A quick caveat: I’am not looking for a specific app, but the process itself. You can talk about the app(s) you use as part of process but just saying “I use TickTick” isn’t going to help me. 😊
I can do a brain dump.
But I find that after I do so, I’m so overwhelmed by the list that I can’t do anything with it. Trying to do the next step of sorting the brain dump seems monumental and difficult and like it will only end in frustration bc I’ll do it wrong.
What categories should I use? Do I use tags? Do I make more lists?
Isn’t this all just going to end with me frustrated and confused and exhausted like every other time I try to make an honest effort to “be organized”?
A corollary to this is that while I know I can just keep scribbling on paper or making a giant note in some app and then forgetting about the paper or the note, I don’t have any way to know what I’ve done.
I personally like to know what I’ve been doing. And even though I’m currently unemployed, jobs generally want to know what you’ve been doing. I used to just make it up at my last job. 😅
So, how do I get from Giant Unsorted List to Sorted List with Log of When Things Were Done.
Also also: if I make a schedule or priorities list, I often find I suddenly have a deep desire to do absolutely nothing on it bc of PDA, I think. Even if it’s stuff I want to do. Suddenly the list is this authoritarian entity trying to impose its will on me. 🙃🙃🙃
And task intiation for complex tasks is also really difficult unless I’m in the right mood and stars have aligned and all that.
I’ve tried the whole “energy level” thing but I’m so inconsistent that it’s pointless bc one day Task A might need 100% energy but another day Task A only needs 10% energy.

I haven't found many papers on the topic, how should one go about it? The main selling point is to make a food cooler that works in humid climates without using electricity.
Things I'm considering:
How would I handle the desiccants getting saturated?
What would be the best form factor?
etc.

So I have been thinking, and there is a concept that is just not really explored, the deeper consequences of the existance of an object (potentially obtainable on paper) that has tremendous power (power that is, at the very least, crudely but instantly usable for most if not all of the potential owers of such an object)
Yeah I know, it is not the thing most related to dragons... but you can see the ties if pay enough attention.
In fiction, such an object is often desired by the villain(s) and the heroes(who want to stop the villains from reaching it), but if you think about it, almost everyone would want to obtain such a thing (to be safe, to be the best, for honour and glory, to protect what they love, to have almost ultimate freedom), even if they do not the means.
So because of such an artefact's existence, we have a sort of challenge/opportunity that the world has to offer:
Go all in and risk everything, use all that you have and more to obtain ultimate power and realize your dreams/end all of your nightmares
Now, of course, that is an extreme, but the more informations you have on the all-powerful artefacts that makes it more concrete in your mind or closer to obtain (the location of such a thing), and the more this opportunity arise.
So I am asking, why is there not far more people trying to get closer to the artefact, why is there not a mass of people near the old temple, why is there no one that makes a suicide attempt on the heroes or villains to steal the object of power? If you have almost nothing to lose and everything to gain, the choice makes sense.
Now for a more philosophical/self reflecting approach...
Power exist in various form, but not all are equal.
You can have a lot of money or even political power, but these are far from being the closest form of power to you.
So in the "dull" real life (where technology brings a lot of comfort but is not great enough for... you will see), you could have so much money or have control/lead an entire country that saying you have the power of a god (a god being a very, very, very high amount of power) is not false.
But that is the fundamental thing, you have the power of god, but you are not necessarily a god.
But what if you could be closer to that?
A tool is useful craft, something that can change how you think and one that you can learn how to use it, similar to how you train your body. A tool is form of power very close to you, so close it could be called an extension of your being. So where does all of that reasoning lead?
The powerful artefact is an all powerful tool, meaning instead of having the power of god but greatly separated from your being, you have godlike power at in your very hands, and that will affect you more than anything in your life.
The only way to go even higher would be for you to literally become a god.
So thank you for reading this, and if you want to say something (like why is there no dragons?), you can write your words below.

Traveling is often about discovering new landscapes, cuisines, and cultures. But what if your journey also included exploring ancient wisdom and healing traditions? In the heart of Himachal Pradesh, homestays offer more than just a place to stay; they provide a gateway to the rich heritage of local medicinal plants and traditional healing practices. Whether you're at the best homestay in Shimla or one of the luxury homestays in Himachal you're in for an enlightening experience that connects you with nature's pharmacy and the time-honored wisdom of the locals.

The Best Homestay in Shimla: A Gateway to Nature's Pharmacy

Shimla, known for its serene beauty and colonial charm, is also a treasure trove of medicinal plants. Staying at the best homestay in Shimla, such as Apple Blossom Retreat, offers a unique opportunity to delve into the world of traditional healing. The hosts, who have deep-rooted knowledge of the local flora, often take guests on guided walks through nearby forests and meadows, pointing out various medicinal plants and explaining their uses.
During one such walk, I was introduced to the “Himalayan Yew,” known for its anti-cancer properties, and “Rhododendron,” whose flowers are used to make a soothing tea that helps alleviate headaches and cold symptoms. The hosts shared fascinating stories about how these plants have been used for centuries in local remedies, providing a deeper appreciation of the region's natural resources.

Luxury Homestays in Himachal: Blending Comfort with Traditional Healing

For those seeking a more opulent experience, luxury homestays in Himachal, like the Royal Pine Palace in Manali, offer both comfort and a connection to traditional healing practices. These homestays often have beautifully maintained gardens where medicinal plants are grown. Guests can learn about the cultivation and uses of these plants, and even participate in workshops on making herbal infusions, balms, and other natural remedies.
At Royal Pine Palace, the hosts organize regular sessions with local healers and Ayurveda practitioners who share their knowledge of traditional medicine. One evening, I attended a session on Ayurveda, learning about the principles of this ancient healing system and how it integrates with the local traditions of using medicinal plants. The experience was both relaxing and educational, providing insights into how these practices promote holistic well-being.

Discovering Traditional Healing Practices

Himachal Pradesh is rich in traditional healing practices that are passed down through generations. At the best homestay in Shimla, I had the opportunity to meet a local healer who demonstrated the use of “Nagkesar,” a plant used to treat digestive issues and joint pain. He explained how the plant's bark is made into a paste and applied to the affected areas, a practice that has been effective for centuries.
In the luxury homestays in Himachal, such as Royal Pine Palace, the integration of traditional healing with modern comforts is seamless. The homestay offers spa treatments that incorporate locally sourced medicinal plants. A massage with oils infused with “Kuth” (Saussurea lappa) and “Ashwagandha” not only relaxes the body but also rejuvenates the mind, showcasing the powerful benefits of these ancient remedies.

Immersive Experiences

The beauty of staying at these homestays lies in the immersive experiences they offer. At Apple Blossom Retreat in Shimla, evenings were spent learning to prepare herbal teas and concoctions using plants like “Tulsi” (Holy Basil) and “Giloy” (Tinospora cordifolia). The hosts explained how these plants boost immunity and detoxify the body, emphasizing the importance of using fresh, locally sourced ingredients.
Similarly, at Royal Pine Palace, I joined a cooking class that incorporated medicinal herbs into traditional Himachali cuisine. Dishes like “Siddu,” a steamed bread stuffed with a mixture of poppy seeds and ground nuts, were enhanced with herbs like “Ajwain” (Carom seeds) known for their digestive benefits. These classes highlighted how traditional knowledge is seamlessly woven into everyday life, making the experience both delicious and enlightening.

Conclusion

Staying at the best homestay in Shimla or one of the luxury homestays in Himachal offers a unique opportunity to connect with the region’s rich heritage of medicinal plants and traditional healing practices. These homestays provide more than just a luxurious stay; they open the doors to a world of ancient wisdom and natural remedies. Whether through guided nature walks, hands-on workshops, or immersive cooking classes, guests leave with a deeper appreciation of how traditional knowledge can enhance modern living. Embrace the chance to learn and heal, and let the beauty and wisdom of Himachal Pradesh transform your travel experience.

Charlie was sitting in her room, gazing out the window at the darkening sky. The beautiful colours of twilight had become a dull grey like how she felt within. She hadn’t seen her parents in what seemed days, although the clock on the wall seems to indicate only a few hours ago. They appeared to be forgetting that Charlie was alive and it hurt more than anything else.
As she descended into the kitchen, her steps were marked by creaking wood, which gave way under her feet that were bare. Emma, her mother, stood with her back towards the entrance cooking supper. Charlie paused outside the door hoping for acknowledgement from her mother but received none. In the lounge Mark sat engrossed in his book, unaware of Charlie’s presence.
“Mom? Dad?” called out Charlie with a tremor in her voice.
No answer came forth. Inside anger boiled and frustration welled up inside her as she marched to the dining table and knocked over a glass sending it crashing onto the floor without even getting attention from them.
“What is wrong with you? Why don’t you see me?” She screamed through house walls.
Yet there was no response at all. She was boiling with anger and frustration. She went to the dining table and hit it up against a glass that fell on the ground, breaking into pieces.
Her mother jumped, turning quickly. “Mark, did you hear that?” she called out, concern in her voice. “What was it?” Mark asked, looking up from his book. “I think the glass fell over on its own,” Emma replied, hurrying to the table. She knelt down, carefully picking up the shards. “Strange, there’s no breeze in here.” Charlie stood frozen, watching her mother clean up the mess she had made. Emma’s face was a mix of confusion and sadness, as if she was struggling with something deeper than a broken glass. As her mother swept up the last of the shards, Charlie felt a chill run down her spine. Something was terribly wrong. “What’s your problem? Don’t you see me?” She shouted loudly and her voice reverberated all over the house. However, there was no response from them. Her mother hummed a sad melody as her father proceeded to turn a page in his book without interruption. Charlie felt coldness run down her spine; something was terribly amiss.
On that night she hurried back into her room seeking answers. In desperation, she got out one of her old photograph albums intending to find some solace in happier times. While flipping through pages, she came across an image which made her heart skip beats. It had been a photo of both of them standing by a grave their faces full of grief deepness etched on their faces . Her name was engraved on the tombstone: Charlotte "Charlie" Evans
The truth hit her like a sledgehammer and she felt the rush of cold air. She had died months ago. The accident—it was all coming back to her now. The car crash on that rainy night, the blinding headlights, the screeching tires. She had been so sure she would make it home safely, but she never did.
Her parents weren’t neglecting her; they simply couldn’t see her. She was a ghost, trapped in a world where she no longer belonged. It was frightening and at the same time liberating when she realized what this meant for her life. Her face was soaked with tears as the depth of grief in her parents’ heart and own tragic end unfolded to her.
Charlie, determined to seek reconciliation, decided to pay her respects at the grave. A silence fell over the night as she trod through dark streets into the cemetery. The mists were dense; and there was a gentle wind in the trees. The parents’ flowers were already withered on her headstone that stood under an old oak tree.
Next to the grave, she kneeled down and put a hand on the cold rock. “I am sorry Mommy, Daddy.” She apologized silently. “Now I know better than I did before. I love you so much.”
The first rays of sunrise brought mild heat around Charlie’s body. At that moment, she looked up and saw them standing by cemetery entrance holding hands with their faces white but unyielding. They were here for her, they came back to cry again.
Emma wiped away tears from her eyes as she placed some new flowers on the grave which sparkled in the morning sunshine.“We miss you darling,”she murmured.“Every single day we miss you.”
Charlie felt comforted – he felt at ease with the world. They stared at each other as she backed away from the TV and watched them silently celebrate their memory. She knew that their love for her and conscience would continue to be as strong as the heart’s beating.
‘This is the finest way to end it’ thought Charlie as she gazed at her parents one final time before drifting away for good. She learned that she was never there alone – she wasn’t. And as she closed her journey towards the light, she again said ‘goodbye’, because she knew that she was a part of all of them, and that all of them are a part of her.

“We’re a meat family,” my dad would proudly tell strangers. He’d wait for the quizzical look, then launch into detail, starting with how many freezers we had, how long we could sustain ourselves on the contents. It was just his way of starting a conversation, which made sense when you considered that raising and home-killing animals for food was, for want of a better term, his life-long hobby. His prize possession was one of those industrial-sized vacuum sealers: you could put half a pig inside and wrap it in plastic so tightly that every wrinkle and skin fold waxed unreal with shiny detail.
If we hadn’t lived in a rural area, albeit semi-urbanised, I guess it would have been pretty weird. But the mostly farming-stock locals only found his extra enthusiasm a little bit odd.
When he wasn’t being a bit embarrassing talking about it, I never really paid much heed to his hobby. I had a child’s vaguely grateful awareness that though our family went through some lean financial times, our stomachs never suffered like some of the families around us. All the beef, pork, ham and bacon in those big old chest freezers passed down from his dad really could have fed us for years.
I should preface all this by saying that I wasn’t a particularly bright kid, though neither was I dumb. I didn’t fail badly at anything in school, I just never achieved beyond a pass. I didn’t know it yet back then, still quietly dreaming about being a ballet star or a dressage champion, but mediocrity was my destiny. And I think that’s why I got on so well with my Aunt Liz.
Liz was my dad’s live-in youngest sister. She was one of those women who get described as ‘bubbly’ — not really pretty, not really smart, not a lot going on besides just being… well, all Liz. But she was salt of the earth; kind, caring, and great with kids. She was the only person who would willingly mind my two older brothers, who fought like hellcats and caused more trouble than the whole last generation of my family combined. People would privately lament to my parents that it was a shame Liz didn’t have kids of her own, but dad would just shake his head and say Liz liked it that way – that all the fun of looking after kids is being able to give them back to their parents.
I guess she was like me; nice, but mediocre. Lovely, but somehow forgettable when she wasn’t doing something for you.
But when Liz left us, I couldn’t forget her.
In hindsight, it was pretty weird timing that we had a big fortieth birthday party for Liz right before she disappeared. She was radiant that night; she’d hired a local girl to do her hair and makeup, and it was honestly the first time I’d ever seen her look pretty. She’d even worn a push-up bra under a tight red dress, which flattered her very plump curves well enough that the neighbour’s farmhand was spotted disappearing into the woolshed with her for a snog. In my dawning awareness, that gave a plain girl hope: if Aunty Liz could get a guy at forty, maybe things would turn out okay for me.
Anyway, I couldn’t forget how her pink cheeks, her eyes, her whole self, glowed that night before Liz went to bed. She said it was the best birthday ever, and that she was very much looking forward to the next stage of her life.
Would I have done anything different, if I had known? If I had realised what, exactly, that next stage was?
The week after the party, Aunt Liz said she was going on a little holiday up north, to visit some old school friends. She packed her things – she didn’t honestly have that many – and drove her little orange mini out onto the main road. And with a wave of one fleshy hand, she was gone. Nobody really thought much of it when she didn’t call, because nobody rural had cellphones back then. And Liz was, as I said, somehow kinda forgettable when she wasn’t right in front of you.
When we hadn’t had contact for six weeks, Dad tracked down the land line numbers for their old school buddies. They were surprised to hear from him — Liz had never arrived, so they had just assumed she’d cancelled her visit. No-one had thought to check. I eavesdropped on the conversation, and it sounded for all the world like *they* had forgotten about Aunt Liz, too.
From there it became a missing person case. The local cops came and talked to all of us; the farmhand who’d been seen snogging her was briefly detained, then let go, dad got grilled at length, even my hellion brothers were questioned thoroughly to see if this was one of their wild and dangerous pranks gone wrong.
But everything was a dead end. Nobody knew where Liz was, or what had happened to her.
The remains of her old mini were found halfway across the country, burned out on a beach, on a derelict stretch of ragged, rocky coastline. The police assumed murder and combed the area for remains. But even the most expert divers couldn’t conquer the incredible undertow and fast-shifting seabed of that coastline to look for evidence, so none was forthcoming.
Eventually the cops collectively shrugged and said that there was really nothing more they could do unless more information suddenly came to light. The locals knew nothing, no witnesses had come forward, and the trail was cold. As far as anyone knew, poor aunt Liz had been murdered on some desolate beach, far away from her home.
It didn’t feel fair to me. She’d once mentioned wanting her remains buried on our farm, in the graveyard plot beside grandma and grandad.
So, in my grief, I went into her room to look for something of hers to bury beside them.
Like I said, Liz didn’t have many things. Her room was pretty spartan, and her wardrobe was mostly sensible farm stuff. There was one exception: she, like me, did like to read, and she had a pretty good collection of well-thumbed books. I think it’s the escapism – even the most mediocre girl can lose herself in the plot of some trashy romance novel, imagine there’s still hope of being swept off her feet by that handsome stableboy, his inexplicable yearning for chubby plain girls.
So I set myself the task of going through the books, to find the right one to bury in the graveyard plot.
Most of them were exactly what you’d expect, but some of them were racier than I was used to. I felt various parts of my body flushing and tingling, as I read breathless prose about calloused hands touching the softest flesh of the protagonist. Okay, if I’m honest with myself, I might have got a little *too* invested in my project at that point. But that was also why I persisted going through her entire collection, until I found the ragged paperback from 1970, entitled Tawny Sands. And inside that trashy cardboard romance cover, I discovered not the tale of Tawny Sands, but some carefully hand-cut, stitched-in pages. A handwritten story in my Aunt’s rounded penmanship: Memoirs of a Long Pig.
I read her story twice in a row, utterly gripped.
Aunt Liz was no Stephen King – heck, she wasn’t even the Goosebumps guy – but her story was gripping and compelling, and I couldn’t put it down. Even if I hadn’t known her, I think that would have been true.
The gist of it was that Liz, when she was sixteen, had discovered that our family had a very long history of eating what she described as ‘Long Pork’. It’s an antipodean term, anglicised from the Pacific Islands: human meat.
Like me, young Liz still had some hopes and dreams. In one of her many failed attempts to find a special talent, she’d taken up cooking as a hobby. Naturally, with our family’s overabundance of meat, she’d scoured the freezers in the shed for ingredients: the racks of ribs and stacks of pork chops, butcher-paper wrappings all neatly labelled with the first letter of the name of the animal they came from.
She found familiar meat from Rodney, one of the pigs that had been recently slaughtered, emblazoned with an ‘R’ in her father’s strong, blocky lettering. There were cutlets labelled ‘M’ for Mary, from one of the lambs she’d hand-reared, and ‘F’ for Ferdinand, the steer they’d killed the month before. But she couldn’t explain the many, many curious parcels of meat on one side of the huge freezer, all labelled ‘J’ – at least, not until she took it all out and assembled it as well as she could on the scoured concrete floor of the killing shed. A big, frozen jigsaw puzzle without the box, her best attempt to discover what kind of beast the pieces had come from.
The animal, she quickly realised, was a Long Pig. Her own Aunt Jenny, who had died the month before – just after her fortieth birthday.
Fortunately, or perhaps not, for Liz, her father entered the shed right at that moment and realised his daughter had discovered the family secret. He sat down calmly on the lid of the freezer, and explained to her that this was a long-running family tradition, dating back to at least before his grandfather had been born.
“There are always people in life, Liz,” he’d said, “who won’t really amount to much. They want to be useful, want to be more. They strive and they strive, trying job after job, hobby after hobby, trying to hit on something they’re really good at. Something that makes them special. Those people can waste their whole lives, chasing dreams that never come true. Eventually they die unfulfilled, knowing that all their time has been wasted. That what they leave behind will fade quickly.”
His voice was oddly gentle as he leaned down and patted one of the neatly wrapped cuts of Aunt Jenny, still sitting frozen on the shed floor.
“Your Aunt Jenny was one of those people. So was my Aunt Irene.” He paused to gaze at his daughter, his next words peppered with emphasis. “But you see, my sweet Liz, they did find a purpose in life. They did find a way to be special, and they left this world utterly certain of their gift.” He stood up, stretched his back. “Let me show you.”
Liz waited while my grandad meticulously stacked the meat back into the freezer, all but one J-marked parcel that looked for all the world like a thick venison steak. He took her back to the farmhouse, and reverently unwrapped the deep red, heavily marbled meat to let it thaw. Then he laid it in the family’s ancient, cast-iron pan, basting it with butter and rosemary until a heavenly scent filled the kitchen, and Aunt Liz couldn’t stop her mouth from watering.
“Just try it. Let her show you. You’ll see exactly what I’m talking about.”
Even though she knew it was her aunt, Liz couldn’t stop herself from taking that first bite. There was something transcendent about the smell, overriding her natural revulsion that this was human meat, not one of their farm animals. For the first time, she truly realised it: we’re just another kind of animal. And weren’t her memories of Mary the lamb almost as fond as her memories of Aunt Jenny?
Liz explained then, in her curly handwriting, the explosion of taste that had assaulted her when she tried the steak. It was tender, it was succulent, it was rich beyond imagining. The fats melted on her tongue, lingering somewhere between pork and beef, but oddly neither. The flavour of the meat defied identification; something familiar, yet not.
But one thing she couldn’t deny; it was the most delicious thing she had ever eaten. Tears dripped onto her plate, mingled with the juice, the grease — not grief, but a pure, real, giddy delight.
“You’re tasting your aunt’s love for this family,” my grandad explained. “Her entire life was carefully curated, to eventually make unforgettable moments for us, just like this. This was her way of being special. This was the greatest gift she could possibly bring to our world – and because she realised that, she died with not a single regret. She knew her life had purpose. She was perfectly, completely fulfilled.”
I felt those words. I felt them lodge in my own belly, settling uncomfortably deep. I knew Aunt Liz, probably better than anyone else in the family. I’d seen how fucking happy she’d been on her fortieth, how goddamn fulfilled she was, despite apparently being a *nobody* and achieving *nothing*. Somehow, in the space of a single day, she had gone from being a forgettable background character to becoming the *main character*, immortalising herself in our family’s history with her sacrifice. Quite literally becoming part of all of us, forever.
I went to the killing shed after I finished with the book. I looked inside the freezers.
But there were no vacuum-sealed packages labelled ‘L’, no matter how deep I dug into the frozen stacks of plastic-wrapped flesh. Panicked now, not sure if I wanted to connect all the dots or unconnect them, I tried to think back over the last few months, recall any meals that had been unusually good. A few Sundays ago, we’d had a stew that really hit the spot and left me craving more. And I realised that the family had a really good night that night; my brothers behaved themselves, my parents didn’t fight, and grandma and grandad had been there. Hadn’t they looked far more… expectant than they should have?
I strained my brain, trying to recall if I’d seen the homekill bag on the kitchen bench – if I’d registered what letter it was. I knew it wasn’t an L. I would have remembered if it was an L.
And then it hit me, the memory, the connection, sizzling as if branded with a hot iron.
It had been an ‘E’.
E for Elizabeth. Not for Edward the pig.
I snorted at my own stupidity – of *course* Liz was short for Elizabeth – and as I comprehended my lack of smarts, I felt something give inside me.
I wasn’t clever, and nothing, nothing would ever make me smart. I had no big talents. I wasn’t beautiful, or even cute – and even if I had a million plastic surgeries, it still wouldn’t fulfill me. It wouldn’t be real.
I was a Liz.
I was a Jenny.
I was whoever the first aunt had been, the aunt who had dedicated her life to making her flesh as delicious as possible, who had worked every damn minute to be the best Long Pig she could ever be.
I wondered how many magical family evenings had been spent eating Aunt Jenny. How many glorious, satisfying, memorable dishes had been made out of her.
And… I wanted that. I wanted to finally know I had a *purpose* in life. One so simple, and so easy to achieve.
I wanted what Aunt Liz had.
***
It's my fortieth birthday today and I’m so fucking excited. For the last twenty-four years, I’ve dedicated myself to this moment; I’ve eaten exactly what I needed to, I’ve exercised just enough, but not too much, to maintain that perfect balance of marbling vs tenderness. I’ve relaxed and meditated to keep all those amazing flavours inside of me. I’ve researched all the greatest meats in the world, from prime Angus beef to A5 Wagyu. I really think I may have outdone myself.
I’m having my hair and makeup done at the local salon this afternoon, and I’m going to look so pretty; all prize piggy on show at the fair. I’m even going to have a big red ribbon in my hair, in memory of Aunt Liz.
Maybe there’ll be a cute boy I can snog in the wool shed, maybe there won’t – I don’t really care; because the most important, most certain thing is that I’m going to be the most delicious Long Pig in the history of our entire family.
I’m going to make everyone so damn happy, and I’m just so glad I can share my story with you all, instead of hiding it in a grubby book like poor Aunt Liz.
My only real disappointment? That you won’t get to taste me.
Reader, I have loved, loved my life. My Long Pork will be out of this world: once tasted, never, ever forgotten.

Okay, so I'm not sure if this is a common experience, but I was constantly accused of stealing stuff as a kid (without justification).
My brothers got locks on their doors because it was apparently so bad and I was super untrustworthy. This peaked around 15, when my little brother lost his iPod and accused me of stealing it (I had not). There was no evidence I had done this. My parents made me pay him the cost of it. When he found it at the bottom of his cupboard six months later they refused to apologize to me and acted like I was making a scene for being upset about it.
Years later, I was out of home and visiting and they mentioned they don't use this one kitchen appliance anymore. I'd been about to buy one so asked if I could have it. Dad said yes. Mum said yes (twice, I double checked, not my first rodeo). I checked again right before I left that it was okay, yes again from both, left.
Well, guess who got a blistering call from their mother about taking it a week later? Not only was she deeply concerned I knew where it was in the cupboard in order to remove it (the same spot for the last 18 years I lived there) but if I was going through the cupboards how could she know I wasn't going through her filing cabinet? What else did I look through?? Etc.
I wasn't allowed to touch their wallets, go into the study, all sorts because of my nefarious motives. Y'all I have NEVER stolen anything bar a plant cutting over a fence on my life.
Oh yes - except for one thing. My mom didn't give me sanitary products or hygiene products that I needed (menstruation products, leg hair removal stuff, tweezers, nail clippers) and didn't let me use hers, so I had to steal hers or be bullied for my hair and stuff toilet paper into my undies.
So - a common experience? An anomaly?

Part 1: https://www.reddit.com/OffMyChestPH/s/JPmEf0aCn6
So since people were asking for an update. Here we go.
We did not end up having a following date. She got tired from paragliding the next day(yesterday) I even went and nag relax sa beach malapit sa resort n'ya para if ever na mag reply s'ya na gusto n'yang lumabas eh malapit na'ko hahah. So when I asked her to hangout today she declined dahil she's done going outside. And she's leaving tomorrow morning na ren. She's introverted autistic so understandable. I respect it. But I tried asking for one more night kahit na sa hotel lang at mag usap just like the first night. I was gonna get flowers otw pa naman and give her my bracelet that I'm wearing during the time na I was with her and one of our photo booth picture na may hand written letter ko sa likod. But oh well 🤷‍♂️. Am I upset? A lil bit but I came in terms with it. She was probably overwhelmed den dahil sa bagong experience at talagang I did my best talaga.
Now, were just chatting online na lang pero not like fast replying talking stage type shit.
Honestly, I wasn't expecting anything naman talaga after she leaves dahil considering every circumstances I know na di kame mag wowork as an ldr. Pero I love to think na what made it special between us was the underlying bittersweet part nga na we know there's an ending and have an idea about it. Just like a movie, may umpisa at may katapusan. Yes, it was like a movie(pinanood ko yung Before Sunset na sinabe nung unang comment sa first part ng post ko) so yeah for the most part it was really like that.
So now, from what I'm seeing between us we would just keep in touch through discord pero that's about it. I didn't ask her to get connected sa socmed na ren. Because it would make me keep my memory of her from those nights. This beautiful, interesting, mysterious, and weirdly fun woman I met.
I even told her to my friends. I told them the story and what happened. I told them what I'm telling you guys rn.
I honestly just wish she had an amazing time with me. Like something she'll remember for good amount of time. I really hope the best for her. I hope I've set the standard for her and she won't settle for less than me if she ever starts dating.
As for me? She changed me. Remember how I said I'm not the ideal guy sa first post ko? Yeah. I would frequently hookup. Had fwb/fubus. Would to multiple girls at the same time. I was like that.
But after meeting her and finally experiencing something like that and romanticizing everything about us, I liked it.
I long for something like that again but not right now. In the future sure.
So I deleted all my dating apps. Kinausap ko mga current girls na kinakausap ko and told them what happened which is unusual for me dahil almost everytime when I'm done talking with a girl I would just ghost them because it's easier for me. Stuffs like that, talagang binago n'ya ako. One of my friends is even proud of me. Kaya I even gave them the condoms that I'm supposed to use pa. Some of them aren't fond den sa lifestyle ko e hahah
But yeah, I'm done chasing girls and being sexually motivated. I would rather instead romanticize my own life. Make my own adventure and connect with people I meet along the way.
I even had my friend help me to make a bucket list for me. After namen mag usap kanina I submitted my leave request. I'm planning on going to a vacation on a different place na ren. Who knows? I might find someone who I'll go out with on wherever I go. I'm not gonna actively chase it but that does sounds fun naman haha parang sa perspective n'ya.
It might be not the kind of ending that you guys were hoping(me too) but it's an ending. So yeah, I hope she'll have a good life. I told myself na babatiin ko s'ya ng happy birthday ever.
And thank you everyone sa mga comments. I didn't expect to have people actually get invested on it and ask for updates.

I'm a researcher in the UK launching a small-scale study which asks participants to complete diaries for 3 months about a couple of key aspects of their lives. The aim is to understand how these two aspects change over time and how much time they take up. I'm trying to work out what software/whatever to use to get them to collect this. I'll definitely give them the option of doing it on paper (and sending me photos of them weekly in case they lose them) but I want to offer a digital option too. I can't pay for high end software, and I also don't need them to track everything - just these two aspects - so I don't think I need the functionality of things like CaDDI.
I've been wondering about using Google Docs and making an Excel in there for each person, but a lot of academia views Google Docs as insecure...Does anyone have any suggestions for what might be a good alternative? I'd really value any suggestions.

The 75-micron PET thermal lamination film is unique in the field of thermal lamination films because of its strength and adaptability. This kind of film improves the look and appeal of many objects while providing outstanding protection. We will examine the various uses for 75-micron thermal lamination film in this blog and discover why it is a popular option.
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In summaryThe 75-micron PET thermal lamination film is a dependable and adaptable way to enhance and protect a variety of objects. Its uses are numerous and advantageous, ranging from personalized items to crucial paperwork and educational materials. Selecting this kind of lamination film guarantees that your products are both aesthetically pleasing and protected.Explore the possibilities of 75-micron thermal lamination film and learn how it could improve the value of your regular objects. For both personal and professional applications, this lamination film provides the necessary durability and clarity.

A little rant. I am 27F. Does anyone really talk about how frustrating it is to be a jobseeker in Africa? I graduated in 2019 with an Accounting bachelor’s degree. I couldn’t find any decent-paying job, so I ended up working as a commercial property caretaker making around $260 per month. Sounds like nothing and yes it wasn’t much but I was able to find a single room and rent and also buy basic foodstuff. Buying an extra banana meant I was squeezing my budget. I tried content creation, doing online writing gigs to supplement my income and luckily, I got by.
Forward to November 2021, I moved in with my then-bf, thankfully, he has been nothing but supportive, and I didn’t have to pay rent so I could save a little bit from my earnings.
I went back to school to finish up my professional papers (CPA in my country has different exams from your accounting degree.) Supposedly, the professional papers should give you an edge but that wasn’t my case.
Fast forward to October 2022, I changed course. I had been running a WordPress site for like six years at this point, just writing random University experiences so I knew anything SEO, writing, etc.
My bf suggested I try programming and see whether it’s my thing. This was after endless months of job applications. Guys, I applied to even volunteer just to get my foot through the door in a lot of accounting firms but I got nothing.
I was beginning to fall into depression, so getting something new to give me a purpose didn’t sound like a bad idea. I went through a tonne of YouTube videos and finally started Harvard’s CS50x. I finished that in June 2023 and since then, I have built projects in Python, JS, and Django.
I created a portfolio and I have been applying to jobs all over again. I just need to mention that I have been dreading the application because I know how well it went last time. The most frustrating thing is that even remote jobs on LinkedIn require you to be in the USA, Europe, or the country that posted it. My country, where I am legally allowed to work, barely has any job postings. The ones that are there are from months ago and the applications are usually over 200.
I feel so lost and frustrated at this point. I do not even know why I am writing this, but I have seen so many people who live in the US trash the USA. I get it, you never appreciate what you have until you don’t. As a young African, I will tell you, if you even have an opportunity to apply, you are lucky whether you get the job or not. Some of us are automatically disqualified by virtue of where we were born.

He was hands down the most thoughtful, attentive, chivalrous, and generous partner I've ever had. Planned dates weeks ahead of time, kept notes about all my likes/dislikes for food, flowers, etc., always opened my door and carried my bags, and was almost frustratingly uncomfortable with me spending money on him. I think the most I was able to spend was $40 on his Christmas gift. Otherwise an easy dinner once in a while, and handmade gifts from me for other important days. Flowers, dinner, and thoughtful (purchased) gifts were common from him.
He was also incredibly sensitive and—well, once I would have said sincere. I think of times that he cried just from missing me when I had to head home after a weekend together, or from telling me he loves me. Or him calming me down when I was stressed with finals (I'm getting my master's and work full time). I admit it took me a while to let my guard down, but I felt truly loved and supported in a way no other man has ever made me feel.
Except when he was angry. I saw his anger early on, directed to things like traffic or coworkers (though he was never confrontational there), and made a mental note that it could eventually be directed at me. By the end we were having huge fights roughly once a week, about major things like money or how I didn't feel heard, or how he didn't feel appreciated. He would mock me and often threw in my face the discrepancy in our spending on each other, despite making almost double my salary, not letting me spend on him for special occasions, and knowing from the jump that I support my mom. He spoke to me with contempt in anger, but when the anger passed he would go right back to being the thoughtful, sweet man I loved.
And I don't get it. I can't make sense of it. Does that mean he didn't actually love me? If money were no object, would that contempt reveal itself in something else? Did he feel too much pressure to keep up an act that wasn't authentic to him? Or lose interest? Was this abuse? He was intentional about being a good partner till the very end, unless he was angry. Even in our amicable parting words a couple of days after the breakup fight, he said he was sure we could work through anything but there's no use because money and a mutual unwillingness to compromise (about where to live together and how expenses are split) would always be a thorn on our side. He said he wished he made more money for me, but I feel like he actually wished I made more for him? But then why present himself as a provider?
I wish I had identified the Jekyll and Hyde act while we were together so I could at least ask about it. I just want to know which version was the real him. There's more to it all but this post is long enough. I just want to know what happened. :(
TLDR: boyfriend was thoughtful, attentive, and generous but would speak with contempt for me when he was angry, and almost always about money—that he wouldn't let me spend or knew I couldn't spend.

Hi everyone thinking about taking MICR 4600 Immunology with Porter! I wanted to give you a breakdown for the class format and explain how it functions. I just finished Immunology with Porter (was one of my CLS pre-reqs) and this class is no joke. It was one of the hardest classes I have ever taken and I already have my degree in Microbiology. Please be ready for being tested comprehensively on the information you learn. Not only is there lots of content to learn, but Porter will design ways to test your understanding of how to apply the info you learned in lecture.
Grade breakdown - lab and lecture are graded together. There is a total of 1000 points you can earn from each. You need to do well in both to get a good grade:
Lecture Component (600 points total):

• Reflective Essays (20 points)
  • Easyish essay on what you expect from the class at the beginning and then again after the final (2 essays).
• Active Learning (50 points)
  • Randomly during class, there will be a ~2pt assignment just explaining the lecture content you learned. Acts as an attendance checker
  • This isn't tested on if you get it correct its graded by participation and if you get it wrong she just comments the right answer.
• Case Studies (100 points)
  • Five team-based case studies: 10 points each
    • Every other week you get a group assignment. Using information you learned in lecture, you need to assess a medical issue. You must explain the immunological causes, key information why you diagnosed what you did, what diagnostic tests you should run to assess the diagnosis, and some questions that may be applicable for the case.
  • Final team-based case study: 50 points
    • Same as above but this one is presented to the class (powerpoint + 1 question from Porter)
• Seminar Synopsis and Research Question (30 points)
  • You will get two guest lectures during this class. You will need to write a paper on the research/information being presented during one of these lectures.
• Weekly Post-Lecture Quizzes (150 points)
  • Fifteen quizzes: 10 points each
    • These quizzes are really challenging! You get two chances and your grade will be the average of the two. Study the lecture before taking the quiz.
• Midterm Exam (100 points)
  • Free response with a few multiple choice questions
    • About 5 pages of free response
• Final Comprehensive Examination (150 points)
  • Similar to midterm setup.
    • About 11 pages of free response (comprehensive with emphasis on lectures after midterm) plus 20 multiple choice.
• Midterm and Final have an essay portion due the night before the test. You need to find a regular news article(NYT/BBC/etc not actual science or research journals) where you describe news on information from the lessons in class. Should be an easy 10 points for each.)

Laboratory Component (400 points total) ~with Dr. Tapia:

• Weekly Pre-Lab Quizzes (60 points)
  • Twelve quizzes: 5 points each
    • Easy just read manual and due early morning before lab section
• Safety Quiz (10 points)
• Quizzes 1 and 2 (80 points)
  • Two quizzes: 40 points each
    • Open lab notebook. As long as you keep your notebook updated, you'll be okay but be sure you have all the reagents whole names written down.
• Graphs (30 points)
  • Three graphs: 10 points each
    • Will be on lab data given by the professor. Make sure you include all the information required on the assignment or points might be deducted.
• Lab Notebook (50 points)
  • Needs to have images or drawings of experiment if noted in manual.
• Poster Session (50 points)
  • Poster: 30 points (team)
    • Team makes poster but each individual is required to present during a poster session.
  • Poster presentation: 10 points (individual)
  • Poster evaluations: 10 points (individual)
• Final Comprehensive Laboratory Examination (120 points)
  • You get a cheat sheet for this.

General Policies:

• Attendance for both lectures and labs is mandatory.
• No make-up exams or late assignments are accepted unless justified (e.g., doctor's note). She's pretty strict with exceptions without doctor note.
• Participation in lecture will help you accumulate extra credit for your final grade so participate often and go to office hours!!

Feel free to ask any questions below. Happy to answer :)

Hanuman is a Hindu God who is portrayed as a monkey and a devotee of Lord Rama who is believed to be the Lord Vishnu personified as a human. He is a muscular man, who represents physical strength devotion. Prayer to Hanuman is done by many for various reasons: to grow their power; to rise problems; for financial success and so ons.
But one special feature of Hanuman mantras and prayers for vashikaran is the purpose of winning other person or to attract them. Vashikaran is the technique which is used to manipulate or influence and even to control a person’s thoughts, mind and behavior. Using the Hanuman vashikaran formulas is applied to bring the person in question who is ardently desired or wanted. It may even be used to arrange for a girl who is missing or to look for a certain kind of a boy. The process of following the Hanuman vashikaran mantra assists you to establish connection with the desired person.
The Procedure for Hanuman Vashikaran Sadhana :How to Call Hanuman Vashikaran Sadhana:
Before starting the Hanuman vashikaran mantra it is important and necessary that a picture or statue of Lord Hanuman must be placed in front of the person. In the morning right before watching the said idol light a lamp or incense stick. Offer red any flower to the deity or one can apply sindoor on the deity. Chant this mantra 108 times on red string chanting beads and sit in front of Hanuman and ask him every day.
“Om Shree Hanumate Namah”
While chanting picture a handsomely attractive person you wanted to be. It is recommended you repeat the ritual for 41 days. The change of their behavior is possible within some days. She or he will begin to consider you as his or her sex partner and a strong sexual desire will develop when contacting each other sexually. It is possible that in a few weeks they would come to you in person or will appear in person among you once again.
What is Hanuman Vashikaran & How to do Vashikaran with Hanuman Mantra.
Vashikaran is just a method or a way of controlling the other person’s mind or having control on the thoughts of other. Hanuman vashikaran is such use of god Hanuman which affects the person for the individual. Hanuman is said to aid the devotee who possesses him with arousing spiritual energy whenever he or she faces any difficulties. His vashikaran sadhanas also operate like a kind of magnet to produce the desired attraction of a person or to make your lover to love in you in return.
Lovers of Hanuman too believe that if this God is worshipped with clean thoughts and whole hearted dedication then it leads to moksha and siddhi. The Hanuman vashikaran mantra will be effective only, if the person recites it without any evil intention and positive energy, then the energies of two souls would knit and this in turn invoke Hanuman to bless the couple.
Hanuman endorses your efforts of being so religious and thus fuses you with the loved one. Mantra chanting proves to be a good process that will attract your lover by sound waves that will lead to your lover’s coming to you on the subconscious level.
Why Hanuman is considered Worthy of Vashikaran?
Hanuman has been in many aspects viewed as the depiction of an ideal being whose actions are not self centered rather are directed towards God from the bottom of the heart because of his devotion. Rather than using these powers to enrich himself, he used them only to facilitate Lord Rama in settling difficulties in the people’s task.
Thus if you love Hanuman from the core of your heart and surrender to him and pray to him in this spirit he will be there to help you. Hanuman ji can detect what good intention you have to possess your desired spouse. So he invents this wonderful work through his magical powers in order to enable your lover to come into your life and deliver you to the best place in which you can have long term relationships.
Hanuman sadhanas has been attested in the testimonials of people who have benefited from them but only when they are pure in their intention. Regular repetition of words and phrases like this will create a positive association between your subconscious mind and you soul mate.
It send strong emotions which is able to calm even the maddest brain. : Thus it is thought that Hanuman vashikaran removes any blocks or boundaries between the couple. In that way, the client starts recognizing himself with you.
Thus it can be said that Hanuman vashikaran mantra can also prove to be highly advantageous while seeking such blessings for a relationship for ensuring pro-longing of the marriage if used in a positive manner.
However, it must be recalled that as highlighted earlier that the process of changing the mind set is a time-consuming one and this cannot be accomplished without putting your total faith and patience and persistence in the process.
Mantra for attracting a person of choice through spiritual means may be the Hanuman Vashikaran Sadhana if you are ready to invest your efforts and follow the right steps for making your wishes fulfilled.
Online Free Consultation With Baba Ji Please Visit:
https://www.astrobabag.com/

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Wade's visor beeped to life as his alarm system went off, the murder drone's clock showing the time, "8:00 AM", changing to his green-yellow eyes as he woke up. Tina's visor activated as well, the drone girl's own alarm activating she awakened from slumber with Wade.
Stifling a yawn, Wade looked to Tina as he rubbed her back, easing her as she rose upright. "Good morning, sweetie."
"Morning, Wade." Tina replied quietly as she looked to Wade, the two drones smiling warmly as they took in each other's presence. Noticing they were both almost completely bare of clothing, the two drones blushed as Wade began to move off the bed.
"Well, I should get something on." The former worker drone stated as they touched down on the floor, Tina grabbing her green shirt from the counter as she tried to get dressed as well.
"So should I." Tina said back as she put the shirt on, memories of their recent night together still fluent in her mind as she slowly walked over to the kitchen.
The last hours of the past night had been calm for the most part, Wade and his friends detailing their tragic capture, the loss of his brother Ron, the rescue of the drones, and finally, Tina and Wade's miraculous escape from the factory before returning to the base. After the chatter in the bar, the group split off to go their separate ways for the time being, Jasmine going with Wade and Tina to help them into her place before leaving them to watch it while she went to get some food for the next day. During their quiet stay in the apartment, Wade and Tina made small talk over what to do in the future before having what humans would call a... very pleasant night together.
And now, with the new day approaching, the drone couple had to get ready for whatever came ahead. Walking over to his clothes on one of the vacant chairs in the living room, Wade picked up his shirt, slapping it on him before glancing to Tina, who merely wore her copper brown pants and green shirt from yesterday. Smiling at his girlfriend, Wade spoke to her as he turned back around to continue redressing himself. "Seems Jasmine went out somewhere this morning. I don't see her anywhere."
Tina listened to Wade as she inspected the counter, noticing a small sticky note lying on it as she took hold of it. Tina could tell it was left by Jasmine, given the handwriting. The note said, "Morning you two! Went to get some food I forgot to pick up, I should be back shortly after you wake up. - Jasmine"
The pilot drone smiled as she read her sister's note, then turning to the living room to speak to Wade. "She went to get some breakfast, we should expect her to come back any minute now." Opening the fridge, Tina grabbed two cool cans of oil, one for herself and another for Wade. Setting the cans down on the counter, Tina closed the fridge before taking hold of the cans again, taking them with her to the living room where a fully dressed Wade now resided at.
As Tina took a seat next to Wade on the couch, the disassembly drone examined his built-in smartcomm, trying to add all the still active contacts he remembered off the top of his circuits as he spoke to Tina. "It's gonna be hard, being my own person without Ron." Chuckling, Wade smirked at Tina, finding himself unsure at his own words. "Or maybe I'm just overreacting."
Tina chortled at Wade's inconfidence as she tried to bring him some, handing him one of the oil beverages as she spoke. "I think you'll do fine, honey. I've run into some disrespectful humans in my life too."
Wade nodded in understanding as he took a sip of the oil, the sound of the front door opening catching the drones' attention as Jasmine walked in. Carrying a paper bag full of food items, the human pilot spoke aloud. "Morning, you two! Just had to finish an errand I screwed up last night."
"Oh, it's not a problem for us, Jass." Wade replied as he took a sip of his oil, Tina looking over to the kitchen wall as she listened to her sister.
"How was your night? You lovers passed out on me when I came in, so I just rested on the couch." The lover drones gave looks of apologetic concern as Jasmine walked back into the living room, the woman noticing Wade and Tina's faces as she continued speaking. "It's nothing, though. I slept well."
"I hope so, we didn't mean to take up the whole bed." Tina responded as she gave a blush of embarrassment, Wade nodding in agreement as Jasmine replied back.
"I did, really. Besides, you two deserved the bed after all you put up with yesterday. Gotta have some place to blow some steam."
Wade and Tina smiled at Jasmine's comment, then blushed as Wade questioned about her phrasing. "Wait, you mean that as a euphemism or...?"
A knock at the door shut up the discussion, Wade standing up as he offered to handle the visitors. "I'll get the door." Tina nodded as he walked over to the apartment entrance, checking the small peephole before opening the door. Looking down, he saw two beings: a human and drone soldier whom he assumed were from the Coalition given their specific body gear.
While he took notice of the militia duo, the drone soldier spoke up to him. "Good morning, we're looking for a..." He lifted up what appeared to be an ID card, Wade glancing at the object as he heard the drone continue his question. "...Wade Carter? We heard he resided here since last night." Looking to Wade again, the drone stopped himself upon finishing his sentence, then picking himself up as he spoke further. "Come to think of it, you look like him."
Wade smiled warmly as he spoke to the two guests. "That's right. You need something?"
"Eh, more like the other way around, actually." The drone soldier replied as he handed Wade the ID, the former worker drone taking it in his hands as he glanced over it. The ID showed him from when he was still a worker drone, but was thankfully untarnished from the factory as Wade held it tightly. Before he could speak, the human soldier handed him a pouch carrying what Wade presumed were a few more of his personal belongings. The drone soldier spoke once more as Wade took the pouch. "We found these while scavenging the storage bays at the factory, we've been heading around delivering them back to those they belong to."
Wade smiled brightly before finally speaking in a grateful tone. "Thanks, Sirs. If there's anything I can do to help, just let me know."
The two soldiers nodded as the human one replied. "Just doing our job, Mr. Carter. Have a pleasant morning." With that, the troopers departed the apartment complex, leaving Wade to himself as he shut the door.
Heading back inside, Tina and Jasmine looked to Wade as the former spoke to him. "Who was that?"
"Just some boys from the Coalition, and just like Nathan said, they finally found my ID!" Wade answered before showing the card off, Tina grinned happily as she saw it, Jasmine giving a simple smile as he spoke further. "Feels good to have it back, I think that was what was keeping me down a little yesterday."
"Well, at least you won't have to worry about that anymore." Tina replied as Wade put the card in his pocket, taking his seat again before setting the pouch at his legs. Taking notice of the pouch, Tina asked, "What's in that? Battery candy?"
Wade shook his head as he began pulling out the items inside the bag, speaking to Tina as he examined them. "Oh, no, looks like some more of my belongings." Once he was done, Wade put the pouch on the couch's cup holder, on the space behind the drink holders themselves. The items were other various cards and papers with various personal information of Wades written on them, along with Wade's wallet. Wade found it almost comical that the items were all separated from each other, rather than being inside the wallet after getting cleared out.
Tina seemed to agree with Wade's thoughts as he began reinserting the cards into his wallet. "Well, that's silly. They just put everything in that little pouch instead of putting it all back in that thing."
Wade chuckled as he put his ID into the frontal window pocket of the wallet. "Yeah, guess they had to clear every little part of it before sending it off." As he finished restocking his wallet, Wade glanced to the pouch before continuing. "Besides, that IS a nice pouch."
"It sure is." Tina replied before taking another sip of her oil can, Wade putting his wallet away as she spoke again. "On another subject, however, you think we should go see if Nathan's around? Him and Kurtis could come by and have some small talk."
Wade nodded as he started to speak, but stopped as Jasmine spoke first. "Actually, I ran into F earlier while at the market. I heard from her that Nathan was going to be joining her for a date later this afternoon." Glancing to Wade, she finished with, "So he might be already busy for the moment."
Taking his own oil can, Wade shrugged his arm as he replied. "Eh, no problem with that. Don't wanna kill a growing relationship, now do we?"
Tina chuckled lightly as she agreed with her boyfriend. "Indeed, if it were us, they'd probably do the same fo-"
The chatter stopped as another knock sounded at the door, Wade moving to get up again as he glanced to the ladies in confusion. "Another visitor?"
"You think it could be F?" Tina made a wild guess as Wade approached the door, glancing out the peephole in slight surprise before opening the door.
Wade felt as if their talk about the Ceres couple had been a form of summoning as he saw F and Nathan standing at the door, bearing strangely serious expressions as they were greeted by the former worker drone. "F! Nathan! Funny timing, we were just talking about you. Come on in, have a seat."
As the two walked past Wade, F pat him on the shoulder as she spoke to him. "As much as I'd like to visit Wade, I'm afraid we're not gonna be here long, nor are you and the Fowleys."
Wade raised an eyebrow at her reply as he followed Nathan and F, the two simply standing in front of Tina and Jasmine as Wade returned to the living room. "Oh?"
"We're leaving? Should we get dressed and pack our things ASAP?" Tina asked with mild concern as F replied to her.
"Yep, you're on the ball with getting ready, but we're... not exactly leaving." The disassembly drone's words brought a confused face from Tina as Nathan clarified his crush.
"We got a call from J, just as we were heading to one of the diners here." The two drones paused for a moment, glancing to each other as they almost spewed out about their date, but shook it off as Nathan continued with little hesitation. "She told us that Tessa had intercepted some kind of transmission, one that might help us clear up this situation with the company faster than we initially thought."
F gave an affirming nod on Nathan's explanation before adding to it. "Her and J are playing host to a meeting held by the general stationed here, and she wants us to attend." Glancing over Wade and the Fowley sisters, she finished the explanation with, "They especially want you two to come as well, given what you both went through."
Wade and Tina gave blushes of embarrassment at the news, honored by the invitation but also a little uncomfortable with their elevated status as they glanced to each other. After taking a moment to process what they heard, Wade broke the silence. "Well, I did make that promise at the factory, and to J and Tessa earlier... and I intend on acting on said promise." Looking to Tina, his girlfriend gave an agreeing nod as she stood up with him.
"Glad to hear it. We don't have to be in that much of a rush, though, the meeting doesn't start until 10." F stated, Wade and Tina both glancing at the clock to check the time before looking back to their murder drone friend with nods of acknowledgement.
Standing up from her chair, Jasmine stretched as she announced her goals to the room. "Well, in that case, I should hit the shower."
"Right, I'll get myself fixed up too." Tina replied as she looked to Wade, the two sharing warm smiles before heading to the kitchen. Noticing the still unstored items on the counter, Tina spoke aloud. "Jasmine? You mind if Wade and I help store the groceries in the cabinets here?"
"Sure, thanks!" Jasmine answered in a grateful tone as she went off to the bathroom in the back of the apartment, Tina glancing to Wade as she began to take some food out of the bag.
"I'll get the refrigerated stuff." Wade stated simply as he took some items out of the bag, Tina putting her chosen food stuffs into one of the cabinets as they worked to unload the fresh consumables from Jasmine's errand.

So let me go on a story.
I'm a gay 29M.
I lost my parents, and received inheritance around two months before my birthday last year. It was put toward purchasing a lovely home with several rooms and accommodations. It's very lovely.
However; when this happened, I lost my job which would've provided a far better income, benefits, and far easier work due to circumstances that transpired. I was set back for a while, and ultimately became financially unstable. I always make it work out ultimately now, re-employed and taking odd jobs, so I've become reliable on that front.
I invited a coworker of mine who wanted to avoid her abusive living situation with her mother, who threatened to kick her out. This coworker friend (20F) [Let's call her J] tends to have anger-issues that elicit her to lash out at people rather immensely. She has made tremendous progress in this respect I feel in some of the time I know her, but habits continue. It's not physical or anything, it's just emotional/anxiety riddled stuff, and so forth. For the most part, having lost the job, the majority of the duress between us arrives from housing situations and ultimately the issues aren't massive. Either out of respect, out of understanding, or out of better compatibility, things improved. Likewise she has a cat, and while it can be a little annoying, it's adorable so I forgive it. Likewise she's a big animal lover.
Near Christmas, another former Coworker of mine (24F) [She can be H.]had a falling out with her boyfriend. So at the behest of my new roommate's request, she was given a room. It was a trial to sort of get her back on her feet. I offered a month without rent to allow her to save money. Then a 3-month period discounted Rent, to help her furnish herself. Likewise due to a smaller room; she had less money owed. This has continued for five or so months in totality. This Coworker I don't have much synergy with, and she seems primarily self-contained. I don't opt to interact with her, and she doesn't with me. Likewise; she's far more extroverted than I or my roommate, so often goes out drinking, hanging out with boys, etc.
Recap.
J is 20. H is 24.
And for the majority of the time together; the two have been fast friends and likewise seemed to improve more as they've hung out here. Until the second roommate wanted a cat, which initially both were overjoyed by. She got a kitten, pretty spontaneously. And ignoring advice, she let it interact with my roommate's cat. We were initially planning on keeping them apart for both their safety, especially because the kitten hadn't been vet-processed and J's cat has a slightly weak immune system. This was in breach of trust given, and upset J quite a bit.
H had made plans to hangout with a friend that night, and essentially left the cat in a carrier in her room, and told J she'd likely be back by 1 AM that night, and if she could watch the cat. J had work at 7 AM, but agreed.
H got drunk and never came home that night. Meanwhile, the kitten she adopted was mewling all night across J's room and upsetting her essentially. The 4-week old kitten was comforted and likewise, and could fit into your cupped hands. It got stuck under a door once even, escaping it's carrier. It could've been bad or worse. I'm mildly upset at it.
But likewise; I own a pet I keep in my room too, who rarely scratches at the door sometimes. I can understand a cat left to their own devices can be fine, they can be solitary creatures seemingly. But given how young the kitten was and how it needed constant attention, it felt very rough for J to both look after H's kitten after everything, and for H to disappear after saying she'd return. Likewise J didn't want the cat to be harmed. She'd leave it be for intermittent periods but would check in on it every half-hour to hour.
So on this side of the topic; I feel J is beyond validated.
But it evolved.
J elected to lash out at H over this. Sending 20+ text messages in the same day; threatening to get the cat into a Vet, or Humane Shelter due to what had happened and the seeming neglect, so on and forth. Hollow threats she claims to provoke H into caring more, but ultimately still made and essentially this was on the first day of owning the kitten. I don't feel H was given an opportunity or time to process or adjust from her day's decision, and was bombarded immensely with hateful messages that tore her down.
Ultimately, this led to H giving her cat away, but she refuses to apologize, and their friendship essentially broke. H's ability to take accountability is tremendously limited and often leans toward victimization at times, but I empathized with her because J can be absolutely vitriolic, toxic, and poisonous when her anger oversteps her rationality.
Ultimately H feels like moving out in some regards due to it. But the talk about J's feelings toward H; the disdain, annoyance, and likewise low-opinion J holds due to this, has caused H to recluse some toward J further. And ultimately time has passed, between shouting at one another, to text messages, to H seeking refuge in friends and drink, to J having a operation around this time and spending time recuperating from it. Which opened a bridge of concern from H, that I hoped would maybe lead them to talking it out. Because the two can be good at it.
But ultimately when J relented enough to offer the Olive Branch, H rejected it. Which is her right. Civility after the initial moments had been somewhat restored, life moved on, they weren't friends but they could mostly live with one another.
Which led J spiraling into an angry tirade that was primarily meant to tear down H again, and did so by praying on trauma H had. Because J wanted to ensure all bridges were burnt down.
I'm stuck in the middle on this and it's aggravating me.
H refuses to even so much as budge in admitting fault, but I honestly don't think leaving your kitten alone at home is necessarily a bad idea on paper; since many animals are often left alone and while not the greatest situation can still be fine. She already has to work an 8-hour+ job some days, and would be relying on us in the interim for feline-care, until the cat was grown, had her shots, and was allowed to roam the house and have some more freedom. And likewise she had made plans, and got carried away. I can honestly chalk up her decisions to inexperience and bad decision-making and feel in some respects she deserves some grace. Likewise J's treatment of her, personal attacks, threats to get the Cat put into a Vet after one day, and likewise were it me in her shoes it would make me reconsider ownership of the cat as well, and likewise would make me very unreceptive toward any sort of relationship with J.
But as I said; H throughout all of this didn't apologize, and took solely to defending her decisions, justifying her rationale in them, and ultimately even on the things she did wrong that led to the situation developing, doesn't relent.
J meanwhile, I can see the frustration on. She is earnestly trying to get H to be accountable. She helped tremendously toward even getting the cat, and offered a lot of help throughout the process. She had her own cat endangered recklessly despite several warnings (in a very avoidable way that you'd deliberately have to do otherwise), and likewise was sent to work without sleep caretaking for a kitten that she had only volunteered for a few hours for. Much the same, the kitten was essentially in distress and abandoned in the first day, which raised a few questions about the responsibility and future events arising alike to that.
But; I feel that while J deserves to be told that in several respects she was right, that her grievances toward H erupted in such a manner that it was absolutely disrespectful, and painful, and likewise manipulative in the worst of ways.
I've no idea what to do in this case, because I'd like both Renters to sort of hash it out, and be done with it, but obviously not happening per se. But I'm also conflicted on the topic. I don't know if the kitten left alone is a massive deal and red flag for future neglect on the first day, or if it was acceptable to take time away from the kitten given how it would be left alone anyway when she worked. Likewise; I'm not sure if J's justified in respects for how used it made her feel and not receiving a single apology, or if H at this point is suffering more than enough from how J's reacting.
I'm very stuck in the middle here, and I'm worried about losing one. Should I accept the potential loss?
TL;DR: 20F lashes out toxically at 24F for abandoning kitten she had just adopted for twelve+ hours and making her babysit on a work-night beyond agreed upon times and also endangering her own cat in the same day. 24F refuses to apologize, but 20F's negative response has been borderline overwhelming and personal.
29M landlord is unsure what to do, feel, think, or prepare for.

Hello there,
I recently ran a group of friends through the beginners box and we had a ton of fun with it, so we are going to start an AP soon.
I as the GM have some experience with running 1e from 10 years ago and most of my knowledge of 2e comes from actual play podcasts and now the beginners box. The players are all new to Pen&Paper RPGs in general.
We‘re going to have our Session 0 soon at which point we will decide between Age of Ashes and Agents of Edgewatch and start creating characters.
So here‘s my question: I do not mind changing the difficulty of encounters to account for our inexperienced group, but i still get the sense that i should try to influence their character creation a little to ensure that their party covers some basic requirements to function. How far should i go with this? And what requirements would you say are reasonable to set as a goal? Reading other posts like this suggests that the party should at least have someone with high WIS and medicine trained, and a frontliner to take the majority of blows.
tl;dr: Where would you put the balance between letting your inexperienced players make their own decisions free of optimisation in regards to their own character / the whole party and giving some direction to ensure they‘ll have a good time with a successful party?

The world conspired in the best of ways to bless me with a whole bunch of new games at once and I happened to be able to get in a lot of plays quickly with them.
Always get an idea of who's talking before you take anything away from these reviews/impressions. Maybe we're really different people. I've been in the hobby for 10+ years. I've played a lot of games. I love interactive and mechanically unique games. I worship Reiner Knizia. Some of my favorite games are Tigris and Euphrates, Spirit Island, Race for the Galaxy, Agricola, Battle Line, and Oath. My favorite games of last year were Stationfall, Ra (reprint), and Zoo Vadis.
Okay, let's go!
Cascadito/Cascadero - Is this a Pokemon Red/Blue scenario? No! There's room for both halves of this pair of Knizias in a collection. I think Cascadero is the better game, but Cascadito slides onto our table more easily. I'm a bit of a believer in the Moneyball theory of games (does the game "get on base" (to the table)?) so, that matters!
Cascadero - 4 plays at 2 players - First, the production is perfect. Svelte box that's easy to pack, wooden pieces, great graphic design with built in rules reminders by Ian O'Toole, and a striking cover make this a joy to play. If you enjoy the general waves hands of Irish Gauge, you're going to love how this looks.
Cascadero requires a little patience, but I think I'm starting to see a heart of gold down in there. As a Knizia tile-layer, right away, this game is, unfortunately, going to get compared to some of the greatest games ever made. Games like Through the Desert, Samurai, Babylonia, etc. I say unfortunately, because I don't think you'll love this game on the first play. That's because I think the default/starter side of the board is less interesting. If you're familiar with games, do yourself a favor and flip to the farmer side as soon as possible. Even then, Cascadero is subtle. When played best, it's a quiet maneuvering of cubes up to just the right spots on tracks with pieces on the board in all the right places that build a little lattice of opportunity. Not just one combo ready to score, but a set of circumstances that hedge on an opponent's move. Paths are everywhere, and you're using them in just the right ways to get across a double score gap or to slip into a fold in the track that gives an extra bonus. I feel like the review circuit doesn't usually play games enough times to appreciate this one, and maybe it's subtle to a fault. It isn't great when you hear "it gets good on game 4", but I'm four games in and usually that's the point where I'm bored of most games. With this one I'm excited to play more.
Cascadero is great!
Cascadito - 5 plays at 2 players - Do you like My City? Do you like My City: Roll and Build? I do. I probably wouldn't list them in my favorite games, but they are such great weeknight-with-the-partner games that I appreciate them all the same. Cascadito isn't billed as a campaign game, but rather as four maps. Maybe a 4 game campaign doesn't sound long enough, but I'm busy. 4 games sounds like something I can do. If you've played Cascadero, map 1 is the less interesting version of that game. Stick with it though! Like My City, you get the joy of seeing Knizia riff on an idea. We enjoyed each subsequent map more and more and we could see ourselves replaying #3 and especially #4. In fact, on map 4 we kept looking at each other's sheets during the game - on a roll and write! I like that.
Cascadito is good!
Spectral - 6 plays at 2 players - I'm pretty picky about deduction games, especially as board games. As someone who has put hundreds of hours into Picross and sudoku I need there to be a good reason why I'm using my precious time with my friends on something that is usually so solitary. So far, I've really only liked The Search for Planet X. While it isn't known as a particularly interactive game, my friends and I have played it so competitively that we look for any scrap of information that might give us the edge, and the publishing system cranks up the incentive to take some leaps of faith in a tight race.
When I heard about Spectral I was excited - an interactive, bidding based logic puzzle - cool! Six games later, I haven't really figured out how to interact with my opponent. While The Search for Planet X has clear moments of intention to watch for (publishing papers), it's really hard to tell when your opponent is acting with intention or just exploring in Spectral. You also don't have those little clues like what your opponent is scanning for or researching like in Planet X to build some kind of theory around. The game is a breeze to play, yet barely leaves room to grapple. So maybe the interaction isn't super strong, but how's the logic puzzle?
Boring. Imagine playing sudoku, but the logic restrictions were only for rows and not also columns, or within squares. You can do some deduction with the curse cards, but the treasure cards (12 of the 16) are all essentially equally informative and don't allow for much in the way of chains of deduction. You can do a little bit with probabilities of where treasures are likely to overlap, but it rarely feels worth it to pursue when finding curses provides a much more reliable benefit.
I want to be wrong about this game. Please, someone argue this one with me.
Spectral is okay. If you play it once or twice, I think you'll have a good time, but I don't see it having legs.
Slay the Spire - I've had this game for less than a month and I think I've put in maybe 50 hours at the table with it at this point. I've played with people who have 1000s of hours in Slay the Spire - they have loved it. I've played with people who have never played Slay the Spire - I see them playing Slay the Spire on Steam the next day and asking when they can next come over. People who usually duck out of a game night at 10pm are still at the table at 1am.
I was really worried it would be bad. I wondered, why not just play the digital game? But here I am, holding the box and knowing without a doubt, this object sparks joy. Have you ever experienced a solitary piece of media, obsessed over it, and then gotten a chance to experience it together with other fans? Maybe something like watching Game of Thrones with friends after reading the books. It feels great to share in something you've loved. That's how Slay the Spire has felt. But it's not just that, as evidenced by the friends that have never played the digital game and still loved it. It's just a damn good deck builder, and the whole system of knowing exactly what the enemies are going to do before they do it goes over so well here. It's so apparent that this translation was a labor of love and so much has gone into preserving the spirit of the game. I love it.
Slay the Spire is excellent!
Leviathan Wilds - played the first 3 Leviathans solo and at 2 - I backed this as a Shadow of the Colossus fan, and hoped for the best. I'm honestly blown away by how much this game has exceeded my expectations. First, there's something about this game that feels so complete and efficient. There's no Kickstarter bloat. It's in a very understated, retail sized box. The game just gets so much out of each component. It feels like the people who made it have made a lot of games before (and they have!).
I have trouble finding mid-weight 1-hour co-ops that I like. I love co-ops like The Crew at the short and sweet end and Spirit Island at the epic and heavy end, but the games that hit around the Pandemic range have never appealed to me. There often seems to be too much upkeep and setup, and not enough to keep me interested in sharing a puzzle with other people.
Leviathan Wilds is sooooo easy to set up. Setting up a Leviathan involves opening a spiral bound map book and laying out five cards. Processing the enemy turn involves flipping a card and later doing what it says. I don't play solo games, pretty much ever, but I'm playing this solo because it's so damn easy to run.
The moment to moment gameplay has been a blast. The systems are very open and freeform and the cards are multi-use, so there's often this feeling of scrapping together just the thing you need from odd parts - burning this card, eating this mushroom, falling here, etc. The movement system really leans into the mechanics of Shadow of the Colossus and allows for a creativity and freedom while reinforcing the theme. Every game we've played has been tight and we've failed a few times. I like that. My only complaint was that the enemies will sometimes do "swift" moves that resolve before your turn so you don't have much of a chance to react. I didn't realize until a game or two later that you can still use skills on cards to react instantly which might be an easy rule to miss. I've felt much better about "swift" since learning that. I'll definitely be backing the announced small expansion for the upcoming reprint. What a pleasant surprise.
Leviathan Wilds is excellent!
Harmonies - 6 plays at 2 players - This game has been called a Reef killer, an Azul killer, and a Cascadia killer. I own all those games! So, what's the body count at my table? Well, first off this game is lovely. The art is beautiful, the spatial puzzle is quite satisfying, and the playtime is breezy (especially at 2). It is most comparable to Reef in that you are arranging and stacking pieces in configurations for points, but there's a second layer of tile arrangement, similar to Cascadia's habitats, that's always present, no matter what cards come up. The Azul comparison is probably due to the drafting of tiles from a central market. So, what's the outcome?:

• Reef - Dead. Harmonies gives me a similar spatial puzzle in less time, in a smaller box, with better art, and it feels more thematic (I want to make homes for all my animals!).
• Cascadia - Dead. (although I was tired of it already). I find the game to game strategies in Harmonies to be more diverse and I don't feel like I have an algorithm to follow like in Cascadia (Is there a tile that increases two habitats? Can I fit a fox between my other groups of animals?).
• Azul - Alive. It's a stretch to compare the two games, but the drafting portion is far more interesting in Azul with the combining pools of tiles. Azul sits with Carcassonne in this perfect zone of being a gateway game that starts out gentle and puzzley and more you play it the more cutthroat it becomes. This isn't Harmonies, but...

Harmonies is excellent. I wouldn't be surprised if its the best gateway type game of the year. I do think it could slow down significantly with more players, but I tend to play something more interactive beyond 2.
Dro Polter - Too many plays to count and at all player counts - I think this is Oink's cutest production yet. The chunky wooden ghost, the tiny bells, the little set of treasures you'll hold in your hand. If you like frantic dexterity games, this is great. You can explain the rules in about 2 sentences and it's very non-gamer friendly. The cleverest bit is how you have to hold onto points in the form of tiny bells and if you drop them you lose them. It's an excellent system of handicapping the leader that often turns to laughs. It's mostly a novelty, but if you can introduce it to a few different groups of people, it feels worth it. Great with kids too.
Dro Polter is great!