2 years ago I was placed in a group home (which I later found out was for people with serious issues)
Staff hated me and liked one of the other guys. And I mean, they hated me. Called me a piece of garbage, said I was probably a criminal before I was in there, told me not to breed, beat up on me when i wss in a depressive state. Would not let me defend myself. Other people spoke for me which distorted the staff's view further. They did nothing for me the entire year I was there (except get me hooked up with school but that was only after I'd been there for 10 months) and I wasn't allowed to leave the house
They eventually found me an apartment with one caveat: I needed to bring one of the other residents with me as a housemate. Said resident proceeded to take complete control of everything as soon as we moved in, he was bringing in prostitutes, smoking massive amounts of weed, smoking cigarettes in the apartment and blaming it on me
Then he started smearing my name and setting me up (and then laughing in my face about it as soon as we were alone) he told my therapist and our outreach worker that I talked about being a serial killer and I hear voices (neither of those things are true), that i was bullying him with my (high) test results in school when I was not, which csused people to not care.
Eventually he ended up killing a mouse in front of me (which I did report extensively but I don't think anybody believed) and I went back to living with my mom.
So now here I am 2 years later. I am a shut in. My therapist of 5 years left me after basically telling me I deserved my trauma and I'm s "chew toy". Whenever I bring up the situation with my housemate the conversation is either dodged because it's "too toxic" or they start rambling about how I'm "in my own head and thinking we're all out to get me" (gaslighting is another tactic housemate liked to use)
I feel like I'm fucked. They've been identifying mental health issues on the more psychotic side that I don't have, telling me all my thoughts are wrong and telling me I'm gonna end up as a drug addict or homeless on the street.

Everybody wants Norsca to be relevant and good again. With Epidemus, Tamurkhan, Malakai, Kislev, Thrott the Unclean, Malus Darkblade surrounding you, and the WoC update, a lot of people have complained that the Norsca roster feels slim, bare-bones, and their campaign can feel lackluster. That being said, Norsca has an amazing economy (arguably the best), a solid dependable defensive base in Norsca, the capability for rapid expansion, and strong lords so it definitely DOES have a lot going for it, and Throgg himself can lead an extremely frenzied (or rapid) campaign.
TL;DR of How Throgg and Norsca Work

• Norscan leaders can automatically confederate other Norscan factions by defeating the faction leader. This leads to Throgg having a 4 settlement start by the end of turn 1.
  
• With the blue line skill tree, you can get 9% improved casualty replenishment, another 9% with a Fimir Balefiend. That's a TON of casualty replenishment, especially when you consider the fact that with Mammoths, Ice Trolls, and Skin Wolves, your units rarely if ever drop to a low amount of models.
  
• Throgg gives Trolls & Ice Tolls a physical resistance of 15% and a reduced upkeep of 20%, which makes the unit absolutely fantastic faction wide.
  
• Their tier 3 ports give 800 income, 15% casualty replenishment and +30 growth. Enough said.
  
• Loads of buffs for sacking, and rewards you for razing settlements to the ground. When you raze a settlement, you can dedicate it to 4 gods. Benefits ranging from improved income from ports, improved casualty replenishment, reduced upkeep for your armies, and unique lords.
  
• A monster hunting mechanic that gives items, cash, and of course, unique RoR monsters to join your armies. Surprisingly, this actually isn't really that impactful. The RoR are amazing, especially the Hellcannon, but they're minor compared to everything else.
  

Pros & Cons:
Will try to only give pros and cons relevant to Throgg's faction rather than the Norsca.
Pros:

• Very fresh campaign because wherever you look, you have enemies. In less than 40 turns, it's almost guaranteed you will fight Dwarves, WoC, Nurgle, Kislevians, Dark Elvens, Empire, Norscans, Skavens and a plethora of LLs.
  
• You can get Throggs end game doomstack online very fast. The doomstack stays relevant the entire game. Throgg is fun AF to use, and Ice Trolls & Skin Wolves reliably destroy most armies. I wish I could have 5 Throggs, I'd literally paint the entire map in maybe 100 turns.
  
• Very flexible gameplay that rewards you in every way for being aggressive and moving forward.
  
• Throgg gives his personal armies Trolls +8 MD, +12 Leadership (!!), another -10% upkeep, 20% missile resistance, Frenzy (which is massive on these guys), and most importantly, HORRIBLE REGENERATION which means they can REVIVE DEAD MODELS (ABSOLUTELY WILD). These buffs also apply to Skin Wolves and Femirs. With the red tree, you can give them another +6 MA and 12% WS. With techs, +10% charge bonus, and another +10% WS. **THEY ARE INSANE AND HIT LIKE A WRECKING BALL. To make it even better, Throgg has the ability to give Ice Trolls a global recruitment turn of 1, which greatly improves your ability to navigate in enemy lands.
  
• Norscans encamp stance is a raiding encamp stance providing 10 MD, 10 LD, raids, makes them immune to attrition, and decreases the upkeep of that army by 20%. Huge, huge plus.
  
• When you confederate Wulfrik, he's still the same insane duelist. With his abilities, you can reliably snipe 99% of the LLs with little to no effort. I struggle to see an enemy AI that can take him on except maybe Malus Darkblade and even then, you'd need a large XP gap. Mammoth Wulfrik? No shot. He can drop most generic LLs MD to 0 and stop them from moving.
  
• You can achieve the win condition by as little as 30 turns. Damn.
  
• Easily the best end turn sound effect. Click end turn, inhale, and yell NOOORSCAA.
  

Cons:

• The roster is slim, and as a result, it can become very stale. In fact, I would boil down the roster to two LLs, heroes, ice trolls, chaos trolls, mammoths (sick af tho), and skin wolves. You could maybe play fimirs but you have better trolls so why? That's really not that many units when you consider factions like WoC, Lizardmen, High Elves, Skaven, etc. This is a WH1 faction, they should have so many more units (I get that it may not have as much content from the table top).
  
• You have defendable inner provinces but you're surrounded by enemies. You literally can't be everywhere at once. Although, when you conquer the Northern chaos wastes, you have your back to the edge of the map.
  
• Norsca is too long. It can take upwards of 8 turns to go from 1 end to the other, and there's mountains separating them as well, so you could chase Wulfrik down the middle only for him to be on the other end and all of a sudden you're listening to this.
  
• Outside of your own personal goals, the campaign offers little to no goals after you beat the initial goal. You got the only other LL within 30 turns. You crushed Kislev. The Empire is a grind. You got your tier 5 settlements and units within 30 turns. It can be stale. I personally enjoyed the campaign late in because I like painting the map and watching Throgg eat up different LLs but there were moments where it was weak.
  

Early Game:
You do have a bit of a tough initial battle, but you got it for sure. Let your province allow you to recruit 1 more, recruit and move. Ignore Norsca after you get your initial province, go down, take Malakai out ASAP (very achievable, rush his artillery). get Lair of the Trolls, go down and you'll find Kostatlyn and Azazel fighting, with Kostatlyn wounded. In fact, if you offer to join his war against Azazel, he'll most likely agree to be your vassal (happened in 3 out of 3 playthroughs). Don't let him be your vassal, he won't join wars against Katarin and its in your victory condition to crush him. With this, you have Katarin to crush and you can recruit another lord in Norsca to lead your war to confederate the others.
Build infrastructure buildings ASAP. Minor settlements will have growth building + minor military chains + either the income building (only 150g, so not really worth it), or the building that gives you a wizard hero.
If you decide to raise another army, it could be worth it to wait till Throgg minimizes the global recruit time for trolls. You can save loads of turns and cash because you recruit 3 Ice Trolls per turn. Replace Throggs army with Ice Trolls ASAP though, and make sure that its recruited on the east side of your province because thats significantly faster to reach Throgg with than raising at the capital.
Mid Game:
A decision here: Do you continue conquering past Kislev into the Empire and eventually running into the Chaos dwarves? Or do you conquer the entirety of Norsca and go north? It's up to you. You've probably already accomplished your early victory conditions, so it's entirely up to you.
The ideal composition for non-Throgg armies now are LL, 2 Skinwolf Werekin, 1 Fimir Balefiend, and 1 Sorcerer-Shaman, 6 Skin Wolves, Ice Trolls, and maybe 3-4 ranged units (I add them for flavor but you could just have more Ice Trolls or whatever you want here).
Malus Darkblade will be a PROBLEM. Loads of ranged weapons, artillery, and Malus is a tough, tough guy to beat. Sigvald might also have the legendary heroes with him + upwards of 5-6 armies between him and his vassal who attack you from all sides. Sigvald and Malus will 100% get some of your settlements. You can't be everywhere all at once.
Late Game:
Mammoth doomstacks. Raze settlements. Occupy and paint the map. Do whatever you want. You were done with your objectives in the early game, it's entirely up to you what you want to do now. You've also experienced most of the roster, so it's literally just long term objectives for you. I would actually not advise that you play into the late game, because I am almost certain you will find the campaign stale as hell and the god rewards aren't worth grinding out for, especially now that we have Tzeentch and Nurgle factions.
Trees
In this order for Throgg:

• Blue Tree: I recommend 3 points in despoilers, 1 in Norscan Resilience (You're never there long enough to benefit from the growth and recruitment cost doesnt matter). Lightning strike, unnatural healing, and then you can skip spawn of chaos but you're already there so you might as well.

Into

• Red Tree: You definitely want to optimize for trolls, and then for monsters of the north. On Throgg though, you can skip going for monsters of the north, and immediately go into Throggs line now.
  
• Throggs Line: You can skip Dread Retainers (its good but not necessarily priority). Primordial might is great for WS as well, makes it worth getting.
  
• Yellow Tree: The rest is up to you. It's all good here, I take hard to hit and deadly blade, wound maker, and indomitable/scarred veteran (both good, especially since Throggs regen helps him last vs LLs that cause terror).
  

Research Tree

• Beeline to Corpulent Sails (campaign movement range is insane).
  
• Monster Hunter into Ice Blooded Strength (boost your trolls even more).
  
• The rest is completely up to you, I skip the marauder lines though (so basically just ignore top left of the research map).
  

Stand Out Units, lords, heros

• Trolls: You should know this by now. Beasts, crazy stats, crazy regen, cheaper, physical resistance, easy to globally recruit.
  
• War Mammoths: One of the coolest units in the game, a doomstack of these has a hard time losing.
  
• Skinwolves: I actually got really good use out of these units in the campaign. Anti-large is becoming more and more useful, the regen is excellent, they're speedy as hell, I was surprised by how much I loved this unit. They definitely fall off as the game goes on though.
  
• Chaos Frost Dragon: You will recruit these because they're dragon. They're pretty good. You'll enjoy.
  
• Throgg & Wulfrik are really, really fun. Wulfrik more so than Throgg. He has a ton of bound abilities.
  

Overall Rating & Review
If you're an old head who's played a ton of Norsca, it be very enjoyable to play Norsca with the new LLs that surround you. If you're new and own WH1, Norsca is a fun faction that you need no DLC for to have everything. There's no time wasted in this campaign, no down time, it ramps up as fast as it burns out.
Definitely a fun change of pace, a straightforward campaign, it's not where we would probably want Norsca as a faction and they would benefit a ton from just a few more units and some end game goals. That being said, I don't think it deserves the amount of hate I see it getting. It's enjoyable.
Final rating:
8/10+ if you're a Norsca fan.
7/10 if you're neutral.
5/10 if you're a difficulty nut.
Also everyone, it's my second time writing a guide or a review for Total War, so if you have any feedback, please do let me know in the comments! I submit my first guide for Nakai over a year ago, and I still get messages in my inbox and on that thread for it which really motivated me to make another guide. I'll be more than happy to get back to anyone if they have any questions, I had a great time playing this campaign and I love this game!

So i went to a manga event in my country a couple of years ago and what i discover was mind blowing (in a bad way).
I live in a small ass, slow ass third world country and i went to a manga event that was organized at a cultural center downtown of the city a reside in, what i discover was just wow, those guys were normies (in mangas/animes speaking), like the things they knew was like Naruto, Dragon Ball and or even One Piece or Bleach. I was flabbergasted to see such little knowledge about other shit like it was embarrassing, asking them about Re zero, Grand blue, Overlord shit even classics like GTO, Monster or Hunter X, it was like talking to a toddler about the banking system or how American sports leagues signs new or deals players. I mean those blokes had the audacity to host a manga event and there were no entertainment, no cosplay or even at least organising a anime op and ending contest, when i said it was wrong to not do anything to a FREAKING MANGA EVENT!; i was treated like weirdo. At the end they ended up watching some Naruto, one piece, an DBZ movies and that was it, there were even some Pixar an Disney fans who thought mangas were like the animation that we see in previously said movies and you guys know what i had a good time actually discussing with them than these so called "Fans" and don't even get me started about if they knew Manhwas or Manhuas because shit when i told them South Korea and China made their own stuff i was met with laughter. None the least I'm planning on returning this year and see if they gotten their priorities straight.
Ps: i have nothing about the big 3 or the other shonens i mentioned before is just when you go to such event is to talk about the winter, spring , summer and fall releases or other things in that manner really the big 3 is talked about.

Hi guys, u/jennfrouds here once again to freeze the fact that apparently my account has been permanently lost as I've tried tirelessly to recover it, without success of course. So I'll continue here with this account and hope you don't give up on me and this wonderful franchise. Kay?
One more thing, we're one step away from a great season like Heroes vs. Villains and I wanted to ask you, the fans, who would you like to see return in a themed season like this? Remember to make appropriate choices for the Heroes and Villains titles and I'll carefully assess whether the participant is worthy of a return.
Let's go then for the season 19, shall we?

Hello Survivors, Welcome to the jungle!

After seventeen turbulent seasons, Survivor AI (Artificial Intelligence) is back. Bringing 20 new contestants ready to be tested to their maximum limits, face breathtaking challenges and take part in elimination ceremonies until it comes down to one contestant, the one who will be Sole Survivor!

Meet the tribemates:

Alden Joshi	24 years	Musician
Anniqua 'Anni' Thomas	26 years	Social Worker
Ashley Hayes	27 years	Lifeguard
Bengal Batra	32 years	IT Quality Analyst
Claudia Jimenez	36 years	Unemployed
Emory Geller	31 years	Children's Camp Teacher
Jacobe Erwin	23 years	Program Coordinator
John Louis Davinson	37 years	Personal Trainer
Kareem Crosta	29 years	Salesman
Laetitia Badu	40 years	Executive Recruiter
Layla Sokhn	31 years	Entrepreneur
Mamacita Aguro	61 years	Ancient Storyteller
Newton Flagosi	57 years	Slot Machine Repairer
Rainee Day	20 years	Design Student
Ramona Gilligan	42 years	Orthodontist
Rod Frazier	45 years	Mechanic
Shanika Kristopher	37 years	Marital Lawyer
Tommy Hadlern	26 years	Small Business Owner
Vanna Cyrus	32 years	Singer
Wei Tran	23 years	Professional RPG Player

Here's the season: Survivor IA: Samoa (S19)

Thoughts of the season:
>! The bootlist is a little bitter, but I believe that people were eliminated at the right time when they stopped shining at a certain point in the competition so that others who were more in the spotlight could continue to show themselves.!<
There are participants in this season who I would love to see back and who will soon be on the big screen again. I like the merge because it's very crazy and unpredictable, so it gives us a certain thrill to see who makes it to the final.
I think the winner played a very under the radar game and was very underestimated by the others, I bet a lot of you didn't expect to see her get far or even win, but I thought she played a very solid game and deserved recognition.
My favorites: Rainee, Tommy, Kareem, Jacobe and Mama
Second chances: Newton and Shanika
What you guys think? Comment below! see ya! <3
Season 1 — Survivor IA: Borneo The Beggining Season 2 — Survivor IA: Australia Outback Season 3 — Survivor IA: Africa Season 4 — Survivor IA: Marquesas Season 5 — Survivor IA: Thailand Season 6 — Survivor IA: The Amazon Season 7 — Survivor IA: Pearl Islands Season 8 — Survivor IA: All-Stars Stars of Stars Season 9 — Survivor IA: Vanuatu Battle of sexes Season 10 — Survivor IA: Palau Season 11 — Survivor IA: Guatemala Season 12 — Survivor IA: Panamá Battle of ages Season 13 — Survivor IA: Cook Islands Season 14 — Survivor IA: Fiji Season 15 — Survivor IA: China Season 16 — Survivor IA: Fans vs. Favorites Season 17 — Survivor IA: Gabon Season 18 — Survivor IA: Samoa

I've already made a post about TransIDs (that was taken down), but this is a different post than that one. I want to talk about something I keep seeing on this subreddit.
Let's look at this post. The OP (Not the poster, the one shown in the photo) gives "Transautistic" tips. Now, anyone in their right mind knows that this is, frankly, bullshit. I want to point out the first bulletin on this list. "Buy sensory aids." Now, maybe you are thinking at this point, "What's so special about that? It's no different then the rest of the list." But it is. Because it's much, much worse.
In simple terms, supply & demand is: The amount of demand plus the conditions of supply determine the cost. Certain objects and products are easy and cheap to make in larger abundances, and have relatively stable demand rates, which is why they cost less (I.E. store brand coffee vs. popular brand coffee.)
So lets make a hypothetical situation. Hearing aids are, on average, somewhere in the thousands range. They cost a pretty penny to make, and they're delicate and complex pieces of technology. And it's no secret that pharmacutical & healthcare companies are good at bleeding money out of innocent people. Now, let's add in Person A and Person B. Person A suffers from hearing loss. Person B doesn't, but wants to. Person A buys a hearing aid, to help them hear better. Person B ALSO buys a hearing aid, to feel like they are HoH. Person A breaks their hearing aid. It happens. To err is to human. But, because Person B bought a hearing aid, that is one less hearing aid that is available to Person A.
Now imagine 1 Person A, and 7 person B's. That is considerably less resources for Person A. And because of this, demand from people like Person A go up. Therefore, price goes up. Due to this price, Person A no longer can afford the very thing that helped them.
This isn't an uncommon occurrence. This happens daily, some people not knowing it (but for the sake of staying on topic, lets stick with TransIDers, shall we?). I won't beat around the bush or sugar coat it. TransIDers do it for the aesthetic of it. No matter what they say, someone who wants to be autistic wants the cute ">w THAT'S my biggest problem with TransIDers. Not only do they push harmful stigma about certain disorders, but they can and DO make it a living hell for those who actually suffer from these things.

Keep in mind, I don't care if I'm not popular here. Fake internet points don't excite me. Real money does. Hence I'm going to dunk on memecoins immediately.

1. It's cheap like a memecoin, but has good fundamentals. The memecoins are idiot bait - people buy millions of them, and hope it'll make them rich. Any smart person can look at the supply, and realize all the meat has been eaten off the bone. Memecoins lure in new users, but the new users will speak badly of crypto when they see how much they've been ripped off. Poisoning the well is bad for crypto as a whole. Just ask Solana and their 50m rugged in a day.
   
2. Did I mention good fundamentals? The defi wallet is fantastic. Swap, lots of apps, fast to transfer, stake. I remember the corgi crew getting all excited when they actually got a wallet. We have a wallet with staking, and a usable chain.
   
3. We have an exchange. The exchange make tons of money for cdc, and it is sustainable. And it's fantastic. Faster, and more features than binance. Plus it's cheap.
   
4. Staking. Albert Einstein: "Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. He who understands it, earns it; he who doesn't, pays it." I love how the system to set up - to favour compound interest. I get paid out weekly, I can move it to defi, and compound it. Currently, I'm compounding weekly and watching my investment grow so quickly is addicting, frankly.
   
5. When there's a gold rush, you don't invest in Gold. You invest in the company selling shovels. This was true when I bought BNB at 9$, and it's true now. With Binance's CEO going to prison, the top spot is up for grabs. And CRO is gunning for it.
   
6. 100,000,000 users. The depression will end. People will invest again. When it does, there will be a God candle to end all God candles.
   
7. A year isn't that long. 1 month down, 11 to go. Unlike every fudder screaming at me that this is a bad decision, I'm up 5,000$. And I'm getting over 500$/week for the privilege. I might even buy a car that isn't a total piece of shit.
   
8. I have a lot of faith in CDC. In a recent interview (Check Kris's twitter) he said they have all the licenses necessary to launch in Korea, one of the hugest markets besides the US. They are built on a solid bedrock of compliance. I've used the help in the app about half a dozen times, and it's been amazing. I saw the proof of reserves, and their behaviour in the bear market. They not only weathered it, they came out STRONG.
   
9. Plenty of upside potential. It's not a top ten coin yet. Three things I look at when I buy a coin. 1. Do I know the team? 2. What is the utility? Does it have a wallet? Can I stake it? Does it actually work and do what its supposed to do? Is it defi compatible? Is the supply finite? Could I pay for a coffee with it? 3. What's the upside potential? Is it already at ATH, or does it have plenty of room to grow? In all cases, yes. The Visa is the best in the market, for icy, and the defi wallet is fantastic. Exactly 0 memecoins can claim all three of these.
   
10. 2.71.25. This is financial advice.
    

One month update is that I'm happy with my decision. It's been working out great so far. There was a lot of haters in my original post, and I'm used to it from when I bought bitcoin in 2017. If there's enough interest I'll do a 6 month update. Don't invest in memecoins fam.

Keep in mind, I don't care if I'm not popular here. Fake internet points don't excite me. Real money does. Hence I'm going to dunk on memecoins immediately.

1. It's cheap like a memecoin, but has good fundamentals. The memecoins are idiot bait - people buy millions of them, and hope it'll make them rich. Any smart person can look at the supply, and realize all the meat has been eaten off the bone. Memecoins lure in new users, but the new users will speak badly of crypto when they see how much they've been ripped off. Poisoning the well is bad for crypto as a whole. Just ask Solana and their 50m rugged in a day.
   
2. Did I mention good fundamentals? The defi wallet is fantastic. Swap, lots of apps, fast to transfer, stake. I remember the corgi crew getting all excited when they actually got a wallet. We have a wallet with staking, and a usable chain.
   
3. We have an exchange. The exchange make tons of money for cdc, and it is sustainable. And it's fantastic. Faster, and more features than binance. Plus it's cheap.
   
4. Staking. Albert Einstein: "Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. He who understands it, earns it; he who doesn't, pays it." I love how the system to set up - to favour compound interest. I get paid out weekly, I can move it to defi, and compound it. Currently, I'm compounding weekly and watching my investment grow so quickly is addicting, frankly.
   
5. When there's a gold rush, you don't invest in Gold. You invest in the company selling shovels. This was true when I bought BNB at 9$, and it's true now. With Binance's CEO going to prison, the top spot is up for grabs. And CRO is gunning for it.
   
6. 100,000,000 users. The depression will end. People will invest again. When it does, there will be a God candle to end all God candles.
   
7. A year isn't that long. 1 month down, 11 to go. Unlike every fudder screaming at me that this is a bad decision, I'm up 5,000$. And I'm getting over 500$/week for the privilege. I might even buy a car that isn't a total piece of shit.
   
8. I have a lot of faith in CDC. In a recent interview (Check Kris's twitter) he said they have all the licenses necessary to launch in Korea, one of the hugest markets besides the US. They are build on a solid bedrock of compliance. I've used the help in the app about half a dozen times, and it's been amazing. I saw the proof of reserves, and their behaviour in the bear market. They not only weathered it, they came out STRONG.
   
9. Plenty of upside potential. It's not a top ten coin yet. Three things I look at when I buy a coin. 1. Do I know the team? 2. What is the utility? Does it have a wallet? Can I stake it? Does it actually work and do what its supposed to do? Is it defi compatible? Is the supply finite? Could I pay for a coffee with it? 3. What's the upside potential? Is it already at ATH, or does it have plenty of room to grow? In all cases, yes. The Visa is the best in the market, for icy, and the defi wallet is fantastic. Exactly 0 memecoins can claim all three of these.
   
10. 2.71.25. This is financial advice.
    

One month update is that I'm happy with my decision. It's been working out great so far. There was a lot of haters in my original post, and I'm used to it from when I bought bitcoin in 2017. If there's enough interest I'll do a 6 month update. Don't invest in memecoins fam.

Kind of a random thing to post but NSI season is back and I know that this time last year I was searching for some tips. If anyone finds this I was the girl who broke both her legs in Charlie 1 last year cycle 3. Anyways, here are some super random tips for those of you about to go.

1. Feminine supplies, you can bring your own and you SHOULD, what they supply are tampons and overnight pads, they will not take them from you if you bring your own. Also put your hairbrush, hair ties, and gel in a similar bag to grab. They took my bag with my stuff in them and I was stranded with 2 hair ties until we got to go to the recruit store.
   
2. Bring a backpack, not a duffel, not a suitcase. Just trust.
   
3. Wear a polo and khaki pants, if you have a unit polo and belt even better. My unit did not tell me that and it really sucked to stick out like a sore thumb. If you're a girl come with your hair done.
   
4. If you have longer hair get a donut bun or bun twisties, I used both but much preferred the twisties. They will not issue supplies to do your hair.
   
5. When you shower (if you're female or just dirty) grab your display towel and put it inside of your rack, then grab another towel from the rack and use them, you will be on your period for random times, if you stain your white towel you're screwed. Leave a tampon in until after you shower or whatever.
   
6. You wash your waterbottles with bleach, they will taste like pool water. You're not drinking bleach you're fine. Really scrub the creases with a bleach papertowel if you can, mold will start to grow in them by week 2, and will make you more sick than you already are.
   
7. You WILL get sick. Try and take 1,500mg of vitamin C every day for a week before hand.
   
8. Try and get moleskin early your feet will be torn up, layer it on everyday BEFORE you get blisters.
   
9. Get the shoe insoles and extra cough drops, drip drop, and hair gel from the recruit store.
   
10. They don't use (a lot of) salt to cook the food, layer it on you'll start to pass out due to lack of electrolytes.
    
11. ONLY PETTY OFFICERS ARE ALLOWED TO SEE CHITS, don't get bullied into anything else and don't do anything outside of your chit if you get issued one, they are orders from the medical officers.
    
12. If you get allergy medication only take it at night, it will make you drowsy all day and fall asleep during classes.
    
13. Fix your uniform and the organization of your rack at night.
    
14. Learn to count before you go, you know who you are people who can't.
    
15. Journal what you learn and your experience, you'll enjoy it afterwards.
    
16. Just turn your brain off like 80% of the day, don't think too much into anything, it's good if the petty officers and MIDN don't know your name for being stupid.
    
17. Try not to get pink eye or covid or foot fungus or strep or whatever candidate crud is floating around.
    
18. Don't give up, I broke my legs (8 stress fractures on my left and six on my right from distance running pre-NSI and a bad accident at NSI) and I was out there doing fire fighting on 5,000mg of ibuprofen to pass, it's not that bad I promise. Let the Hooyah lobotomy happen. Enjoy being a boot while at NSI.
    
19. Don't try and get your family to see graduation, let them travel for your commission, NSI graduation is lame, you get to see them for 15 mins and then get loaded on a bus right after to be shipped home anyways, but if they're close go for it.
    
20. If you like keepsakes make a 'yearbook' I took a page off of my legal page and had all of my friends sign it on the last night, with words of encouragement/fun stuff. I framed it and love to see it and all the memories.
    
21. If you're not good at something ask someone to teach you at night, people will help you if you ask. It's important that you know how to drill. You don't want to be the reason your division is smoked.
    
22. For you nervous folks the gas chamber will be the easiest thing you do. Stress about it the least.
    
23. When I was there they wrote the daily schedule on the fishbowl whiteboard every night for the next day, it's a nice way to be in the know. They also put the shit list up there.
    

That's all I can think of for now. Comment any other tips/questions :)

Hey fellow travelers and leather enthusiasts,
If you love discovering unique leather treasures while traveling, this post is for you! While popular markets and tourist spots often have great finds, sometimes the best pieces are hidden in off-the-beaten-path locations. I’ve compiled some insider tips and recommendations for uncovering authentic leather goods in lesser-known markets and destinations around the world. Let’s explore these hidden gems together:

1. Fez, Morocco: Tannery District

• Why Visit: The Fez tanneries are legendary for their traditional leather-making process. Visit the local markets nearby to find high-quality leather bags, belts, and shoes.
  
• Insider Tip: Go early in the morning to avoid crowds and witness the tanning process firsthand. Don’t forget to haggle – it’s part of the experience!
  

1. San Telmo Market, Buenos Aires, Argentina

• Why Visit: This vibrant market is known for its antiques and handmade goods, including beautiful leather items. It’s a fantastic spot to find unique leather jackets and accessories.
  
• Insider Tip: Visit on a Sunday when the market is in full swing, and make sure to explore the side streets for hidden stalls with the best deals.
  

1. Chatuchak Weekend Market, Bangkok, Thailand

• Why Visit: One of the world’s largest markets, Chatuchak offers a staggering variety of goods, including high-quality leather products at reasonable prices.
  
• Insider Tip: Head to Section 26 for the best selection of leather goods. Go early to beat the heat and the crowds, and bring cash for easier transactions.
  

1. **Pisac Market, Sacred Valley, Peru

• Why Visit: Known for its vibrant textiles, Pisac Market also has vendors selling beautifully crafted leather goods, often with intricate Andean designs.
  
• Insider Tip: Visit on a Sunday for the largest market day. Combine your shopping trip with a visit to the nearby Pisac ruins for a full day of adventure.
  

1. Oaxaca Artisan Market, Oaxaca, Mexico

• Why Visit: This market is a treasure trove of handmade goods, including stunning leatherwork. You can find unique items such as embroidered leather bags and handcrafted sandals.
  
• Insider Tip: Take the time to chat with the artisans about their craft – many are happy to share their stories and techniques, making your purchase even more special.
  

1. Luang Prabang Night Market, Laos

• Why Visit: This market is known for its relaxed atmosphere and high-quality handcrafted goods. Look for vendors selling leather bags, wallets, and journals.
  
• Insider Tip: The market starts in the late afternoon and runs until about 10 PM. It’s a great place to stroll, shop, and enjoy some local street food.
  

1. Marrakech Souks, Morocco

• Why Visit: While not exactly off the beaten path, the labyrinthine souks of Marrakech can lead you to hidden gems if you venture away from the main tourist areas.
  
• Insider Tip: Explore the lesser-known souks in the northern part of the medina for more authentic and less touristy finds. Always negotiate prices and enjoy the art of haggling.
  

1. Tlaquepaque, Jalisco, Mexico

• Why Visit: This artsy town is renowned for its craftsmanship, including exquisite leather goods. The local markets and shops offer a range of unique items.
  
• Insider Tip: Spend time exploring the artisan shops along Calle Independencia. Visit during the day when the shops are fully open and take time to appreciate the craftsmanship.
  

Discovering these hidden gems requires a bit of adventure and curiosity, but the rewards are worth it. Not only do you come away with unique, high-quality leather pieces, but you also get to experience the local culture and craftsmanship.
Do you have any favorite off-the-beaten-path markets for leather finds? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments – let’s uncover these hidden treasures together!
Happy travels and happy hunting!

A few questions. I promise I tried looking for answers, but wasn't able to find definitive answers (maybe my google-chi sucks, in which case I apologize).

1. We are a family of 4 (13 and 11 yr old, so relatively self sufficient and can carry their own stuff). Will be connecting through YVR coming from DEN, going to NRT towards the end of November. 1 hr 10 min layover - will we make it? will our luggage make it? I remember YVR US to Int'l connections have to walk quite a bit and have to go through one checkpoint?
   
2. I opened an Aeroplan account to manage my booking a bit better, but the Aeroplan website will not let me add my booking to my Aeroplan profile. It says it can't find it, when I try the "Add booking" feature. It finds the booking on the regular AC website with the booking reference and last name, but not if I try to add it to my Aeroplan profile. Weird? Cause for concern? Should I call AC to fix it, clarify it? I booked it directly on the AC website.
   
3. We are all UA MileagePlus members and I added all of our UA account numbers when I booked it, but on the confirmation emails, the attached itinerary pdf, and when I pull up our booking on their website it only shows my UA#, and not for anyone else. Is this normal?
   
4. Will my UA Silver status get us anything with AC?
   
5. Booked on Economy Class (G). Currently shows 777-300ER plane with lots of space and I was able to get good seats.
   

• Given how empty the planes are showing right now, my guess is they will probably change the plane eventually and we will lose our seat assignments?
  
• Bulkhead seat upgrades are $150/person on the YVR-NRT (daytime, but 10.5 hr flight) and NRT-YVR (8.5 hrs, but its red eye) legs. Are those significantly more spacious? I wasn't able to find anything regard how much extra legroom it actually is.
  
• Thinking of possibly bidding for Premium Economy or possibly Signature class upgrade. Any opinions of one vs the other? Obviously Signature will be better, but how much better? What would you bid for upgrades (keep in mind everything is x 4). Is it better to bid early or wait until later for upgrade bidding with AC?
  

Thanks!

Hi all! Back again after posting something similar about a month ago:
https://www.reddit.com/Lorcana/comments/1c7beti/analyzing_the_financial_value_of_opening_a_tfc/
With the followup where I look at the value of opening an Ursula's Return booster box. Before we get started, big disclaimer that all pricing info is from TCG Player as of 5/21/2024 and since the set is new it is likely going to change dramatically over the coming weeks.
Here is the methodology writeup from last time - the only thing that has changed is that I am now using 1/100 odds for Enchanted as opposed to 1/72
I have run 100 simulations of opening boxes which are 24 packs with 12 cards each. Here is the odds breakdown per slot in the packs
Slots 1-6: All Commons, 1 of each color
Slots 7-9: All Uncommons, random colors
Slots 10-11: 65% chance of rare, 25% chance of Super Rare, 10% chance of Legendary, based on the assumption that 1 in 2 packs will yield a super rare and 1 in 5 packs will yield a legendary with the remaining % chance being when you would pull a normal rare
Slot 12: The complicated one. First, using inferred odds of one enchanted per case (aka 4 boxes or ~96 packs), the foil slot has a ~1% chance of being Enchanted. The foil odds are then the following based on inferred pull rates: 12.5% chance of a rare, 4.5% chance of a super rare, 2% chance of a legendary. What I actually could not find online was the split of common vs uncommon so I actually had to just make a guess here with 50% chance of common and then plugging Uncommon at 29.9% to get to 100.
The Results
After simulating 100 box openings, here is what I found:
The average value of a box is $191.96 (does not include foil pricing and does include selling bulk)
While that sounds good, there is extremely high variance and enchanted spikes heavily skew the average upwards.
The standard deviation on that $191 average, is a whopping $132.33. Enchanteds are worth a lot currently and boxes that had enchanteds (and the elusive 2 enchanted boxes) skew the average heavily.
The max value a single box had was an insane 833.87, this box had Enchanted Cinderlla AND Enchanted Ariel (good luck replicating that in real life).
The mininum value a box had was a very sad 67.34
The median of the 100 boxes was actually a pretty solid $163.68
Since the typical retail price currently is about $150 I also looked at the number of boxes thats value was below $150, that number was 45%
There was also 22% of the boxes thats value fell even lower, below $100
Overall I would recommend buying singles over boxes if you are trying to build specific decks but these boxes actually arent so bad in terms of inferred value vs. market price but due to the high volatility enchanteds cause in price, you would need to buy a large number before you average out on the positive side (a little bit of gamblers fallacy helps as well :) )

DAY: MAY 20 2024
5-20-2024

Why nightmares and ‘daymares’ could be early warning signs of autoimmune disease

An increase in nightmares and hallucinations—or ‘daymares’—could herald the onset of autoimmune diseases such as lupus, say an international team led by researchers at the University of Cambridge and King’s College London. The researchers argue that there must be greater recognition that these types of mental health and neurological symptoms can act as an early warning sign that an individual is approaching a “flare,” where their disease worsens for a period.
5-20-2024 Yoga and meditation-induced altered states of consciousness are common in the general population, study says
Yoga, mindfulness, meditation, breathwork, and other practices are gaining in popularity due to their potential to improve health and well-being. The effects of these practices are mostly positive and occasionally transformational, yet they are known to sometimes be associated with challenging altered states of consciousness. New research by a team including investigators from Massachusetts General Hospital reveals that altered states of consciousness associated with meditation practice are far more common than expected. Although many people reported positive outcomes, that were sometimes even considered transformational, from these experiences, for a substantial
5-20-2024 Examining the benefits of out-of-network care for pediatric moyamoya
Total in-episode expenses and resource use before the index surgery (preop) and including/after the surgery (postop). The comparisons are separated for analysis into (A) single institution cohorts (1 and 2) and (B) multi?institution cohorts (3 and 4). Moyamoya disease is a rare condition that affects the blood vessels in the brain, especially in children. Narrowing and blockage of vessels significantly increases the risk of stroke and requires surgical revascularization for treatment. Although research shows that outcomes of revascularization are better
5-20-2024 Study explores links between social media use, mental health and sleep quality
The more time you spend on social media, the greater the likelihood of having unpleasant social-media related dreams that cause distress, sleep disruption and impact our peace of mind. Flinders University’s Reza Shabahang says that the vast and rapid adoption of social media has the potential to influence various aspects of life, including the realm of dreaming. “As social media becomes increasingly intertwined with our lives, its impact extends beyond waking hours, and may influence our dreams,”
5-20-2024 How are asthma and heart health linked?
Although the heart and lungs are neighbors in your chest, people may think of them as separate entities with unrelated problems. But a growing body of evidence suggests that asthma—one of the most common lung disorders—is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Asthma is a serious chronic disease in which airways are inflamed, often in response to specific triggers. It affects about 25 million people in the U.S., including nearly 5 million children, causing millions of annual visits to doctors’ offices and emergency rooms. “We call these major changes
5-20-2024 STUDY EXPLORES PATIENT TRUST IN PHYSICIANS
Trust in one’s physician drives positive health practices. In a scoping review, SUNY Poly Professor of Sociology Dr. Linda R. Weber discovered new developments in the measurement of trust, identified those measures of trust that have known reliability and validity, and compared those instruments’ conceptualizations, dimensions, and indicators. The paper is published in the journal PLOS ONE. Weber explains that 10 dimensions emerged from the study: fidelity, technical competence, communicative competence, interpersonal competence (i.e., caring), honesty, confidentiality, global, behavioral, fairness, and system trust/accountability. In addition, these findings provide the foundation
5-20-2024 TIMESAVING TIPS FOR COOKING HEALTHY MEALS
Living a busy, fast-paced life can make it hard to find the motivation to cook a healthy meal at home. However, learning some shortcuts in the kitchen can keep your healthy eating goals on track and help you avoid grazing on unhealthy snacks, grabbing the first thing you see in the fridge or going out for fast food. Why cook at home? Research shows that maintaining a healthy weight is challenging when you eat out too frequently. Restaurant portions often are super-sized
5-20-2024 UNDERSTANDING PERIMENOPAUSE VS. MENOPAUSE
Menopause marks a significant transition for women, yet understanding its precursor, perimenopause, and its symptoms can be complex. Dr. Stephanie Faubion, director of Mayo Clinic’s Center for Women’s Health and medical director of The Menopause Society, says experiencing perimenopause and menopause can be confusing for some. She says it is not only patients who may find it confusing, but medical providers as well, due to lack of training in menopause management. “Menopause is defined by no menstrual cycle for a year,” says Dr. Faubion.
5-20-2024 LOW-DOSE IRON SUPPLEMENTATION HAS NO BENEFIT FOR BREASTFED INFANTS, SHOWS STUDY
The American Pediatric Association recommends iron supplements to all healthy infants who breastfeed longer than four months, while its European counterpart, Society of Gastroenterology, Hepataology and Nutrition, does not recommend it. These deviating guidelines stimulated researchers to design a new study. Breastfeeding is strongly recommended, and the proportion of children are breastfed during the first half of life is high. The researchers wanted to determine whether breastfeeding babies could benefit from extra iron.
5-20-2024 ALLERGY MEDICATIONS COME WITH HAZARDS: BE AWARE
People with seasonal allergies often turn to over-the-counter and prescription medicines to relieve symptoms like coughing, sneezing, runny nose, congestion and itchy eyes, nose or throat. But they often aren’t aware that these meds—including antihistamines—have as much risk for potential side effects, drug interactions and overdose as other drugs. “All medicines have side effects associated with them even when they are taken appropriately and according to dosing directions on the label,”
5-20-2024 I CAN’T AFFORD OLIVE OIL—WHAT ELSE CAN I USE?
If you buy your olive oil in bulk, you’ve likely been in for a shock in recent weeks. Major supermarkets have been selling olive oil for up to A$65 for a four-liter tin, and up to $26 for a 750 milliliter bottle. We’ve been hearing about the health benefits of olive oil for years. And many of us are adding it to salads, or baking and frying with it. But during a cost-of-living crisis, these high prices can put olive oil out of reach. Let’s take a look at why
5-20-2024 Researchers uncover biological trigger of early puberty
Heather Brenhouse, associate professor of psychology, says disrupting the caretaker relationship can really traumatize a child or a developing rodent. Credit: Ruby Wallau/Northeastern University New research conducted by the Brenhouse Lab reveals how early life adversity triggers early puberty and late-life anxiety, paving the way for potential interventions. The onset of puberty has been creeping downward for decades. In the United States, the average age of girls reaching puberty ranges from 8.8 to 10.3 years old. The early start of puberty, which is associated with many health risks, can be
5-20-2024 Bioluminescence and 3D-printed implants shed light on brain–spinal interactions
Brain-spinal cord duet’s neurodynamic symphony is now accessible to scientists via novel multi-organ implants. Credit: Dmitrijs Celinskis A sensory process such as pain is no ordinary phenomenon—it’s a symphony of neural and vascular interactions orchestrated by the brain and spinal cord. Attempting to dissect this symphony by focusing on a single region is like trying to understand a complex melody by listening to just one instrument. It’s incomplete, potentially misleading, and may result in erroneous conclusions. Enter the Carney Institute’s team of visionaries. Their mission? To develop tools that allow
5-20-2024 New thesis explores cancer treatment that can prevent relapse
. What is the main focus of your thesis? Relapse following initial treatment efficacy remains a major clinical challenge for many cancers. The focus of my thesis has been to explore the therapeutic impact of immune cells in patients with blood cancer (leukemia), by first investigating which cells
5-20-2024 New study reveals health and social benefits of car-free living
Participating in a three-week car-free challenge has enhanced the health and well-being of Oxford residents, according to research conducted by The University of Bath’s Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformations (CAST), in partnership with climate charity Possible and Low Carbon Oxford North (LCON), conducted this research project. After ditching their cars for three weeks, 10 out of the 12 drivers across Oxford who participated said they plan to continue with reduced car use beyond the project. The findings of this research project show that: Day-to-day transport emissions were slashed
5-20-2024 Research shows linked biological pathways driving skin inflammation
A certain biological pathway—a set of linked reactions in the body—drives the inflammation seen in the skin disease psoriasis, a new study finds. The work could lead to improved therapies for all inflammatory skin diseases, including atopic and allergic dermatitis and a type of boil called hidradenitis suppurativa, say the study authors. The findings are published in the journal Immunity. Inflammation is the body’s natural response to irritation and infection, but when out of control, it can lead to the reddish, flaky, itchy lesions that
5-20-2024 Prescription co-payments linked to more hospital admissions in New Zealand, study finds
A new study from researchers cautions that bringing back the $5 co-payment for prescription medicines could see a jump in hospital admissions. The study analyzed health data for 71,502 people and found those who didn’t pick up a prescription because they couldn’t afford the $5 fee had a 34% higher rate of being admitted to hospital.
5-20-2024 How a simulation is informing COVID-19 vaccine policy after our ‘return to normal’
As the saying goes “There is no such thing as normal” and this has been especially true after the pandemic. Before the emergence of the omicron COVID-19 variant, countries like the U.K. had high vaccination coverage along with widespread exposure to COVID-19 in the population. This combination of vaccine and infection-derived immunity is termed hybrid immunity and is different to vaccine immunity or infection immunity alone. In contrast, other countries, including Australia, New Zealand and those in the Western Pacific, had a very different pandemic experience.
5-20-2024 Researchers find intriguing connections between Alzheimer’s disease and other common conditions
A study has found that while some medical conditions appear to increase our likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease, others appear to decrease the odds. The study, led by Dr. Yijun (Nicholas) Pan and Dr. Liang Jin, analyzed data from 2,443 older Australians living in Melbourne or Perth who are part of the Australian Imaging, Biomarker and Lifestyle (AIBL) study, an internationally recognized cohort for dementia research. “We found anxiety and other neurological disorders are associated with increased likelihood of Alzheimer’s disease,” Dr. Pan said.
5-20-2024 Prepping autistic or sound-sensitive kids for cicada noise
As Chicagoans await the emergence of the cicadas, parents of children on the autism spectrum and/or who have sensitivities to sound can take a few steps to prepare for what is expected to be a loud summer. “Some children on the spectrum can struggle with loud or unexpected noises, such as toilets that automatically flush, fireworks around the Fourth of July or the emergence of a large number of cicadas,”
5-20-2024 Study highlights importance of screening for rare inherited iron metabolism defects
Over 40% of cases curated based on stringent clinical and laboratory criteria from the Indian subcontinent have an inherited iron metabolism defect on comprehensive genomic evaluation, report investigators in The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics. Although iron deficiency anemia is the most prevalent form of anemia globally,
5-20-2024 Study finds tyrosine kinase Csk promotes germinal center B cell survival and affinity maturation
The authors found that Csk (a tyrosine kinase that attenuates B cell receptor signaling) is required for germinal center maintenance and efficient antibody maturation. The immune system strikes a fine balance by identifying and neutralizing disease-causing agents while carefully avoiding destruction of healthy tissues and cells. Now, researchers from Japan have shed new light on one of the processes that helps train immune cells to act only against genuine threats.
5-20-2024 Significant gaps between science of obesity and the care patients receive, say experts
As research continues to produce evidence about the underlying causes of obesity and optimal strategies to treat and manage obesity have evolved, there are disparities in application of the latest scientific advances in the clinical care that people with obesity receive. Widespread adoption of current findings, consistency of care and expertise in obesity care varies by health care professional and institution.
5-20-2024 Improving online depression treatment
Symptom course of depression for individuals who dropped out of treatment and those who completed treatment. In the dropout group, there is an initial decrease in symptoms while the patients were still in treatment, which tapers off as they drop out. For completers, there is close to a linear change over time. This suggests there is a relation between the more that an individual continues to participate in ICBT and their depressive symptom improvement.
5-20-2024 Women face worse chronic kidney disease management in primary care
Women receive worse primary care-based chronic kidney disease (CKD) management than men, according to a research letter adult patients with CKD receiving primary care at 15 practices using electronic health record data to examine sex disparities in guideline-based CKD management
5-20-2024 Bisoprolol does not reduce exacerbations in at-risk COPD patients
For patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), bisoprolol does not reduce the number of self-reported exacerbations treated with oral corticosteroids, antibiotics, or both, according to a study
5-20-2024 Anticancer potential of CLK kinase inhibitors 1C8 and GPS167 via EMT and antiviral immune response
The diheteroarylamide-based compound 1C8 and the aminothiazole carboxamide-related compound GPS167 inhibit the CLK kinases, and affect the proliferation of a broad range of cancer cell lines. A chemogenomic screen previously performed with GPS167 revealed that the depletion of components associated with mitotic spindle assembly altered
5-20-2024 Study sheds light on bacteria associated with pre-term birth
Researchers from North Carolina State University have found that multiple species of Gardnerella, bacteria sometimes associated with bacterial vaginosis (BV) and pre-term birth, can coexist in the same vaginal microbiome. The findings, published in mSystems, add to the emerging picture of Gardnerella’s effects on human health. Gardnerella is a group of anaerobic bacteria that are commonly found in the vaginal microbiome. Higher levels of the bacteria are a signature of BV and associated with higher risk of pre-term birth, but it is also found in women who have no sign
5-20-2024 New AI model uses federated learning for multi-organ segmentation based on medical image data
Researchers have successfully developed the technology that can accurately segment different body organs by effectively learning medical image data used for different purposes in different hospitals, which is expected to greatly contribute to the development of large-scale medical AI models in the future.
5-20-2024 Second Phase 3 clinical trial again shows dupilumab lessens disease in COPD patients with type 2 inflammation
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients with type 2 inflammation may soon gain access to a new drug—dupilumab—that showed rapid and sustained improvements in patients in a pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial, researchers report in the New England Journal of Medicine. This monoclonal antibody is the first biologic shown to improve clinical outcomes in COPD. The data supporting the use of dupilumab in COPD will be reviewed by the United States Food and Drug Administration in June. The disease improvements—as measured by a significantly lower annualized rate of acute exacerbations
5-20-2024 New AI model uses federated learning for multi-organ segmentation based on medical image data
Researchers have successfully developed the technology that can accurately segment different body organs by effectively learning medical image data used for different purposes in different hospitals, which is expected to greatly contribute to the development of large-scale medical AI models in the future.
5-20-2024 Second Phase 3 clinical trial again shows dupilumab lessens disease in COPD patients with type 2 inflammation
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients with type 2 inflammation may soon gain access to a new drug—dupilumab—that showed rapid and sustained improvements in patients in a pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial, researchers report in the New England Journal of Medicine. This monoclonal antibody is the first biologic shown to improve clinical outcomes in COPD. The data supporting the use of dupilumab in COPD will be reviewed by the United States Food and Drug Administration in June. The disease improvements—as measured by a significantly lower annualized rate of acute exacerbations

• 5-20-2024GALLBLADDER CANCER RISES AMONG BLACK AMERICANS AS CASES DECLINE IN OTHER GROUPS
• 5-20-2024US PEDIATRICIANS REVERSE DECADES-OLD ADVICE AGAINST HIV-POSITIVE MOTHERS BREASTFEEDING
• 5-20-2024UK REPORT FINDS COVER-UP OF DECADES-LONG INFECTED BLOOD SCANDAL
• 5-20-2024ASTRAZENECA TO BUILD $1.5 BLN CANCER DRUG FACILITY IN SINGAPORE
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• 5-20-2024RESEARCH SHOWS THAT FERROPTOSIS, A FORM OF CELL DEATH, OCCURS IN SEVERE COVID-19 PATIENT LUNGS
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• 5-20-2024EARLY BLOOD GLUCOSE CONTROL FOR THOSE WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES CRUCIAL FOR REDUCING COMPLICATIONS, PROLONGING LIFE
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• 5-20-2024MEDICAID ‘UNWINDING’ DECRIED AS BIASED AGAINST DISABLED PEOPLE
• 5-20-2024TIMESAVING TIPS FOR COOKING HEALTHY MEALS
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• 5-20-2024LOW-DOSE IRON SUPPLEMENTATION HAS NO BENEFIT FOR BREASTFED INFANTS, SHOWS STUDY
• 5-20-2024IS IT BIRD FLU JUST AN ANIMAL THING, OR CAN PEOPLE CATCH IT?
• 5-20-2024SCIENTISTS USE NEW APPROACH TO DISABLE BRAIN CANCER CELLS’ ABILITY TO SURVIVE
• 5-20-2024RESEARCHER FINDS MOTHERS LIVE LONGER AS CHILD MORTALITY DECLINES
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• 5-20-2024AI CHATBOTS SHOW HIGHER EMPATHY, READABILITY IN RESPONDING TO CANCER QUESTIONS, STUDY FINDS
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• 5-20-2024GENETICALLY ENGINEERED PIG HEARTS TRANSPLANTED IN TWO BRAIN-DEAD PATIENTS REVEAL MORE ABOUT IMMUNE RESPONSE
• 5-20-2024I CAN’T AFFORD OLIVE OIL—WHAT ELSE CAN I USE?
• 5-20-2024HOW NEWBORN CHICKS ARE HELPING TO SETTLE A CENTURIES-OLD DEBATE ABOUT COGNITION AND OUR SENSES
• 5-20-2024STOMACH PARALYSIS RISK MAY RISE IN PEOPLE TAKING OZEMPIC AND SIMILAR DRUGS
• 5-20-2024WHY AUTISTIC PEOPLE MUST BE AT THE HEART OF AUTISM RESEARCH
• 5-20-2024OUR BODIES DON’T JUST MAKE GALL AND KIDNEY STONES—FROM SALIVA TO TONSILS, THESE ARE OTHER ONES TO LOOK OUT FOR
• 5-20-20241 IN 4 PARENTS SAY THEIR TEEN CONSUMES CAFFEINE DAILY OR NEARLY EVERY DAY
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• 5-20-2024DOING DAILY CHORES AROUND THE HOUSE IS BEST ACTIVITY FOR INDIVIDUALS RECOVERING FROM COVID-19, SAY SCIENTISTS
• 5-20-2024NEW AI ALGORITHM MAY IMPROVE AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE PREDICTION AND THERAPIES
• 5-20-2024ALCOHOL USE DISORDER CAN BE TREATED WITH AN ARRAY OF MEDICATIONS—BUT FEW PEOPLE HAVE HEARD OF THEM
• 5-20-2024VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY TIED TO WORSE OUTCOMES WITH EARLY KIDNEY DISEASE
• 5-20-2024NEGATIVE LINK SEEN FOR OXIDATIVE BALANCE SCORE WITH CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE
• 5-20-2024ANDEXANET YIELDS BETTER CONTROL OF HEMATOMA EXPANSION THAN USUAL CARE, FINDS STUDY
• 5-20-2024STUDY FINDS FAT CELLS INFLUENCE HEART HEALTH IN CHAGAS DISEASE
• 5-20-2024PEDIATRICIAN EXPLAINS WHY INFANTS NEED BABY FORMULA INSTEAD OF COW’S MILK
• 5-20-2024HOW TELEHEALTH HAS IMPROVED THE LIVES OF PEOPLE WITH SUBSTANCE DISORDERS
• 5-20-2024RESEARCHERS DEVELOP FIRST HUMAN MINI-BRAIN WITH FULLY FUNCTIONAL BLOOD-BRAIN BARRIER
• 5-20-2024FROM INFECTION TO CHRONIC ILLNESS: LEARNING FROM LONG COVID
• 5-20-2024PLATELET BIOMARKERS SHED LIGHT ON POTENTIAL RISK FACTORS FOR SUDDEN INFANT DEATH SYNDROME
• 5-20-2024DO PATIENTS WITH DEVICE-DETECTED ATRIAL FIBRILLATION AND PRIOR STROKE BENEFIT FROM ANTICOAGULATION?
• 5-20-2024CONTRACEPTION OPTIONS SHOULD BE GIVEN WITH ORAL RETINOIDS TO AVOID SERIOUS HARM TO UNBORN BABIES, SAYS STUDY
• 5-20-2024STUDY REVEALS INEQUITIES IN MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES FOR JUSTICE-INVOLVED YOUTH AS THEY AGE
• 5-20-2024STUDY SHOWS EXERCISE SPURS NEURON GROWTH AND REWIRES THE BRAIN, HELPING MICE FORGET TRAUMATIC AND ADDICTIVE MEMORIES
• 5-20-2024RESEARCHERS DISCOVER BRAIN NETWORK THAT RECOGNIZES EMOTIONS
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Hi everyone. Thought some may find this post interesting. About 3 months ago my girlfriend and I did a month long tour through Asia. We visiting a ton of places one of those being Cambodia. I never really got into watching HCL was more of a live at the bike and now the lodge guy but I knew who RYUSUKE was from a Doug Polk YouTube video. Long story short my girlfriend wanted a night in so I decided to play some poker while spending a few days in Cambodia, and I started playing 2/5 and eventually moved to a 5/10/25 table where about 3 hours into my session a familiar face sits down. At first I can’t put a name to the face and finally realized who I was looking at. I didn’t say anything truthfully with the fear of getting killed (lol). But I did have a brief convo with him. He told me his name was Bao. He had a whole story about being a traveling poker player but does not and has not ever played in the US. It’s like he knew I knew who he was. To my surprise in the 10 hours I played with him he reloaded 4 separate times for 10k at a time. For someone who owes a lot of money he didn’t seem to have any lack of funds. The final tell where I knew it was him was his laugh after he got it in with KK vs 99 for about a 25k pot. He got rivered and did his infamous ryusuke laugh. After this hand he decided to move to a PLO game. I asked a local that spoke English if he’d seen him before and they all knew who he was. I asked if anyone reported him or posted and they made it clear that he donates up to 100k a week so no one has any issues with him being there not caring where the money came from.
It’s just surreal seeing how people ruin their lives for poker.
Stay safe y’all!

List Updated 21.05.2024.
If you are planning on visiting Croatia this summer or anytime in the future then this post will help you with your planning. Below I will list all guides per city and itineraries so it can help you with planning your trip as it will include prices, locations to see, local tips and more. Also you can always ask if you have any specific questions down below in the comments and please SHARE and UPVOTE this post so that everyone traveling to Croatia can find the information needed (Thank you!). Also in the future there will be more guides for more cities in Croatia.
Basic information about Croatia, where is it, how to travel around Croatia etc.
CROATIA TRAVEL 101
Top locations to see in Croatia
CROATIA 2024 BUCKETLIST
10 MOST BEAUTIFUL PLACES IN CROATIA
BEST BEACHES IN CROATIA
WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO VISIT CROATIA (Per region)
Croatia Itineraries
7 Day Croatia Itinerary ( From Split to Dubrovnik)
5 Day Croatia Itinerary ( From Zagreb to Istria and back)
5 Day Croatia Itinerary ( From Split to Dubrovnik)
10 Day Croatia Itinerary ( If you want to see whole of Croatia: From Zagreb - Istria - Dubrovnik)
Cavtat Guide
Cavtat Guide ( a great place to stay near Dubrovnik)
Dubrovnik Guides
15 Reasons why visit Dubrovnik in 2024
Where to stay when visiting Dubrovnik (8 Amazing areas)
Dubrovnik Boat Tour on a Pirate Ship Tirena
Dubrovnik CITY WALLS guide
Is Dubrovnik Expensive? Cost Guide
10 Best Beaches in Dubrovnik
1 Day Dubrovnik guide if you are coming with a Cruise (From Cruise port - to old town)
Dubrovnik Game of Thrones Guide to Filming Locations
Guide to Dubrovnik Restaurants ( Where to eat )
Dubrovnik nightlife, where to go out, clubs etc.
Top 5 Day trips from Dubrovnik
Top 10 Luxurious Activities in Dubrovnik (Sailing, etc.)
Best hotels in Dubrovnik
Ultimate Dubrovnik guide for 2024 (Best overall, compiled)
Dos and Don'ts of Dubrovnik
Ston Guide
One perfect day in Ston (Longest wall in Europe, second after Great Chinese wall, and a great stop on your way to Dubrovnik)
Lopud Guide
How to spend one perfect day on this island
Trsteno Guide
Trsteno Arboretum (a great day trip from Dubrovnik)
Korcula
Korcula guide, an island not to miss in Croatia
Zadar Guide
Guide for Zadar Croatia ( Is it worth visiting?)
Trogir Guide
Trogir Croatia Guide (Day Trip From Split)
Omis Guide
Omis Croatia Guide (Day Trip From Split)
Split Guides
How to travel from Split to Dubrovnik
Split vs Dubrovnik
2 Days in Split what to do and see
Sibenik Guide
Sibenik Old Town (What to see, things to do)
Zagreb Guides
20 Things to do in Zagreb
Best Airbnbs in Zagreb
2 Days in Zagreb guide
Day Trips from Zagreb
Samobor
Samobor a great day trip from Zagreb guide
National Parks in Croatia
Top 5 National Parks to visit in Croatia
Brijuni
Plitvice Lakes
Rastoke (Beautiful waterfalls, great stop towards National Park Plitvice Lakes)
KRKA National Park - Guide
Istria Guides
Top 5 Places to visit in Istria
Rovinj
Rovinj 12 things to do
Opatija
Opatija guide (Day trip from Zagreb to Croatian coastline)
Makarska Guide
Day Trips from Makarska
Best things to do in Makarska, Croatia (Guide)

Is magic or supernatural/magical creatures and races a NECESSARY element for fantasy books?
I've been working on a series of books and I'm wanting to start pursuing publishing, so I kinda need to know what genre to advertise them as. I've been thinking of them as fantasy. However, there's no magic, no elves or fae or other fantasy-esque races, nothing supernatural. It's an entirely fictional world with a mix of an ancient Greek/Roman era and typical European medieval-style backdrop. I've tried looking up other genres that may fit this better but I'm not confident in anything else. Someone suggested historical fiction but given this is a fictional world and doesn't share Earth's history, I am wary to accept this suggestion.
The only fantasy-like (as far as magic) element is a broken stone where the individual pieces are thought to protect and defend the country in possession of the piece, but if they're reunited, it gives the country in possession of the full stone the power to overcome another country's defenses. This is really only relevant in one book, and the existence and power of the stone is not known to most. Those who know of it (just a small portion of the respective royal families) have varying degrees of faith that it's even magical. The countries that have each piece have been at peace for nearly a millennia and haven't tested its defensive vs offensive abilities since it broke apart, so it's unknown if it even works as advertised.

I work in biotech and have been with this company for 3 years. Before that I was with an academic lab/core working with the same things for 2.5 years.
I worked really, really hard at the academic lab. Only took time off if I was sick and then only if I couldn't function. I rarely took a lunch because I was so busy I didn't have time to eat. I'd easily work 10-12 hour days and always got paid for it. My boss was super appreciative and promised me a promotion that never materialized. He blamed it on HR which I want to give the benefit of doubt to him and believe but I never got a promotion. I got tired of the constant push and poor pay. I was about to be living without a roommate and could not afford it. So I looked for a job in the industry and got one.
At first I was excited because it was way more pay and set 9-5 hours and people were pretty relaxed about that. Things went well for the first year. I got to help on projects and it really seemed like the role was working for me. However, I never heard a whisper of a promotion nor any discussions about my career prospects within the group. I felt invisible to my manager and just drifted through the work hoping something would change.
It did in the form of a new manager. My previous one was promoted and someone under her was then promoted who I got along with. I thought "alright, now things might be changing!". They did not as it was the same old same old. He did help me put together some goals to learn new instruments and techniques but I was always so busy I couldn't do them.
A few months later a new guy gets brought in and one day after a department-wide meeting, a bunch of us were asked to stay. We were being moved under the new guy to basically do nothing but what I was already doing. I was furious because it felt like I was boxed into a corner to be yet again forgotten about and left to the wolves. They guy was pretty nice and approachable.
This didn't last more than maybe 3 months before he brought someone in personally to oversee our group since he was the director or whatever of our group (dumb workplace hierarchy stuff). So in about 9 months I'd went through 3 managers. None of whom gave any real guidance and didn't seem to take an interest in being a manager and helping your direct reports grow.
I did not like the new guy at all. He gave me a really weird vibe that just made me uncomfortable. That sort of went away as I got to know him a bit but he was still always a little awkward and off putting to me. By this point I felt completely boxed out of any opportunity. He let me help on a long term project but that's about it. I've been doing nothing but the same thing since I started.
I also struggle with depression, anxiety, and chronic migraines. A fact that I had to embarrassingly bring up in a meeting with him, my previous manager, and HR. I was in trouble because I'd missed 2 days without saying anything. At the time this happened I was experiencing really bad withdrawal symptoms from running out of a medication that took a few days to sort out. I also mentioned my chronic migraines as being a reason for absences and having to resort to PTO since I'd ran out of sick days.
They seemed very understanding and offered me support and just wanted me to fix being late all the time and lower productivity. I did my best and was able to appease them. That is until recently. I'd went on a vacation with my partner and took Monday off the week I'd be returning to work. Except I totally forgot to submit the PTO. I'd thought I had done this, genuinely but my manager was a real dick about it. He clearly didn't believe me, used my last incident against me, called me unreliable, told me to get my shit together because I'd forgotten to do some things that he'd said weren't urgent.
Needless to say, I left that meeting feeling really down but not worried. Then a few weeks ago I took a long weekend to go see a friend. I ended up getting sick with an ear infection the day after I got back so I was out for 2 days. Both were submitted and he knew. The second day, I see another meeting with him, my previous manager, and HR. This time they were far less friendly and understanding. The HR guy accused me of abusing PTO for sick leave (I've been out of sick leave since February due to chronic migraines). Now I'm to go on a PIP and I feel like my days are numbered. I tried to use my latest performance review to stick up for me but my own boss acted almost as if it didn't say what it said and HR guy interrupted me and told me the performance review doesn't matter. So I just shut down and let them speak their piece and then I left the meeting. I feel like my manager just wants me gone and doesn't like me which is fair because I don't like him.
I've already started looking for new jobs but I'm not even sure if I want to stay in this career anymore. I'm burned out and tired. I'm not listened to nor accommodated as I feel this should be. I've applied for FMLA to use intermittently for my illness but I feel their just going to fire me anyway. I'm hoping they offer a severance and me quitting in lieu of a PIP but they probably won't. This company doesn't care about any of us. None of them do.
Has anyone else had a similar experience? How did you handle it? I also want to sit down with HR myself and tell my side of things now that I've had time to process and collect my thoughts but I don't think it'd do any good. Sorry for the long rambling rant! I tried to break it up into paragraphs instead of a big wall of text.

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A little over a year ago, I decided I wanted to read Guy Gavriel Kay for the first time. I don’t know why I knew it was the right time, I just did. I had been aware of Kay’s work basically since I began reading Fantasy, probably at least a dozen years ago now, and I had always planned to read him eventually.
For some reason, however, it just felt like it was time. I’m so glad I did.
So, after reading all fifteen novels (in publication order) over about 13 months, here are my spoiler-free (some small spoilers will be covered) thoughts on each one. If you are a GGK fan, I would love to hear your thoughts and favorites as well.
And if you’ve never read him before, I hope you will take the leap!

• The Fionavar Tapestry (1984-1986): The first thing to know about these three novels (The Summer Tree, The Wandering Fire, and The Darkest Road) is that they are not very representative of the rest of Kay’s work, which is mostly Historical Fantasy. Fionavar, however, is 100% High Portal Fantasy. It tells the story of five Canadian graduate students who are transported into a fantasy world and tasked with saving it. Many readers like to compare the series to Tolkien (largely because a young GGK famously interned with Christopher Tolkien) but I disagree. It is much more 'Narnia meets A Song of Ice and Fire'. Beautifully written, but also containing quite a lot of adult content, politics, and a heavy dose of mythology. I enjoyed it quite a bit, but if you don’t like it that does not mean you won’t like other Kay books.
• Tigana (1990): Perhaps Kay’s most famous and well-regarded novel, and also the first time he began tinkering with his now well-known style of writing a history-adjacent story. Tigana is set in a place very reminiscent of medieval Italy, where two sorcerers are battling over both the land and the hearts of the people who live there. While the writing is a step up from Fionavar, I did find it a touch over-dramatic at times, with characters that are not all as fleshed out as I would like. Where the book excels, however, is in its themes - Memory, Loss, Colonialism vs Patriotism, and more. It's fascinating and well worth your time.
• A Song for Arbonne (1992): Shifting from Kay’s most well-known novel, we now have probably his most underrated and under-discussed. A Song for Arbonne is set in a fictional version of Provence, France during the high Middle Ages and follows a feud between two dukes and two very different ways of life. This is a beautifully feminist novel (especially for 1992) and also made me love troubadours, which is not something I ever thought I would say. Highly recommended, especially in audiobook.
• The Lions of Al-Rassan (1995): My favorite Kay novel, and one I will unabashedly gush about for the rest of my life. Set in a fictional version of Spain during the Crusades, we follow three characters – a Kindath (Jewish) woman doctor, a Jaddite (Christian) military leader, and an Asharite (Muslim) Poet/Diplomat. These three very different people from very different backgrounds are thrust together amid absolute turmoil and form a bond that defies and transcends cultures. It absolutely broke my heart when I read it, but somehow also made me as hopeful as any book I had ever read before. This book is perfect. Read it.
• The Sarantine Mosaic (1998-2000): This two-part story is set in the same world as The Lions of Al-Rassan, but many centuries earlier and hundreds of miles to the east. We follow a young mosaicist named Crispin who is unexpectedly pulled from his obscure country life and tasked with traveling to Sarantium, the greatest city on Earth, to build a new cathedral for the Emperor. Along the way, he meets many incredible side characters and witnesses the empire experience huge amounts of change. This is another favorite, and is far and away Kay’s most epic story. If you like Gladiator or Spartacus, you’ll love this. Plus it has chariot races!
• The Last Light of the Sun (2004): A Viking novel set in the same world as the last two. Shares many of the same themes and ideas of the previous novels as well – people from different cultures coming face to face with modernity and changing times. It’s a very good novel, especially if you enjoy Vikings, but a step down for me.
• Ysabel (2007): Probably far and away Kay's most unique book. It’s a modern, YA novel set in Provence. We follow a young teenage Canadian boy who goes on a work trip with his photographer father and gets swept up into a mystery involving some of the artifacts and other historical sites there. This book is also loosely connected to Fionavar. I enjoyed this one more than I thought I would, but it was still a bizarre experience compared to literally everything else Kay has written.
• Under Heaven (2010): Kay now turned his sights to ancient Chinese history, specifically 8th Century Tang Dynasty. Like his other stuff, though, this is not actually historical fiction - it's set in another world with different names, etc. The son of a renowned general is given 250 prized horses as a gift for his work burying the dead from both sides of a large battle. This outlandish gift forces the young man to become embroiled in the politics of the empire and allows him to witness a startling change to his people's way of life. Lots of people LOVE this book - many even list it as their favorite of Kay's. It did not resonate with me the same way. It's very good! But not my favorite.
• River of Stars (2012): A pseudo-sequel to Under Heaven, set about 500 years later in an era largely defined by the events of that previous novel. Whereas in Under Heaven Kitai (Kay's version of China) was an up-and-coming military power, in River of Stars it has become a wealthy, arrogant cultural hub that is seemingly unaware of its instability. We follow quite a few different characters from multiple backgrounds in this one and, like so many Kay stories, get to see large events take place through the eyes of these 'small' characters. I imagine that whatever your feelings were/are for Under Heaven, you will feel mostly the same about River of Stars.
• Children of Earth and Sky (2016): Kay returned to his 'Jaddite' world for the first time since 2004 for this novel, and (for this reader at least), it was a joy! It takes place about 1,000 years after the Sarantine Mosaic, in a world where the great city of Sarantium has fallen to the Asharites and the surrounding world is trying to pick up the pieces. It's a time of a lot of upheaval and turmoil. This novel follows quite a few very diverse POV characters, which (while sometimes confusing) gives it an 'epic' feel. We have artists, traders, military leaders, sea captains, pirates, and more. While I would not necessarily suggest this as your first GGK novel, if you are a fan of the Sarantine Mosaic (and to a lesser extent, The Lions of Al-Rassan), you will find MUCH to love here.
• A Brightness Long Ago (2019): Taking place about 25 years before the events of Children of Earth and Sky, A Brightness Long Ago perfects Kay's most notable theme: The effect that small, 'unimportant' people can have on huge, global events. We follow a young man named Guidanio, the son of a common tailor, who is swept up into a local feud between two legendary mercenary captains. In the process, he falls in love, faces unspeakable tragedy, and eventually witnesses the fall of the greatest city on earth. What sets this book apart from other Kay novels is that it is mostly told in 1st Person POV by a much older Guidanio in the form of his life story. It is one of Kay's most intimate and best-paced books, and although I still don't think it matches his peak, A Brightness Long Ago is certainly his best novel of the 20th Century and proof that he is still a master of his craft. Highly recommended!
• All the Seas of the World (2022): Kay's most recent novel is both a sequel to A Brightness Long Ago, and a prequel to Children of Earth and Sky. As such, I will not go into a ton of detail but suffice it to say that if you enjoyed those two novels you will love this one. It's a separate story, but there is enough overlap and easter eggs to keep your attention. While I would not rate it higher than A Brightness Long Ago, it was once again a great read and certainly worth your time.

So there we have it! Fifteen novels in just over a year. I'm not sure binging his work is the best way to enjoy Kay, but I still had a great time and plan to reread many (if not all) of these books again someday.
Guy Gavriel Kay is a master, and his work should be cherished. I'm a fan for life!

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

Hi all, first off, this group has made me feel less guilty about everything GD.
I was diagnosed with GD at 24 weeks; they refused to give me the 3-hour test as my numbers were high (but I had been eating a lot of sugar and had a lot of pasta and pizza the night before the test); but given my numbers now that is beside the point cause I do think I have GD.
I am 28 weeks today, so for the last four weeks, I have driven myself crazy; I spoke to a dietitian who essentially told me my diet is good and there isn't much I can change. For context, I have maybe 1/4 cup of steel-cut oats, a spoonful of PB, 5-10 berries, and 1-2 hard-boiled eggs for Breakfast. Have rice cooked in coconut oil sat in the fridge overnight (to reduce the GI) with cottage cheese and spinach for lunch, snack on beef jerky, cheese, maybe half a granny smith apples with PB, and sometimes guac with two pieces of tiny sourdough crackers. For dinner, I almost always have half a plate of salad with some Caesar dressing and either chicken/fish / or steak with half an avocado. And I walk 15-20 mind after lunch and dinner. My fasting numbers are consistently between 96 and 105 (I know, not good), but my post-meal numbers have mostly been around 105-117, except today, when my post-breakfast number was 131, after eating the same breakfast as always.
In all this, my OB has been quiet. Their office, not any doctor, called me the Monday after the Friday I got the test results and told me to prick myself four times a day and take notes of what I eat and the numbers. That's it. I am supposed to see them tomorrow, after a month of anguish, and the fetal-maternal specialist on Thursday. I feel so exhausted from all of this because clearly, the OB doesn't give two shits, I am trying, and I feel like I am failing badly.
I also got a CGM to see what was going on. My BG drops at night and returns up just in time for fasting to increase. At this point, I feel so deprived and tired of this and want to be able to eat some carbs and not just meat all the time. I am more than willing to take insulin; presumably, they will give me insulin. My thought process was that I might need insulin for night time, but after today’s post breakfast number I feel hopeless. :(
That’s all I wanted to say. Idk if I am the only one but I can’t wait for the baby to be out, I am no longer enjoying my pregnancy. And yeah, if it provides any perspective, I work in a very high stress job. Any suggestions is welcome. Thank you so much.