How to make a hard origami person

Had to make a burner account for this lol..
Where do I even begin, It did all start as a kid. My father was a cheater and my mother was a hothead sometimes and spent more money then necessary which caused financial problems. I was loved along with my brothers. But was in fact neglected at times. I got the traits of my father and just like him, I was a player. I had a crush on every female I saw. Looking back at what an old friend told me in 3rd grade I'll never forget. ''You date every girl you see'' and he was in fact correct. I'll always get feelings for girls I was so desperate. I became addicted to pornography at a very young age unfortunately since that was the best action my middle schooler stuff could of gotten. The more I watched the weirder my tastes began. I became a bit of a little creepy dude and I didn't see any problem till just recently. Even when I was little I did pervy acts too and it's truly so fucking disgusting. I met a girl who was my first love in middle school and I was happy with her but I didn't know I was a sadist at the time. I like seeing women suffer, it brings me some sort of feeling, Not a sexual feeling but the type of feeling you get when you know you have someone else in your control. That's how I lost my first love. I'm a weird paradox. My personality is an INFP, I can be very caring at times but I've turned to a dark empath. I've became a cynical. Slowly I'm hating all of humanity as a whole. I could blame society for most my problems but being a weirdo is a me problem. I'm worthless. All i've done was hurt people. I betrayed friends and family, Cheated so many times with no remorse, I lost my faith, I'm a very bad person. I want to change this but I don't know if someone can stop being a creep. Lust ruined me. I turned to drugs. I'm a taller dude and I like taking high doses to make me forget everything. I would go on but would not wanna just babble about myself and problems. The only option left to atone for all my sins would probably just be to end it all entirety. I'm a worthless scumbag that doesn't deserve anything good anymore.

Dear reader, I made an account just for this. I need some help with a difficult blindsided breakup I am suffering from. I am in a very difficult time in my life, so I would ask you to please be kind and gentle to me and find it in your heart to help me in the best available way. I'm sorry for any possible spelling errors since English is not my native language.
I would say right away that my goal is to have my ex back at some point in my life, even though i'm doing No Contact now, but I understand that No Contact should be about me and I need to be able to move on without her because that is the best for both possible outcomes (we either rekindle, or I move on without her).
Today it is exactly 6 weeks ago my ex (20f) broke up with me (27m) after a wonderful relationship that almost lasted a full year. Even though i'm a little older than her, we both never had a serious relationship before, so I guess we were each others firsts. The reason for the breakup was "she wasn't happy anymore in the relationship" and it completely blindsided me. She has ghosted me ever since except for a "I wish you will feel better soon" text. It completely took me by shock and surprise and I have been suffering immensely for the past few weeks and have a hard time going on with my life. I suffer from depression and left work sick, now i'm slowly recovering with half days to get my life back on track. But I still think about her daily and love her very much and hold out hope that we ever come together in the future.
Of course i'm doing No Contact now and have not broken it except for the first week where I made every rookie mistake in the book. The first 2 or 3 days I begged, I pleaded, I asked her to reconsider and send her long paragraphs on whatsapp. She only choose to read these paragraphs 2 weeks after she broke up (I noticed because I saw the blue checkmarks appear 2 weeks after she broke up).
Another mistake I have made was email her my multiple-page journal one week after she broke up with me (so 1 week after the breakup, and 1 week before I saw the 2 blue checkmarks on whatsapp). My reasoning for this at the time was that I was journaling to help me understand myself, but I caught myself that I was just writing to her and thought it was hindering my healing process. So after a week I decided to email her my journal which of course also had a lot of emotional stuff on how much I regretted it and also how not everything was my fault because she made a lot of mistakes too with her lack of communication. I have not written anything since then and am no longer journaling.
Anyway, that was the official last moment of contact, so I guess it's safe to say it is now over a full month of no contact.
I deleted her from my contact list after the breakup, but her conversation was still all the way down there in my whatsapp list/history. That's also how I noticed the 2 blue checkmarks that I just talked about. Since I deleted her, she was no longer able to see my profile picture (because I have set the settings that only my contacts can see this).
I could however still see her profile picture for the entire month. I guess is she hasn't deleted me from her contacts. The strange thing is, yesterday, exactly one month after our last official contact (with my journal email), I noticed by coincidence that she has changed her profile pic. When trying to look at it I saw it for a few seconds and then it vanished along with her information. This is a clear sign that she has suddenly no longer has me added in her contact list.
I know I should not try to over analyze this, I know it is probably hindering my healing process and I know I should not act on this, so please do not tell me, I am aware of this. However I do find it an extreme coincidence that she did this extremely, to the exact day, one month after our last contact. Because in my journal I wrote that "I will give it a month, and then i'm letting go".
So i'm just trying to wrap my head around what has just happened. Was she waiting for me to reach out for this whole month, and is now deciding the month is over so it's time to delete me from her contact list? Why change a picture first, then delete someone later? Is this a case of 'breadcrumbing'?
I know once again that I should not over analyze this, I know that as she is the dumper and i'm the dumpee, she is the one that is supposed to reach out during No Contact and not me. I know all the theory because I have been doing nothing but read about it for the past weeks. But my goal is still to rekindle at one point in time and I take the risk of being hurt more if that's what it takes to at least have another chance, because I love her with all my heart and was willing to die for this girl.
I guess i'm just writing this because I hope someone could help me navigate through all this and what it could possibly mean, if it means anything and just isn't a strange coincidence. I know I know her better than you guys, and something inside me tells me that due to it exactly being one month, it is too much of a coincidence to just be chance. And she was perhaps waiting for a month, before deciding to change her picture and delete me from her contacts. I'm just trying to understand the psychology or why she would do this. Another reason is she deleted me earlier from her contact lists, but her privacy settings were different and everyone could have seen her pics already, and she changed her profile pic at the same time as the updated her privacy settings. Unfortunately I have no way of checking this, but it is an option, and i'm also a very systematic man so I try to go through all available options. Or am I missing something else here?
I know all this is not a reason for me to reach out, I know it is too soon. I know I should continue No Contact because both me and her have a lot of work to do on ourselves. But I will probably after a long enough period has passed (maybe another month or two from here, I don't know yet). I even give her the right to experience other people and find out the grass is not greener, because I too have experienced other people when I was younger. So I take peace into knowing that maybe she has the right to explore this and think it would even be healthy for her. Sometimes you have to lose something to know what you have. You need to experience what else is out there so you know that what you once had was actually beautiful. And it was, even though some small mistakes were made, nothing really bad ever happened. Maybe it was just the right person or the wrong time. I don't know.
But I do know that my goal is to have her for the rest of my life and not to have her as soon as possible.
Thanks all for reading this and helping me navigate all this.

I (f26) have worked at my company for two years now. My direct managers have all had lovely things to say about me. I have been described as an asset to our firm. My director, on the other hand, has never trusted me. She is a boomer, been at the company 25 yrs. We have a remote work policy which I have tried to use to go visit my family. In the past she put a meeting on my calendar and said she would be “watching me” to make sure I’m actually working (this was after 2 successful client meetings, and I had just received a raise). Fast forward to now. I received an amazing offer at another design firm where the CEO is friends with my current CEO and knows my director. Apparently they are rival firms, I did not realize this considering the design style is so different. As always when I take an interview I usually put it as a doctors appointment because I don’t need to get this approved and the interviews were only scheduled a week beforehand (usually they require 2 weeks for approved unpaid time or PTO). I got the job, I put in my two weeks and everyone was overwhelmingly positive. I tried to call my director 2xs to tell her and she never answered. Today she asked to schedule a meeting with me, I thought for an exit interview.
She said “I saw two doctors appointments on these dates for X amount of time..were these really drs appointments or interviews?” I responded honestly and said interviews. She ripped into me saying I was a dishonest person and our firm shouldnt pay for my interviews and I should have called it “personal day”. (I’ve never seen anyone take a personal day on their calendar ) I said I was happy to take the time unpaid and my intention was never to be dishonest. She said she had spoken to my new boss (to intimidate me I presume?) about me leaving and tried to end the call. I stopped her and expressed my gratitude for learning so much from her. I want to end on a high note even if she’s making low blows. She then sent an email with her and my CEO thanking me for my hard work lol.
Am I the asshole? I’ve always taken interview this way. You can’t say I have an interview?? also this is the start of my final two weeks. Any tips on how to deal with her? We share an office and I am expecting more bs and this has really made me mad.

I was never supposed to intern at Tesla or anything like that but it seriously blows my mind how they can rescind all these offers so late. How can a massive, reputable company like Tesla rescind all these internship offers so close to their start dates? You have all these students who worked so hard to land an internship and probably already spent thousands on housing and they just rescind the offers like that? Am I the only one who thinks this should be illegal? Imagine you sign a contract accepting an offer to work at Tesla so you stop applying, you get housing near where you’ll be and you plan your summer around your internship and then they pull out two weeks beforehand? I seriously don’t understand how Elon Musk or the execs making that decision can sleep at night! 🤡

This discord has done nothing but bring me down as a person.
this discord has done nothing but bring me down as a person. everyday i come in here and all you do is tear me down insult me hurt me with your words and do nothing but harm me emotionally physically mentally and I just can’t take it any longer this server is so abusive and toxic it’s crazy. no one even realizes how disgusting all of your behaviors are. every single time I talk or type or even do anything or interact with anyone in the server everybody just goes against me and gangs up on me like a pack of wolves and just attacks me and i didn’t do anything to deserve these attacks and these hurtful words. i literally just try to be nice to everybody but nobody ever wants to be in my shoes and nobody ever tries to sympathize with me and see where I’m coming from all of you just see me as the enemy and as the bad guy that’s trying to ruin the server or something when really I’m just trying to spread positivity. you guys act like I’m some kind of virus or disease, constantly casting me out so much, making me feel so left out and so alone in this server. it’s fucking driving me insane I feel mental and I feel like a weirdo just being around all of you because of how you treat me. at this point in time, I’ve given up on ever trying again and ever becoming any of your friends because I just know your feelings towards me clearly. i know all of you hate me and never want to be around me again or never have anything to do with me. it’s clear that you all think I’m a joke and that I’m stupid, idiotic and boring. it’s so mean because I literally don’t do anything to you guys but you guys always act like you hate me and it makes me feel so confused because I don’t know what I did to deserve it. I feel like I should just leave because clearly nobody wants to be around me and everyone would be happier if i left anyways so i’ll just go and i hope all of you find happiness in life and i’m sorry for all the troubles i’ve ever put any of you through. i give up. goodbye.

About 5 weeks ago my GF( 45) of 6 months broke up with me saying she could never love me the way I (45) loved her.
About 2 weeks prior to our break up she asked if I would ever date again if anything happened, I replied its something I'd rather not think about and asked her. She said no because she would never find anyone who treated her like I did. She would constantly tell me how lucky she was for meeting me, the cute emojis constant messages telling me she missed me. Then one morning she just snapped saying its over no real explanation. At the beginning and wll the way through she would be glad I wanted to know the person and not just saw her as sex and how i constantly made her feel beautiful and loved.
About 2 weeks after the breakup shes back on dating apps and a hookup site saying shes looking for a relationship. This hurt because she just threw away the best one shes had ( her words) Anyway a friend of a family member is good friends with her family and told me her mother was so angry with her for ending the relationship because she actually loved this one she was always talking about him (me) and I treated her right. Knowing it was self sabotage and nothing to do with me doesn't make it any easier on the heartache I still feel. Anyway thanks for reading just needed to vent somewhere and I'm sure others have similar experiences

The way this show touches on abuse has me absolutely floored. It all hit so close to home for me, some things I could feel everywhere but could never put into words if that makes sense. The part that hit home the most for me was when he was talking about how awful it was for him to not know what Darrien did to him when he was unconscious. My ex had assaulted me in my sleep a few times and my mind never rests thinking about what happened to me that I’m not aware of. Very hard watch but comforting for sure too in a weird way. There’s so much more I want to say but don’t really what to say. Easily one of my favorite shows now.

Hey all! My (25NB) good friend at uni (23F) has been behaving weirdly on and off overtime recently and I'm not sure how to proceed with this as it's making me feel really crappy. To start off, I love her to pieces. We are in third year of uni together and have been through a whole lot in that time. I love hanging out with her and we have both grown a lot as people since we started. However, every now and then she has this thing where she likes to compare things between us or will imitate things I do, and it's something I have always known a bit and never really cared for but recently it is getting on my nerves a bit and I feel very uncomfortable in the relationship sadly.
This shows in many ways. In general I feel like she is constantly having some sort of not-agreed competition with me which shows in very subtle ways. I can give some examples. I have problems with my mental health and therefore am quite lucky that I receive an allowance from my local government as a doctor has decided me unfit to work besides my studies. I realise this is a huge privilege and am very grateful. Yesterday I discussed having to request this again as I am moving soon and switching to another local government, and I expressed my worries with her about my financial situation because of that. She decided to follow up on that by explaining how happy she is with her new job, and discussing her salary with me and how happy she is she makes money by herself. I am happy for her of course, but it felt a bit insensitive due to the timing and circumstances. A few weeks ago we had a similar conversation in which she also emphasised how she has people at her job that are working a side-job as they cannot get a 'real' job because they never worked besides their studies, and me being a person who is incapable of doing that, that just felt insensitive as well, as it felt like she was somehow trying to scare me out of a future in this field a little by the way she said it? It was weird.
Another thing that is similar to this: Last year I had an ankle injury. I'm a triathlete and not being able to run made me very sad. In that same time, she started running as well, and would text me in the evening with running selfies and saying how much she was enjoying it. I was happy for her and obviously she is allowed to run whenever she wants, but it just felt insensitive due to the situation to share that with me in that way. A while ago (my injury has luckily recovered since) I explained my joy at winning a local running race, after which she sort of brushed that off a little bit by talking about other runners she saw on TV and then signing up for a race herself, having never shown interest in that before. I didn't think much of it besides from it being a bit of a cold reaction, but now looking back it does feel a bit weird to say the least.
So yeah, in general I feel like this friendship is making me unhappy and my friend is very insensitive. The thing is: I need advice on what to do. I'd bring this up with her politely and explain to her how I feel, but she does not usually take very well to criticism so I am a bit scared to do that. And I am also not fully sure if this behaviour really is insensitive or if I am just being oversensitive. But this is making me feel bad over and over again. And just breaking the relationship off would be super awkward as we share almost every class. Does anyone have any tips on how to handle this in a good way?
TLDR: My good friend from uni has been acting a little insensitive towards me overtime, and it is making me feel insecure and I am not really sure how to handle the situation so asked for advice on that.

I've been throwing money into Facebook ads for subpar performance.
So I spent some time designing better ads and had a bump in traffic! But none of that traffic is converting.
In fact, Shopify tells me that most people don't make it to the cart!
I know that I have at least one amazing product. Is this simply an issue of web design? Where is my energy best spent? Please be honest; this is my first business and I really want to learn.
THE WEBSITE: https://www.toetalcomfort.com
My ideas are below. Please tell me if I'm missing the mark! * Film a video or take a good photo to display on the homepage (and on ads) * Edit photos or use a photo box at home to create a more consistent look * Get rid of the "sale" on every item - it looks tacky to have it on all comparison price items (not sure how to do this except to remove the comparison pricing) * Total rebrand... New font, colors, logo. Hoping to avoid this if possible. * Add/incentivise reviews * Put more time into social media - unfortunately, my business account was banned from tiktok before I even put any videos up, so only Facebook and Instagram are available * Put up posters around town (maybe with a special discount code) * Wear shirts with my brand logo on them * Table around town to build face to face relationships and maybe make some in-person sales with a small bit of inventory
ETA: I'm starting off shipping to US only until I can get my store off the ground and learn about taxes in other countries.

Just came back from vaca in Thailand. Pleasantly surprised by variety of the cars there. Few observations I wanted to share: 1. Had a disdain for trucks, never understood why anyone would like them. Then happened to see a truck for the first time - a black Ford raptor. Wow, the presence of it - it was majestic and a beauty at the same time. 1. Booked few cabs and got some really nice ones. First was a MG sedan - i think it is MG MG5. had so cool looking interiors, sporty steering, exhaust was music and the acceleration was addictive. Wish we had that here. 1. Next was a Isuzu mux, one we have here. Loved how it masked high speeds for passengers. Even while acelerating hard, it felt subtle inside. loved it. 1. General observations - roads were clean. Even the highways were clean. As in not much dust at all. And no cattle coming onto highways to greet us. 1. I felt, for some dumb reason, having such good roads and lanes will not be much fun to the driver. But looking at how in Thailand, the drivers were happily and safely accelerating since they knew what other person would do i.e. not come onto them, it felt like this is how roads should be to be able to drive and have fun in cars. Will definitely go back with an international license, and read up a lot on the traffic rules, rent a car or even bike next time and will take up a long drive there.

It's EV Tuesday!

7th May 2024
Hello EV people, it is your favourite time of the week! EV Tuesday is here for your enjoyment. Each week, we work hard searching for a selection of useful tips, tools and links that you may find useful as an EV owner.
Take a seat and have a flick through what we have found for you this week.
We will be posting this to our social media channels including Facebook, Twitter & Reddit (check out evcables subreddit). If you have access to our blog, you will get an extra item :)
Right, ready.....steady.........GO!!
Feedback, Requests, Questions? As always, please give us feedback on Twitter. Which item is your favourite? What do you want more or less of? Other suggestions? Just send a tweet to @ev_cables and put #EVTuesdays at the end so we can find it.
Have a great week everyone and happy reading!

1. EV APP OF THE WEEK: TESLA

The Tesla app puts owners in direct communication with their vehicles and Powerwalls anytime, anywhere. With this app, you can:

• Check charging progress in real time and start or stop charging
• Heat or cool your car before driving – even if it's in a garage
• Lock or unlock from afar
• Locate your vehicle with directions or track its movement

2. EV NEWS: BT NEWSROOM

BT Group powers up first EV charger transformed from a green cabinet, available to the public free of charge as part of nationwide pilot. The charger, which is powered by a BT Group owned cabinet traditionally used to store broadband and phone cabling, forms part of a nationwide pilot by the business’ start-up incubation hub Etc., designed to address the shortfall in public EV charging infrastructure.

3. EV TIP: HOW TO EXTEND YOUR BATTERY'S LIFE

• Limit the number of charges
• Avoid fully charging
• Reduce exposure to extreme temperatures
• Slow charge if you can
• Drive smoothly
• Stay cool

4. EV TOUR: TESLA

Cybertruck Odyssey Tour This May, Cybertruck begins its journey across Europe. With more than 100 tour locations, find your nearest stop and join us to meet Cybertruck.

5. EV REVIEW: EV TIPS

Maxus T90EV
Maxus T90 - In a nutshell, the Maxus T90EV is a curiosity. It has a USP (it’s the UK’s only electric pick-up), but it also has limitations which would exclude it from many of its core buyers’ wish lists. We’ll come to its pros and cons later.
For now, let’s give the Maxus T90EV some context. Maxus is owned by Chinese automotive giant SAIC Motor, whose other brands include MG. SAIC began manufacturing commercial vehicles under the Maxus name in 2010, after buying LDV (Leyland DAF Vans).Until next time. Have a fantastic week!
EV Cables Team
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Hi reddit, would love some opinions on what i should do. Welcome to my shitshow!
Befriended a man, slept together, I enquired why he had a pic of a girl on his fb banner (yes it was a fucken banner) he said it was his ex all good. I thought okay….weird maybe he didnt change it because he's lazy. Ended up becoming best friends, he wanted me to hang all the time.Truly had a fun connection on both ends. We laughed and we cried very much like a twin flame.
Anyway this slowly started to descend into the classic situationship and my emotions were being played with. False promises of a potential relationship ect. Later I learned he was still in contact with an ex who was a very possessive FWB, who I thought was very much a lesbian according to my situationship. I thought she was just having fun and would go away. Boy was I wrong, at this point i wished i left however i was lonely and emotionally deep at this point. She came to my home, she honked her car horn at 3 am. Anyway my situation started to become emotionally abusive to me too, ultimately making me feel like shit and questioning my self worth. I thought I couldn't do this.
As much as I love this person and his company, I have to go. Left for a month felt horrendous and alone so crawled back. Should have booked a flight to Bermuda instead. When I saw him next, he said he doesn't speak to his “lesbian” ex. We slept together that night. We went to a concert the next day and he made me pick him up from another girl's place. Im thinking fuck this guy, I go anyway and question him. He says it's his girlfriend to be who he sees something with in future, but says he likes me too and i'm a good girl. I bite my tongue and try my best not to spontaneously combust at this point. He says he has to ask her if we can still be friends… because he said to her we were just friends….. Anyway at this point I lost it. I call him to basically give him my piece of mind and he doesn't respond to a single call, email or text.
4 months laters he’s engaged to be married. It’s been 9 months and i'm seething. Its unfinished for me, this guy needs to see me face to face. I'm wiser now and want justice for being dragged through the shit. To the people who've read this, I give you my love. Lmn your thoughts in the comments below on how to move on, should i get justice. What makes this situation even worse is during that same year my dog died, my grandfather died and grandmother died very shortly after. I also suffer from a chronic condition.

i’ve always found it hard to make friends because i used to be non verbal, now it’s more selective mutism. i can speak to some people but not others, even people i can speak to i don’t know what to say. most of my friends are online because it’s easier and any irl i met when i was a kid.
i followed this person on twitter in july last year because we were in the same fandom. we didn’t really speak until september.
i was very open to them about my past and how ive often been told im too much for others so now i usually just mirror how other people are to me. i dont reallly know what to speak about unless its related to my interests and though we do have a few in common its in different ways and hard to find common topics. they told me they understood because they’re also autistic which was great to hear because i struggle so much being friends with neurotypicals.
we’ve spoken since september, we dont talk every day sometimes but we talk enough for me to refer to them as a friend. i still dont want to be annoying to them so i dont go on and on about stuff like i do to other friends but i was hoping to reach that point soon.
anyways, today i woke up to a text from them which got me super excited only for it to say “hey please stop calling me your friend, you barely message me you complain about how others were to you in the past but i think you were the issue. you’re not my friend, i hate you in fact. don’t message me again”
it’s super confusing because we spoke for an hour straight yesterday before i was busy and couldn’t reply, which i told them before leaving. looking back on our messages they often texted me first but id send more texts, i just don’t always know what to start with to text first.
i just don’t really understand what happened for them to decide they hate me. we’ve never argued or anything. i know im not really the best person socially and being friends with me is difficult but i thought things were going well.

I live in the USA. I came into Orthodoxy alongside my family as a teenager. We came into a small Greek Orthodox Church which has been described as very “pan-orthodox.” It was also called “the Love church” by the Metropolitan during a visit. The priest is Romanian, and the laity is a mixture of all sorts of immigrant background plus a solid fistful of born-American converts like me. So, it is not staunchly ethnic Greek, through there are a number of Greek parishioners. Hilariously , the first person I met from the church (my godmother, now) introduced herself as “Athena from the Greek Church,” and I thought, “I can remember that!” I love this church; we’ve moved a lot over the past few years and I miss it often.
We attended an Antiochian parish for about a year after one move (closest and we knew the priest) and since moved again to an area with only an OCA parish. My husband was having frequent conversations with the priest as he is himself discerning a call to the priesthood. We had one child at this time and another on the way.
The conversations were often odd. The priest was not tickled by our answer about how many children we wanted (our answer is always that we think we want a large-ish family, but we plan to take it one baby at a time), in fact he seemed quite displeased with it. He told me to let him know the day the baby was born so he could come pray over us, and I thanked him and warned that the hospital was over an hour from the church, so I would certainly understand if he needed to postpone a visit if the baby was born late in the day. He was truly shocked that the baby was to be born in a hospital. Homebirthing is becoming so very popular that I seem to be quite the minority in my preference for hospital births—but I admit that I feel safer in the knowledge of medical professionals and medical equipment at hand in the event of an emergency.
This priest has been generally displeased with us, and I can think of many reasons why. But that is not of import in my question. This church is blessed beyond measure with children. There are copious children! I am sure they outnumber the adults. It is delightful. I have found, in conversations with women, that I am not only a minority in my giving birth options, but literally the only currently-having-babies woman who likes hospitals. I have been told that Ultrasounds are demonic. Vaccines are out of the question. There is a massive emphasis on children eating meat—a friend who discovered my vegetarian tendencies (I mean no disrespect to meat eaters; my husband is carnivorous! I’m just weird and don’t like meat and so I don’t bother) pointed to Scripture to prove that eating meat is a command from God. My husband was also often in trouble for missing evening church services because he worked at night. I work during the day, and have been eternally grateful for his sacrifice of night working to support us and make sure that our boys can be with a parent all the time.
Long story short, the priest did not come to the hospital to see and bless the baby. He came to our house once we were home. For a variety of reasons, the most vital being another move (a move actually inspired by trying to get to a Greek Orthodox Church), we are no longer at that parish. I am curious about others’ experiences regarding childbirth and parenting expectations in the Orthodox Church. My sister in law, also Orthodox, is a doula, and so very homebirth herself, but is more accepting of my hospital preference since her last child was born by emergency C-section (they are both fine—he is two and a delight!). If my husband goes to seminary it will be, presumably, Holy Cross Greek Orthodox seminary in Boston. My SIL has given me the contact info of a doula friend currently at the seminary, as I am expecting a third child and might be in Boston when the baby is due. She said that the midwives love visiting the seminary because they can visit many expecting mothers at one time. This indicates that homebirth is the preferred style of childbearing at the seminary, too.
I’m just wondering if this is just in keeping with the American culture shift toward homebirth or if people consider homebirth more Christian than hospital birth. I am 13 weeks pregnant and have told very few people because I am loathe to start hearing about how I should have this baby and loathe to be asked how I plan to have the baby. I have no ill-will toward woman who homebirth; it is a matter of comfort for me just as it is to them. I mostly just want to hear experiences of church community feelings toward birth.

I’ve lately been realising the importance of loving yourself and being positive and confident. It’s something I’ve always needed to be towards myself. It would make me a happier person, appreciate life and be nicer to be around. Every so often you see these people that seem to radiate this magnetic aura. They are sure of themselves, not phased, confident and lift others up, which never detracts from them, only makes them even better as people!
I wish I was remotely close to this but when I start to train myself to think like this, I feel big headed or arrogant or start to feel confidence is cockiness or this type of focus on myself is selfish or unlikable. I really have no idea how these people do it. Or how anyone that tries to love themselves doesn’t feel negative about it - I know it’s possible, but just don’t know why I can’t get past that. Does anyone else have this conflict? If not, how do you do it? 💛

Has anyone else been completely ripped by the pop-up “chef” Aman Dosanj? Friends and I went to one of her dinners last year that was nearly $200 per person and they ran out of wine (which was extra) and drinks (which was extra). Barely any food was served (it was at a farm - how does that even make sense?) and everyone around us was wondering what the hell was going on when a tip jar was put at the end of the table to be passed down. We were informed of the tip jar in an email before the event so before we knew we’d paid $200 for $10 worth of food.
If someone knows her - can you pass along a message? She’s leaving Kelowna because the community isn’t supportive enough.
When you host a dinner and no one posts a single picture of the food…It’s because the food was bad AND/OR they had low blood sugar because you starved them.
The race card doesn’t work when you’re ripping people off and shaming them into supporting you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOem-jQkweA
In the above video, Beau reads a quote from the Republican candidate Mitt Romney, about how some among the American public feel entitled to food, shelter, and health care, with the implicit assumption being that said sense of entitlement is wrong, according to the Republican paradigm. What follows that, is the type of argument that Beau unfortunately makes far too often. It is an appeal to moral outrage.
Appeals to moral outrage are only effective, if they are made to individuals who share the same fundamental moral framework or belief system. This is described by the expression "preaching to the choir." Attempting to evoke shame in one's target audience, will likewise only work if they share the same belief system. If they do not, then the attempt will fail, as will any attempt to persuade them of the urgency of one's argument. Conservatives in many ways do not have the same view of reality as the Left. It is therefore entirely ineffective to refer to them as evil for their non-compliance with Leftist ethics, because they have never adhered to said ethics in the first place. Referring to them as evil also gives them no incentive to begin doing so. There is a more effective way to do this.
I absolutely agree that basic logistical and economic reform is necessary, on a global level; and I will say it even more plainly than that. I believe that not only should every human being receive food, shelter, and health care, but that there is a completely rational and pragmatic basis for making that claim.
My argument is not based on calling anyone who disagrees with me evil. It is not based on telling them that they are "on the wrong side of history." It is not based on sitting in a group of like minded individuals and listening to the music of either John Lennon or Roger Waters with tears in my eyes, while under the influence of either marijuana or MDMA. My argument is based on something considerably more grounded and useful. It is based on two pillars.
a} As an individual, it is in my own vital self interest to have food, shelter, and medical care. If I assume that the anatomy of all other human beings operate on exactly the same biological principles as my own, then it is logical to assume that their survival has the same prerequisites that mine does; and more, that if they do not have access to said prerequisites, then they will completely logically and understandably fight to obtain them.
The political affiliation of both myself and whoever reads this post is variable. The fact that both of us require oxygen, food, water, and shelter, however, is not. Recognition of this is not only logical in coldly materialistic terms, but it is, coincidentally, also in alignment with the most fundamental principle espoused by Jesus Christ; namely, to treat others only in the manner that we desire to be treated ourselves. I mention this, not as an appeal to self-righteousness, but because Christianity is the paradigm which American conservatives usually profess adherence to.
b} I admit that due to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and the associated level of mistrust, I do not frequently adopt mentors. However, one individual who I have, is R. Buckminster Fuller. One of Bucky's innumerable contributions, was to coin the word Ephemeralization. In the simplest possible terms, what this word means, is that the more industrial or productive infrastructure exists, and the more efficient said infrastructure becomes, the less expensive the output products of said infrastructure becomes.
What this means, is that all of us have direct, personal self interest in increasing the amount of industrial infrastructure in existence, as much as possible. The more we do this, the greater and more effortless the availability of all industrial products will become, and the greater our assurance and guarantee of the availability of said commodities or products, also becomes.
There will still be many products in existence, that rely on components that are inherently non-renewable. I do not argue that point. But I do absolutely believe that the creation of infrastructure which would provide enough to at least ensure basic survival is technically possible, and I again believe that it is in the vital self-interests of everyone currently living, including the currently wealthy, to begin to implement it.
This also is not an appeal to Communism. Communism failed, and again, I do not argue or contest that point. I do not claim to entirely know the minute details of the governing paradigm, associated with what I am advocating.
It is, however, an appeal for arguments in favour of logistical and economic reform, to be made from the perspective of pragmatic, rational, mutual self-interest, not moral outrage. I have very rarely seen appeals to moral outrage succeed. Usually they only cause an increase in alienation and conflict, not an increase in openness or understanding.

I'm new to the DB fanbase, so maybe this has been explained before. I just couldn't find the answer I'm looking for, so sorry if this is a repeatedly asked question. Also sorry if this is a stupid question.
I just wanted to know how does Gotenks solve Goten and Trunks' screentime? In fact, it would completely ruin them as individual characters and would only make them relevant as a fused being. Gotenks is neither of them, doesn't develop their characters at all and over reliance on that form means the story would never try to make Goten and Trunks both individually very powerful, because Gotenks would be way too powerful then.
It's just my personal opinion, but Gotenks just feels like a hindrance to the growth of Goten and Trunks as characters. Power wise I can understand the argument, but again, that only means that Gotenks is powerful but not Goten and Trunks.
We see Gogeta and Vegito as seperate beings and their overwhelming strength boosts from the fusion still don't make Goku and Vegeta as individuals stronger, so we still have expectations for their characters and what new milestone they'll reach.
But I see a very different reaction for Goten and Trunks. The only reason people want them individually stronger, is so that Gotenks gets stronger and then we get to see him more.
At what point should we start saying we like Gotenks as a character and not Goten and Trunks?

I just wanted to add my joy to the stream of not so joyful posts. I do believe and see there are some less than ideal things happening in the community… but I don’t know, I’ve been to a solid 10+ tipper events in the last 7 years or so and I’ve had nothing but the most absurdly magical times, felt tremendous love for the events and community. Y’all are just something else. So beautiful, thank you.
My very first tipper show, not included in the # I wrote above, i was young, ignorant, and rather depressed. I drank so much that I never even remembered seeing tipper until I found a photo I had of the event. I was shocked, and disappointed in myself.
But, one day I went to a fest with him playing, won’t say which. I took a special chocolate and had a bit of a hard, necessary experience as I sat on the edge but still immersed in the music and visuals. The line up leading up to tipper was incredible, the crowds energy was incredible. A bit of the story, for years I had faced a complex where I was afraid to fully, freely dance in public. Essentially, afraid to fully be myself. Well, by the time tipper came on, I had worked through so much, and the music, the crowd, it’s energy, and my own desire to be better… it led to one of the greatest mental breakthroughs of my life. I’ve been a masssssive fan of it all since. I’ve been a much better person since. I am full of so much gratitude for everyone part of this that helps to make it so beautiful. There’s also more to what happened in my personal experience of course but that’s not the point
So, teach people through example. Someone could have judged me for just sitting there for like three hours barely moving probably looking a little uncomfortable. Maybe thought I was too high on k or something. But people let me be and the crowd showed me how to be free by doing so themselves. I’d never seen or felt anything like it, truly. I felt the love and beauty in it all simply by opening my mind and heart and allowing myself to witness what was.
Not everyone is there yet. Everyone is on their own journey. Many will get tired of living in that self destructive manner and will grow when their time comes. Some won’t, and they’ll keep showing up and keep giving others a hard time. It’s how the world works, unfortunately, though we should of course strive to always make it better. We all were and still will be ignorant and foolish in many ways. That’s just the journey. Show love, be love, help the world heal.
It saddens me so much to have opened reddit after just getting home late Monday night only to read all these complaints. It almost feels like an insult to the event. It was another series of some of the greatest days of my life, hands down, so I just want to say thank you, and I love you. And everything else I blabbered about 😛
💖💖💖
Also sorry if super scatterbrained I barely just got back and I’m so tired. So fucking happy I got to be here. I’ll remember these days so fondly until my last breath