Replacing window sill nose

I've been using BitDefender for a while now, and it's been driving me insane. I keep getting false positives for programs on my laptop and I'm constantly having to try and add exceptions to no avail.
I side-loaded a well-known manga-reading app ages ago to the Android compatibility setup on Windows 11. (I forget the exact name for it at the moment) BitDefender decided out of the blue a few weeks ago that it didn't like that, but it didn't settle for quarantining the app itself. It took down the entire Android compatibility feature out of Windows 11! Took me quite a while to figure out what the hell was wrong and how to fix it.
I like trying out various ROM hacks. (mods for old video games) I keep getting a false positive for the setup tool for the demo to "Super Mario Star World". Normally, this wouldn't be a big deal. It's a program specifically meant for altering a separate file, so I would normally understand the mistake. However, when the false positive pops up during every single scan of my computer, it continues to complain when I hit the "Do Nothing" button to verify that I know the program and know that it isn't an issue, and continue to put the folder where I keep my gaming stuff in the exceptions list. I keep on constantly getting that complaint no matter what.
I'm a big Persona fan. I set up the Korean version of "Persona 5X" as well as an auto-translation tool that hooks into the game, sends the on-screen text to an online translator, then replaces the on-screen text with an English translation either from the translator or from a slowly-growing database of manually-translated text. It's really impressive. However, no matter what I do, BitDefender keeps quarantining the game or the translator tool, even when I tell it not to and make exceptions for it.
It's driving me nuts, and like I said, no matter what I try to do, it keeps complaining or quarantining my files. When I make exceptions, I can set them for the "Antivirus" and "Online Threat Prevention", but not "Advanced Threat Defense" because that's only possible if I manually add each individual .EXE file in my gaming folder. It's getting to where I've spent the last week with it turned off, which still doesn't stop the occasional scans and continued complaints about the Star World tools.
I've tried Avira and Avast in the past, and switched because of getting constant pop-ups demanding I get the paid version of those tools. This one's driving me nuts because of the ignored exceptions and overzealous quarantining. Those are the widely-recommended anti-virus programs here on the Reddit page. Any advice to either get BitDefender to back off, or a different anti-virus with a better exception tool set I can use to keep my stuff safe?

I am looking for a quality vacuum that helps clean this very very dusty home. I live in West Texas were the dry air, flat lands and wind blow red dirt, Also no allergies or an issue. Just the red dirt.
EDIT: I have a budget of around 500 dollars and vinyl plank flooring through the house except the stairs are hard wood. I would like to clean the stairs, vacuum the floors underneath furniture, vacuum window sills, walls, curtains, corners low and high as ceilings.

The stress of the last six months has nearly killed me. Besides the general cratering of the outside world—political strife, climate change, inflated rents, corporate greed, and the baffling resurgence of crew socks—my internal life was falling apart, too. I'm at the point where I can't see a way out of the darkness, and that feeling has only grown in the last few days.
My struggles ramped up exponentially in the last two weeks. It started when my long-term girlfriend and I called it quits after five years. There was no definitive relationship-altering fight or infidelity. It was simply the boring banality of the "roommate-ification" of our lives together. We both felt the shift but never talked about it. Turns out communication is important.
Truthfully, we'd stayed together for so long because we couldn't afford to live apart. Our rent had nearly doubled the last time we re-upped our lease but even that was a bargain compared to what was out there currently. We were trapped by our need to have a roof over our heads.
My job had stagnated, and I couldn't find anything better. I was stuck. Like me, she'd been job hunting as well. Unlike me, she had a master's, and her prospects should've been higher. They weren't. For five months, she applied to hundreds of jobs and couldn't break through. If she got a rejection email, it was a win. Most of the time, the companies never responded.
Finally, she found a great opportunity at a Fortune 500 company. It was an involved process. She nailed the five interviews, and her "test project" was well received. She was offered the position, and it came with a massive pay increase—double her current salary. I was proud of her—she needed a win. We celebrated with pizza and beer that night.
Two days later, she dropped the bomb that she was breaking things off. The relationship ending wasn't a surprise. The timing was. The discussion was brief, and there was zero chance of reconciliation. She declined when I asked if she could stay until the lease ended. Mentally, it would've been too much for her. Two days after that, she moved out, taking half the rent with her. I was stuck in a lease I couldn't afford on my salary for the next six months.
My free time evaporated as I took on two extra gigs to help make ends meet. In addition to my office nine to five, I drove for a delivery app on the weekends and took a part-time night job stocking shelves at a local grocery store. When I wasn't hustling for housing, I slept or ate. I did nothing beyond that. Nothing brings me joy. There is no spark.
This drudgery has become my daily routine, and it's killing me.
To help cover some cost gaps, I've started selling off some of my stuff online. It was just me here, and I decided that the Spartan lifestyle would have to work for now. Anything I could fetch a decent amount for went up for sale. My apartment is so empty now every noise causes an echo.
Before my shift at the grocery store, I agreed to meet someone who wanted to take a look at my kitchen table. It was a lovely table – my ex had obsessed over it – but I didn't see a need at the moment. Now that I was a bachelor, my TV trays became my default kitchen tables anyway. I wasn't planning on any dinner parties in the future anyway.
A couple showed up later than they said they would. It was a bored-looking guy and a fastidious young woman. She made friendly small talk as she looked over the table. Her boyfriend (I think) stayed quiet and played bodyguard. I gave him a friendly nod at one point, and he just looked away. She said they'd take it without trying to talk me down. I took the small win.
She asked if I could help carry it down to their truck. I was running late, but feeling helpful, even for a fleeting few seconds, was worth it. Her silent boyfriend and I hauled the table through the hallway and even managed to avoid hitting the walls the entire way down.
I placed it in their truck, got my money, and turned to leave. The girl said thanks, and the boyfriend finally returned the nod. I gave a weird half-wave to them both and started to walk away when I heard the passenger window being rolled down.
"Hey man," the boyfriend said, his voice higher pitched than I thought it would. "What was up with your brother giving us the evil eye in the lobby when we got here?"
I turned around, "Huh? I don't have a brother."
"A cousin then?"
"My family lives about a thousand miles away. What happened in the lobby?"
"A dude that looked just like you was hiding in a dark hallway in the lobby and staring at my girl's ass."
"Jacob, really," she said.
"I'm sorry that happened, but I had nothing to do with it. We do have the occasional homeless guy meander in. Maybe you saw one of them," I said. "Did he say or do anything bad?"
"Jacob, I asked you to not say something," the girl said, burying her head in her hands.
Jacob's frosty attitude to me made sense now. "He said something about running up that ass. I dunno, he was mumbling. I told him I'd beat his ass if he didn't stop staring. Seemed to shut him up."
"Oh. Well, congrats," I said. "I'll tell the manager. Thanks for letting me know."
"You should do a better job keeping jokers like that out of the building."
"Jacob, he's not a security guard."
"He should still be a man and protect his home."
"Have a good night," I said, ending the conversation and heading back up to my apartment. I had about five minutes to change and head out before I'd be late. Last thing my ego needed was to be fired from my backup job.
Thankfully, I was able to slip into work and not get spotted by my boss. That was the last of the good news, though. We had a massive weekly order come in, which meant I'd be there late, plus someone had called out. Worse, our hand truck had a flat tire, and I spent the next few hours torturing my muscles, schlepping heavy boxes around the store. I soldiered on, counting down the minutes until I left and fantasizing about going to bed for the night.
If wishing for sleep wasn't a sad statement to my mental well-being, nothing was.
I came home after my shift at the grocery store and plopped down on the couch. I had contemplated selling it, but it was an older Ikea number, and I didn't think the value would replace my desire to sit. I could feel my body sink into the cushions, and the day's tension seep out. I was beat and tired to the point that turning on the TV was a chore.
I picked up my phone and thought I'd doomscroll until sleep overtook me. I didn't expect it to be a long scroll, as even the methadone that is my phone has failed me lately. As I lowered myself from a slumped position to a supine one, I heard footsteps outside my apartment door. This was not unusual, but the noise I heard sounded like kid footsteps. That was unusual, as nobody on our floor had kids, and it was almost midnight.
Despite my body screaming at me to not move, my brain suggested I check it out. I rolled myself off the couch and eventually stood up. I listened again and heard the kid running down the hallway. I walked over to my door and looked out the peephole. I didn't see anyone.
"Maybe I'm dreaming," I said to myself. "Maybe I'm not staring out a peephole, expecting to see a kid running down the hall at midnight, but instead, I'm cuddled up in my bed, snoozing." I pinched my arm and felt the pain. I was definitely in the waking world.
I turned to head back to the couch when I heard the running again, this time louder. I opened my door and peeked out into the hallway. Nobody was there. The door from the apartment across me opened up, too. Gloria, a young at heart grandma who was friendly/constantly buzzed in a wine mom kind of way, gave me a once over.
"You heard that, too?" she asked.
"Kids?"
"No rugrats around. I assumed it was some drunk assholes stumbling home from the bar."
I laughed. Gloria was, as always, blunt. "I didn't see any assholes," I said.
"Then you're not watching the right kind of internet videos," she said with a wink and a hoarse cackle.
I blushed. How do you respond to that? I just kind of nodded in agreement and shrugged.
"Gotta get your jollies while you can," she said before adding, "You need some rest, dear. You look like hammered shit." She shut her door and went back inside.
She was right. I felt like hammered shit. Since I wasn't going to solve the case of the mysterious runner and was sure it wasn't some lost kid, I decided to call it a night. I went back inside, shut down the apartment, and crawled into bed.
I thought about watching one of the "right kind of internet videos" but fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.
***
"Your problem is you think the world owes you something."
John, my elderly coworker at the grocery store, was standing by while I unloaded a pallet of cereal. I liked John, and when I first started, we instantly clicked. He's quick with a joke and fun to talk to. He's also about thirty years older than me and speaks with the Boomer combination of accumulated wisdom, backhanded compliments, and fringe conspiracy nonsense. Still, regardless of how couched the kindness is in gobbledygook, he's usually coming from a good place.
"What?" I said, putting a box of Captain Crunch on the shelf.
"You're complaining about your situation, right? Saying it ain't fair. The world took a paddle to your hind quarters? Hey brother, that's the way the cookie crumbles. Gotta just pick yourself up and start over. You're smart enough – figured this job out right quick – you can do it."
The job was wheeling pallets around the store and stocking shelves. It wasn't much to figure out, but I understood his meaning. The other stuff wasn't necessary, though. "I'm just in a funk. I don't see a way forward."
"Hey, so you've bottomed out. No shame in that. Happens to us all. Silver lining, you can only go up," he said before adding, "Unless some other bad shit happens to you like your car dies or your apartment building burns down. But after that, it's only up."
"The apartment building burning down would be a blessing," I said, hoisting another little Captain on the shelf. "The rent is killing me."
"Have you tried negotiating a lower rent? They used to do that when I was your age."
"I think they'd evict me if I even asked."
"Hell, then you'd have at least thirty days, maybe forty, before they'd kick you out. Plenty of time to turn things around."
"Uh-huh," I said, "Any chance you could give me a hand here?"
"My back is screaming like a pretty young thing after prom," he said, holding his back for emphasis.
I didn't push. "Hey, I meant to tell you about some weird shit that happened the other night."
"Lay it on me. I love the strange."
"So, after my shift the other day, I got home around midnight and was flopped on the couch. I heard someone running down the hallway outside my apartment. I wasn't the only one. A few other neighbors heard it, too. When we checked, though, nobody was there."
"That ain't strange," John said, waving his hand, "that's a man who's plowing another man's wife running for his life."
I laughed. "That's not the weird part. So, for the next two nights, it's the same thing. Around midnight, someone runs down the hallway. Only this time, they're trying the door handles as they pass. So, I asked the front desk to check the security cameras, and they do."
"They see a man running away holding his clothes?"
"There wasn't anyone running down the hall," I said, "But the weird thing was, you could see the door handles turning on the video."
"Damn, that's a good one," John said, "You sure it wasn't just a camera glitch. These new ones from overseas aren't as reliable as they want you to think. Chinese probably using them to spy on you, too."
He continued as my brain tried to reconcile John's two opposing comments. "Weird shit happens at night, man. Before working here, I only worked the day shift. Even when they offered me more money to work nights, I turned it down. Even when they promised me a promotion, I turned them down."
In a previous life, John had worked as a paramedic. He came by it after serving in a medical unit in the army. He'd told me he loved the rush of the job, but after a while, the death and hurt in people's eyes got to be too much to handle. But he worked there for almost twenty years. So, the man had a tolerance for shenanigans and odd occurrences.
"Why'd you agree to work nights here?"
"Shit, we're home before the witching hour. This is like late afternoons, at best. But if it was overnights, hell no. Captain Crunch can anchor his own ship to the shelves. I'd take my ass to 7-11 for a day shift before agreeing to work an overnight."
"Something happen to you during the army?”
“I got the clap,” he offered.
I sighed. “What turned you off nights?"
"Oh. I heard enough stories from coworkers to know I didn't want to experience any of that hoo-doo shit," he said, "trying to save someone's life is hard enough without adding in demon kids and ghosts."
"Did your coworkers see demon kids?" I asked, moving on from the good Captain to the Trix rabbit.
He nodded, "They saw too much. I find it odd, even with all the surveillance we have now and all the science we know about these days, that the night still scares us. You ever know someone who worked a night shift?"
I had. My ex. During college, she worked the overnight desk at a hotel for a while. She quit because the job gave her bad vibes. I told John as much.
He pointed and laughed, "See! Don't you find it odd that every person who works at night always has a story of something eerie happening to them? Every person, buster. That's what they call an irrefutable fact."
"Maybe the ghost running down the hallway is an old employee still doing his rounds."
"In that case, keep that door double locked. I'd even wedge a towel under the door just in case."
"Maybe they're friendly? Casper-like in that way."
"You ever heard someone tell you about a friendly ghost outside the funny papers?"
"I'm sure it happens," I said, "The scary ghosts are more popular though."
“We think we know everything there is to know but we are just babes in the woods when it comes to night things.” John shook his head. "Imma tell you one or three things that happened to a guy I worked with back when I first got hired on to chase after corpses in the ambo. Guy's name was Gil. Quiet man, kept to himself. Didn't rock the boat or demand a bigger paddle. Just rowed with us. Good cat to learn under," John said, finally handing me a cereal box.
I took it, and he kept going, "Now, Gil, ya see, he had a little wifey that would pester him about working days. She was a cop and worked evenings at that time, so they never saw each other. When married people can't align their genitals every now and then, it spells doom."
"A little too much information but sure," I said, shelving another box of Trix.
"Probably part of what happened with you and yours," he said. He wasn't wrong, but that didn't mean I wanted to hear it.
John kept on, "Gil finally got approved to move to nights. Little pay boost and a happy, 'fulfilled' wife should've made that man happy. But it didn't. I saw him a few months later, and he had changed. He might've been quiet when he was working with me, but he'd talk to you if you engaged. When I saw him that time, though, oh boy. He looked sick."
"Wasn't a fan of working nights?"
"Wasn't a fan of living anymore is the feeling I got," John said, "After some prodding, he got to talking with me some. Told me he missed days because the nights were messing with him. I thought it had to do with the schedule change, but that wasn't the case. He said he saw things in the dark he couldn't explain. Things that would turn James Brown into James White, ya dig?"
"I...dig," I said.
"Told me they got a call to an abandoned apartment building one night, around three in the morning. Wasn't unusual. Old buildings in the city are where hop-heads congregate and share drugs. Sometimes, the drugs are too much. Sometimes, they find a person passed out or, worse, dead. When you work in the ambo, you aren't scared of death like a civilian. You've been around it. Probably seen a few folks take their last breaths. It doesn't bother you the way Mother Nature intended it should."
He handed me another box, continuing his assist streak, and kept going, "Ambo pulled up, Gil stepped out and looked for someone to talk to. Nobody there, though. Not uncommon. Some people want to help but not be involved. There's not a soul around. He calls out, but nothing comes back. Tells me he turns to get back in the ambulance when he hears a scream from inside the run-down building. They're calling for help. He's gotta go in the abandoned building in the dark."
"No thanks," I said.
"But it don't bother a medic like that. Gil's done a million of these calls. No big deal. He runs into that building but doesn't come back out until twenty minutes later. Just goes missing. After five, the crew heads in to back him up but can't find him. Gil tells me his crew called the cops. It was like he had vanished."
"What happened?"
"I asked him and he got real quiet. Said he fell into some place that looked like here but wasn't here. Said he felt their eyes on him. Judging him. Told me they followed him home and wouldn't leave him be."
"Who?"
John shrugged, "He didn't say. Shut down after that and left. Just walked past me like I was shit on the sidewalk. He quit about a week later. Heard he had a stroke a year later and was a tombstone owner three months after that. Good guy, though."
"Your aversion to overnights makes a little more sense."
"Never in a million years. You don't want something like that coming after you."
"In my case, could it get much worse?" I said with a half-smile.
"Man, I wouldn't even joke about that," he said, making the sign of the cross, "You don't want that shit attachin' itself to you. With your luck, you'd bring him in here, and it'd hop over to me. I can't have a ghost crimping my style."
After a bit, he got called away to sign off on a delivery. I finished out my shift and headed out to the parking lot. When I exited the building and spotted my car, I froze. My doors were all open, and the interior lights were on. Someone had broken in.
I glanced around the lot to see if the thief was still around, but there wasn't another person near me. I walked over to the car and peered inside. My glovebox had been ripped open, and my registration was pulled out, but nothing else was missing.
I found little hand prints in the dirt all along the body and the windows. I held mine up for comparison, and they were about half the size. It must've been some tweens or teens who did this. Maybe they were going to steal some things and got cold feet. I contemplated calling the cops, but since nothing had happened and they wouldn't do anything anyway, there was no reason to delay sleep any longer than I had to. I closed all the doors and climbed inside.
I started the car and heard something rattling in the AC vents. I pulled out my phone and shined the light at the vent. There was a small piece of paper inside. I looked around my car for some tool to pull it out and only found an ink pen and a bent-up paperclip. After McGuyvering the vent for a bit, the paper finally came out.
I held it up and unfolded it. There was a handwritten note. It simply read, "I know you're here. I know you're hiding him. I will find you both, and then it'll be your turn to run the race. We all have to run at some point."
I had no idea what that meant, but my body still provided goosebumps. Who was trying to find me? Who was the second person? Why leave a note in my AC vent? What the hell did run the race mean? I hadn't run a race since elementary school and wasn't planning to do so any time soon. Did they mean the rat race? Because I was basically marathoning that motherfucker already.
"Jesus Christ," I said, shaking my head. "What else, universe?"
As if it were a well-practiced comedy routine, the universe responded. My back passenger door swung open, and I heard footsteps running away from my car. I sprung up and scrambled to get out. There wasn't anyone else in the lot that I could see, but very clearly, someone had been hiding in my backseat.
My nerves were shot already, and this was not something I wanted to deal with at the moment. My brain decided that to avoid a breakdown, I needed to shift into automatic mode and just get back to the safety of my apartment. I'd be more prepared to deal with this – whatever it was – in the morning.
Either that or I'd jump in front of a bus. Both sounded satisfying, albeit in different ways.
***
"There he is," Gloria said as soon as I turned down the hallway. I looked up and noticed a small cabal of my neighbors standing in a semi-circle, waiting for me. They all look displeased.
"Hey guys," I said, confused. "I miss an invite for a block party?"
"What do you have to say for yourself?"
"About?"
"Don't play dumb," another neighbor said, jabbing their finger in my direction.
"I'm not playing," I said, realizing the self-burn only after the words escaped my lips.
Gloria showed me the screen on her phone. It was a static shot of her door from across the hall. She pressed play, and nothing happened for a beat until something darted across the screen. That was the whole thing. I looked up at her, my face twisted up in confusion.
"Well," she said, "What do you have to say?"
"What was that?" I asked.
"That was you!" the pointing neighbor said, pointing harder than I thought possible.
"What?" I said, laughing. "Are you all serious?" They didn't laugh, and I realized they weren't joking. "How can you even tell it's me? It's a blur. Never mind the fact I've been at work for the last five hours. Plus, this blur is half my size. I get we're all weirded out about the Phantom Runner, but it's not me. I swear to God. I don't even have the energy to think about running, let alone the physical desire to."
"Then explain this," Gloria said, slightly swaying from the half bottle of Pinot Noir coursing through her blood. She rewound the video and froze it on a specific frame. I couldn't believe my eyes, but I was looking at...me. Or, rather, something pretending to be me.
"What the fuck?" I said, my jaw dropping.
"Still think we're lying?" the pointer said smugly.
"No, but, guys, this isn't me. I... I've been at work. Wanna see my schedule?"
I reached into my phone and pulled it out. There was an email with my work schedule that confirmed what I was saying. They relaxed, and, for the first time, anger gave way to fear. Their very plausible explanation was suddenly invalid. It left two implausible answers floating in the ether: either I had a pint-sized doppelganger terrorizing the hallways of my apartment, or a ghost was haunting the building.
"I'm...gonna go inside," the pointer said, walking back to their home. Everyone else drifted away until it was just Gloria and I standing alone in the hallway.
She looked at me and sighed, "I feel like an asshole," she said. "Sorry I accused you of causing the racket."
"If I had seen the video, I would've thought the same thing," I said. "We're good."
"What do you think it is?" she asked.
I shrugged and let out an exhausted sigh. "Honestly, Gloria, I've had a screwed-up night already, and this is the cherry on top of the shit sundae; forgive my language. I don't have the mental bandwidth to even comprehend what's on the video at the moment."
"Think it's after you?" she asked, though I suspected the wine had forced her to put that idea out into the universe. As I had already seen, the universe seemed to take requests on my behalf.
"Maybe it's after you?" I said, coming off a little meaner than I intended, but I didn't care. I left her there to contemplate that scenario and went into my apartment.
As soon as the door shut behind me, I felt on edge. Just because I didn't have the mental bandwidth to discuss the doppelganger didn't mean it wasn't dominating my thoughts. I saw the frame of the video. The damn ghost looked exactly like me. What could that possibly mean? I know I had wished for death, but I was very still alive. I had rent due to prove that.
Did I happen to live in a place haunted by a ghost that looked strikingly like me? Was it some kid with a passing resemblance just causing chaos? Was it something else I couldn't even comprehend – an alien? A clone? A secret government project?
There was a thumping coming from the hallway. The mini Usain Bolt was at it again. I knew the neighbors would ignore it. Since they had all thought it was me, which was proven to be untrue, they would avoid the running man from now on. While curious and confused by the creature, they'd never put themselves in harm's way to discover what it was. They were not a brave lot.
Neither was I, but maybe my life crumbling around me had forced my hand. I walked over to my door and swung it open. I hit record on my phone, stuck it out like a periscope, and glanced around the hallway. Nobody was there. No neighbors were looking. No person was running.
"You gotta stop, man. I need to go to sleep," I said to the empty space. No response, not that I was expecting one.
I turned to walk back in, and I caught something out of the corner of my eye. A face at the end of the hallway peeked around the corner. For a quick second, we locked eyes, and it was like I was looking into a mirror. This thing was me. But...how?
I tried to get it on video, but it ducked back into the shadows. I took that as a cue to shut and lock my door. My heart was racing, and I didn't want to think about this anymore, but I couldn't help it. There was a me in the hallway who enjoyed pestering my neighbors. Worse, they liked to run for some ungodly reason.
I put my phone on the counter, the video still rolling, when there was a knock at my door. It echoed in my near-empty apartment. I tried to ignore it and convince myself it was something else, but it wasn't. The ghost was knocking on my door. Even with my brain paralyzed, I couldn't help but think that it was awfully polite to knock.
Another knock, this one more forceful. I wondered if the neighbors thought I was making this up?
"I know you're in there," a voice said. It sounded just like me. "This is about the race. We all have to run the race. It's your turn now."
I froze. My legs went wobbly like a boxer on the brink of a blackout, but I stayed tall. I opened my mouth to speak and found the words dying in my throat. I grabbed a nearby bottle of water and took a chug.
"We all have to run the race."
"What race?" I choked out, "What are you talking about?"
"Open up. They're in there already, and I need to get them."
I glanced all around my empty apartment. I didn't see anyone else in here. I didn't hear anything. Whatever this thing was, it was lying. I grabbed my phone and held it in my hand. I wanted to document this to prove that I wasn't crazy.
“Did you leave the note?”
“I know they’re in there with you,” it repeated.
"There's no one in here," I said.
"They're hiding. I think I know where. I can hear them."
"You've gotta get out of here," I said. "There's nothing here, and you're scaring people."
"I'm scared, and you should be! You have to run the race, man! Open up, and I can show you."
The handle started to shake. I peered through the keyhole and only saw the top of the other me's head. They began to shoulder the door, and it crunched against my nose. I screamed out in pain and stumbled back. I tripped over my feet and landed hard on my ass.
The thing slammed into the door two more times, shaking the walls. The strength seemed unnatural. On the third hit, the door burst open. I finally got a view of the thing. It was me. Scaled down by half, but it was me. We both seemed shocked.
"You're so much taller up close," the other me said.
"Who the fuck are you?"
I felt a buzzing in my feet that seemed to climb up my body until it reached my brain. There was an intense pain that rippled through the folds of my mind. Through the pain, I could hear a disembodied voice whisper, "We all must run the race. We all have to run. Chase it. Chase yourself." It felt like my skull was going to split in two. I clutched the sides of my head and let out a primal scream that hurt my own ears.
Then it was gone. But I could still feel the echoes in my mind. "We all have to run the race. We all have to run." The thought would waver between making no sense and making complete sense. One second, I was questioning what was happening to my mind, and the next, all I felt was the desire to continue the race.
"There he is!" the other me yelled, pointing at the hallway.
I glanced over and saw another version of me standing in the hallway. It was half the size of the other me that had broken into my place. When tiny me locked eyes with my intruder, he ran for the open hallway closet.
The other me followed, screaming that it would catch the little bastard if it was the last thing he'd do. I pushed myself up to my feet and felt queasy. I watched as the other me ran head-first into the closet without slowing. I expected to hear a loud thump as it hit the back wall but none came.
"We all have to run the race," the voice in my head said, soothing my nerves. "It's your time to run the race."
I moved down the hallway, each footfall echoing loudly in the empty apartment, each step bringing me closer to the closet door. Something was drawing me there. The voice's words echoed in my mind as well: "We all have to run the race. It's your turn now."
I grabbed the door and stopped. Something was compelling me to move forward. To go into the closet. To chase myself. To run the race.
"No," I whispered and yanked my hand from the door. I pulled out my still recording phone, and stared into the camera. My face was devoid of color, and you could see the fear etched into me. "I'm freaking out because...because…"
I stopped. I felt an invisible hand grab my body and tug. "Because...because if I don't run the race, something bad will happen. I have to chase it. I...I have to."
My phone dropped from my hand, and I didn’t care. The force pulling me forward stopped but my body kept going. I could feel the last strands of my rational mind splintering. My thoughts became focused on one thing: I had to catch myself, find out what was happening, and run the race. If I ran, maybe I'd win.
I needed a win.
I walked into the back of the closet and felt a door handle sticking out of the wall. I'd been in that closet a million times before and never had seen this. But a sense of calm washed over me. This….this was supposed to be here. This was perfectly fine.
I turned the handle and pulled open the invisible door. In front of me was a hallway that looked strikingly like the one outside my apartment. At the end of the hallway, I saw Gloria step out of their home to leave for the night. She was huge. Twice my size, easy.
Another door opened, and I saw...me—a giant version of me. The Hulk version of me was getting ready to go to the grocery store for work. I watched as the giant Gloria and giant me joked and laughed. I was stunned.
I stared, and a new thought came to me. I have to find the smaller me and talk to it. I needed to find out if there's a way out of this...this….
"It's your turn to run," the voice said.
Calm embraced me. "It's my turn to run," I repeated. As the giant me took off and the giant Gloria re-entered her apartment, the hallway beckoned.
"We all have to run the race," I said softly, "It's my turn now."
I started running.

I just spent $200 to have a shop diagnose that my regulator needs replaced (my window slid down and won’t go back up).
They wanted another $590 to replace it (about $300 parts and $200+ labor).
I am seeing these parts for like $70 online and videos show it can be done in under an hour. What am I missing here? Should I avoid trying to do it myself for some reason I don’t know about? Over $700 for this to be diagnosed and repaired seems insane to me but maybe I’m wrong? I am in Phoenix AZ

Hey everyone
So, I have a 14-month-old kitty who was living his best life as the sole ruler of our household. Recently, I decided to bring home a 9-month-old female kitten to keep him company. After the initial "What is this tiny intruder?" phase, he absolutely adores her. They play together, give each other nose boops, and are basically the cutest little duo ever. 🥹
But here's the twist: since the new kitten's arrival, my once-affectionate kitty has turned into a furry little grump... towards me. 😩 He no longer graces me with his presence at bedtime, dodges my attempts at petting him, and getting him to play with me requires more effort than convincing a cat to take a bath. And when I do manage to pet him, it's like trying to snuggle a statue – no purrs, no cuddles, just cold indifference. Food is his weakness and I’ve been giving him his fav treats like wild, but still no change.
My heart? Totally shattered. Is this a temporary phase or has my cat officially replaced me with a younger, cuter model? What should I do to win back his feline favor? Help!😭

Hello~
I'm running into an issue where my PC disconnects from the ethernet when watching a stream or gaming. It'll disconnect for 5-10 seconds before reconnecting.
Setup:
OS: Windows 11
BaseBoard: ROG STRIX B450-F GAMING (ver. Rev 1.xx)
Network Driver: Intel(R) I211 Gigabit Network Connection (ver. 14.0.5.0)
Service Provider: Quantum Fiber (940Mbps plan: ~930Mbps connected to Modem / ~400-500Mbps connected to extender)

• The service provider came in and took a look at the modem/routeextenders and noted no issues.
• All devices work perfectly fine except for my PC which is connected directly to an extender using an ethernet cable. I've tried different ethernet cables but no change. Devices using the same ethernet cord and extender don't disconnect.
• Additionally, the PC in question does not disconnect when connected to a non-QF pod/extender. The issue with using a 3rd party extender is that the speeds go down to 100Mbps. So, it doesn't feel like it is my computer that is the issue. We've replaced the QF extenders but still are having the same issue.
• I've uninstalled and reinstalled the drivers. Changed up the driver settings, like the power management and such. No improvement.

I'm not quite sure what else to do. Has anyone else had this issue before? and if so, what can I do?

Hello everyone, thanks in advance. My jeep grand cherokee 2002, 4.0 liter will only blow air out of the defrosters up by the front window. The AC now doesn't work as well, it happened when the defrosters problem started. No matter what setting I put the dial on, it will only blow air out of defrosters. I checked my blend door actuator, and even replaced it but that didn't fix it. The blend door doesn't seem to be bad either, it doesn't flop down when I flip it up. I checked all the vacuum hoses in the engine as well. What could this issue be? Thanks for the advice, it means more than you know

Backstory: Had an alienware aurora R12, that needed a mother board replaced, called dell support and was told that there was no replacement boards in stock and might not be for sometime.
I decided to purchase some brand new components as dell hates being compatible with every other brand out there. I purchased a new case, liquid cooler, power supply, and motherboard. I will provide a list of the exact parts below.
Case: Musetex K2 Mid Tower ATX
MOBO: MSI MAG B560M Mortar WIFI
CPU: Intel I-7 (11700F) 2.50 GHz (Reused from old build)
GPU: Nvidia Geforce RTX 3060 ti 12gb (Reused from old build)
Liquid Cooler: ThermalTake TH120 ARGB
Thermal Paste: Corsair XTM50
PSU: MSI MAG A850G 80+ Gold
RAM: Corsair Vengeance Pro 32gb (2x16) DDR4 (3600MHz) (Reused from old build)
Storage: SK Hynix 512gb (Not sure on model its from dell)
Toshiba 2000gb hdd ( Not sure on model its from dell)
ISSUE-
After the build was complete I started running into BSOD every 20-30 minutes tired almost everything from changing power settings to running memtest to re installing drivers and formatting my SSD and HDD and fresh installing windows. I'm running out of ideas and was hoping someone on here could lead me in the right direction.
I have purchased new ram sticks even though its says on compatibility websites that its compatible, when i searched on the MSI website it didn't show up under the list of hardware that's compatible.

Alright folks, I have been troubleshooting an a/c that isn't cooling. I've checked the resistance on the compressor. I've checked the compressor temperature relay. They're good. The compressor feels like it's running. The fans move smoothly. The hot side of the compressor gets hot the cold side doesn't. The fins aren't super clean, but they're not super dirty either.
I didn't check the capacitor because the compressor seems to be kicking on just fine. The unit is pulling about 10amps when it's running according the Watchdog PMS which seems correct. I have a multimeter, but not one with the amperage clip so I didn't know how to directly test how many amps the compressor is pulling.
It was a sunny 88⁰F with 78% humidity here today. RV was 92 inside with the unit running and the windows closed.
I have the suspicion that I've acquired a leak and the unit will need replaced. What are some other things I could check before going that route?

My current PC, which has a Ryzen 7 3700X cpu & Radeon RX 5700 gpu is rapidly losing performance with it's age. I'm looking for advice on if I need a new one/what to do. My concern should I choose to replace just one or two parts is that I'm unsure what's causing the issues (I know the GPU is having issues) and I'm concerned if I replace it part by part and end up having to do it all anyway then it'll be super expensive and a lot of work. I'm happy to offer more info about what I have/am looking for if needed. I haven't build a computer before, but from what I've read it should be manageable following youtube guides?
What will you be doing with this PC? Be as specific as possible, and include specific games or programs you will be using.
Gaming PC for LoL/Fortnite/Apex and probably bits of other stuff like minecraft/OW etc. I'll also be using it sometimes for work/school running probably mostly java/python code.
When do you plan on building/buying the PC? Note: beyond a week or two from today means any build you receive will be out of date when you want to buy.
I'm planning to buy with memorial day weekend sales this weekend.
What is your budget for the build?
I'm hoping for around $1400 - $1600, but it can go a bit higher if it would be a big improvement.
What, exactly, do you need included in the budget? (ToweOS/monitokeyboard/mouse/etc)
I think tower and everything inside, but my monitomouse/keyboard are all fine.
Which country (and state/province) will you be purchasing the parts in? If you're in US, do you have access to a Microcenter location?
In US and have a microcenter 20 minutes away.
If reusing any parts (including monitor(s)/keyboard/mouse/etc), what parts will you be reusing? Brands and models are appreciated.
Mouse and keyboard should work with anything I think, monitor is LG.
Will you be overclocking? If yes, are you interested in overclocking right away, or down the line? CPU and/or GPU?
No overclocking for me.
Are there any specific features or items you want/need in the build? (ex: SSD, large amount of storage or a RAID setup, CUDA or OpenCL support, etc)
Would like at least a 1 TB SSD.
Do you have any specific case preferences (Size like ITX/microATX/mid-towefull-tower, styles, colors, window or not, LED lighting, etc), or a particular color theme preference for the components?
I have pretty much no visual or size preferences (but would prefer a bit quieter if possible - maybe water cooling?)
Do you need a copy of Windows included in the budget? If you do need one included, do you have a preference?
I believe I do need a copy of windows - ideally 10 and not 11.
Thank you!

Start from the ground up!
Nito Grappler - 35x22.5 TIS 544BM - 20X10 Cognito 4" lift - (disco teal) Pitman/Idler arm Fox 2.0 Shocks 5" downpipe straight back exhaust TSO 7" exhaust tip FASS fuel system - (disco teal) Upgraded Injectors PPE upgraded oil pan. (Believe +2 qt) PPE exhaust manifolds PPE up tubes Kryptonite upper control arms - (disco teal) WC Fab Cold/Hot side intercooler pipes - (disco teal) WC Fab coolant tank - (disco teal) WC Fab traction bars - (disco teal) WC Fab coolant pipe - (disco teal) WC Fab air intake/horn stage 2 - (disco teal) Edge insight CTS3 monitoegt sensor Stealth 67 turbo Paint matched fender flairs/tow mirros All amber LED replaced with regular LED Switch back headlights/tow mirrors. Full sound system 2 10" sundown subs custom box 5% tint on all windows/50% on complete windshield
I bought this truck at the peak of covid 🥴 in 1.5yr I only had 1.8k miles on it. Luxury of my work always away from home so it's garage kept, not driven. In the last 3 months I've put 9k miles on it. Went on a little USA cross country.
It's absolutely fun to drive even with the stock 10 speed. Yes! I know it's a ticking time bomb but when it goes I'm ready for the +750 hp transmission from WC Fab. When that happens the truck will also go in for compound turbos. Going for 1000hp then.
Huge shout out to Tyson and the headache he went through while tuning this beast. 👏🏽

Capfriendly has the Avs July 1st cap space at $15,916,250 with 11 roster spots open.
Pending RFAs -Casey Mittelstadt: -62gp 14G 33A 47pts w/ Buffalo -18gp 4G 6A 10pts w/ Avalanche -Mittelstadt is the main piece to sign this offseason as he has stepped into the 2C role and thrived after being acquired from Buffalo, and at only 25 he is a piece to lock up for the future.
-Alex Beaucage: -21gp 1G 6A 7pts w/ Colorado Eagles -29gp 11G 14A 25pts w/ Utah Grizzlies -At 22, he is likely looking at a deal coming his way this offseason. Slotted to be with the Eagles for the time being, if he performs well, he could become a float between Denver and Loveland or see himself being moved in a more “win-now” focused deal
-Jason Polin: -7gp 1G 0A 1pt w/ Avalanche -42gp 4G 6A 10pts w/ Colorado Eagles -An Eagles mainstay this season, who spent some time with the big club this year, he is likely looking at another year primarily with the Eagles, and at 24 another cheap deal is likely in the Avs best interest.
-Wyatt Aamodt: -60gp 6G 8A 14pts w/ Colorado Eagles -An AHLer this season and not much else, he is looking at more playing time with the Eagles this upcoming season. Will likely see a qualifying offer.
-Gianni Fairbrother: -1gp 0G 0A 0pts w/ Colorado Eagles -8gp 1G 2A 3pts w/ Utah Grizzlies -Part of the Newhook trade in 2023, Fairbrother is a young, only 23, developing defenseman who could see increased playing time in Loveland, and Utah, but is a way away from being a potential AHL call-up.
Pending UFAs -Andrew Cogliano: -75gp 6G 13A 19P -At 36, the NHL journey is coming to an end for Cogliano in the near future, it appears he likes it in Colorado, and Colorado likes him. For the right price, Cogs will be back in the burgundy and blue as pillar of the bottom-6.
-Jonathan Drouin: -79gp 19G 37A 56P -A guy who has come into his own this season in Denver, while a new contract will be expensive, it is in his best interest to stay in Denver and playing next to his QMJHL buddy MacKinnon.
-Brandon Duhaime: -62gp 4G 4A 8pts w/ Minnesota -18gp 1G 4A 5pts /Colorado -A high energy player who is not afraid to play the body and muck it up in the o-zone. At 26, for the right price, the Avalanche could benefit from a deal.
-Joel Kiviranta: -10gp 3G 6A 9pts w/ Colorado Eagles -56gp 3G 6A 9pts w/ Colorado Avalanche -I don’t see Kiviranta coming back next season, I feel the Avs can replace his production and energy from within.
-Yakov Trenin: -60gp 10G 4A 14pts w/ Nashville -16gp 2G 1A 3pts w/ Colorado -Another piece in a crucial bottom 6 for the Avalanche, for the right price, would be welcomed back with open arms.
-Jack Johnson: -80gp 3G 13A 16pts w/ Colorado -At 37, I am not sure he fits into the window for the Avs anymore. His production can be replaced from within, or through a younger free agent on the market. But his veteran presence is likely highly important in the locker room
-Caleb Jones: -12gp 0G 6A 6pts w/ Colorado Eagles -25gp 0G 5A 5pts w/ Colorado Avalanche -Not expecting Jones to be back with the team next season, while high-energy, the production is just not at the level it needs to be at across the board, another case of he can be replaced from within.
-Sean Walker: -63gp 6G 16A 22pts w/ Philadelphia -18gp 4G 3A 7pts w/ Colorado -Unfortunately, Walker has likely priced himself out of Colorado and will be wearing a different logo come October. Giving up a 1st stings for a rental, and I would expect the Avalanche to kick tires and see if an agreement can be made.
-Fredrick Olofsson: -20gp 3G 9A 12pts w/ Colorado Eagles -57gp 3G 6A 9pts -I would not expect Olofsson back in Colorado in 2024-25, his production can be replaced, and did not play with the big club during the most important part of the year
-Spencer Smallman -53gp 12G 9A 21pts w/ Colorado Eagles -Another AHLer who is likely looking at a deal to be mainly a piece in Loveland, don’t expect to see Smallman play with the Avalanche
-Riley Tufte: -67gp 23G 22A 45pts w/ Colorado Eagles -5gp 1G 1A 2pts w/ Colorado Avalanche -A high-energy and hungry player during this sort stint with the Avalanche this season, I expect him to have a new deal and be fighting for a mainstay spot in the Avalanche roster at training camp.
-Nathan Clurman -37gp 1G 4A 5pts w/ Colorado Eagles -At 26, Clurman is likely an AHL only defenseman, and is likely low on the pecking order when it comes to call-ups, I think a deal is negotiated for cheap. Also he’s a Boulder native.
-Brad Hunt -70gp 16G 33A 49pts w/ Colorado Eagles -As captain of the Eagles this season, I definitely think Hunt is due for another deal here in Colorado, as well as being a call-up candidate in event of injury
-Corey Schueneman: -64gp 4G 18A 22pts -Another likely AHLer, we’ll see what happens. Could go either way.
-Ivan Prosvetov: -11gp 8gs 4W-3L 3.70GAA .881SV% -At 25, Prosvetov is likely wanting to find a place to prove himself in a backup and potentially starting goalie, I feel the Avs want to keep him to depth purposes, but I don’t see Prosvetov staying.
Resigned: Mittelstadt, Drouin, Trenin, Tufte and others
Resigned for the right price: Walker, Duhaime, Cogliano, Johnson, Prosvetov, and any of the other AHL guys who want to stick around
Mittelstadt and Drouin will eat a good portion of the cap space we have, leaving 9 roster spots open with under 10 million to spend.
League UFAs(Top 10 on Capfriendly) -Steven Stamkos -Sam Reinhart -Matt Murray -Jake Guentzel -Tyler Myers -Adam Henrique -Anthony Mantha -Tyler Bertuzzi(🤢) -Teuvo Teräväinen -Jason Zucker
We are unfortunately probably priced out of most of the premier talent in this years free agency class. We are likely targeting bottom 6 forwards and bottom 4 defense as depth, our top players are payed for a reason, need to find the complimentary pieces. Not sure what realistic options would be.
Promotion from within options -Riley Tufte(pending UFA) -Oskar Olausson -Jean-Luc Foudy -Sean Behrens -Sam Malinski -Nikolai Kovalenko -Calum Ritchie -Mikhail Gulyayev(Under contract with Avangard Omsk until 2025/26)
-I think the lack of money to play with is the perfect opportunity for our young talent to step in a prove themselves, or can become trade pieces to improve. Olausson and Foudy are the most dire in need to make the jump, we are running out of time on their development as prospects. A full season will undoubtedly help Kovalenko, as he can adjust to the North American game and can likely become a valuable piece on the 2nd or 3rd line. Ritchie will have to wait until training camp to see if he is ready for the jump, at only 19, he can afford to wait to make the move full time and flesh out his game. Gulayayev is a pipe dream this year, although I believe once he makes the move he will be a quality defenseman who will inject some youth in a d-core that is starting to age.
Definitely leave your thoughts, opinions and other comments. I’d love to discuss.

We are going to separate and divorce after refinancing our mortgage only on my name and have cash our payment for my wife, but the bank only offered 85K as cash out.
My loan officer and the automated system came up as the value of our condominium 260K.
He also mentioned if we want to get a full report by an appraisal value can change.
Tax value is currently 267K, but the recent sales in our neighborhood (same size and floor plan condos) are 280-300K. Loan officer said 260K is what he was thought at the first place (looking property tax documents).
We didn’t upgrade kitchen, bathrooms or windows, they are original (19 years old). We have replaced floors to engineered hardwood 4-6 years ago, new HVAC and water heater a year ago, replaced shutters to plantation shutters 4 years ago. Also new appliances in the kitchen.
Everything else original.
If the value is higher then 260K, then her equity is more and have to pay her more in cash, which is already tight.
She mentioned we might come up with a payment plan, so I can pay her monthly at certain amount. That would be a nice thing from her, as both of us agreed it would be great to keep the house because of our son.
If I/we go with an appraisal what’s the chance that he comes up with a value of 300K?
Anybody in the same situation, what did you do?

Drivers side window button kind of works. I hit it and the window goes a few inches, sometimes all the way. and passenger side works very rarely. Door lock also doesn't work. Anyone have this happen and have any solutions? Will I have to just replace the switches? Can it be fuses?

Ever since I first saw someone use an octatrack in 2010 I've always been a fan of it and the other Elektron devices. I love my octatrack despite its age and have always enjoyed making stuff on it. With that said, the device is starting to show its age and I believe that Elektron will ship a replacement to the octatrack within the next year or two. Naturally they're not going to announce this until they drop it, so predictions are hard but I'm going to make them anyway.
There is an OT-sized gap in the lineup
Right now in their lineup, for any given role, they have a full-sized item and a half-sized item (I'm ignoring the model:... devices and the other ones for now). The Analog 4 has the Digitone (synths), the Analog Rytm has the Syntakt (drum synths), and the OT has the Digitakt (samplers).
The Digitakt 2's new features are really starting to give the OT a run for its money, especially with the 16 audio/midi tracks, the sidechainable "pump-ready" compressor, and the Overbridge support are quite simply things that the OT cannot support even with a firmware upgrade.
The lack of overbridge support is the biggest gap IMO, especially for a device that is meant to be the "centerpiece" of a hardware setup. I can use every other device as a sound card to record and master on my computer, but not the OT, which means I have to either use a device that has fewer inputs or a separate audio interface.
I have a DT1 and while I don't have a DT2 it seems to have a lot of really incredible features. However what it doesn't have as much of the "centerpiece" features that the OT boasts, mainly the multi-stereo-in, multitrack recording and diverse FX. When you combine the inherent gaps in the DT2 and the inherent gaps in the OT, it seems like there's enough of a gap to justify a new device.
It will be built off of the Digitakt, almost like a DT plus
According to what I've seen on Elektronauts, the team that made the OT are no longer at the company, and apparently it has a codebase that is different enough from the other devices that they are unable to get Overbridge working on it (which is why its not already on there). So its reasonable to think that the OT is essentially in maintenance mode: maybe a few extra features with firmware upgrades but its about as mature as its going to get. Contrast that with the other overbridge-ready devices which feel a bit more "evergreen", its difficult to eke out new features with what exists now.
While I have no window into their development process, it seems to me it would be much easier to add OT-like features to the DT than it would be to get the OT up to "evergreen" status.
Based on what has been developed so far with the DT2, it kinda feels like they're doing this in preparation to build a new flagship device.
It will not be called an Octatrack, and it will be something completely new
This will not be a MKIII device and will be called something else. Since the DT2 already boasts 16 channel stereo sampling, the OT would likely need to match that, which kinda makes the OT naming a bit odd.
Since it will be built from the ground up, it makes sense for them to brand this as a totally different device to avoid the OT comparisons and give them the freedom to do something new.
Also, since the OT is already a great device, it might make sense to keep shipping those alongside the new thing. This would also help levy any criticisms that the new product might have for being too "divergent" from what the OT does.
DAW-less and performance-centric setups have started to become more of a thing lately if what I've seen online is any indication, and if I were them I would be wanting to position this as an even more powerful "centerpiece" device than anything else on the market. Ableton is starting to get in on their turf a bit with the standalone Push, and Akai is continuing to upgrade the MPC platform, so IMO they're going to need to get serious with a device that connects DAW-less to DAW.
Elektron could ship an OT with DT features, but I'd wager they will want to reimagine this a bit. I just hope they keep the crossfader!
It will be the most expensive device they sell (> $2k but probably not by much)
Not that I want it to cost this much, but shipping a new product is a good time to bump up the price floor, what with inflation and all. The standalone Push is already selling at $2k, and if this is supposed to compete with that, it stands to reason it will have a similar price tag. Some on here have said that Elektron has been focusing so much on the half-sized devices since they sell better and I generally agree, but given my above points, they might want to go all out on a "mothership" device with the associated price tag.
Also, if they decide they want to continue making the OT, they can probably keep selling it at $1600 without cannibalizing the new device too much.
What I really want
I really just want an OT with overbridge support, a dedicated master with compressor sidechain, good effects (current effects are fine but could be better), and that incredible crossfader with the scenes. I'm not the first person to ask for that either. The fact that this hasn't happened yet while the DT is getting lots of upgrades, it feels like a new OT-like device is (relatively) around the corner.

I love your big cheeks when you smile. You always wanted to get braces, but I love your teeth the way they are.
I love your soft heart. I’d always admire how you cry. I’m sorry I made you cry so much sometimes. I’m too much like my parents.
I love that you always want to grow and how you can look forward. I’m so proud of you. I’m so grateful I was there to see you get your degree, to see you move out, to be part of your life.
I love that you love yellow and sunflowers and the sky. You were always so bright. I also don’t like it now too, because whenever I see something happy, I think of you, and it makes me really sad. Being happy makes me sad.
If art was for me, music was for you. I miss hearing you hum and sing. You’re a great singer. I can’t listen to soft songs anymore.
I loved giving you my last bite every time. Sitting across from you made me happy. It was always enough for me to just be with you. I didn’t need any gifts or flowers or letters, but I got those too anyway.
Sometimes you’d slap your big belly, and I’d slap it too. I liked that. Do you remember when I’d cuff your sleeves before work? Or run to get your hairbrush one more time? How you’d scare me through the window while I washed the dishes? How I’d hug you at the door when you came home? Scrubbing your back in the shower? Waking you up just so I could remind you that I love you? I miss calling you over so you could just lay on top of me. When we rolled on the floor after moving into your new apartment.
My friends and family say I idealize you too much. But I don’t think so. I did the cliche thing, the important healing step, where I made a list of all the pet peeves and transgressions. But it didn’t feel right, hating you or villainizing you. You had your flaws, your quirks and those were fine with me. It just reminded me you were human. The weird way you sleep, how’d you get a little too angry at video games, how you’d be too anxious to go out sometimes. I love the human you.
Sometimes I wish you were horrible to me, to make this easier. Everyone else I talk to had horrible exes, mean ones. When I listen to their stories, it’s not you I think about. It’s me, maybe. Maybe that’s what I am to you.
I went to Chickfila and Cheesecake Factory on my own to try and replace our memories. I took myself to brunch and looked at the colors of the floor, the ceilings and the letters hanging on the wall to stay grounded. I browsed the shelves of the Korean Mart where I’d buy you snacks and looked at the chocolate bar selection at Aldi’s. I went to an arcade with new strangers I met and tried to win myself my own prize.
My therapist asked me to recall a happy memory, a content one. I told her about how I drove your car over the Golden Gate Bridge. We stopped at the viewing vista over the San Francisco Bay, and I kissed you on the cheek as I took a picture. It was my favorite picture of us, I had it printed so many times and pinned to my wall. In that memory, I felt safe, I felt warm, I felt content, I felt loved.
I hate how you said I never loved you, how I am unable to love. What is this feeling then? And where does this pain come from, if not my shattered heart?
Because I love you, I’m supposed to let you go. Be happy for you and send you off with love. But you’re not here anyway, so I hope it’s okay if I hold on for a little while longer. Write you a letter, or two, and look for you in every song lyric and in every flower by the street. Think of you as the clouds pass by and feel you in my chest when I find a laugh.

Hiya, wanting to pick your brains for some advice on my PC - I've been having a lot of system instability, with Windows freezing and crashing multiple times a day including at boot and during games, requiring hard restart using the reset button.
I ran Memtest86+ and consistently get errors in the same test (test 7), even after switching my RAM to different slots (from 2 and 4 to 1 and 3) and using a different pair of memory sticks borrowed from a working PC.
My guess now is that the RAM isn't the issue, so it must be CPU or motherboard related. Given how rare CPU issues are, I think it's likely that the motherboard that needs replacing. Any thoughts?
PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD Ryzen 5 5600X 3.7 GHz 6-Core Processor	Purchased For $377.52
CPU Cooler	Noctua NH-U14S 82.52 CFM CPU Cooler	Purchased For $98.23
Motherboard	Gigabyte B450M DS3H Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard	Purchased For $109.00
Memory	Crucial Ballistix 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory	Purchased For $68.49
Storage	Western Digital Blue SN550 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive	Purchased For $137.55
Storage	Seagate BarraCuda 4 TB 3.5" 5400 RPM Internal Hard Drive	Purchased For $128.00
Storage	Western Digital Caviar Blue 1 TB 3.5" 7200 RPM Internal Hard Drive	Purchased For $63.99
Video Card	PNY VERTO OC GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER 12 GB Video Card	$912.17
Case	Silverstone KL07 ATX Mid Tower Case	Purchased For $115.00
Power Supply	Enermax Revolution D.F. 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply	Purchased For $149.00
Wireless Network Adapter	Asus PCE-AX58BT 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax PCIe x1 Wi-Fi Adapter	Purchased For $65.50
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total	$2224.45
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-05-22 09:27 AEST+1000

Hello,
We are replacing our windows and siding this summer. At first, we received quotes for the windows only from the Pella, Andersen etc. We then found a local company through the BBB that does both windows and siding as the reddit-sphere suggested going with local company for significantly better pricing. The local company ended up being half the price for windows, however, the siding quote seems very high. The estimate came in at $54,000 for 3400 sqft of LP Smartside siding, Tyvek, trim, and insulation. Does this seem high?
Thank you in advance!