Just venting. After 7 months of no work and scrambling for literally pennies for bus fare, I finally got a job. But if course it's costs tons of money!
Bus fare is gonna be like $80 for the first few weeks til a check comes in.
Then they need a first aid course. Of course I have to pay for it. I do not have money for this . I had to grovel to my narcissist mother for help. After hours of unbearable communication with her, I eventually got signed up for it.
Only to find out they do not supply the mandatory pocket mask...fml! So again I'm scrambling to find one. Do they have it in store at Walmart or LD? Of course not. Now I've gotta pay to ride the bus for 2 hrs to go to a local supply store to find one.
I'm just exhausted.
Every single job is like this.im already underwater with all my bills it's gonna be like a month and a half to come out from under that, but these costs keep dinging me non stop.
Other jobs it's always something, like steel toe shoes or a fancy shirt for server, or some kind of specific uniform or something...
Ok end rant.

Flushed Away has a more relatable and compelling story (A wealthy person realising his loneliness and giving up everything for companionship and a family)
Flushed Away has better comedic aspects (The ‘Keep your legs straight!’ bit, almost all of Whitey’s lines, ‘I laugh at everyone’s pain except my own - I’m French!’ and other bits from Le Frog, the entire movie setting up England’s win only for them to lose on penalties, etc)
Flushed Away has one of the best jukebox-style soundtracks of any animated film I’ve seen, both with how certain songs mesh with the storyline (‘Dancing With Myself’) and the beauty that is the Jammy Dodger Chase Scene (possibly the best chase scenes in animated movie history, fight me) that put ‘Bohemian Like You’ into thousands of Millenial / Gen Z playlists
Excellent voice cast (Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslet, Andy Serkis, Bill Nighy, Ian McKellan)
Roddy St James played a big role in shaping my taste in men (not a furry thing, i just like guys in creased white shirts sue me)
⁠Despite not being able to be stop-motion animated like other Aardman films, it captures the soul of the style while still having excellent CGI visuals
Insanely rewatchable (so many jokes and sight gags that took me upwards of 3 watches to get all of them, and even then I’ve likely missed some)

The only thing Ratatouille has better in my eyes is in its emotional moments. While some may say that Ratatouille is a better film, the combination of all these aspects, especially the rewatchability, make Flushed Away a far more enjoyable movie in my eyes.
Watch Flushed Away. You will not regret it.

Flushed Away has a more relatable and compelling story (A wealthy person realising his loneliness and giving up everything for companionship and a family)
Flushed Away has better comedic aspects (The ‘Keep your legs straight!’ bit, almost all of Whitey’s lines, ‘I laugh at everyone’s pain except my own - I’m French!’ and other bits from Le Frog, the entire movie setting up England’s win only for them to lose on penalties, etc)
Flushed Away has one of the best jukebox-style soundtracks of any animated film I’ve seen, both with how certain songs mesh with the storyline (‘Dancing With Myself’) and the beauty that is the Jammy Dodger Chase Scene (possibly the best chase scenes in animated movie history, fight me) that put ‘Bohemian Like You’ into thousands of Millenial / Gen Z playlists
Excellent voice cast (Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslet, Andy Serkis, Bill Nighy, Ian McKellan)
Roddy St James played a big role in shaping my taste in men (not a furry thing, i just like guys in creased white shirts sue me)
⁠Despite not being able to be stop-motion animated like other Aardman films, it captures the soul of the style while still having excellent CGI visuals
Insanely rewatchable (so many jokes and sight gags that took me upwards of 3 watches to get all of them, and even then I’ve likely missed some)

The only thing Ratatouille has better in my eyes is in its emotional moments. While some may say that Ratatouille is a better film, the combination of all these aspects, especially the rewatchability, make Flushed Away a far more enjoyable movie in my eyes.

I just saw another thread about Colorado, which had great information. I was hoping to find some details on the California front.
I am a serial tech entrepreneur, current NW 30M in equity and bonds. I used to live in California few years back but now live outside US. I am planning to move to California. I am taking a break for a few years and will do some hobby tech projects and investments for now.
What is the best way for me to get good insurance and healthcare in California. I know the system in US well and the constraints I see are:

Being able to get a good insurance. E.g., Stanford hospital doesn't accept anyone of the Coveredca plans (even PPO). Sutter health primary physicians only accept a higher tier of insurance.
Difficulty in getting a good primary doctor. My previous primary doctor from bay area has moved to New York.

There have been some suggestions on the forum, to not get insurance. But the reason, I want to get it that I don't want to waste my time pricing and negotiations with every visit. My plan is to get a good insurance and let them handle the billing. I value my time at 10k per hour. So if I get a bill of a few thousand dollars here and there, I will just pay and move on. Right now we are healthy and have no major issues.
Some solutions that I am aware of are:

Direct Primary Care or some kind of concierge service: I don't know of good options in the area. Right now I am paying around 8k per year where I live for something like this and am getting excellent care.
Join professional organizations, where I could buy a good insurance through their collective deal. E.g. SF Chamber of Commerce: https://sfchamber.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/2021-SF-Chamber-Care-Brochure.pdf
Kaiser, One Medical, Sutter health HMO are some options. Even Anthem, Aetna etc offer individual plans. I am interested in getting a PPO plan which is widely accepted.

Best solution for me would be following:

Health insurance through an association.
DPC/Concierge for Primary Doctor

I look forward to your suggestions and alternatives. Thanks :)

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.

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.
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.
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.
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.
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/
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Can you use your personal vehicle?
- Yes, but you can only drive it during White Phase
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.

Hey y'all!
I just wanted to post about an issue to see if anyone else might have had it or knows how to remedy it. Every once in a while over the last few terms, I've received papers back with feedback from the instructor that my formatting was strange and in multiple different fonts/types/sizes, with some phrases highlighted.
What's strange is that I always review the papers before turning them in, and they all seem uniform and in the standard font size, etc. I sometimes use the web-based Office 365 to do some work since I switch between my laptop and desktop and download a copy from there. I'm not sure if something in that process is causing the issue.
It's hard to troubleshoot since everything seems fine on my end. It's my last term, and I'm just wary of getting points deducted if it happens again. Any insights or solutions would be appreciated!

Three years after the COVID-19 pandemic, it's clear that work can sometimes be done without an office. Many people work from home or have chosen the hybrid methods of work. But along with this change comes a new issue: more people are taking on extra work outside their primary job.
What is Employee Moonlighting?
Moonlighting refers to having a second job or doing a side job along with a full-time job. However, it can benefit employees; it can pose challenges for employers.
This blog post will examine moonlighting, why people do it, and how it affects businesses. We will discuss its positives and negatives and advise companies on managing it using remote employee monitoring tools. The aim is to help businesses better understand moonlighting and effectively address it in their workplaces.
Reasons for Increasing Employee Moonlighting
Moonlighting, or having a side job, is becoming more common for a few critical reasons. These reasons are the main things pushing this trend and include:

Needing More Money

Many people want extra cash to cover their bills as life gets pricier. Moonlighting helps them earn more and feel financially safer.

Using Talents

Moonlighting often means doing something you're good at or love that you don't do in your primary job. People might have hobbies or skills they want to explore outside of work.

Remote Working

Working from home makes having side gigs alongside your main job easier. Fitting other jobs around your main schedule is simpler when you can work from anywhere.

Following Passions

Many people have creative or business dreams they want to pursue outside of their regular jobs. Moonlighting lets them explore these passions without risking their primary income.

Flexibility

Side gigs often offer more flexibility in schedule and workload than regular jobs. This flexibility appeals to people who like having control over their time.

Multiple Income Sources

Several income sources can make you feel more secure in an uncertain economy. Moonlighting lets you earn from different places, not just one.

Paying Off Debt

With more and more people dealing with student loans and other debts, having a side gig can help pay off loans faster and get out of debt sooner.

Career Growth

Some people use side jobs to learn new things or meet new people who can help them advance in their careers. Whether freelancing or taking on part-time work in a different field, moonlighting can be a smart career move.

Testing Business Ideas

For people who dream of starting their own business, having a side job allows them to test their ideas and see if they will grow without quitting their job. It's a way to measure interest and attract customers while still earning from their regular jobs.
While employee moonlighting offers various benefits, it also challenges employers, including potential conflicts of interest, productivity concerns, and compliance issues. However, remote employee management software can effectively manage these challenges.
Effective Strategies for Managing Moonlighting
Dealing with moonlighting in remote or hybrid work setups can take time and effort. Remote work tracking software like Talygen ensures employees remain focused and engaged in their primary roles. Here are some ways companies can handle it:

Set Clear Rules

Make sure everyone knows the rules about moonlighting. Policies should say when it's okay and when it's not. For example, moonlighting might be allowed if it doesn't interfere with someone's main job.

Talk Openly

Encourage people to talk to their bosses about their side jobs and help employers and leaders sort out any problems early on.

Keep an Eye Out

Regular check-ins can help managers identify employees struggling to manage their jobs.

Be Flexible

Offer flexible schedules so people can balance their time better.

Learn and Grow

Encourage people to grow within their primary job, making them less likely to seek other work.

Teach Everyone

Help everyone understand the rules and why they matter, which can stop problems before they start.

Use Tech Tools

Tools that track what people are doing can help spot any issues early on.

Offer Support

Give people support if they are finding it hard to manage their jobs. It could be counseling or flexible hours.

Be a Role Model

Show that it's okay to have a life outside of work, setting an excellent example for everyone.

Stay Ethical

Ensure everyone knows what's okay and what's not regarding side jobs, and keep things fair and honest for everyone.
Conclusion
Moonlighting is a growing trend in the workplace today, presenting both opportunities and challenges for companies. Integrating remote work tracking software with live webcam screenshots is crucial to address this phenomenon. This technology offers invaluable benefits, such as boosting productivity. However, organizations must adopt these tools to be better positioned to manage moonlighting effectively and foster a productive and harmonious work environment.

Previous Entry
Writing these things has made me realize how different I sound these days. Back when all this started I’m not sure I even spoke English and I certainly didn’t speak like I do now but to be honest, I don’t remember. Trying to recall things to write has made me realize exactly how many little things I’ve forgotten over the years. The sights, the sounds, all those fade into the background of most events.
Even something as visceral as Archer’s basement still takes me a while to recall clearly. I wonder if it’s more than just my long life, we do age after all. I mentioned before that sunlight is not deadly to vampires like myself but very unpleasant, that and it makes us more normal. In the sun I won’t be as strong as I would be in the dark and by my assessment I age in the sun as well. Not any faster than a normal person but I do age, its why I don’t still look like that little boy stuck in Paris anymore.
I did spend quite some time in Paris before I left or rather, escaped. I’m not sure I ever would have left if not for the war. I didn’t have many friends there save for other… I’m not sure what to call them… entities? Whatever you want to cal it I had some friends in the more supernatural parts of the city. A vampire named Belle had become a sort of mother figure to me over the years spent there.
I met her by chance one night as I sated myself in an alley. I was ready to fight but she just laughed and flashed her own fangs at me, ridiculing me for being so careless. It was under her wing where I learned everything I know now about vampires. It’s where I realized not all vampires endure sunlight as well as I do, if anything that one trait is what’s most unique about me according to her. But thats not the story I want to tell on these pages tonight. I want to tell the story of lieutenant Marsh and the real beginnings of the organization that would become Chimera.
When war came to Paris that summer I was unprepared. I never expected the war to spiral out of hand so quickly or for it to force me out of my home. I was with Belle and a few more of her friends whose names escape me waiting out the worst of it and hoping things would blow over in the city soon. Obviously we were completely misguided, it was that sense of invulnerability again just the same as when I was a boy. The world was our playground and nothing could hurt us. It didn’t help that in some ways I really was invulnerable and it went straight to my head.
Only flashes of my memory from that day remain. I remember the nazi soldier kicking in the door and firing at Belle’s friends. I remember the screaming that abruptly ended in a single gunshot. I remember the trail of blood leading to her friends body where it lay staked to the ground in the sun. We heal fast, not instantly but much faster than a human. Put us in sunlight though, and we’re just as fragile as a normal person. It was the first time I’d seen someone with abilities like ours die and it made me feel mortal again for the first time in decades.
The rest of the day is a disjointed blur. Belle and I fled the city, I blank out on the specifics of it but we made it out with some difficulty. After that we hunkered down for the night in a rickety old shack. I remember wanting to push on through the day but Belle protested, she didn’t deal with the sun as well as I did. When night finally fell we fled to the coast and managed to catch a ship heading towards the United States.
The trip was unpleasant to say the least, neither of us made good stowaways. We weren’t living life in the lap of luxury before by any means but we lived comfortably. This was a far cry from what we were used to in Paris and the welcome we received was even worse. Apparently fleeing for your own survival is a crime, both of us were separated and sent to prison on our arrival to the states for stowing away on the ship.
That was the last time I ever saw Belle, I get letters from her every now and then but I haven’t seen her in person since. She does well for herself, works in D.C. as a sort of handler for the supernatural. Regrettably she does work with Chimera, says they have the best interests at heart for the supernatural but she doesn’t see what I see out here. She doesn’t know the part I played in its creation, what it really stood for in the beginning. Chimera tends to kill first these days rather than actually try to help or give the supernatural some kind of place in the world. I think thats why I haven’t been to visit her, I just don’t want to argue with a friend as old as her. Funnily enough I don’t think anyone knows she’s a vampire. I doubt they’d take that very well, she’d probably lose her position. They must have suspicions though because theres no way she’d be able to get letters to me without Baelen knowing about it. Every few months they keep showing up though and I always make sure to write her back.
Anyways I’m getting off topic, back to my story. I was in prison for months until an offer came my way, serve the rest of my sentence or enlist in the army and be a free man when I came back, if I came back. Of course I took the offer, I didn’t realize how suspicious that deal sounded at the time but it actually played out exactly as they said. I also didn’t have much of a choice in the matter either. It was hard to get my hands on any blood when I was almost constantly under watch and I could feel the effects it was having on me. I figured it would be best to get a change of scenery.
The next week I was off to training then not long after, we shipped out to the trenches and met the commander of the platoon I’d been assigned to. That’s the first time I met Lieutenant Johnson Marsh and what a man he was. That first day I was convinced I’d never see a smile ever again, the trenches were a horrible depressing place. But there Marsh was, laughing and smiling and just generally enjoying life with the rest of the platoon. He was either crazy or stupid, thats what my first thoughts about him were. I remember those clearly even today but I couldn’t have been more wrong. If anything he may have turned out to be one of the smartest men I ever knew.
The first few weeks were spent holding our position from the germans. It was brutal but I found I was a decent shot with the rifle I was given. Marsh on the other hand spent those weeks barking orders at us and keeping us in line. He never used a rifle like most of the soldiers used. Instead he kept a Beretta m9 with him at all times. That weapon was the only one I ever saw him use. I remember the name only because he was so found of explaining everything there was to know about the gun to me whenever I questioned him about it. You could immediately recognize the pistol as his by its strange grip. One side of it had a picture of an idyllic scene of a manor house in the middle of a sprawling field. The other had a painting of a woman, his wife I’d guess but he never actually told me if that was there case. He seemed to spend the nights staring with longing at each side of the artistic grip.
I’d never really had a family, even with Belle I’d always felt like I was a bit of an outsider. There was so much I didn’t know about how normal people lived. Even though I’d had friends in Paris we were always kind of hidden away in our own personal corner. There was this separation between us and normal life, even between the other supernaturals in the area.
Here I felt like I was part of something though. Sure I was still lost but so was everyone else, we could be lost together and Marsh would always set us straight in the end. There was something about the man, some piece of him that just understood what we were all going through. He expected a lot from us but he was never unreasonable and several times even argued with command on our behalf when ridiculous orders came our way. I actually wanted to serve with him. The rest of the platoon wasn’t bad but they’d all been given the same deal as me. They were all just there to get out of prison. I’m still not sure what Marsh’s story was, he always kept that to himself but any of us would’ve taken a bullet for that man.
Our first real assignment came maybe three months into my period of indentured service. Our platoon was tasked with rescuing a captured American scientist and capturing a German scientist. The scientists in question were Frank Smith and Stein Hoffman and no, the irony of those names is not lost on me, fits the two of them though. I’m sure doctor Frankenstein wishes he was successful as those two. But before those orders could be acted on we had to overtake a German trench surrounding the compound they were staying in.
That fight was bloody and we lost several good men in the chaos. At one point a trench gun was shoved into my arms and I launched myself into the German trench. I wouldn’t be surprised if ghost stories are still passed around of what I did that day. After I made my way over and into the German trench I lashed out with all I had. Moving with superhuman speed and lashing out with both the bayonet affixed to my gun and my fangs, I fell upon the Germans. They stood little chance as I tore into them and all by my lonesome I ensured we’d face no more resistance.
Marsh was the first over into the now silent trench, I’m glad it was him because I’m not sure anyone else would’ve understood like him. I was holding the German officer to the trench wall, fangs buried in his neck as I fed when I heard footsteps behind me. I dropped him and turned to see Marsh staring questioningly at me. I must’ve been a sight to see, blood dripping from my mouth and covering my bullet torn uniform. Marsh steadied himself for a moment and shouted back to the rest of the platoon,
“Boys hold up a second! Just get down and stay up there a minute won’tcha!”
All of a sudden he took a step forward and a well mannered grin took its usual place on his lips.
“Though You didn’t care for sauerkraut J.?”
The joke stunned me, I fully expected him to shoot me then and there, put me down like the abomination I must’ve looked like to him.
“Lieutenant I…”
But Marsh raised his hands to cut me off.
“Command’d probably want me to shoot’cha, hell maybe I aught’a but I don’t think it’d be right. You seem decent, little odd sure but you’ve got heart, I see it in the way you look out for the boys. Plus I always figured there was some’n off about you. The way you stay out’a the light always seem a little faster and stronger than anyone got the right to be just didn’t figure it’d be…. That.”
Marsh told me pointing to the punctures in the officers neck.
“Thank you lieutenant, Could we keep this between us though sir?”
“Drop the formalities J. Jesus! We’re all friends here.”
“I just don’t want the others to know, they may not be as understanding as you.”
“No can do, but you can tell em’ yourself. Alright men, get on down here!”
In all my years I’d never had to explain myself to anyone up until that point. I guess that day my number was up but I never knew just how understanding people, normal people could be. I’d always lived around the supernatural in Paris, didn’t interact much with the normal people I saw in the streets every day, I didn’t have to. I’d always assumed there was a reason for that but in the moment I realized there wasn’t, not really. I’d just avoided normal people because I feared what they’d think if it came out that I wasn’t like them.
Of course There were some of the men that objected to… what I was. Most of them took after Marsh though. They didn’t really care what I was, I’d proven to them I was a good person and thats all that mattered. I just wish they’d been right about me back then because the truth was I still hadn’t learned to care, not really. Even the ones who objected came around eventually and that night Marsh finally came clean to me about why exactly he was so accepting.
According to him he’d always assumed there was more out there, things beyond human that lived on the fringes of society. Even he always thought he sounded crazy. I was the proof he needed to convince himself he wasn’t. Marsh also told me what we were really doing with the scientists. Both Frank and Stein researched the supernatural, their projects were as secret as secret could be. Marsh’s interests and theories, as personal as he tried to keep them showed up in his file somewhere. The higher ups had handpicked him for this mission because of it. The official story was that Frank had been captured but in reality he defected to further his own research with a like minded individual. Our mission was really to force Frank back into the fold and take Stein along with him.
The more he talked the more I could tell his heart was fully committed to this mission and the final assault tomorrow. I’d never seen someone so… alive. In my extremely long life I don’t think Id ever felt that kind of conviction myself. So I promised him I’d have his back tomorrow no matter what.
Morning broke and with it our assault began. Intel on the German defenses was shoddy at best but we never expected what we’d actually run into. At least three times our number acted as guards so a distraction was in order to give us a window of entry. A few of the men would handle the distraction “however they saw fit” to quote Marsh. Then Marsh and I would make our way into the compound itself and the rest of the platoon would cover us.
For what its worth most of the plan went off without a hitch. A tremendous explosion signaled Marsh and I to press the advantage and rush the confused soldiers that lay in front of us. Some actually turned and ran from me, apparently word of my stunt in the trenches yesterday had spread quickly. The rest of the platoon followed behind us but then our luck ran out with the roar of an engine.
An honest to god panzer tank rolled out of a tunnel we hadn’t seen that ran under the compound and turned its barrel towards us. I almost didn’t hear the blast from how slow time seemed to move. But move it did as the explosion of the shell’s impact scattered bodies left and right. The shell impacted behind us but the sheer force of the blast threw Marsh and I to the ground, knocking us unconscious.
When I slowly came to my eyes couldn’t believe what I was seeing. A man dressed in red priestly robes with a matching red top hat was walking between the bodies. When he approached one that groaned out with agony he’d kneel down and whisper things I couldn’t hear to them, after that he’d snap his fingers. sometimes the person he was talking with would disappear other times they would fall silent and sometimes it didn’t appear that anything happened at all.
Just the sight of the man terrified me and I wasn’t sure why. It was an instinctual reaction, the second I lay eyes on him I froze up and ice cold fear crept its way up my spine. When people accuse me of being the devil this man is who I think of. Even today I’m not sure what it is he does or why. What I do know is that he never looks the same. I’ve seen him appear as male, female, even as an animal on a few occasions but I can always tell. The second I’m near him no matter what he looks like the same old feeling comes over me.
Once my vision had finally focused in on the man he seemed to notice without ever looking at me. I blinked and suddenly he was there, kneeling over me.
“Would you like to live.”
He rasped down at me with a voice that seemed to boom around me no matter how quiet it must’ve actually been. I felt like a child again, staring at Archer for the first time. I’d never really had to fear death before but here I was, sure I was about to meet my end right here. In all honestly I wasn’t injured all that bad, I probably could’ve survived with or without this man help. But something told me that if I said no he’d make sure I would die right here.
“Ye…y… yes”
I stuttered out, barley able to form the words through the pain that stabbed throughout my body.
“You will be my instrument for one night at a time of me choosing.”
The man replied. I stayed silent as I stared into his eyes, trying to determine if the sunglasses he wore were tinted or if his eyes really did burn with an infernal red light. The man cocked his head as if waiting for a response to his question. I’m not sure if question was the right word though, there wasn’t much of a choice for me.
Looking back there was always a choice, maybe I could’ve survived on my own merits, found another way. In the years to come I’d wish I just said no, even if it would’ve cost me my life. But thats not what happened. I nodded and the deal maker snapped his fingers. As soon as he had dark clouds flooded the sky and blocked out the sun, allowing my body to begin repairing itself. The man moved on to where Marsh’s body lay and probably made him the same deal as I felt my body healing. Despite that, my consciousness faded again as I strained to try and hear what the man would say to Marsh.
We never actually discussed the man at all. Not then and not in the years since. Maybe that was all an unspoken part of Marsh’s deal. Maybe both of us just wished that man was nothing more than a waking dream, a vivid hallucination. Whatever the case neither of us ever mentioned that man to each other.
The next time I woke up I was chained to a table next to Marsh. We had been captured and brought before the very scientists we were here to apprehend. There were guards around but they all seemed to be waiting for some kind of order. I was certainly surprised when that order came in perfect English, even more surprised when the order was to let us down so we could talk.
Frank and Stein ended up being quite reasonable people. The two let us stay in relative comfort in the compound as long as we agreed to stay and leave them to their work. That was all the convincing it took for me. I understand that the men I’d served with were all dead and that these two were in some way responsible. Maybe that should’ve bothered me more, today it certainly would’ve. Back then I didn’t think the same way, they accepted me for what I was but only briefly, only out of respect for Marsh. What did the lives of people I’d known for so short a time really matter? Writing this now just makes me realize how cold I was before, I didn’t care for anything beyond myself. I’d made no efforts to find Belle since we were separated and how long had I known her, 100 years, more? I may have pretended I cared but when push came to shove I simply tried to make sure I survived.
Marsh wasn’t as cold as me, in fact he almost immediately reached for where his pistol should’ve been when he was unchained. It took Frank, Stein, and myself weeks to convince him that helping would be the right decision. He didn’t like it at first but little by little I think the scientists grew on him. The guards I’d seen our first day here seemed to thin out the longer we stayed. Wether that was a gesture of trust or simply because they were needed for more important duties I don’t know but it certainly eased Marsh’s mind.
I merely observed the scientists most of the time until Stein asked me for a sample of my blood. It didn’t surprise me that he knew what I was but for obvious reasons I was hesitant to give it to him, especially considering what I’d seen so called doctors do with vampire blood. Eventually he wore me down and I gave let him take a sample just to shut him up. After that I became more involved in their research though not by choice. They had me showcasing my abilities and tested the effects of sunlight on my blood. On a few rare occasions Stein even injected it into other prisoners that were brought in, something I put a stop to very quickly. T
hat sample of blood is why Frank and Stein are still around today. Somehow they managed to isolate whatever part of my DNA allows me to age so much slower than a normal person. They took that and spliced it into their own DNA against my recommendations. The crazy thing was it actually worked. Sure they had a newfound appreciation for rare steaks but beyond that I didn’t notice any of the effects that combining vampire DNA with your own would usually have.
As Marsh and I assisted the scientist’s research however we could we both came to the realization that they needed each other to function. Stein lacked a moral compass and was prone to suggest unethical or risky procedures, sometimes going so far as to carry them out without informing Frank. Frank on the other hand preferred caution in everything he did and sometimes I noticed him personally taking and shredding requests Stein had written for test subjects, hazardous materials, or samples from supernatural entities. The two kept a very delicate dance of checks and balances. Stein ever the daring mad scientist and Frank always playing the role of overly cautious genius.
Marsh and Frank got along extremely well near the end. The two would be up at all hours of the night as Frank explained what kind of things really existed in the world. Marsh always shared these ideas of a world where the supernatural and the normal could live together and I think Frank shared that vision. It wasn’t possible, still isn’t but treating the supernatural as something other than monsters couldn’t possibly be a bad thing. I think thats where the idea of the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs really came from, those talks Marsh had with anyone who would listen.
Overtime one of our favorite conversations was what we would do when the war was over and we could leave this compound. Stein wasn’t sure he would, if his research wasn’t going to a man who’d simply use it to cause more conflict he wouldn’t mind staying. Frank wanted to return home, if that was even possible and he asked if Stein would join him. Those two had also become close friends through our months in the lab. That checks and balances relationship they had made them basically inseparable. Marsh’s answer surprised me though, he said he wanted to get out of the military and start a program, something to help the supernatural live closer to normal lives. At least keep tabs on them so that the quality of their lives might improve. I was stunned, I couldn’t believe he’d throw his career away just to chase this pipe dream of his. I didn’t even know Marsh was concerned with that kind of thing. I didn’t have an answer of my own so I said I’d join Marsh and help with this program idea of his. Actually, even Frank and Stein seemed to agree with Marsh’s way of thinking. Little did we know the war would end less than a month after our talk and we’d all get the chance to actually put Marsh’s little idea to the test.
Once the Americans had come and discovered the compound pretty much abandoned aside from us we were all taken prisoner and shipped back to America. We were all interrogated and they either heard what they wanted to hear, or decided anyone we’d talk to about our experiences would assume we were just crazy. We were released back into society under constant surveillance. They even gave us a sizable home in D.C., it was certainly bugged to its core but thats exactly what we wanted.
Through the next year we used Frank and Steins knowledge and my supernatural nature to track down entities all over the country. We made sure that everything was discussed and planned out in the house. That way however was listening knew exactly what we were doing and how successful it was. It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows though, some entities would rather we didn’t know about them. Others were naturally aggressive but some we were actually able to help.
Our escapades as a group of four didn’t last much past the first year. Mostly because our master plan of using the bugs worked perfectly. Ol’ uncle Sam had been listening in and wanted his chance at calling the shots but it meant we became a legitimate organization, the BSA. Technically the acronym was already taken but no one ever complained and Marsh never came up with anything better.
We spent 4 years doing everything we could to improve the lives of supernatural beings everywhere. Not every one of our endeavors was a success but we did some good in the world. One such project was blood banks for vampires. While the blood that gets donated is used for transfusions and the like some was put into cold storage for the BSA. That got distributed to vampires who had come to an agreement with us to stop hunting humans for blood. Some vampires were even selected for jobs at these blood banks, under the supervision of BSA agents of course.
The more human supernaturals like werewolves, vampires, and succubi even used us to find jobs in the world. We made in roads for the supernatural in daily life because of it. Werewolves would use their strength for government construction. Vampire’s long lives made them excellent archivists or history teachers because they actually been there for those events. A succubus’s ability to understand and control someones emotions and reactions made them excellent therapists and conflict deescalation specialists. Those are just some of the fields we managed to get the supernatural involved in. While they usually had to hide their natural they were wildly successful.
Everything went well until that fourth year when I first met Baelen. He was headstrong from the beginning, the powers that be were grooming him for leadership. He was everything they wanted, he followed orders and didn’t question things to much. In short, he was the perfect solution to the inconvenience the four of us caused running the organization as we saw fit. But baleen had a mean streak, he didn’t want to protect the supernatural so much as he wanted to put them in their place. Unfortunately a lot of the research we provided had scared pretty much everyone above us who had never even entertained the idea of the supernatural until now. That meant Baelen’s ideas of monitoring and segregating the supernatural population were popular. So popular that suggesting culling their numbers to keep them in check and under the thumb of the BSA was an idea they actually entertained. That sentiment caught on and our orders became more and more militant.
Every time we disregarded them to do things the way we had envisioned the consequence grew steeper. Eventually Frank, Stein, Marsh, and I just couldn’t stand to see what our BSA had become so we left. We couldn’t do anything else to stop what was coming from the inside, no point in going down with the ship.
After that Baelen quickly ended up heading the whole operation. He still took orders directly from government officials and when the BSA became part of homeland security it became Chimera division. Why they chose such a stupid name I’ll never know but the organization was a shadow of its former self. Before we looked out for the supernatural, tried to help. Under Baelen Chimera just exists to monitor the supernatural and “correct” any issues uncle Sam decides to have with them. They’re glorified enforcers that don’t give a damn how the supernatural actually have it. That’s not to say some good people don’t work for them, people like Belle and even Marsh’s own daughter as far as I’m aware.
It sickens me to think I was a part of it though, for all the good we did maybe it would’ve been better if Johnson Marsh’s pipe dream would’ve stayed just that. I can do a lot but I can’t change the past so I guess we’ll never know. A while ago I heard that something had happened in a little nowhere town out in New Mexico. Pretty much dropped off the face of the Earth. The only reason I even heard about it was through Belle’s letters. Apparently Chimera had to do some huge cover up job and decided it was better if the town just never existed. Maybe I should go myself and see if I can’t piece what happened together. Could be that someone else out there has it in for Chimera and is a whole lot more direct about it than me. I’m just imaging it was some runaway experiment Frank and Stein got up to. I wonder where those two ended up, I’ll have to check up on them sometime. This journal writing is digging up a lot of memories for me but thats probably a good thing. Write them down before I forget again. I think that’ll be all for today then, why do I keep addressing these like someone’s reading them? Not much point to that is there?

It is really scary and frightening to me that Verizon won't send you transcripts of conversations you personally have with them (without a subpoena) and sometimes even "lose" the transcripts, such that they are supposedly completely unrecoverable. You also can't easily select the text and "copy/paste" it into another program after changes to the website -- you essentially have to take screenshots constantly to record interactions with them.
Be aware and be concerned!
tl;dr: Multiple Verizon customer support agents tried to secretly add services multiple times, lied directly to me, and then an executive PR person tried to smooth it over by still refusing to give transcripts after thinking I would send the transcript to news media or something.
Long story version:
The story in my case was I talked with some customer service reps and was trying to cancel my TV (since I hadn't used it in like ~7+ months and the previous times I tried to cancel it I gave up after being frustrated due to not being able to find a way to cancel it without talking to someone) and went down a dark pattern rabbit hole both on the Verizon website and through customer service / PR actions. Luckily, I took screenshots of a lot of the conversations. Just writing this all down here for my records and to vent my frustrations.
After spending some time with a customer service rep explaining my issue (trying to cancel TV and the website continually re-adding the TV plan and other things in checkout), I was immediately transferred to another agent without warning -- not a big deal, but was odd since I didn't get a chance to confirm that was okay. The next agent I walked through everything again, saying how it kept re-adding TV and/or changing other parts of the plan. Eventually, after about an hour and multiple weird typos ("As you mentioned, you want to remove remote and check the bill?" / "I am really sorry I am Tv." / "I am getting Type sorry 😬"), the agent finally understood my request and went to cancel the TV. However, in asking for confirmation to cancel it, they had randomly added 1 Gig-streaming and a few other things ( https://i.imgur.com/rZ7gKk6.png ) without my consent and tried to pass it off as being the new plan -- they did this a second time after I first spotted it ( https://i.imgur.com/7346CFF.png ). Then, on the third time around, they still tried to change my phone service to "Home 3.0" ($5 more a month than our current plan) without consent directly after literally saying they wouldn't make changes without approval ( https://i.imgur.com/6PRTvT3.png ).
When confronted on this, the agent said that was already my plan ( https://i.imgur.com/tPeM05T.png ) when it most certainly wasn't ( https://i.imgur.com/nMBnTRS.png ). When they checked for the 5th time, they finally did confirm that my plan was the $20 one but they couldn't select it because it wasn't an option anymore, but I had just found the buried option to cancel the TV itself without changing the rest of my plans and explained to them how they were wrong ( https://i.imgur.com/Xkhctd4.png / https://i.imgur.com/zx8fJeE.png ). Extremely frustrated that the agent kept adding things and lying to me, I asked for a transcript of the chat -- which they said they couldn't do and could only give me a chat ID which would only be usable on Verizon's end. Whatever, I figured, I'll just try escalating the issue to get the transcript and/or stuff dealt with after getting the message ID ( https://i.imgur.com/0zRSV82.png ). I was transferred, at least this time with my approval, to a "loyalty specialist agent" who basically said they could do nothing, couldn't help me, couldn't escalate the issue, but could read the message from the chat ID but couldn't send it to me or quote anything from it to me either. After trying to get them to cancel the TV and hearing the same lies and randomly added services from before, I just canceled it manually myself and ended the chat in anger.
While talking to the "loyalty specialist agent" I was also talking to a Verizon support agent on X/Twitter. They said they couldn't access messages on other platforms, but corporate Verizon could and if I wanted to escalate the message I could try contacting corporate leadership ( https://www.verizon.com/about/our-company/executive-bios ) and suggested contacting "Sowmyanarayan Sampath (Sampath) - Executive Vice President and CEO Verizon Consumer Group" out of everyone on that list. That Verizon support agent was actually helpful -- a shocking change of pace from the past 3-4 agents I've dealt with!
And so I sent a short version of this story to Sampath on that website detailing my issues and frustrations and what they should do to improve these issues, remove the dark patterns, and create a better experience for their customers ( https://i.imgur.com/T2Sr6Ff.png ). About 30 minutes later a PR agent from executive called me, she said she read my complaint, got the messages from that chat ID, and wanted to make sure my concerns were taken care of. I told her the main thing I wanted was a transcript of my messages, my complaint and issues with dark patterns to be taken seriously, and maybe some account credit for all the time and hassle (going on nearly 4 hours at this point). She asked why I wanted the transcript -- was it just for my own records or to send to some news media or something. I told her I already had multiple screenshots (which she agreed, strangely enough, was good practice) and just wanted them for my records, but I might consider sending them to others. She said she would look into doing what she could, both with sending me the transcript and getting compensation, without mentioning any of the dark patterns or other issues I raised, and would get back to me in a day or two.
After dealing with all that I figured I'd also go through and update some of my account info and verify some new phone numbers. But nothing on the website was working properly and clicking on multiple confirmation links (both sent to email and two different text messages) weren't doing anything. How foolish of me to try customer support again... who this time tried to help me by sending me a confirmation link only for that not to work. After debugging some stuff, I found it was a mobile link, and even when opened on mobile it wouldn't work. The agent said I needed the Verizon app and to just download and install it. I told them I didn't want to and shouldn't have to because that is silly -- I should be able to verify an updated phone number without having to download an entire app. They insisted it was the only way and nothing else would verify me ( https://i.imgur.com/RGYaKA8.png ). This again made no sense and due to all the constant frustrations I was facing I asked for another chat ID (just in case they were lying again and it wasn't the only way to verify) and I ended the chat, called it for the day, and poured myself a large glass of whiskey.
I kept waiting and waiting for this executive PR agent to call me back and figured they were just going to ignore me and never call back. However, she finally called me back just a few hours ago, 8 days later, with some bad news. For the frustration of dealing with all this (4+ hours and being transferred around, secret product upgrades / services pushed on me, and being lied to), they would give me half off for a single month (whoopee), and couldn't do anything else. As for the transcripts? The original conversation she said not only couldn't be sent to me, but couldn't be viewed anymore and was apparently completely lost. She explained that sometimes they use third party companies to handle support and they must have deleted it or lost it or something -- which again seems odd to me since I asked them specifically to save and send me the transcript so you'd think they would keep it, but I guess not ("C.Y,A. Policy" anyone?). I mentioned I did have some screenshots, and again she agreed that was good practice. But what about the other conversations? She said that Verizon couldn't and wouldn't send it to me unless they had a subpoena for it, as that was corporate policy.
So, since Verizon clearly doesn't care about these systemic issues, hidden upgrades, lying support agents, website dark patterns, lack of transparency, and refusal to send transcripts ... remember to protect yourself by *ALWAYS* saving and recording all your conversations with this borderline monopolistic evil mega corp.

I've been working on a ruler to go with my Leuchtturm1917 (size A5). Something to use as a reference to split the page into equally sized boxes. I've seen a few excellent ones online, but they're either a) content rich, or b) easy to read, never both. For example the Moxidori is data rich and affordable, but I think it could be easier to use. Teanbujo's ruler is extremely easy to read, and beautiful, but I think it could use more reference lines. I saw another user's ruler that had a bunch of colored lines just floating in space with no text labels. It was data rich, but half the users in the thread couldn't make heads or tails of it. I can't find the link, but it was an excellent idea. Oh, and while writing this up, I learned the new Leuchtturm Bujo 2 has reference rulers built into the covers. Welp. I might be wasting my time.

Getting to the point, here's my attempt. Each color is dedicated to a certain number of boxes spread across the whole sheet. The green objects shows where to note your lines in order to splits the sheet into 6 equally spaced rows. The other side of the ruler is for the horizontalalignment.

If you're interested in checking it out, you can download a PDF from dropbox here. It's sized 8.5x11 (don't scale your printout, print at 100%). Apologies to anyone more familiar with measurements for a modern era, my country has hitched its wagon to America and all of its freedom units(tm). Luckily, this printout will safely crop for printing at A4. Cut out the ruler shapes as one big square, then fold it in half.

This thing is pretty early in design, but I could use some critique, or just opinions.

Hi I am looking for a recommendation for a home assistance/ digital wall calendar. I’ve always used personal planners or regular calendars but lately I’m trouble keeping up with scheduling recurring tasks and remembering to write things outs and I want to also kind of download my brain into notes and tasks and schedule chores so my spouse can take things off my plate and see the list of the various competing priorities that need to be handled.
Wishlist of features:

Digital Touch screen calendar that can be displayed from a device on our counter or wall mounted. With a clean look, color coded, that can switch from monthly, weekly, daily.
Large screen- at least 10 inches but preferably like 15-20
I’d like the calendar to be the default app/widget displayed at all times.
Coordinating App that can be on my husbands and my phones that can feed into that calendar so we can add things on the go. 4. Options for both a personal calendawork calendar and family calendar. It would be nice if the personal calendar was private. I have to dos and daily items that I don’t need taking up space on the family calendar, but id like to be able to access it from the same hub.
I’m like to set up many of the items as recurring: such as kids schedules, work schedules (we both are hybrid for work) cleaning/chore schedules, home maintenance, personal care.
It would be great if I could set daily tasks that can be checked off, so we can see what didn’t get done and needs to get done by the end of the week.
A notes or like long-term no due date section for me to write out the random things that pop into my head that need to get done but aren’t time sensitive. And that could be checked off.
The ability to set reminders for upcoming appointments.
I plan to write out our dinners/meals here, Maybe bills although I do like the spreadsheets app we use for that so maybe not.
Maybe like little icons or something to mark simple things like trash day, that wouldn’t need to be a “event” or “task” or take up space in that manner.

I’ve looked into the skylight calendar, but it’s hard to justify spending $300 for a tool that really only does one thing. If I’m going to spend that kind of money I feel like it should have the internet or music or just more features. I also have a couple friends that have it and say that the system is missing a lot of useful features like having to click elsewhere to see chores and no reminders for tasks
I looked at the echo, but I just hate the screen of it- like the constantly updating widgets, and news, and it’s just annoyingly overwhelming.
I dk if I’m being too specific and picky, so would love to hear others thoughts and perspectives.
Thanks!

What in the actual F is going on with their Tiers???
They started this Platinum tier nonsense a few months ago, I have had no issues until now, last night for probably the third time this year since the program started I dipped down to 69%, which has never had any adverse side effects before, because from my experience doing this almost 3 years, any changes to your perks are supposed to be monthly not literally day-to-day. When in the actual hell did they start adjusting these in the middle of the month? Seriously? I can't even Dash right now. I have to schedule it and I can't even schedule it until 4 days from now, I can't go 4 days without work? This is my only job. I have excellent ratings. They need to fix this trash I'm about ready to go work for a different company like this is complete garbage, I already bust my ass for this job, and to make the money that I make doing it. But I can't have shit like this happening I need money right this second, I needed to work today to pay a bill tonight which would have been fine if it would have let me log on but now all of the sudden apparently if you dip during the month it drops you right away? The hell is that, there's not even like a buffer zone, nothing. If they're going to pull that dog crap, they need to put a very blatant very hard to ignore or look past message that tells you that hey you're about to drop down to 69%, which means you're about to lose all of these perks right this second, not hey you'll drop down to 69% like they literally always told us and it has never affected us until the beginning of the month. I never got an email saying that this was changing from being a end of the month beginning of the month thing to being a daily thing, have any of you gotten that email? Did anyone get any type of notification whatsoever that this change was happening this particular way? Did they clarify this to anyone cuz I'm pretty sure they were legally required to and they did not. I read every message I get from doordash. So it wasn't me being lazy and not reading a message. And if everyone's not getting the same messages then that's something on their end too that they need to fix. furthermore why do we even have tech support I mean honestly half these people are reading a screen I don't need you to explain to me what the damn tier program is it explains it in clear English, what it does not explain is that you guys are going to start doing this in the middle of the month cuz it has always been at the end of the month and the beginning of the new month, they have never just adjusted your perks in the middle of the month before, this is ridiculous, oh but don't worry if you get the percentage back up you get your perks back right away oh yeah except for the fact that I now have to wait four days to even be able to make any money and move the needle at all, so what now I just can't work for four days? Why should I keep working for this company? Like what in the hell kind of business tactic is this, this is hurting them not helping them. You want drivers to take every order? Make a mandatory order minimum gasp. Wow look at that, so your driver has to make at least five bucks and every single order, wow look at all those orders being taken now. Smdh. Stop blaming the drivers or not one to take orders that waste their time, maybe hold the customers a bit more accountable, this is not a right this is a convenient service. Maybe treat it like the business that it is. Smdh. Like the only reason this even survives is because they got to the table first with their branding and grew the fastest, now they're just surviving off of people being lazy. If a better Business came out tomorrow, it would crush this.

Earlier this year I published a completely free novel writing and organizing tool called ExcellentWriter. It is supposed to be a tool which lets you organize, write and format your novel inside Excel and in the end lets you use the power of Word to do the finishing touches. Sounds crazy? Is crazy!
What Word alone lacks in this kind of features is provided with this tool. This way you can stay inside the Office family if you like these programs.
Overview:

Organize your book, chapters, scenes, drafts, characters, items, locations, arcs, eras, events, notes and your world.
Write your complete novel and even format it in Excel.
Have multiple drafts per scene, to keep track of your progress.
Export single scenes to Word to see them fully formatted or export the whole manuscript at once.
Export a scene to Word with direct speech highlighted.
Insert comments, footnotes and pictures in your text.
Get a better overview with the outline, the plotgrid, the timeline view and the relationship matrix.
Generate calenders with custom days, month, seasons, special phases and events.
Get ideas from the name generator, which you can extend by yourself. Just add files and folders according to the structure under "NameGenerator".
Track your progress.
If there will be a new version just import all your data from a previous one with just a few clicks.

Get a visual impression and download it for free on itch.io: https://s3rdia.itch.io/excellentwriter

As per the title. You get to pitch any full series of contestants against any of the others in a knockout style team battle (hopefully not to actual death, but y'know, near enough to be entertaining for the masses).
My early vote is going for UK series 12- reckon Guz and Desiree could be quite out and out scary if provoked, Morgana seems very Elle Driver in a lot of moments (Kill Bill), and VCM would be an immense strategist with that inhaler-customising brain of hers. Alan Davies could provide excellent football-style commentary from the sidelines if all else fails, but he could add some chaos.
Thoughts?

This was originally posted to pettyrevenge, but for some reason got taken down. So here goes:
The revenge I took on my grade nine English teacher was so petty that I hesitate to write about it. But Mrs. Bristle (for that is the name I will give her) was cruel to me every chance she got, and she made my first year in high school a misery. So when a file with her name on it arrived at my office, my first thought was not that I would beat her (for I was certain that I would) but rather, of the revenge I would take along the way.
I was pushing forty when Mrs. Bristle’s file hit my desk, some estate litigation where a mother’s last will and testament left my clients next to nothing, and gave their sister, Mrs. Bristle, pretty well the entire estate. When I saw the defendant’s name it looked familiar, and after a bit of Googling, I confirmed what I suspected: the defendant, Mrs. Bristle, was my former grade nine English teacher.
I remembered Mrs. Bristle very well. She was supposed to be teaching us the wonders of English literature, but what she really taught us were her rules, by which she meant her arbitrary whims, expressed in vague language, backed up by petty punishments for non-compliance. There was an art to getting along with Mrs. Bristle, and while most of the other kids learned it easily enough, somehow I did not. I have trouble learning unwritten rules, and in Mrs. Bristle’s class where unwritten and constantly changing rules were the order of the day, I didn’t stand a chance. Mrs. Bristle admonished me almost daily for ‘not paying attention’. I did detentions, re-wrote assignments, and made visits to the principal’s office, all because I apparently wasn’t listening, wasn’t doing what I was told.
Many was the time when Mrs. Bristle took me to task for missing some obvious but unstated part of an assignment. One time I handed in a sonnet, and received an “F” because the rhyming pattern was Petrarchan, not Shakespearean. But she would be nice to me, Mrs. Bristle would always say when she tossed my work back at me. She would give me another chance to hand the assignment in with the arbitrary changes she required, in the end giving me a good mark, but then heavily downgraded for being late.
Mrs. Bristle's case worked its way through the early stages, and every time I exchanged an email with her (for she was a self-rep, no need for counsel, she claimed) I thought about the unpleasant time I’d spent in her class. I had a rough time in high school, and I always resent anything that makes me dwell on it.
After a few months, the case was ready for the next stage. It was time to examine Mrs. Bristle, to find out why she thought her mother wanted to disinherit most of the family and enrich Mrs. Bristle alone. I showed up at the court reporter’s office early as usual, to get set up.
“What’s that shit eating grin on your face?” Adam asked. He was a lawyer colleague, about my vintage, and we were sitting in the lounge for lawyers only, the room that most court reporter’s offices have, a place for the lawyers to hang out and shoot the shit, no clients allowed.
“I’m going to examine my grade nine English teacher today,” I said, “and it's going to be fun.” I explained how she’d hated me back in the day, and had done her best to make my life hell.
“What’s the case about?” Adam said. Adam had been around the block, same as me, and it took only a few words for me to summarize everything that mattered in the file. “Estate fight, one sibling against four, undue influence, holograph will cutting out most of the siblings, competing with an older will, a formal one, where the shares are equal.”
Adam nodded appreciatively. “Nice fees, if the estate’s got the cash.”
“It does,” I said. We chatted for a bit, and then sat there in silence as we each did the last bit of prep for the cases we had that day, making notes, reading documents and drinking coffee. My alarm dinged just before ten, and I made my way to the examination room, and Mrs. Bristle, the teacher who’d greatly disliked the grade nine version of Calledinthe90s. I was curious to see if she would like the older version any better.
* * *
The examination started, and Mrs. Bristle and I sparred for a while, me tossing vague questions her way, and criticizing her when she did not understand. I kept her on the defensive for close to three hours, until it was getting on to one p.m.
“Aren’t you in a conflict or something?” she said to me just before the lunch break, when she’d finally made the connection, and understood that the lawyer asking her questions was a former student.
“No conflict,” I said, dismissing her concerns with a wave of my hand. “During the lunch break, there’s something I need you to do.”
“I don’t want to answer questions during lunch. I need a break.” The examination had been rough on Mrs. Bristle. She was not used to being asked questions, to being held to account, to being constantly challenged, and even having her grammar corrected now and again.
“You’ll get your lunch break. But while you’re eating a sandwich or whatever, keep this copy of the holograph will next to you.” The will on which Mrs. Bristle’s case relied was a holograph will, meaning that Mrs. Bristle’s mother had written the will entirely in hand from start to finish. The mother, or more likely, Mrs. Bristle herself, had downloaded a holograph will form from the web, and had completed it in accordance with the website’s instructions. Holograph wills are special. You can do a holograph will without a witness, without a lawyer, without anything at all, so long as you did it right. But if you got anything wrong, if you messed up in any way, it was invalid.
“You want me to read the will again over lunch?” Mrs. Bristle said.
“No. Instead, I want you to make a handwritten copy of it.”
“You want me to write it out? Whatever for?”
“There’s an allegation that the will wasn’t written by your mother, and that you wrote it up instead.” An allegation that I’d made up myself, that morning, while I was sitting in the lawyer's lounge, drinking coffee and munching on a muffin. My clients had not challenged the will’s handwriting; it was obviously their mother’s, totally different from Mrs. Bristle’s own writing. But I had decided otherwise.
Mrs. Bristle was appropriately outraged at being unjustly accused of forgery. Said she could prove it wasn’t her handwriting, could absolutely prove it.
“Then let’s settle the forgery issue once and for all,” I said, “write out the will in your own hand, so that our document experts can examine it, compare it with the original, and make a determination.”
“I don’t need the entire lunch break for that,” Mrs. Bristle said, “and I’d rather eat lunch at the restaurant downstairs.” The will was barely a page long, at most three hundred words, that being all it took for the mother to allegedly disinherit most of her children, and inexplicably leave everything to Mrs. Bristle. The mother had written up the will herself, but she’d been ninety at the time, while living in Mrs. Bristle’s house, and very much under her influence.
“I’ve retained five different experts,” I said, “and each of them will need copies.”
“Five experts? Why so many experts?”
“Each expert needs ten samples, for comparison purposes. It’s going to take you a while, Mrs. Bristle. I suggest you get started.” I overrode her protests and once she started to write, I left her in the room, and went to the lawyer’s lounge to eat their small sandwiches and drink more of the excellent coffee. After a while I stopped by the examination room to look in on Mrs. Bristle. I wanted to check in on her progress.
Mrs. Bristle asked for more time, complained of writer’s cramp, and asked me again if it was really necessary for her to write out the holograph will fifty times in her own hand, and I assured her that there was nothing for it, that it was absolutely necessary. I returned to the lounge to check my emails, leaving her hard at the homework I’d given her.
After a while my colleague, Adam, popped into the lounge. He asked me how it was going, the examination with the teacher, the teacher who had treated me so badly.
“I’m making her write lines.” Adam laughed, and laughed harder when I explained that I wasn’t kidding, that I really was making Mrs. Bristle write lines, and how I was doing it. His laughter attracted attention, and a few other lawyers asked what was up. “He’s making his teacher witness write lines,” Adam said, and the lawyer’s lounge hooted with laughter when I told everyone what was up.
It was one of the pettiest things I’ve ever done to anyone, making my grade nine teacher write lines. But the writing lines thing was just a warmup. The real revenge had yet to come. I returned to the examination room after a while, to check up on Mrs. Bristle, see how she was doing.
“This is taking forever,” she said, “and I really don’t get why you need it.” She had writer’s cramp, and was shaking her hand to get the kinks out. I picked up the stack of holograph wills she’d created, and flipped through it. She was nowhere near finished.
“On second thought,” I said, “maybe it isn’t necessary. I think you’re right. I don’t need any handwriting samples from you.”
“Why not?” she said.
“The will is invalid,” I explained, adding that because her mother had used a pre-printed form off the web, the law would not recognize the will. “A holograph will has to be entirely in the testator's handwriting,” I explained, “every single word entirely in handwriting from start to finish. This will doesn’t qualify, because your mother used a standard form, a form printed off the web, with instructions and boxes and questions and so on, and when you do that, then the will is no longer a holograph will. It’s a regular will, and regular wills need to be properly witnessed. This one isn’t witnessed, and that means it’s not a will. It’s just a piece of paper.”
“Are you trying to tell me that you only figured that out now? What kind of lawyer are you, anyways?”
“What kind of lawyer am I? I’m a lawyer who makes a witness skip lunch, and sit in a small room all alone, and write lines. Sound familiar, Mrs. Bristle?” She said nothing, and just stared at me. I closed the door on her, leaving her alone once more, and left for the Middle Temple Tavern where the lawyers all hung out. It was time to hoist a Guinness and enjoy my petty triumph.

link at bottom:
Several states have taken action over the last two years in an effort to block the implementation of a central bank digital currency (CBDC) in the United States.
Indiana was the first state to pass legislation relating to central bank digital currency. Enacted in 2023, the law explicitly excludes a CBDC from the definition of money under the state's Uniform Commercial Code (UCC). The law amends the definition of money to specify, “The term does not include a central bank digital currency that is currently adopted, or that may be adopted, by the United States government, a foreign government, a foreign reserve, or a foreign sanctioned central bank.”
A similar law was enacted in Florida last year, and this year South Dakota, Tennessee, and Utah followed suit. A Nebraska bill repealing the capital gains tax on gold and silver also changed the definition of money in the state tax code to exclude CBDC.
This year, Indiana took a second step to hinder the implementation of a CBDC with the enactment of a measure prohibiting state agencies from accepting payments made with a central bank digital currency for any service, tax, license, permit, fee, information, or other amount due the governmental body. It also bars government agencies from requiring payments to be made with a central bank digital currency.
Additionally, under the law, state government bodies are prohibited from advocating for or supporting the testing, adoption, or implementation of a central bank digital currency by the United States government.
Alabama, North Dakota, and Georgia have passed similar laws.

Impact

It remains unclear how changing the definition of money in the UCC and other steps taken at the state level would play out in practice against a CBDC if the federal government attempts to implement one.
The UCC is a set of uniformly adopted state laws governing commercial transactions in the U.S. According to the Uniform Law Commission, “Because the UCC has been universally adopted, businesses can enter into contracts with confidence that the terms will be enforced in the same way by the courts of every American jurisdiction. The resulting certainty of business relationships allows businesses to grow and the American economy to thrive. For this reason, the UCC has been called ‘the backbone of American commerce.’”
Passage of this legislation would, as noted by one opponent of the legislation, put a CBDC “into the bucket of ‘general intangibles” – rather than money, and wouldn’t ban its use completely.
But it could still potentially gum up the works and make it difficult for the government to fully implement a CBDC.
Opponents of the strategy and supporters of CBDC generally take the position that states can’t do anything to stop a CBDC, since – according to their view – under the supremacy clause “any federal law on this point will automatically override state law.”
We’ve heard this song and dance on other issues before. That’s what they said when California legalized medical marijuana in 1996. It didn’t quite turn out that way.
In the ramp-up to the 1996 vote on Proposition 215, voters were repeatedly told that legalization of marijuana, even for limited medical purposes, was a fruitless effort, since, under the supremacy clause, any such state law would be automatically overridden by the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 (CSA). At best, opponents told Californians, the state would end up in a costly, and losing court effort.
But despite those warnings, Californians voted yes, setting in motion the massive state-level movement we see today, where a growing majority of states have legalized what the federal government prohibits. Ultimately, the federal government will likely have to back down, even if just to save face, because it has become impossible to fully enforce its federal prohibition over this massive state and individual resistance.
A similar scenario played out in response to the REAL ID Act of 2005. The national ID system still isn’t fully up and running more than 17 years after the “final deadline” for full implementation.
Why not?
Because a significant number of states decided not to participate, drug their feet, or in some cases, simply provide residents with a choice to opt-out. Federal officials have confirmed that state-level roadblocks to implementation are the primary reason for the continuing delays.
“Roadblock” is likely how this and other state-based strategies to oppose a CBDC will play out. This is part of James Madison’s four-step blueprint for how states can stop federal programs.
But, as can be seen so far with issues like marijuana and the REAL ID Act, whether a federal program is implemented or not ultimately gets down to the number of roadblocks put up by states, and more importantly, the willingness of the people to participate, or not.

What Is CBDC?

Generally speaking, digital currencies are virtual banknotes or coins held in a digital wallet on a computer or smartphone. The difference between a central bank (government-imposed) digital currency and peer-to-peer electronic currencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum is the value of CBDC is backed and controlled by the government, just like traditional fiat currency.
Governments sell the idea of CBDC by promising to provide a safe, convenient, and more secure alternative to physical cash. We’re also told it will help stop dangerous criminals who like the intractability of cash. But there is a darker side – the promise of control.
At the root of the move toward government digital currency is “the war on cash.” The elimination of cash creates the potential for the government to track and even control consumer spending.
Imagine that all cash disappeared this morning and all that was left was a government-controlled digital currency. You would be forced into doing all business electronically with this government money. It would be impossible to hide even the smallest transaction from the government’s eyes. Something as simple as your morning trip to Dunkin would be known by government functionaries. As Bloomberg put it in an article published when China launched a digital yuan pilot program in 2020, digital currency “offers China’s authorities a degree of control never possible with physical money.”
Governments could even “turn off” your ability to make purchases. Bloomberg described the level of control a digital currency could give Chinese officials.

The PBOC (People's Bank of China) has also indicated that it could put limits on the sizes of some transactions, or even require an appointment to make large ones. Some observers wonder whether payments could be linked to the emerging social-credit system, wherein citizens with exemplary behavior are ‘whitelisted’ for privileges, while those with criminal and other infractions find themselves left out. ‘China’s goal is not to make payments more convenient but to replace cash, so it can keep closer tabs on people than it already does,’ argues Aaron Brown, a crypto investor who writes for Bloomberg Opinion.

Economist Thorsten Polleit explained the level of Big Brother-like government control possible with the advent of a digital euro in an article published by the Mises Wire.
As he put it, “The path to becoming a surveillance state regime will accelerate considerably” if and when governments begin issuing CBDC.
In 2022, the Federal Reserve released a “discussion paper” examining the pros and cons of a potential U.S. central bank digital dollar. According to the central bank’s website, there has been no decision on implementing a digital currency, but this pilot program reveals the idea is further along than most people realized.
https://www.moneymetals.com/news/2024/05/17/several-states-take-steps-to-block-a-central-bank-digital-currency-003192

[28/M]
I seriously don't know what the fuck is wrong with me. My entire life is just a series of making bad decisions followed almost immediately by regret. I have no follow through and no motivation to change anything in my life and I'm destined to be a piece of shit forever.
I have a loving partner who I'm absolutely obsessed with. I'll get drunk and flirt with someone else, or download a hookup app (I don't even message anyone I just want to look???) and immediately feel like shit afterwards. I have absolutely no intention of cheating on him. I literally don't understand why I'm doing these things. I could quit drinking, but I'm not. I want to, but I'm taking no active steps to do anything about it.
I have a major spending problem. I used to be very cheap, and had $10k in the bank and a 700 credit score when I was twenty. Now, no exaggerating, I have $47 in the bank, multiple things I let go to collections (I had somehow convinced myself that all I had to do was throw a fit for a bill to go away, and if it went to collections that was teaching THEM a lesson. I am so fucking poor. I work a decent job and make above the average income for where I live. I don't understand where it goes. I'll have $10 and a bunch of maxed out credit cards to last me from 2 days after payday to the next one. I keep telling myself this isn't sustainable and then not even an hour later I see something I want and immediately buy it. I dont even try to save up or anything.
I cant fucking live like this. I'm so tired of feeling like a broke fucking loser with zero impulse control.

Hi!
A new major release of DaDaBIK is out (founder here) and I think this might be of interest to this subreddit.
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Eugenio

Download uniform bill of lading excel

Sick of everything costing so much money

Impact

What Is CBDC?

Integration capabilities:

Licensing Options: