Writing grievance letter employee

I recently received some feedback from an agent, who said my first few pages lacked a strong voice. I’m aware that Query Letters need to have a strong voice to snag the agent’s attention, but until now, I didn’t think my MC’s personality had to ‘bleed’ into the manuscript as well. It doesn’t help that I’m a very subdued and serious person in real life (this isn’t a brag, it’s honestly very problematic), and I suppose that has reflected in my writing so far. I think I’m starting to realize a MC with my kind of “voice” won’t appeal to literary agents and readers at all, however interesting my plots are. Am I correct in arriving at this position?
I suppose my other question is this: if I’m writing a YA novel (I am), am I supposed to infuse the narrative to make a teenager bleed through the pages? Is this different from, say, writing the story while mimicking a teenager’s writing style? Hope this question isn’t stupid but I’m genuinely stumped regarding this issue and have never read books consciously thinking about their “voice.” For me, the plot has always been the only thing that mattered in a story (at least consciously).
Also, any resources on how to naturally develop a “voice” would be much appreciated.
Thank you.

In my state most of the prisons have doggy daycare for the employees. Does anyone see a conflict of interest? It seems like a very popular program with the officers and other employees who participate. For a few dollars day an employee.can bring their dog to work and an inmate takes care of it all day while the employee is working. Usually it’s the same employee bringing their dog to the same inmate every day. I see a huge conflict of interests. If the inmate that takes care of your pooch going to go to the hole when they need to? Are you going to write the inmate a ticket or confiscate their contraband when they need it confiscated? Is the inmate going to mistreat your dog when they get back from the hole ?

Hey! I’m a 21-year-old female from Germany. I applied in March for a change of status from J1 to F1. I completed the entire process with my DSO. I already had my biometrics appointment but am still waiting for my decision. I've been feeling very anxious because I’m scared of being denied. I’ve read that many people also write a statement letter in addition to the application, which I didn't know about because my DSO did not tell me. Should I add it, or should I just leave my application as it is and wait? I just want to make sure that I won’t have any issues because I did not add any additional evidence. I only submitted the documents that were required from me

Well this story happened during my time working at Home Depot about 2 or 3 years ago and not the first time I've had people make racist remarks towards me.
I've been at work for a while and don't remember if I had just started my shift or was ending, I just remember standing at my register and than my coworker I'll call Brooklyn gently tap me on the shoulder asking "Hey my customers don't speak much English can you see if you can help me out?" Luckily the elderly couple were speaking Hmong while waiting for us to come over and I agreed to take over the transaction for Brooklyn and she'd watch over my register until I finished, cause I've grown comfortable acting as a translater for elderly Hmong customers or anyone who rather speak our native language instead of English.
So not long after I finish their transaction and start heading back to my register, I hear a very entitled throat clearing followed by "UM EXCUSE ME" along with finger snapping from behind me, Brooklyn and I see Karen standing at her register with a smug "well I'm waiting for my stuff to be rung up." Brooklyn quickly goes over and Karen says "YEAH WHY ISNT SHE COMING BACK TO RING ME UP?!
Brooklyn: she was helping the previous customers cause they have a language barrier, this is exactly my register.
Karen: that's not an excuse to ignore me like that, I'm a customer too, does she have something against American people?
Me from my register: no I was only asked to finish her transaction for the customer, I came back cause that's all I was asked to do.
Also Karen didn't walk up until after I walked away or else I would've turned around to ring her up, by the time we notice Karen Brooklyn was a few steps away and hence why she quickly went over to ring Karen up, Karen not happy with my answer started grumbling something under her breathe so I didn't exactly hear what she was saying until she said loudly "YOUR KIND IS THE REASON WE BOMBED JAPAN!!"
Me and Brooklyn stopped what we were doing and stared at Karen baffled by what she just said, Karen smirks and asks me "what it's true, Japanese people attacked us first." I'm starting to get mad, but not because of that fact, but due to Karen assuming I'm Japanese cause I was asain and implying that I was a racist.
Me: I wasn't even born when that happened, don't blame what happened in the past on me, I'm just doing what my coworker asked of me and I didn't ignore you. You walked up when I already walked away.
Karen: OHHHH scary Japanese girl is telling me what to do and claiming her kind isn't at fault for Pearl Harbor.
I saw red and said firmly "I'M HMONG NOT JAPANESE, LEARN YOUR ASAIN RACES," Karen shocked that I stood up to her "Hmong isn't a race, you clearly made that up." Suddenly Sally our supervisohead cashier whom overheard what was said as she was walking over "HEY HEY BREAK IT UP."
Karen: you need to teach that racist Japanese employee of yours to be respectful or I'll report both of you to corporate.
Brooklyn: she wasn't even being disrespectful, she was just correcting you abou-
Karen: oh now your ganging up on me, your an American too why are you siding with that Japanese
Sally: LEAVE I'm not going to stand you harassing my cashiers.
Karen: but but why are you
Sally: Dragon_Crystal was asked by her fellow coworker to assist them and that's what she did, than you come over demanding she ring up your stuff rudely and than make racist insults towards asains. I'm not going to let that happen leave now.
Karen leaves her cart and storms towards the door saying "I'll be reporting this to HR, you'll be jobless by tomorrow you Japanese immigrant." I yell back to her "I'M AM AMERICAN BORN HMONG CITIZEN AND RAISED HERE STUPID," which made Karen give me a surprised Pikachu face as she disappeared outside, I honestly thought I was going to get a write up for calling a customer stupid since I'm normally a calm collected person. Only to be followed with Sally doubled over laughing cause she wasn't expecting me to slip in that last part, I was allowed to go on break to cool off after dealing with Karen. That was lucky the only time I saw Karen, I'm sure she was banned.
Tl;dr Karen blames the cause of WW2 on me, gets told to leave and tries to get the last word in, only to be shocked

As title says. About an hr and a half after getting back from break, I was questioned about it, by my current GM and the new one that will be taking over soon. I told them it was a tobacco pipe (use your imagination for what it was, not hard to guess. It was recently legalized here). They said there'd be an investigation by the new company for HR, they would call me tomorrow, then i was told to clock out after the meeting. After a few more questions and clarifications, I exited, clocked out, grabbed my stuff and left. OH is at will, I know. The current GM fucked up the process of my write up under the last company (smoking on camara, on company property, off break). I was told there would be someone in house for the location (sent elsewhere by company, but still within the company, for a few months. The location im currently at, was the location i was sent to) and someone from my building for accountability. There was a then assistant manager over said location, and the person that was supposed to be from my building for accountability, but he had signed the write up as the GM of the building we were in, not as the assistant manager over my then building. It came out in an email a couple weeks later stating him as the GM over said building. Although I can't do anything about that write up, would I be able to slow them down, or even stop the process, by casting doubt? The current GM, and the one that messed up my write up, and the one from today's meeting are all the same person, to clarify
In this meeting I addressed some other things that, although unrelated, and i maybe should have not said, I thought to get ahead of. 1) another employee got mad that i was calling out the bullshit about another issue, I apologized. Explained what happened. Mngmt said they hadnt heard anything. 2) i cursed a couple times in said meeting (nothing extreme. Just "shit"), I apologized

Hi, I have diagnosed severe anxiety. I take meds for it and I have a doctor I see monthly to monitor me. I have also gotten two poodles to help with the anxiety of living on my own. Can my doctor write and Esa letter for both of them or can I just have one Esa? I’m located in Oklahoma

Context, last year I was head over heels for a girl who put little to no effort into the relationship in return, I was conflicted by her actions and our experiences all the while i was reading 1984 by George Orwell. I wrote this at a desk in a school hallway in isolation.
Genre: General essay?
14.5.24
To my love,
I’m stuck sitting in isolation with absolutely nothing to do. I’ve crammed so much of 1984 into my head that I’ll need to push some of it out. 1984 is a lot to read. Maybe it’s the way I read it or maybe it’s the pacing but sometimes I'll be reading it and find myself relating to it in a way. A quote stuck with me;”He pulled her round so that they were breast to breast; her body seemed to melt into his.” It reminded me of way back in the abandoned Asda stairwell when I melted into her- semi-conflicted between love and lust. After the stairwell got closed off; I felt as though I had lost a part of me too. I even found another stairwell but I knew it wouldn't be the same. It would feel forced, like how I turned her into me so that we could face each other. Sure it wasn’t with the intention of making out but it wasn't thought through first- almost impulsively. In1984, a couple pages later, it speaks about the kisses turning hard; unlike the smooth, butter-like melt they were before. I can feel that. It’s almost vivid. I feel as though after the thing with Austin, everything kinda crashed. When [NAME] had red hair, it was almost like she was infatuated with me. When she dyed it back to normal, I felt as if I had lost that. I could be delusional but when she said she hated who she was with the red hair, it kinda stuck with me. Overall, It’s very on-off. One moment I find myself fantasizing about marriage; the next, I see myself breaking up with her on the horizon. But after that first DM on insta, I promised myself it wouldn’t be a repeat of everyone else, she wouldn’t be a lesson or a test, she would be the practical, the real fucking thing. The one who kept me up at night simply with the thought of her. Is it bad if I relate to WInston? Lost and conflicted within society and using writing and reading as a means of escape. It isn’t necessarily illegal but the stuff I write feels like it could be critiqued in a way that makes it resistant- pushing against the normal methods of writing. Actually, I despise Winston. He let temptation overcome him. Sure, his environment may have dictated him into fantasizing rape but I still think that shit’s inexcusable. He still thinks fondly of it afterwards when having sex as well. Orwell is so fucking good at writing though. How can someone write so vividly that I have to stop, think and reflect upon my life and experiences. I think I’ll show [NAME]this paper. I’m not 100% sure she’ll read it; my feelings tend to be insignificant to her. But if someone wrote something about me, I’d be ever-so-curious to find out their perspectives. I also find it quite funny how Winston blabbers on to Julia about death but she abruptly shuts him up. Maybe that’s why she wanted me to read it (I need to stop yapping about death in situations where it’s uncalled for). When I write this, it’s like I’m texting her but she isn’t texting back. Or it’s like when I say something drunk with the drowsiness of fatigue and she reads it in the morning and that shit doesn’t hit the same AT ALL. I still remember when she was in Nottingham and we called the entire night. A part of me hopes that next time she calls (if she even does) we will get back into the swing of things and we can rebuild that bond. But for it to happen, I need to take a step back and stop being so fucking high maintenance. I’m constantly writing. My head has an endless flowing dialogue of words waiting to be scribed but not all of them do. Sometimes it feels like i feel too much; I feel so much; so much so that it numbs me to feeling. I’m not sure if you can relate but it’s like bubble wrap almost. Pumped up with feeling, any other emotion bounces right off. Or like a mental paracetamol, that kind of numbness. When [NAME] said that paracetamol burns holes in your stomach; I guess that's why when I feel numb, the words pour right out. Mental paracetamol should be a coined term. I feel like Shakespeare when I say that. Actually, right now, I feel like I’m in a void, a medium almost. A confined corner; trapped by the constant sounds of expensive dress shoes slamming against the hallway floors. I hope she reads this. I hope anyone reads this. I am seeking attention even in solitary confinement. I guess it’s inevitable for “just another kid with ADHD''. I think I’d like to write a book for her. Not in a puppy love-esque way; instead to make something she can enjoy. I’d have to binge a fuck -tonne of feminist literature to make it work. I’d have to live, breathe and regurgitate Sylvia Plath just to make something enjoyable for her (I’m kidding of course). (Not really). I’ve written so much- this could probably count as a fucking book. I’m not sure where she would even find the time to read this. She’ll probably lump it alongside the Smint container (filled with poems for her) to read when we break up. I think perspective changes a lot about a book. It’s not entirely how a book is written; instead, it’s about how you approach it or how you are introduced to it. I’ve been very pessimistic and pushy-away-ey recently. Regardless, I won’t cross anything out unless it’s a typo. I think it indirectly shows progression of a character especially when it’s in the form of hypophora almost. I want to write the best book ever and then die and have no-one read it. I think that's more significant than writing a shitty book and campaigning and promoting and all this consumerist bullshit. If you were proud of your work, you wouldn’t promote it, you would let it find its reader. For me, I’d put it in those tiny bird box community libraries that no one uses. Therefore, if someone craved my work, they could find it in a place they wouldn't look for it. Not for my book to gather dust on a tall decorative bookshelf. This is a bit of a rant i know. SOmetimes I’ll yap and let the words flow instead of actively writing them. Writing words is the worst way to write. You need to apply emotion and let the words unravel themselves. At least, that’s how I write, critique it however the fuck you want. I was once told that my writing is like a conversation- you know the ones where the other person keeps blabbering and you can’t get a word in. I don’t read enough to know if it’s unique or not but I know why I do it. It’s like I’m conversing with myself. I might throw a name in there or add some direct address. This might be breaking the fourth wall a bit but i guess the entire nature of this essay is. I need to read over my writing one day- I hate to do it but I think I’d learn a lot about myself if i did so. My writing feels a little bit lost at sea. It’s very jumpy from one topic to the next- like scrolling on tiktok. Also, I think there's a mix of me searching for empathy via slight victimization and undertones of slight narcissism. I’m probably over analyzing but I like my writing. Me personally, i get lost in the labyrinth of the lines and curvature of the letters. Will i regret writing so much? I mean sure, I guess a part of me will live on forever in my writing. But, then again, it’s wasting my life. I’d like to live- living is not writing. Living is not reading. To live is to experience with every sense possible. If I see, I am not living. If i smell, I am not living. But, to hear, to smell, to feel, to see and to taste simultaneously is to live. When living isn’t enough, I can understand why people resort to reading and writing. It’s ever-so-simple. I wish I can see [NAME] soon though. I’ll wish for it at 22:22 if i have to. Or on a shooting star. Or maybe even on a stray eyelash. I miss you[NAME]. I was going to say “I crave you” but that’s too sexual and comes with a million connotations. Saying “I require you” is too formal and needy. I think I should stick to the usual. What if i didnt say “I miss you” but instead I said “I miss your warm and enveloping embrace.” Maybe then she would text back.
This is fucking delusion,
From yours truly,
Raffy

Hello,
Maybe that question will sound absolutely stupid for some people but it really means much to me and since I don’t want to fall into innovations (bid'a) I would like to have a clear answer.
I have this habit to talk to Allah when I’m in sujood or just in whatever I do but I also write letters to Him, sometimes I just can’t put what’s inside my hearts with my voice so I write, but I wanted to know if it’s haram.
Jazak Allahu khayran

I work for a Ford dealership and they’re struggling with selling the 2023 Mach E’s so they offered a 3 year lease deal to employees where the dealership will pay 200 a month towards the lease for the first 2 years out of the 3 year lease. Only 7500 miles per year but this will be a second car with a 2011 RAV4 as my daily driver. I put in for a 2023 Mach E Premium with Extended Range battery. My payment will be 140 a month. I got the 200 dollar payment in writing as well. I haven’t officially signed for the car is there anything that comes to mind that I should look out for? Excited to dip into the EV world.

Main question: I've been working for a year and a half for a city in texas that has enforced only practical electrical safety measures. now they are starting to enforce NFPA 70E and while I know I should remove all metal as part of being electrically safe in preparation to do work I have a stainless steel bracelet that lives on my left wrist that is designed not to come off ever without ruining the thing. there is no clasp, it's just loose enough to get two fingers under, will break away if pulled, and is meant to serve the same function as a semicolon tattoo. (those that know know but I am intensely phobic of needles so a tattoo was out of the question) I'm going through the book to see if there is any way I can get away with keeping this bracelet on at all times but I'm an apprentice electrician. If anyone knows where I should be looking for an acceptable alternate way of making it safe I would really appreciate any help towards that goal.
Ps new guy rant: They are making an emphatic point of telling us that these rules are not the responsibility of the employer or management but the employee who is solely responsible for their own safety but they are also saying I don't have a choice in weather or not to follow them to the letter. (ex: can't keep the bracelet even though I am aware of and accept the responsibility for the risk it adds. Must wear cat II-iv gear for routine preventative maintenance all day in direct Texas sunlight even at peak temps even if it increases the risk of heat stress more than it reduces other risks) sounds to me like they are just setting up (me) the worker to take all negative consequences for incidents while they add cumbersome paperwork and gear then crack the whip and yell mush. I'd really like to look at it from another point of view if one of you experienced folk can explain like I'm 5 and help me see it....

Wanted a few opinions on this situation: moved out of a rental at the end of march and did a walkthrough where the landlord said everything looked great and we (my husband and I) were the best tenants he'd ever had. We only lived there 11 months (left 1 month early due to military orders). At the walkthrough, he said 'he didn't have the funds to return our security deposit because he thought he would have found a new tenant by then and would have given us their security deposit. We gave him nearly double the notice required to terminate a lease due to military orders. He said he had 30 days to get it to us. We moved away out of state.
31 days after we move out we receive a horrible letter accusing us of all sorts of things and saying we aren't allowed to break the lease so he's keeping the deposit. Unless he never hears of this again, he'll be charging us for various things (one is a retroactive increase in rent). The only thing fathomable that could actually be charged to us is he is claiming water damage from a wall ac unit and a months rent for not being able to rent the home due to repairs. The home was listed for rent and the listing updated every few days during the month it wasn't rented. He lowered the rent and the listing has been down now for about a week so I doubt he did any repairs but just couldn't find a tenant. 100% we had absolutely no knowledge of a leak from the ac unit. He is claiming the ac, wall, door, doorframe, and front porch light are all not repairable. The ac was above what should have been the front door but he lived in the garage of this house so we were basically not allowed in the front yard and used the back door as our front door and exited to the street behind the street this house was actually on. He put large plants and other of his items on the porch essentially blocking us from coming out as well. It's a very long story regarding our backwards house but essentially we did not use the front door at all, under 10 times in that year. We did clean the filter for all of the acs monthly (I have extremely severe asthma) and never noticed any water issues. There was no water on the floor or dripping. I have a picture from the day we moved out and in the picture there is no visible water damage. The ac was working on the day we moved out.
Before we moved in, he told us he was going to replace all 4 wall units. That didn't happen and he told us he was going to do it while we lived there and that didn't happen. All of the acs were horrible and we used to make passing remarks of how hot it was to the landlord. He eventually said he's not replacing them until the one above the door stops working completely. I also have texts from him saying that particular ac can't be turned down past 76 or it will break. He literally lived right below it and heard it running (it was on 76). Basically, I am certain there were problems with that ac and he was aware of it but I was not aware at all that it was causing water damage, if it actually was. I wish I had known because I would have insisted he replace it. I'm thinking he either did actually get around to replacing it and discovered it or is making it up.
I have contacted a lawyer to send him a demand letter but my husband is now worried about what if he does actually try to sue us? What if he decides to rip out the whole wall and sue us for tens of thousands? Doesn't he need to prove we were aware of this water damage? In his letter he stated he asked for entry into the house each month to service the ac but we denied him and broke the ac by never cleaning the filter in 12 months. He never asked us once to service the ac and entered the house on several other occasions, once to fix a plumbing issue and once to replace the dishwasher. Plus a few other times we invited him in. There is no clause in our lease saying anything regarding reporting damages, water damages, or we are responsible for maintaining the ac. My parents also came to stay with me for nearly 2 months while my husband was away and they are willing to write a statement that they never saw any water damage whatsoever. My husband doesn't want to send the demand letter at all because the letter we received we full of just bizarre untrue statements and he feels like he will make up a huge lawsuit. Even appearing for a lawsuit would cost us a ton in travel so we really don't want to get involved with that. I do want my deposit back but I feel like this water damage thing is totally made up or can't reasonably be blamed on us?

Long story short, I need the outcome of a CT, Endoscopy and colonoscopy from a consultant.
I've phoned their secretary twice in two weeks and I made sure to leave it a week between calls. The first she said they were writing the letter that day. The second (yesterday) she apologised as they hadn't started with the typist, I was promised a call today with a basic outline of findings and a recommendation that the letter had been sent out, I haven't got the call.
My tests were ordered through the cancer referral two week pathway.
I'm stressed out of my mind, getting no support from GP as they're relying on this report from the consultant. This is 6 months in making, losing weight like it's nothing and being unable to eat is taking its toll.
The lack of transparency and the false promises are making my life hell. Has anybody got advice on how to get these results?

I’ve always wanted to do criminal defense work but ended up in civil litigation to pay down loans. I’m a sixth year associate at a midsized NYC firm and I can’t say I enjoy the day to day. My biggest gripes are:

• the mind numbing minutia of dealing with discovery (drafting responses and objections, discovery letters, coordinating doc collections with the client, motions to compel, etc.)
  
• the numerous discovery deadlines to keep track of across multiple cases
  
• the lack of many courtroom opportunities
  
• the bloated procedural requirements for even the simplest motion. I’m drafting a default motion right now and there’s literally eight different forms and affidavits I’ve had to put together to submit with it. Last week I filed a SJ motion and had to file three different statement of undisputed fact type documents along with multiple affidavits.
  

The parts I love about being a lawyer are: being an advocate, oral arguments, thinking creatively, writing.
The parts I hate are: managing clients (and partners), pushing paper, virtually every aspect of discovery, learning new areas of law.
I have this idea in my head that criminal law is more substance oriented whereas Civil has lots of bloated procedure but I don’t know how accurate that is. I’d appreciate any insight from someone who’s done both.

Hello friends, I'm so glad I found this sub today.
After a slew of recent events, combined with reading this sub, I've finally started to really see what my therapist and my friends have been telling me for years: that I can't fix my parents. They raised me to be enmeshed in their codependent, manipulative mindset and I nearly stayed there.
I've wanted to write them a letter for years, and have even written drafts before that I've found when cleaning out files/folders/notebooks. Thankfully I never sent those, because they were from deep in the FOG and too heartfelt for this.
My therapist, who is also estranged from her narcissistic parents, has agreed with my desire to write a letter to them. I was initially going to list examples of things they've done so they don't misunderstand me.
But, thanks to the Letter guide in the sidebar on this sub, I now see why that's a bad idea.
I am still going to write them a letter though. With basic bullet points and as few explanations that i can get away with, so that they can't misconstrue as badly as they could otherwise. I don't want to go NC, but I would be perfectly happy with just calling them a few times a year and being available if a medical emergency happens. ...which is basically where we are at now, now that I think about it. This would just be kind of solidifying that rather than having it happen naturally.
Unlike many parents on this sub, my parents have actually shown the ability to change in the past. I'm not holding my breath on them actually following through nowadays though.
I know it's suggested not to send a letter, but my more difficult parent (my mom) is not a full narc. She's mostly just traumatized by narcs and life in general. Abandoning her completely out of nowhere is not what I want to do. I just want her to stop using me like a therapist. Once again, I'm not counting on anything. I just want to try one last time before giving up.
I don't know why I'm writing this post anymore. I guess just to justify myself. So I'll stop and say thank you, reader, for being here. And thank you to the mods for the extremely helpful info on this sub.

Hi Ya'll,
I recently graduated OCS and I have been bombarded myself in real life over what to expect with OCS. For context I went from basic training straight to OCS, and even graduated with honors. From the time of writing this post, it has officially been a month since I graduated. So here is a list of common questions I get and I hope I can settle some anxiety for all of you future 2nd LTs.
Warning: The cadre at OCS do read these reddit posts, so I won't be able to post answers to tests or events.

1. I haven't received a welcome letter, or a packing list. Where can I find it?
   • Fort Moore Officer Candidate School (army.mil) I would download and print the packing list and the ISAP. The ISAP acts more or less like a syllabus from college. It will give a rough understanding of the rules, regulations, and requirements for you to pass.
2. Is everything on the packing list required?
   • Yes. Try your best to follow the packing list to the letter. It is almost entirely dependent on the cadre and of course weather does play a part in their decision making. Some things you'll find you didn't really need or use throughout your cycle. For example, my cycle didn't use 550 Cord almost at all, but I used it to build a hooch, and secure sensitive items.
3. What if I don't have of the required equipment on the packing list?
   • When it comes to military equipment, try your best and bring what you can. I was never issued an IFAK before OCS or after. The cadre understand they have some coming from basic and those in-service. So if you have it, bring it. If not, bring it up to your cadre and they'll schedule time to get it issued to you.
4. Anything not on the packing list you recommend?
   • I would recommend the following: hand soap, bathroom spray, travel vacuum, wet-wipes, clipboard with compartment, pillow, very bright headlamp, multitool, and laminator. Hand soap because for some reason OCS had a hard time procuring it. Travel vacuum because you'll likely have 2 or 3 vacuums available to your platoon and having your own saves time. Wet-wipes to dust everything down. Clipboard with compartment for Land Nav as you'll be running with maps, marker, protractor, and your points so its best to have something safe and secure. Laminator for your papers because its Georgia and your papers can get wet. The pillows at OCS have this weird plastic cover on so if you want a better night sleep, get a better pillow. The headlamp is just in case, some classes inform the lumen limit while others don't, Land Nav is DARK so if you can find a lighthouse out there, do it. The multitool is just useful to have especially if you are out in the field.
5. Where can I find somethings on the packing list I am missing?
   • Luckily there is a company called Commandos who helped us out the entire time. They have an OCS purchasing list you can take advantage of. They even deliver that weekend at the footprint.
   • Visit: https://commando-military-supply-9d5038.printavo.com/merch/ocs-packing-list/
6. I saw you can bring your laptops? Is it required for classes? Can I opted in for a tablet or iPad?
   • You can bring a personal laptop primarily for recreational use after the duty hours. OCS will provide you with a government laptop that you'll need to use your CAC to access. Tablets and iPads are not considered laptops and will be confiscated like a phone. If the majority of your class as issues with the laptops, then the cadre may allow the use of your personal laptops.
7. What is your day-to-day look like?
   • Mostly on a non-physical or FTX event coming up you'll follow the following schedule: 0500 - wake up. First formation is at 0600, then you conduct PT until breakfast. After breakfast you will head to the classroom and stay there until lunch, return and stay there until dinner. After dinner, it will be the end of the duty hours and you'll roughly have 2 hours for personal time.
8. What are the most important categories/test to focus on?
   • Treat everything important. Every test you do not pass can put you at risk of being recycled, and it is up to you to catch up. For example while everyone is studying for tactics, you'll be studying tactics and history if you failed history. So save yourself the hassle and take every test seriously. The big 3 recycle event have been historically, Army History (70% to pass), Land Nav (4 points or more to pass (day and night)), and the 4-mile run (need to run in under 36 minutes regardless of gender).
9. How many retests or chances do you get?
   • You get 2 tries at everything before recycle. You get 2 tries again at the same test then you can be dismissed. For example: You are part of Alpha company. You failed history twice. You get recycled into Bravo company. You failed history twice again. You can be dismissed.
   • If you happen to pass history but fail Land Nav twice, then you'll be recycled into Charlie. If you fail Land Nav twice then you can be dismissed.
10. What is a recycle? What does it look like in OCS? Can you get dismissed?
    • A recycle is when you failed something twice and you get "recycled" into the next class. A recycle can occur for other reasons such as illness or injury. You can also be recycled for improper behavior or being "peered out". Every class starts up in a like a month (I heard they are changing that for even further out). So even though the cycle takes about 12 weeks to complete, if you get recycled you can expect more like 16 weeks or more. We had someone at OCS you has been with it for a year. You get recycled for repeat offenses, or do something majorly bad such as breaking the law, then you can be dismissed.
11. What is being peered out mean?
    • Throughout the cycle you are put into a platoon and then a squad. Your squadmates eventually all sit down and fill out a form to give the cadre who is the weakest link in the squad. Usually squads kick out the person they do not like. We had to kick out one person because they didn't mesh well within the squad and wasn't very kind. He would then get replaced with someone else who got peered out. Luckily after that one person got kicked out, the squad improved and we tried our hardest to keep it together. We still needed to peer someone out, but we kept tabs with them and invited them to a lot of our squad functions nonetheless as my squads grew to love and respect each other as a family.
    • If you do get peered out, unfortunately you get a spot report, moved to a different squad, and are at risk of being recycled if peered out again. Stay humble and help out whenever you can. I got the most respect from my squadmates as I stayed up late with them to help them with their STX lanes.
12. What is personal time like?
    • You essentially use personal time to workout if the PT wasn't enough, clean yourself, and prepare for bed. Yes if you have time, you can contact family and friends (when you get your phones), and if you have the time, play games. I don't recommend playing games as it distracts you from the mission of graduating.
13. What are the different phases like?
    • You are separated into 3 phases. Black, Blue, and White. You immediately enter black phase upon arrival with a traditional called "Gold to Black". Which is more or less a physical smoking session. During Black you are expected to run everywhere, not be able to drink coffee, have your phone confiscated (and given back on Sunday), and have less personnel time. Blue you get the ability to drink coffee again, and you have your phones returned and used only during personal time. During blue you get the ability to visit and explore the base (Fort Moore) and shop around. During white phase you get the ability to explore off-base (Columbus) and you get to wear civilian clothes. White phase if you leave off-post, you need to be in uniform, and on-base you can be in civilians.
14. Can you use your personal vehicle?
    • Yes, but you can only drive it during White Phase
15. How can I keep in contact with my family during black phase?
    • I recommend that you download WhatsApp or some other social media on your laptop and have your family members on it.
16. Can I visit the gym on base?
    • Yes during blue phase you can visit the gym. Rule regulates that you leave the footprint in uniform and change into appropriate PT uniform once at the gym and conducting PT.
17. What is the DFAC like?
    • The DFAC is better than basic training and offers snacks like cookies, granola bars, ice cream, and soda. They have a salad bar and the usual cycle of foods. They do have a "short-order" line which serves fries, burgers, hot dogs, etc. To stay in physical shape, I recommend eating your fruits and a side salad every meal. Drink juice, Gatorade, or water only. I only drank soda and the burger after an intense physical requirement like a long-run or a ruck march to regain my glucose and caloric levels.
18. Does Amazon deliver there?
    • Yes you can have other things delivered to the footprint. However, the Cadre are going to inspect it for food and other contraband. Just ask the cadre for the delivery address. It may take like 2 weeks for them to deliver it.
19. Any final advice?
    • Be helpful and noticeable amongst your squad but try not to bring attention to yourself from the cadre. Take everything seriously and give yourself proper rest and proper nutrition. OCS is not hard, but it can be if you let it get to you. OCS is designed to test your competency, commitment, and character. I luckily had an amazing squad, and I had a blast with them.

I want this to be an open forum so don't be afraid to leave anymore questions below. If the answer you are seeking is not above, then write the question in the comments, and I will try my best to answer you before you are sent off. Best of luck, thank you for your service, and be the best leaders your soldier's deserve.

I hit the maximum social security wages / taxes with my first employer in 2023. Then my second employer continued to take out social security (normal as I understand). On my 1040 I filed for a credit based on the excess social security I paid. As the IRS website says "If you, or your spouse if filing a joint return, had more than one employer for 2023 and total wages of more than $160,200, too much social security or tier 1 railroad retirement (RRTA) tax may have been withheld. You can take a credit on this line for the amount withheld in excess of $9,932.40."
Today I got a letter from the IRS stating "If an employee works for one employer and receives the maximum social security wages and works for another employer in the same calendar year, the second employer is also required to deduct social security tax... Therefore, you do not qualify for the excess social security tier 1 tax credit."
I'm lost... everything I have read says that once you hit the max social security wage you are done paying. If you have another employer that takes it out you are due a credit. Is this IRS employee just plain wrong? or am I missing something?
Also this wonderful letter has not come with a bill... I assume they will send that separately?
Thanks for any insight!

Me and a few other staff are paid employees and on top of our regular work load we have to help our panel, which is basically elected volunteers that spend their off hours doing stuff like holding specific meetings, holding events, etc. We are supposed to work together.
I got these panelist that are getting on my nerves.
A panelist, Q, told me she has to cancel a meeting and to inform everyone. I wrote an email that the meeting was cancelled, had it reviewed by my boss who said it was fine and sent it , here is the email:
Good afternoon,
I hope this email finds you well. I have just been notified that the "meeting topic" meeting tomorrow night has been canceled. I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, especially after confirming attendance with several members this morning. Your cooperation and understanding are greatly appreciated. If you have any questions please reach out to ---.
Regards,
I bcc-ed the the attendants bc that is what my boss said to do (for privacy bc Q has a habit of collecting email addresses and sending nasty email blasts when she feels like it) And this is the response Q sent to my boss and cc me and anyone's email she had a hold of previously:
Was the email below from -- emailed to others? Given the extremely limited office experience -- has, it is incumbent to screen emails before she sends them out to ensure that the emails are appropriately worded and convey a professional tone.
Did I write the best email ever? Not by a longshot, but it seems fine to me and everyone I talk too.
Its really not that big of a deal when I look back at it it, but stuff like that is slowly adding up. They are making me nervous to send simple emails or phone calls to them because I never know what they will nit-pick and cc just about everyone short of President Biden and Jesus to say that I suck and can't do my job.
My boss says that its just what they do and we really cant do much unless they step down.
Everyone is telling me to basically ignore people like them but

1. If I just let these people keep doing petty stuff like that, they will keep doing the same thing.
   
2. I don't want to be to combative and aggressive, because I know it will just be another reason for them to say that I don't deserve this position.
   

Why does there need to be a meta-job on top of my regular job? I just want to do my work.
What should I do?

{Downpour by Maggie Gates}
M/F, grumpy/sunshine, age-gap, boss/employee, disability rep, dual POV, interconnected series but can be read as standalone
2/5⭐ 3/5 🌶️
34 y/o MMC tattooed bull riding pro uses a wheelchair due to fall 18mo prior. 22 y/o FMC in flipflops and daisy dukes is not good at her job but cheerful and desperate for money until her trust vests. MMC fires many care aides, she's hired as a last resort and begs not to be fired. She's incompetent but hot and it grows on him and his family because his bio fam are big softies.
I love a lone MC finds a big welcoming family cast and I love a ranch setting. It was fine - I didn't DNF. I also didn't read the other brother's book so I jumped in mid series but it seems like an interconnected standalone kind of series.
It was an easy read, no glaring writing issues, and it's an atmosphere/setting that I enjoy reading.
FMC and MMC were fairly one dimensional. Internalized misogyny may have me more annoyed with FMC, MMC is your typical tattooed hottie who's grumpy but a total softie for FMC and protective to the point of somewhat overbearing but tbh fair she's incompetent.
Requisite babylogue, not really necessary to read.
Key peeves:
FMC Quirks FMC is truly incompetent and clumsy in a way that irked me. She doesn't need to be perfect but she just apologized and said she'd do better but didn't have a plan for anything.
She struggled with time management, safe cooking practices, driving dangerously, safe walking practices, professional dressing, and blabbing about her trust. It was portrayed as cute but it was not. Don't tell your sketchy roommates you're waiting for your trust to vest.
FMC ultimately gets a job at the ranch and seems to be competent. Unclear how as it explicitly involves time management skills.
FMC's also just a sunshiney animal whisperer which was annoying
Disability Representation MMC has a serious fall, goes coma then quadriplegic then paraplegic then starts being able to do steps here and there. I get that recovery is slow and the extent of recovery is always unknown, but I was afraid he would magically start walking again.
I suspect part of the recovery was to ensure he could still do the bondage sex stuff without much alteration/accommodation. Felt more like a hurt/recovery trope than a nuanced disability rep romance but I did appreciate that the FMCs POV never showed that she saw his disability as making him any less of a hottie.
Superfluous Subplot I didn't understand the sketchy roommate plot. Her incompetency was sufficient to keep her worried about her job, and there could have been another way to have her move in
All said, I will likely be sufficiently tempted to read CJ's book depending on the blurb.
Would love to hear other's thoughts, especially if I was too hard on the FMC or missed nuances of the disability rep.

In England and worked for my employer for 3 years. My involves desk job involves desk work (including working from home) and visiting factories in Greater Manchester when required . A week or so ago I fractured my leg in my own time, I visited A&E had X rays to confirm it all. End result was that I can walk on it with crutches and that's encouraged but no driving for at least 6 weeks likely longer with another x-ray at 6 weeks to confirm everything.
I told my employer after returning from the hospital saying as much as I could that I could still do the desk part of my work from home for a few weeks until I'm more mobile and then happy to resume visits so long as I can have transport. Telling them that walking on it is encouraged. They were fine with this and wished me well asking if I had a sick note or anything I told them no as I didn't think I was sick if I was continuing to work from home. They advised I should get one just to confirm it all in writing and that I can continue doing paperwork. So I had some GP issues in the week so just called my work today to inform them I had an appointment tomorrow to get the letter when speaking with my manager I told them as much which they said was fine but that if possible could the GP have it backdated to last week when I first called up about the injury as that's when I was marked down as "sick" internally.
On hearing that I asked what they meant as I'd been working for the last week including meetings over teams and various emails with my manager so I wasn't sick. They acknowledged that but stated as I couldn't drive to my visits that I had to be marked as sick in the system hence the need for a note from the GP. They advised I get the note for another week or two and then can review it from there. My argument back was that I shouldn't be working if marked as sick especially as some of my work can result in legal matters so if my current work resulted in that and it got investigated then we could open ourselves up to a number of issues. They understood where I was coming from but they needed me to continue with the paperwork and emails for the time being due to being short staffed and it would be on items unlikely to result in anything beyond admin. They said they would get some clarification to confirm everything for me.
I feel like if I'm being marked as "sick" on our system since I can't do all of my duties then I shouldn't be working at all because I'm sick. Is there a legal stance on this? I have no problems working but if I'm being marked as sick then I want the leave that would normally come with it. Worth saying I've never been sick before but known many others that have before with no issues even for extended periods. Thanks all.
First post on a new account to avoid any possible issues.

Hello Everyone,
As the title says I was dumb enough to get fired from work placement due to cybersecurity reasons. I was supposed to be working from march until September as the work placement is considered a module in my course, Electronic Engineering. I met with lecturers/professors from college and they told me there would be a meeting with the board of directors on the issue and that I should write a letter of proposal with some sort of alternative, that if I can find some relevant work before June they will pass me. Of course it doesn't seem possible to find another internship at the moment and I'm not sure what to do or write in the letter. Maybe I can do some work for the college or complete some large scale project. I don't know I just feel like a moron to be frank.
Godspeed,
Professional-Cod-249