This place is such a shit hole!
If you ever watch the joy of a bunch of lazy idiots standing around scratching their heads wondering why no one wants to work with them. You should apply.
Ben-"The smartest man in the room" This "leader" is an ass hat. A tall fat sassy catty insecure human being whose greatest defense mechanism is insulting anyone who has intelligent contribution....why...you say? He has issues forming an intelligent reply so he just belittles anyone that actually wants to improve Shadowfax. He lives his workdays avoiding responsibility, promoting this agencies Bully culture and is a creature terrified of being revealed for truly mediocre he really is.
Jen. If fisting Ben's ass with her nose was an Olympic sport...she would bring home the pure gold baby. She spends her days in her office grazing snack foods and grooming her toxic ways. Warning though...this shrew should she find the slightest flaw in a peer..everyone shall know besides them. The only thing more polarizing than this miserable bags two faced ways is her she male fiestas ability to blend make up. Every day I wake up and thank God she is not an English teacher because those she teaches how write isps turn out rather mediocre. Tragically mediocre.
Mary-this playdoh elfs vast circumference is only eclipsed by her ability send passive aggressive emails demanding perfection. Her other skills involves writing passive aggressive post-its and make sure everyone knows what is not her job. As a hobby...she stars in horror films where the unlucky DSP goes into a bathroom, tuns out the light, and says "playdoh mary" three times. And then a passive aggressive message appears on setworks. The true horror is her kindness to your face the lies she puts in spreadsheets to show Jen once she wipes her nose.
Jannelle- living proof that you can rub two brain cells together and get a blob of clay. If that wasn't tragic enough she spends her days sending overly punctuated texts begging people to work so she has time work on both her faces.
Thier leader is open bag of Ramen noodles taped to a table lamp with a broken light bulb. When she's not trying to pass off a shitty power point as a tactical plan she runs around in circles asking 2 questions. Why does no one wanna work here? The other question is when Ben polishes an unoriginal piece of shit from his old job 5+ years and tries to market it as innovation. This salty bag of noodles hyperventilates in excitement sending surveys asking are we local leaders yet?
Those underneath them are underdeveloped, devoid of real leadership, and not taught or given the skulls or knowledge to succeed.
Why? These clowns live everyday terrified if someone actually knows what thier doing approaches they will be discovered for the fakes that they are and loose their exuberant income.
The joy is in watching them wonder why no one wants to work with them. One day they will run out of fingers to point.

Hello,
in order to do harsh noise wall, how can I process samples (48k sample rate, 24bit) through pedals? By now I have 3 options
1 - I have Zoom H1n and H4n so that I could play the sample from one of this, connecting from the headphones output to the pedals and then input into the second recorder, set some limiter or something and record.
2 - Otherwise I have a Focurite Scarlett 2i2 audio interface and from its output i can link to pedals and link the pedals to the inputs, press record on Audacity and play the sample from VLC.
3 - I also have a usb-c to 6.3mm jack to play samples from my phone (or low budget smartphones or the featurephone I recently got, Nokia 6300 4G), connect to the Focusrite and record with Audacity.
I don't think that I have a good hearing and a good audio system to tell the difference between the second and third, and the first has an available built in limiter that could be useful but without the limiter I think I would find the result really close to the other two methods.
I'm asking because I have to give as a present the result to a friend that might tell the differencies that I can't get so if there is a (theorically) better way among these that I have available or if I can get very cheap gear or software to improve a little bit please tell me! And I could use this information also for future bandcamp releases so if you help I can give you a listen and a buck on bandcamp if you have any :D
(I'm aware that most guitar pedals are mono, but to keep the stereoness of the sample I can process first a channel and then the second one with the same - or different if it could to a nice effect - setting)
Thank you merci grazie graçias ありがとう!

So I, as assistant manager, was pushed into the management job, during our busiest season no less, when my previous manager was very publicly fired about two, two and a half months ago. Like my boss took her into an adjacent, public room and after some yelling, she was fired and I was doing a promoted job for the same amount I was already making, no raise. The boss hounds my mistakes and hunts them down and makes me feel like shit. She’ll ask me if I’ve done things I didn’t even know I was supposed to do and I’m frankly, terrified of her because she’s a full-on bully. I’m so consistently stressed I’ve now been diagnosed with IBS and high blood pressure. I’m also going thru some family problems, which the boss knows about. I got a sinus infection the last two days of this week and called in, but when I did Friday, I was confronted with “we need to address this. Are you even coming back?” Like the bad faith addressing of my illness has pissed me off and pushed me to the edge. I’ve been suicidal and drinking way more just to unwind from every day, and I’m on Xanax now. My health is shit and I literally can’t fathom doing this another day. I don’t know what my question is other than, I guess, do good bosses even exist? I’ve had decent middle managers but I feel like once you own or general manage a company, it turns you into an egotistical monster.
This is not the first time that “passive” suicidal ideation has cleaved me from a job… it happens a lot. My last job ended with me in the psych ward. I just don’t know how to make a job tenable for more than two years. I end up burnt out and feeling pressured and trapped into working. I have a good support system and have been able to take time in the past so I’ll be fine, and I have other jobs lined up, but is this always going to be the cycle? I’m so tired.

Hi everyone. I was finally able to ride my new bike today. I never had a bike with gears or anything, so I’ve got some questions now that I have a new bike.
1) how do I know when to use which gear and stuff? On my left handlebar is a gear for L and H, and then on the right is a gear 1-6
2) what seat do you recommend for best comfort? My city is full of rough roads and I 100% need a new seat (I could barely stand mine today, ended up coming home early. In a decent amount of pain after a particularly rough street)
3) how on earth do I attach my stuff? I have a water bottle holder, a bag, an air pump, a flashlight, and maybe something else? It all came in a kit from walmart and I do not know what I am doing.
It’s currently 2am so I have no pictures to provide, I’m sorry. I need to get my bike sorted out so I can get to and from work (hopefully getting hired soon) since I don’t have a license yet.
Thank you so much everyone for any help offered.

Ladies and gentlemen, in a surprise to no one, the race for the title of Shockingly Incompetent Insufferable Fuck Ups was a dead heat and resulted in a tie between @DFW and @AmericanAirlines.
You really outdid yourselves, idiots. Thanks for absolutely ruining my life this week, and thousands of others. As an added bonus, you managed to do this while shamelessly and flagrantly not giving a single solitary shit.
See you never!

DFW #AmericanAirlines #DangerousIncompetence

CriminalIndifference #WorstExperienceEver #IHateYou

I spent 4 days stranded in the filthy hellhole that is DFW. Waited 5 hours in their customer service line only to be told there was nothing they could do. Waited 5 hours on the phone only to be told there was nothing they could do. They claimed it was a weather issue but when I begged them to let me fly out of Albuquerque instead they said I could only choose an airport in the region. Well every airport in the region was being affected by the same weather!
They act like every storm is the first storm they've ever dealt with. And it was maddening to literally live in the airport for 4 days and watch the storms come and go in the space of a couple hours, but they then blame their mishandling of the planes and crew on it. My flight out was delayed yesterday because they literally COULDN'T FIND the plane. They had towed a bunch of planes from cancelled flights (to allow more planes to land and strand more passengers), and then couldn't locate them. We were standing at the gate with the sign flashing "Now boarding" and there was no plane there. I asked the captain standing at the gate if there was a plane and he said "Theoretically." But they blamed it on weather so denied us all hotel and food vouchers.
Also, the entire AA terminal was shut down overnights while the skies were totally clear, while literally THOUSANDS of stranded passengers slept on the floor or leaned against the walls because there wasn't even anywhere to sit. Other airlines would have been adding flights and bringing in larger planes to get stranded passengers out, especially while the weather was clear, but not AA. They literally let you hang and don't even care if you have food, water or shelter. After witnessing their horrendous practices 24/7 over the past week I can tell you I would never fly with them again, even if there were a nuclear fallout and they were the only airline on earth. It's actually frightening the indifference they display, literally not caring if you live or die. I saw people crying that they needed medication and had run out, had kids and were out of food, we're going to lose their jobs.
Other airlines move crews, move planes, move heaven and earth because they understand their part of the contract is to get you to your destination. AA doesn't do ANY of that and they do not care what impact that has.
You are quite literally taking your life in your hands if you fly with them. I had no idea how bad it could be but thanks, AA, for the very rude awakening.

Throwaway account for privacy reasons.
Hello good people, I need your help to find out if AITAH.
Context: My long distance girlfriend has to take an important exam in a few days. She always said it’s a very important exam and she is stressed about it.She knew about it for months but didn’t really do a lot to prepare, in part probably because she didn’t know the exact date?
In the last week of May she found out is will be on June 5. Since she found out the exact date she went out a couple of times with friends and had a bit too much to drink, so those days were kind of wasted, but she is actively studying now.
Problem: A few days ago I proposed to have a date night on Sunday. The problem is that a day after I proposed it I realised that on Monday morning I have a dentist appointment and maybe it’s not such a good idea to have the date night the prior evening, as we usually stay up late and also we are quite heavy drinkers, so it may be very possible I won’t be able to wake up in time. So I proposed to cancel it and do it at a later stage.
She got mad and called it a shitty move, because “you don’t cancel like that and with this motivation”.
Moreover, she said that she would imagine that “her boyfriend would do something to take her mind off of the exam”, but apparently not.
In all fairness, I didn’t really think about that and I admitted it. The reasons are cultural and linked to my personal upbringing, it just wasn’t a thing in my life. Never had it done to me, never saw anybody do it for someone else. But again, I admitted it openly. Honestly, I could have thought of that.
This made everything worse, apparently. Everything blew out of proportion to a full blown fight after that.
Now my question is, AITA for cancelling/postponing date night?
Also, if more detail is needed, I can provide it. Thank you!

It’s officially June 2nd, folks, as I'm submitting this. The Big Day is here not chance the rapper’s wedding, the day of the 2024 Mexican federal elections. Both in-country citizens and those living abroad who registered for the process will be voting (at the very least) for the next President of the Mexican Republic, their state’s Senators and their federal Deputies. Depending on the state they live in, there will also be elections for Governor, local Deputies and Mayors. The total number of positions up to a vote is 20,708 spots, across both federal and local elections, the greatest ever in the history of Mexico. Even though it sounds like a cliché, it’s true – the results of this election will determine Mexico’s course for the near future, and some argue for the rest of the country’s existence.

STRUCTURE OF THE MEXICAN FEDERAL SYSTEM
To understand the importance of what’s at stake we have to start with the basics. For right now I’ll focus on the federal side of the election as I think that’s what most want to learn more about (I’ll bring up state-level issues later; they can still affect the result).
The Mexican federal system is tripartite, divided in the usual way – the President is the executive, the Supreme Court being the figurehead for the judicial branch, and Congress through both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate representing the legislative.
The President is elected via FPTP for only one term lasting six years, called a sexenio. There hasn’t been much actual innovation in the process of voting for the President, aside from the notable shifts in voting tendencies every six years since the 2000 election, which ended the 71-year-long run of the PRI in power. The current president is Andrés Manuel López Obrador, or AMLO as he’s commonly known, elected in 2018.
The Senate is composed of 128 senators. 96 of these come from a majority system and 32 are elected via national proportional representation party lists. Of the 96 majority senators, 64 are elected as winning pairs in each of the 32 states, known as the “first and second formulas.” The remaining 32 are the “first minority” winners, in other words the second placers in the Senate elections. This, alongside the PR senators, is supposed to even the playing field for opposition parties. Senate elections are concurrent with presidential ones, also lasting six years, but they are able to be reelected for one term more.
The Chamber of Deputies, meanwhile, is composed of 500 deputies. 300 of these are the FPTP winners of each of the 300 electoral districts nationwide. The other 200 are PR party-list deputies divided between 5 circumscriptions, or at-large districts. These districts are roughly equivalent in population and roughly represent the 5 main regions of the country – western Mexico, headed by Guadalajara, northern Mexico, headed by Monterrey, southeastern Mexico, headed by Xalapa, the capital of Veracruz, south-central Mexico, headed by Mexico City, and southwestern Mexico, headed by Toluca the capital of Mexico State. Deputy elections are every three years; an elected deputy is able to get reelected for three more terms. These reelection changes were set into law with the 2014 political-electoral reform package and came into practice in 2018 for the 2021 elections, the first time any federal-level politician was allowed to run for continuous reelection since the Mexican Revolution.
All these elections are managed by the National Electoral Institute (INE, its acronym in Spanish). The INE is, quite literally, a superpowered FEC – aside from the basic role of taking note of who is campaigning for what, it controls ballot access, it manages campaign ad times on TV to the second, it makes sure that candidates do not say anything that can be out of electoral law, it sets up the format and the broadcasting of debates…it is the reason that Mexican elections flow (relatively) smoothly.
Alongside the INE stand the Electoral Tribunal of the Judicial Power of the Federation (TEPJF) and the OPLEs, the Local Electoral Public Organisms, creating the entire Mexican electoral system. The Tribunal, as you can guess, is where affected parties (in the legal sense) can go dispute any potential circumstance that affects them. During campaign season this is mostly just “candidate X was a meanie to me – candidate Y” type affairs, but post-election its importance ramps up as it helps resolve close calls in elections – something people say will be especially important this time around. The OPLEs are mini-INEs for each of the 32 states, managing the electoral matters of localities and replicating the faculties of the INE for local elections.
The Mexican electoral system is complex out of post-uniparty distress. Before the IFE (the INE’s precursor), elections were handled by a commission under the purview of the Secretary of Government. You can guess where this goes. It was one of the main ways the PRI held power for so long – elections were free but unfair. During the 1990s when the Mexican system liberalized the creation of an independent electoral agency was one of the main goals, and as far as creating the conditions for fair elections, over the five full sexenios it has existed since 1990, I’d say it has generally succeeded.
The main characters of elections, however, are obviously not the institutions, but the political actors themselves through political parties. This election, there’s seven of them at play.
THE PARTIES (AND THEIR COALITIONS)
For the 2024 election, the seven parties running are divided into two main coalitions and one running a single candidate – Fuerza y Corazón por México, composed by the PRI, PAN and PRD, Sigamos Haciendo Historia, with Morena, PVEM and PT, and Movimiento Ciudadano.
Fuerza y Corazón por México (Strength and Heart for Mexico)
The opposition coalition, composed of the National Action Party (PAN), the Revolutionary Institutional Party (PRI), and the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD). A big-tent coalition, center-left to center-right. Their candidate is former Senator Xóchitl Gálvez.
PAN – The opposition by excellence. Founded in the 40s by a group of lawyers, doctors and other professionals to serve as a balance to the nationalistic policies of the PRI from back then. Due to the Mexican system, it only controlled some municipalities until the election of their first governor in 1989, and from there on, winning the presidency with Vicente Fox in 2000 and repeating with Felipe Calderón in 2006. “Humanistic” according to their doctrine, but conservative according to many you’d ask. More so in the Christian democratic tradition, but their party is still a big tent – from reactionary firebrands like Senator Lilly Téllez to progressive pro-market types like Xóchitl herself.
PRI – The former Mexican dominant party, now a shell of its former self. With 71 years of one-party rule that ended dramatically in 2000, the PRI has shapeshifted over the decades. From standard-bearers of the post-revolutionary cause to nationalistic expropriators, from technocratic liberators to Congressional opposition, from centrist reformers to a second place in this coalition of unequals, it has somehow managed to survive when people announce its demise. With how coalitions are structured in ballots, the desertion of its former clientelist and syndicalist bases to Morena, and the constant kick-outs and self-exiles of politicians who don’t agree with the current party president, however, who knows how many more times the PRI can cheat death before it’s truly over.
PRD – A party that began with a bang and is ending with a whimper. Created from the aftermath of the 1988 election where many believed (and still do) that left-wing candidate Cuauhtemoc Cardenas had his victory stolen, the PRD was, until a few years ago, really a front itself of multiple left-wing groups that constantly squabbled amongst each other. Its main political bastion was Mexico City, where it governed continuously from 1997 to 2018, and southern Mexico in general. Many of its former members and voters moved on to Morena, leaving the party in the hands of a few groups trying to keep it alive. Already it lost its registry in several states, and it’s close to do so nationwide. This might be its last election the PRD runs in.
Sigamos Haciendo Historia (Let’s Keep Making History)
The governing coalition, composed of the National Regeneration Movement (Morena), the Ecologist Green Party of Mexico (PVEM), and the Labor Party (PT). Leftist/populist, their candidate is former Mexico City mayor Claudia Sheinbaum.
Morena – AMLO’s personal project, it first started as one of the many groups inside the PRD, only to then spin off when he broke off from that party after the 2012 elections, becoming a civil association in 2013 and officially a party a year later. With AMLO at the forefront, the party got its big break in 2018 by winning the presidency, a majority in the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, and several governorships. Only more wins came after that in more states – currently, it holds the governor’s seat in 21 of the 32. Morena’s ideology is…confusing. It can best be described as a populist platform, with a typical class-battle message and lots of focus on marginalized communities of all types. However, it doesn’t really attempt that through typical leftist means, like raising taxes on the wealthy. Instead, it goes for a vaguely Norquistian “starve the beast” method, with the reasoning that governmental and economic power have been connected for too long. Austerity is the name of the game, at least on that end. These saved funds are then channeled to voters through its main policy proposal – social programs. Pensions for old people, student scholarships, disability checks…direct cash transfers and the clientele they bring are what the party’s become best at. Add onto them the syndicalist and rural structures that its brought onto the fold from the PRI and you can see where exactly it’s obtained so much goodwill (and votes) from.
Green Party (PVEM) – The most questionable party in a political scene already filled with questionable actors, the Green Party can be summed up in one word – controversy. Founded by a former PRI member in 1986, it limped along until somehow in the 90s it started getting votes. After that, it found its calling – being the willing coalition partner for any party that needs votes. In 2000 it aligned with the PAN to help elect Fox, from 2003 to 2018 it was in a long relationship with the PRI, and in 2019 it became a proud Morena ally. Over the years, it has championed such pro-environment proposals as: burning trash to generate electricity, giving medicine vouchers to families, and the death penalty! Wait a minute, weren’t these guys green? Ehhhh…the founder’s son once said that “they represented interests, not the ecology,” and the European Greens outright stripped the party its official designation of Being Green (TM). Aside from that, they’re known for a small scandal of TV celebrities being spokespeople for them in movie theater ads, a small scandal of an unauthorized resort development in Cancun, a small scandal of a murder of a Bulgarian model in a party…the Greens have been called “the worst of the worst” in Mexican politics. Rightfully so?
Labor Party (PT) – The PT is a party that, to be quite frank with y’all, dear readers, I don’t understand how (or to be more precise, why) it still exists. Formed in 1990 by a group of various left-wing and agrarian organizations, the PT has a typical leftist-socialist ideology, but never much actual presence nationally aside from being the coalition partner of the PRD or Morena. It’s tried running its own candidates for governors, but they never went anywhere – all its governorships have been as part of a coalition. It’s also only ever had its own presidential candidate once, in 1994 with Cecilia Soto – she obtained 4^th place with a little less than a million votes. It has never been a highly voted party – in deputy elections, the most it obtained was in the 2009 midterms with about 3.7% of the vote. Last midterm, it reached 1.14%. It already escaped the loss of its registry in 2015 thanks to the goodwill of the PRD and MC in annulling an election. Who knows if it can this time?
Finally, there's Movimiento Ciudadano, with Jorge Álvarez Máynez as their candidate.
Movimiento Ciudadano (Citizens’ Movement) – Originally Convergencia in 1999, MC describes itself as social-democratic. They're a more modern left compared to the governing coalition, showing throughout the years proposals on urbanism, federalism, and a focus on GSMs. While for most of its existence it was another minor party that’d run in alliance with the PRD, MC shook up the scene in 2018 by winning the governorship and most municipalities in the state of Jalisco with Enrique Alfaro, followed by the 2021 meme-based winning campaign of Samuel García in Nuevo León. Samuel’s specifically set the tone for how MC would start running – flashy campaigns with candidates boasting about them being “the new politics” (debatable). Right now, the party is at an important fork, depending on how its first-ever homegrown presidential candidate Máynez does. If he reaches a good percentage of votes, MC will have the chance to be kingmaker in Congress, setting themselves up in a good position for the next elections. But if too many voters decide to go for one of the coalitions, the decision to run solo might accidentally have been the party’s downfall.

Sorry for submitting this way too late – I was getting distracted all day lol. I’ll write a second part tomorrow (or I guess, later today?) with how we got here based on recent history, the candidate running and the polls. Either Monday or Tuesday I’ll write an aftermath post based on the results. To all my Mexican friends, happy voting, and to everybody else, thanks for sticking around til the end.

You know all of us who love bread and make bread with coconut flour and all but it still tastes like egg? I tried everything to get rid of the flavour and I finally cracked it.
After the usual recipe ingredients - ADD COTTAGE CHEESE AND TAHINI! Then sprinkle the bread with shredded cheddar. YOU WON’T KNOW THERE ARE EGGS IN IT.
You can thank me later. Enjoy 😂🤍

Hey, I’m in need of advice. I usually don’t turn to Reddit, but I’m desperate, now.
My current boyfriend and I have been together 4 years this coming 20th of October.
When I graduated in 2022, we moved into an apartment together, where I did everything- all the cleaning and taking care of the cats, most of the cooking. I paid the deposit of $2,000 for the apartment by myself using my personal savings. I furnished the apartment. I felt and still feel unappreciated. Living in this apartment lasted a month due to the constant fighting. I just gave up the lease/deposit in lieu of being evicted.
Something happened before the events of the apartment that I will never forget. My boyfriend claims to not remember, but I remember it as clear as day. For about six months, my boyfriend was practically homeless (as his mother wouldn’t let him stay with him). We made the mistake of letting him live with us in a federal apartment complex. I remember one night when we got into an extremely heated fight. He told me he was going outside to take a breath or whatever, so I locked the door behind him as I felt unsafe. He called his mom and told her that we “locked him out and wouldn’t let him back in,” and that he needed to get back inside in order to get his money. Long story short, he had his money on him while outside. To this day I’m not sure what his intention was.
He ended up moving to an apartment that was in the city I currently live in. The apartment was never clean. He didn’t believe in mopping or throwing things away immediately. His roommate was an 🫏. I did a lot for him, then, too. I convinced my brother to help him move out when he got evicted. I also cleaned regularly.
In February, I worked at my local Walmart. While at work, we got into a fight. After it escalated, he told me he asked a girl out on a date for Valentine’s Day. Fast forward a fight that lasted a couple days, we ended up making up for the 100th time. When I brought it up, he just said he thought she was hot and was trying to move on (like I did briefly for a month. Long story.) I feel like he tried using her to manipulate me into staying.
Fast forward to today, I realize that I tolerate a lot of bull💩. He lives in an apartment with two roommates who don’t pick up after themselves, and clean maybe once a week, if they feel like it. Imagine the start of a hoarder house-that would be the apartment. He has a ferret who drives me insane. She wakes me up at midnight most nights by biting my feet. Not to mention, he also drives me insane. He blurts out random noises that I thought was cute at first. He doesn’t wash his hands after he 💩s, and only recently has begun to shower regularly. He doesn’t brush his teeth with water. His clothes always smell horrible because the unit doesn’t have a washedryer hookup. Overall, he just acts like a child who was never told “no,” and is just an adult who doesn’t have his shit together and probably never will. He’s 20 but acts 15. He once told me he “never wants to grow up,” and I’m starting to believe it.
I know what you’re all thinking at this point: why are you still with this guy??? Well, for starters, like all nem he isn’t 100 percent bad. He has his moments where he is incredibly sweet and considerate. I feel like he understands me, and whatever. But lately I’ve been feeling detached from him. We went from being intimate nearly every day to maybe once or twice every four days. He said his libido isn’t the same, and that he’s bored of xes. I think he is just bored of me.
To be honest, I’m afraid of what he’d do. In the past when we’ve broken up, he made alternate phone numbers to constantly call and harass me on multiple occasions.
So…
Today at around 12, I’m going to my first ever Pride. A huge part of me wants to meet a girl and flirt with her for the hell of it (I’ve been questioning if I am gay. Also a long story.) I’m going with a friend who has her 💩 together: realistic goals, a promising future, a great personality, etc. I have known her from middle school to freshman year, until we slowly drifted apart. We recently reconnected. I have had a crush on her for the longest time. She STILL gives me butterflies, even after all these years. So girlies, my question is…should I take my shot with her or someone else? Should I dump my boyfriend? If so, how should I go about it?

I (24) have been blessed with the opportunity to take a break from working, for as long as I want to pretty much, thanks to my partner. I left my old job because I was having mental health issues.
My partner is easily able to handle all of the bills on his own without me working. He told me yesterday that I have free reign to do whatever I want and pursue whatever I want, as long as I keep working towards improving my mental health.
I’ve been working since I was 18 and this is my first time ever being completely jobless. I don’t know what to do with my time now that I’m free. I have no formal education (obviously can’t afford college). I have no real skills. But there are a lot of things I’m interested in.
I’ve always wanted to be an artist. I also want to learn how to cook better. I have been thoroughly interested in starting a YouTube channel too. I want to get back into learning French (lost the drive for it years ago) or maybe Spanish as well.
Then again, I could return to work anyways. Since he has the bills covered and isn’t wanting or expecting me to pitch in, I could basically save every penny I make, which would set us both up for the future.
So, I’m unsure of what I should do. Should I take this opportunity to build up some skills and passions/hobbies? Or should I just focus on money given that I have the opportunity to save every bit of money I’d make? I know going back to work would put a strain on my mental health, but I would be willing to risk it if it meant we benefit in the end. I know he wouldn’t agree with this and we’ve argued about this a few times. He’d rather me not go back. He has the attitude that money shouldn't rule our lives, while I feel like all I think about is money.
What would you do if you were my age and in this situation?
Thanks

hii so i’m looking for help building a closet that will help me make these outfits on a daily basis! i need tips on basically everything haha what to buy in terms of accessories shoes clothing even down to my socks 😭😭 i’ve saved up enough to start building a new wardrobe and i’m set on this style
and for reference, my favourite clothing items at the moment are graphic r shirts, denim skirts, jorts, and cheetah sunglasses (and i’m strictly a silver jewellery type of girl even though this style is generally used with gold) ⬆️ and definitely wanna get into bags too i just don’t have any cute ones right now
and what sneakers should i buy? i only have converse and some nike running shoes atm
thank you!!

I was talking again with my grandma and she has this thing that she sometimes don t recognize where she is. Is not dementia or alzheimer, cuz she has this thing since she was a teen. She told me she was like 13 when her mother sent her to the next village and for the first time she didn t recognized the place, and she visited it before many times. Again if you change her route and she knows she needs to get in a place by route x and you get her there by route y, she experience the same thing. Once in hospital she took the elevator and in place of her floor she went to the next one and she panicked, cuz she didn t know where she is. Last week she went with mom at shopping and mom stoped with a station before her home. She said again she didn t recognize the place. I believe they made some investigations when she was young, but they never told us what she has. Does someone from here experienced the same thing? And know what this is?

I got all dolled up to go try this new brunch place out with family, saw an acquaintance whom I first met when I was emaciated. The first thing they said to me after exchanging hellos was “did you gain weight?” to which I replied “I am on a bulk” as if I had to justify my weight gain. He said I looked good but all I heard was “You look HUGE”. I said thanks and awkwardly shuffled away, immediately beginning to body check in every reflective surface I came across along the way. Now I’m sat at the table waiting for others to show up, already feeling guilty about the order I’m about to place. I felt like I looked so good too before leaving the house. Help me get through this day please. :( It doesn’t help that this happened right after yesterday when I finally decided to get it back together after a calorie counting relapse and deleted the app.

Hello, as mentioned - I am a 27F looking for more friends, as I don’t really have a lifestyle where I’m constantly outside actively hanging out with people (which I am fine with).
I work a remote job so my socialising level increasing would do me some good.
*You must be somewhere around my age, or older. I’m sorry as the more gen z you are, the more I’m lost in the conversation. *I am also not looking for a relationship.
Please give me a short introduction of yourself too, please.
About me:

• I live in Singapore [GMT+8], I am of mixed heritage.
  
• When I’m not working, I spend time with my cats, I go swimming and/or I am watching or reading anything that tickles my fancy. I make my own hours, and you’ll come to find me struggling to keep a routine sometimes.
  
• I love books, so if you would like to discuss or read together, you will be very fun company! (We can also do this with documentaries/shows too). I can game too, but rarely these days. *I rarely read fantasy. I mostly have been reading non-fiction and I love my occasional novels!
  
• I am an INTJ (though I’ve been typed as a INTP when I was younger..?), people seem interested in that but I’ve also seem to get along quite well with other INTJ/Ps, ENTJs and INFJ/P. So, that’s interesting.
  
• I’ll be as actively present as I can be, I would not ghost you if we decide to be friends. My preferred platform is Discord.
  
• I do not use social media, so do what you will with that information haha.
  
• I come with respect with a dash of goofiness and occasional unintentional aloofness.
  
• I may be a slow texter sometimes but I’m definitely paying attention and I will always be there.
  
• I am not diagnosed and don’t plan on having it checked out but majority of my friends believe I may have ADHD from how my thought process/communication/lifestyle is seen, so I’m just throwing it out there since you may be a potential friend of mine.
  

Edit: I like cooking, so if you do too and want to talk recipes, let’s do it! *While I try to achieve great things, I am aware failures can happen 😅
—-
If you think we get along, great! If you’re think we’re similar, amazing - let’s get connected!
x

I started a new job at the beginning of the year and I feel like I’ve finally found something I enjoy doing. I work as a team leader for a manufacturing team.
I found out last week that a colleague of mine who is in the same position is on quite a fair chunk more than me (probably in the region of 11-12% more). Granted, he has been with the company much longer than I (6+ years), however I can’t help but feel like I’m being low balled as we do the exact same job day-in-day-out.
I don’t know how it if I should bring this up with my line manager. Especially since I’m still in my probation. I get the feeling I’ll get an answer somewhere along the line of “you signed your contract to do the job at that much”.
So, I have 2 questions:

1. What are peoples opinions on doing the same job as someone else for less?
   
2. Opinions on asking for a pay rise only a few months into a new role?
   

Okay, so I've (27f) struggled with depression and related issues for most of my life. Had some awful experiences growing up and have struggled since. Been to therapy- helped to an extent. Basically, I'm the type of person that functions well from the outside looking in no matter what. Like, my senior year of high-school I made plans to off myself 4 times, and either talked myself out of it or was talked out of it each time, all the while getting straight A's and working. I barely slept that year and had panic attacks that lasted hours multiple times a week, but still somehow managed to function. I haven't tried or made plans to off myself for 2 years now, but I still think about it all the time. I have a good job, friends, a spouse, healthy pets. I keep my house relatively clean. But getting out of bed, eating, going to bed before 4am, hobbies are impossibly hard to do. I literally don't eat more than a granola bar until 9pm most days.
Therapists have always been confused. Like I feel emotionally debilitated, but I can function and it doesn't make sense to them. It's like they expect me to not be able to work or have relationships when I describe how I feel day to day. But the thing is- I want to want to be alive so bad. I just don't. I have before, but that was a long time ago. I don't want to feel like this, but I also think it's my genuine response to bad shit that happen to me as a kid. Like I lost hope and I want it back but I can't find it inside myself no matter how much therapy I do or books I read or self-care I incorporate.
Anyone out there like this? Like you feel like death on the inside, but on the outside life is technically good, and you act like you're totally fine to the point where people don't really worry about you when you tell them you're struggling? What have you done to improve your quality of life?

I don’t know why I’m so weak. I can’t go fully no contact with my whole family yet because I am dependent on them for health insurance right now (I’m 21 and can’t get my jobs for over a year, thanks America). I blocked my Dad a little odd than two months ago because I couldn’t take it anymore but I ended up unblocking him because my EMom guilted me into it after I asked if I could take her out for her birthday and Mother’s Day instead of joining the family. He was giving me the silent treatment at first after I sent him a text saying clearly that I would not allow any more bullshit mind games etc instead of just correcting his behavior and being a Dad, but that wasn’t very surprising. I saw him at my sisters graduation at a stadium full of other families and he was all of a sudden super dad and all over me and sooo interested in college even though he didn’t give a fuck about it until I begged him for the third time to pretend he cared (I’ve struggled for years with mental health and addiction and worked really hard to get to this point and he literally tried to make it harder for me to go by refusing to give his required info for my student loans for a month). He has done so much fucked up shit to me and has fucked my mental health completely over the years. I have such a low self esteem and constantly doubt my reality and feelings. I started to feel bad for him and let my guard down a bit after my sisters graduation and responded with hearts when he said it was good to see me. This Friday I was thinking about how I want to find a better job because I do pizza delivery right now and I want to find something like a psych hospital job to give me experience since I’m studying Psychology and want to get a job when I graduate. He hates me doing pizza delivery and tormented me when I was doing Uber Eats by calling me constantly telling me to not do it and trying to scare me about how bad it was for my car no matter how many times I told him to stop. I have stopped putting up with the bullshit since November and that was one thing I got him to stop doing, he put his focus onto other ways of making me crazy and trying to feel powerful. But I had this thought that I should ask him if he knows anyone who would hire me and I texted him telling him I didn’t want to do pizza delivery anymore and listed some of the reasons he said it’s bad, honestly because I just wanted validation and to make him feel good that I listened to him. I literally laughed out loud at the narcissism in his response, he just went “makes sense!”, didn’t address me asking about if he knows anyone, and then started talking about how he’s at the gym getting swole and no ones there blah blah blah me me me. He said he misses me and I was still wanting some validation I guess because I told him I could come see him soon and he suggested dinner and I agreed. It’s 4am, I just worked a closing shift at work and I’m just thinking about how I have to spend my one off day getting dinner with him and I feel so disappointed in myself for just folding like that and trying to make him happy and feel special even though it fucks with me to just be in his presence. I will feel so insanely guilty if I cancel and I just can’t get myself to do it. I guess this is just a vent and I also would appreciate any insight or advice about how to break out of the way I am programmed to cater to him and make him feel important and loved while accepting being neglected as if that’s what I deserve. I feel like I have to make it better with him for blocking him yet I blocked him because he’s abusive and did him a favor by unblocking him and he hasn’t even owned any of his actions or apologized at all. Why do I care so fucking much about what he thinks and if he’s ok emotionally when I am fully aware he is a narcissist? I am going to try to limit the amount I share tomorrow and honestly my goal is to just make him feel cared about so that I can feel less guilt and anxiety about him feeling abandoned by me. Typing this out I realize it’s so twisted and I don’t know why I’m not staying true to myself and my needs.

can’t remember the name of the artist or the song. all i remember are some of the lyrics:
“you better make your mind, make up your mind, boy you’re running out of time. you better make up your mind, make up your mind, before i make up mine.”
i put those into google, spotify, and a lyric finder, but i didn’t get anything. i think the artist is pretty small, so that might be why.

Obviously a lot of this is just theory and extrapolation between the two MVs, which are most definitely interconnected. The explanation is a bit long, does have some blanks, and you'll have to excuse the way it's written. In order to not have to rewrite everything over and over, it's a copy and paste of a comment responding to someone on YouTube (which also has another copy/paste in it... sorry!!) And of course, feel free to do anything from weigh in to mercilessly shredding this theory apart. 😹
Supernova and Armageddon seem to tell the story of the members' literal "fall" and loss of their humanity, heavily relying on symbolism from eschatology, but with their own aespa twist (forget demons... losing their humanity seems to make them literally artificial intelligences and something alien). Here we go!
The possible story so far (the MVs are actually interconnected... don't believe me? Look at the symbols on the foreheads of NingNing, Karina, and Winter in Armageddon and go back to Supernova's MV during the dance break and look at the symbols on the floor during their respective solo scenes during the break. And if you are wondering why you don't see one for Giselle, well... two reasons for that: she is the protagonist and last member standing of the story, and also look at what her metal headpiece in Armageddon literally circles: a completely blank spot.
Since I don't want to rewrite everything, I'm just going to copy and paste a reply I wrote to someone in another comment thread about Giselle being the sole human throughout the majority of Supernova. Some things to remember: the timeline seems to go in reverse, and the majority of the group scenes are removed from the rest of the storyline, taking place after their fall.
​​⁠I picked that up too (note for Reddit: this reply was referring to Giselle as the sole human for most of Supernova)! Well, to an extent as well...l think a lot of what we see is in Giselle's mind and the timeline seems to continue going backwards. There's quite a bit of continuity between the two. Watch carefully and you will see that the symbols on their foreheads in Armageddon (which all the members have EXCEPT Giselle, whose solo scenes show the elaborate metal work around her head that circles a blank space in the exact spot the other members have symbols) are the EXACT SAME as the symbols we see on the floor during the members' solo scenes of the dance break here... and the only person we DON'T see the symbol for is Giselle. It also seems like we have NingNing as the first antagonist. Both MVs HEAVILY focus on the right eye, and NingNing is the member with heterochromia/mismatched eye colors from the beginning (with an X in her right eye). Supernova also seems to be the story of Karina's literal "fall" into what possibly might be Ningning's control while Armageddon is Winter's. Giselle seems to serve as the sole human protagonist and the catalyst to go back and tell the story.
Armageddon begins with Karina trying to protect Winter, and the actual rip we see in that first scene is the same rip that NingNing opens in the wall towards the end of that MV. She's also the one that slams Winter's head into the table (same manicure NingNing has in Supernova, and oddly we actually see her nails in focus quite a lot in Supernova: something that is more passing or incidental for everyone else). It's also Karina who initially breaks Giselle's phone right before she is about to begin to tap "who is the AI?" for the security code (if you missed it, that's what is on Giselle's phone screen in the beginning of Supernova, as well as the time being 6:31 and a reminder for her birthday). But moving forward in the timeline, after Karina's fall, she has the same issues with the right eye. It's when she looks in the car's rear view mirror with her right eye that it breaks while her left does show her reflection. In Armageddon, we also see as she looks into a magnified version of NingNing's eye (who also is the one to grab her into that scene) that some form of energy is being drained from her... right eye, again. NingNing's crystallized version of herself also comes from, once again, the right eye. When Winter's head is slammed, it's her right eye that is revealed then to be a machine. There are actually more right eye references throughout both MVs, but it would take an age to go back and list them all. In the study of eschatology (the study of the end of the world/Armageddon), the right eye actually symbolizes sin and someone's literal fall from grace.
There's also continuity even with the phone... it originally is NingNing's when she is freed. She's also the one who technically has it last in the timeline and somehow fixes it after Karina has broken it. So in order, it seems to be that NingNing sort of infects Winter first, changing her into AI (she is, after all, the fallen angel in Armageddon that Karina first tries to protect). Armageddon, minus group scenes, also ends with Karina being sucked into the right eye, while Supernova also begins with her literal fall. (It's also NingNing who is doing the observing throughout Armageddon, and the scenes that reveal the subject she is observing always show Giselle). There's also a repeating motif of the number 631, particularly for Giselle. It's the time on nearly every clock we see in both MVs. It's also the "time" when the story itself begins, and in eschatology, 631 actually means the time to join the battle. So they definitely put a lot of thought into the storyline and imagery... even down to the styling.
If I hadn't studied eschatology so much, I would have missed the majority of what is shown (and probably still would have missed it if I didn't see parts being replayed in a video editor's analysis of the directing and editing of the MVs lol). While I don't quite get everything that is going on, it does seem to clearly be the study of the girls' fall, literally and figuratively, except in their universe, it's losing their humanity to become something alien and artificial. While we don't literally see Giselle's fall, it's heavily implied as NingNing breaks in while she is still in the high rise, and when we see her next and she rewinds time, she is on the ground. And the very end of Armageddon does show them all fallen (and into a symbol that actually combines pieces of all the others). I might, and probably am, reading a bit too much into everything... but there's very little that aespa ever does in the storyline of their MVs and universe that isn't carefully thought out. It's what makes watching and rewatching them really rewarding if you are interested in lore and stories hidden in plain sight (underneath some amazing visuals that are just as fun if you don't care about digging deeper).
Other food for thought: could Drama also be connected? I haven't gone back to check, but there are a lot of similar motifs (like falling ahem).
And if you got this far, here's a smiley cat for you in thanks: 😺😼

Hi, hoping someone can help me, I am in the U.K. and I listen to international radio through mytuner radio routine on my Alexa, it’s been work great until yesterday I realised when I try to play anything I get the response “ I didn’t quite get that , which radio station do you want to play”. This really slowed my day cuz I like to listen to Africa stations, if there is any alternative radio skill or a fix to this issue il be grateful. Thanks

I don’t know what I did wrong
I was dating the most beautiful woman in this world. She was in an extremely abusive relationship before me, he never allowed her to be with any of her guy friends, isolated her, and had the most narcissistic behaviour towards her. In the end he slapped her and that’s when she broke up with him and blocked him everywhere. He also cheated on her and she consoled him . She comes from a conservative South Indian family, when her family found out that she was dating someone, they removed her from her high school and her dad slapped her for dating someone. The next guy was the abusive boyfriend.
She went on a few dates after the abusive boyfriend, and then she finally met me through bumble.
When I got to know about her past, I tried my best to make her comfortable and give her a mature and a loving relationship. I respected her boundaries, she used to over burden me with love and I always used to tell her that she is great and she has an amazing personality and that’s why I love her. I always tried to keep our relationship realistic, cause she was worried that I would go to us for my masters. I always tried to make her go out with her friends and not to make me her whole life, which she was doing so. I tried to get her out of the extremely toxic relationship by giving her a mature one which is full of boundaries and respect. She often told me how grateful she is to be with me, and how I have boosted her self esteem and did not make her insecure for a minute.
3 months in she tells me she cheated on me with one of her classmates. She still loves and all that bs. She told me and I tried to fix it and she was like I need some time. Literally the next day I see them together dating. She doesn’t even look at me when she crosses me in college. She seems very happy with the new guy. Oh btw, when she went out with the guy before she was with me, she asked her personal questions and the guy was like you aren’t my therapist.
I tried my best to give her a healthy relationship and she used to tell me that but still this happened. Where did I go wrong?
So we both are 21 and in final year of college in Bangalore. We met through bumble, and it’s been 3 months since the breakup and I still feel horrible about it, maybe because I see her and her new boyfriend in campus everyday.
She loved bombed me for 3 months
Suddenly cheated and left for someone else. Btw didn’t even tell me that she started dating someone else. Btw her friend kissed her when she was drunk and they have had a shitty history before.
Trauma dumped on me, she told me about abusive father, mother with clinical depression, abusive ex, brother who used to slut shame her, and molested as a kid
Never been single in the last 5 years. 2 years in school, then started dating abusive ex for 1.5 years. Then was with me for 3 and now dating someone new.
Probably mirrored me, I was applying to us, so even she decided and used to think I was the smartest. Post break up she told me I couldn’t even have conversations with you
Big time avoidant, sleeps whenever conflict arises. Also blamed me for cheating, told me I was busy applying for Yale.
Has very few friends, only ones are those who have a crush on her.
Lacks hobbies.
Idk why I feel for her. She did make me feel special
So I had gone home for 10 days. She is from Tamil Nadu and I am from Gujarat, she had gone a trip with her classmates, and when she was drunk one of her friend kissed her, and she felt the guilt. At first she didn’t tell me the truth about what happened and was like you don’t give me time and all, but later she told me the truth and told me she wants to work it out with me. I saw her on the campus with her new guy after like a few days and btw we hadn’t ended it till then.
I just don’t realise this sudden shift in emotions, like she often used to say she doesn’t deserve me and make remarks about how lucky she is to have me and how perfect I was for her. And then suddenly, you are the most absent person. And the new guy she is dating is so freaking mid. The new guy had asked her out before she met me and when she had asked for a relationship, he had said he just wants to have a hookup with her. Suddenly now he decided to be the most loving lover. I guess I was played, but it just seems so off? Cause when I was with her, she was like the nicest person and I genuinely saw the care. When i begged and pleaded her she told me is happier with the new guy
She did tell me that our relationship was very simple and normal, it kinda felt like a marriage which was freaking her out.
It still hurts a lot, probably cause I feel like I lost my self respect and being replaced in 2-4 days. Jeez it’s just too much