Hi guys! Received a CTO and trying to determine which base will be the best for me to grow and make money.
I think the bases currently being offered are Newark, DC, San Fran, Denver and Chicago. I want to pick up on my off days and want to make sure I will be able too. Please help!! Thank you

Not sure if this is the right place to post this but I need help.
I've been trying extremely hard to get my foot in the door on two apprenticeship programs. I reside on the west side of Chicago Illinois and I just can't seem to get sponsored.
I've been committed to trying to get into the General Laborers union and Cement Masons 502 local union. In order for these programs to train you, you need a contractor willing to sponsor you first.
There are many contractors in or near the Chicago area but not many are hiring or are already filled. I've called dozens of contractors multiple times that don't even pick up the phone. How is it that I'm running out of options for BOTH trades?
I don't understand, I'm willing to work and learn but it's already difficult trying to get my foot in the door to start. Any advice?

Part 1
Chicago, 2016. Flinn Gerald is doing his best to make it in the city. Born in Selma, Alabama, he has spent his entire life trying to escape the ever tightening grasp of his small town. But alas, he made it out and is adapting to life in the big city. With a big fancy corporate job, an endless supply of friends, an apartment with a stunning view of the lake, and great distance from his family, what more could he need? Well, there is a lot more (or less) that he needs, but of course that is a story for later.
On a typical Tuesday night at a bar, the regulars crowd in. Flinn is late, as usual, as he stayed late at work (again), but on his arrival, the cheers and hugs from all the friends make everyone forget of the regular inconvenience. Conversation ensued, starting with all the boring finance jargon, but as the drinks flowed, so did the conversation, moving away from work and more into life. This is what everyone preferred.
“Another round, anyone?” asked Raheem, enthusiastically. After a murmur of concurrence, he stood up to make his way up to the bar. “Flinn, care to lend a hand?”
Raheem Bartlett was Flinn’s college roommate and the first person he met outside of his hometown. The pair hit it off instantly despite having wildly different backgrounds. Even in their freshman year, the engineer and the finance major would get into all sorts of trouble together, but eventually they leveled out. Six years later, they still have each other’s backs just like day one.
The pair made their way up to the bar and waited to get the bartender's attention. “What's up with you, bro?” asked Raheem. “You’ve been seeming a bit off.”
“Oh, ya know. Work, life, everything kinda happens so fast. Work has been busy as of late, and the hours long.”
Seeming displeased by this answer, Raheem stared back in concern.
“Really, I’m fine… just long hours.”
“Back in school you’d pull back to back all-nighters and then still make it to a morning class. I find it hard to believe that the mighty Flinn would be so setback by ‘long hours’.”
Flinn took a moment to ponder, staring down at the bar covered in various stamps and postcards beneath the epoxy surface. “I guess, ya know, it's not all it was cracked up to be. I guess I had expected more.” Flinn had mostly dropped his accent, but occasionally it would still slip out.
Despite coming from a long line of mill workers (mostly paper) and farm hands who never ventured further than the Dallas county line, Flinn yearned to leave his small town and conquer the world from a young age. Coming from the poorest county in Alabama, his family always squashed his dreams, labeling them as impossible. But Flinn knew better. Or, at least he knew he could do better. Graduating top of his class a year early and winning a full-ride scholarship to Northwestern University, he had proved everyone wrong and set his own path. The path he was told was impossible became his reality.
“More what?”
“Nothing, really. I mean, what more is there? This is what I always wanted, right? The stable job in the city, never having to worry about money. It’s great, and I couldn’t be more grateful, but… something is missing. Doing the same thing day after day staring at a screen, moving clients money around. I… just hoped it would be more fulfilling, especially after all it took to get here.”
Before he could finish his thought, the bartender came up to take their order: another round for the table, plus a round of shots, plus two more shots.
“What am I saying, really?” added Flinn. “I shouldn’t be complaining. Look at where I am now compared to six years ago. So much has changed. My home, friends, even my diet. I just feel a bit off. Like I need something more to do..
“I get it, bro. Adjusting to your new life can be rough. Enjoy it for a minute or two.” Raheem slides a shot in front of Flinn. “Here, take this.”
Tuesday had become fairly consistent to this point for this group of misfits: Raheem and his girlfriend Amy; Jack; Jasper, from Flinn’s firm, and his wife Max; and of course, Flinn. For nearly two years, these six have been meeting at O’Malley’s every Tuesday night for drinks and trivia. Some nights are more wild than others, but Tuesday has become the staple of the week among them.
Drinks flowed pretty regularly and heavy over the next few hours as the clock approached the end of day. Still going round for round on alternating tabs, the useless debates began to heat up.
“You can’t seriously think Wicker Park is the best neighborhood outside the Loop. Y’all need to get out more,” said Flinn.
“Bro it’s obviously Wicker Park,” argued Raheem.” Right on the blue line, getting to O’Hare is insanely easy, plus you can’t find better music in the city. Besides, Wicker Park has Davenport’s.”
“No one ever says Wicker Park,” adds Jack. “Have you ever heard someone say Wicker Park before?”
“Dude, but you can obviously get to O’Hare from anywhere in the city,” said Flinn
“Sure, but beats walking through that dumb Block 37 Center transfer like you and your red line. No transfer is the way to go, plus the blue line gets you right to the center of the loop.”
“So does every other L line as long as ya don’t mind walking a few blocks!”
“You’re both wrong,” adds Max. “Neither matters because Midway is better anyways.”
“Woah!” the whole table murmurs, sharing shocked looks as if she just confessed to a crime. Flinn rolled his eyes at this notion.
“Who flies out of Midway?” asks Raheem.
“What? Less people, cheaper flights, and more space. Why wouldn’t I fly out of Midway?” said Max.
“Wait, wait, that aside,” interrupts Raheem, “can we go back to the fact that Jasper thinks Sheffield is the best neighborhood? I feel like we moved past that too quickly.”
The debate rages on for many more minutes, until Flinn, seemingly out of nowhere, had enough.
“Can y’all just shut the fuck up! Why does it even matter?” Everyone’s glance quickly shot over to Flinn as a deafening silence overtook the table. Everyone pondered how to respond, and couldn’t seem to find an answer. This behavior from Flinn was unexpected, nay, unheard of. Flinn was the most level headed amongst them by far. Not even Raheem, his best friend of six years, had ever seen him get angry, let alone over an inconsequential friendly argument. “I…” Not even Flinn knew what to say next. “I’m going to go home. Long day tomorrow.” Already on his feet, he quickly walked away from the table and out the door.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The walk home was fairly brisk, but Flinn had grown fond of the cold. He tucked his hands into his coat pocket and hunched his shoulders forward, only looking down at the pavement ignoring the mostly asleep but still wide awake city surrounding him. His thoughts ran wild and near out of control. Of course, his intoxication did not help with clarity, but the inner dialogue was deafening. Not even he knew what was bothering him, but he was obviously bothered, deeply. He made a fool of himself in a way he never had before, and right now he felt he did not recognize himself. Surely some sleep will help, right?
He slowly made his way down the steps to the platform, carefully watching each step as to not fall, to wait for his train. He posted up against a pillar and stared off onto the dark, empty tracks. What has gotten into me? He did his best to calm his racing, wasted mind searching for some legibility amongst his thoughts.
Once he finally got home, he slumped down on the couch and scarfed down some week-old sushi he found in the fridge. He turned on some old documentary and was asleep before he knew it.
Suddenly, he was woken up by his phone ringing. It usually does not ring this time of night and was less than thrilled to be woken, so he let it keep ringing. It stopped after a couple of seconds, and he glanced down at the screen:
Mama
(2) missed calls
Dad
(1) missed call
Now concerned, he calls his mom back in a hurry. “Hello?”
“Flinn? Your grandfather, he’s dead.”
Part 2
The wet air engulfed Flinn’s face as he stepped out the airport doors into a warm February day. Six years had passed since he smelled the Alabama air. Even after all this time, it still smells just as he had remembered as if not even a day had passed. The drive to Selma was another ninety minutes, and despite having five days to mentally prepare himself for his arrival, it was not nearly enough time. He had not seen or spoken to anyone from his town, not even family, since he left early that August morning all those years ago. He left everything behind to start his new life. The life so many told him to not start, that he needed to stay. He left anyway and never looked back.
That was, until now. He had little choice in this regard. He knew he would have to make his return someday, but he knew not when nor for what. But today was that day. Flinn and his grandfather (Pops) had always been close. If anyone had been supportive of him, it’d have been Pops, but he was a man of little words. Even when he could talk, he hardly chose to. He was a great listener, and not just because he could not speak. He showed he was engaged and listening no matter what Flinn had to say. At times, he felt Pops was the only one who understood him as if he had been just like him before, but no one would ever talk about his past. All Flinn knew is Pops lost his tongue after a failed lynching.
The familiarity of the scenery zipping past was bittersweet. He had not realized how much he missed the rolling hills and thick forests beneath the unforgiving southern sky. He kept his head pressed against the cool glass of the car window even through the constant bumps in the road. He couldn’t look away. So many memories happened here, and the closer he got, the more plentiful the memories became, and the more potent they were, and the more painful they’d become.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As the dust settled behind him, he stood on the driveway staring at his childhood home still unsure how to process his emotions. It was all so overwhelming. He was thinking everything at once. He took a deep breath, rolled back his shoulders, and swallowed. He reached for the door handle, hesitating slightly, and took a step in. One foot, and then the next.
“Martin!” Flinn smiled as his old friend and childhood dog rushed towards him without hesitation. He knelt down and embraced him as Martin excitedly rustled through his arms seemingly showing more energy than he had in years.
He walked down the hall and around the corner into the living room. There, both drawn to the large television like moths to a flame, he saw his parents sitting beside one another on the couch watching some daytime program with their backs to him. They seemed to pay no notice to the commotion at the front door nor the loud creaking footsteps he took along the old wooden floors. They knew he was there; they just chose to ignore him. He walked into view to greet them. "Mama, dad." His father smiled slightly but caught himself and refrained.
Mama kept a straight face, but seemed to be fighting tears."Howard, help Flinn with his bags, dear."
“No, it's alright, I know where to take them,” said Flinn. “How are y’all?”
“Service is tomorrow at eleven down at the ole First Baptist Church. Make sure to wear something nice.”
“Alright, mama. I’ll... I’ll see you at dinner.”
“Whole family is coming tonight. Dinner is served at...”
“At seven, I got it, just as always.”
“It’s good to see you, kid.” said his dad. “Let me know if you need anything”
He did not expect things to go like that, not that he knew what to expect. He had hoped time would have been more forgiving. Perhaps leaving unannounced in the middle of the night was not the best plan, but at the time he felt as if he had no other choice. Everyone knew he was leaving. That was no secret and had not been for years before any plan had actually been set into motion. No one knew the date or time, except for Pops, of course, but he’d never tell. Of course he wanted everyone to know. He wanted everyone to be proud of him, but it was too big of a risk and commendations were too much to expect. Besides, Mama always had her schemes, and had she known, she would have found a way to stop him.
Not much had changed since he’d been here last. The old wood paneling still lined nearly all the walls, crack in some spots, replaced in others, but all coated by decades of cigarette soot. On the walls were a combination of family portraits from over the years and cheap artwork found at the flea market. Old green furniture, too many house plants to count, and a tacky themed kitchen, it was all still the same.
His childhood bedroom, however, was much different. Hardly even recognizable, what was once his bedroom was now a storage room filled with endless shelves and boxes. He set his things on the lonely cot in the corner, sat down, and took it all in.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Not realizing he had drifted off, Flinn awoke and looked at the clock. 6:55. Convenient. He sat up and brushed his hair down with his hand as he suspected it was sticking up in the usual way. He rubbed his eyes and made his way to the dining room. The whole family was there, probably about twenty people or so, all scattered about throughout the kitchen, dining room, and living room engaged in various conversations. His nana, aunt, and Mama were cooking away putting the final touches on the large meal.
“Well if it isn’t this fucker…” said a familiar voice to his left, laughing. Flinn looked over to see his cousin who’s just a year younger than him.
“DeAndre, how are you?”
“Never thought I’d see you again, even since you left. Thought maybe you ‘ood be dead.”
“Nah,” Flinn laughed. “Still very much alive.”
“I can see dat. Wearin’ your fancy suit and all.”
“Yeah I’ve been doing pretty well. Work has been… good. I have a great job at a finance firm in Chicago. Everything has been… Good. Yeah, good. How about you?”
“Now you ain’t goin’ city on us, are you?”
Flinn laughed. “I think I might already be.”
Just as dinner was finishing up, a line started to form and people found a seat wherever they could, be it at the table, on the couch, near the counter, or outside.
“Flinn!” his dad called out. “I saved ya a seat here at the table, kid.”
Flinn took his seat right next to his dad which positioned him right across from Mama. The table could sit eight, and the seats filled in pretty quickly so he was lucky to get one. Besides his sister, all of the oldest family members took the other four chairs.
The dinner itself was mostly uneventful, except for the food of course which was extraordinary. Flinn had not eaten Mama’s cooking, or anything like it in six years. The southern food in Chicago was alright, but nothing like what you can get down here, and no restaurant is going to have the same quality and taste as a home-cooked meal. By God, he had not realized how much he needed this. It was almost healing, like a part of his soul had been lost and he found it once again. The last week had been incredibly overwhelming, and last Saturday he never foresaw being here now, but he was glad he was, regardless of the looming tension. All the stress from work and life back home in Chicago was now all gone. All he had to worry about was… oh yeah, the family drama. The dreaded interactions, what he had suppressed for so long, that had kept him up at night for years. All those long nights doing homework or anything else beside sleeping. They had not been by choice but rather necessity. He would have slept more if he could, and some of those nights he really needed to, but instead was kept motivated by the pain. The pain of knowing no matter what he did, no matter how successful in life he became, he would never be good enough for his family, good enough for Mama, because he left them.
If there ever was a time to clear his conscience and get everything out of the way, it would be today, or at least over the next couple of days. When else would he have the chance? Not that any of this had been planned, and his therapist would probably advise against it. She did not even know he was here. What would she have to say? Avoiding conflict has always been his choice. He has always been quiet, never been at the center of drama, but some things need to be said. Just, maybe not by him. If he waited long enough, perhaps they would come up on their own. So he decided to wait, but he knew time was limited and he could not wait forever.
“Mama, could you pass the butter?”
Mama just stared back at him. “Get ya own damn buttah, since ya can do everything else on ya own.”
Flinn stands up and reaches for the butter. “I can do everything myself, and I have. I hope you’re proud, Mama.”
“Proud? What do I have to be proud of?”
“Oh, I don’t know, maybe my job, my degree, everything I have been able to do to build a good life for myself.”
“I don hear anything worthy of praise.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, Mama.”
“Oh, so now you’re sorry? You could’ve fooled me. Is that how you felt when you left? Unbelievable.”
“I left because I had no other choice.”
“Oh don go lyin’ to me now. You did have a choice. You had a choice and you chose to leave us. You didn’t say goodbye, and you were just gone in the mornin’.”
“If I had not just left, you would’ve stopped me.”
“Cause you ain’t got no reason to go nowhere.”
“I had plenty of reasons to want to leave, and not because of you. I’ve always had dreams, Mama, ya know that. I’ve always been bigger than just this town.”
“Oh, so now you’re too good for us, city boy? Huh? I don wanna hear no more of it.”
“It wasn’t about that, Mama. Look at all I’ve been able to do.”
“I ain’t see nothin’. You never call and you never visit. How am I supposed to know what you been doin’?”
“I thought you didn’t want me coming around any more?”
“Well, you’ve got that right. Glad to see you still have some brains left.”
“Well excuse me. Maybe it's best if I leave again. Sorry I ain’t make you proud, Mama.” Flinn got up and left the table.
Part 3
Just as the early light began to peak through the blinds, Flinn was woken up by a firm knock at his door. “Flinn, may I come in? It's Uncle Terrence.”
Flinn sat up and rubbed his eyes. “Yep, come in.”
“How are you this morning, kid? Ya know, she’ll never admit it, but ya Mama missed ya.”
“I find it hard to believe.” Deep down Flinn knew it was true, but she was hard as a rock, and arrogant. She would always find a way to be right, even when she knew she was wrong, and she would never let you know she knew she was wrong.
“Well, we’re all proud of you, kid.” Flinn hated when Terrence and everyone called him kid. “Just wish yoo’d come around and see us every once in a while. I know ya busy with all the big city stuff and all.”
“I thought no one wanted anything to do with me any more?”
“At first, maybe, but I miss ya, kid. Ya know who missed ya most of all?”
“Pops?”
“Yes, of course. He always wanted to know about ya, every time I’d come round. He couldn’t call, but always wanted me to.”
“I should have called.”
“I think everyone wanted to call, but as time went on, it became harder and harder to push that button. It was already so hard at first, and only got harder.”
“I thought about everyone a lot, especially at first. Leaving was really hard, and I almost didn’t, but I always wanted more. I didn’t want to spend my whole life in this town, and if I had not left when I did I probably never would have. But it was still hard. I wanted to go home so many times, but I convinced myself no one wanted me here no more or that y’all would’ve said ‘I told ya so’ or sum bullshit. No one wanted me around any more and I had left, so I was stuck on the path I chose. And I’m happy, and I’ve done so much, but it’s never been easy.”
“Pops was a lot like you when he was your age. Set on leaving as quickly as he could. Things were different back then, not that they are any better now, but Hank... my brother… Pops, was just like you.”
“What changed?”
“Well, he never did. Just no one talks about it anymore. After what happened on that day, they blamed his behavior. Said he should’ve played it safe and he’d still have his tongue.”
“No one has ever told me the story.”
“And they won’t. It changed the whole family.”
“But you’ll tell me?”
“Only if you promise not to tell. I don need an earful from ya Mama.”
“I promise.”
“Hank couldn’t be confined to Selma, just like you. He joined the army right out of high school, and after he was done in Lebanon, he didn’t go straight home.”
“Where did he go?”
“Everywhere but here. He used the small amount of money he got from the army and went anywhere that would let him in. Across Europe, parts of Asia, Northern Africa, even parts of South America. Of course, a young black man traveling by himself at the time was challenging, but Hank could hold his own pretty well. He still ran into all sorts of trouble. He spent more nights in jail than he would have liked, but he would have done it all again if he could.”
“What happened when he got back?”
“He was much different, but for the better. He couldn’t wait to get back out there again. He had confidence like I had never seen before. That’s what got him in trouble not too long after.”
“How’d he lose his tongue? I’m guessing that is what changed everything.”
“When he got back, he got involved with a girl, I think her name was Susan. She was the mayor’s daughter. They snuck around for a while. Their relationship was not acceptable, especially to her father. If he found out, Hank would be in a lot of trouble, and of course eventually he did find out. He spent about a month in jail in just awful conditions even for the time. They didn’t have anything to hold him on so eventually they had to let him go. About a week after he got out, he was walking downtown and some guys grabbed him. He took him out to a field and tried to lynch him. Luckily, they failed and he survived, but they took his tongue as a warning. He was never the same after that. All of his confidence was gone, and of course he couldn’t speak no more.”
Flinn did not know how to respond. It all made sense now: why the family so desperately wanted him to stay, why they were so hurt by him leaving, and why they’d feared who he was becoming. They were all traumatized and wanted to protect him. They did not want him to suffer the same fate as Pops.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The funeral itself was fairly uneventful and went nearly as perfectly as expected. The church filled in with hardly any empty seats, tears were shed, and speeches were given. Pops touched the lives of almost everyone he met, and they came to show it. After the service was the reception, and yet again, the food was spectacular. Everyone got along just fine today and there was no more residual drama, at least for now. Today was Pops’ day.
After the reception, the family gathered back at Mama’s house for the reading of the will. Pops did not have many possessions, at least not of monetary value, but what he did have was meaningful in other ways. He was very clear on who he wanted to give off, and handpicked what would be most substantial to each person.
Everyone gathered around much as they did at dinner, and the lawyer began his reading:
I, Hank Gerald, a resident in the City of Selma, County of Dallas, State of Alabama, being of sound mind, not acting under duress or undue influence, and fully understanding the nature and extent of all my property and of this disposition thereof, hereby make, publish, and declare this document to be my Last Will and Testament, and hereby absolutely revoke any and all other wills and amendments previously made by me.
The reading went on for some time as there were many beneficiaries. Flinn began to daydream about what could be left for him. Flinn was not a very sentimental person, so trinkets and heirlooms paid him little interest. Perhaps his car, or maybe money. Something that will be useful to him.
To my dear brother, Terrence, I leave my 1964 Pontiac GTO and all tools and parts associated and necessary with/for the running and upkeep of the vehicle.
The further down the list he went, less was given, but this is to be expected. As the end of the list neared, Flinn began to wonder what would be left for him if anything at all. The will had been in order of age, to this point, so he should be up soon.
To my Granddaughter, Nia,...
Nia? She's younger than me… Flinn thought.
I leave her my grandmother’s locket containing a picture of my Grandfather before he left for the Great War. She looked at it everyday to keep the memory of him alive until he eventually returned to her alive.
How could he skip me? Perhaps I should have called, or never left. Flinn got lost in his own thoughts and barely paid attention to the rest of the will. He and Pops were so close, and he never imagined he would be taken out of the will. But that is my own fault, afterall. I left, and I never even care to call. He died, and I never even said goodbye.
Just as Flinn began to accept the consequences of his actions, they got to the last beneficiary listed in the will:
Finally, to my oldest Grandson, Flinn, who is more and more like me than I ever could have wished to have been, I leave my journal. I hope whenever you need the motivation, you read it to find the meaning you are looking for in life.
Part 4
Flinn sat at his desk unable to focus. It was fairly slow for a Friday, but he still had work to do. After a chaotic weekend back home in Alabama, he was ready to settle back into his monotonous routine. The experience had been healing in some regards, but still left a lot unanswered. What did he mean by finding the meaning in life? Flinn wondered as he flipped through the endless pages of Pops’ journal, all filled with endless recounts, drawings, symbols, and pictures from his travels, just as he had since Monday. The journal consumed his whole attention, and nothing else seemed important enough to focus on. He had even ditched his friends all week which he never does.
He is supposed to meet Raheem for drinks tonight, but now he is wondering if he even wants to go. There is just too much in his head right now. He just wants to be alone. 12:37. The clock is moving too slowly. Flinn clears his calendar for the rest of the day and decides to go home.
At home, he still finds himself flipping through the pages of the journal, not even reading them but just looking at them. Again and again, he flips through until he has enough. He drops the journal on his lap and stares off into the distance at the gorgeous view of Lake Michigan. The endless city and skyline take up most of the horizon until it just stops, cut off by the endless ocean-like lake. He stares at it for quite a while until something catches his eye. He has seen this before. Well, of course he has. He lives here and this is his view everyday. But he knows he has seen it somewhere else.
He picks the journal back up and flips through in a hurry. There it is. He holds the journal up to the window to show a matching two-page drawing of this exact view. Well, not exact. It is a slightly different angle, but it was close enough. Pops was here. He would have loved visiting. I should have invited him. This made Flinn sad, and he threw the journal down on the table in frustration.
Just then, that is when he noticed it. There was a page sticking out from the journal, but it was not like the rest. The page was white and pristine, aside from a few wrinkles, as if it was new, whereas the rest of the journal showed its age. He rushed over to grab it. He opened it to find a letter, addressed to him:
Grandson, When you left, I knew that you would accomplish everything you set out to do. I also knew, however, you would find yourself lost someday, returning home for answers. I was hoping I’d be able to give you those answers myself, but as time goes on that seems less likely. I too found myself lost, and I knew not why. I had gone and seen the world, and it changed me, but I was still not fulfilled. I came home still looking for the answers, and it took a while, but eventually I did find them.
Through this journal, I hope to share my findings so that you too, when you are lost, find the answers you seek. Whenever you are ready, follow my journey and the clues I have left for you. Go out and see the world, just as I did. You will find that what you want from life is less than what you expect.
I hope the experiences you have are less harsh than my own, but still be careful. The world has changed a lot, but still not enough. But don’t skip ahead for the meaning may be lost. Take only one step at a time, and when it comes time to take the next step, it will reveal itself.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Seven o’clock rolls around and Flinn walks into the bar to meet Raheem. He hasn’t seen Raheem, or anyone else from the group, since last Tuesday when he had his outburst. He begins by telling the story of the events of this last weekend, but leaves out the parts about Pops’ past.
"Pops left me a hidden letter.”
“What do you mean?” asked Raheem.
“Like in his journal, I found a hidden letter. It was addressed to me.”
“What did it say, bro?”
“He says he was a lot like me when he was my age. He wants me to go where he went and learn what he did.”
“In Alabama?”
“No, everywhere but there. He wants me to start in Western Europe and follow his clues around the world.”
“He traveled?”
“A lot, apparently. I never knew. He was in the army, and after he got out, he traveled… everywhere, basically.”
“Why did no one tell you?”
“They wanted to keep me safe, I guess.
"They wanted to keep the whole family safe after what happened to him.”
“What do you mean, bro. What happened?”
“I can’t talk about it, but it doesn’t matter now anyways. I’m living a different life now.” Flinn never shared much about his past or his family with anyone, not even Raheem. It has always been a mystery. This was the most he had ever shared with him.
“Well, are you going to go?”
“No, I can’t. I have work. It took too much to get here. I can’t just give it away.”
“It’ll still be here when you get back, bro.”
“If only it was that simple.”
“It can be. You have money saved up. Chicago isn’t going anywhere. We’re not going anywhere. Plus, you’ve always talked about traveling more. Why don’t you take some time to do it.”
“I suppose, but I like my life here.”
“If you don’t do it now, when will you? You’ve taken a leap before, why not take another one. You’re smart, you’ll land on your feet, bro. Besides, your grandfather thought it was important enough to not only give you his journal, but hide you a letter for you to find when you needed it most. Maybe now is when you needed it most. You’re way too stressed at work anyways, and I can tell you’ve been off for a while now. Perhaps some change could give you what you need.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On Monday morning, when Flinn gets to work, he walked straight to his boss's office. He turned in his letter of resignation.
Two weeks later, he took the red line to the blue line to O’Hare. Journal in hand, he boarded a flight to Dublin.

Saw a few post around reddit and had to rant a little. Moving IS NOT a solution to low wage and rising cost of living. People go "oh just move" but there is multiple issues at play.
First lower cost of living has equally low wages with many things like healthcare and vehicles not being any cheaper. And often works out to be that money goes less far.
The other reality is were not robots support groups friends and family matter for maintaining mental health. Just picking up and moving into complete isolation, especially with work being what it is today. Having little energy left little funds left its very likely what you lose will not be replaced or take years even decades to rebuild. Leaving you in complete isolation.
Beyond mental health there is tangible benefits even not doing stuff for you but "mutual". Roommates help substantially cut cost. And while craigslist is "fun" its also a good way to be stuck in a lease with violent person that steals stuff and doesn't pay. If you have kids there is back and forth where you with other siblings or friends take time watching each other kids. As well as helping move etc.
Then there is cost of move people joke bus tickets x and crap. But reality is you have stuff even if you can compact it minimalize. Replacing bed is not cheap computer clothes it adds up. Even if you go small you either need to spend 1-2k replacing shit or 1-2k on moving vehicle for the cross country move.
Even on typical move where you "just throw out" dingy garbage can. Or a few other things or dishes break in move etc. Realistically just buying stuff for new apartment will run a few hundred bucks in odds and ends.
So in reality you first need 3-5k to afford move, which your broke and not making enough to live let alone save.
All this to move to area that sure rents cheap. BUT is there any jobs for you especially if you have any skills. I remember growing up in rural town. Kids would apply year round to 4-5 businesses in town as it was only option. And lucky few got jobs.
Most moved out due to lack of available work AT ALL. One of friends that stayed he works for only car shop in town as mechanic. He can not quit if place goes under he is stuck with a house. With only option flipping burgers or walmart.
Like the options are not great in these towns for work and even if you do get work. Its not great pay. So your stuck in town with no job opportunity no entertainment and substandard infrastructure. If you get a job your 100% stuck. If you quit you will have to move or work min wage.
Like it has to be stupidest suggestion. Especially with "rural" catching up and being among fast growing rents with stagnant wages. Everyone from private equity to people who can work from home are chasing these cheap areas. And its skyrocketing prices but with wages remaining stagnant for area. In my state its like sure rents 30% more in big citys but pay is also 50% higher.

I picked up an unlocked iPhone 15 Pro today, signed up for a new line on Boost Infinite's $25/mo Infinite Unlimited plan, and activated my eSIM just now. My ICCID starts with 89012, which I understand is a T-Mobile SIM and not a Dish Smart Switching one. I live in Chicago, which is listed as a covered area here: https://help.boostinfinite.com/docs/americas-smart-network.
Based on my reading of several comments by reps here, because my device is capable and my region is covered, I should have received a Smart Switching "Rainbow" SIM regardless of the plan I signed up for (for example, this comment from 9 days ago: https://www.reddit.com/boostinfinite/comments/1ck8axl/comment/l2u8xfx/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button).
I specifically signed up for Boost Infinite due to its advertised smart switching capability, so it's very disappointing that despite checking all the boxes (eligible device, eligible plan, covered region), I still didn't get access to the Smart Switching SIM. Is there anything I can do at this point to get that SIM?

Hello! My boyfriend is in NY for the whole of June for work. He's done a similar thing in Chicago before and really struggled to not eat rubbish all month. Does anyone have any recommendations for places to eat that aren't all just standard take away foods, steaks, unhealthy snacky lunches? Sadly, he's not a fan of salads, so grabbing a wholefoods lunch isn't an option either. Anyhing spicy is out as well. He will pick up fruits as snacks and do some shopping there, but we think he'll be in a hotel without cooking facilities.
He's happy to eat out at mid- high end a couple of times if there's more variety and better quality, but on a day to day basis, lunch and dinner seems difficult. We live in London and would struggle to curate a whole months worth of variety here without giving in to pizza and burgers occasionally, so just some suggestions would help! He will likely be located in Midtown but can obvs travel a bit!
I'm thinking somewhere that does decent bread, Italian deli recommendations, good soups, pasta places, Turkish fine, Japanese fine etc.
Thank you for any suggestions!

I quoted the article below for those who don't like to click the links and read the actual articles. But for those who want to be informed and not just "react and rant" to a headline, I also included the link to the article.
https://www.cnbc.com/2024/05/15/uber-go-get-uber-announces-uber-shuttle-uber-caregiver-costco-perks.html
Essentially, Uber is going to pay a 3rd party local shuttle service for the thing they were paying drivers to do and cut out drivers.🤔 I wonder how much is the amount they will pay to the local shuttle service to avoid giving that to drivers?

"Riders looking for a more affordable way to get to the airport, work and live events, such as sports games and concerts, can reserve seats on an Uber Shuttle.
Uber has partnered with local shuttle services that will pick up riders and bring them to their destination. Uber said the shuttle services employ commercially licensed drivers, and users can tip and rate them directly within the Uber app.
The shuttles will have between 14 and 55 seats. Users can reserve up to five seats as early as seven days in advance, and they’ll receive a QR code ticket. Riders can track their shuttle’s location within 25 minutes of departure time.
The company said the shuttle will be a “fraction of the price” of a ride with UberX. The trip won’t be impacted by surge pricing.
Uber will start to roll out the feature at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium and at select concert venues in Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Charlotte, N.C., this summer. Uber said it will expand the offering in the future."

The rift between them has caused a lot of tension in my family and now my mom wants to be in the life of her newborn grandson but refuses to address or try to mend things with my wife.
Little history: I probably introduced them too quickly. My grandmother was in town in south Florida about to move here from Illinois for a retirement community. My wife, girlfriend at the time, came with cookies or some form of baked goods like she usually does when visiting someone as a sign of affection and respect. Where it went wrong from here I have no idea. I suppose the initial crack was when wife scheduled a skitrip for her and I to have as a 1 year of dating anniversary present. We are not rich, this is a huge gift that made sense to her since I refused to let her pay rent. Our combines salaries are barely over 120k. So wife calls mom 6 months in advance because she is a planner for the sole purpose of asking my mom to watch one of our four dogs. Wife has already paid in full for the trip. Yet Mom decides it is a great idea to instead use the opportunity to hop on and take a family trip because it is the last time the family will have for a family vacation - I am the oldest of two boys and two stepsisters, my mom married the guy she left my father for who has twin girls of his own that were in the womb during the infidelity. Anyway mom completely takes over and decides to make our one year gift a family vacation, so she books tickets for a hotel nearby. Wife is bold but at the time not bold enough to stop my mom in her tracks for overstepping a boundary. At this time she still respected my mother and kind of let herself get steamrolled.
Probably skippable Family history: Now I have always had issues with my mother, resentment for leaving my father for my stepdad behind my own fathers back and constantly trying to keep brother and I from seeing “Disneyland dad who doesn’t do any of the work but gets all the fun.” my mother was very strict growing up, always bringing us to church and making my father feel guilty for not bringing brother and I on his weekend. So mom marries stepdad age 11, divorces him around 13 after asking me advice for her relationship and i encourage her to move out. Then remarries him and moves us back into his house age 15. Here I begin rebellion and normal teeenager stuff but stepdad won’t butt in because he isn’t my “biological father” so would have my mom intervene brother and i from behind the scenes. For example, I am young and messing around on the piano because music is important and I never had any formal training and mom comes in to tell me stepdad “wants to know when the concert is going to end because it is a little annoying.” Anyway, they have me prescribed adderall at 16 and in the parking lot holding my first prescription I am told that they would like me to move out and in with my father, who had chased us every time mom and stepdad moved several miles away (5 moves from age 5-15 all in one county). Anyway, brother and I are recovering alcoholics with (my) slipups triggered from interactions or visiting my mom, which mom claims is genetics from my father alone and has nothing to do with her. Maternal grandfather, mother, and I have some nasty temper problems which certainly are exacerbated by drinking (at least mine and moms).
Skitrip revelations: Wife and I are on the way to brothers graduation in Chicago, and wife has yet to reveal to me that my mother has taken over her massive investment of a couples ski vacation and it will now be a family vacation for mom, stepdad, brother, two stepsisters who are all getting out of gradschool. On the way to the airport I am told the news by future wife of my one year surprise. So I get upset and call my mom to call it off. She obliges my request and now holds resentment against me and now wife for “ruining her last family vacation.” Fine, whatever. Mother never says a word about it for months until we are out for a distant family members birthday dinner and at a table of about 8-10 people that are having a group conversation and gets real close to my wife’s ear and tells her privately along the lines of “you deprived our family of our last family vacation.” During this time my wife is frantically tapping my leg under the table because my mom can get a little aggressive. My mom saw this and later (privately to me) mocked her for doing it to my leg under the table.
Christmas blessings: Closer to Christmas maybe 2/3 weeks later we went to go see my mom and my mom had a couple drinks in her (not an alcoholic like brother and I just very sensitive to a couple glasses of wine and occasionally some hidden sips of wine or something) and invites my wife to Christmas church and out to dinner after because the family needs photos for a Christmas card and future wife “will be the photographer for it.” Now this can easily be a nothing comment but given the way my mom had been making future wife feel, it was taken as an insult. So wife declined church and showed up to family dinner just in time for photography session to be over.
The distance: Then mom moves to a fancy house up the coast and invites us up to visit. At first it is ok to bring the 4 dogs then the day before she says they will not have dogs at the house and we can easily find a sitter. 2 Dogs don’t get along, they need to be separated always as there has been two attacks on one from the other, so we can’t trust someone to come to the house and keep them separate and we won’t board 4 dogs it’s too expensive for us. Anyway we go back and forth being invited with the dogs then they retract the offer and say pick one dog to bring and leave the others and it’s just annoying, so we say forget it and don’t go. But my brother becomes engaged and decides to throw his engagement party at my mom’s new place near the beach. Great. First all the dogs are welcome, then day before they say it is too chaotic and she will pay for a small hotel room for one night for future wife and her dogs and my one (the attack dog) can stay in a crate at the house with me but I may not leave the dog to stay with her. And no reasonable cheap hotel in the area is going to accommodate 4 dogs. Anyway wife is stressed but feels obligated to come because I am the best man and I stay at the house while she checks her dogs into the hotel. Wife had made a cheesecake and brought it up in a separate car from me, 4 hour drive by the way, and night of.. my mom says no desserts for engagement party dinner, the dessert is themed or some crazy stuff. Wife shows up to dinner a little later and very flustered because of the situation plus I had relapsed on a bottle of whiskey a couple days prior to seeing my mom. Related, I don’t know. Anyway. Mom has had a couple drinks and future wife and I are talking about having children and religion comes up. Mom asks what we were thinking of doing about baptism or not and I jokingly said (guiltily to get on my moms nerves a bit) that he would have a bris and would love it if she would come to the bar mitzvah. now my wife’s mom was forced to convert from Catholicism to Judaism for her own mother in laws acceptance for a failed marriage so wife is not religious, but it hurt my wife and reasonably so when my mom replied “oh, son, I raised you better than that.” Still no acknowlegement of fault from that comment and mom thinks wife is “overly sensitive, dramatic, and childish” for wanting an apology for it.
Weddings: Future wife becomes current wife. We had gotten engaged on our next anniversary trip she planned for us. I proposed on our bike and barge through tulip season in holland with our feet in the water of the North Sea after a picnic in the dunes. her family business manufactures photo albums for professional photographers, so aside from our families all being divorced, estranged, difficult, and us trying to save money, we did not have a wedding, we just did the paperwork within a month of the proposal. I had already decided to have a baby with her before the trip so we were trying. 2 weeks before brothers wedding in Tennessee we become pregnant, so we break news immediately as to not steal limelight from brothers expensive wedding. Mom says she will cover cost of rental car so we can save money. Ok great. She books the tiny car and we pack it and head up the Smokey mountains to the cabins we are staying at. Two cabins for grooms family, one for his mother and one for his father, ten paces from each other: they havnt spoken but twice im since divorce in 1995 but through lawyers. Grandmother, mother, stepdad, 2 stepsisters and one boyfriend stayed in mom’s side. Wife and I stay at father’s side cabin with just his wife. His Wife’s 3 daughters and family’s stayed a town away down the mountain among extended family. Anyway, beautiful wedding takes place. My wife is sent into town to collect flowers and run errands for my mom which she happily obliged to since she is a solitary person and did not want wedding day drama. Day after, we are loading our rental sedan with our bags. Mom and grandma need a ride to the airport and our flight is before theirs so they will drop off the car for us 4 hours or so after we go to the airport 5 hours from current time. We’re loading the car. Stepcousin passed out in mother’s cabin night before and needed a ride. Disorganized brunch for 20 people is trying to be made. Father’s wife’s daughter books a reservation for 10 people which include her family, her sisters, me, my wife, dad, and their mom. My stepdad had left for home at this point as he had taken his own suv instead of flying with my mom and 90 year old grandma. So mom is trying to pack grandma in the car with bags and my wife and stepcousin. At this point mother asks stepmother if she and grandma are on reservation for the brunch. Stepmom says no they are not, she wasn’t sure of their plans. Mom says under her breath “fucking assholes, so typical,” and she goes into a bit of a rage to which my stepmom says here “it’s ok I will call and add you two it’s no big deal.” So we continue packing the car and realize we won’t all fit. So my wife tells my stepcousin to go ride with my father to the restaurant 10 minutes away we will meet you there. Mom says to wife, “no you go with the father.” Wife says “no I am going to ride with my husband” mom gets close to her face with her finger and says “this is my car, you can fucking Uber!” Wife is 6 weeks pregnant at this point and it all escalated from here. wife and mother start yelling at each other swearing at each other and we get into the car, mom behind wife who was in shotgun. 2 occasions on the trip I had to stop the car because mom had taken off her seatbelt to stand over the seat and scream in my wife’s face with so much vigor that spit came on to her face multiple times. I’m trying to tell them both to behave and mom sit down shut the f up. Mom is telling wife to get the f out of the car and find a ride, she has no right to speak because she’s “new here” (dating and living together for 3 years at this point). The following brunch she apologized in a crowd with a hushed voice at a table of 20 people trying to have a group conversation again privately to my wife “I’m sorry you get so upset” and my wife told her “that is not an apology.” The following several hours in the car with grandma and stepcousin and wife were some of the most uncomfortable moments of my life. At a gas station I pulled my mom aside and said I need ther to give a huge apology, that it was so nasty and inappropriate, my brother and I are used to abusive language and aggressive behavior but to my pregnant wife and any other human being it is disgusting and unacceptable. Sitting in the car was quiet for many hours until we got to the airport. No speaking about what happened just mom happy go lucky about Tennessee and Dollywood and wife and I in shock, cousin still half in the bag from a fun wedding, grandma 90 years old probably confused about what happened.
The family groupchat: Im waiting on an apology from my mother to my wife who is extremely hurt and expressed to my mom loads of time she needs to reach out and apologize. We’re not talking until she will do so. It is bugging me and keeping me up at night. My appendix flares up and I am admitted to the hospital with emergency appendectomy. Still pregnant Wife suggests I reach out to mom to let her know what’s going on. So I text mom I’m at the hospital and will have surgery. I send a pic or something that on my end says hasn’t gone through. Mom group texts our family group with stepdad, his daughters, brother and his wife, and grandma that I am in the hospital and attaches the pic I sent of me in there. Then she continues to rave about the success of her startup company and how they got FDA approved clinical trials finally completed or some pivotal moment that made the text about her. Wife and I are in a hospital so the picture comes up on moms end as unable to have been sent. Mom assumes that my wife has blocked her phone, so mom removes my wife from the chat. Wife is rushing home to take care of the dogs at this point and is not alerted on her phone, but on everyone else’s phone it clearly reads “(mom) has removed (wife) from the chat.” Immediately I text my mom and basically say how dare you do that to her she is the one who insisted I let you know out of respect and mom responds with blah blah she did this she did that I will not have it. So I go back to the family chat and remove mother. At this point I let everyone in the chat know what my mother has done and how she refuses to take responsibility for how she made my wife feel, address her feelings, apologize or do anything at all to reach out about the wedding incident or even inquire about the wellbeing of the pregnancy for her first grandchild. Stepdad finally steps in and tells me “enough.” Grandma says “shame on you.” I am dumbfounded. This is a hush hush family that hates to have anything out in the open and likes to maintain a picture perfect image. For examples; 1) I and wife were on the family Christmas card of a photo taken at the wedding that the whole world received except for wife and I. 2)brothers alcoholism was to remain hidden from the family as was his rehab treatment and how it affected his career. Now understand that they like to keep things quiet but that is not how I want to handle my problems, these things trigger alcohol use and violent outbursts on my part that I no longer wish to live through. Now appendectomy’s are pretty simple so I recovered quickly (it don’t rupture we just took it out). But during the time I was scheduled to be under anesthesia, stepdad reaches out to wife to have a chat and clear the air. Wife waits until I come to so i can be there and I hear the conversation. He claims to be here as a middleman like a business meeting to fix things once and for all. Wife and I are like wow great. He then proceeds to double down on my moms behalf that they will not be apologizing or meet any of her demands as she had already apologized as confirmed by 90yo grandma who was in the car and my mother herself. The term he used was stalemate to describe the situation. Wife and I are shocked but she has me keep quiet to show me what he will say. He proceeds to yell at her and they were screaming at each other, again steamrolling the conversation assuring us that he was down the middle yet maintains that mom has made a sufficient apology that needs to be accepted and wife needs to grow up and move on, then wishing her luck with the baby and a nice life. Next day I call stepdad to see how it went. He reassures me that he has done all he can and everything is back to normal. At this point I call him out and tell him I was conscious and explain to him what an apology is. But there is no dialogue with this guy like there is no dialogue with my mother. He proceeds to talk loudly over me like she does and basically call me a piece of shit for the amount he and mother have done for me. I speak to him first time like I never have before by calling him a hands off father and a pussy of a man who finally reaches out while he thinks I am under anesthesia to yell at my wife then pretend it’s cool, and I basically tell him he has never done a single thing for me to try and develop me into a man or nurture me as a child into an adult, but he thinks taking me on fishing trips and ski vacations are equivalent to love and nurturing growth and development just like my mom does. I reassure him that he has no right to talk about family being that he ruined his own as well as mine and couldn’t even tell my dad to his face that it was him who was sleeping with my mom behind his back when my dad came to him very upset as a friend when he got an anonymous phone tip at work one day. Then him and my mom laughed about it in court when my dad brought it up during the divorce. We ended with swearing and I felt very happy for finally giving my true feelings to him.
The birth: Months go by and nobody has said a thing. I can’t sleep at night seeing how much love I am getting from my father and his side for the baby, and my wife’s family, then thinking about how my own mother hasn’t reached out a single time. I’m dreaming about beating up my stepdad and it’s driving me mad. So weeks before the due date I reach out to my mom begging her to clear things up and apologize to my wife. Nothing. A week later i tell her how disappointed and abandoned I feel and want her in the family. Nothing. Baby comes a couple days early. Everyone is excited. Mom texts me begging for photos and to let everyone know. I tell her my brother and two stepsisters have received photos. I ask her to please reach out to wife she still needs to make amends for what’s happened between them and all she needs to do is reach out. Mom’s responses have been defensive, derisive, projecting, playing victim and referring to herself as a kicked puppy. Telling me my wife needs to apologize to her and making the conversation about mother son instead. She is beating around the bush. And she is sending me photos of my own baby that I did not send her. Her friends are congratulating me that I did not tell. Again she is pretending that everything is ok and it is not. She asked me to apologize to her husband for what I said on the phone that day. I said ok, watch this. So I sent the guy a message that was very apologetic and not passive aggressive or backhanded comments in any way. Still my mom won’t say anything.
Now: Baby is 6 days old. He is the best thing in my life and I wish my family were involved but it seems like I am living in a fantasy world where everyone can be happy together. I can be a jerk and have a terrible relationship with my mom, but I want more than anything to just feel loved enough where she can swallow her pride and make amends with my wife. Thats it. And she asked the other day to put a family group chat so everyone can be involved… for real? I know she is stressed with a high pressure job, but it seems heartless to me. She asks what big items she can get for the baby. Mom, baby is here we have everything for a couple months already. I said the biggest thing you can do is reach out and have a heart to heart with my wife so this rift can end and we can at least be cordial if you two can’t get along. I don’t think it will happen.

Uber on Wednesday announced several new product updates at the company’s annual Go-Get showcase in New York City that aim to help its customers save money on rides and food.
The product updates reflect Uber’s continued push to drive growth and demand across its mobility and delivery business segments. The new features could help the company attract more riders and users to its app.
Here are the key new offerings the company announced:
Uber Shuttle
Riders looking for a more affordable way to get to the airport, work and live events, such as sports games and concerts, can reserve seats on an Uber Shuttle.
Uber has partnered with local shuttle services that will pick up riders and bring them to their destination. Uber said the shuttle services employ commercially licensed drivers, and users can tip and rate them directly within the Uber app.
The shuttles will have between 14 and 55 seats. Users can reserve up to five seats as early as seven days in advance, and they’ll receive a QR code ticket. Riders can track their shuttle’s location within 25 minutes of departure time.
The company said the shuttle will be a “fraction of the price” of a ride with UberX. The trip won’t be impacted by surge pricing.
Uber will start to roll out the feature at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium and at select concert venues in Chicago, Pittsburgh and Charlotte, N.C., this summer. Uber said it will expand the offering in the future.
Uber Caregiver
Caregivers can add loved ones, such as elderly family members, directly to their profiles starting this summer. This will allow caregivers to book rides for people they care for and order medical supplies and groceries on their behalf.
The feature will also allow for three-way chats between drivers, riders and caregivers.
Uber said the user’s insurance benefits can be applied when applicable to help minimize out-of-pocket costs. Uber Caregiver will initially support Medicaid recipients, customers who are 65 and older with Medicare Advantage, and customers with commercial insurance from their employers.
Caregivers can sign up to be notified when other insurance providers are added.
Costco on Uber Eats
Uber said Costco will be available as an on-demand option within Uber Eats in select locations across the U.S. starting Wednesday.
Users can order products from Costco even if they are not members, but Uber said members will save between 15% and 20% compared with nonmembers.
Costco members can enter their member numbers in the Uber Eats app and are eligible for 20% off of Uber One, the company’s subscription membership.
Schedule UberX Share
Uber said it is launching a new feature on Wednesday that lets users schedule a shared ride in advance. The feature will save users around 25% on average compared with a typical ride on UberX, the company said.
Scheduled UberX Share rides are initially launching in cities with some of the highest return-to-office rates. This includes New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta and San Diego. Uber said more locations will follow.
Uber One for Students
Uber will offer its Uber One membership program at a discount for college students. The program normally costs $9.99 per month, but it will be available to students at $4.99 a month.
The company said students will also get access to free items and special deals, such as daily discounts on their orders from Taco Bell, Domino’s and Starbucks.
The Uber One Student Plan is launching in the U.S. in May. It will roll out in Canada, New Zealand and Australia in July, as well as in Japan and France in September.
Uber Eats Lists
Uber is introducing a new feature called “Lists” to Uber Eats that allows users to curate and share lists of restaurants and go-to spots. The company shared examples like “date night desserts” and “toddler-approved dinners.”
Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2024/05/15/uber-go-get-uber-announces-uber-shuttle-uber-caregiver-costco-perks.html

DISCLAIMER: THIS IS NOT MANOWAR, OVERKILL, ANTHRAX, SLAYER, HELSTAR, JUDAS PRIEST, IRON MAIDEN OR BLACK SABBATH
Also this is not: BLACKMAYNE (DEBUNKED), REDD BARRON (DEBUNKED), BERNARD E. CAVAZOS (DEBUNKED), BARREN CROSS (DEBUNKED), BARON STEELE (DEBUNKED), LORD MAGISTRATE (DEBUNKED), KINETIC DISSENT (The comments say it's been debunked, but I can't confirm it, they are similar tho), CONQUEST (DEBUNKED)
The song:
An user made a post in the Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives website back in 2009: https://forum.metal-archives.com/viewtopic.php?p=1342956#p1342956 He recorded this song, alongside others, from Z-Rock, a Texan radio station, in the late 80s ("Nothing else on the tape is newer than 1988, so that probably dates it to sometime before then."). But he wasn't the only one to record this tape, we know at least three recordings of the song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnmJZIakNCk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hn13jMecEpU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opaL6a-OMKw
We also know through Metaldjwill2 that "the ZRock PD confirmed to me that they played demos from all over the world, not just local." under burningempire666's comment "probably a local band that got onto the radio".
We know that Mad Maxx Hammer (possible DJ that played the song) doesn't remember it. Plus, the OP of the second link wrote this: "Mine seems to be a different recording than the other version being posted. I taped it off either college radio or Z-Rock (Cleveland) sometime in the later '80s. the other recording that exists was taped in Chicago" and this "The two songs after this on the cassette are from Cleveland, OH band Attaxe (from 1986 and 1987 demos). I recorded a lot of stuff off WUJC (Cleveland college radio station - Bill Peters' "Metal on Metal" show), as well as some stuff from Z-Rock. I cannot say with any certainty which station I recorded it from. Considering the other recording making the Internet rounds seems to definitely be from Z-Rock, I'm guessing mine might be as well, although I have the complete song and mine doesn't have the overdub at the end where it sounds like they're about to say "Z-Rock", which would suggest that they played it more than once. I don't think I ever knew who this was by, or I'm sure I'd have written it down or searched for the vinyl hard enough that I'd remember. Most likely I either missed before the song where they announced what was coming up, or stopped recording after the song ended and missed the ID. I do remember that stations would often play several songs in a row, so it was easy to miss the DJ saying what he played. Gotta remember, this was over 30 years ago and I was just a teenager. Today I would be much more vigilant and careful! Really, I had forgotten all about this until I came across that cassette tape in 2009 and popped it in for a listen, probably for the first time since the late '80s. It's a 60 minute cassette tape and this is the only unidentifiable song on it. The cassette is just marked "Radio Tape #2"."
A comment mentioned this: "There was a Zrock in Little Rock Arkansas that played metal at night that played demos, too. They played a band called Crimson Tear that sounded a lot like Ozzy and bands that were not the norm like Hanover and Mama's Boys. I think it was Zrock 105, I used to listen to it quite a bit when I could pick it up on my radio. They played heavier stuff all the time and half of it I had never heard of because they were demos and the DJ would only play them later at night. I swear this song was on that show but I have no idea who it is. Sounds like Sentinel but I guess that has been debunked due to Redd Barron ties."

Hey I wanted to see if anyone had experience with receiving items at the Port? I had a sofa made and the manufacturer is suggesting that it be sent via the Chicago Port but l'm not seeing any way to schedule a pick up from there. (I have a box truck I can use)
Any advice would be greatly appreciated, Thanks!

I started watching this because I got interested in Chicago Fire so picked up this one because of the crossovers. But I'm frustrated by how corrupt the entire department seems to be. Obviously I knew about Voight's corruption before I started, but almost everyone seems to be willing to break the rules when things become personal. I just finished S01E14 The Docks and no one seemed to have any issue with the idea of killing the guy who shot Dawson, until a last second change of heart.
Is this what people enjoy seeing from police dramas? No good guys trying to make the world a better place by working within the law?
Does the show continue like this? Do I just need to grit my teeth and bear it? Or stop watching and just view the essential crossover episodes?

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Notes/Leaders/Etc:

• Yesterday’s game: The Dodgers beat the Giants 10-2
• Gavin Stone got the win, Keaton Winn took the loss, and xxx earned the save.
• Aceg0907 has the overall lead with 34.
• JRE0714 lead the month of May with 10.
• Longest current winning streak: jb211 6.
• Longest current losing streak: kristayyychan with 4
• The Mariners @ Twins series is omitted from tomorrow’s vote as it was selected 5/4
• The Tigers @Guardians series is omitted from tomorrow’s vote as it was selected 5/5
• The Twins @ Blue Jays series is omitted from tomorrow’s vote as it was selected 5/4
• The Braves @ Mets series is omitted from tomorrow’s vote as it is the Sunday Night Game.
• Want to get daily email or phone reminders whenever a new thread is posted? If so follow the instructions in this post! It’s simple to set up, and you won't forget to pick again!

Today's game will be: St. Louis Cardinals* (27-15) @ **Los Angeles Angels (19-23) at 9:45 PM ET.
MLB.com preview, and analysis
The probable starting pitchers are:
Lance Lynn(1-1, 3.79 ERA 38K) vs Griffin Canning (1-4, 5.75 ERA 29K)
Submit your picks in the automated system above, and good luck!
If you are unaware of what this competition is... please click this link as it will explain what is going on.
Here is a list the teams selected the least and most if you are stuck between picking different matchups. I would advise you to only use this list as a tiebreaker between close matches. I do not recommend using this list if you believe the matchup will be a blowout.
Washington Nationals,Chicago White Sox, and Tampa Bay Rays have the least amount of games with 1.
Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers have the most games picked with 7.

hey all, i’m a bartender living in brooklyn since october who has only managed to find one shift a week at a bar in the east village, and some very inconsistent fill ins at that bar and one other one that i trained at last week, but it’s just not enough to sustain a life here because everything is so expensive. i’ve been bartending for 6 years and have been working in restaurants and bars for 11 years.
i feel like i’ve tried everything: walking door to door dropping off resumes, applying to craigslist ads, using other job apps like culinaryagents, asking all of my friends for leads (i know a ton of people here) and even those leads where i have an “in” or know someone, or if i know for a fact someone is quitting, the bar always ends up not having any openings after all. i’ve heard that many bartenders are picking up more shifts these days because the money isn’t as good anymore and it was a historically slow winter season this year.
i moved down here with several job leads from people who knew people who worked at all sorts of bars in NYC and none of them could give me anything. i can’t even find work outside of the restaurant industry frankly.
word on the street is that it’s been very difficult to find bar work—and work in general given the state of the economy and job market. it’s getting to the point where it’s fucking with my mental health not knowing if i will have work next week or money to survive next month. people may say that with the summer coming there will be more work, but i’m realizing that may not be the case this year.
i’ve been considering giving it another month or two and if i can’t find steady work then i will cut my losses and move back to my hometown until i can get back on my feet—but it’s a very very small town with little to no jobs available. a couple of years ago i lived there and commuted an hour each way to work 12 hour shifts and it destroyed me, but i was able to save the money to move to new york.
these days it sometimes feels like i screwed myself in making the move and losing all my money to being unemployed or underemployed, and i’m not sure what my options are anymore. i don’t want to give up and start over again, but i might have to. i’m 33 and this pattern of failure and having to start over has repeated itself in my life many times now. i suffer from clinical depression and go to therapy and take medication, but my situation has made it difficult to remain positive—i’m trying my best but i worry it may not be enough to make a life here.
thank you for reading.

I used to live in California. Back then I met this girl, Cindy.She is truly amazing. I really liked her but she didnt pay attention to me as much as I would like so I tried everything to get her. After six months of talking, we fell in love and I asked her out on a trip to Carmel. A month later Cindy gets an offer to move to Chicago for a great job opportunity she couldn't pass. At first I was hesitant to continue this relationship but I loved her so much I took her ring shopping because I wanted to marry her. At that time my job was doing very well and I was in a position to settle down.
Long story shot , she moves and I realize how much I love her. So I told her we should elope, and that we did. I moved in with her in Chicago a couple months later and everything was going well. We were truly excited for our future. Three months after moving in together, I lose my job. I'm barely making the minimum to pay rent or afford necessities. My girl she makes about 150K a year, so she was fine. It was the opposite way when we met, so this was shocking. I like being in control.
I couldn't tell her about my situation because I thought I would fix it quickly and truly I was ashamed but months pass by and it just get worse. Shes been supportive,loving and helping me throughout but as a man I need to be able to the provider and be the head of the househould. Not only that I hate Chicago, I have no friends, and I dropped everything to be with her. The weather and food are awful.
At this point when the lease is over, I want to move back to California to be close to my two friends. The sun, the food, the beach, the pretty people. I dont really have a job prospect but I think my old business is picking up again so I might be able to generate some income. I cash out some funds and investments I had to support my move back, but I havent told her. I dont know what to tell her because all I want is my indepence and peace back. I dont know if I love her anymore, Im under too much pressure.
I have debts (100K) and I feel like I cant date her right now. She payed for her own stuff and helped me financialy when I couldnt make it.
She was a little messy but she also worked a lot of hours and we couldnt afford a maid as often. We did have two bathrooms and two diffrent closet spaces. I still just want my own space back and my solitude and the quiet. I think I dissapointed her and made her sad.
I thought I was ready for marriage but I'm not? AITAH for moving in two weeks to regain my independence?? Shes really devastaded but my mental health is a priority for me.

My brain is so scrambled I hope this makes sense. I’ll answer any questions in this comments if anyone is confused about something.
November 2023(back story)
My Mom kicked me and my boyfriend out on a drunk episode. We moved into his moms Rv for two months after that and everything was fine. I finally escaped her alcoholic cycle and i felt peace. My boyfriend was struggling with finding a job, Im a hairstylist and have my license so i found work pretty quickly. I soon after that felt really depressed from working and paying our RV rent by myself. I folded unfortunately (some days i really hate myself for that) and got fed up with paying for things by myself. He doordashed while I was at work but it was nowhere near how much i was bringing in.
January 2024 I found out I was pregnant while me and my bf lived in the rv. It explained the massive emotional distress i was under. I was tired constantly and couldn’t eat. I freaked out and told my mom. She begged me to move back with her. And i did mostly because of the financial stress i was under while living with my bf. After I left my bf moved in with his mom and was able to secure a decent job. I was really sick during my first trimester and couldn’t work so I took a month off. I quit doing hair and started a childcare job because it was less stress on my back and I had flexible hours. Everything was ok while living with my mom, she would occasionally have her drunk episodes but i would ignore her because i did want to stress out the baby. BUT THIS PAST WEEKKKKKKKKK i actually can not do it anymore. I am currently 6 months pregnant (25 weeks exactly) and mothers day May 12 2024 my mom was driving back from houston with her boyfriend. I realized i hadn’t picked her up anything for mother’s day so I decided to run to the store. My other siblings live in chicago so I called them and asked what should I get her. We decided on something small since we all felt like she really didnt deserve anything but it was the right thing to do. I also decided to just go stop and get food on the way back because i was hungry. My mother sends me nasty text messages saying “bring me my car back now” “actually i’m leaving drive my car to her bf house” “i need to stop using her car” and a long rant. I called her and told her im five from the house i went to get food (i didnt want to ruin her surprise) but she still has a nasty ass attitude with me so i tell her im coming home now and she can get her car and he mothers day gift is in the seat since she wants to have such a nasty ass attitude and happy mothers day and slammed the apartment door and went to my room. That wasn’t even the bad part I got over it. She tells me she wants to take me to dinner the next day to apologize and talk. It never happens but idc I didnt bug her about it. But today i really wanted Chili’s and was like can you pay for my chili’s since you stood me up on our lunch date. mind you she has been drinking all day. and when i say all day i mean all fucking day. So i personally dont feel comfortable letting her drive me anywhere or go out in public with her. She says yes and gives me her card. I go out and get my food I’m taking my sweet time because im off of work and I really didn’t want to be home with her. she text me to bring her something back but i didnt see it until i got in the car. I know for a fact she didnt have plans because she was so drunk. so i texted her and told her my bf planned for us to see a movie i was going to meet him at the theater so i’ll be home later. she says no i want my car and starts going on a rant about her car. i tell her im bringing her car back. she continues to text me ignorant drunk text messages and says “stop telling people im drunk i have two jobs and go to work” im fed up with her drunkness and respond “its called a functioning alcoholic youre still a drunk” ik it was harsh but i honestly dont care because she is a drunk and im tired of being in the middle of her episodes. I’ll post Part two in a minute.

Because they start their show so early, they are missing out on the celebs, sports athletes that occasionally show up to record on PMT. If they were to time their show to end just before YAK, they could have a system like they used to have in NYC where celebs would do a "car wash" and do multiple shows to squeeze as much content out of them as possible. Celebs could do the Chicago car wash by doing Mostly Sports, YAK then end with PMT. As for Picks Central, let them find a new time slot because the numbers clearly show they suck compared to Mostly Sports.
It's also kind of ironic that before the Chicago-NYC split, people used to think that NYC would have the advantage of attracting better celebs & guest due to their location. In reality, NYC has had almost zero decent celebs\athletes show up since the big split which makes sense since celebs only want to show up on shows\podcast that have large numbers and NYC has zero shows that bring in big numbers. What's really funny is that when the D-List Montana Boys showed up to NYC HQ, they didn't even go on KFC pod and only did BFF's with Chickenfry & Dave.

I’m not anti gun. I legally have a licensed firearm. Now that’s out of the way my sister, and her husband weren’t/aren’t, they own multiple firearms, and are Colorado residents.
In a mere few months my sister went from a happy wife, loving mother of two, with a phd in psychology working with special needs children - to insane.
She has gone from being sweet natured the first 35 years on this planet to so manic and delusional and full of rage the only thing I can compare it to is how actors in movies behave when they are possessed by a demon, and the priest is trying to pull it out. Not hyperbolic.
What’s very bad here is she’s convinced her husband wants to kill her. All guns were removed from their home weeks back. Things have continued to escalate - my brother in law, and nieces are living with my parents who moved to Colorado to be near the grandkids.
She’s so manic/paranoid/delusional she did $12,300 in damages to their home. Not factored into that insurance estimate, she threw away everything wardrobe wise tied to her daughters from bows to shoes - she was meticulous. Put it all in the trash, and poured gasoline over everything. Thankfully, whatever reason she didn’t light it - probably, lack of lighter. Then took off in a car with no wallet or ID. Her car was found abandoned in New Mexico with the keys in the ignition. She was picked up by the police 48 hrs later on some random highway, and a seven day psy hold was done.
She is now out.
You all have ZERO idea how hard it is to force psychiatric care - we even found an ad she typed for Craigslist (but didn’t post) looking for a hitman. Police said because it wasn’t posted with a monetary amount it’s not enough of a sign of “grave risk of violence”.
I’ll skip the other insane things she’s done.
She is a threat to others - that’s reality.
She has no psychiatric record in Colorado as the 1001 things she’s done aren’t enough for forced evaluation - you must have solid proof someone is “grave threat of suicide or homicide”.
In Ohio it is very easy to get a gun via private buyer. Out there, Colorado, it’s private sellers have to start background checking in 2025 correct? Currently, private sales can/do take place. Regardless, everything is vague on psychiatric history… a judge has to rule an individual unable to purchase a gun?
My sister is beautiful, poised (well was), and can appear sane long enough to buy a gun. Odds are if this occurs, and she’d have to have cash hidden somewhere she hasn’t used - she will end up in prison for attempted murder or murder.
I sound hyperbolic. Again, I’m not.
Her husband is consumed with emergency full custody/restraining order that states she can’t be anywhere near her daughters.
My 75 year old father asked me to look up Colorado gun laws, but you just had all this stuff hit the floor for a vote. The law doesn’t mean it’s followed. I can’t find what Colorado considers mental health illegibility - and this entire thing is upsetting to even be doing.
Turns out bi polar can develop at any age and turn a loved one into an unrecognizable monster. Pretend this is your sister, and like you she’s in Colorado. How easy will it be for her to get a firearm? Cash. As easy as Ohio?
Appreciate your time.
Also, she does have a conceal carry permit.
Edit: If anyone ever finds themselves in this situation here is a link I was given below!
https://cdphe.colorado.gov/colorado-gun-violence-prevention-resource-bank/prevention-approaches/extreme-risk-protection-orders