Any advice would be much appreciatedđđ. I'm applying to study physics at both UK and US unis and I'm not sure whether I should ask my physics or my chemistry teacher for my recommendation letter - I'm closer to my chemistry teacher and I think she knows me better as I've participated in lots of chemistry competitions/events this year so I was able to spend more time with her but since I'm going into physics and my physics teacher is also my EE supervisor would it be better to ask him? I still have a good relationship with him I just prefer my chemistry teacher... My spanish teacher is writing my other recommendation if that affects anything
Hi all, wondering if anyone can advise on my situation below.
I am working towards permanent home working and have an OH coming up, I already had one a while ago however I felt the clinician was rushing, wanted the meeting to be over with before it even started. I had to stop them and ask them to let me speak as they would cut me off or just not let me answer- like she had an agenda of "why aren't you in the office". She had not asked questions about my glue ear much, her report stated since my operation I am doing much better (which isn't the truth), they also stated I would not be covered under the equality act 2010, though my union and I found I would be.
To let you know about my health briefly, I was classed as vulnerable and was asked to go home at the start of Covid and work from there. Kept myself pretty isolated with my family, I got Covid in July 2021 and had lingering affects until October 2021 where I was being coerced to get back into the office. I travelled to work with public transport, got ill with a chest infection and the offices were closed due to lockdown by the end of October 2021 again.
Cut a long story short, the chest infection led me getting glue ear, multiple GP appointments/ remedies and antibiotics later I was sent to an ENT specialist where I was found to have glue ear. It had been more than 6 months and was told an operation was needed to resolve the issue in part at least. My first OH before the operation said I should remain home until my operation. I didn't have my operation until November 2023.
I would like to note that before my ENT diagnosis I did try to attend the office a couple of times however I didn't feel well walking to the office, on the train and also while sitting in the office. It's not a case that I did not try.
Now, May 2024, I still have glue ear issues. Fluid still leaks out (sorry for the graphics), this fluid causes an imbalance when walking, sporadic dizziness, I have spatial awareness issues and a loss of hearing. I find it difficult to communicate as I can't drown out ambient sounds and this is a bigger issue in larger rooms with more people in.
I have been working more than effectively from home for the past 4+ years however work would like me in. I have put in an application for WFH, I have a l exemption certification from a private GP after they reviewed my records and they recommended home working. I had to decline my 2nd OH due the reasons mentioned earlier, a little nervous that the upcoming OH will be less fruitful and my condition will not be reviewed properly. I see I would be covered under the disability act but what happens if OH don't see much of an issue even though I have a GP letter.
What should I be on the lookout for?
Any advise would be appreciated, apologies for the long story
Baby girlâs weight was fine up until 4 months â she was on her curve at around 35th percentile at her 4 month well child appointment. She dropped to 20th percentile by her 6 month appointment, but the pediatrician wasnât particularly worried since she might have still been finding her curve.
But sheâs 9 months old now. We went in to the doctor last week for an ear infection, and sheâs dropped to the 8th percentile. Sheâs only gained 10oz or so over the past 3 months. We have her next well-child appointment on Thursday, and Iâm just wondering what we should expect.
We currently breastfeed only, mostly nursing but she will take 6-8oz at daycare during the week. I have an oversupply and have to pump, so I donât think itâs a supply issue. We feed on demand. We started solids at 5 months but have not had a lot of success. She hates being spoon fed, so we offer her a lot of finger food, but a lot of the time she isnât interested or if she does try putting something in her mouth, she doesnât swallow it, just spits it back out. I do try to spoon feed her at the end of the meal, but a lot of the time she refuses that all together, and if sheâs willing to take anything it is usually only a tablespoon or two.
She seems generally happy, more or less healthy (lots of daycare colds but almost never has a fever etc), doesnât spit up, isnât lethargic, and is meeting milestones, so Iâm not sure if itâs even that concerning?
Is it likely that the doctor will recommend us to fortify her daycare bottles at this age? Or refer us to occupational therapy? Iâm guessing weâll need to start iron drops, since sheâs not getting much in the way of solids.
Would appreciate hearing your experiences!
In the beginning he had every right to join in, there was literally a fight happening and members of his house were involved, of course heâd join in to help, besides, Benvolio is a complete hypocrite, being drawn but talking of peace, which Tybalt rightfully calls him out on, this shows that Tybalt has integrity, a moral compass, and that heâs smart and unafraid to speak up for his house and question others
Imagine that, shortly after there was a big fight between people in your friend group and another friend group, people in said other friend group, whom you hate, show up at YOUR party. I dunno about you guys but Iâd be pretty saucy too.
Tybalt is often presented as just being really extreme and angry 24/7, we seem to forget that rather than just going up to scarp Romeo immediately, he actually had the decency to send a letter which Romeo did not reply to, perhaps if Romeo had explained a few things and calmly replied in the form of a letter the beef between them couldâve been quashed
Tybalt didnât really want to kill Mercutio, Mercutio was literally just in his way, Tybalt literally expressed that he had no beef with Mercutio. Mercutio was just being really annoying (as per usual)
If I were Tybalt, i think i wouldâve found Romeos explanation of âI wittereally love youđĽşđđâ as confusing, inexplicable, pathetic, and him trying to get out of the fight- I wouldâve still been angry and duelled him regardless. Besides- at this point Romeo couldâve explained- what wouldâve Tybalt even done. He doesnât seem to get on with Julietâs father, so he probably wouldnât have told him.
Furthermore, if Tybalt did kill Romeo, he would be doing everyone like, a massive favour, Romeo is such a weirdo- 17 marrying a 13 year old after knowing each other for a few hours?đ¤¨đ¤¨đ¤¨đ¤¨
Tybalt is only portraying himself as agressive- he isnât actually as bad as the play makes him out to be, he is likely putting on an act of agressiveness to prove himself as future capulet partriach. We can see this as nurse portrays him as more friendly and sympathetic, she even states that he was her âbest friendâ- this makes it clear that if you actually got to know Tybalt then he wouldnât be that bad
He has no right to be seen as the anatagonist
I have a Technics SL1200 MK2 and I'm currently in the market for a new cartridge. Was looking for recommendations in the $200 or less range. I will primarily be using my turntable for casual listening, possibly some sampling in the future. I'm not really into scratching or DJing, so that isn't an issue, but I would like to get a nice sounding cartridge that won't break the bank. For reference, I listen to almost ALL kinds of music: rock/hip hop/funk/soul... a little bit of everything if that helps narrow it down.
Feel free to ask me any questions and Iâll do my best to keep this concise but I can be known to ramble and want to make sure I cover some things I havenât seen talked about before.
Scheduling: Got new insurance in January. Discovered the insurance covers female sterilization at 100% so I went on the doctor list here, did some research, and picked out my doctor. Called mid January to book, had my consult end of February, surgery was May 15th (last Wednesday).
Consult: I was worried because Iâve heard so much about people getting rejected but the entire time my doctor assured me this was my decision to make and she just wanted to make sure Iâd thought about every consequence. I was honest with her that while I was positive this is what I wanted I originally had planned to wait until I was in my 30s to make sure but due to the current political climate I felt I didnât have the luxury of waiting. I was concerned if I didnât get this done pre election Iâd never be able to or Iâd have to travel to get it done. She approved me and we had planned to do a Pap smear while I was there but their computer system crashed so we decided to combine it with the surgery and just do it while I was under.
Pre procedure: Pre-op stuff was super normal. Got a call with instructions around a week out. I can go into more details if anyone has questions but the big thing for me was I was told to not smoke 24 hrs prior and Iâve been trying to quit vaping so I decided to throw out my vape 24 hrs prior to the procedure. The lead up to the surgery was terrible and I regret quitting so close to it because it meant I could drink alcohol or caffeine to try and distract myself since those were also banned so close. But post surgery with me being high on oxy the first few days I completely made it through the worst part of quitting without any problems. Iâm only a week clean but highly recommend using surgery to quit addictions itâs a great time to utilize your body being distracted by other stuff.
Surgery: everyone at the hospital was great and nobody tried to change my mind. My surgeon did say I could change my mind up until I was put under and that nobody would be mad. I assured her I was totally hyped and ready to go and that was that. Iâve never had a surgery before so I wasnât sure how Iâd react to anesthesia but I woke up before theyd even finished rolling me into post op. I heard the nurse rolling me in talking about her dog and just was instantly awake and asking her about her pupper. I think I scared her slightly because I was just immediately coherent and mostly just really annoyed because my throat hurt and my mouth was dry. She gave me water and asked if I wanted something for nausea. I didnât feel any nausea but said yes just in case and Iâm glad I did because shortly after she gave it to me I got super nauseous. It kicked in pretty quick and I didnât throw up so a win. When I first woke up my pain was around a 3 but was quickly ramping up so they gave me a 5mg oxycodone. It took a bit for it to kick in but once it did it completely wiped out my pain. I was able to get discharged within an hour of waking up because I immediately was eating and drinking and was able to get up and walk on my own and go pee which checked all their boxes.
Recovery: I was given 8 oxycodone 5mg and then told to pick up Tylenol, ibuprofen, and stool softener. Alternate the Tylenol and ibuprofen so Iâm taking something every 3 hrs and then oxy as needed. I mostly used the oxy to sleep as every muscle in my body felt like Iâd run a marathon starting day 2. My back was extremely sore and my skin was tender EVERYWHERE. Also thanks to doing the Pap smear while I was under my vag was sore as fuck too. I mustâve bit my lip while I was under because my lip was all swollen and the absolute worse pain I was feeling was how sore my throat was from the breathing tube. My throat is still sore, back still hurts, muscles are still tender as fuck, but Iâm fully off oxy and overall feel fine. I havenât had a good bowel movement yet so hoping for that soon but Iâll be going back to work tomorrow and overall this surgery recovery hasnât been any worse than being sick from the flu or something.
Also make sure you have plenty of comfy loose dresses. You will want the comfiest of lounge wear during this recovery. I have my post op this Friday but Iâm so happy to finally have this done. Itâs a giant weight off my shoulder.
I'm putting this out there to document my adventures with early menopause. I'm also hoping to hear from other women who have had a positive experience. I'm grateful to this community for providing many recommendations and personal experiences which have guided me in making informed choices for my health. Background: 41 y/o, no period for a full year. Probably was going through peri since my early 30's and just didn't know it. A lot of weird symptoms the past 5-10 years make sense now! I just went through the process of getting a menopause diagnosis from an online provider called Alpha. I decided to skip the run-around with my PCP and GYN since usually the goal of the online concierge medicine apps is to provide you with meds that you already know you want/need. I plan to see my regular providers in a couple of months (the soonest I can get in) and hopefully one of them will take over writing my Rx so that I don't need to pay a monthly fee to Alpha (for now only $30, which is reasonable, but I'm afraid there might be hidden fees, so we'll see. Overall, I would recommend them for now)
Because of my age the Alpha NP still had me get my hormones checked and have a transvaginal ultrasound. This confirmed my hormones have run dry (estradiol <12, progesterone 0.5). Thyroid was normal. She did have me test FSH and prolactin too, which were inconclusive and also asked me to take a home pregnancy test despite me telling her my husband had a vasectomy 20 years ago (I get it, people sneak around). The ultrasound experience was fine and nobody should be scared to get one (make sure they let you put the probe in yourself- I did not have to ask for this, my US tech was lovely and they even warm the gel)
I am glad the Alpha provider was thorough in order to rule out anything more serious. Turns out I had a fibroid, but otherwise normal and once in the clear was given options for HRT. At first she only offered patches or oral estradiol. I requested topical estradiol gel since I've read many complaints on here about patches and they sound annoying. She prescribed the lowest dose 0.25mg. Also got 100mg oral progesterone and vaginal estradiol 0.1mg for dryness.
It took about 2 weeks to actually get meds due to waiting to get the tests etc. But I wasnt in a huge rush- it's already been over a year after all. I have high hopes, but mainly just afraid of nasty side effects, as I got MHT for long-term health (bones, brain etc) and not so much for symptom management (I feel pretty great overall).
Honestly I already feel like a superhero - went through peri while simultaneously starting and finishing nursing school, raising 2 children, working full time, went through a divorce (and many years of drama prior to that), moved 3 times, remarried and finally feel very settled the past 4 years. I am a fighter and a survivor and I want these hormones to keep me strong and loving the life I have made for myself because I'm not ready to waste away yet!
A few things that I think have helped prior to getting meds: pilates, walking and resistance training; tracking macros (aiming for 100g protein daily), low saturated fat, low sugar, high fiber diet (I got my high cholesterol down to normal levels in 8 months once I made big changes), microdosing psilocybin (yes! This really made a huge difference in mood and general outlook- look into it. I don't use it often now but it saved me during a dark night of the soul), low caffeine- just one tea daily, sunlight, fresh air and the love of a partner who truly cares (healthy relationships are a big priority, cut out the toxic people). I will update in a few weeks/months. Praying for a positive experience!
I'll be visiting the area during the DC pen show. I can only attend one day so which day do seasoned regulars recommend? The first day? The last? This will be my first time attending a pen show so I want to make the most of it.
I currently enjoy vintage pens and sampling limited edition inks. I'm a sucker for accessories if I can't get them anywhere else. I'm pretty happy with my current collection so any additions will be because they truly stand out.
Folks, I'm really looking forward to it â¤ď¸
Hi all, first time poster looking for some advice. I have had a pretty rough journey of breastfeeding my now 4 month old. Up until 8 weeks, he was getting more from expressed BM in a bottle than double the time nursing sessions which caused me substantial pain. At 8 weeks, we cut his tongue tie and the pain reduced but his feeding was still not as good as with a bottle. Iâve sort of accepted that Iâll do both and see the perks to pumping but want to keep nursing because itâs hard to care for him and find time to pump while doing so. My present issue is that for the last several days when I pump, regardless of time of day, my supply is reduced, Iâm having fewer letdowns and my boobs still feel swollen and a bit lumpy after. I have worked with a LC on and off since he was born and feel confident about the settings on my pump (and have replaced parts recently) but I did try bumping up the level to see if that helped, it didnât. I drink a ton of water, look at pics of my baby and try to relax (although anything related to feeding him sets off some level of anxiety when itâs not right). When I breastfeed him, I donât notice the fullness or lumps after so Iâm okay doing that for a couple days but itâs not sustainable for me long term. Pumping has always been my safe fallback when Iâm not sure if heâs nursing well or if his weight gain is below the recommended amount so Iâm a bit concerned and shaken up about this. Anyone have similar experiences? Did this just resolve on its own? Any advice other than hot showers, massage, baby pictures that might be helpful are much appreciated. I want to make it to 6 months of most BM supplementing with formula as needed but this whole âmagicalâ experience feels more like a nightmare sometimes.
Do we need letters of recommendation to apply? Iâm interested however I donât know who to ask for letters of rec?
I left my house near Red Rock at 4am and got to the speedway and in a pickup parking spot at 5:16am and home 10 mins before 7am. The thing that took the longest was waiting for them to come out and find me.
I highly recommend picking three letter isles near each other if you are getting picked up by somebody you know so at least they know what aisle youâre on if service is bad. I had no problem getting into the ones I needed and my kid finding me even though my texts werenât working.
Also to the lady who laid on her horn, moved cones and crossed two parked wait lanes and a walking lane in your mini van I hope you get something for the anger issues. No reason to be so mad when weâre all stuck together and all trying to get out. And to her kid sorry about your mom
I met Luna on a train two years ago. Iâd just escaped from a toxic relationship, so romance was the last thing on my mind, but then she sat across from me in the carriage and asked about the book I was reading. She had a copy in her bag and wanted to know if it was any good.
I'd never felt such an instant, effortless connection with anybody before. I took a chance and asked her to dinner, and by the time the waiters cleared away our desserts, I already felt comfortable being vulnerable around her. So we went on a second date. And a third. And next thing I knew, we were planning our second anniversary.
In all that time she never gave off any 'creeper' vibes. Until a few months ago, when I stayed the night over at her place...
She'd gotten up early to use the bathroom. I grabbed her laptop off the side desk so I could catch up on some work e-mails, and the incognito tab was just sitting there. My first thought was:
either she's having an affair or she's got a secret fetish. What I found instead was a Google account with a photo album called âMichaelâs EXâ. In it, there were 427 photos of my
former girlfriend turned psycho stalker, Sadie. This included shots of âSadie the stalkerâ with her family, screenshots of her passportâthe works. On Facebook, Sadie's latest post said
Moving to the Philippines, and since then sheâd become a social media church mouse, so how did Luna keep her under surveillance? And how did you even get PERSONAL ID from a person halfway across the globe?
Down the hall, I heard the bathroom door swing open. Quickly I closed the laptop and pretended to be asleep until Luna planted a kiss on my lips. âWakey wakey Bugs.â
I faked a stretch. âMorning Lola."
(At school, the other kids christened me âBugsâ because of my cartoonishly large front teeth; I called Luna âLolaâ because of her blonde bangs and heart-shaped face.)
âHow about we grab a fry for breakfast?â Her smile didnât seem genuine, more like she was wearing a mask.
âCrap. I forgot Iâm doing overtime today, Iâve gotta get to work.â With that, I shot out of there faster than a bullet train to Tokyo.
Because I didnât wanna believe the worst about someone I cared so deeply about, I didnât contact the police (not that anybody couldâve guessed what Luna was up to) and made excuses whenever she asked to meet, delaying the decision whether to end our relationship.
At night, I couldnât sleep. Every time a hedge rustled outside, Iâd run to the window and pull back the curtain only to discover a black cat skulking around the garden. I put this down to my previous relationship leaving me with a mountain of unresolved PTSD.
Sadie the stalker
also seemed normal until we moved in together. After that she started picking fights if she caught me talking to another woman, even just distant relatives or childhood friends. The screaming matches went from weekly to nightly, only ever ending when I conceded to her every wish and gave her full access to my phone and social media accounts. I literally needed to grab my clothes into a bag and run away one night,
and then I started hearing noises outside my new apartment. And although I never found any evidence, I was pretty sure sheâd broken in at one point because the books on my side table were suddenly out of order one day. What hurt the most was Luna knew all this and
still acted the way she did.
Right as I reached my lowest point, my close friend Gertrude called and said, âThe universe is telling me you could use a sympathetic ear.â
I told her the universe didnât know the half of it.
Iâd met Gertrudeâaka my surrogate motherâon a flight to London. Passing over Wales the aircraft hit heavy turbulence, and the grey-haired hippie in the seat next to mine squeezed my hand so tight that my fingers turned blue. After we levelled off, she apologized and said, âSo whatâs calling you to London?â
âA job.â
A few glasses of wine from the service trolley later, she blurted out, âYou know your aura is strikingly similar to my husbands.â
âUhh, thanks. Where is he now?â
âOh, he burned to death in a house fire.â
Gertrudeâs eyes started welling up. To take her mind off the subject, I said, âI lied earlier. Iâm going to London because I fell in love with a Londoner.â I pulled up pictures of Sadie (back in her pre-stalker days) on my phone. âWe met in Italy. She looked flustered trying to read a map book so I offered to help. Next thing I knew, we were planning a trip to this place called Orvieto.â
âMichael, I
need to know how this story ends. Gimme your number.â
Since then, weâd met two or three times a year.
I laid the whole mess out over pizza. It was the first time since finding the Google account I didnât feel hidden eyes crawling all over me.
Just as I wrapped up the story, over in the corner booth, a family burst into a chorus of happy birthday. A waiter appeared carrying a chocolate cake, capped by a giant candle that looked more like a flare. Gertrude tensed up.
âSo what do you think about all this?â I asked.
She looked back at me and said, âItâs possible your reaction has been a touch on the dramatic side.â
âDRAMATIC??â
âWell consider things from Lunaâs point of view. Your last relationship lasted for, what, three years? Maybe she felt threatened.â
âI donât believe this.â I grabbed a cigarette from my pocket, but Gertrude snatched it away.
âYou know how I feel about you poisoning your lungs, Michael.â
âDonât
you start. I got enough of that crap from Luna.â
Gertrude always encouraged me to work through my romantic problems. Ultimately, I decided her love of fairytale romances clouded her judgement and ghosted Luna instead. But I couldnât escape her shadow. She always felt close. In fact, it got so bad that at a friendâs costume party several weeks later, my eyes kept compulsively scanning the crowd as if she was there in disguise, ready to pounce.
I stood off to the corner until, over the sea of heads, I spotted a beautiful stranger dressed as Jarlath the Goblin King. I took a shot of liquid courage and made a B-line towards her.
Halfway across the crowded room, beer splashed across the front of my Ziggy Stardust outfit.
âI am
so sorry,â a female pirate said, patting me dry.
âDonât worry about it.â Every time I tried circling her, she moved to cut me off.
âI am such a klutz. Why donât you come into the kitchen so I can clean up this mess?â
I put my hands on her shoulders and steered her out of the way. âItâs fine. Trust me.â
Approaching Jarlath from behind, heart slamming against my chest, I said, âWell this is awkward. One of us is gonna have to change.â
Jennie had bright blue eyes and dimples impossible to miss. Ten minutes into our debate about David Bowieâs greatest album, I said, âYou know Absolute Bowie are playing the Half Moon next week. I could take you?â
âSorry. Iâm going with my boyfriend,â she said with a sympathetic smile. From beside the buffet table, the pirate stared daggers in our direction.
âNo worries,â I replied, despite the fact I was brimming with jealousy.
The next day, as I jogged off my hangover, a brown-haired lady cut across my path and we both went spinning to the ground.
âFlip, sorry.â I rushed to pull her up by the hands. âIâm like a bloody zombie lately.â
She did a doubletake. âZiggy, right?â
There was no mistaking those eyes. âJarlath?â
âWell, Jarlath or Jennie. Eithers fine.â
âRight. Well, sorry again. Enjoy Absolute Bowie.â
Before I could jog away, she said, âHey, so that guy I was seeing? Turns out heâs a total prick.â
Jennie and I went for coffee. Coffee morphed into drinks. Drinks morphed into a steamy make-out session on my sofa.
But as she covered my neck in soft kisses, my stomach turned. It felt like cheating. So, I put the brakes on things and said, âI canât do this. Iâm really sorry. Youâre amazing, but I just got out of a serious relationshipâŚandâŚitâs justâŚâ
âHey, donât worry about it.â
We agreed weâd let our connection blossom in its own time.
Jennie had a playful mystique to her. Within a handful of dates, weâd developed inside jokes and could tell what the other was thinking. But Lunaâs imprint was hard to shake, to the extent I
almost mixed up the two ladiesâ names multiple times.
To detox, I suggested Jennie and I spend a romantic weekend in the Lake District, because after two days of hiking and kayaking my ex would no doubt be a spec in the rearview mirror.
Hours before we set off, however, Lunaâs mom called. She wanted to meet and wouldnât accept any excuses.
âLook, itâs obvious why Iâm here,â she said, sitting across from me in Starbucks. âEver since you and Luna broke up, sheâs been actingâŚ
different.â
âDifferent? Different how?â
âI call but she hardly answers. I go over to her place but sheâs never there. Now sheâs telling me she needs to find herself. Says sheâs moving to Australia.â
Her fingers tightened around her cup. âI need to know what happened between you two. And I donât care if that paints anybody in a bad light. Iâm just worried about my daughter is all.â
I told her about the Google account.
âDid you confront her about it?â
âHell no. I ghosted that crazy bitcââ I cleared my throat. âI mean, I justâŚstopped seeing her.â
She started crying so loudly customers at nearby tables paused their conversations. I touched her forearm, promised Iâd call if I remembered anything else, then set off for my romantic weekend.
But while Jennie and I enjoyed all that fresh air and pub food, a thought nagged at me. Luna adored London, so why move to Australia? It seemed so out of character. Back at our rented cottage, I was so fixated on the thought I needed a smoke, badly.
âWhat the
hell is that?â Jennie demanded, as she stepped onto the front deck.
I glanced at my hands. âUhh, a cigarette.â
âMichael! Donât be sarcastic. You know how I feel about those things.â
ââŚDo I?â
âUhh, well itâs the same as anybody else. Quit poisoning your lungs and put that thing out.â
âAlright alright, geeze. Sorry Luna.â
âThatâs okay.â
A knot formed in my stomach as she went back inside. Iâd called Jennie Luna by mistake. And she hadnât noticed. In fact, her reaction to me smoking was
identical to Lunaâsâeven the snappy way she said the âpoison your lungsâ line.
I followed Jennie into the lounge, where sheâd curled up on an armchair with a Colleen Hoover novel. She was hiding something. What else did she know about Luna? Maybe I could trick her into revealing some detailsâŚ
From behind, I started massaging her shoulders. âSorry for being rude before. I know what you said came from a place of love.â
âThatâs okay.â
I waited until her eyes drooped shut, then said, âIt really is perfect here, huh? Maybe we should stay forever.â
âWouldnât that be amazing?â
Her little groans of pleasure, the rhythm of her breathing, it all felt so familiar. I waited until the tension in her neck dissolved, then I pushed my lips against her ear and whispered, âSo how about we take this into the bedroomâŚ
Lola.â
âHmm. Sure thing Bugs.â
My hands froze. Jennie jumped up. âUhh, that felt so good, whyâd you stop?â
âWhat did you just say?â
âWhat did
you just say?â
âI called you Lola,â I replied, my arms frozen in midair. âAnd
you called
me bugs.â
âLike the cartoon, right? I thought itâd be a cute nickname. Anyway, Iâm tuckered out.â She forced a yawn. âWhy donât we get some sleep?â
As her hand laced with mine, an image of me waking up drugged and gagged and tied to the bedposts flashed before my eyes.
I said, âSure. I justâŚneed to use the bathroom first.â
The second the door shut behind me, I flew out of the house, climbed in my car, and sped away.
Within seconds my phone started blowing up with calls, followed by texts.
Where are you going? Is everything okay? No, I wanted to reply.
Iâm onto your sick little game. Whatever it is, Iâm onto it. Luna stalked my stalker, now Jennie somehow knew Luna and Iâs nicknames. How? Did all women take turns drawing straws and whoever picked the short one needed to become my girlfriend?
I couldnât go home. For all I knew, my exes wouldâve been there burning effigies of me. I needed a safe place. Somewhere I could lie low until I got all this straightened out.
âOf course you can stay,â Gertrude said over the phone. âIâm out with some friends, but Iâll meet you later. If you hop the side gate thereâs a spare key under the kissing gnomes out back.â
Gertrude lived in a detached house in Wembley. It took a bit of foraging to find the gnomes hidden beneath the weeds in the brown, patchy garden.
I needed to shoulder the door open. Inside, a mountain of letters and flyers had piled up on the welcome mat.
Down the hall, a huge archway connected the landing with a lounge, where a bar sat against the far wall, surrounded by upholstered sofas, a low table, and tie dye sheets strung over the filthy carpet. Everything had a real elegant vibe, despite the musty air.
Iâd drained two glasses of whiskey before Gertrude arrived.
âLooks like youâve had a rough evening.â
I said we could talk in the morning.
âNot a chance. You canât take negative energy to bed. Come on, confession is good for the soul.â
She sat on the sofa and patted the empty seat next to her. So, with a weary sigh, I shared a tale of deranged exes.
âCrazy,â she said.
âI sure can pick âem, huh?â
âNo, I mean
youâre crazy.â
âWhat?â
âThink about it. Whatâs more likely: that your exâs are secretly in collusion, or youâre being paranoid? Look how bloodshot your eyes are. Whenâs the last time you got a good nightâs rest?â
She made a great point; teenagers on the street occasionally shouted âBugsâ or âThumperâ at me. Jennie mightâve come up with the nickname herself. I pinched the bridge of my nose, groaning.
âLook, sleep here tonight. Tomorrow weâll brainstorm ways you can make it up to Jennie.â
I fumbled through my pockets for a cigarette.
âReally?â Gertrude said. âIf you insist on poisoning your lungs, can you at least do it away from my home?â
âWell if I canât smoke, Iâm gonna need a refill.â I shook my empty glass.
On my way toward the bar, a wave of wooziness hit me. My first instinct was to blame it on the alcohol, but there was something else.
It was her reaction to the cigarette. My finger ran through the thick layer of dust along the barâs countertop. Why was it like the place had been abandoned? Why did Gertrude always pressure me to stay with my psycho girlfriends? And how come she always reached out, as if on cue, whenever my relationships hit problems? It couldnât be coincidenceâŚ
I poured two glasses of whiskey and carried them to the sofa. âSo, youâre really against the whole smoking thing, huh?â
âOf course. Itâs a filthy habit.â
âYeah. Plus, there was that mess with your husband. House fire, right?â
âIâd rather not discuss it.â
âSure, sure.â I ignited the lighter with a roll across my trouser leg.
Gertrude grabbed a cushion and hugged it. âWhat are you doing?â
âAlright, cut the crap. What the hellâs going on? Have you been sending your friends to date me?â
âWhat are you talking about?â
I wrestled the cushion from her and held the lighter beneath it. âI want an explanation right now or Iâm torching this place.â
This was an empty threat. I wasnât some pyromaniacâI just wanted answers. Inch by inch, I raised the flame. âLast chance. Why are the women in my life acting weird?â
Gertrude grabbed for the lighter. As I swatted her wrists away, we both got scorched, and for a moment her skin went wild with spasms, a sensation I can only compare to reaching inside a bucket of wet, writhing maggots. My gaze whipped between her face and her hands, which vibrated like plucked guitar strings.
Before I could scream, she yanked me up, clamped a cold, wrinkled palm across my mouth, and forced me against the wall. I thrashed around, unable to move. For a lady old enough to collect a pension, she was crazy strong.
She waited until I ran out of breath, then said, âMichael, please. Iâm not going to hurt you. Open your heart and listen.â
What else could I do?
âYou were right before. I
have been keeping a secret from you. The truth is, Iâve been in love with you since we met. Iâd never flown before. And you were so so sweet. You started talking about this other woman, but I knew our energies were perfect for each other. And itâs like I always say, love makes us do crazy things. You canât begrudge me that can you?â
She looked as if she expected me to respond, so I shook my head.
âBut I think weâve reached a point where our connection is so deep we can be
completely transparent with one another.â She took a slow, steady breath. âMichael, all your exâs, Luna, Sadie, Jennie. Theyâve all beenâŚwell, me.â
I stared at her, confused.
She sighed. âItâll be easier if I just show you.â
Out of nowhere her hand wriggled again, then her face tightened, as though the skin was being stretched over the bone. Wrinkles smoothed out and colour bled into her grey hair, turning it brown, and within seconds I found myself face-to-face with Jennie. Even her vintage clothes morphed into a green blouse and white slacks.
âSee?â she said in Jennieâs voice, her now blue eyes locked on mine.
I screamed into the soft flesh of her palm.
âSssh, itâs okay. Iâm not gonna hurt you. Watch.â
Her entire body jerked and twitched, the muscles spasming as she shifted from Jennie to Luna. âSee? Think of these as costumesââfrom Luna to Sadieâ"the important thing is whatâs underneath. And youâve fallen in love with whatâs underneath three times. Now Iâm going to let go, but I need you to promise you wonât overreact. Understand?â
On the verge of a panic attack, I nodded furiously.
The second she pulled away I made a break for the exit. The thing posing as Sadie grabbed me and hurled me backwards against the wall.
Like a disappointed teacher, she put her hands on her hips. âIâve been so patient with you, Michael. So very, very patient.â
She blocked off any hope of escape. I sidestepped around the outer edge of the room, towards the bar.
âAll those years moulding you. Trying to grow you into the man I
know you can be. I really thought we had it this time. For the record, I wanted to do this the easy way. But drastic times...â
I was so scared I slammed right into the cabinet and yelped. Glass bottles chattered together, and then something wet ran down the back of my shirt. It was whiskey, leaking from the overturned bottle onto the carpeted floor.
Speaking more to herself now, Gertrude said, âIâll just have to keep you here until you love me as much as I love you. Of course, that means posing as you so nobody gets suspicious, but thatâs no trouble. Iâll tell your dad youâre moving to Italy. You always loved Italy.â
Pose as me? She'd been killing my ex's and taking their place, I was just the latest in a long line. Sheâd keep me as a personal sugar baby if I didnât escape, but how? She was impossibly strong, and the only thing that seemed to scare her wasâŚ
Snatching the bottle, I doused the remaining whiskey all over the carpet and furniture. As I flicked the lighter open, Sadieâs hands shot up.
â
BugsâŚdarlingâŚwhat are you doing?â
I took three slow, steady breaths. âBreaking up with you, you crazy bitch.â
I tossed the lighter forward. Within seconds flames sprung up all around us, spreading as far as the sofa. Sadieâs shoe caught fire, and as she stamped around, unintentionally fanning the blaze, her body writhed again, starting with the ankles. Fat boils climbed up every inch of exposed skin, milky white and with the consistency of frog spawn, like sheâd had a killer allergic reaction to poison ivy.
She dropped to her knees, wailing like a wounded animal. This was my chance.
I made a break for the exit, giving the creature as wide a berth as possible. But as I got one foot planted in the hall something clamped tight around my ankles. My chin hit the floor, then I started sliding backwards.
I twisted onto my back. Where Sadieâs left arm shouldâve been, a tentacle-like appendage stretched across the length of the room, a distance of over twenty feet. It reeled me toward her like a fish on a line. Whatever that
thing was no longer looked human. It melted like an ice statue, with no bones or connective tissue inside, its lips nose and mouth becoming hideously elongated before dripping off in huge globs like melted candlewax. A fire alarm started wailing as the tentacle dragged me through the flames, scorching my arms and legs.
The loose mass of skin reached out and encased me like a mother bird sheltering its eggs.
âWHY WONâT YOU LOVE ME?â all my exâs voices screamed at once. Whichever direction I looked, silhouettes of faces rose and fell, as if trying to burst through. Parts of them dripped inside my mouth, disgustingly warm with a bitter taste worse than Vaseline.
I put everything into clawing my way out if there. What was left of the beast had the consistency of wet clay and came apart just as easily. I tore away chunks until there was a hole large enough to squeeze through. Then, I crawled along surrounded by black smoke.
At the far side of the room I risked a glance back and saw a bumpy, uneven hand reaching out of a puddle of ooze. Soon I was crawling over the bristly welcome mat, then fumbling for the door. All I remember after that are paramedics wrestling me into an ambulanceâŚ
A specialist officer came to see me at the hospital the next morning. Theyâd been unable to contact the homeowner, Gertrude Huyton, and through his line of questioning I could tell they hadnât found her âremainsâ inside the charred house. Like the wicked witch of the West, my stalker had melted. I told the officer she said I could stay the night, and that I probably started the fire by dropping a cigarette.
âIn that case, weâll keep trying to reach her.â He walked to the curtain surronding my bed and paused. âOh, and I almost forgot to mention, her cat is missing.â
âHer...cat?â
âYeah. The little black one. One of the firemen pulled it out of the wreckage. The poor thing had burns over its legs but it ran off before anybody could take it to the vet.â
I swallowed a gulp and thanked him for telling me.
And now Iâm still sitting here listening while nurses rush back and forth,
terrified any one of them might be Gertrude⌠Does anyone know of any 2 to 3 year nursing programs in the GTA, other than York? I don't know if I'll get into the 2nd Entry Nursing Program. I applied on the February 01st deadline and people in a groupchat are telling me that this deadline is for the 4-year program only. I'm so stressed out at this point. It doesn't help that psychology courses have been kicking me in the teeth. I dropped a 3000-level psyc course before last Friday because I was not doing well in it. I didn't want it to impact my grades.
Some people were recommending that I apply for a program change but I am a non-degree student. They do not allow for changing of program. I'm not in a specific program. Is it difficult to set up an appointment with Advising? Do I go through my home faculty of LA&PS or do I go to the Nursing faculty for help?
To top it all off, I was trying to get into a Summer psych course and was denied because some profs thought I was too late. I contacted them before the last day to add with permission of instructor. What is the point off having that date if you don't give students access and you have space?????? A professor also lied to me about "waiting lists". I was so embarrassed when I found out from the department that this isn't a thing.
Does anyone know any other Nursing programs in GTA? Aside from York and UofT?
Thanks
Hello guys, I would like to ask you, more experienced traders for an advice. Now here is some background for you to better understand my situation.
I'm 25 yo college graduate from Eastern Europe, with most of my savings into GME. I have 100 shares that I am in process of DRSing which is taking some time because Computershare uses letters instead of emails.
Now, I'm not into lavish lifestyle, Porsches and whatnot. I'd just like to squeeze the most out of this opportunity so I can set myself for life.
Money that would set me for life in area where I live is around 1 million euros and that is my primary goal.
I don't know if that is possible with 100 shares (I may add more later but I doubt it will get to XXXX) or not but I would still like to get the most out of it.
I am quite new to investing and am trying to learn as much as I can from this sub and it's doing wonders.
The time in which I would like to achieve that money is 5 years.
So, what I would like to know is what are your recommended strategies or strategies that you will be using for squeezing the most out of GME in the next couple of months/years?
Some elaboration on strategies would come in handy as well as I'm trying to expand my knowledge here.
I retired March 31st. My decision came around April 3rd(ish) my letter stated pay start date of May 1st. I understand that means I'll get my first payment on June 1st from what I've gathered.
My question is will that first deposit also back pay for the month of April? Or is that month just a loss?
Also for anyone wondering I filed a BDD (benefits day of discharge) claim in October 2023, finished all my appts before the end of December 2023, received a determination the first week of April 2024, less than a week post retirement.
Highly recommend setting up an appointment a couple months before that 6 month mark since appointments can get backed up. Also before you go to your first appt let them know you'll be filing a BDD claim and ask what you need to bring. There's a lot of documentation necessary including birth certs, SS cards, marriage certs, etc...