How to get on youtube from school

My son is 17 and is suffering from depression. I try my best to be compassionate and understanding, but it is really hard when he blames me for everything when he's really just being self destructive. For example, he will not eat for two days except 4 bags of candy. Then he will complain that he feels like garbage. I will cook dinner, but the entire time, he will be ranting at me in the kitchen that I don't listen to him and I don't love him and I'm a terrible mother, and on and on and on.
I try to stay neutral and not get defensive, because, again, I know those things aren't true. But if I said something like, "have some dinner, it will help," he just says, "no it won't. Nothing will help. You don't understand. You can't understand. You just want to watch tv all day. You love tv more than me." Etc. By the way, I only watch one episode of tv a day after work and pause it whenever he tries to talk to me so I can hear him.
Anyway, he has no boundaries, is always making a mess, is always in my room while I'm at work because it is clean and pleasant and his is disgusting and dark and smelly, takes my things without asking, breaks things due to carelessness or losing his temper, and doesn't go to school more than a few days a month.
I'm so tired of watching him create 80% of his own problems and refuse to try anything that might help his chemical imbalance that I've lost compassion for him. He is so stubborn. Refuses treatment. Refuses therapy. Refuses food/sleep/hygiene/exercise/socializing, etc. He did 5 months in Residential Treatment in an incredibly good program that wasn't mean or like juvy at all. But he just considers it me "locking him up" and is traumatized by it.
I woke him this morning to try to get him to eat and take his medication and he tucked his head under his blanket and looked so sweet like a little boy and my heart broke. I am so resentful of him and often times passive aggressive and I wish I could just be kind and soft and caring, but he is so mean and, outwardly, it doesn't seem like he cares about me or himself or literally anything. It is so hard.
How can I be kind and understanding when he is mean, insulting, accusatory, gaslighting, bitter, and has zero ability to respect my boundaries? (I just put a lock on my bedroom door to keep him out while I'm at work so that's helping.)

Trigger warning: mention of sexual assault
This is my first ever post to Reddit and I get most of my Reddit fix from YouTube so please be patient with me if I don’t understand all the lingo or rules, thank you.
Here’s some context: I am a transgender male. Boyfriend, who we will call H, is a cisgender male. We’ve been together just over 1 year and 2 months. We were roommates before we started dating, and friends with benefits long before I moved in, though we did fall off for about a year before I moved in too. H has only ever known me as trans, I have been out for about 3/4 years now.
Last night I went to bed mad and I didn’t want to. I was triggered shortly after dinner time when H lifted up my shirt on my backside in the shared living room we have with our roommate and his gf, almost exposing my chest which I do not bind while home. He then starts to try massaging my back until his hands starts inching closer to the front of me. I did not ask him to do this. I felt an immediate panic and told him to stop but it didn’t feel like enough to actually stop him so I said very yelling like: “the reason we never have sex is because you can’t help but cross my boundaries and I barely even want you to touch me anymore.”
I can understand how this felt really harsh on him as he quickly became quiet, wouldn’t look at me, and then left to his room. We do have separate rooms as we were roommates before, I now use my room as an office for my remote customer service job and his room as an actual bedroom.
I knew that if we talked immediately that I would probably lash out again, getting mad and yelling and he would shut down but maybe even get mad himself. But we know better that at least I need some time to cool off if we’re going to have a productive conversation as I do have big feelings very often that overwhelm me and I have anger issues as well. We’ve never had a big fight where both of us are trying to get a point across. I feel like I did before in my last big relationship where I’m the only one with all the big feelings and no one wants to listen to them. The point isn’t that I want a big fight, it’s that I know eventually I need to let it out but more calmly.
So when H came out of his room after I went to partake in the devils garden on the balcony, I was expecting to sit down and talk it out. Instead he asked me to make a copy of his license for work cause I have a scanneprinter, we hugged, apologized to each other but didn’t explain why we’re were apologizing, I went to make the copies and we went on like it was a normal night. I waited for a more appropriate moment to bring it up and every time I think it’s time to speak up, H has a favor to ask, he wants me to look at the TikTok’s and Reels he sent me, and then we’re going to bed. At that point, I am fully in my head about this interaction and relationship and I haven’t said a word to him since last night except he texted me this morning complaining about his new job.
I want to give a little context why I am scared to say anything further about being triggered and lashing out. About three months ago, H was very drunk (he is an alcoholic) and after I rambled on about something, H stopped me and said something to the effect of “No one’s listening to you.” He has apologized profusely about this but I have always had the impression that if you want someone to tell the truth, talk to a toddler or a drunk. I haven’t been able to get him saying that out of my head. I’ve been told some messed up stuff about me by others but this one…hurts. So when he doesn’t start a conversation, I don’t want to talk. He doesn’t like listening to me talk. He’s blamed his ADHD and said “I never know when you’re gonna stop and my brain won’t focus” but part of me knows that’s a crock of sh*t.
Maybe while writing this post I’m realizing that it’s not worth it, but I’d like to explain that his insistent “Stims” on me (smacking, tickling, scratching, finger tracing, scratching my head and pulling my hair, pimple popping on my back, etc) are what’s crossing my boundaries. I have had a rough time with touch ever since I was 14 and was sexually assaulted. The last time I was triggered like this, my bf of the time tried to hold me from behind but his hand placement freaked me out and I had an anxiety attack; sweating, crying and dry heaving type of anxiety attack. While H never initiated without asking for consent, I’ve always wondered why consent and “keep your hands to yourself” is only important for him when he’s using his genitals.
I have repeatedly tried to explain to H that I am uncomfortable with most touch, and his stims still happen. I’ve tried to be mindful that maybe he actually can’t control it, that his extreme OCD is making him (he was diagnosed as a kid, the beginning of the relationship I had to drive with him everywhere because he kept thinking he hit people while on the road, a great example of pure O) so I tried displacement where he stims on himself, asked him to stop repeatedly and making him work through what he can do instead of stimming on me, I have tried to gentle parent his issue and nothing works. I am beginning to resent him and I don’t want to resort to violence just because he’s backed me into a corner with this issue.
I know however that when we have heart to hearts about these types of issues, he listens and tries better (he stopped smacking my thigh and went to my butt, the frequency of stims have slowed down) but after a year, I feel worn down and don’t know how to get him to talk to me now as I know if I start the conversation he will either deflect or dismiss. What should I do?
TLDR: boyfriend has trouble keeping his hands to himself, triggered my SA issues, we never talked about it, I don’t think he cares to listen. What should I do?

So I have been dating my gf for almost a year now. It’s been good so far, I mean we’ve had our rocky days but we always got past it. Yesterday, I was texting her to tell her about my day at school when she texts me back and says she’s with a friend and sends me a picture of her next to a guy on the bus. I asked who he was, and she ignores completely leaving my text on read. I text and emoji still left on read. I then look at her notes and see that she posted waiting for (the guys name). Hell she doesn’t even post me or my name at all and I text her to ask how long have they known each other, she leaves that on read as well. About an hour later, she sends me a picture wearing a jacket I never saw her in. I asked her where she got it from and she said that he gave it to her. At this point I’m in my “What the fuck” moment and proceed to tell her that this guy likes her, I mean honestly what guy do you know is gonna give a jacket to a girl he doesn’t like? She tells me that it’s from his ex, and that he gave it to her because they went for a run. My whole thing is she would be livid if I took an accessory from another female let alone, she doesn’t like me having female friends to which I only have 1 or 2 that I only talk to every so often. My whole thing is, I’m not there with her and he is and the chances of them getting closer can increase. I don’t know what to do and I’m at a loss.

Been on a project for coming up on a year now and we have been in a pretty heavy push to complete by the new school year ( fall 2024 ) just the PE on the project but I've been working 60 plus hours every single week with a limited support from my PM as she's equally as busy, and this past week I've just had very little motivation and drive to do anything above my basic tasks, wondering if anybody has any tips for pushing through even when we're going is getting tough. Also toying with the idea of switching careers but I feel like that's just a result of how much I've been working, which I know I need to get used to cuz that's just how the industry is but any advice or input is appreciated!

So I have taken a long term substitute job.
I am at an elementary school which I love dearly: supportive staff, friendly colleagues and kind students - for the most part. I will be returning to this school next school year because I love it so much!
From the beginning of April until now, they assigned me to be the paraeducator in this one 5th grade class- I mainly help one student with special needs by keeping him on task and repeating things for him to write down.
This is where it gets frustrating beyond belief. The class travels to another room to do science with Ms. K (different name). Ms. K is a first year teacher with little to no classroom management. Students constantly get out of their seats, interrupt, and do off task things like coloring. 2 students in particular are CONSTANT PROBLEMS. Yesterday they were collectively in the class for maybe 5 minutes total? They remained in the doorway and in the halls. Ms. K is the type of teacher to just constantly “shhhh” while shes talking (annoying to me) and gives EMPTY WARNINGS. Ms. K warned the wandering students that if they don’t sit down she will call the Vice. One of the two students responded to her “i don’t give a fuck, call the vice.” Ms. K did NOTHING. The student kept saying i dont care i dont care call the vice. This was at the beginning of class and this student continued to remain out of his seat all class with more empty threats from Ms. K.
Why did she not call the vice?? She later tells me that she didn’t call because the vice would just tell the student to sit down and do their work but when she leaves he will be disruptive again. I was like ??? ok.
Ms. K threatens to take away recess time (new administrative rule that we can’t take away all of recess due to parent complaints) but rarely EVER does. There are just no consequences and the classroom is like a circus for 3/4 of class time.
I help with classroom management but there is only so much I can do as a paraeducator. I completely understand that it’s the end of May and everyone, including Ms. K, is checked out.
I’m wondering how or if I can make this situation better? A different 5th grade teacher who’s class is across the hall from Ms. K’s told me privately that Ms. K has GOT TO CONTROL HER CLASS. He said the kids in the hallway disrupt everyone and it’s why his door is always closed.
I don’t understand allowing the severve disrespect. I give students 2-3 chances before they receive a REAL consequence. I’m talking to fellow teacher friends at other schools and the consesus is it’s Ms. K’s job to step up which I know. But maybe the teachers of reddit have a tangible solution? Thank you!

I've been dating my fiancé for four years, and until now, our relationship has been going great. But we went to a school reunion of mine, and he overheard some of my friends teasing me about being useless. He acted a little oddly the rest of the night. I thought it was just awkwardness from being around a bunch of my friends he didn't know, so I left early.
We pulled over to get drinks on the way back, and when I brought them back to the car, he was pretty upset. He had looked through my journal (he's allowed), and seemed disgusted with what I was like as a teen. I laughed it off at first, bit when he was serious, we started to fight.
He ended up bringing up my family (generally a subject we don't touch) to call me spoiled and concieted. I said he was being insane and that my life was more put together than his, so high school doesn't matter. And he's no one to talk - he had to repeat his senior year. Which isn't as bad, but still, plexiglass houses.
Don't get me wrong - I was an absolute waste in high school. I literally almost never attended classes, barely if ever wore the uniform, and definitely would have been expelled if that wouldn't have cost the school money. I gambled a bit, too, and drank responsibly on the weekends. But I had my excuses - definitely not good ones, but excuses nonetheless. I wasn't a delinquent or anything, I just... treated the dorms like an apartment complex I happened to live in. 😅 I was actually really well liked (because, hey, I had nothing better to do than help out), and my best friend ended up valedictorian.
But I don't see any reason that would be a problem now. I was a lazy, aggrieved teen going through some stuff for four years more than a decade ago. I've been a rancher for twice that! I don't think it suggests that I'm going to break under pressure or not be able to take care of others, because my whole job is taking care of birds and livestock in bad situations. My fiancé has said that he was first attracted to me because of how responsible and attentive I am towards them.
Now, should I have told him sooner? Probably, yeah. But I don't know anything about what he was like in high school either, and I didn't want to come off as whiny or bring up something I'm ashamed of. I genuinely didn't think it would matter to him. And I can't help but be offended that it is.

ECT2 teaching in small state secondary school.

1. Suffered a traumatic injury 1.5 years ago. I was about a month into my current job.
2. Injury never healed right and I've been in constant physical discomfort, depression, anxiety, general misery, ever since.
3. Went through NHS again and again to try and get help. Finally received news that according to experts in the field, the pain is likely permanent and chronic (barring a risky surgery).
4. Have not been coping well. Have always struggled with panic attacks and anxiety my whole life, but this news made me feel like life was absolutely pointless and not worth living. Have been in and out of school since I got this news, struggling through the day, trying to come in and going home, etc.
5. Spoke to a friend who suggested I get a sick note from the GP. Did so, am now signed off til mid June. Experiencing all the usual senses of failure for not being in school, anxiety about how my students will cope without me, fear that this shows I'm not fit to be a teacher, etc etc. Trying to battle that and have an appointment booked with a therapist, also have a halfterm holiday already planned with a friend, seeking GP help on pain management etc.
6. Since I realised just how bad things have gotten, I'm also revisiting all the things that I have been struggling with in this ECT1 year. Like having entirely bottom-set classes, being observed not only once a week as an ECT but once every 3 months by SLT, having additional parents evenings meetings/responsibilities like "call ten parents from this spreadsheet to check up on key identified members of your form group", high expectations in terms of marking and feedback for all year groups. When I started, I loved this school, but since the injury I now see things have got steadily more stressful without much of a sense of improvement. And i don't know if it's me, my injury, or the general "high expectations" set by our school that make all this so incredibly hard to handle, to the point where I don't feel I can come to work.

I suppose my question for the reddit is, how can I use this time off well? Should I bear any credence to the little voice in my head that kind of blames the school for loading so many responsibilities onto me that I am too anxious to go in? Or am I just conflating "general stress of teaching" with "specific stress of suddenly having chronic pain to battle"? Should I be trying to make a plan to get back to teaching, or to leave teaching for something less stressful? Should I be looking for other jobs or making it work for this job?
All thoughts, energies, ideas appreciated. Thanks for reading. <3

TL/DR: Broke up with gf 4 years ago because I was immature even though we were best friends and loved each other. Got into a new relationship with (F/22) 1 year ago, became more mature and realized that I treated my ex wrong. Now I cant stop thinking about it for 6 months and it depresses and overwhelmes me.
When I (M/22) was 17 I had a girlfriend now (F/21) for 8 months (01/2020 - 08/2020). We had almost everything in common, generally were best friends and loved each other since the first time we met. However I sometimes was very immature when it came to communication and I also wasn’t that motivated to meet her because I used to be lazy. For example when corona started I did not want to meet up with her for ~1 month because I didn’t want to get sick and was scared of the virus. Obviously this made her sad but she loved me a lot and didn’t want to upset me so she accepted it and waited until I decided that not meeting up because of corona is wrong. Another example is that I sometimes neglected her so I could focus on school because that was really important to me.
Of course we also had a lot of great moments that I will cherish forever, but eventually I started to think that we shouldn‘t be together. I thought that I lost feelings for her and told myself that I don‘t actually love her and have to break up with her because she deserves someone who really loves her and treats her better. She really loved me, maybe more than anyone else ever did. But I thought it wasn‘t right. I picked her up from her home, we went to a park, I told her how I felt,i.a. she said that she will forever be happy to have me as her first bf. We broke up and decided to stay friends. Unfortunately that last part didn‘t work out so well because she met a new guy and I didn‘t want to get in their way so I thought that I have to distance myself from her and let them be happy. They got together and I slowly broke contact. (Why didn‘t I just talk to her)
Last year I got together with a girl now (F/22) I met in uni. This is my first adult relationship and I learnt a lot about trust, commitment, communication etc. My partner and I really grew in this relationship and also love each other. However I‘ve never been really convinced that she is the right one since she i.a. sometimes gets panic attacks or aggressive which is too much for me. However I decided to stay with her, partly because I think that I have to be there for her since she has a bad relationship with her mom, I can help her with uni etc. but i.a also because it can be comfortable and fun with her.
In January I started to think about my ex from 2020 and since then I can‘t get her out of my mind. Every day I blame myself for breaking up with her and not putting effort in that relationship. I started to realize how I treated her wrong and how I shouldve acted. I get the feeling that I ruined everything and it depresses me. Even more when I think about how I made my ex feel when I broke up with her.
I talked about this with my current girlfriend and she tried to calm me down. I hoped that I could get over my past relationship but I just can‘t.
It‘s been almost 6 months now and I want to ask my girlfriend if I could text my ex and ask her to meet up and talk about the past so I can hopefully get over it. Another part of me thinks that I should break up with my current girlfriend first and then meet up with my ex. (I have no intentions of getting her back I just want to come clean)
This whole situation overwhelmes and drains me. I think about it everyday and its getting too much.

I’ve dabbled into loona until now I know I’m late but Yea imma be a die hard orbit now the groups cool asf or was cool asf at least. I was watching videos on YouTube on how to say their names and all of them have like diffrent ways to say them so I wanna get answers from the right source. How do y’all pronounce the members names¿ specially yves like how tf am I supposed to say that

I know that for example in Japan, they are even installing a barrier to obstruct the view of Mt. Fuji, because the nearby towns are starting to get fed up with an overflow of tourists who stop at one particular spot just to take pictures of the mountain. That is not the only issue with the overflow of tourists within their country, in Kyoto specifically, it is way too crowded. What annoys me the most is about them taking pictures of Geisha everywhere, I get it they want to snap a picture, but keep in mind that they are humans and need some space. (They are now issuing a ¥10000 fine for violators.)
During the time Logan Paul visited Japan was the worst, as he went to the suicide forest and recorded footage of a DEAD BODY then proceed to laugh, he took the video down after receiving a ton of backlash. He's not the only one, Johnny Somali also did some shit that landed him in jail, such as entering a construction site, using a random guests room number to get himself 'free' breakfast without realizing that guest will be billed upon them checking out, all due to his stupid actions. Streamers like him who visit Japan are just dumb, taking advantage of others.
Japan is now enforcing stricter rules regarding filiming in public, there are even businesses that forbid both video and photography, so no streaming IRL. In general, Japanese are fed up and pissed off about tourists who disrespect their customs or completely disregard their culture, there are even foreigners who throw trash on the floor (due to Japan not having bins everywhere, even in public, they only exist at designated areas) so you have no choice but to carry your trash with you. They even throw trash not from the konbini into their bins!
In hindsight:

• Does Greece have an over tourism problem? If so, how bad is it?
• Are there instances of behaviors coming from tourists that annoy Greek people to the point the authorities are cracking down on bad behavior imposing harsher penalties or deportation?
• Do you know any sites that often get photographed way too often that people are considering on creating a barricade to obstruct the view of said place or site?

I'm looking for tips and advice about what to do about my tax situation. I have been using the same tax preparer for 9 years and have never had something like this happen before. I moved across the country last year and my tax preparer said they could and would be happy to do my filing this past year.
I submitted all of my documents they would need by April 1st but my preparer did not file my taxes until May 3. They did file for an extension but I was never told they did this or that they were being filed late and had to pay state penalties. This year, they did not set up a meeting or call time to go over my taxes with me, which I thought was strange but given the lack of communication and delay, I was just happy to have them done finally.
Last week I received a letter in the mail stating there was an error on my taxes and that I owed more to my previous state of residence. I also revieved a voter ID card issued from my previous state. I only lived and worked in this state for 3 months last year before moving. I started reading through all of the paperwork I had received from the preparer and it appears that they filed my taxes stating that I am still a resident of my previous state and they filed a tax credit for the income tax I made in my current state with my previous state. It also seems that they may have used a copy of my expired drivers license from a previous year since I never had a chance to speak with my preparer and submit a copy of my new drivers license.
My vehicles, drivers license, voter registration, professional licenses, and home are all listed in my new state that I've lived in for over a year now. I recently applied to a graduate school program and in-state tuition. I'm worried how this mistake will affect my eligibility for financial aid and in-state tuition, as well as my profesional licenses, job, etc.
I left 3 voicemail and 2 emails last week and finally spoke to the tax preparer's secretary yesterday and she said to send then the letter stating I owe more to the previous state and my current drivers license and they would see what can be done. I have not been able to speak to the tax preparer, I can only speak with the secretary which is extremely frustrating.
The extreme lack of communication and professionalism has been very stressful and upsetting to say the least. I could understand a very technical error but filing someone's taxes in the wrong state entirely and screwing up thier college financial aid seem completly negligent. Should I even continue working with them to fix it or try to find someone else? My biggest concern is getting this fixed so that I can start college this fall and maintaining my licenses for my job.

TL/DR: Broke up with gf (F/21) 4 years ago because I was immature even though we were best friends and loved each other. Got into a new relationship with (F/22) 1 year ago, became more mature and realized that I treated my ex wrong. Now I cant stop thinking about it for 6 months and it depresses and overwhelmes me.
When I (M/22) was 17 I had a girlfriend now (F/21) for 8 months (01/2020 - 08/2020). We had almost everything in common, generally were best friends and loved each other since the first time we met. However I sometimes was very immature when it came to communication and I also wasn’t that motivated to meet her because I used to be lazy. For example when corona started I did not want to meet up with her for ~1 month because I didn’t want to get sick and was scared of the virus. Obviously this made her sad but she loved me a lot and didn’t want to upset me so she accepted it and waited until I decided that not meeting up because of corona is wrong. Another example is that I sometimes neglected her so I could focus on school because that was really important to me.
Of course we also had a lot of great moments that I will cherish forever, but eventually I started to think that we shouldn‘t be together. I thought that I lost feelings for her and told myself that I don‘t actually love her and have to break up with her because she deserves someone who really loves her and treats her better. She really loved me, maybe more than anyone else ever did. But I thought it wasn‘t right. I picked her up from her home, we went to a park, I told her how I felt,i.a. she said that she will forever be happy to have me as her first bf. We broke up and decided to stay friends. Unfortunately that last part didn‘t work out so well because she met a new guy and I didn‘t want to get in their way so I thought that I have to distance myself from her and let them be happy. They got together and I slowly broke contact. (Why didn‘t I just talk to her)
Last year I got together with a girl now (F/22) I met in uni. This is my first adult relationship and I learnt a lot about trust, commitment, communication etc. My partner and I really grew in this relationship and also love each other. However I‘ve never been really convinced that she is the right one since she i.a. sometimes gets panic attacks or aggressive which is too much for me. However I decided to stay with her, partly because I think that I have to be there for her since she has a bad relationship with her mom, I can help her with uni etc. but i.a also because it can be comfortable and fun with her.
In January I started to think about my ex from 2020 and since then I can‘t get her out of my mind. Every day I blame myself for breaking up with her and not putting effort in that relationship. I started to realize how I treated her wrong and how I shouldve acted. I get the feeling that I ruined everything and it depresses me. Even more when I think about how I made my ex feel when I broke up with her.
I talked about this with my current girlfriend and she tried to calm me down. I hoped that I could get over my past relationship but I just can‘t.
It‘s been almost 6 months now and I want to ask my girlfriend if I could text my ex and ask her to meet up and talk about the past so I can hopefully get over it. Another part of me thinks that I should break up with my current girlfriend first and then meet up with my ex. (I have no intentions of getting her back I just want to come clean)
This whole situation overwhelmes and drains me. I think about it everyday and its getting too much.

I was reminded of why I no longer go out of my way to interact with family (adoptive or biological) at this point.
I reached out to a biological cousin (first time actually speaking) for some health information, as they are also a professional in the same field. I thought it would be fitting. She kept the health information professional and didn’t cross personal boundaries. 🙏🏾
Once we left the health topic got on the topic of family we started falling apart. She meant well but was dropping bomb shells about my adoption from her perspective. I was completely unprepared for that. After starting to explain my estrangement she cuts me off and starts offering to visit me. We’ve never met so I was like nah I am okay. She didn’t wanna hear the reason why and kept pushing a narrative that I am lonely and don’t have to be. I told her clearly I’ve chosen the path of estrangement because it’s what’s best in the end, I’ve done the reunion / adoptive family dance for awhile now. She tried to tell me my appearance based off IG indicated that I had been sexually traumatized. Corrected her on that and she tried to tell me it actually wasn’t my appearance online but through my voice, saying that she’s a mental health professional and can tell. Has known of my life but has only ever spoken to me for less than 2 hours (yesterday), found that odd as she said she can’t comment on my health state due to us being family. So why are you over analyzing and telling me something that is not true. She than tried to tell me my life is behind and I need to get on a path soon or else risk being thrown into the system. Tried to fill her in on how I stopped part of my life (school and career, at 19, age 26 today) for a while to meet biological family as it takes time and energy. She started down the your a playing victim path and I ended the call quickly.
🙄 all in all. Well intentioned call went down the tubes and I was shaking by the end. Just completely unprepared for family talk. I should have stated a boundary for family talk.
😭 life of an adoptee on a nice calm Monday evening.

Firstly ik the title sound weird. I'm from a foreign country and i apologize for any mistakes bc english is not my first language.
In my country, in 8th grade, you have to do well on your final exams and get points. You also get points for your gpa. You will use those points for the highschool you want to go to. There are different types of highschools: economics, gymnasium, med, art, technology and many many more. For some highschools, that are usually harder, you need a lot of points, like for med school.
Btw in my country, med school is THE school for every basic white girl.
So my (15f) friend "Mia" (15f) wants to go to med school. Although Lana is my very good friend, i've known her for almost a decade, it pains me to say that she may be a little bit dumb. There are classes that she is struggling to pass, it's easier to number the ones she's passing than the ones she isn't. She has always been like this. She is very athletic tho, and plays a few sports so i get why she never really has time to study.
You must be wondering "how do you know if she's gonna do bad on the final exam or not". Ik because we had this "final exam tryout" where it's exactly like final exam but the points you get aren't real and it's just so you could see how much you ACTUALLY know. Out of 40 points she had 15.3. The final exams if less than a month away and it includes everything we have learned for the past 8 years and she said that she isn't even gonna study bc she knows where she went wrong and is gonna have just enough points she needs.
For the school that she wants to go to barely anyone has enough points. Some of my friends that are candidates for valedictorians (which i am also a candidate for) didn't have enough points for that school (not to brag i did have enough points but med isn't my type of field).
The "field" that she wants to go to is a pharmacist. Do you know how much chemistry there is? There are multiple sub-subjects about DIFFERENT types of chemistry. Mia almost failed chemistry last year btw.
It honestly makes me a bit frustrated bc no way you can just slack off for 4 years and then just expect you can get into one of the hardest type of highschools.
I was never the type of friend to burst someone's bubble, I also know that she wouldn't just brush something off, let alone crush my dream or fantasy about something i'm excited for, so i def wouldn't want to hurt her feelings. But maybe i should tell her to give up on that dream and suggest ,or help her find, something different before it's too late. Bc if she realizes that it's too late, she's just gonna rush and choose a random highschool that's ina field she doesn't even like (which could affect her future if she doesn't go to college).
Maybe i'm crazy and some type of control freak. But Mia is a friend i've known for for a long time as i said. One of my best friends actually who i view as some part of the family and i really want what's best for her.
WIBTA if i told my friend that she has no chance of getting into her dream highschool?

Hi everyone, I was wondering if anyone had advice or guidance for my situation.
My problem:
In high school and the beginning of college I was really into journalism and did summer internships at local newspapers in California and New York. I have a portfolio but most of it is from 2017-2021.
However, my interest in sophomore year of college really shifted from journalism to academia (you can see from my username, haha). I received a ton of grants for research in the Literature department, got a lot of fellowships, was accepted to various prestigious academic conferences, etc.
At the same time, I was still interested in journalism/documentary/TV news or working fully in comedy or scripted TV, so I did some work as a stand-up comedian and production assistant in college -- but not enough I feel.
I graduated in 2023 into the big Hollywood strike, so I took a fellowship in Europe to teach English.
This past year I worked in comedy production part-time, stand-up, and teaching full-time.
Now I am 24 and almost a year out of college. I realize that I am much more interested in a job in TV writing, journalism, or entertainment or production. My problem is I feel like my resume is simply inadequate for those jobs and I am almost a year out of college.
So I don't know what to do. If I want to get my Master's Degree or PhD in English/Literature I have a fantastic resume and feel confident in applying to any graduate program. The problem is that I want to work in TV writing, journalism, documentary, or reality TV -- more so than academia.
Pros/ things I am doing now pro-actively:
I'm 24 which is young, I know, but I also feel like I spent the last 4-5 years pursuing the wrong opportunities. My resume doesn't match up with the industries I want to work in, which are very competitive and lean toward people who racked up a ton of connections and internships in college.
Right now I am trying to think of people I could contact, and am also submitting some spec/freelance pieces to some magazines and news outlets so I can improve my portfolio. When I get back to the U.S there's also two mini-documentaries I plan to make so I have something to submit to TV news companies, documentary or reality production companies, etc. I also plan to take a highly-ranked class in screen-writing in LA and do more stand-up once I go back home (to Los Angeles) to make more connections.
I can also live at home in Los Angeles which is a huge help so I don't have to worry so much about rent and utilities. I am willing to work weird hours or not so great pay in the beginning in order to gain experience, etc.
I have a following of about 35,000 on Tik Tok from my comedy and personal life videos, but so far I do not know how to leverage that for a job in production or comedy or something related.
Cons/concerns:
I have 4-6 contacts in the field -- either people I worked under as a Production Assistant in college or met in passing who said they know people in the industry and could put me in touch with people. However, as I am reaching out to them, most are saying they cannot help at the moment.
I just feel really hopeless and like most of these companies or places -- whether it's a small production studio or a big company like CNN or HBO or Netflix -- do not hire from Indeed or LinkedIn, but from word of mouth. I have no connections or nepotism whatsoever from family or friends. I can contact people through my alumni network but it would not be anyone that I know personally. What would you do in my position?

[Part 1]
Day 3
I woke the next morning from the sunshine in my eyes. My head was resting ever so slightly on Eli's arm as we had both fallen asleep on my bed after I begged him to stay. I blanched in horror at the drool stain I had left on the arm of his white t-shirt.
I began to slowly move myself and retreat downstairs as the memories of the night before came flooding back. How I had broken, screaming in terror, and how Eli had saved me, not knowing the true reason he found me curled up on the floor crying.
As I stepped off the bed, my leg got snagged in the frilly bed cover, and I went crashing to the ground, making quite the noise as I landed. With a yawn, Eli's eyes opened, and I felt myself blushing as he turned to look at me.
We both kind of stared at each other for a moment, not speaking. Eli opened his mouth, then closed it again as if unsure of what to say.
"Coffee?" I asked quickly, filling the awkwardness of our situation.
"Please," Eli said, smiling.
In minutes, I had a pot brewing as I leaned against the kitchen counter. Eli was picking up the scattered photographs from the floor and looking at them quizzically.
"Why do you have pictures of the Harmons?" Eli asked, showing me the photos of the yellow-haired man and his family.
"Is that their names? I found them out in the barn under a blanket," I answered as I rooted around the cupboards for two mugs.
"In the barn? I cleaned it out just last week. No way I would have missed this trunk," Eli said while examining the wooden trunk with its simple rustic hinges. It was plain and unadorned with any embellishments. Basic as basic could be.
"Well, you must have missed it because it was there," I said, putting emphasis on the "was" in a way that reminded me of my mother chastising my father.
"That's so weird," he said, shifting through the photos while sitting at the table. I brought him a cup of coffee and sugar, and he began absentmindedly adding a lot of sugar to his coffee. About six scoops later, he began stirring and sipping it.
"Well, anyways, thanks for coming last night. I wasn't myself, I hope you know that I'm not some damsel in distress," I said quickly, like word vomit, and I even chuckled at the end, feeling like a total weirdo.
"What happened anyway? You didn't say last night," he said, putting the photos down in a jumble on the table.
I paused for a moment, considering how to answer. As I sipped my coffee, I stared out into the yard beside the barn where the scarecrow stood, glancing around the edge of the barn, hanging limply in his hole. His appearance once again sad and dejected instead of murderous and terrifying.
"I was just scared, I had a nightmare, and it just scared me," I said dumbly, trying not to turn crimson again under his intense gaze.
His eyes seemed to cut right through my lie, as if he were staring directly into my being before he simply glanced away out the window. We fell silent again, and I filled some moments by sipping my drink. It seemed to revitalize me; the sun and the company made me feel secure.
"Why were you here anyways?" I asked after a moment.
"I heard screaming, so I came running. I live just on the other side of the grass there, behind the barn," Eli said, pointing to the barn out the window.
"Must be really close, I didn't see any houses on the way in," I said, prying deeper into the situation.
"It's actually a trailer, maybe like two hundred yards from here. I was outside getting some air when I heard you scream. So, I came running," Eli said, finishing his cup of coffee and placing it in between us like a barrier, as if he was hiding something.
"Could you, uh, not do that?" Eli asked, with an uncertain grin on his face.
"What am I doing exactly?" I asked, startled for a moment, my stomach doing a sort of flip.
"It's just that you like stare at people. You've been staring at me for like my whole cup of coffee, I don't think you blinked the whole time," Eli said, averting his eyes shyly.
"No, I don't," I said until I realized he was right. I never noticed that about myself.
"Right, well, I've got to go. I am probably going to start painting today, so you might see me in a bit," Eli said, rising and heading to the door.
"Wait," I said, grabbing his arm for only a moment before releasing it like it was scalding hot.
Eli glanced at my hand for a moment, then at his arm, before he, too, blushed crimson.
"I just wanted to say thank you again. For last night, I mean. Well, what I mean is I appreciate it," I said, my eyes downcast in, for some reason, shame. Like he had seen me at my weakest and it weighed on my gaze appropriately.
"It was nothing, besides I didn't get much sleep with your constant snoring," Eli said, laughing at me.
"I so don't snore," I said, swatting at him but unable to control a smile creeping up onto my face.
After Eli left, I felt instantly colder, my eyes kept returning to the scarecrow. I grabbed my camera from upstairs and went out to the yard. I scanned the dirt for anything out of the ordinary. There was no blood, or anything on the dirt where the scarecrow stood just last night. I slowly made my way to the scarecrow, but nothing happened. I snapped a photo of the inanimate object, and it didn't even flinch. I poked it, but all I felt was straw underneath its clothes. I removed its mask, expecting a severed head, but it was just straw. Nothing was here but straw. I dropped the mask on the ground and took another photo proving it was just straw and nothing else.
An idea struck me as I regarded the source of my torment. If I planned to stay even one more night here, I needed to do something about this scarecrow. I rooted around in the barn, a series of tools hung from nails in the wall. On one hung what I was searching for. An old rusted shovel with a dirty wooden handle that was worn smooth from use.
I returned to the side of the barn beside the scarecrow, knowing for whatever reason this thing only came when night fell and didn't react at all when I moved or touched it during the day.
Before my morning coffee had even settled, I began to dig at the dusty earth, loose and easy to dig, it came away in shovelfuls. Within an hour, I had a fair-sized hole in front of me. Sweat dripped from my brow, and when I wiped under my eyes, they came away black from last night's makeup. Glancing at the field of grass and knowing Eli could appear at any time, I decided to head inside and shower. The hot water was a godsend, and I lingered for longer, letting the water drain down my head and back, my eyes closed, trying to forget the images from the last two nights. I should just pack up my car and leave right this minute. But how could I explain this to my family? I decided to go through with my plan and bury the scarecrow. I could last one more night if I prepared for it.
I left the shower and dressed modestly, in another one of my old rock t-shirts and a pair of shorts. I returned to the yard and with a satisfying push, I dropped the scarecrow into the pit. It fell with a nice thud, and I smiled at my power over it in the day; it's just at night when I should fear it.
As I threw the first shovel of dirt back on top, I heard a noise in the grass, and it parted, revealing Eli wearing the same pair of jeans and work boots, but he had changed his shirt to a plain black one. In each hand, he held cans of paint and a brush.
"Should I even ask why you are burying that old scarecrow?" He asked as he came to stand beside me.
"Probably best if you didn't," I admitted, leaning on the shovel.
"Well, I'm going to anyway. Polly, why are you burying that old scarecrow?" He asked, a rare smile coming to his face.
"Because it's been haunting me at night," I said bluntly.
"Mhm, yeah, okay. Fine, don't tell me. I've been meaning to get rid of it anyway, but normal people take things to the landfill," Eli said with a smirk as he turned to the house and began setting up for his painting.
I finished burying the scarecrow and stomped the dirt down flat. I finished my job by moving my car and parking it directly over top of the spot where I buried it.
Eli watched me curiously but didn't remark. I returned the shovel to the barn and went out into the yard. I decided to go for a hike around the property. I needed some time alone to think and unwind.
As I made my way through the grass, it began to confuse me. This had obviously been a large farmland, but how had the wild plants grown in such a thick, endless maze of greenery?
It gave me an eerie feeling, like I was being watched as the grass covered three-quarters of my body, like there would be something lurking out in the grass, crouched low, waiting for me.
After a half-hour or so, I came upon a clear lake, only big enough to be considered an old swimming hole, I thought as I dipped my hand into the cool water.
I took off my outer clothes and decided to go for a swim. I lowered myself in slowly and reveled at the cool water. The pond wasn't deep, but the water was clean. A small rope swing had been hung from a large oak tree that bordered the pond. It also provided a nice layer of shade that made it the ideal spot to spend the day. I floated on my back in the water for what seemed like hours. The day seemed to slip away from me. A small beach of sand sat at one side of the pond, so I lay out in the sun and closed my eyes. The warm day warmed my soul, and soon I felt myself drifting off into sleep.
I awoke to the sound of crickets and darkness. I couldn't believe it. I had slept through the day; the long nights had finally caught up to me, and now I was stuck far away from the farmhouse. I didn't know if my plan with the scarecrow had worked, and this wasn't the place to test my theory.
A full moon lay overhead, casting a silvery glow on the world before me. A sea of grass swayed gently in the wind, sending shivers down it in shuddering waves. I looked around, but I was thankfully alone, just the crickets chirping along melodically as my only companions.
I had to make it back to the house, so I started on my way, my hands trailing along the tall grass. The pale light played easily on the deep green grass. Step by step, I made my way back towards the farmhouse and the barn, throwing caution to the wind, and I started to jog along, anything to get back faster. I would have to find Eli; maybe if we were together, he could stop it like before.
If I thought the field was creepy during the day, by night, it was a whole new world. Every sound made my heart stop for a beat before restarting in protest. When all of a sudden, the crickets stopped chirping. I dropped to my knees, letting the long grass cover me from sight. Through the strands, I could make out a shape moving slowly through the tall grass, the swish of the plants as it made its passage through them. My heart dropped. Was this Eli looking for me, or was it the scarecrow come for me?
That's when I heard a voice, a voice cutting through the silence. It started off quiet and raspy as it sang an eerie children's song.
"Did you, did you, did you come for me?
Run and hide, don't you know that I seek
The world it claims that I be not clean
When I come, you'll see how filthy I can be.
Tonight, it is happening, tonight you'll see
Beneath the moon, my shadows they do creep.
In this world, at night I shall be free.
Tonight it's happening, tonight you'll see.
When I come, you had better flee, or else I'll come and give my filth to thee."
I was frozen to the spot. It hadn't found me, but it knew I was in the grass somewhere. Now, with each word, chewed up and spat out like it was unhappy with it, now it was accompanied by the whistle of something in the air and a slicing sound as it cut through the grass around me.
It finished another round of its song, but now it stood within feet of me, its blade whistling as it cut. I took a moment to ready myself, and as it raised its blade to cut through the grass I hid in, I dashed out of my hiding spot and slammed into it. But nothing resisted me; I fell through it like it was a ghost.
In a tangle of limbs, I landed hard on the ground and tried quickly rolling to my feet. The blade of its weapon pierced the earth beside me. Now I could see it was a two-handed scythe the scarecrow carried, but something was off, its hands were human. Pale milky skin like a newborn baby. I had little time to examine the creature except for the canvas bag over its head. Two large black eyes came out of the slits that leaked a dark red blood like tears.
It screeched loudly and swung its scythe, but it was slow, and I took off through the grass in the direction of what I hoped was the farmhouse.
I completely gave up all pretense of hiding and sprinted as fast as I could without looking back. The grass seemed to part for me as I ran in terror. I was just glad that in high school, I had taken track as it was paying off now.
I could hear the noise of footsteps behind me, but I never turned. I ran and ran until my lungs felt like they were going to burst Something silver flashed to my left, and I tripped over something hard and unexpected. The wind was driven from my lungs as my chin slammed hard into the earth. I scrambled back, trying to escape, but the scarecrow was on me, its blade flashing angrily in the pale moonlight.
I wanted to move, I wanted to fight, but my body was weak and unable to catch its breath, and I lay there helpless as it swung its scythe towards me. I closed my eyes in fear, but I only heard the thud of dirt before I opened my eyes. The scythe was discarded, and the scarecrow stood staring at me.
It seemed to be struggling with something, one hand reached out towards me only to be snapped back to its side. A roar of rage pierced the canvas sack over its head as it struggled against its invisible bonds. For a moment, I thought I saw something behind it, three sets of hands holding it back. One feminine in nature, and the other two must have belonged to children. In a flash, I saw a beautiful woman who looked vaguely familiar with her long brown hair and plain dress.
"Run," she moaned as the scarecrow swung around wildly.
I didn't hesitate and fled, my breath had returned, and while my body still ached from my fall, I powered on, knowing this was the only respite I would receive tonight.
In the distance, I could see a small sheet metal shape; Eli's trailer was slowly coming closer as I ran, and I beelined it for the trailer. I could hear the footsteps behind me again as the scarecrow resumed its chase after me.
I reached the old trailer and banged on the door as loud as I could; I rattled the handle, but it was locked.
"Eli, it's me. It's Polly, please let me in. Please," I begged as I banged over and over again on the door of his trailer.
Nothing responded to me, and the trailer was dark. The single window in the back held no life inside the trailer. From the trailer, I couldn't tell which direction the farmhouse was in the dark, so I fled into the tall grass and crouched low, watching the clearing around the trailer.
While I caught my breath, I watched the scarecrow enter the clearing, its scythe back in its hand as it circled the trailer. When its raspy voice began singing again low and quiet, only loud enough for me to hear.
"Did you, did you, did you come for me?
Run and hide, don't you know that I seek
The world it claims that I be not clean
When I come, you'll see how filthy I can be.
Tonight, it is happening, tonight you'll see
Beneath the moon, my shadows they do creep.
In this world, at night, I shall be free.
Tonight it's happening, tonight you'll see.
When I come, you had better flee, or else I'll come and give my filth to thee."
The song made me shiver uncontrollably at the lyrics and the voice; it sounded demented like a crazy person letting their demons out into a nursery rhyme.
I lay perfectly still; for some reason, it couldn't find me. This creature I assumed was all-knowing seemed to have some very human weaknesses. It moved and talked like a human, even had certain body parts that were from a human; it even felt human the way it chased and reacted.
The scarecrow moved on through the tall grass, and I let out a sigh of relief as it lost my trail. How terrifying that beast was. In my pocket was the keys to my car. Eli had told me that the farmhouse was fairly close to his trailer. I had to navigate to the car, then drive as fast as I can away from this place. The fact that I hadn't left already because I was worried about money was insane. Who cares, I could drive to Barb's and demand my money back. Go home and just tell my parents the truth. The whole reason for actually leaving home this summer, why I was actually here in this field shivering uncontrollably in fear. But I couldn't think about that now, not now, there will be time to deal with that later. Now I needed to focus on staying alive, getting to the car, and getting out of here.
I went in the direction the scarecrow had; he knew the land better than I did, and every noise I made in the silence of the night made my heart drop. It took all my courage there and then to take one step forward, then another. I felt like I was going to be sick; my stomach was in knots to where it felt like even if I was sick, the only thing to come out would be only bile and stomach acid.
With each careful step, I made my way closer to the farmhouse and the scarecrow. Through the darkness, I could see my goal, the farmhouse, and the barn. Within minutes, I had made it securely to the farmhouse yard.
My car still sat in the same spot overtop of the hole where I buried the scarecrow. In the moonlight, I could see that the dirt had not been disturbed.
The scarecrow was nowhere to be seen, and I cautiously made my way to my car, my keys in my hand as I approached the driver's door. I hadn't locked the car, and it opened on the first try. I turned on my car as quietly as I could, but nothing could have prepared me for what happened next.
Something landed heavily on top of the roof of my car, making it dent inwards slightly. With horror, I saw the scarecrow swing its scythe into the back window of my car. With a crash, the glass shattered inwards; I put my car into gear and roared away down the lane. In my rearview mirror, I couldn't see anything, so I swerved back and forth, trying to shake the creature from the roof of my car when the scythe crashed in through the front window, making a hole just large enough for it.
The glass spidered, and I couldn't see out the window very well. I swerved down the road, but the scythe remained in the car, allowing the creature purchase. In a panic, I spun my wheel wildly, trying to dislodge it, but I lost control, and soon felt something crash into the front of my car. The airbag went off in my face, and I hadn't been wearing my seatbelt. I slammed hard into something else, and my vision went dark. I was in a daze; I must have passed out because I don't remember a lot of what happened next. I felt the car door open with a crunching tear, and it landed loudly as it was torn off. My body being grabbed and tossed on the ground. I felt no pain, just a gentle numbness. I felt blood on my head as I raised my arm to touch my face.
Then just blackness, complete, and empty just feelings, fear, unease, sadness. My eyes opened, and the scarecrow was overtop of me. Pain on my chest and my vision went dark again. Coughing as something poured down my throat. I couldn't breathe, why couldn't I breathe?
My eyes opened one last time, and I saw the scarecrow pouring a dark liquid from its mouth directly into my mouth and eyes. My vision was red and bloody before I closed them one last time.
The words of its song echoed into the emptiness of my thoughts.
"Did you, did you, did you come for me?
Run and hide, don't you know that I seek?
The world it claims that I be not clean.
When I come, you'll see how filthy I can be.
Tonight, it is happening, tonight you'll see,
Beneath the moon, my shadows they do creep.
In this world, at night, I shall be free.
Tonight it's happening, tonight you'll see.
When I come, you had better flee, or else I'll come and give my filth to thee."
The darkness enveloped me, and I felt myself slipping away, the sounds of the night fading into oblivion.
Day 4
When I awoke, it was morning, and I found myself lying in a hospital bed. My head throbbed with pain, and my body ached all over. The memories of the terrifying night flooded back to me, and I shuddered involuntarily.
A nurse entered the room, her kind eyes filled with concern. "You're awake," she said softly, her voice gentle like a soothing balm. "You're lucky to be alive. You were found unconscious by the side of the road next to your car. Do you remember what happened?"
I tried to speak, but my throat felt raw and dry. I croaked out a few words, barely audible. "The scarecrow... it attacked me..."
The nurse frowned, her brows furrowing in confusion. "Scarecrow? What scarecrow?"
My heart raced with panic as I realized the truth. Had it all been a nightmare? But the pain in my body felt too real, the memories too vivid to be mere hallucinations.
I tried to explain, to tell her about the terrifying creature that had pursued me through the night, but she only looked at me with concern, as if I were delusional.
"I'll get the doctor, and there is a young man who brought you in. He has been here all morning," the nurse said with a sly wink.
After a few minutes, she came back with Eli and a doctor, both of whom smiled gently at me through the window. The doctor came in first and went over my health with me. I had a concussion and bruises all over my body. A generous-sized cut from some glass on my scalp had been stitched and bandaged. My mind flashed back to the night before. How the scarecrow had filled me with its gooey red blood.
"Did you find anything else?" I asked cautiously, trying to avoid another scandal like with the nurse.
"No, as long as you have someone to pick you up and take you home, you are free to go. That nice young man out there said he would take you back home," the doctor said, pointing to Eli as he rose with a slight grunt.
I glanced at Eli, and he waved uncertainly at me. The doctor went out and began talking to Eli for a few minutes.
While I waited, my mind began to have strange thoughts. Something was wrong; I felt weird. My vision turned red, and I began to see images before my eyes.
The Harmons. They flashed before my eyes in real-time—the husband hugging his wife, then swinging his kids around, chopping wood outback next to the barn while his wife cooked in the kitchen.
As Eli entered the room, the visions stopped suddenly. Like my saving angel for the third time now, I was extremely grateful to Eli.
"Heyyyyy," Eli said, elongating the word in a sort of familiar yet awkward way.
"Hi," I said, closing my eyes and letting my embarrassment pass in only a few seconds.
"Why is it that fifty percent of the times we meet, you're in serious trouble?" Eli asked, coming to sit on the edge of my bed.
"Oh, you know me, bad luck, I guess," I said simply, becoming aware that under my blankets, I was in a backless hospital gown, and he was inches away from me.
I pulled the blanket up to my chin as a sort of cover for my appearance, but Eli didn't seem to notice. He continued talking to me. It was actually really sweet the way he seemed to care for me.
"Anyways, the doctor said I could take you back to the farmhouse to rest," Eli said.
"No," I said suddenly, becoming serious.
"What? Why not?" Eli asked.
"I just, I just can't right now. I'll tell you later. Just, we can't spend the night anywhere near the farm," I said, grabbing him by the arm, hoping to sway him.
"Well, I mean, if you want, we can grab your stuff, and my house can literally go anywhere," Eli said in an offhand manner, as if he had expected this.
"Promise?" I asked, trying not to seem too afraid.
Within the hour, we had returned to the farmhouse. The hole I dug was still covered over, and I stared at it as we parked in Eli's black pickup truck.
I ran inside and quickly got changed into my only clean clothes, grabbing everything I had from the farmhouse. I paused at the dinner table, looking down at the photographs of the Harmons and thinking back to that weird moment in the hospital with that odd vision.
The day was getting longer, and I hurried back to Eli, waiting in the pickup truck. I threw my bag in the back and climbed in beside him. He smiled and backtracked down the lane. We turned to the left and went down a side road where we came upon my poor old car. It had crashed directly into a tree, and the whole front part of the car had been destroyed. Fluid leaked all over the road, and I almost shed a tear for my departed friend. We had traveled far together. I grabbed a few things from the car, but something was off about the car. The front door had been knocked off and was discarded on the far side of the road. It looked impossible; the door hadn't even hit the tree.
Eli hooked his truck up to his trailer, and we sped off, leaving the property behind us. We headed into town and found a pullout on the side of the road with a set of bathrooms to camp at for the night. Eli's trailer was messy but cozy. He had laundry strewn over most surfaces, but it didn't smell bad.
The room consisted of a small kitchen with a bed in one corner. There were also a lot of posters and artwork on the walls. I examined one of a pretty girl with long raven-black hair. It was a realist painting, obviously taken from real life.
"Who is this?" I asked as Eli made us some food.
"That is just a friend," Eli said, glancing at the painting he had done.
"Well, she is a pretty friend," I said, enjoying watching the back of his ears turn bright red.
"Dinner's ready," he said, pouring the mixture of food he had made onto a pair of plates.
Eli served me and handed me a can of Coke to drink. I thanked him and sat on his bed. It was the only serviceable piece of furniture in the whole trailer. We both sat in silence for a moment while we ate. I could tell something was bothering Eli as he kept making glances toward me.
"What? What is it, Eli? Just say it," I said between bites.
"Tell me what happened, Polly. Tell me why you were burying the scarecrow, why you were passed out in the road with straw in your hair. Tell me why you were muttering about the Harmons and a scarecrow when I found you," Eli said suddenly, as if he were unloading a machine gun.
I looked Eli square in the face and relented. I told him about the last couple of nights at the farmhouse, about how the scarecrow had been tormenting me every night. About how he had saved me and how last night I had fled through the fields to his trailer and then to my car. I told him about the vision I had about the Harmons in the hospital. By the end of it, I was in tears. I felt so foolish and childish.
Eli took it in stride. He asked a few questions during my retelling, but by the end of it, he was silent. Tears fell down my face and landed in my lap. We had both put our plates on the counter, and Eli hugged me. He put his arms around me, and I nuzzled into his shoulder, feeling comforted again in him at the lowest points of my life.
With a gentle hand, he wiped away my tears, and I smiled, letting a nervous laugh escape my lips. I looked up into his face and felt his stare before I saw it. His pale blue eyes shone with comfort, and then his lips were on mine as he kissed me quickly before pulling away slightly.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. That was insensitive of me. You're sad, and I took advantage of that," Eli said, moving back slightly.
"Shut up," I said, and grabbed his shirt, bringing him back in.

I'm struggling in my marriage lately and could use some advice.
Quick summary: My wife and I are in our late 30s and have been together for nearly 20 years since we were 18. We have two wonderful children (a baby and a preschooler). We've been best friends, overall have had a happy, loving, mostly drama free life together. Our biggest issue over the years has been that I'm high libido, my wife has low libido, and I've often felt my wife can be a bit self absorbed and not really put in much effort to meet me in the middle when it comes to our love languages, putting in effort for each other, etc. I've always felt like the partner who cared more about quality time and emotional intimacy as well.
In the past year or so, we had the most drama we've ever had in 20 years when my wife admitted to me that she had always been lying to me about our first months dating - she had always said she was never with anyone else since our first date (our relationship anniversary we had always celebrated as a sweet holiday) and she actually was secretly still going to see her high school ex boyfriend during that time (who had cheated on her) and apparently had sex with him just once during that time. She also admitted that she had cheated on me (just kissing) with another person during that time. She only admitted this to me because I had suspected her of lying and did something wrong myself by reading parts of her personal journal (in which I read that she had recently been "infatuated" with a work colleague and had also been dreaming about, sexually fantasizing about, and occasionally dwelling on her high school ex over the years (who she had cut off contact with nearly 20 years ago), even looking him up recently and crying while seeing his current life, but saying that she was mad about how he treated her and that me and our kids deserve her more than he does). I also had read that she wasn't attracted to me at times and had issues with my weight gain over the years. We both apologized for the things we had done wrong and wanted to work to be better.
This all led to us having many emotional discussions and working to improve our relationship and be closer, and I basically went into a depression for many months after learning about her cheating and thoughts about other men. I lost a lot of weight and got in the best shape I've been in for many years. My wife was trying to put in some effort to talk with me and be closer, but I was often frustrated because even after learning about the cheating and everything, it still felt like I was responsible for initiating discussions and leading our work together: I downloaded relationship apps for us to do together and have intimate conversations about, etc.
During this time I asked my wife what things would make her feel closer with me, and she said she "needs emotional intimacy to want physical intimacy" and that she'd like to do regular date nights where we take turns planning them for each other. I wanted to do that for her so we started them. The first date nights I led, I put a lot of thought into and wrote her a love letter, planned romantic activities. Then when it was her turn to lead date night, it was clear she hadn't planned anything. Didn't prepare anything. She wanted to reschedule hers at the last minute sometimes because she was tired from work or something. This continued for a while until finally we both just stopped the date nights because it felt more like a chore.
I was still processing the cheating and my own insecurities for a while, and I started therapy for the first time ever, read books, listened to podcasts, learned about attachment theory and felt insights that my wife might have avoidant attachment and be averse to intimacy, while I think I've generally been secure, but I lean toward anxious when I feel threatened. But I was sad because while I was doing all this learning, my wife seemed to be doing nothing to try and learn and discuss with me and work on things.
I tried a few times over the months to gently mention that to her and ask her about if she was doing anything like this in her own therapy, but she would get defensive and say it "feels like she can never do enough" and basically to get off her back about it (even though I would ask rarely and try to be very kind and understanding about it). Basically I was just feeling sad that she didn't seem to care or want to put in the effort like I was (and I told her this, but again, same responses).
My wife has been kind of obsessed with work and busy, but it's felt like when she does have time she hasn't been prioritizing me or our marriage, while I have been. I've tried to give her hugs or be closer to her and she often bristles and doesn't seem interested. She hasn't been putting any effort into her appearance, especially not for me (she seems to care more about looking good at work than looking good for me) while I feel like I'm always wanting to look good for her. She's turned me down for physical intimacy quite a bit recently and basically if I don't initiate, we can go for a month without any sex easily. She just doesn't seem to have any libido at all. She's messy and makes messes constantly in our house that I feel like I'm always cleaning up after her and our kids, and I've asked her to not do certain things to make messes but she continues to do it.
Learning about her cheating and thoughts of other people made me feel really insecure about how she thinks of me and if she's really attracted to me. Since I'm finally in better shape, I've felt more confident but she hasn't been making me feel desired by her. I've never been with anyone other than her in my life, and I've been feeling less attracted to her since it feels like she isn't that interested in me romantically, and I've been thinking more about wanting to feel desired and loved, and kind of wanting to have a woman flirt with me or hit on me or something just to feel validated.
Recently I tried sharing with her how I'm feeling sad and a bit unwanted by her, wondering if she's attracted to me or if it's really low libido on her part, feeling like I'm old and not having the love and intimacy I want in a marriage. She seemed so thrown off by that, said she does just have very low libido and doesn't really think about sex, and she is attracted to me. I tried to let her know that regardless of that, I feel like she hasn't been prioritizing or putting effort into being close with me, and when I've tried to do those things she seems uninterested.
Her response is that she's just so busy with work, and we have two young kids and it's difficult, and she just has no energy for any of that. We split our parenting duties equally, I do most of the cleaning in our household, we both work full time, but I feel like I still want to put in effort for our marriage and closeness but she doesn't. Her view seems to be that she just can't, doesn't have the ability, whereas I feel like she finds the energy to do lots of other things she wants to do - she's just not prioritizing me and us. Again, it feels like I have to push her repeatedly to ever have intimacy with her of any type. She acknowledges that she has intimacy issues as well and is avoidant, but then will still insist that she just doesn't have energy for what I want.
It feels like there's always an excuse, and while I want to be understanding and gentle with her about it, I'm just feeling lonely in my marriage. Even when I try to reach out to her and emotionally explain this, it's like she brushes it off and doesn't seem too worried about me. Or if I say I want more intimacy, physically and emotionally, she tends to hone in on just the sexual part like that's all I want, but I want to feel close, in love. I want her to love me and desire me. But the less I feel that from her, the less I feel it towards her, and that worries me.
What can I do in this situation? Is there any way to get through to her? I can't imagine ever leaving her, we love our family and our children, but I feel kind of like I'm stuck in a situation where I'm not feeling fulfilled... I was content with that before I learned about the cheating and her lying to me, but ever since that it's harder for me to accept her not putting in effort or prioritizing our marriage and responding to all of my efforts.

I'm a 17-year-old student who's been doing some serious soul-searching lately. One of the hardest truths I've had to face is that I haven't been as emotionally stable as I'd like to be. Instead of facing my problems head-on, I've often sought comfort in the familiarity of my parents' support. But here's the thing: I've come to realize that this pattern has turned me into something I never wanted to be – a leech. Instead of seeking guidance and learning to navigate life's challenges, I've allowed my emotions to dictate my actions, often making me come across as entitled or even bratty. Don't get me wrong – I know I'm intelligent and capable of so much more. But I've let my feelings get the best of me, and it's time for a change. That's why I'm seriously considering the idea of attending boarding school. I see it as an opportunity not only to gain independence but also to work on my emotional growth in a supportive environment. Being away from the familiar comforts of home will force me to confront my emotions and learn to deal with them in a healthier way .I know it won't be easy, and there will undoubtedly be challenges along the way. But I believe that facing these challenges head-on is the only way I'll truly grow as a person. If anyone has struggled with similar issues or has experience with emotional growth and development, I would greatly appreciate your insights and advice. How did you learn to manage your emotions and become more emotionally stable? And for those who attended boarding school, how did the experience contribute to your personal growth? Cost wise i'd be doing it in my home country so boarding is not as expensive., i'm even dedicated to working all summer to pay for it. Or does this idea in general just make me sound even more dependent on my parents. I'm seriously trying to find a better solution. I really need help as i need to realize my parents are not going to be here forever. Life is short i could lose them anytime, i'm thankful and greatful for their efforts as they've provided me with everything and more, but if i don't build this backbone i'm screwed.

I'm looking for tips and advice about what to do about my tax situation. I have been using the same tax preparer for 9 years and have never had something like this happen before. I moved across the country last year and my tax preparer said they could and would be happy to do my filing this past year.
I submitted all of my documents they would need by April 1st but my preparer did not file my taxes until May 3. They did file for an extension but I was never told they did this or that they were being filed late and had to pay state penalties. This year, they did not set up a meeting or call time to go over my taxes with me, which I thought was strange but given the lack of communication and delay, I was just happy to have them done finally.
Last week I received a letter in the mail stating there was an error on my taxes and that I owed more to my previous state of residence. I also revieved a voter ID card issued from my previous state. I only lived and worked in this state for 3 months last year before moving. I started reading through all of the paperwork I had received from the preparer and it appears that they filed my taxes stating that I am still a resident of my previous state and they filed a tax credit for the income tax I made in my current state with my previous state. It also seems that they may have used a copy of my expired drivers license from a previous year since I never had a chance to speak with my preparer and submit a copy of my new drivers license.
My vehicles, drivers license, voter registration, professional licenses, and home are all listed in my new state that I've lived in for over a year now. I recently applied to a graduate school program and in-state tuition. I'm worried how this mistake will affect my eligibility for financial aid and in-state tuition, as well as my profesional licenses, job, etc.
I left 3 voicemail and 2 emails last week and finally spoke to the tax preparer's secretary yesterday and she said to send then the letter stating I owe more to the previous state and my current drivers license and they would see what can be done. I have not been able to speak to the tax preparer, I can only speak with the secretary which is extremely frustrating.
The extreme lack of communication and professionalism has been very stressful and upsetting to say the least. I could understand a very technical error but filing someone's taxes in the wrong state entirely and screwing up thier college financial aid seem completly negligent. Should I even continue working with them to fix it or try to find someone else? My biggest concern is getting this fixed so that I can start college this fall and maintaining my licenses for my job.

Good day y'all, I'm a student filmmaker from the philippines currently in film school! I do freelance sound work, primarily for short films as their production sound mixer.
In a recent internship with a production house I hung around with the sound team and learned more about how they do live sound for bigger productions in my country. I've learned a lot of the things i know about sound through online sources so I had a different understanding about sound and what they do on set which threw me for a loop getting more info about how they run sound in professional settings.
Here's some discrepencies that I noticed: - Metadata input is non existent, we still use paper log sheets or not log at all - They primarily dont use Timecode, most productions clap sync (even on high end productions) - Smart slates are very uncommon if not forgotten entirely - We use Leukoplast (the medical tape) and not use any lav foams/concealers to lessen clothing rustle - Boom operators dont usually have sound feeds/IFBs to hear what they are booming - A lot of the sound people have no formal live sound training - Sometimes they just have a random PA hold the boom - They dont really set up any sound isolation for ACs, echoey rooms, etc. or even try to reduce natural sounds (footsteps, etc.) - The workflow is usually: Get to set > Lav up > Wait to roll > Roll > Take Lavs back > Turn in for the day (Lavs stay on talent even during wardrobe changes because they apply the medical tape straight to skin - They dont do wild tracks/wild sound for lines with the actors in case of bad audio - Sound is more thought of in terms of post work instead of on site work so the editors have more work to do
I'm really curious as to what sound is like in other countries because I want to improve my work to help better sound in productions from my country in the future. I know that it starts with us the sound mixers to get better sound and i want to apply what I learned to projects i take!
So, What's production sound like in your country? I'm really interested in how your work is like!