Sample termination warning letters

I recently applied for a full stack developer position at KnowIT, a not well known company without reviews on platforms like Glassdoor or Indeed. I want to share my interview experience here for those who may look for company reviews before proceeding. After applying, I had an initial interview with the Chief Operating Officer. The conversation mostly focused on getting to know me and discussing relocation to Las Vegas and salary expectations. Their salary range of $20-$25 per hour seemed low, but I expressed interest with an expectation of $25-$30 per hour. They scheduled a second interview where I presented sample designs of past projects. The owner seemed impressed and gave me a verbal offer, promising to send the offer letter soon. However, after a week of waiting and sending a follow-up email, I received no response. It's been 2 weeks now. I don't understand why companies do this. It doesn't hurt to send an email stating why are they not proceeding with you especially after giving a verbal offer. Companies need to understand that the candidate's time and efforts are valuable as well. But yeah I'm writing this as a warning for others considering applying to KnowIT

After many samples and conversations, my customer chose stained cherry cabinets. I gave my usual warning that if you're going with natural wood, especially cherry, you have to understand there will be variations in grain and color. She seemed like she understood all that at the time we contracted. Fast forward to today - I got about half the cabinets installed and they look fantastic. She peeks in and is quiet. Never a good sign.
Finally she says, 'they're so much darker than the sample'. The lighting in the room sucks and shes holding this sample up to the base cabinets in a dark corner. "and this door has so much more grain in it". Oh for fuck's sake - I distinctly remember talking to her about wood grades and gave the same spiel I give everyone - " We could spec "select" if you want to minimize any variation, but that comes at a cost. "natural' is less expensive but may have some sapwood streaks which a lot of people don't like - I think a good compromise on cost/appearance is natural no-sap so you'll get some grain and shade variation but avoid the white streaks of sapwood."
The contract explicitly states that grain and color variation are natural and not considered defects, but you hate to go pointing to the fine print in the contract. I'm just wondering what I'll walk into tomorrow - whether she'll make her peace that these are beautiful cabinets or whether she's gong to obsess about the individual wood grain on each door.
I thought I was pretty good and catching these folks early, apparently I'm not. Anyone else been down this road?

It’s been almost 3 years since my partner broke up with me without a warning and signs. It is my first wlw break up and Im trying to find the best way to move on from her but I find it very hard. I really loved her (and I still do). We were a few hour distance from one another but we always made it work and I had the opportunity to meet her family too. She was my little sunflower. I really wanted for us to take our connection to the next level so I even got her a ring. Sadly, before I could see her and give it to her as a surprise she broke up with me one evening over the phone and just told me how nothing could change her mind. I was left heartbroken but I felt like begging her would be wrong of me if she was really unhappy or uncomfortable with me. I still keep her hand written love letters and sleep with the blanket she gave me just to have something to remind me of her. I desperately tried to stay in touch as friends but I realized it was unhealthy for me and Id drunk text her often sappy things. I deleted her number,our pictures but despite it all, no matter how much it pass sometimes i still wonder and hope she’d magically reach out again. Any helpful tips or advice would be very much appreciated. Thank you

I have a program that randomly behaves in a different manner, and i want to avoid that, having trouble figuring out how or why.
Program is : proxyfier.exe (v4, latest version)
It is set to "minimize to tray" when window is closed using X button, but:
Sometimes when i close it (using X button) , it jgoes on to terminate itself completely and displays a warning "are you sure you want to close the program, (...).
Through trial and error i have figured out, that i can avoid that by doing:
right click on the tray icon>Open Proxyfier (despite that it is open already) and then i can press X and it just closes the window (remains running and tray icon is present)
So what can i do to automate that ?
Here's what i've tried (and it doesnt work, same effect as clicking X before doing the tray thing):

Winclose, - Proxifier ahk_class Proxifier32Cls ahk_exe Proxifier.exe Send !{f4} ; send Alt+F4 Send !fc ; send alt, f, c to use file menu >close program ControlClick, X1267 Y20, - Proxifier ahk_class Proxifier32Cls ahk_exe Proxifier.exe ;click the X using control click PostMessage, 0x0112, 0xF060,,, Proxifier ahk_class Proxifier32Cls ahk_exe Proxifier.exe, ; some other way to send winclose from the help 

Please advise how can i automate "right click tray, click top option" using AHK,
or how to send the right message to the program using postmessage? im clueless here
much obliged.

Hi all, longtime listener, first-time caller. Please see my query and first 300 below.
My biggest question is this: 95% of the story takes place in 2014, but the book opens in 2020 when my main character receives a letter from the California Dept of Fair Housing & Employment informing her of an investigation into behavior at Chatpic. Receiving the letter spurs her to tell the story of what happened back then. The book checks back into 2020 in the middle as my MC tries to get more information about the investigation, and then it ends back in 2020 again when she decides what she wants to do about the letter.
The reason the story takes place in 2014 is because the time period--pre #MeToo/Donald Trump/the workplace reckoning of 2020--informs the decisions the MC makes back then, and she's looking back at it from a wiser perspective. If you've read The Rachel Incident, Caroline O'Donoghue does a similar thing as she retells a 2008 abortion story from the perspective of present day.
In the end, the investigation is not a driving force of the plot--so my question is how important is it that it's mentioned in the query? I ask because I've found that trying to add that piece to what I've already written starts to get convoluted, though obviously I can work at it. I think it's very clear once you read the first 300, but for agents who don't want a sample, is it clear in the blurb that this story is looking back to a time gone by?
Mostly looking for insight on this question specifically, but if you have further feedback about the letter for first 300, open to that as well. Thanks!
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Dear [Agent],
Thank you for the opportunity to submit my query for TERMS OF SERVICE, a true-ish fictional story about a young woman in a nearly impossible workplace a la UNCANNY VALLEY meets THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA (with shades of 9 TO 5). TERMS OF SERVICE is complete at 95,000 words.
It’s 2014 and down-and-out celebrity blogger Maggie Clarke is desperate for a fresh start. Not only is she broke in New York City, but at 31, she thought she’d be writing something a little less embarrassing than Justin Bieber listicles by now. When her longtime internet friend Aron York–recently named the world’s youngest billionaire–offers her a lucrative position at his massively popular social media app Chatpic that puts her at the center of his inner circle in Los Angeles, it’s exactly the step-up she’s been waiting for. As Maggie learns to manage the always-on hours, the slew of acronyms, and the unlimited access to free cold brew, she encounters another more complicated problem–the boys’ club. Except this isn’t the typical ham-fisted sexism she’s used to–this is the tech bro variety: insidious, inexorable, and infuriating. When she meets an ambitious young reporter who encourages her to speak out, Maggie has a shot at revenge. But in a world before mansplaining and microaggressions, is blowing the whistle worth the risk? And is anyone ready to hear it?
Like Maggie, I was also plucked from internet obscurity by the world’s (then) youngest billionaire, [redacted], to come work at his massively popular social media app, [redacted company]. I was a founding member of the company’s content team, and all I have to show for it is six footnotes in the [redacted company] biography [redacted title] and the brutal feminist awakening that inspired me to write this manuscript. Before that, I was a full-time writer in New York whose work has appeared on MTV, Rolling Stone and Elle. Currently I’m a content and editorial consultant in Chicago, and I’m also on TikTok where 21,000 people watch me rant about work and office culture. (It’s also where 2M people enjoyed my show-and-tell video about the “sentimental” stock certificates [redacted company previously mentioned] gave a few early employees–that were worth exactly $0.00.)
As the agent who represents [Author 1] and [Author 2], you have a strong list when it comes to complex female characters embroiled in complicated social dynamics. TERMS OF SERVICE would be a great addition to this track because, while similar themes of class and workplace are explored, my flavor of levity and sarcasm makes my work distinct from [Author 1] and [Author 2], bringing a new facet to your program.
If you are interested in reading TERMS OF SERVICE, I would be happy to forward a sample of any length you suggest. Thank you for your consideration!
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
First 300:
Chapter 1
2020
A lot of people might revel in the idea of receiving a letter announcing an investigation into their ex-employer.
One might, for example, envision draping themselves in a mink stole, lighting the cigarette at the end of their old-timey cigarette holder, and dialing the investigator’s number from a rotary phone atop a solid wood desk under shadowy, film noir lights. One might then imagine whispering I knew this day would come into the receiver between bursts of psychotic, hysterical laughter as they rejoiced in the long overdue arrival of the long arm of the law.
But me, I wasn’t so sure. Maybe because I didn’t have a mink stole.
No, I was crouched on the ground of my parents’ musky basement in Des Plaines, Illinois, knee-deep in piles of old diaries and CDs when I received notice of one such letter. It was month four of COVID, and Dad and I were only halfway through his cleaning list. He was already a germaphobe so a global pandemic was all he needed to justify a top-to-bottom disinfection of the entire house. And since my routine trip home in the middle of March turned into a hapless extended stay when the world shut down, it was the perfect excuse to put me to work. Just like the good old days.
We wiped down every square inch of the place. We soaked the faucet heads in lemon juice, we scrubbed the coffee mugs with baking soda. We vacuumed the damn fridge.
Reorganizing the basement shelves was a beast. Every box was like a Russian nesting doll of useless crap: old TV Guides, corroded double-A batteries, dried-out cans of paint primer, an unsettling number of hand saws. I made decent headway through the “tools” and “electronics,” but I lost all steam when I got to my high school stuff—faded Polaroids and folded-up notes stopped me in my tracks.

Good evening, I live in Georgia, US, but I have no idea how to handle what's currently going on as it's absolutely insane and it doesn't help that I have a mother whose bothering the absolute last of my mental capacity trying to get me to pursue anything related to what happened.
On March 31st, Easter Sunday, I was attacked by a coworker while on the job. It resulted after almost an hour of small but not irate back and forth disagreements, them yelling at my kitchen manager and supervisor about me, me yelling back for the first time, they then turned and grappled me into a cooling rack while the supervisor and manager pulled him off. I did not retaliate at all. After the grappling was done, I realized my pinky finger was crooked, purple, and swollen.
The aggressor was immediately terminated after being sent home. I forgot to make a police report until later, from what I heard from coworkers, the aggressor has had many written complaints about him and instances like this before. I know I have given a written complaint about him as well, but I cannot confirm other employees complaints. My manager and I thought the pinky might just be a jammed since it was only on the last digit of the pinky that seem affected. We duct taped it to my ring finger as a splint, and I finished my shift. When I removed the duct tape after, the pinky was much darker, much more swollen and not looking the best, so I asked for worker's comp to cover getting it checked out.
Workers comp was approved, and same day the 31st, I was sent to an urgent care to receive an x-ray. X-ray confirmed that the last digit was fractured and displaced next to the joint. They gave me a reference for an orthopedic, and I filed a police report that evening for the attack. The aggressor now has a warrant for a misdemeanor that could be upgraded to a felony from what I understood, but he still hasn't been picked up yet.
The company I work for gave me a final written warning for yelling, and it later took another 3 weeks to get an appointment for an orthopedic through my company's workers comp insurer. After the appointment, the doctor confirmed I would need surgery on the pinky, and two pins placed in it to keep the healing aligned. The surgery took place on April 29th, and I have been out of work since as I cannot cook with pins in my left hand and large bandages preventing gloves.
I was sent a VascuTherm to help with swelling and pain, plenty of pain killers, and asked to return on the 9th for checkup. Check up told me I'd have the pins in for another 2 to 4 weeks but overall was healing well. On May 13th, one of the pins was accidentally ripped out of my finger just by closing a microwave door. I saw the doctor the following day on the 14th, who confirmed the arc of the joint still looks alright but that he doesn't think I'd need another pin. Will find out more on the next check up on the 23rd. I will have to have physical therapy once the pins are removed.
The workers comp insurance company sent me a check in the mail yesterday for the 29th through the 19th, but it really equals to roughly 2 weeks worth of hours pre-tax. I would like the cash the check since this months bills are already behind from missing work, but wanted to reach out for advice before hand. I have not heard anything from the county about the aggressor in the mean time. Despite it being just a pinky digit, I have lost roughly 50% of my dexterity in my left hand, I wish I was kidding, turns out you need your pinky for a fist and grip. I do like the company, my coworkers, etc. and I want to work there for a few years minimum, but I always don't want to shoot myself in the foot and lose my job with no back up because I looked into legals. I also just have a TON of anxiety, so that hasn't helped the situation.
Any advice is appreciated, sorry for the wall.
TL;DR: Coworker attacked and broke one of my fingers, everything seems fine but everybody is bothering me to pursue legal, but I'm scared for my job and jobs of my coworkers who helped me because the place is really that great.

Three weeks ago, I thought I was dying. I was so sick, for three hellish weeks. The first week I was waiting for it to go away, then I got to a point I could barely breathe. So I went to the hospital where they horribly mistreated me and I left without treatment. Another week later and I had to suck it up and take the bus to the ER where they said I had pneumonia and a lung abscess.
About 12 days ago, a new depression medication I had been taking for a week prior caused me to experience horrific auditory hallucinations. This was the first time in my life I had experienced this, and it was so real, that after a week of torture, no sleep, all while not knowing it was the med causing it, I broke and called the police to go help my elderly neighbor who I was 100% convinced was being tortured in their apartment that’s connected to mine.
I had no idea I had a year old warrant from the girl my supposed former partner had been living with for two of the four years he said we were together. So the police checked on my neighbor, who was fine, and then came and arrested me.
While in jail for 8 days, I was not given any of my medications. Including the one causing the auditory hallucinations, which after two days they all stopped and that’s when I figured out that it had been the med that whole time.
While in jail, the sadistic sick guards put me with 14 other women in one small cell intended to hold 8, for almost 36 hours. They didn’t even give us water that entire duration. Two of the girls sitting next to me were complaining of sore throats. Yesterday I woke up with a cough, and today I’m coughing up green and grey yet again. I feel flat out like walking death.
When I got out of jail, which I had never been to before, nobody told me I needed to go directly to the bondsman and sign paperwork. So they called me last night and said if I don’t come in they will revoke my bond. They are in a city two hours away and I do not drive due to massive amounts of head trauma which caused a balance disorder.
Now I have to get two bus tickets, a Lyft to and from the bondsman, and only have $60 to do all that with. The woman that the SSA put in charge of my money at first, did not pay all of my rent last month, so I had to give my landlord $120 when I got out of jail, after finding an eviction notice warning letter on my coffee table when I got home.
I am in the middle of trying to pull together a move to NC after receiving a letter one week before I was arrested, saying that I had finally come up on the waitlist for Section 8 out there after years of waiting.
Today I had to make the decision on the lawyer I wanted to hire to help me with my trial since I am clueless about anything to do with law and don’t want to go back to jail.
I have a billion things to do this week still, including spending however many hours at the SSA tomorrow so I can get enough $ released early to pay my attorney fee so she can begin working on my case before the trial next month. I can barely stand up at this point, this just hit so hard so fast.
I’m so overwhelmed and none of this can be put off even a week. I haven’t eaten since I got out of jail 4 days ago cause all my food went bad and I have to give and save every dime now, part went to my landlord and the rest I need to get to the city my bondsman is in and make it home.
I cannot even believe this fucking shit.

Olá! It's me! I'm Rickle Pick! Hello everyone!
So, I’ve been listening to some stories about Neckbeards and Kevins, as well as some Legbeards and Kevinas (Is that the correct term??). Well, most of the times I listen to those stories, I am reminded of some people I used to deal with in school. Specifically, this time, the tale of a guy, who I’ll name Roger Bacon for reasons soon to be explained. Sorry for any grammar errors, eu falo português! I also don't really know the posting rules here, so I'll just post it and see how it goes lol
This prologue is more of a compilation of stories that I think is needed before we get to the main shenanigans and awkward situations this guy put himself AND me into. If this generates any interest, I will post more specific tales of this weirdo! Long time lurker, first time poster, english is definitely not my first language and the whole shebang. I also never wrote a text this large, so go easy on me!
THE LIST:
Well, I guess it’s usual to make a list of people that appear in those stories, so I’ll make one just for you!
Me: Your basic musician-type nerdy theater kid white guy! Tall, thin with medium-light brown hair. At the time, I usually wore a leather jacket and sometimes a hat (not a fedora, a Chaplin hat. Also, where I live, hats are an acceptable attire choice lol). I kinda looked like the Once-ler from Lorax. At this time, I had just failed my second year of high school because of… honestly just lack of effort, mixed with undiagnosed ADHD and a bit of lacking in the ol’ confidence and self-respect department. At the time, I also was physically incapable of saying no and had a crippling fear of disappointing people.
Roger Bacon: 168 centimeters (or 5,5ft for the uncivilized) of pure muscle! Or at least he thought it was that way. In reality, he did have some muscles but was kinda chubby and flaccid. Not FAT fat, but athletic fat (???). He was mixed, light skinned, had shaved short curly hair, no beard (except for the inside beard) and his face was a special kind of oval, besides having a, "chiseled jaw". He always smelled like he had just gotten out of a day-long brawl with a french cologne wearing burrito. He wasn't an usual neckbeard, but he was a huge attention whore. Thought too much of himself, as we say here in Brazil: “Promised too much, delivered nothing at all.” His moto was: “Dude, I think she’s into me!”
For now, these are the characters, as the focus is to introduce you all to Roger Bacon as a person.
With the list over, let us get to the story.
FEBUARY 2018:
The year of 2018 started pretty badly for me. I had just been held back from 10th grade, had no friends and didn’t really know anyone. As most people know, high school in Brazil is quite different from America, as we start school in febuary and we share the same class with the same people all day, excluding language classes and extra-curriculum activities. This meant that, for the foreseeable future, I was alone. On the first day of school, I shyly sat on the last desk on the far right corner of the room, as I scanned my classroom to see what I was dealing with. A few groups of people sitting together, talking and greeting their friends, some loners reading or playing on their phones. The artsy girl drawing a beauriful woman on the white board. Some guy drawing a penis right beside her. Perfect balance. A normal classroom.
Another difference between our school systems is that we don’t really have clicks based on like Jocks or Nerds or Pretty Girls, it’s mostly people who connected in childhood or matched personalities, instead of connecting through roles and interests within the school. Not saying either one is better, just different. And yeah, the bullying situation is just as bad. I was bullied for my whole middle school and through first year of high school, and made a very specific group of low profile friends. So when I failed sophomore year I thought to myself “Screw it, if I’m going to be held back, that’s at least a second chance for me to grow an acceptable social life.”
All this elucidates how intimidating it could be for someone to join a new classroom full of mostly new faces. If you were unable to make a friend, you’d pretty much be on your own for the whole year unless an already formed group “adopted” you. So my mindset was to at least try and meet new people.
Well, have you ever said “I’m gonna do this thing I’ve never done before!” And got the worst possible circunstance you could get at the very first attempt? Welp, that’s just what happened. My strategy was to start small, and go talk to only one person at first, and then try to interact with a few of the groups as that was a bit intimidating (fun fact: we call “clicks “panelinhas”, spelled “pah-neh-lin-ias”, wich means “little pans”, because, you know, they’re closed groups, like a closed… pan. Idk, anyway), so I went up to this guy in front of me, and that guy was Roger Bacon.
He was almost lying on his chair, on a cool guy pose while messing around on his phone. He was also wearing a black sports tank top with a grey opened sweatshirt and the standard uniform wine-red shorts that were mandatory in our school, which made him look like a short and jelly version of Rocky balboa mixed with Kick Buttowski.
In real life, my name and his started with sequential letters, and because of this, we would sit near each other for the whole year, so I guessed he’d be the best person to interact with. I also KINDA knew him because we had basketball training after class in like 2015 and I went to the same church as him, in which I befriended his brother, Kevin, slightly, but didn’t have much contact with him because he had already graduated (I have some stories about basketball and church so tell me if yall wanna read them lol). I approached and gestured for him to take of his headphones (They were extremely loud, so I could recognize he was listening to the song In The End by Linkin Park).
Me: Hey! Aren’t you Roger? You’re Kevin’s brother, right?
RB, trying to sound stoic: “Oh, hey Rick. Yeah, it’s me… fortunately for you.”
Me: “What do you mean?”
RB explained: “Well, I’m the cool brother! Kevin was lame, and also had no friends.”
Me: “Isn’t he in a band with [insert band members]? They seem to be his friends…
RB: “They might look nice, but they’re all assholes. Don’t let them fool you! I’m the nice brother, Kevin is a dipshit.
To elucidate you: that band he said was made of assholes was the Worship band of the church we went to. It was also the worship band that I occasionally played the piano with.
I said, jokingly: “Guess I’m an asshole then! Because, ya know, I play with them more often than not”
RB: “No man, it’s just them. They’re just so infuriating! They never let me participate!”
Me: “Wow, that’s weird… I mean, I didn’t know you were a musician too! What instrument do you play?”
RB: “I play the drums, piano, guitar, bass and I also sing. But Kevin keeps me out because he wants to be the 'star brother'!”
I could tell he got a little heated, and went silent for a little while. I decided not to mention the band or his brother in his presence, 'cause ya know, that was pretty awkward lol.
I remember thinking to myself “This guy’s kinda weird”, because his brother was one of the nicest people I had ever known, and he also didn’t have the say on who played on the band, the worship leader did. I thought about confronting Roger with this, but I didn’t want to abandon my quest of finding a friend. And also, he seemed chill at first, if not a little insecure.
I was a little uncomfortable with this line of conversation, so I opted to change the subject. We talked a bit more about me having been held back, and he went on about how he was really good at math and chemistry, and how he could help me with my school stuff.
I was glad to have someone to help me, and even more, someone who apparently liked the stuff I liked. I remembered what he was listening to, so I commented on it and asked which song was his favorite, and we talked about Linkin Park for a bit. He said “In The End” was his favorite song, and then I mentioned I was a huge Linkin Park fan. He told me he was a big fan as well, but as we talked about it, it became a bit fishy. He never specifically said anything and just kinda repeated what I said. It became clear after a while that “In The End” was, in fact, virtually the only song he knew from that band.
That was the first time I noticed something strange, but only in hindsight, as at the time I just thought he really wanted to make a human connection. I remember thinking he was just excited to know someone who was open to talking to him, so I didn’t think anything of it.
Also, not everyone memorizes this stuff, and maybe he did only remember one song, for whatever reason, so I let that pass. I only felt necessary to include this information because it was, at least in some way, the first lie that Roger told me, a little sample, if you will, of what’s to come.
After we talked for a while, mostly catching up on our lives, the bell rung and our first actual class had begun, and I had the first-hand experience of this guy’s sense of humor. The teacher walked into the classroom and introduced himself as the new Geography teacher, and started a power point presentation about some of the subjects we’d be covering that year, saying “Please pay attention to this class, as you’ll need to know how our schedule will work”. Roger looked back and said “Huh, I guess this class is useless for you then, being held back and all, hahah”, which made everyone look at me and just kinda stare like I should say something, and he kept repeating the joke to anyone that showed any reaction besides just staring, adding “Amirite? Huh? Amirite?”.
I was kinda salty about this, but my people pleasing peapod brain couldn’t handle letting it show, so I just laughed and said nothing. I guessed it was a poorly thought out joke at first, but then Roger proceeded to make the same comment on every single one of the opening classes we had for both of the introductory days. There were 12 of them. He did it every time. Every. Single. Time. Sometimes he repeated it even louder, as if he didn’t think people heard it, because no-one was laughing.
“Ok”, I said to myself, “He didn’t mean to make fun of me, he’s just a little overexcited and probably is trying to make a connection and help me get acquainted to our classmates.”
Either way, I was very uncomfortable and annoyed.
Thankfully, this came to a halt when he was practically thrown out of the Literature class for interrupting the teacher mid-sentence while she talked about how important the first month of class would be for our comprehension of the whole subject. He made the joke four times. FOUR TIMES. I was beginning to think that I made a mistake, but well, the mistake was already made, at least I can try and understand him a bit, before judging.
The rest of the week went by and he didn’t get any better, but I got kinda used to it. In fact, I actually enjoyed having conversations with him at recess, when we could talk a bit more freely. And, as all things in life tend to do, it got weirder. Weirder in the sense that as we spoke more and more, I noticed a bit of a concerning pattern: every time I shared an experience I had, he’d share a cooler and more awesome almost equal experience back.
Some light examples:
I told him I went hiking for 2-3 kilometers on a trail by the beach. Then he smirked and said he went hiking for “at least 7 kilometers on a deserted beach that only his father’s company’s employees had access to and he saw a Gorilla. There are no gorillas in Brazil. Maybe in zoos, I guess, but definitely no gorillas.
I told him I was kinda sad because I had just ended a “thing” with a girl from my old grade. He “proudly” said he’s been dumped by his ex, Laura, after they dated for 11 months and made out aaaallll the time after school, and he even saw her “lady parts” once!”.
And then he went on to describe that shit for like 3 straight classes, adding more and more to the story every chance he had to speak, providing me with my daily dose of cringe in tiny bits of uncomfortable information at a time! Like a sporadic cringe snack! Sninge! Crack? Probably Crack.
ANYWAYS
There was also the time I told him the story of how I became best friends with a guy because we got into a fight in P.E.. We were arguing about some nonsense and he wanted to fight, so after he socked me on my stomach, I cheaply kicked him in the face so hard I almost sprained my ankle and then we started laughing (because I guess sometimes that’s all it takes). Phillip is my best friend for almost 10 years now.
Roger puffed up his soap dish chest went on for at least 2 classes worth of time about how he “beat up his last bully and broke both of his arms, and almost went to prison, but his dad is a lawyer and bailed him out”. Dude was 16, and I don’t think he’d need to be bailed out, but okay… He was, in fact, very badass.
Those are all approximations of actual stories he told me, because my ADHD memory is shit, but you get the gist of it.
My days were filled with endless stories filled with absolute bullshit, like a Gary Stu from a dying rpg campaign. (I have a story about a DnD game he participated in, but that’s for another time!)
Roger, not content with lying to me about anecdotal facts about his past that could be true but were almost certainly mostly bullshit (if not entirely), had a tendency to just negate reality when presented with facts in certain situations.
And example of this situation is the time we were doing a group assignment and a girl at least 3 meters in front of him dropped her pencil and he just kinda threw himself on the ground, picked it up and said “Here you go, Lana!”. She said “Thanks Roger!”, barely turning around and carried on with the assignment. Roger, then, turned to me with a sleek shit feasting smirk on his face and said:
RB: “Dude, do you think she’s into me??”
I contained a ridiculing laughter just in time to realize he was dead serious.
I said “I don’t know man… Doesn’t seem like it to me, but sure I guess.”
RB then straight up asked ME to go talk to her and get HIM her number. When I asked why shouldn’t he do it, he said it was “the wingman’s job to get the number of the girl” so that he wouldn’t “look weak for asking”
I said I’d do it, cause I genuinely wanted to see if he was right about her liking him (I hadn’t really understood the dynamics of the classroom, so I actually had no idea if he was actually right, just a gut feeling that yeah, he probably wasn’t).
I went up to her and asked for her number, explaining it was Roger who was interested in her and, as I pulled out my raging 2014’s Sony XPeria, I was swiftly interrupted by her delicately saying “Sorry! I have a boyfriend.” (She said the boyfriend part out loud, and stared at Roger)
I said “Oh, ok, sorry to bother ya!” and, as I was starting to walk back, I noticed that she turned back and glared at Roger. Later that day her boyfriend texted him, telling him that “He’s got to stop asking her out, and next time, if he wants to get rejected, he should come do it himself” He called him a moron. And then they both blocked him.
Well, that was embarrassing.
Despite having been turned down (for the 6th time now, I’d come to find out), Roger still maintained that she was “totally into him”, and it wasn’t just Lana. Any time he had even the smallest interaction with any girl, he’d say that they’re “probably into him”, or that “they made out at a party, but she was drunk and probably won’t remember”, or that they “sent him nudes last year but he’s already deleted them because he’s a good person, with morals”.
This went on for a while and, after about a month, Roger begun to dial down the crazy stories about how he’s a “badass and he gets all the girls but he’s single because he’s too good for them”. Until I started seeing a girl from another church I started going to. I met Janice () at the churches youth group, and we talked the whole time afterwards about lots of stuff. This name’s given because of her insanely similar laughter and demeanor of Janice from Friends. We clicked well and I was very interested in her, but my ADHD ass forgot to get her number, and remembered it only when she had already left.
When I told Roger, he laughed and said “I had just cockblocked myself” and that I’d “probably missed my only chance of banging a girl ever”. I was bummed, but clarified I didn’t really want to have sex before marriage or at least before making an emotional connection (I had just then begun to go to church, so I didn’t really get the rules, so it was more of a personal choice I always had in mind when thinking about dating. Also I met her at church so wtf).
He said “that was dumb” and, “even though he was a virgin, he’d dance the Devil’s Tango with the first chick he had the chance to”
“What about Laura?”, I asked. His face went from a confident smirk to an almost sad expression, and he blankly replied: “She didn’t want to, but I tried anyway at times. I even got a blowie once!” I let it go because I was very tired, as Mondays are hell on earth.
A few classes later, I went up to him and reminded him of our conversation and asked:
I said “Ooookay, but what about all those girls you told me were all over you? Didn’t they want to have some bum bum times with you??”
He was taken by surprise by this, and was visibly trying so hard to think of an answer for at least 15 seconds. He mumbled “Well…”, and like just left. Like he got up in the middle of the class, and walked away. Well that was weird!
He got back and I didn’t pry, thinking he had some kind of trauma, and I tried to change the subject.
I say “tried” because instead we were suddenly interrupted by a girl asking me if I was Rick. I didn’t know her or how she had materialized beside our desks, but later I found out that that girl’s name was Mary. She had blue eyes and was smiling mischievously, and I answered “Yup, that’s me”. She then giggled and said that “Anna wanted to make out with me after class”. Me and Roger were both very much taken aback by this, and I immediately thought to myself that this could only be some type of dare or prank (which it probably was), and was about to try and respond with the first witty joke that popped up in my monkey brain when, without missing a beat, Roger said “Rick’s already seeing someone!”. Mary was visibly surprised and said “Oh, you have a girlfriend??” with a look of disbelief on her face. Ouch. I explained that I wouldn’t say I do, I just liked a girl from church and we’re going to see a movie with some friends on Saturday, and that either way it was a pass on the making out sesh! Mary said “Oh, okay!” and started to walk back to her desk. I was about to make a joke and say that Anna could probably do better than me, when Roger interjected:
RB: “I’d like a making out sesh if she’s interested!”
Mary looked back with a visible “Lol, ew no” expression and just said: “I’m sure you would, Roger!”, turned away and sat down, laughing with her friends when she got to her desk.
Roger turned to me and said:
RB: “Dude, do you think she’s into me?”
This cycle repeated once in a while, so I’m not gonna tell you all of the situations that I felt like shaking him and trying to wake him up like Woody does to Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story. Exhausting, right?
Another thing Roger tended to brag about was that he did Martial Arts. Specifically, Kung Fu (Wushu). I would come to find out that, in the year before, he made a big scene to tell everyone in class that he’d just started Kung-Fu classes and, when no-one payed attention, he started a habit of punching the wall beside his desk, audibly making “hmpft” noises. When anyone asked why, he’d say he was training, and that his Sensei (Not shifu, he actually said sensei) had asked him to do that to strengthen his fists so he could harness all the strength he had, so one day he could put a hole through a wall with his fists.
He would also punch the school’s fireproof doors because, if you didn’t know, they dent pretty easily, and he would show me and tell me to bask at his strength and ability. That until I said I’d give it a try. He told me not to, because “I wasn’t trained” and “it could really hurt my hand”. I punched the door. It made a dent.
Roger said it was beginners luck and that he’s just a good teacher. I told him I really didn’t even make an effort to pay attention, the metal was just bendy and soft. Roger never talked about it again, and started only punching walls. For that, he would feel superior because, yeah I ain’t doing that. There were consequences for his wall punching habits, but I’ll address that some other time.
The last thing I’ll say about him for now is how clueless Roger was, how much he thought of himself and how he treated everyone else like they should (and would) respecting for what he told them, and not for what he showed them.
(I plan on doing another part eventually, with the story of how his disconnection with reality, lies, schemes and generally narcissist behavior eventually exploded back into his face.)
As a last bit of exposition of our circumstances, there’s an important part of our school life that fueled Roger’s social life’s demise.
Pranking was a big part of my class’ culture. There were also some people in my classroom who were bullied. The thing is: the bullies actually made fun of literally everyone else, which made it very hard to figure out if you were considered a target or just a colleague. They’d mess with people’s stuff, tie backpacks to the windows and hide pencil cases, but they would also do it to their own group.
Essentially, the only way to differentiate those who they considered normal schoolmates from those who were bullied was the frequency of the pranks and their demeanor in general towards those people. They would apologize for the pranks, ask to make up for it, buy you lunch, make jokes, try to laugh with you. I swear some of those guys were politicians in the making. Luckily, was very good friends with one of the guys in that group, I’ll call him Turkey, who was also held back a few years before me, and he liked my sister, so I was mostly safe.
Roger, on the other hand, THOUGHT he was one of the pranksters. Every time someone pranked him or anyone else, he would laugh knowingly, like he was in on the joke the whole time, and try to make jokes, only to further humiliate himself. And they would capitalize on that as hard as they could.
You see, Roger liked to portray himself as the “Mysterious-Badass-Quiet-Protagonist-Take-No-Shit-From-Anyone-Mr.-Steal-Yo-Girl” guy. This combo of personality substitutes was the recipe for the downfall of his popularity, and the start of the longest lasting pranks I’ve ever seen in my life, which will come if yall want another post. That prank is also the reason I named him Roger Bacon.
Because he was so into Math and Science (and into himself too lol) he also always wanted to look like the smartest guy in the room. The problem is that, as our first semester went by, it became clear that he wasn’t as good as he hyped himself up to be. Shocker, right? This was proven to be true when we were doing a chemistry group test, and I was paired with him and Anna, and we needed to calculate some entropies or whatever. He made a point of telling us to do all of the “easy ones”, and he would take on the more complicated questions.
The thing is, he was trying really hard to look like a genius, to maybe impress Anna, so every time he made a calculation, he would roll his eyes up and kinda vibrate a little. I guess he wanted to look like a genius mathematics robot, but instead he looked like he was trying to imitate an autistic person having a small stroke. I didn’t mind the Good Doctor amateur impersonation, because at least it looked like he knew what he was doing. Unfortunately, it really just looked like he knew what he was doing.
Each easy question of the test was worth 1 point, and there were 4 of them, and there were 3 hard questions worth 2 points each. We got a 4/10 on that test, and lo and behold, the only questions we got right were the ones me and Anna worked on. We were a bit pissed, not gonna lie.
Until the last time we spoke, Roger still blames Anna for his complete failure at this test for, in his words, distracting him because she was obviously into him.
But that’s just Roger, I guess!
I've got A LOT of stories about Roger and other neckbeards I've encountered, and I can't wait to tell them!
Until then, thanks for reading, and have a good one yall!

I came across this sub by accident - through what was clearly a fake post - some cringelord dreaming up a vigilante fantasy - but a lot of people ate it up! I scrolled through the sub and found a bunch of other fake posts, mixed with some actually really good content.
Hearing about people sticking it to some old blowheart is one of the true remaining joys in life - control your sub people - don't be duped and downvote the clearly fake shit!
I got one from Memorial Day a few years ago - I think about it every year - it's not a whopper but at least it actually happened.
My HOA board is 100% boomers - driving around in golf carts, taking pictures - complain about noise past 8pm, etc. Dumb as shit when it comes to technology and choosing vendors. They have been the victim of some idiotic scams. Political season - their tiny lawns are covered with republican candidate signs for everything from President all the way down to School Board.
A letter was sent out a week before stating "for the duration of the holiday weekend, the only flags that can be affixed to the exterior of the residential condo units are American flags, including ALL historical American Flags." God only knows what they were intending with this.
The only flags in the neighborhood at the time were a few errant Trump flags, and our condo - with a Gadsen flag and a pride flag - original Gilbert Baker design. I knew it was going to be a problem (because it was when we first moved in) and I was willing to pay some small fines for this new rule. Talking to the Trump flag neighbors - they also planned to keep theirs up. But my wife didn't want to make more waves and convinced me to take them down in the afternoon - the Friday before.
But it didn't sit right - I thought about it for the rest of the day and went to put them back up on Saturday afternoon - but my wife didn't let me. We got a letter in our mailbox that morning from the HOA, reminding us about the flags, and that the Holiday Weekend is Friday through Sunday.
It came with a $50 fine (for Friday morning) and a warning that they would issue additional fines and "other administrative actions" if we didn't keep them down. I checked with the Trump flag guys and they didn't get a notice - I was pissed.
I told my wife that the flags are going back up and I will pay a fee each year and demand that the rules be enforced for everyone or no one. But, since we had reserved the clubhouse on Sunday for a party, she didn't want them yanking our reservation... and I didn't put them back up.
...But then it occurred to me. The notice clearly stated that the American flag rule applied to flags hung from the condo units... and we had site control over the entire clubhouse and pool area. I checked the CC&R's and the reservation - there was no expressed limititation on decorations.
My wife gave me the approval to go to war since we weren't technically breaking any rules. I texted everyone who was coming "bring a pride flag with you to the party... in fact bring every flag you have."
This wasn't a pride party, it was a Memorial Day BBQ, but the pride flags and flags from around the world outnumbered the American flags 10 to 1. We had hundreds of flags and you can see the clubhouse and pool from almost all of the units in the neighborhood - it looked like a storage yard at the UN.
The board was livid. Many of them came down to the clubhouse and took pictures, they threatened to call the police - one of them said they were going to levy a separate fine for each flag. But we cleaned the place up and were out by 8pm.
I know the board met the next day (on the holiday) but I never received a single letter about it. I paid the $50 fee and know that I am forever under their microscope. They quietly amended the club rules regarding "excessive decorations" but did not issue the flag rule for July 4th or any subsequent years. I figure there are too many places to rightfully put a flag in this neighborhood and they don't want to look like fools again.
My relationship with the HOA board has improved since this interaction. I don't think I'd go as far as to say they are scared of me, but they certainly know I might create a giant headache for them in the most ridiculous way possible.
I'll caveat all this to say that not all boomers are bad - remember some of them were hippies in the '60's and '70's. One of the ladies on the board - her brain is so fried from acid decades ago that she became love incarnate.
She bought a pride flag just to bring to my party and stayed all day. Come to find out she knows the names of all the dogs in the neighborhood and she knocked on my door the other day to tell me a joke she made up about my German Shepherd - not funny at all but it was so sweet I fucking cried.
Boomers amiright?

I was working for a fast pace, successful Endodontist office for 14 1/2 years. Finally after no raises for years and when did get a raise it made no difference in the check. So Finally I decided to move on. Doctor wasn't happy, but acted like he understood. I didn't put in my resignation until I had another job offer. Difference was other job was corporate and the job I was leaving was private. When I interviewed with the new office. They were like. Yea! You are being under paid and we have these benefits and we are offering this amount. Which was more to where I thought I should be. I been a dental assistant 17 yrs altogether. Worked in Periodontics 2 yrs before going Endo. Plus went to a dental assistant 9mth program to make sure I understood dentistry before I got into the field. So the new practice asked why I was leaving the old one. I explained. They were like you will like this better. So fast forward. I'm about 3months working the new practice. This practice is General Dentist office. I never call off, not late, team player, got along with all the ladies. Then one week at the end of the work week. The office manager comes at the end of my shift and tells me they have to let me go. No warning, no write ups. Just out the blue. She gives me a song about the doctor I was working for. Isn't making enough production to keep me on. I'm confused. He doing about the same as when I started. He was 5 yrs out of dental school. So he was pacing himself. As not to take on too much. So I was taken back by this. As one I didn't expect this and two I left a job I knew I had. To take this job and this bs happened and now I'm out of a job. Even though. She put on my walking papers would rehire. When a position came open at that same office. I found out that was a lie. Company called me, but the office manger was like no. The doctor I worked with was gone. Only worked 5 mths more after my termination. Although after all my years of experience. Where I live it's not alot of dental opportunities. Especially with the tech school here. Constantly cranking assistants out. So the moral of the story is. It might sound good. But if you are solid where you are weight it out before jumping into something else. Cause it just might be the end of your career.

I was a product designer for an edtech company for over 4 years. The last year and a half has been absolutely horrible - the small product team lost the other product designer, both PMs, and many of the leadership positions including vp of product. The replacement head of product had no experience in tech, but lots of experience in academia (perhaps this should have been a huge red flag). So this person became my manager, as well as the manager of the 2 new PMs.
In the year this new person was manager: -it became clear they had no idea how to manage a designer, or provide feedback, or provide a path for growth - they told me there was no money to backfill the other designer position, or to give me a raise or promotion, but then proceeded to promote 5 engineers and hire two new ones. - they spent weeks coming up with a new business model and product idea that, once work began, was micro managed and turbulent (with regular pauses because company leadership wasn’t aligned) - they literally wouldn’t let us do any sort of research or testing, which caused a lot of friction and definitely got heated a few times - they had no idea what design actually is and constantly asked me to add some delight, while keeping me from getting hints in my job description - they regularly assured me I was doing great, especially every time so brought up the stress I was under, my mental health, and the unsubstianbke pace of design work they asked of me (yet which I continuously met) -they presented constant roadblocks not just to me but to the pm and head engineer as the 3 of us tried to figure out how to try and deliver what they wanted without relying on only assumptions and guesses. -they acted as if they knew everything about how product and design work, and ben though they had no experience. Me, the PM and the head engineer regularly struggled with how to work around or steer them so that we could just do the bare minimum of our jobs. Eventually, the PM and engineer stopped pushing back so much, as we all lost morale and just wanted to get though this huge project /new product release. - they terminated my employment without warning after I delivered the final major piece of the new product (after which I was going on vacation to get married and rest, and then things could slow down, I was assured.)
The kicker is that the reason used was for sharing proprietary information on my portfolio. They said I had the new product on my site. I have proof I didn’t but they pushed back and provided no opportunity ro explain or even ask questions.
It’s clear my incompetent manager got tired of me pushing back, but it burns they lied about the reason and went nuclear without any prior warning. I was honestly flabbergasted. I’ve gotten help from a lawyer friend who has sent one letter but it’s been silent. We’re going to try one more but at this point I feel like this whole system is in their favor and I guess I just needed to vent as I prepare for the possibility that nothing will come from this - no justice or even just.. treating me like a person.
I guess I shouldn’t expect any different after the way I was treated the past year.
I’m really not sure what I’m going to accomplish with posting this. I’m just feeling kinda bitter and hopeless about it all… But if anyone has a similar experience to share, or advice/thoughts, or just a way I can get past this… please share!
Thanks everyone.

I had my hands full guiding a group of janissaries to take out a pack of manhunting bears, plus micro-managing a series of small crises, when I got a notification that one of my favorite characters had been beaten to death by our colony's only slave!
No warning, no letter, the slave didn't have a lightning bolt over her icon to indicate a mental break of any kind. Is that normal? Can they just do that?
Suffice it to say, I save-scummed like hell, but now I'm planning on organ-murdering that bastard slave on principle!

So Walmart HR fired me, then asked me to call the people's lead lady to submit my termination. Why should I do this? Y'all already fired me. I have no business with anyone in there. Do you guys think that I should submit a termination letter or what?

Hello, here I am once again! First ever Fan-Fic.
Last week I opened a poll about the type of Fan-Fic I should write (or try to), and after a good 4 days I took a look at said poll, and the overwhelming majority went for Option 2. And so I shall try my hardest to deliver, and give you all a story about Humanity entering on the Galactic stage later and being more prepared for eventual hostile encounters, and acting as such.
Let's see what I can cook up in my tired state- Some creative liberties are to be expected.
Still thinking of a Title- but this is the one I came up with.
... Also consider this a proof of concept for now, a WIP if you will, as I'm still new to writing (and not a native English speaker either) and wanting to learn as much as possible while writing anything at all- so expect word vomit. Any and all feedback will be welcomed.
Lastly, all love to for having made such an amazing universe.
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Memory Transcription Subject: N/A, AI Communications Unit Terminal, UN-HQ.
Date [Standardized Human Time]: January 1st, 2300, 00:00
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<<00:15, Probe successfully launched. Explore protocol initiated.>>
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Log Update: 01:15
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Log Update: 10:15
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Log Update: 10:35
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Log Update: 10:50
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Memory Transcription Subject: N/A, Terminal Deactivated.
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Memory Transcription Subject: Alan Voor-hein, UN Secretary-General.
Date [Standardized Human Time]: January 1st, 2300, 11:00
It has finally happened. A fellow space-faring civilization has been found, something we thought would happen one day- Never in my 40 years would I have guessed it would happen in my lifetime. But I guess that is the thought process for everyone who are now involved.
I had gotten the first message out of anyone. It was now up to me to head to the HQ and get everything ready for the Emergency meeting. We'll have to "discuss" our next course of action on this situation. And I use the term "discuss" lightly, because there is not a lot to discuss, rather there is much to think about as a potential next step. I'll be having these discussions with our diplomatic and military advisors. Civil advisors will be left out, as to not make the public aware of this discovery ...at least, not yet.
I have an hour to get everything ready... and I still need to travel 20 minutes to get there. Luckily I have my own companion who can be my chauffeur- who is always ready at a moments notice, essentially 24/7.
I was speed-walking.. or speedily descending more like it, down the stairs of my house. ...Don't ask me what I was doing upstairs. My hastiness almost caused me to trip while going down the stairs because I was in a such rush to get outside, I did not have a lot of time on my hands.
After reaching the ground-floor I sped-walked past the kitchen, and I took a second to contemplate about taking a quick bite from a snack, but I decided against it. After-all, I could eat at the HQ... not that I'd have the time too, but at least I could give it a shot if I arrive in time.
As my journey to the front door continued, I was met with a familiar face- namely Heluni. Heluni is my Android companion. Android technology has gotten far over the last few decades, and Androids have become more Human than ever before.
"Good morning Alan!" Heluni spoke up, her voice as smooth as the calmest oceans. I looked towards her, and greeted her in return.
"Morning Heluni- Sorry to be a bother, but I gotta use your driving expertise again today. Emergency UN meeting. It's at 12, but I would like to be there as quickly as possible. Can you do that for me?"
"Of course I can, sir. Right this way." She led the way, opening the front door, waiting on me to follow behind her. I took my place behind her as she led me towards our car that was parked outside. A classic unmarked "not noticeable" vehicle, one everyone knows screams "here is someone important" but no one seems to care about in their daily life.
And like always when walking outside, my mind wandered to the flowing shoulder long hair Heluni has, her hair was always a beautiful sight to behold. How she- an Android- managed to have the hair of a Goddess remains a mystery to me. But I learned to never question our technological prowess.
Before I knew it, I was standing next to the car, Heluni having already taken the drivers seat. I took my seat in the back. And before I even sat down, Heluni look back at me. "Ready sir?"
"Floor it." was the only thing I responded with.. and Heluni took off like it was the end of the world.
... And I'm suddenly reminded why I only used her driving skills in Emergencies. This type of driving is gonna make me sick- but it's to late now, I suppose. I gazed down to my watch, and it's 11:15. If Heluni keeps driving like this, we'll be there in about 10 minutes.
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I'm just gonna try and keep myself calm, as to not make myself sick with Heluni her driving.
...
We drove through the city towards the UN Headquarters. Heluni was cutting through the traffic wherever she could- you'd think we would get pulled over. But the only reason we never were, was because the only symbol on this car (to at least mark it somewhat) was that the UN symbol was put in place of the car-manufacturer logo. Any officer knew that, if a UN car was speeding like this, there was something going on.
But since I still did not want the public to know about the discovery made earlier today, I'd have to come up with some excuse for this... I think I'll wave it off as a training exercise for my Android.
Noticing that I was rather quiet, Heluni chirped up. "Sir, is everything okay?"
"Hm? .. Oh yeah, just thinking about stuff. Don't worry about it."
"Sir, is it about the upcoming meeting? What is it about?"
"..Heluni, that's confidential information-"
"I know sir, but perhaps.. whatever it will be about, is making you nervous?"
... Am I nervous? I don't think I am- maybe subconsciously I am??
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"Well, I can say it's something I have never planned on doing."
"Is it bad?" Heluni asked me, trying to inquire more out of me.
"Depends on future circumstances...."
"Will I be allowed to know more about this meeting?"
"One day you will, Heluni. But for now, that's gonna be a negative."
"I understand, Sir."
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For the rest of our journey, no words were spoken. I was deep in thought again. Like.. what does this mean for my career? I will be the first leader in UN history who may lay the ground-works for an eventual "First Contact" between Humans and an Alien species.
I'm nervous thinking ahead that far, for all we know, they are those type of Alien we have seen in pop-culture. Either fun and loving, or utterly ruthless and genocidal. What would they think of us? ... What will we think of them? Is there a potential for a future war?
We have that last one covered at least. Humans being Humans and all- we already have a decent Space going fleet of roughly 8000 ships of various sizes. ... Just in case a Colony gets any funny ideas with their local security forces. But now knowing we might have to face off against Aliens as well, I think it's about time to ramp up the ship production tenfold.
More importantly, we have to spy on them. Luckily that probe we sent is close to their planet, so we'll just use that for any surveillance and intelligence..
My thoughts were shaken back into reality from plausible scenarios once we took a tight corner a little too fast- but before I could scold Heluni for it, there it was, the UN-HQ in the distance. A few more minutes, and we'll be there.
...
===---===
There we have it! I think I did well in my tired state for this first part. I'll keep looking through the text itself from time to time. So if any feedback, grammar, etc, is thrown my way. I can implement them right away.
I hope this is setting a decent stage for what's to come. Hope you had fun reading this!
For now, Imma chill with some music.

cross-posted from GradSchool and what it says on the tin.
i just graduated undergrad in anthropology with a focus in archaeology last december. i have a plethora of research experiences, and i'm in the field right now taking part in a prestigious field program. i had a good undergrad GPA (3.6) and i believe i'd be able to get good LORs. here come the problems:
i was an online student. i didn't do a thesis in undergrad. i wasn't in honors courses, and i don't have many written pieces to submit for writing samples. i moved close to campus in my last year to take part in in-person research once i realized i wanted to go grad school, but i finished up my degree online which made me ineligible for the honors college -- and therefore an undergrad thesis.
i think i could get into a decent phd program, but i'm not fully confident that i'm ready especially since i really haven't attended real, in-person classes in 4 years. i am an archaeology student, but i never took chemistry, or human osteology, or geology. i feel like i missed so much in undergrad that would be aided by taking a master's. plus, i would love to take part in a publication or two and do some conference presentations.
i know people usually say a terminal master's is a waste of time if you know you want a phd, but i just feel like i missed so much..... and i know i could technically teach myself chemistry and geology or whatever, but i missed out big time on lab *classes*. i know how to handle myself in clean and wet labs thanks to my research experiences, but i have next to no practical knowledge beyond the extremely niche things i learned working with archaeology grad students.
i don't know. what helps is that my online undergrad was fully paid for by my job (which is why i took this option, and also the fact that i didn't realize i wanted a phd until halfway through my program), so i have VERY little student loan debt from undergrad, so that would make the hit from taking on paying my way through my master's hit a lot less.
bear with me, i'm a first gen student, which makes navigating all of this so much harder.
i realize that cohort sizes have shrunk dramatically since covid and highly qualified applicant pools have increased sharply. i know i'm a good, competitive student, and that usually terminal MAs are a waste of time, but with my situation and the aforementioned application issues, i am very conflicted. please let me know what you all think.
and because it matters, my specific interests are geochemistry/geochronology/stable isotope chemistry as it informs paleoclimate and paleomobility.
thank you for your time.

I had to move across the state for a job last year, and therefore had to early terminate a lease at my townhouse. The termination fee was around $2,700.
I tried to log on and pay this on the property management portal, and it said I could no longer pay online. I emailed the leasing office and asked them how I could pay, and they told me that I had a $0.0 balance. That was the last email I’ve received from them.
I recently received a debt collection notice almost a full year after the email and my move. I disputed the notice and called the leasing office and they’ve told me that they don’t know what happened on their end when the email was sent, but I owe the money and I should’ve known about it.
I’m getting married in a couple months and any money that I had for move out costs (including the assistance from my employer to help me move) is gone.
Does the email in this instance help my argument, regardless of what they are now trying to tell me? Am I supposed to get notices from the apartment prior to receiving a debt collection letter? The last correspondence before the letter was that I owed $0. I’m not sure how to proceed. The leasing office said that they would talk to the debt collection agency about it because “it was out of their hands”. That seems wrong because it’s them that filed the claim.
Thanks in advance.

what it says on the tin.
i just graduated undergrad in anthropology last december. i have a plethora of research experiences, and i'm in the field right now taking part in a prestigious archaeology field program. i had a good undergrad GPA (3.6) and i believe i'd be able to get good LORs. here come the problems:
i was an online student. i didn't do a thesis in undergrad. i wasn't in honors courses, and i don't have many written pieces to submit for writing samples. i moved close to campus in my last year to take part in in-person research once i realized i wanted to go grad school, but i finished up my degree online which made me ineligible for the honors college -- and therefore an undergrad thesis.
i think i could get into a decent phd program, but i'm not fully confident that i'm ready especially since i really haven't attended real, in-person classes in 4 years. i am an archaeology student, but i never took chemistry, or human osteology, or geology. i feel like i missed so much in undergrad that would be aided by taking a master's. plus, i would love to take part in a publication or two and do some conference presentations.
i know people usually say a master's is a waste of time if you know you want a phd, but i just feel like i missed so much..... and i know i could technically teach myself chemistry and geology or whatever, but i missed out big time on lab *classes*. i know how to handle myself in clean and wet labs thanks to my research experiences, but i have next to no practical knowledge beyond the extremely niche things i learned working with archaeology grad students.
i don't know. what helps is that my online undergrad was fully paid for by my job (which is why i took this option, and also the fact that i didn't realize i wanted a phd until halfway through my program), so i have VERY little student loan debt from undergrad, so that would make the hit from taking on paying my way through my master's hit a lot less.
bear with me, i'm a first gen student, which makes navigating all of this so much harder.
thank you for your time.
EDIT: i realize that my field makes this a little more subjective: cohort sizes have shrunk dramatically since covid and highly qualified applicant pools have increased sharply. i know i'm a good, competitive student, and that usually terminal MAs are a waste of time, but with my situation and the aforementioned application issues, i am very conflicted. please let me know what you all think.
and just because anthro is a very broad field, my specific interests are geochemistry/geochronology/stable isotope chemistry as it informs paleoclimate and paleomobility.