Shakespeare fishing reel parts

Thanks all for the helpful advice in my other post!
I went first time fishing yesterday at the Pine Lake Park and it was fun! Met another novice fisherman so was fun to learn together.
Could you help me understand a few basic questions?

1. When I fish stocked lake, let's say if I fish for Trout - do I use the "spinner" without any "live/food" bait, or, do I use a single hook with some bait like worm or salmon eggs? (I tried both and was not sure what is better)
2. What hook size would I use for the stocked lake trout? There was just way too many options in Dicks yesterday and no one to help me figure our the right size and style.
3. I noticed that with both options (spinner or hook and food-bait) the lure always gets all the way to the bottom of the lake and then I drag it through the lake undercoveplants. Should I use a "float" to not sink the lure all the way down to the bottom? I was not sure if I should just cast and wait, or, if I should cast and then start reeling towards me and re-cast.
4. When you say that "salmon is not open yet" - Where could I find the information about which locations are open for salmon fishing and when?
5. Somebody told me that for salmon fishing I must use only a "single hook without barb" - is that true? I.e. I cannot use the triple hook or barbed hook?

I’m a veteran fisherman. I have dozens of rods. Well versed with braid. I know about manually closing the bail on my surf rod to prevent tangles etc.
But for some reason I have these small Shimano reels that CONSTANTLY get knotted up. I think it’s the reels as I’ve tried the same reels on different rods and it keeps happening.
So what causes this. And what gear can I look for to avoid this in the future? I use 10lb braid on fast and slow rods. Fishing for largemouth etc.
I have an old Pfleuger President that I can spool up and switch to. Would this be better?
What reel guarantees no braid knots. It drives me nuts.
Thanks.

Me and my fiancé are due to get married in August 2025. We have the venue secured and booked. We've been together for 5 years and have been engaged for 12 months(ish).
We're just now finalising our guest list before getting save the dates printed. We originally weren't going to do these as I don't really care for them (and we are on somewhat of a budget), but my MIL pointed out that it's in prime holiday season so should give people some warning. She makes a point.
So we're going through the list of people that we want to invite. We've checked off family and have got to friends....
A bit of backstory... his friends don't like me. Never have. Never will. It's whatever. I don't involve myself with them. They have been quite vocal about it. They were very vocal when we first got together. It kind of died down up until we got engaged. They didn't congratulate him on our engagement, not in the way that they congratulated and celebrated the other 2 friends that are engaged/married. He says he isn't fussed about it, but that annoys me because that's shitty of them, you know? And he should be fussed about it.
So when he reeled off this list of his friends and their partners where necessary... I was like???? no??? I get that they're his friends, I really do, but they don't seem happy for him at all. Even if you take me out of the equation, they're not even bothering to be happy for him... Why would I want people who aren't happy for me and don't like me at my wedding? And more importantly, why should I break my back (working extra hours to earn that commission) to front the costs to pay for their meals, best men suits, etc? He also wanted the best friend (my biggest hater lol) to be best man, and I keep gently suggesting that his brother would love to be best man.
Am I wrong to put my foot down about this? Would I be a bitch for telling them that they have to front the cost of their food and suit/s should they be a part of the groomsmen?
He's fully against the idea and wants them at the wedding... but....
Even if you take my feelings out of the equation, why would they want to go to a wedding where they don't like the bride and don't want the groom to marry her? And are very vocal about it?

(M24) Hello everyone! Whether you’re reading this from a safe distance away from your breakup, or if it has just happened, please understand that I’m not going to give you the old advice to “GO OUTSIDE.” I’m going to keep it real.
We all know what it’s like—whether you’re the dumpee or the dumper, and in my case, I was the dumpee. We all entered our relationships with rosy-eyed lenses, making us ignore what was wrong until the pot exploded and we were faced with the actual outcome.
Just so you understand a little more about my connection to this piece I’m about to write, I will let you know a bit of what happened to me.
I met someone who I thought at the time was amazing and gorgeous. I’m sure all of you have felt that way before. As time went on, her mother didn’t like my job and that I wasn’t yet in my career of choice, having just graduated in video game design a year before the incident. I was insulted by her family, told I was nothing, that I was a loser and had no ambition. I tried my hardest to be with her, even after her mother placed a deadline on me. I fought through it because I loved my ex. I fought to find work as hard as I could. Then my ex started to insult me, told me I was nothing, I wasn’t husband material, and that she was on another level than me. When I found a job, it wasn’t enough. In the end, my ex left because I couldn’t buy her a home and her mother hated the fact I had a student loan.
Now, I know what you’re thinking… “WTF?” It’s okay. All things are better because today I’m going to share what I’ve learned from this situation and how to reel yourself out of a pit where you feel like you’re not worthy, where you feel like you’ve lost it all.

• Number 1: Even though it’s incredibly hard to do in the beginning, if you feel a pain so heavy you can’t function, you’re human. You were in love, and that part of you in pain is the care and hope you wanted to provide to your partner. Honor yourself for feeling your connection—honor yourself for the level of love you were willing to give. Keep it simple. Not everyone can love so strongly, yet here you are.
• Number 2: Reassess what you did. Ask yourself what you were proud of in that relationship and what you weren’t. Really be thorough. I learned that I was very anxious and had anxiety attacks a lot. Maybe you made a mistake, and it’s hard to forget, but remember the things hardest to forget are the strongest lessons learned. Your goal here is not to feel better. I know it’s crazy, but how can I expect you to feel better, especially if the breakup just happened or if it’s still on your mind every day? Instead, view it as learning who you are, changing who you are, taking responsibility for your shortcomings, and appreciating yourself for the things you did very well. Experience comes from taking responsibility for the things you aren’t willing to admit, but also the things you are proud of.
• Number 3: LOVE DOESN’T GO AWAY. Despite what happened, I love her. I had a connection to her, to always do my best for her. Think of love as clay. The love you feel is sculpted to resemble your partner, but as time goes on with no maintenance to the clay, the sculpture fades. Its sharp edges become smooth bevels, its most standout features erode over time, ultimately becoming something else, a blob if you will. But that clay doesn’t leave; it just lacks direction at this point. So, what if the clay started to resemble you? What if you took time after you’ve gone through what you did wrong and actually walked away improving yourself? I know hearing “work on yourself” is common advice, but no one tells you why. Imagine yourself learning how to cope with your insecurities, giving yourself the love and care you gave to your partner. You know you wouldn’t have given up on them, so why give up on yourself? Imagine yourself conquering your trials, much happier. What can negativity do to you if you’re proud of your trials? Seriously, ask yourself that question: what can bad moments do to a version of you that can’t be defeated by tough moments? All in all, that same blob of clay that was sculpted and molded to envision your love for your partner is now molded into strength for yourself. Love went from them and became love for you.
• Number 4: Listen. Simple, just listen. Listen to those who are always supporting you. I’m sure they know of your circumstance, but in their efforts to help you, take a moment to be a third person. More often than not, the support they give reflects the type of person they think you are. If they tell you to keep pushing and keep going, they know you are someone who can take hits and keep fighting. If they tell you “I know it hurts,” it’s because they trust you to be stronger. Support comes from connection, and connection comes from knowing. If you’re the type of person, like me, who struggles to understand yourself, just listen to those who are supporting you, for in their words to help, you may just see your true reflection.
• Number 5: PROTOTYPE. This is an interesting phase. With everything you’ve learned, what types of things would you like to do differently? What about your personality have you learned? Experiment with your mind, prototype your new personality, introduce new morals, and if they don’t fit, introduce new morals, new ideas, new hobbies! When you have a stronger sense of self, you know what experiments in your mind will lead to better results.
• Number 6: Execute. After all you’ve learned, after all you’ve observed, take command of your life, take your life BACK! Execute your plan to get better, and once you start doing things out of love for yourself, if you just give yourself even just six months of doing things that let you feel better and more accomplished, I promise you will see change. So, if a basic six months can make you feel better, imagine a whole year. Execute your plan.
• Number 7: The most important of all: PATIENCE. This is all going to take time. The ultimate advice I can give you, the only cure to a broken heart, is the one you make for yourself by refusing to be stuck where you are and delving into your life. There is not a one-day cure or a cool mental trick. Take your time, slow down, and remember this is going to make you better.

Whether you are a man or woman, I hope anything I’ve said here can help you out. Because we’re all different, maybe you will tweak these steps a bit, add your own meanings to them, add your own order, or just completely disagree and have your own way of doing things. Those are all perfectly valid. Heartbreak is heartbreak. I’d be damned if I didn’t share what helped me. Truth be told, I miss her, her smile, the way she made me feel like my life was finally together. I remember the best moments; they help steer the ship to better, but the bad moments add the wind to my sails!
You will find someone, you will be okay, and I’m rooting for all of you!
If you make it to the end please upvote this post, because someone somewhere out there needed to hear this today and if that's you, this is your sign things are going to be better, take it from someone whose going through the same thing as you, you're stronger than you realize.

One thing that stands out to me is that the advice for getting laid while you are either cohabing and/or are going through a divorce is abstinence. It's good advice, to be sure, but in reality works about as well as teaching only abstinence in school - leaves you without the knowledge you need to succeed!
Basically, the steps below are designed to destroy her map of you. She knows what you do, she knows your routine, and women are pretty good at knowing the importance of suddenly different things. You will have to destroy her ability to know what to expect and normalize unpredictability.

1. Set a pin for your phone!

1A. Start by imagining you have something to hide on your phone. Put it on vibrate, keep it on your person at all times around her, if you set it down, set it down facedown. Don't answer a single text message in front of her, but you can and should use it to check the weather or emails, or surf the web. She probably won't say a single thing, but she is GOING to notice this change and now she's suspicious. Silence her messages - she's used to you responding quickly and she WILL find reasons to contact you just to see if you respond quickly. You will need to slow down communication with her - normalize your replies taking a long time. If she calls don't always pick up. Let it go to VM, or text her that you are busy, or will call back, or whatever. The goal of 1A is to break her expectation of you replying quickly so that it doesn't really stand out when you go on dates later.
1B. Pick a few days each and every week to be out of the house. Don't share what you are doing immediately, make her work for it. She may or may not ask for a while, but she's paying attention. What should you do? Well, I suggest buying some new clothes, try out a few gyms, go for a hike, try out new places to eat by yourself, check out bars and find a few cool ones at different parts of the area you are in, try out a musical instrument lesson, go to car meets, go to biker meets (Harley dealerships have huge bike meets and they cook), play poker, go fishing.... It doesn't matter WHAT you do specifically, just that you ARE actually doing things, and you SHOULD be doing things you would never normally do. Take pictures. You should do this for a minimum of 1 month.
***Why? Well, you don't really know who you are as a single man, and this step is partly to help you figure that out, while shattering her map of 'what you do.' At the same time, you are learning to be less dependent on her for emotional support, simply by slowing down communication with her and creating that distance.

1. This step depends on her, not you. She is going to question you about all these new things and probably outright accuse you of having another girl. Tell her you don't have one (don't get defensive), and if you can show a picture of what you were doing that triggered her accusations, then do it. Tell her you are doing new things because you are a single man again, and you need to discover who you are without her now. Tell her you have no interest in another relationship - that you have decided to work on yourself and focus on being happy. All of those things are true, and you should save the bulk of what you'll say for when she confronts you. The goal here is to get her to accept the IDEA you might actually be working on yourself and shutting her out - she's not going to buy it, but this casts doubt in her mind you found another woman, and that's good enough to continue to step 3.
   
2. CHANGE YOUR PHONES PIN CODE! She probably has it by now. We are about to actually have something to hide.
   
3. Sign up for whatever online dating apps, but you need to turn OFF banner alerts! This should be obvious, but don't bring her back to your house, no matter how sure you are your STBXW isn't going to be home or show up. Condoms... this will get you caught. Either buy and dispose of the whole pack (never bring them home) or find a really good spot to hide them in your car that she'll never find.
   
4. Great, now you found some girl and she's making you happy, right? Getting laid, she probably makes you feel like a Million $s. Good. You'll want to see her constantly because you just realized how terrible you have actually been treated, don't. Your STBXW will say some hurtful and mean things and you'll want to drop that you are and have been banging someone else... don't. If your STBXW feels like she's getting more suspicious end things with 'new girl,' let the situation cool and find a new, new girl... or don't, and continue to work on yourself.
   

Why go through all of this? Because even if you stop at step 3 you've helped yourself! Interestingly, like many can attest to, the moment you find another woman she'll be interested in you again. The mere idea that you could do new things and be happy without her will bring her right back - like the happiness sucking harpie she is.
Lastly, I want to say one more time, that I think NOT sleeping around until after your divorce has been signed by a judge is by far the smarter thing to do. What I am describing here is essentially OPSEC for having an affair, but this level of effort is required because while she may be able to get laid without consequence, the system is not 'for you' and she will make sure you get every inch of the justice d*ck without any lube if she finds out you are plowing the younger, hotter, fun version of her.

I'd like to find someone who captivates me. Someone who I can talk with effortlessly. I want to meet a person who I can include in my daily tasks, and talk with throughout the day. I just want to find someone I can be open with. Platonic conversation or romance. Whatever you are looking for, don't hesitate to message me. I hope to hear from you.
I love a number of things, and hate very little. I'm fairly open to trying new things, but some of the things I enjoy are as follows. I love the outdoors. I've never been camping, but I would like to try it with someone some day. I also love to fish. I mostly fish salt water. I do occasionally fish freshwater though. I like to check out new spots around me, but I mostly fish on the beach. Do you like to fish? What are some of your favorite places to go?
I also enjoy the shooting sports. I primarily target shoot. I take part in a little bit of everything, including rifle, pistol and shotgun. It would be nice to find someone who is into shooting or would like to learn/become more familiar. If you shoot, what do you like to shoot mostly? What's been your favorite gun to shoot so far?
PC games are also a enjoyable pastime for me. I have a variety of games, most of which are on Steam. I have other games on various other stores/services. I enjoy a wide variety of different kind of games, so I'm sure we can find something to play together if you game. What are some of your all time favorite games? What are you currently grinding on that you can't put down? One hobby I discovered later on in life is Magic the Gathering. I play both online on MtG Arena, and with physical cards. Magic has become something I am particularly fond of. Do you play any kind of card/table top games? What's been your favorite so far? If you play Magic, what are some of your favorite deck themes?
Music has always been a part of my life. My tastes are varied, ranging from country, death and black metal, electronic, classic rock, folk, pop punk, and more. Do you have a favorite band? What has been your favorite concert you've been to?
I'm honestly an ambivert. I enjoy doing things outside, as well as spending time indoors. I can veg out all day under the covers curled up in my bed, or I can take a trip somewhere and experience something new. I think my personality is a mix of the best of both worlds. What would the perfect day consist of for you?
As far as my personality is concerned, I would say I am fairly relaxed and laid back. I feel like I am somewhere in the middle between loud and excitable, and shy and quiet. Around people I don't know, I tend to be fairly quiet and to myself. In the company of someone who I am close with, I am more open and free. Do you open right up to people, or does it take a while to become comfortable with someone new?
All I hope for is a connection. It could be platonic, or it could blossom into romance, and commitment. I'm not putting a limit on what I am looking for.
With the prior being said, I am single. I may be interested in changing that with the right person. The idea of commitment excites me. Monogamy is appealing to me. Do you feel satisfied with your social life? What kind of connection are you looking for?
Thank you for taking the time to read my post. I appreciate it. I hope you can identify with something I wrote. If you do, please reach out.
P.S. Please feel free to check my post history, and check out a few pictures of my cat if you would like.

Hi, everyone. Okay, so I (26F) know that this is going to be a tall order, but if you had to organize foods based on their textures, how would you do it?
Right now, I’m dealing with PMDD symptoms, and the idea of eating just makes me think, “I have to eat, again? You’ve got to be kidding me.” My 27th birthday is next week, and I have no idea where I want to go out to eat with my family, or what I want to eat.
(PMDD is like PMS on steroids, for anyone who doesn’t know. I’m on an IUD implant since December for symptom management, but I still get some hormonal symptoms.)
Nothing is really appealing to eat right now, either mentally or physically, so I’m trying to make a list of food textures, starting first with food groups.
I’ve gotten a lot better and adventurous with food textures as I’ve gotten older, because I used to be hypersensitive due to autism. Now, the pendulum has swung in the opposite direction, in part due to depression, and any kind of food is just “meh” to me, even if it’s cooked and seasoned perfectly.
So far, I have a few descriptions for animal meat, and that’s it. On the other hand, I’ve found white fish meat to be very “flaky” and much less of a “meaty” texture than animal meat. Albacore tuna has a texture that’s very similar to chunky canned chicken.

• Crumbly: Ground beef
• Chewy: Tough beef
• Stiff: Chicken breast
• Wet: Rare steak
• Dry: Baked turkey

Fruits are tricky, because so many of them are “wet” in some way, which makes organizing them difficult. And the only thing that I could think about for broccoli/cauliflower is “al dente” when cooked or “tender” if overcooked and “crunchy” when raw.
I’m keto, so I currently don’t eat traditional bread products, pasta/rice, or sweets/desserts, apart from special occasions. But I do know that low-carb bread has a denser, chewier texture than regular American-type bread.
I know that I’m definitely having some type of hyposensitivity issues right now, because I could eat a mixed-texture food, like salad, and have a difficult time noticing individual textures.
Now, I know that don’t like grape tomatoes raw, because they “pop” when they’re whole, but cut them into pieces and then they’re fine. Similar thing with avocado because I don’t like it mashed by itself, but it’s fine when mixed with something else.
I’m trying to see what my current level of sensory perception is, and it’s not going well. I don’t know if I’m losing mindfulness/awareness or what, but I’m going to talk with my therapist about it tomorrow. Still waiting on the practice to hire a new psychiatrist.
I also started taking some supplemental zinc (25mg) on 5/16 because I’m wondering if that will improve the lack of interest in food and lack of taste satisfaction. I already take a multivitamin, but I know that sometimes, your body needs more than that. If that doesn’t show any improvement after two weeks, then there’s no harm in stopping it.

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I'd like to find someone who captivates me. Someone who I can talk with effortlessly. I want to meet a person who I can include in my daily tasks, and talk with throughout the day. I just want to find someone I can be open with. Platonic conversation or romance. Whatever you are looking for, don't hesitate to message me. I hope to hear from you.
I love a number of things, and hate very little. I'm fairly open to trying new things, but some of the things I enjoy are as follows. I love the outdoors. I've never been camping, but I would like to try it with someone some day. I also love to fish. I mostly fish salt water. I do occasionally fish freshwater though. I like to check out new spots around me, but I mostly fish on the beach. Do you like to fish? What are some of your favorite places to go?
I also enjoy the shooting sports. I primarily target shoot. I take part in a little bit of everything, including rifle, pistol and shotgun. It would be nice to find someone who is into shooting or would like to learn/become more familiar. If you shoot, what do you like to shoot mostly? What's been your favorite gun to shoot so far?
PC games are also a enjoyable pastime for me. I have a variety of games, most of which are on Steam. I have other games on various other stores/services. I enjoy a wide variety of different kind of games, so I'm sure we can find something to play together if you game. What are some of your all time favorite games? What are you currently grinding on that you can't put down? One hobby I discovered later on in life is Magic the Gathering. I play both online on MtG Arena, and with physical cards. Magic has become something I am particularly fond of. Do you play any kind of card/table top games? What's been your favorite so far? If you play Magic, what are some of your favorite deck themes?
Music has always been a part of my life. My tastes are varied, ranging from country, death and black metal, electronic, classic rock, folk, pop punk, and more. Do you have a favorite band? What has been your favorite concert you've been to?
I'm honestly an ambivert. I enjoy doing things outside, as well as spending time indoors. I can veg out all day under the covers curled up in my bed, or I can take a trip somewhere and experience something new. I think my personality is a mix of the best of both worlds. What would the perfect day consist of for you?
As far as my personality is concerned, I would say I am fairly relaxed and laid back. I feel like I am somewhere in the middle between loud and excitable, and shy and quiet. Around people I don't know, I tend to be fairly quiet and to myself. In the company of someone who I am close with, I am more open and free. Do you open right up to people, or does it take a while to become comfortable with someone new?
All I hope for is a connection. It could be platonic, or it could blossom into romance, and commitment. I'm not putting a limit on what I am looking for.
With the prior being said, I am single. I may be interested in changing that with the right person. The idea of commitment excites me. Monogamy is appealing to me. Do you feel satisfied with your social life? What kind of connection are you looking for?
Thank you for taking the time to read my post. I appreciate it. I hope you can identify with something I wrote. If you do, please reach out.
P.S. Please feel free to check my post history, and check out a few pictures of my cat if you would like.

I'm attending an event this weekend, and well, we are sort of a "big deal" at this event. (medium fish in very small pond). But crushing imposter syndrome setting in. My NMom would always tell me that no one liked me, not really. I was lazy, stupid, etc. No self-esteem. Well now I'm NC, and doing well in my chosen, creative field. But, as "popularity" increases, so too does anxiety, doubt, stress. And the more success, the more often I have to be part of groups, and in these situations... I feel like I can't make any real connections, its all superficial. I don't have any drama, my life is pretty good and stable...but feel like a foreigner. Anyone else feel this way? Like it left a mark that won't go away?

Long story, please bear with me because I want advice. May 19th was my 20th birthday. I wanted to go to Seattle and spend the day up there with my boyfriend (We’ll call him mark) and some friends. Anyway, we only had one set plan for the morning, and then the rest of the day was just exploring and doing whatever looked interesting. Anyways, I sent mark the link to a cafe in Seattle I wanted to go to so we could book reservations. He asked me what time I wanted it to be for and I said 10am, since the only times left were 9am, 10am, and 3pm. I told him 10am worked the best prior to him asking because our friends had to leave around 3pm for work. Anyway, when I replied, he had already made the reservations for 9am. He said “too late, it’s for 9”. Seattle is an hour and a half away from us so I was upset because I didn’t want to wake up that early. But I let it go and told him thanks for making the reservations because I chose to look at it at a positive way. Being there at 9am gave us all more time to be in Seattle.
Anyways, morning comes around, and my friend (We’ll call her Maria) texts me and asks if me and mark would like to meet up with her and her boyfriend zane at 7:45 at a local store. This was a plan made just that morning, but regardless nobody would have to wake up earlier to meet up with anyone. As time goes by I know my boyfriend isn’t awake because he hasn’t texted me, which he usually does. And I was alerted his phone was dead on Life360. I tell Maria we can’t meet them but we’ll see them at the cafe in Seattle. I drive all the way to marks to wake him up. Long story short I had to knock on his window because the back door was locked, which it NEVER is. Anyway i look in the window and his stepbrother wakes up from my knocking. For context marks stepbrother spends some weekends at marks house, they share a room. Mark opens the door and I follow mark to his bedroom door and I just say “Hey I’m sorry I woke you up”. I had no idea his stepbrother was there because his car wasn’t parked outside. He just says “kill yourself” in a super annoyed tone.
I was already kind of emotional that morning, because I took offense that my boyfriend didn’t wake up on my birthday and I had to come wake him up last minute. So the “kys” comment got to me, even though I’m good at taking jokes. Fast forward to the drive there, my boyfriend was buttering me up, which is super rare. He just took my hand in his and wished me a happy birthday and apologized for waking up late and kept telling me he loved me a lot. Anyway, the day kind of went downhill after the cafe. All of us were walking all around Seattle, and 90% of the time my boyfriend was walking ahead of me. Again for some context, my left leg is two inches shorter than my right, so lots of walking hurts my hips and makes me walk slower. My friend Maria noticed and would walk with me but after I would get back with my boyfriend and Maria with hers, I would fall back again. I said “Babe can you walk a little slower? Because my leg?” To which he replied “I’m trying to catch up with Maria and Zane. Also, every time we walk together you always fall behind anyways.” Also, he wouldn’t hold my hand. I saw how Zane held Maria and put his arm around her or his hand on her waist and mark maybe held my hand in 30 second intervals.
Anyway, nearing the end of the story, after we drive home, my friend comes over and drops off the presets she got me. It’s 5pm at this point and I still wanted to go home and spend my birthday with my parents. Birthdays have always made me feel a bit awkward because I’m not a fan of opening gifts while people are watching, I feel guilty for some reason haha, or like I’m spoiled. Anyways, I was looking forward to the gift my boyfriend mark got me the most, because a few days prior he told me he was leaving to buy me stuff. Anyways, I hated to ask mark this, but I was about to go home so I said “Can I have my gift now?”. He said “Seattle was your gift, it was expensive and you’re an expensive person.” He was smiling while saying this, so he was half joking, but I was a little taken aback. I didn’t wanna seem like a spoiled brat so I played off the awkwardness by saying “Oh ok, didn’t you say you went to the store though?” He said “Yeah but they couldn’t do what I wanted that day and I didn’t feel like going back any of the other days.” I said “Oh alright well are you going to get it?” His response was “Probably not.” I played it off really well, I wasn’t showing that I was upset in anyway really, I just got a quieter, because I really didn’t want to seem like a spoiled brat.
Also, on Saturday, the day before my birthday, my boyfriend mark went fishing with his friend and spent over 100 dollars on equipment and a fishing license. Saturday night was a bbq at his friends house and I attended. While all of us (friends and such) were sitting in the living room I told mark that we had two options for dinner, he interrupted me mid sentence and said in front of everyone “I’m not sure how much you’re expecting me to spend but it’s not much.” Again, I played it off, and said “alright well that’s okay I was just letting you know.” My boyfriend is an electrician and makes (I think) either 23 or 24 an hour. I feel like he shouldn’t have said that in front of everyone. It was indecent. Also, I heard from my friend (the one who dropped off the gifts) that when all of the boys were outside my boyfriend was complaining about how much he’s gonna have to spend on me, to which her boyfriend responded “dude it’s her fucking birthday shut the hell up.” Also, I’m sure other Washingtonians know that pikes place has a huge variety of flowers. It was my first time there, and I got excited and said “ooh I want flowers!” My boyfriend sighed and his friend Zane said “dude it’s her birthday you got that”. He in fact did not have that. I didn’t get flowers hahaha
Anyways, I was quiet a few minutes before I left. I asked if he wanted to come over for cake with my family. To which he responded “I mean I could.” I just left. 2 minutes away from my house, he called me and said he’d be over in an hour with gifts. Now this part makes me feel the absolute worst, because I don’t wanna sound ungrateful at all, but I saw on Life360 that he went to goodwill, I think a rite aid and a dollar tree for my gifts. This made me sad because I didn’t want a sympathy gift, especially one that wasn’t thought out at all. But when I got it I smiled and kept saying appreciative things. Like for example, he got me a book that says “100 things to do in Tacoma.” I told him “this helps a lot actually because I never know what to do thank you babe!” . I am grateful , I’m grateful that he still made an effort after I was sad, and I really do like the gifts he got me, because they weren’t bad. Just not thought out at all. Anyway he ate a slice of cake and left after that. I was talking to my friends about how sad I was about the day, especially because I cried on my birthday. Am I the asshole for talking to my friends about how upset I was about the gifts and the day in general?

Uni finishes tomorrow! I'm so happy, I can finally focus on stuff that actually matters to me!
I wanna decorate my room more because even though it's deocrated now, I wanna cover the blank parts of my walls with stuff that reflects me as a person! I love expressing myself through fashion and my bedroom so this'll be a fun activity for me.
I am going to be doing 10k steps everyday, and also sort out my sleep schedule so I become the morning person I was for a short period of time. I think health-related goals are really important at my age. I wanna start eating better too, I'm gonna learn how to cook meat because meat = lots of nutrients and I really need that haha. I wanna start eating better overall so I can have a flat stomach and because it's good to be healthy, obviously.
I'll also be able to work more shifts at my job so I'll have more money to buy things and also go out. I won't go completely crazy with my money though, because I need to pay off my braces and also pay for my driving lessons. I aim to get my driving licence this summer, I'm so excited! I'll be saving for a car, too, though I'm not sure when I'll actually buy it since I'll still be in uni next year so I might wait until I've graduated? Idk.
I wanna perfect my makeup. I wear minimal makeup but I lack in technique so that's something I want to work on. I want to start looking more put together. But that doesn't mean i'll abandon my alt fashion, I just think it's important to have a bit of both (normalcy and alternativeness).
Since I wanna invest in my appearance I'm gonna be saving up money for designer clothes like Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger. I love the old/new money aesthetic lol.
I've got a couple of books on my bookshelf I've not read, classics like Great Expectations and Frankenstein which I want to read this summer. I've got Shakespeare plays too which I wanna analyse.
I might try out screenwriting and just writing in general.
Those are my plans for the summer! What are yours?

A few times a week, I swing by some local waters on the way home or during errands for 5 to 10 minutes. I keep a Ozark tail $20 telescopic rod combo in the trunk for this reason. It's been awsome and I've caught plenty of largemouth, smallmouth, perch, and rock bass with it. Nothing too big. I don't target larger fish with this combo - but there's plenty of massive smallmouth, largemouth, pike, and pickerel where I fish. I have no complaints about that rod.
Today, I took my 3 year old daughter fishing for the first time and she caught her first few fish. She was starting to loose interest and started tossing rocks around and picked up a big one and threw it right on top of that telescopic rod as it laid on the ground. It snapped in half. This doesn't make me questions zany the build quality of the rod. Many rods would have broken with that blow, and all telescopic rods would have definitely snapped.
So now I need a new one. I have no issues with running to Walmart to buy another one, but I'm sure there's something better out there and I'd grab that. Amazon is loaded with telescopic rods, most probably junk with good reviews. Anyone have any recommendations? I'd appreciate it.
I understand that 2 piece rods would be better. I have plenty of 2 piece rods that serve a purpose, but for these short trips - telescopic rods are the most space efficient, convenient, and set up quick for the little time I have. The rod doesn't need to be a combo - I have plenty of extra reels so if consider that a free spare. I would likely not use whatever reel the combo comes with.

I know it's cheap, but the action on it looks like a blast, I've been fishing for crappie, bluegill, perch, etc. what is the perfect reel for this? ive heard people say the pflueger president, or the Abu garcia bmax, but I just don't know. I'm probably willing to put about 50-75$ reel on it.

I see a lot of people having disdain with sailing. I'm assuming they are envisioning very little interaction with anything and that the skill is passing simply due to rewards spaces offered by it like the new islands. I don't see it like that, so I figured I'd share what I'm envisioning down the line.

1. Ship building
   1. Obviously this would be similar to construction in a way and offer pretty low exp rates for sailing and contruction. You could do the build, remove, build, remove you do with contruction currently. This would hopefully not be a primary method of leveling sailing or construction without being insanely expensive like doing it with bagged plants.
2. Ship maintenance
   1. While performing any activity at sea, you actively have to maintain the health of your ship which gives you exp drops when done. I imagine this being a passive exp gain while doing at sea activities.
3. Bounties
   1. There are multiple groups of pirates at sea and you go and get a bounty. You then have to seek out the correct group of pirates. Fight them and collect any riches that might be on their ship and a gp reward for you bounty. This would obviously offer combat and sailing exp.
4. Deliveries
   1. I imagine you're given a good and a location to bring it to and the locations can be quite tricky to traverse simply due to the terrain or weather or maybe you are sneaking them in like a drug mule.
5. Races
   1. Pretty self explanatory. Similar to agility laps, but may offer small rewards apart from exp upon race completion. Something like tokens to buy ship parts or design. Similar to marks of grace. Could make each race slightly different with varying weather conditions or rock layouts to keep it engaging.
6. At sea npcs
   1. Sirens - A monster with a slayer assignment that can only be assigned when sailing and slayer level reach a certain amount. Requires ear muffs or slayer helm. Offers whatever reward jagex feels the need for
   2. Muldjewangk - More at sea monsters that could just be roaming around
   3. Mermaids - could be interactable at sea npcs that you can chat with.
   4. Pirates - duh
   5. Nguruvilu - b/c they look just so darn cool.
   6. Ahuizotl - possibly another slayer monster
   7. Fish cows - Gotta have cows everywhere. These ones drop sinew directly, so you don't have to make it at a range with meat. We could basically put anything we want at sea
7. At sea resources
   1. Trees at sea
      1. Trees akin to redwoods that grow in the ocean. You could maybe harvest fruits from them granting farming exp.
      2. Floating trees. These are trees that passively float around the ocean. Their top half looks like a tree and bottom half, the roots end up being like tendrils of a jelly fish. You can chop these trees down
   2. Scraping the sea floors for mining resources and maybe seaweed and other resources
   3. Deep sea fishing - I envision these as more engaging active fishing methods. Not just click and let fish.
      1. Fishing with a rod where you have to actually actively fish and attempt to reel it in. Changing ship direction to make sure the tension doesn't get too high. Using baits to lure it certain ways.
      2. Net fishing and similar to tempoross where some spots will glow or be different meaning you can go to them for like 50% bonus fish on pull. You have to time the pull of the net when maximum amount of fish are in or something.
8. Monster Hunting
   1. You track down the monster with hunter skill through ship wrecks, rocks, strange currents, etc to fight a monster. Stuff like the Charybdis, king kraken, etc. These would be similar to bounties but tracking down a specific sea creature. Reward could be hunter, slayer, sailing exp with whatever drops the creatures may offer.
9. Salvaging
   1. Come across ship wrecks that you can loot. Offering riches, thieving exp, and sailing exp. Could be timed so that the ship will fully sink and you lose half the loot if you don't get out in time.

Pool of serenity

1. This is a special water source that is surrounded by mist and moves about like sulliusceps, but you have to navigate a circular maze to reach the center. You can fill up vials with this special water which offers small potion effects, like maybe an extra level to combat potions with a slight boost in herb exp if used. The maze is constantly changing and moving both interally and externally meaning navigating the maze is always different and that it's always moving geographical locations in the sea. You can tell it's near by the mist cloud. Possibly moving whenever it wants and just boots you out if it when it moves.

Charting out the seas

1. You essentially map out the sea as you discover it. You can turn in maps for a bonus of exp. While you have a map in your position, clicking the world map will display the islands, but when you turn it in, you can no longer see them. You also get a discovery bonus for the first time discovering a new area.

Treasure maps

1. Basically at sea clue scrolls.

Resources from the above activites would ideally intertwine with resources in the main gam like the fruit from a tree at sea being used to pay for protection of certain crops or maybe wood from the floating trees being used to upgrade a magic shortbow or being combine with redwood to make a new bow or crossbow. None of the above I mentioned are only tied to the reward space of islands. They could all actively be done at sea while either offering boosts of sailing exp or getting it passively while maintaining the ship while doing the activity.
You could make the activites more or less afk with sturdier and slower ship that you'd have to maintain the ship less, but miss out on the exp boosts. You could also hire crew members to help maintain the ship. This would hurt the profit margins of the at sea activity while allowing for higher exp rates while keeping the afk level lower still. For example, take a ship that is very fragile to do an activity, but hire the most expensive crew. They repair 90% of damage that the ship takes and the ship gets damaged more frequently. Every time they fix something they charge extra, along with a flat rate per tick. You'd be getting much faster exp rates while being mostly afk, but would be paying for it.

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