriend, so we don’t hang out much anymore.
So about a month ago I had a first date with a guy I’d been talking to for a bit, thought it was going places, but he gave a WEIRD vibe on the date and I cut and ran early. On my way home I stopped at a local pub, figured I’d have a drink to unwind and people watch till it wore off. (Tipsy driving is still drunk driving IMO.) I get there and it’s pretty packed, Friday night and all, and there was no seating room at the bar. Took my drink and looked around, most of the “restaurant” side of the pub was someone’s birthday party, but there was a small table with a seat open off to the side, with a guy reading a book there. So I say eff it, I’m a social person and what’s the worst thing that happens, he says no? So I ask if I can sit there for a bit, I promise we don’t have to talk or anything.
At this point I feel like I’ve fucked up because this guy up close is the hottest man I have ever seen. But he just smiled at me and gave an enthusiastic “Sure!” A few minutes later of me sipping in silence and he says “I don’t mind talking, if you want to.” (Yeah I want to are you kidding me right now?) We talk for a bit and it turns out Mike (fake name) is 29, just finished his master’s degree in some kind of computer learning field (“I program computers to program computers”) and he’s living on his own for the first time. He apparently stops by the pub after work because he’s right around the corner, and he’s not used to the silence yet after living so long with a half dozen siblings.
We talked for a good two hours, about everything from dating (which he said he’s basically given up on) to hobbies and tastes, and we have a near total eclipse of a venn diagram on this stuff. I eventually sort of blurted out that I don’t know why he’d give up on dating, this is the closest thing I’ve had to a good date in forever. (Shooting my shot obliquely here lol.) He gets kind of an odd look on his face and says “Tell you what, I have to go to the bathroom, but when I come back I’ll ask you out for real.” Weird, but okay?
Then it all clicks, because he doesn’t get up to walk away, he just rolls. In his wheelchair. And I’m thinking “oh my God he wanted to give me a chance to back out of this without making it awkward how cute can this guy BE.” He grinned like crazy when he got back and saw I was still there, and I basically tripped over myself saying something to the effect of “So I’m free all weekend, what did you have in mind?”
Another hour later, we’ve got plans for Saturday, and he told me he has a neuromuscular disorder I can’t remember the name of (my degree isn’t in STEM lol) so his legs work, but the signals from his brain get misinterpreted so he doesn’t have the balance or coordination for walking or standing. The pub starts switching over to the youngerowdier crowd and he asks if I’d like to go back to his place for coffee to continue our conversation.
As you have probably long since realized, I did not get any coffee or conversation till the next morning and I have ZERO regrets. We’ve been dating since and I know it’s still early but I really feel like this might be the one.
Onward to yesterday afternoon, my friend Jess (remember Jess?) is in town, and we go out for coffee to catch up on things. I’m gushing about Mike, but when I get to how we met she just sort of got weird and edgy. I don’t remember any exact words but she essentially said that I must have a fetish for the handicapped since I broke my #1 rule and it’s the best physical relationship I’ve ever been in. Like it’s good for me because he uses a wheelchair, not because the guy puts in effort in bed??? She said I’ve “changed” as a person and left without even saying goodbye. 15 years of friendship and I’ve never seen her like that.
So here I am, asking the most objective people online (haha) if I’m an asshole or weird for being super attracted to a guy who uses a wheelchair and basically putting out immediately.

Comments

RefrigeratorHot3859
Firstly, you are allowed to change the rules that you made for yourself. Secondly, I do not get from anything you wrote that you have a “fetish” for the handicapped. Her comments are weird.
Sounds like you need to keep Mike and drop Jess. Good friends will be happy for you, and from what I can gather, that ain’t her.

dubh_righ
She's got a weird fetish - for super hot guys who are kind, and well spoken, and fuck like a hero. What a weirdo. (sarcasm, in case it's not obvious)
OOP: Okay, yeah this made me laugh for real. Seriously, what a weeeeird fetish I have!

brelywi
Hey that’s my fetish too! Here I was thinking I was the only one.

ShottsSeastone
oh fuck that friend. i read this whole thing.
OOP: That shit floored me. He's so considerate in so many ways. His stories about his sibs are also hilarious, I can't wait to meet them. We're trying not to rush things just because it all seems so great, but they have a BBQ in May that he'd like me to come to and I am so there. He was raised around a lot of love and it shows.

Update - 2 days later

My first ever update! Yay! Uh, so if you were hoping for some terrible drama, I hate to break it to you that I don’t roll like that. No pun intended. So I do have an update on Jess and shit finally makes perfect sense. And I have a slightly NSFW but funny story about Mike, because this guy is just the best, y’all.
Okay, so first, I finally messaged Jess yesterday and said basically “I’m still hurt by what you said, but after 15 years of friendship I’d never forgive musif I didn’t at least ask why you snapped at me like that.” She replied immediately, “I’m so fucking sorry, I didn’t mean any of that, can we have a do over on lunch?” So I agreed cautiously and took a half day to meet with her today.
Turns out that those of you who said she was jealous, and that she might have something else going on, and especially the person who said something might be going on in HER relationship….. gold stars. She’s in town because she’s job hunting, because she’s moving back in with her parents for a while since her relationship ended. Apparently they have been having a ton of small problems adding up, but the biggest one? Sex. The guy she’s been with was apparently never great but it’s gotten to the point where he makes no effort at all for her to enjoy herself and then gets pissed when she isn’t in the mood.
She tried talking with him about it, making suggestions but he told her recently that it’s “emasculating” being given sex advice by a woman. The straw that broke the metaphorical camel’s back, however, was that her boyfriend has always had a thing for Asian women. She’s caucasian, but she does have long black hair. After weeks of fighting over their sex life, he suggested that they spice things up….by her dressing in a kimono and pretending to be Asian. She lost it on him and is absolutely disgusted by the racist fetishism and ended it right then.
So she had allllll of this bottled up and was hoping to talk to me and finally be able to put it down….. and I missed every hint that she had something big to discuss because I was gushing about Mike. So to her it felt like I was just twisting the knife by bragging about how great our sex was. She snapped, and somewhere between what I was saying and what she wanted to talk about some wires got crossed and she said something incredibly dumb.
She left without saying goodbye because she was mortified and ashamed as well as irrationally mad at me. Something to know about Jess, she’s an awful liar and she and I were the co-founders of our high school’s “foot-in-mouth” society, so I do believe her. I told her I forgive her and I’m sorry I didn’t realize she wanted to talk about something bothering her, and she said I was too stupidly nice and have nothing to apologize for, so I think we’ll be okay. For the time being I’m not ready for her and Mike to meet, because I don’t want to make things feel worse, and she agrees. But she’s really really happy for me. Hopefully this is just a funny story we can look back on someday.
So, on to how Mike almost killed me, lol. Last night we were talking about the reddit post and he gets this funny expression that I’m starting to recognize. And he goes “How do we know you don’t have a fetish if we haven’t at least tried it in the chair?” And I’m like “are you serious lol”. He said he’s never attempted it, because (cue tears) he’s never felt so comfortable with a partner before. Well.
His chair has what is essentially like a parking break thing. Or it should, it’s unfortunately broken and apparently getting them fixed is an expensive pain in the ass. He doesn’t use it that often so he hasn’t made it a priority. And there’s this thing called Newton’s third law, you know how every action has an equal and opposite reaction? As it happens, when you’re trying to, ah, get the motion of the ocean going, in a chair with wheels that aren’t locked, there’s a sort of counter motion that starts and fucks it all up. So we were going nowhere fast except for inching along the floor in his bedroom. And laughing at the silliness, which isn’t helping. Eventually he just stops and says “Maybe we can get some of those wooden block things they use to keep little planes from rolling away, like in Indiana Jones you know?”
I absolutely lost it. Like laughing so hard I’m in tears, he’s giggling half at the situation and half at my reaction, and everything just keeps setting me off again. FINALLY I get it under control, doing some deep breathing exercises and shit, and I look at him again. And he pulls the straightest face he can, and says, for the love of god, “Golly. This sure is uncomfortable.” Folks if I had asthma I would have fucking died right there. I laughed so hard I think I pulled a rib. Like wheezing and not even laughing anymore so much as weeping and making this awful “heeeeee” noise when I could catch my breath. While he’s laughing and rubbing my back and saying he’s sorry, he couldn’t resist.
So yeah, confirmed, no fetish here, and this magnificent bastard’s comedic timing might actually kill me.
I doubt I’ll update again, because there’s really nothing I can see needing to share given everything sort of worked out. And in the end, the real assholes were the….friends we made along the way? Idk. Thanks for all the lovely comments on my last post and for coming along with me on this absurd but brief drama in my life, lol.

Comments

Rustymarble
Obviously, Jess needs to have a twin with a mother-in-law invade her home with ummm....dog poo...and somehow there's a tree dropping leaves and and a 7 year old brat threw an ummm...apple? And then the cops came and everyone clapps!
OOP: And everyone's phones blow up! Genius, I'll finally go viral and get all those internet dollars I assume people are raking in, LOL
I probably will post an update on this account, but I don't necessarily want to bog down AITAH with my silly shit. I'm so excited and nervous. It's apparently a Mother's Day BBQ! which I didn't know because my parents and I are estranged and I never even seriously thought about having kids before meeting Mike. But apparently it's a lot of people and a lot of food and apparently everyone knows he's bringing me. Also, can I just say FUCK YES about his mom? They apparently have a huge one floor rancher and she just assumed we'd be sleeping together in his old room. Like none of that weird "you aren't married so you get separate rooms" shit. I already adore them and we haven't even met yet.

Forward-Two3846
I think Mike updates are essential to AITAH 😆. I am so excited for you and I hope you have the time of your life.
OOP: Oh there is one coming. Oh my God his family, lol. I am exhausted already and it's only 1 here, and we have another day of this ahead! They are amazing and he is glowing like a fireball, the side of him when he's with family is so bright I need sunglasses to look at him.

Update - 1 month later

Hello again! I was going to post this on my own page but a few people mentioned that they think it’s nice to read on AITAH, so fuck it, here’s the “met Mikes family” update. And it's a doozy, or at least felt like it at the time for a girl who grew up with a small, dysfunctional family.
So first up, you know what people (at least me) don’t think about when dating a guy who’s always sitting? Height. I know he’s taller than me because we cuddle a lot, and he’s taller sitting on the couch, but I didn’t reeeeeeally get it. So we drive up Friday night after work (actually south and west, lol, but to my brain it’s always up) in his vehicle, which is modified to be driven entirely using his hands. Neat, right? He’s a really good driver too. One more green flag. We get to the house, and it’s…. It’s huge you guys, LOL like not a mansion, just kind of a sprawling one floor rancher. Real estate was wild back in the day.
Anyway we get out, and I meet his mom. I’d like to point out I am no slouch, I’m 5’-friggin-7. His mom is TOWERING over me. But she was the nicest lady ever. We go inside and I meet his dad (who funny enough is apparently the only short one in this family) and his youngest sister, who is living there with his one year old niece. She gets up to hug me and SHE IS ALSO REALLY TALL. It’s already a bit late then, so we eat and head to bed, I get to see his cute as shit room from when he was a teenager, and I casually ask “hey, so uh, I don’t know how this works and stuff, but how tall are you?” and Mike is all “I dunno, like a bit over 6’4? Been a while since I checked.” A BIT OVER 6’4. “So, is everyone in your family tall?” “…..kinda?”
We met the Nordic Basketball team he calls a family properly the next day. (Actually they’re Irish, but they’re blond and tall so it conveys the idea better.) The ONLY one of reasonable height, and still taller than me, was his oldest sister, lol.
They are also LOUD. Like not really shouting or anything usually, just, PRESENT. Mike is a lot different around them, but in the cutest way, like he just beams all the time and you can see how happy he is to be home. One of his brothers put him in a headlock and gave him a dang NOOGIE as a greeting, and got elbowed in the side for it, and all of them laughing. And his mom smacked one of his brothers with a rolled up magazine for putting his feet on the table. More laughing. Just… intimidating but in the happiest way imaginable. I’ll admit I was a little shut down for a bit, but Mike kept checking in with me to make sure I was okay, and they were all really nice, so I got into the spirit after a bit.
I mentioned this in another comment, but Mike has a special sports wheelchair he uses for, well, sports. And he and his siblings play basketball. And he is GOOD. Apart from just having a hell of an arm, he’s quick as hell. And this magnificent bastard that I love will absolutely, purposefully, GLEEFULLY run someone’s toes over. He AIMS for it. They all have this yank-back-the-foot maneuver that’s hysterical to watch.
So it was this crazy day of loud people playing and having a blast, nieces and nephews running around, and just noise. My ears are still ringing. The food was catered in advance because his mom “had seven babies, all I make on mother’s day is margaritas.” They also have a pool, it’s a bit chilly still but the pool is HEATED so we actually all got to swim, which was a lot of fun because I got to show off that I too am athletic…. I can do a backwards somersault off a diving board! Yeah. I’m a real catch lol. They at least pretended to be impressed.
We all stayed up late drinking and bitching that it was too overcast to see the aurora (boo) and I had the worst hangover I’ve had in a while on Sunday. We slept in a bit late, and then joined Mike’s family for the BBQ part of the BBQ weekend. His dad can GRILL, people. And he’s fast, food coming off the grill at lightning speed. I asked Mike about it and he laughed and said “there was seven of us to feed. Ever see a nest of baby birds? He had practice.” Which, fair enough.
I don’t have much experience with babies, but I got to hold his youngest niece (the one living at home with his sis until her husband gets back from deployment) and we had a light talk about kids in the future. I told him that I never put much thought into it but if they were going to grow up in a happy home like his and not how I grew up, I’m pretty sure I’d be open to having them with him someday. But later. I need him all to myself for a while first. He seemed really really happy about that, which makes ME feel all goofy and happy. I’m sappy.
We had to drive home Sunday night, but before we went his mom hugged me and said she’s NEVER seen her son like this, and thanked me for taking good care of her baby. And asked if we’d be back for the 4th of July or if we were doing something with my family. And I tried to be all “haaaa no we’ll be here if you don’t mind, I don’t see them much” and I think she caught on that there’s more to the story so she just hugged the shit out of me (vikings, all of them I swear) and told me she can’t wait to see me again.
My ears are still ringing from all the noise and chaos, but it was an absolute blast and I can’t wait to see them again in July. Also, pretty much sure Mike is the man I’m going to marry. I literally can’t think of a single reason why I would ever let him get away.
Anyway thanks for reading, hope you all had a lovely weekend, and those of you who got to see the aurora I’m happy for you but you suck, lol.

Comments

ERVetSurgeon
NTA. sounds like you have found a happy family to join. Good for you and good for Mike.
OOP: It's still pretty surreal. The other in laws that were there were all like that smiling hanging guy meme, "First time?" It was a great weekend.
Stormy8888
This story is so heart warming it belongs on BestofRedditorUpdates.
Congratulations, at some parts I felt like I was reading about the Roarke Family's dynamics in one of Nora Robert's JD Robb's Eve Dallas Novels, the whole Irish family vibes were just there. So lovely.
OOP: Ahahaha I don't think it's interesting enough for that, but I am glad people are enjoying it.

I am not the OOP. Please do not harass the OOP. Please remember the No Brigading Rule and to be civil in the comments
submitted by SharkEva to BORUpdates [link] [comments]


2024.05.18 07:29 sweetlibertea No one in the family likes my brother's fiancee due to her own actions, and I'm not really sure how much longer I can retain my sanity and play nice. I really miss my brother, but at this point I'm almost considering him a lost cause.

I (27F) have an older brother, 33M. We didn't get along very much as kids due to the age gap, not for my lack of trying. I never really understood why my brother didn't really like spending time with me, because he was one of my favorite people in the world, despite all his bullying.
For context, I'll give some examples of what my brother has done to me over the years with some vague age ranges of when they occurred.
When I was about 3, my brother convinced me that red was orange and orange was red because I was learning my colors in preschool. He also used to steal food like tater tots off my little high chair tray and would pretend he didn't do anything when my mom checked on why I was crying (I was NOT a fussy baby/toddler, so it set off alarm bells when I did.)
I think when I was 4 or 5, my brother came into my room after I had already been put to bed, and he woke me up. Thing is, he was hovering over me with a scary mask on, only the hallway light, and a butterknife. Not sure I really have to explain why that was traumatic. I'm still afraid of masks to this day.
When I was around 10-12, my brother kept drinking all the milk or kool aid that I would make and never replenish/remake it. I told him to stop, he wouldn't, of course. My mom was fostering other children and didn't have time for squabbles like this. So I very visibly spit on top of the kool aid pitcher and left the lid off so it was seen. What does my (reminder, 17-19) brother do? He wrenches the bowl of cereal I'm currently eating out of my hands, spits in it, and shoves it back at me hard enough that it spilled all over me. Now, I'm not an angry person. I'm not a violent person. But I was still a child and fed up with being bullied by someone who was/almost an adult. I never tried getting physical before because I was so much smaller, but I hit puberty kind of early. So I splashed the bowl back at him to see how he liked it. He threw me to the ground and hit me. My mom had to break us up and told us we were both to blame, so he didn't even get punished.
Several times, he would turn the lights off on me when I was on the other side of the room in the basement away from the switch, because I was afraid of the dark for a very long time.
We had Sonic Adventure 2 we shared. If we ever fought about something, or I reminded him it was my turn, he threatened to say goodbye forever to my chao. I am extremely soft hearted so that accomplished what he wanted.
Sometimes I would notice my things go missing. I had assumed maybe my mom put them away somewhere and forgot, but I'm pretty sure I know what happened to them. Especially gamecube games-- Those discs were tiny! He was pawning them for drug and booze money. One time he was drunk and admitted he had been selling his adderall for other drugs. That came to a head one terrible Christmas Eve. Brother was home for the holiday and I'm not very clear on what events led up to it, but my parents caught my brother in the bathroom with a baggie of various drugs that he was already doing. He insisted it was just weed, but my parents didn't believe that. I wouldn't know, I only briefly saw the bag, but it was full of both a large green ball of like leaves and lots of white powder. It was a vicious screaming match for a few hours. I hid out in my room on a different floor and played a video game as loud as I could so I didn't have to hear my family. The screams died down after a while, and I cautiously went out of my room. My brother had left the house for a while. I had a few holiday assignments and decided to just crank them out while my family cooled off, and I did it at the dining room table because that's where our Christmas tree was too and I desperately needed that good cheer magic. I was quietly writing, not saying anything, not making much noise, when my brother came back in the house. He stopped off at the kitchen for something and muttered something rude and belittling to me. At this point I'm a preeten-early teen and he had already ruined the day that had always been magical to me before, as my grandma used to stay over with us on Christmas Eve. She had died rather recently at the time. And I can't tell you exactly what I said. I think I've blocked out as much as I can. I made some snide remark, something like 'at least I don't do drugs' and in the next second I was yanked out of my chair. My brother picked me up by the neck and slammed me against the wall. I know I clawed and kicked against the wall as hard as I could. I blacked out, and I woke up on the floor with my parents absolutely screaming at him that he could have killed me. As a side note to the whole ordeal, he never apologized, and it's made my adult life a lot harder as weed becomes more and more commonplace. Just the thought of it used to send me in a panic attack, I could feel the hands choking me again. I've gotten better about dealing with it, but I still refuse to have it in any part of my life whatsoever. It's cost me a few relationships.
When I was in college, my brother had moved back in with me and my parents because his girlfriend dumped him for being a piece of shit that worked at walmart and did nothing but drink all day despite having a state paid scholarship, that he wasted, because he couldn't keep his GPA above 2.8. He was a music major. The classes he took were things like 'History of Jimi Hendrix' and 'The Beatles'. He just partied too much to even attend class. He took the dog they got with him, not at all prepared for her. The dog is a high energy breed that is difficult to train, and we had two small 5-10 pound dogs at home. At 1 year old, bro's dog was about 30 pounds. He often left for several hours during summers/breaks when I was home, without telling anyone, knowing that I would either hear the dog cry if he crated them and feel bad and let them out or that I wouldn't banish them to a crate if they were already in a room with me. The dog bullied our other dogs and bit at everyone. Dog was incredibly overly protective of my brother-- Trait of the breed. I was back at college for a few months and had spent a good month mourning the loss of a 5 year relationship. I never really heard anything from him. Then out of the blue, my brother asks me if I can let him and dog stay for the night (we live 2 hours from the college) because my mom had kicked him out. The dog had bit her and she snapped at my brother to control his f'ing dog and he responded by calling her, the woman who birthed him, payed for his other college costs, paid back loans he promised to pay to other family members, never charged him rent, and he called her a f'ing female dog. She snapped. While I agree that my mom was completely in the right to do that, I have too soft of a heart to just leave him with nowhere to go. He promised it was just a night so he could get in touch with some friends closer to home and figure shit out. I let him come to me.
I really regret that decision.
At the time I had a new roommate (she was very nice though, I liked her) and a sort of FWB who doted on me for a little while. I texted FWB and asked if he could bring some alcohol by-- I was still 19 at the time, underage to buy it, but FWB was old enough and agreed the man could probably do with a drink. We stayed out on our little porch area to make sure that we wouldn't be disturbing my roomie in any way while we socialized. My brother got really wasted. He told me terrible things about our deceased grandmother (who he knew I had really loved growing up, and had no idea about who she really was because she had always loved me). And he laughed. He laughed when he saw the discomfort on my face. My FWB was feeling pretty bad for me and suggested we go to bed because it was also like 3 in the morning and both of us had class in the morning, so we go inside. The apartment has a shared common room/living room, little kitchen area, and laundry closet. My bedroom is on one side and roomie's was on the other-- Both bathrooms are also ensuite to the bedroom. So I went in and changed out of my clothes into something comfier to sleep in and crawled into my bed, letting my brother do his own thing in the bathroom. I'm just trying to rest and suddenly my brother is pulling me out of my bed and dragging me out of my own room. He's yelling that he's taking my bed, did I really expect him to take the couch? And I'm not very confrontational. I'm flustered, tired, and honestly a little afraid after the neck choke incident. FWB steps in like a hero and tries to calmly explain that its my bed, and I will sleep in it, I have been kind enough to let him stay and he should not be so ungrateful. Brother fucking loses his mind. Starts screaming his head off about how selfish I am and how reliant I am on our parents and won't be able to do anything on my own as an adult (I was financially dependent on my parents at 19 while in college, shocker). He starts drunkenly trying to pick up his dog's toys and searching for his keys, and both FWB and I step in and tell him he can't go driving like this, after like half a bottle of fireball. He at least needs to sober up before he can drive. I stand in front of the front door, as my brother is still searching for his keys, and there is no way I'm letting him out of here right now. Brother has found his keys, and starts pulling at me and hurting me. Lucky for me, FWB had been a pretty good wrestler in highschool. He got my brother pinned down and I snatched the keys, hiding over by the sink in case I had to throw them in there. He's screaming his head off and my poor roommate comes out and asks what the hell is going on because she knows I'm very quiet and tend to keep visitors in my room. I'm like half sobbing trying to explain and the FWB, still pinning my brother, tells her that we're trying to keep him from drunk driving. My roommate does not play around with that. She was in nursing school, and had recently lost a friend to a drunk driver. I don't know how it worked, but she put on her stern nurse tone and told my brother that he was free to leave when he sobered up, or she herself would be calling the cops on him, and both me and FWB could press additional charges for assault. He reluctantly agreed to this condition and FWB let him off the floor, but sat in front of the front door just in case. When he was sobered up, he left, saying 'I hope you like mom and dad, because I'm not your family anymore'.
And that was devastating. I couldn't stop crying. My FWB went back to bed with me and laid me down in bed and let me cry until I passed out. He skipped his class that day to be there for me. I know I don't paint a good picture of my brother, but I did/do love him. I thought now that we were older that he'd mellowed out and we could be good friends like I always wanted. I mean, I made like 300 fake facebook accounts back in the day to vote for his band to be a headliner at a large concert. Just a few years prior when he was home on a break he introduced me to a TV show we binged and he let my lay on his shoulder. (I was/am very touch starved but paralyzed by fear that I'm annoying the other person, and all my friends were made later in life and are states away). When Pokemon Go came out we would take late night drives around quiet places of town while hunting pokemon together. We traded off the controller on online battlefield games and compared scores and the most ridiculous deaths. I really thought that he loved me too, finally, after years of resentment.
He didn't speak to me for 2 years. I didn't find out until later, but my parents lied for him on my behalf that he still loved me and was just annoyed, and gave me birthday/christmas presents that they told me had been from him, just that he was working. I really treasured those objects when I didn't know the truth about them. I got a really stupid mug with the first letter of my name on it in pink and zebra print (two things I don't really enjoy) but I used that thing every single day.
So, these are glimpses into my previous relationship with my brother. I don't really remember when he started speaking to me again, but I sure know he never apologized. He had finally hit rock bottom and asked my father to put in a good word for him at (insert facility with decent pay and good benefits but hard work), which he had previously rejected by telling my parents that it was a shit job. My brother's name got put closer to the top of the resumes. He got in. It wasn't easy work, or comfy sometimes, but it paid well enough to endure that, I guess. My brother used to be rather athletic.
Between the cut off point and then, my brother had worked at a (also generic job) a town or two over and hated the commute. He also happened to find a girlfriend with an apartment sort of close by. She didn't like having him over because of his dog, and almost never let him do any overnight. But now that my brother had a better paying job, she was willing to move in with him, of course. My brother bought a house in our home town and she came with it. She pays a ridiculously low amount of rent to my brother.
If she was home and brother wasn't, the dog stayed crated up because she didn't want to deal with it. Both of them worked, but her job isn't at all difficult. And yet somehow, sometimes pulling doubles, my brother ended up doing most of everything. My brother, who didn't learn to do his laundry until his 20s, ate pizza every single day, and had left used condoms on the floor of his bedroom in our parents house when he left. He did most of the cooking because she says she's bad at it. But will make pies for her mom. When the holidays came around, instead of discussing or rotating, they will always go to her family first. If my brother can come to ours at all. He often misses entire occassions (we don't go out big, but like, cmon. Hand your dad the gift card on his birthday at least, not 2 weeks later).
I also used to get to hangout or see my brother sometimes. Maybe once every few weeks, and it was fun! It was the friendship I had always dreamt of. Now I can't even get him to do anything online with me from the comfort of his own home. I don't have a single text from him this year past 1/27.
At first, we all understood. She was quirky. I was quirky. We share several similar traits and interests. I used to like that and be excited to have a family member like me, but now I dread the day she becomes family.
Let's start with the smoking car. Me and my parents were driving near his street so we could cut through to the highway, and out of nowhere, black smoke starts coming from the hood. My father tells me and my mom to get out and he'll get it to my brother's and out of the road to look at it and see what was going on. This was like.... early August. It was very hot outside. Since I've 'been in the house before' and 'know what it's like' I am 'allowed' to come into my brother's house to cool off. But GF refuses letting in either of them, referring to the messy state of the house. Which, okay, fair-- But its HER messes. My brother cleans up after her. I learned later that GF snapped at him about his family always coming over unannounced and how she has to hurry to put on a bra and everything is messy and we can't just drop in its rude! She says, as her mother and brother do the exact same thing, in a house she doesn't own. But my family let it be water under the bridge for now. My brother called me a f'in a'hole for telling my mom about the conversation. Because my mom was livid.
The next thing is my father. My dad's family has a pretty big history of strokes and heart attacks, and he's had one heart attack. My dad had been in pain all day and he finally gave up at about 3AM and woke my mom up to drive him to the hospital. I don't have a license at this point, so there's little that I can do. My mom says the surgery he probably needs isn't even done here and they're transferring him, my mom asked me to keep my brother in the loop. So I told him about this and about the time they would reach the hospital, because my mom dad gran and I share locations. I asked if he would take me up, I had a bag full of things that might make him more comfortable or less stressed. The hospital they're taking our dad to is a little over an hour away. Everyone is more or less frantic. My brother is talking to work for him, I'm making sure that for however many hours that our pets will be okay and talking to my mom's work. We drive there and nothing major happens, but it was so... Uncomfortable? Tense. The thing that's hurting my dad is a blocked or enlarged blood vessel that cuts off oxygen to the tissue around it, which, cells die, and you really need your colon, the area my dad has an issue with. The thing is, until they can do the surgery, it was like he was a ticking time bomb. My brother takes me home when visitor hours are over and I hold my dogs tight. The next day is filled with lots of pricks pokes and prods at my dad so we don't go that day. We do go the day after, Friday. My brother's GF is in the truck with him. I'm not really paying attention to much of anything because for all we know my dad could die before we got there. Brothers' GF goes to get some snacks from the long drive and the fact that she's not exactly family yet. My brother, mom and I rotate who is away in the cafe and eating with GF. I see GF and my brother whispering angrily at each other. She's tugging at his arm. I manage to pick up 'We're going to miss my mom's dinner!" And I am just stunned. Her mother has a small family dinner every single friday and makes meatloaf. His GF wanted us to head back from our critical father, because she didn't want to miss a weekly event. And I really have to hand it to my brother for not snapping right then and there. He waited until we were in his truck and out of the hospital parking lot and says "How in the f'ck do you say something to me like that? Like, for real, wtf!" GF starts crying and says its a family tradition and her mom is all she has left-- False. She has her mom, sister, and brother, at least. Her father died in a car incident that hospitalized her as a kid. So my brother snaps again like 'are you seriously telling me you value a f'ing loaf of meat over a life? we have no idea what will happen, my dad could die within the hour and i'm not there, he could die tomorrow, how long d-" And GF cuts him off wailing that her dad is dead. Which, yes, is a horrifyingly traumatic experience. But she does not get to play the 'my dad is dead' card ten years after the fact, to justify leaving our possibly dying father before visiting hours ended. She tried to emotionally blackmail my brother by apologizing to me through tears that this must be so hard for me but honestly I was doing my best to block it out, staring at pictures of dogs in hammocks. I shared my brother's sentiment.
But wait, there's more! Remember that car accident GF had years ago? You would think that, if nothing else, she would be empathetic for someone/their family in a car crash? You'd be wrong! I was rear ended at 60 mph right in front of my house after coming home from work (the ambulance took me straight back to work lmao). The physical damage to me was pretty minimal, bruises and a sprained ankle because my foot was pressed on the brake, waiting for an opportunity to cross into the driveway. This was late October 2020. Covid regulations were pretty strict. So I was alone in a room for a while and in pain. My parents had followed the ambulance. My dad had actually heard the crash and went 'huh she usually comes home now' and runs over after seeing the wreckage. My parents had the crash footage, grainy, but there thanks to the cameras set up outside our house. I hadn't realized it by that point but I had a pretty good concussion, and I was hurt, and scared. I was texting my mom constantly but my dad had left his phone at home in the rush to get my mom and she hadn't charged her phone, they'd been in the parking lot for like an hour and a half already. They promised me they'd be back soon, they'll just pop in and let my brother know since he lives nearby. My parents didn't even ask to like, stay and sit with them instead of a cold car. My mom asked to pee and to borrow a charging cable (they had one, GF has the same model phone) given the, you know, situation. My brother barely cracked the door to speak with them. He said no, because GF was uncomfortable, because they were waiting for their second negative test to come in. Read that again. They had tested negative. It's not like my mom would go near anyone to the bathroom either-- The back door that's used more often is literally inches away from the bathroom door. My brother didn't even try to argue with his GF about his own home and some empathy for someone else dealing with a car crash. It absolutely disgusted my parents. And later on brother told me he got another earful about our parents just dropping in without notice and its like? Excuse me? Its his house!
Unfortunately, a tire popped on my parents' car when we were nearby. It was like, 3 years since the first issue with the car. I went inside and asked my brother to let my mom in because its raining. GF did not like that, and didn't realize I could overhear her down the hall, arguing with my brother and his family again. I went over the next day to my brother and he was actively cleaning up GF's mess so it wouldn't be as 'embarassing' for her. I sat him down and talked to him as realistically as I could. I have depression, anxiety, emotional abuse trauma, agorophobia, and very few friends. But I'm okay. He started very quietly expressing his frustration towards GF. She doesn't do much around the house or contribute financially, lets her family over but not his, him doing most of the cooking despite regularly pulling 12s. I sat there calmly, because of course I knew this. This is what makes the situation somewhat even more sticky. I asked my brother, "Do you actually love someone like that? Or are you afraid to be alone?" He's been in one relationship or another for most of my life. Lately he had been confiding in me about how bad his mental health was falling and I was like 'that's not a slump, that's. that's depression.' So when I asked my brother the question, he hesitated. That spoke loudly enough in my opinion. But then I also saw my brother's face crumpling as he admitted he just didn't want to be alone. GF wants babies but my brother knows with her medical history and condition on top of being so lazy and bluntly told me she would not be a good mother and hopes to God that day doesn't come. He is so unhappy being with her. We both heard the rustling of a comforter and my brother lowered his panicky voice and asked me to leave so she doesn't see me here. That is incredibly messed up, especially since its his name on the house. I haven't seen my brother at his house since then, and that was over 2 years ago.
During COVID, GF started working from home, and it stayed that way. My brother still takes care of most things.
In the mean time, he's proposed to her. Yeah. I managed to save things when all our faces dropped at the Christmas dinner he announced their engagement at. My brother calls her by a nickname that was also the name of a beloved family dog that had passed away only one month ago. My dad and my reactions at that time were genuine confusion and sadness about him bringing up our passed pet. Everything was pretty quiet after that. When we got home, I texted my brother and told him that hearing our dog's name in conversation after losing her so recently shattered us, be we were, in fact, happy for his engagement.
I lied.
None of us want him to marry her. I dread the day that I get a wedding invitation or GF shows up pregnant. She would be a terrible mother. My brother is aware of the fact that my parents think she's a rude, inconsiderate brat that only thinks of herself, from that earlier conversation that I talked to my parents about. My mom snapped that they don't have to like her, all they were required to do was be civil, and we are, so shut up.
At larger family functions GF tends to gravitate around me. Like I said, we have similar interests and personalities. And I have never told her to get lost or had it in me to upfront tell her we don't like her. I am absolutely horrible at confrontation, but my patience is wearing thin.
Last year my parents set up brunch for Mother's Day. We were at the table when my brother called and said they were going to urgent care because GF had another one of her migraines that make her vomit. Which, she takes medicine and has injectable solutions. Some situation always comes up with her right before my brother would come to us.
My parents tried again with the Mother's Day brunch last week. On the day of, he said that he was too tired to come, can we try next week? Please insert the eyeroll of the century.
Because of our clear dislike, my brother doesn't often bring his GF around anymore on the offchance she lets him. It occurred to me that my parents planned the same brunch as last year, and I was dreading my question. "Is GF coming with us for brunch?" They don't know. All my brother did was confirm the time and place. The thought of having to deal with her in the morning and pretend that I don't see her for what she is, is already exhausting me. I can barely get my brother to even play online with me. I feel like this has been festering long enough that at some point, its all going to overflow at once. But I am absolutely disgusted by how she takes advantage of my brother's fear of being alone and how the world revolves around her.
I had a dream the other day, actually, it was a good dream. I was at their wedding, and the priest guy said the standard 'speak now or hold your peace' and I stood up and loudly shouted OBJECTION! Every single person in the room turned to look at me, one because I don't raise my voice like that, two my patience is vast, and three, to upset me to this level of shouldering my anxiety by making a spectacle of myself. I then explained every detail, especially how much she was charged for rent, that my brother admitted he wasn't happy, and I wanted better for him than to just be an ATM maid.
If I bring this up to my brother again, I may lose him forever. But if I don't, he may be miserable together. And on the third side-- Do I actually really want my brothers' friendship at this point? Like, I'm definitely fed up dealing with his GF like she is. Plus, I pointed out and reiterated to him before that he admitted he wasn't happy.
I am very, very quiet by default. Never got into much trouble. I was and still am a gentle soul at my core being. If things get to a point where I cross lines of polite manners and call someone out on their bs, people around know that someone did something almost unforgivable. I'm wondering if my brother would know that.
TLDR; Brother's fiancee is disliked for good reason. My brother has isolated. I miss him, but also never want to see him again. I want to remind him that this marriage isn't a good idea, but I don't want to antagonize him.
submitted by sweetlibertea to offmychest [link] [comments]


2024.05.18 06:26 AppHelper Farewell, my dear S5 cabriolet

This week, after just short of 10 years, I said goodbye to a good friend: my Audi S5 convertible.
It was a car I had wanted for several years, and the job I had out of law school made it possible. Two years in, I had gotten a new job in California, and instead of a flight, the firm agreed to pay for a cross-country road trip, a dream I had for a long time.
My Audi was a German car, but driving it was an American experience. I saw every vista from “This Land Is Your Land”: venturing on my first road trip from the New York island of Manhattan to the redwood forests of California; following the Gulf Stream waters starting in Tampa and up the East Coast; gazing up at endless skyway above ribbons of highway in Nevada; descending from the Rocky Mountains into the golden valley of the Colorado river; roaming and rambling through the sparkling sands of the Bonneville Salt Flats’ diamond desert; traversing backroads in Big Sur marked “private property”; passing through waving wheat fields in Kansas and rolling dust clouds in wide-open Texas; and watching the fog lift over the San Francisco Bay.
My car meant freedom. After moving back in with my parents during the pandemic, it was my escape both literal and figurative. I visited Adirondack State Park in New York for the fourth time; drove down to Florida and up through Daytona, Savannah, and Charleston; and ventured to the rugged Baxter State Park and pristine Acadia National Park in Maine. Locally, I regularly left the house for my rotation of Mancini’s pizza, EB Chinese, Wendy’s, and Wasabi House—all eaten in my car, with the top down if weather permitted. For a taste of Tsukiji, Tokyo, I would travel to Flatbush for Koma Sushi’s all-you-can-eat bluefin tuna events (and pick up Rita's water ice for my parents). I was responsible for my family's grocery shopping for many months, and before returning home in my Audi, I would often indulge in a ball of fresh-made mozzarella the size of my fist.
My 2011 Audi S5 Premium Plus Cabriolet was purchased on June 7, 2014 at Audi Meadowlands in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The dealer pulled a little sales trick: I came in to see a black certified pre-owned model listed for a price in my budget. The car was fine, but it was dusted in a layer of dirt. Given that I was moving to sunny California, black was not my preferred color. Then, of course, a beautiful, shiny “quartz gray metallic” S5 rolls up. The color was striking, taking on a tint of its environment while maintaining its own presence. It was especially beautiful under the blue sky. I couldn’t help but stretch my budget.
Car designer Walter di Silva, who was responsible for the design strategy of Lamborghini, Bugatti, and Audi for several years, called the Audi A5 his favorite design. It's hard to argue with that. It’s as close to timeless design as a car can get, and the convertible version was clearly very carefully engineered. The aerodynamics with the wind deflector in place are like magic. You can drive comfortably with the top down even in freezing weather. And at highway speeds, rain flows smoothly over your head.
It was a wonderful ride; the suspension was sporty and stiff, and the car was heavy so there were plenty of “thuds,” but it was never uncomfortable. The sport seats were a thing of beauty, and even after consecutive days of driving seven hours or more, I never had a hint of back pain. There were a few ergonomic quirks, like the steering wheel blocking the turn-signal indicators when adjusted to my preferred position, but otherwise it felt molded to my needs. (I especially appreciated the elbow room that later, slimmer S5 models didn't offer.)
Sure, the drive-by-wire gas pedal didn’t have the immediacy or feedback of the mechanically linked throttle on my previous car, and the supercharged V6 couldn’t launch the car as fast as the 400 horsepower V8 I had experienced in a Corvette, but it always had power to spare—even at its computer-limited maximum speed of 155 miles per hour. The “exhaust note” was also not the most harmonious, but the first time I experienced that “Audi burp” was unforgettable. The steering was not quite as precise as on the BMW 335i and 435i I had cross-shopped, but the sport differential gave it a turning ability much better than would be expected of a car of that weight. So it was not a perfect car, but it was a fun car.
And it was practical car. The rear seats were borderline suitable for adult humans, but the rear space was copious. Sometimes it became my mini pickup, hauling boxes from Costco, a lounge chair for my office, or even 2x4s for a building project. I knew how to fit each of my suitcases in for maximum efficiency.
My car was also very personal. I had driving companions for only two of my road trips: my second cross-country trip and my tour of all eight Ivy League colleges in one day. Every other road trip was either solo or with someone who remained a passenger. A generous ex-girlfriend kept it in her covered parking spot while I grew my business in India, and my dad graciously took the car out every few weeks while I was living in the Philippines. But that was it. Besides a few valets and mechanics doing routine test drives, probably not more than four or five other people drove the car the entire time I owned it.
I bought my S5 in a time of prosperity and promise. Perhaps I should have sold it earlier and switched to something more modest. When things were tough, I had to refinance, but it remained the last symbol that I hadn't lost everything. I clung to it, for better or for worse.
As my parents leave our family home and I rid myself of many of my old possessions, none is as meaningful as that car. Even though I have been living in the Philippines for most of the past seven years, I am starting a new chapter in my life. I'm excited for new adventures, in vehicles and otherwise.
And my next car will be even cooler.
submitted by AppHelper to Audi [link] [comments]


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