Weather in myrtle beach in january

Hi all I joined in January this year and have nothing but issues with my laptop since I started.
I’ve submitted numerous support tickets called 1-800 several times about memory issues external driver issues and have been to ITS walk up several times since my start.
IT either clears cache or puts a bandaid on my problems or simply ignores my problems with this damn thing. It’s impacting my day to day I’ve missed client meetings because of technical issues with this thing not connecting to internet/Bluetooth driver errors.
Honestly I’m so done with this device and am seriously considering burying it and burning it.

so i was working at walmart for 1 year and almost 2 months, around march of this year i was terminated for opening a redbull in the store and before the store/registers opened.
so i got into a car accident in december 2022 and it was on the way to work, i slid on black ice in my jeep and my jeep hit a guardrail and flipped 3x. i was out for 2-3 weeks but never taken off the schedule and sedgwick never approved my claim because they kept messing up the date so my coach took them off with proof of the police report.
January 2023, i got covid from work and didn’t know until i went in and couldn’t lift anything and felt weak constantly and i clocked out and told my team leads. that leave was approved ASAP
February 2023, i got the stomach virus and was hospitalized because of how low my levels were and how weak i was.
March 2023 comes by and at the beginning of the 20th i started feeling weak and out of it, i went into work still and could barely drive to work and at 5:15 i opened an energy drink because i thought i was just tired or my blood sugar was low but i was going to pay for it but by 5:55 the ambulance was called and my team leads were with me and gave me water and a snack from the shelves. 6:05 i was taken by the ambulance in front of walmart and no one by the front registers (self checkout and cashier registers) so i couldn’t pay for it also. i vividly still remember it was sitting in the back room and i ran to my sister to call the ambulance because i was scared i was going to pass out or something bad during work.
That week i came back and 1 hour before i had to leave for the end of shift i was pulled into the office, i was told that i’m not a bad person blah blah and that people who steal aren’t horrible. they said that i’m a good worker and such then said that i’m being terminated and that they have cameras of what i’ve done but i’ve never stole, i barely even shop at walmart because i just wanna leave by the time i clock in, all i do is buy redbulls so i can function at work. (also why i feel weak,tired and sad was is because of stress and the car accident and when i was taken to the hospital that day they told me that)
they put me as non rehirable and gross misconduct on my termination paper for a 8oz redbull that i was going to pay for, it was so hard to even get a job and the look on people’s faces when i tell them what happened made me feel shitty.
i still have bad dreams about how it happened/ how that store was ran and how i could’ve done things differently because i felt like they were always out to get me especially my girl team leads and some coworkers . i feel like their has to be a way for me to be rehired or something because i still feel like i was taken advantage of and my financial support was taken away from me, i can’t pay my car insurance now and my bills (i was also denied unemployment). suck situation that i’ve never been in for my 10 years+ of working

(I believe my earlier post glitched)
I am 19 and was addicted to video games and only understood it when I stopped, but damage was done.
Awaken by: A 4chan post saying " I went from a guy who wouldn't lift, game... blah blah... to someone driven towards people and good workout."
Attempt 1: January detox while still using reddit. Entered flow state and enjoyed walking for first time in long time. But was hasty and relapsed.
Retry rules:
•Reject everything pleasure-seeking, comfy furniture and sleep on floor. •Try to do compound exercise. •fish(600g),vegetables(400+g). •Gym is too expensive recently.
Problems(help):
1.I feel lazy to exercise; should I force myself or hope my self would change?
Scapular pain, likely due to laying on couch all day; But doctor says I am alright.
2.Should I study my sister's medical books(useless to my field) if I don't have studying to do(holiday)?
3.Will just hiding pleasure eventually benefit or I should develope a strict routine at the earliest?

Context:
So I recently got back in contact with someone that I knew from middle school (we are both 20) and since then we’ve hung out a few times and have been texting back and forth. We are both introverted and we have both admitted to be terrible at carrying conversation, although she is better at initiating. By chance she happened to see on instagram that I was vacationing where she was, and we spent an afternoon on the beach together. She texted me that night and texted me the next couple of days (she initiated/texted first) and then it was silent for a few days. She eventually reached out towards the end of the week asking how my vacation had been and texted me for the next couple of days, and I eventually reached out to her asking her if she wanted to hang out again. We spent nearly 6 hours hanging out one afternoon, had a good time, and she told me at the end of it all to text her.
I texted her the night afterward and the conversation lasted for a bit but ended up falling a bit flat. I waited a day to see if she would send anything, and ended up reaching out the next day (yesterday) to see how she was doing. We texted back and forth all afternoon/evening and the conversation moved pretty smoothly until about like 10:30ish (which admittedly, it had been 6 hours at that point). I had been asking most of the questions but she was being somewhat detailed/enthusiastic in her replies so I think it was ok.
Here’s my dilemma: I kind of want to reach out again today but I don’t know how soon is too soon. I know we’re both friends at this point, but I’m a bit suspect there might be something more, although I’m not really sure as she is a super nice person and could just be being nice. I don’t wanna come off as too pushy since I already have asked her to hang out in person twice and started a conversation that lasted like 6 hours last night, but I also am afraid if I don’t keep up contact that we just won’t speak again (this happened last summer after I ran into her somewhere and she gave me her number). Also, there’s a part of my brain that is just terrified that she is only entertaining conversation with me because she’s nice and doesn’t want to to ignore me, despite maybe wanting not wanting to talk.
I understand this is a very loaded post but any help would be much appreciated as I’ve been spiraling in my head since we stopped talking. My post history might help if anyone needs additional context and I am happy to provide more if needed.

Backstory, I had kidney stones back in January, I had a lithotripsy, stent, etc. they removed them.
Fast forward to two weeks ago, I had 2 stones in my ureter and a 15mm in my kidney, again I underwent the procedure and had a stent placed as my ureter was too “twisted” the urologist wasn’t able to get up as far as he wanted to get the rest, had a hospital stay as he thought I might develop an infection, I didn’t.
The plan was for me to go back this week and have another procedure in hopes the stent would straighten out my ureter and he could get the rest, unfortunately my stent fell out three days later and surgery was canceled as he knew he wouldn’t be able to get back up there.
I’ve been having a little pain here and there so he sent me back for another CT scan. Low and behold I have a 7mm and 10mm in my ureter, again. The 7mm is low enough for him to retrieve but the 10mm is up where it’s twisted so he’s not confident he can retrieve it.
I have a follow up appointment with him tomorrow to go over next steps and figure out a game plan. Does anyone have any suggestions I should bring up to him? I’m sure he knows something but I just like to have a few ideas up my sleeve.
Also, the stones he retrieved two weeks ago came back as 100% brushite.

Hello! My background:I am in my late twenties and I am half East Asian and half Western European (mostly Dutch, French, and Anglo). I recently got back from a 2 week vacation in Italy. The weather was cloudly and rainy about half of the time I was there. Otherwise, it was quite sunny. I made sure to wear sunscreen under my makeup and a wide brimmed hat whenever I was outside. I usually tan very easily, but somehow my skin got paler while I was on vacation. I have been back home in Florida for about five days, but it looks like the skin on my face has gotten darker. At home, I have been wearing sunscreen (but no makeup) and a wide brimmed hat when I go outside. I have only been directly outside in very sunny weather for more than an hour in the past two days (about 4-ish hours each day). I have also driven in sunny weather for about 4-ish hours in the past five days. If it matters, I have also been in front of computers and my phone a lot more since I'm back at work. I also applied Twyneo (a tretinoin/benzoyl peroxide cream, prescribed by my dermatologist) two nights ago. The skin darkening occured the day after I applied Twyneo. Skin darkening is not a major problem in my eyes, but I don't want my acne scars to darken and I like the way my skin looks when it is paler. I am not sure if the Twyneo or possible lack of adequate sun protection has darkened my skin. Does anyone have experience with skin darkening after using a retinoid or any advice to keep my skin lighter? Sorry if my spelling or grammar is bad -- I am on mobile right now.

Hey all. My husband and I are traveling with our pup to TC in August and wanted to reach out for dog friendly recommendations in TC. We are looking to check out some wineries, breweries, some fun hikes and possibly hit up a beach or two while we are in the area. We are staying in an airBNB in downtown TC, but will have a car to get around as well. Would love some off leash friendly dog beach recommendations and off leash friendly hikes. Also looking for a spot for a nice dinner out, without the pup, so any top restaurant recommendations that are not dog friendly are welcomed too! TIA!

I never take my shirt off coz of my gyno and I used to be fat but now iv lost weight I went to the beach and thought fuck it I'll go shirtless.
So I did and now I have abs almost showing it was great but I got hella weird looks coz of my gyno and now I'm wondering does me not being fat anymore make my gyno look like boobs?
Obviously I don't look female coz in a bearded guy 😂 but torso only, would yall think female now I'm a bit more in shape than I used to be or were the looks I got just regular old gyno stares?

I work as an essential worker, and my girlfriend is immuno compromised. So I use to get covid tested fairly regularly. I use to go to a walk in to get them done most the time. I got a bill for two visits to get tested from separate dates in 2022, in january of 2023. I immediately called my insurance to figure it out. For context, I use to be on free state health insurance that covered everything. I got full time at my job late last year, and now have health insurance through my job as well. As soon as I got the first bill, I contacted my state health insurance and was told they wouldn't pay because I had the secondary insurance now. I apparently had never given the walk in my new insurance, so I went to the walk in and gave them all my new insurance info and they said it should be fine now. I continued to get bills and called them back at least 2-3 to see what was going on. The last time I called them a few weeks ago, I had called my insurance through work and they told me they had never been billed for either visit yet. So I called the walk in again and was assured all my info was fine, and that they were rebilling them. About a week ago, I just got a bill from a collections agency for the amount of one of the visits. I'm just wondering what my course of action is going forward? I'm really don't want to have to pay for a medical visit, that was never even billed to my insurance.

I'm posting in this sub because I have a good handle on the diet side of things, but I want advice on how to handle passing that knowledge to my spouse in a productive way to help them achieve their goals.
We're just back from the doctor and they've been warned to lose weight. At 5'7" and 225lbs their BMI is 34.5 - well into the danger zone.
We've been dieting together since January (back then we started it to get rid of the holiday weight, the doctor visit was only a recent development). Since then I've lost 20lbs but they have lost zero.
I do 95% of the cooking. I go to great lengths to cook healthy low-calorie meals. The problem is that they seem to have intense cravings for high-calorie density foods (sweets, cheese etc), have low impulse control (can't resist cakes and sweets their colleagues bring to the office) and have this mindset like they're afraid of starving if they don't eat until they're stuffed. Most days proceed with everything going according to plan but unravelling with the post-dinner dessert, which isn't part of the plan and puts them 200-400 calories over, basically negating any calorie deficit and ensuring they never lose any weight.
tl;dr: As the title says. Doctors ordered them to lose weight and I want to do my bit but have failed for 6 months. Any advice is welcome. I've tried everything but I'm out of my depth here.

SW 241.2 CW 216.2 T2D Currently on: 7.5MG I am so happy to have not only reached but I’m surpassed my first weight loss goal. I started Mounjaro on January 2022 at 241.2 lbs and I am currently as of my weight in today at 216.2. First goal was 20 lbs so sitting at 25lbs loss🙌🏻. Moving towards goal 2 which is another 20 lbs. Other things to celebrate is my A1C of 5.1 from 5.8, fasting glucose below 90 from 130-140 and no longer feeling like crap from sugar spikes after having a meal. I feel blessed with how this medication has helped me improve my health in so many ways.

Most of my days traveling are not like this picture, even though it may seem that way. I work a lot and even though I was on a tiny island like Bali for 5 months, I only made it to the beaches 3 times and most were quick trips. Most people have not traveled the way I do. Typically people have a week in a new country and it's a whirlwind week where you run around and exhaust yourself, then go home and rest. I live in these places, therefore that type of vacation travel is impossible for me. I would burnout within a month. I wouldn't have been able to do the 3 years I have endured this far.
Having said that, I've been fortunate enough to experience plenty of days where my only worry was relaxing, having fun, and enjoying the culture around me. Places that held up their promise of sitting on a beach chair in paradise and Padangbai was one of them.
To get to this hidden beach you must walk through town and find a path with a huge sign that says "Do Not Enter." Of course, I entered. This is not to say that I am one to disrespect local laws or private property. But this path was on Google maps, the land was not occupied and plenty of locals had suggested this beach- so I disregarded the sign.
After a healthy trek up a steep hill in flip flops and a bikini in Southeast Asia heat, I was beginning to wonder where this path was actually taking me or if I had made a wrong turn somewhere. Cresting the hill, I see an older man that smiles and waves me down. Hoping I wasn't getting lured into a trap, I followed his direction. A few moments later this beautiful sight unfolded before me. The bluest water, the calmest waves and a beach all to myself.
I spent 2 full days enjoying the view from my beach chair with not a care in the world. I made friends with the locals who owned the restaurants, we drank arak together, and I even shared a fish that a kid caught snorkeling and had grilled right on the beach.
After nearly 3 years, I have had days where if I had been lost at sea I might have felt more grounded but days, like the one pictured, make up for it.
Happy Travels 🩴

Hi everyone! I posted earlier about my decision to buy a Toyota Tacoma to replace my S (I have not traded the S in, I got the Tacoma yesterday and I'm currently waiting on repairs from Tesla before I sell the S).
I suggested in the comment thread that I'd do a post about EVERYTHING that went wrong with that car. So let's buckle up because here we go.
I bought the car CPO from Tesla in June of 2019, it is a 2016 75D/"Standard Range" S. The car is a relatively rare build because Tesla upgraded to Autopilot 2 hardware in October of '16 and removed the free unlimited supercharging perk in January of '17 (or roughly around that time). My car came down the line in November of '16 so it's one of very few Ses that has both these features. The first time I took it into the Service Center I was told by a technician (who does not drive a Tesla as his personal vehicle) that this particular run of Ses was one of the best batch he'd ever seen. Oh boy let's see how great this batch is.

Heated steering wheel

The first thing that went wrong with the car was actually broken from the time I bought it, but I didn't notice for a few months because it was the heated steering wheel. Winter '19/'20 set in and I realized the steering wheel wasn't warming up. I took it in for warranty repair and they found it was simply unplugged, this was free.

Trunk latch

In the summer of 2020, amid the COVID lockdowns, one day the trunk failed to latch and was stuck open. I tried pulling the emergency release but that did nothing. I scheduled a mobile appointment (which I will give Tesla credit for, very few car companies make housecalls), and the technician was also unable to get the trunk to latch. So I scheduled a service center appointment and had to drive with the trunk open for a couple weeks, this made an annoying beeping noise and prevented me from using ANY cruise control, let alone "Autopilot" (or "Full-Self Driving", I actually got grandfathered into the offer to upgrade from EAP to FSD for $3000 so I pulled the trigger on that, I have not requested the FSD Beta because it looks like a death machine to me).
Amazingly during my drive to the service center the trunk magically fixed itself. I wasn't about to turn around and go home since I figured the part could still be faulty, so I asked them to look at it anyway. Since they didn't see anything wrong they charged me over $500 to replace the components. This was my first repair bill.

First collision repair

A couple months later I was rear-ended by a teenager and she did a bunch of damage to the back of the car, this was one of my most seamless issues with the car, I took it to a local collision repair shop and they had it back to me within 3 days, all of these costs were paid by insurance.

MCU2 Upgrade

At some point I took the car in for them to replace the MCU (the 17" touchscreen) with the newer one so I could get Netflix and YouTube on my center screen. This was an optional service center visit, though the original MCU was REALLY starting to chug on newer Tesla software. The replacement cost $1600 and they did not put in a new AM/FM radio (that would have been an additional $500 and I don't listen to the radio much anyway). I was actually kind of happy that I could have the option to upgrade this tech, but if MCU2 winds up being as sluggish as MCU1 was when it was just 4-5 years old this seems like an extra non-optional cost.

12V Battery Replacement

In the summer of 2021 I got the error "12V BATTERY LOW SCHEDULE SERVICE NOW". That seemed really urgent, so I went on YouTube and searched for this error and found out that James May got the same issue. TL;DW the 12V system is powered primarily by a DC-to-DC converter from the main battery, but when the main battery disconnects there's a small 12V (like one you'd use in a motorcycle) that is needed to power on the actuators that connect the main battery. If the 12V goes flat the car is bricked and, because the 12V is under the frunk and the frunk is electronically actuated, the only way to get to the 12V to trickle charge it is to partially dismantle the car.
In fact, I was lucky to get a warning at all some Teslas have had this happen with no warning and in fact it was a software update that even added the warning. And in fact a lot of early Teslas failed within a year because for some reason they charge and discharge the 12V like mad. I hope they've improved this since this blog post, but anyway this is a serious design defect.
Tesla did the right thing here and got me into service the next day AND I got the car back within 90 minutes. This is the fastest turnaround time I've ever seen from them, however I'm fairly certain that if my car was no longer under warranty (meaning they would not be responsible for paying to tow it to the service center) I would not have gotten such white glove treatment.

Suspension issue

In 2022 I read the book Ludicrous: The Unvarnished Story of Tesla Motors by Ed Niedermeyer. From this book I learned about whompy wheels and learned a rumor that many Teslas were built with cheap aluminum suspensions that tend to fail. China forced Tesla to do a recall on cars built in the US and exported to China.
I frantically drove to my local tire shop and asked them to look at the suspension, they reported that it looked to be in good condition but that there was a leak in the hydraulic fluid that Tesla should repair under warranty. I took the car to Tesla and they had it for SIX DAYS during which I had to rely on their Uber vouchers (Tesla only recently started doing loaners in my area, it might be because I live in a very obscure remote place called New York City /s). They reported to me that nothing was wrong with the suspension and returned the car, completely filthy since they'd left it parked under a tree.

Windshield replacement

In late 2022 I decided to save some money by replacing my wiper blades myself. While the blade arms were out one of the springs came loose and smashed into the windshield. It took me about a week to get the wiper back on, I tried every tool in my toolbox and eventually just took it to the tire shop where they put in a vice and got it to reconnect. They did this for free. Over the winter of '22/'23 however the damage to the windshield escalated into a crack. This is mostly my own stupid fault, I probably could have prevented this crack from growing with a cheapo Amazon glass repair kit, but none of the other cars I've ever driven have had something this nuts happen.
I took the car to a local glass repair shop and the owner told me I needed a full new windshield. He called Tesla to confirm the part number and order it, they did not pick up the phone. I was out of the country for about a month so I left this to pick up when I returned. I just went to SafeLite since I assumed they had more staff to pester Tesla to send them the windshield. Dropped off my car, they called me and said they had to wait a couple weeks for the windshield to ship. About a week later I dropped off the car AGAIN and they replaced the windshield.
This cost me another $500 out of pocket and the rest (about $700) was covered by insurance.

Door replacement collision repair

On March 7th 2023 a kid jumped a stop sign and crashed into my driver's side door, he put a huge dent in it and the door handle got stuck in the presenting position. Because he was not the policyholder* his insurance could not establish that he had permission to drive the vehicle and said they would not pay for the repair, so I again had to go through my insurance meaning I couldn't get a loaner.
It took Tesla TWO WEEKS to ship a new door to the only local Tesla-certified collision repair center in my area (this was about a 30 minute drive and I had to Uber both ways since there was no nearby public transit). When I got the car back there was an obnoxious amount of wind noise, I found they had misaligned the new window with the weather stripping. I brought the car back to them and they tooled around enough to get the wind noise down to a lower level, but it is still not gone. I did find I could jam some paper into the weather stripping and shim it up to prevent a little bit of noise.
This was a $500 out of pocket cost (which I may get back through insurance arbitration) and the cost to the insurance was a whopping $4700!

The HVAC filter, radars, and AC

Now we come to the straw that broke the camel's back. I noticed in the manual recently that my car is due for a replacement of the HVAC filter. They're fairly cheap on Amazon, so I figured I'd try doing it myself again. My wife talked me out of this due to what happened with the wiper blades. Additionally the HVAC system has a desicant bag that needs to be replaced periodically (like one of those sillica gel packets), and that requires a special machine.
So I scheduled a service center visit, they informed me my car was also eligible for a free upgrade to the autopilot cameras. I dropped off the car and for the first time in FOUR YEARS they gave me a loaner, a lease-return Model Y that presumably they couldn't find a buyer for (this car was a complete shitbox but that's a whole other story).
They said they would take FIVE DAYS to do this quick 30 minute job of replacing the HVAC filters. I also tried phoning them to ask if they could take a look at the wind noise from the previous repair, there was a message on the phone that told me I need to do all communication with them through the app. I messaged in the app, they did not respond.
Amazingly I got the car back after just FOUR days, but I was informed they did not look at the wind noise because it wasn't on the original list of things, and I would need to book ANOTHER appointment and wait ANOTHER two weeks for that. Replacing a $30 HVAC filter and a dessicant bag cost me a whopping $460!
After I got the car back, however, I realized that they did not merely "upgrade" the Autopilot cameras. They removed the Autopilot radar. I know they did it because now my follow distance bottoms out at 2 and I now have an 85mi/hr Autosteer speed limit. By the way, unlike the 3 and Y the Autopilot follow distance control in the S is a physical click-knob. So I can click it to 7,6,5,4,3,2 and 2. Like they replaced the bottom position with a second "2".
BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE!
The HVAC is now blowing hot air. Every time I turn on the AC the car blasts me in the face with hot air and the compressor goes nuts. I assume this means the coolant is low (since it seems to have some ability to cool but is struggling a LOT).
So that's the end of our story. That's everything that's happened to this car so far. And where are we now? I have an appointment with service to fix the remaining problems and YESTERDAY I bought a 2020 Toyota Tacoma which GET THIS has a radar adaptive cruise control! No fancy "Autopilot" or "Autosteer", but it has lane departure warning which is enough to keep me awake on a long nighttime drive.
The biggest open secret about "Autopilot" and "FSD" is that they're mostly off-the-shelf components. Rather than building a self-driving car what Tesla actually did was take standard driver-assistance cruise control features and mash them together pretending they're something magical.
*This was a frankly ridiculous claim on the part of his insurance since his mother was the policyholder and the police report documents that she was sitting in the passenger's seat at the time of the collision. So I guess their position is that she was in the process of being kidnapped.
If you ever get into a crash like this make sure to take out your phone, take a video, and say "Do you have his/her permission to drive this vehicle?" If they say no just turn to the police and say it's a stolen vehicle and it needs to be impounded.

Hey folks, I know the audience is a bit biased but y'all know the products better than anyone which is why I'm asking for advice here. :)
I have the opportunity to buy a used 2023 Trek Checkpoint SL6 SRAM AXS eTap (1x12) for $2,800 firm or a new Checkpoint SL5 (2x11) for $3,399.99 plus tax. For the new bike, I expect I'd be able to negotiate the price down to ~$3,000 (plus tax) based on oversupply issues but this isn't guaranteed. Tax for me would be north of 8%.
I've verified with the original owner that the SL6 isn't stolen (receipt provided) and it has a few upgrades such as Lizard Skins bar tape and Maxxis Ravager 700x40 TLR tires plus it comes with a bottle cage, a frame bag, and either SPD or flat pedals. It looks like it's in good shape and was well cared for based on the photos and the description. With that said, I haven't seen it in person nor have I done a test ride because we're still discussing the price.
Over the course of a few weeks, the seller had one deal fall through and knocked off a few hundred from the original asking price. Frankly, with another $500 off ($2,300 all in) I'd have already bought it!
I'm planning on doing a ~1,250 mile (~2,000 km) bicycle touring/packing trip later this year but I already have a 10 year-old Frankenstein aluminum flat bar bike with fenders, a rack, and other upgrades incoming so while I don't need another bike, the Checkpoint SL6 would be nice to have for the right price. (And I'd sell off the current bike for ~$250 or so to help offset the total cost.)
Eventually, I'd like to get into /randonneuring via upgrades to the SL6 (e.g., Hunt rims, Redshift stem, etc.) but I don't have a firm timeline as I have to bring my weight down to avoid going over the maximum total weight with gear. Still, I'd rather upgrade once (i.e., the SL6) instead of building up the current Frankenstein bike and then tossing the frame and parting it out when the aluminum eventually fatigues.
Yes, I'd be forgoing a lifetime warranty for the SL6 frame but as I understand, carbon fiber frame repairs are now $250 to $500 (of course, depending on the severity but we'll assume a crack at some point).
Also, I have a sizing concern as I've read that I should size down for the Checkpoint. I did have a recent bike fit done for another Trek (a dedicated road bike), so I was planning to replicate those measurements for the Checkpoint SL6 as much as possible. For now, I'd mostly use the Checkpoint for longer distances such as 100+ miles (166+ km) and riding on wet/rainy days while using my road bike on days with great weather and superb riding conditions.
I suppose another way to look at this is if there are going to be more deals in the new and used bike markets later this year and into next year... or if this one is too good to pass up. I know the prices for the Gen 3 Marlins recently slightly came down after a big jump since 2019/2020 prices but it doesn't look like inflation is going away anytime soon.
As current owners, is there anything else that I should take into account? Thanks!

This isn’t a doomsday piece; in fact it’s sort of in opposition to the idea that we’re facing a sudden collapse. But I do think harder times are coming in the US, and for many they are already hard. I’m going to throw out problems I personally see coming, and propose some preparations. I think these are realistic concerns – you won’t see nuclear war listed here. Note these are all long term concerns – 5-50 years – but preparations should begin as soon as possible. This is mostly centered on the US, but I think some of it is universal. 1. Grid problems. The US power grid has not been well maintained, and it doesn’t help that we now have occasional radical bozos who take pot shots at substations. (There’s also the risk that a foreign adversary might launch a cyberattack that affects the grid, but I consider it unlikely – they’d get a war they don’t want, for their troubles.) I don’t think CMEs are as much of a concern as some people here think – we can see those coming – but they have caused localized disruptions in a few places over the last 50 years (Canada had problems in March of 1989, though they recovered in less than a day.) Most of the risk, in my opinion, is just more extreme weather – hurricanes, extreme heat, wildfires and ice storms can all knock our power for days. A day’s power failure is an inconvenience to most people – houses don’t freeze or cook, food doesn’t go bad, you might have to resort of a battery powered radio for entertainment. Three days, though, means food will start to go bad, and people on wells are resorting to bottled water. Some folk will literally start to go hungry by a week, and gas can be in short supply, so transportation can be hard. By two weeks, problems can get serious. Solar power is often touted as a solution. It’s a good approach, but not a panacea. Buffalo NY had a blizzard recently that immobilized the city for days, and cloud cover was persistent. Solar solutions stopped working. In some areas this is not a concern; in others, solar just isn’t workable. Preps: solar if it works for you and you can afford it. A generator if you can afford it and are willing to store gasoline or propane (10 gallons/20 pounds at least) is a go to in some areas, but it’s not a maintenance free solution. (Run a generator at least once a month for at least a half hour if it’s gasoline powered, every six months if it’s propane.) But there’s a more workable solution that often gets overlooked – be able to live without electricity entirely, when you need to. This means manual can openers, dry ice for cooling food, propane camp stoves, non-perishable food supplies, stored water, oil or propane or kerosene lamps for light, board games, thick blankets and sleeping bags, solar cookers in some areas, a bucket for sponge baths, and batteries for flashlights and radios. And if it’s practical – for folk with kids, especially in school, it isn’t always – spend a day a month without power, to test your preps. Flip the circuit breaker and get to work. The first few times you try it, you learn a lot. Will fusion come and save they day? Maybe, but fusion is at least 10 years out and no one thinks it’s going to be cheap. I would assume the worst when it comes to energy availability (and cost) in your lifetime. 2. The next pandemic These happen and they will happen again. We’ve all learned the drill. Covid took out a million plus Americans, and it took a year to really get effective mitigation going. The mitigation were phenomenal and became available in record time, and they represent a new standard for pandemics, but the human cost in terms of job loss, difficulties in getting supplies, additional expenses for some, national debt, and just plain social isolation still took a toll that no one but epidemiologists were expecting. It could be tomorrow or two hundred years, but it will happen again. It’s a rare generation that won’t see one going forward. The next one could be mild or vastly deadly; there’s no predicting that. We know the drill on this; what’s important now is passing the lessons along to the next generation. Stock masks, have a financial cushion of at least 6 months if you can, do what you can online instead of in person when pandemics hit, practice hygiene religiously. (Hand sanitizer was a minor player in the war against Covid, which turned out to be airborne, but it’s key against many diseases.) Luckily, preps for pandemics are not that different than preps for major weather events – you might get stranded in your house for 2-4 weeks during extreme peaks or lockdowns. 3. Job loss and inflation Without getting into a discussion of late-stage capitalism or general doomerism, none of which I believe in, there’s one unmistakable trend over the last few decades, and it’s that jobs are just harder to find and keep in many disciplines. It’s not just AI that’s raising questions – it’s ongoing social shifts that are moving wealth up the social ladder and making it hard to get a fair share of what’s going around. It’s international bad actors disrupting supply chains, it’s plain old advances in technology disrupting entire industries. People used to joke about using their college degrees to flip burgers – the joke is less funny today because automation is coming for burger flippers, as well as truckers, taxi drivers, farmers, marketers… Having a financial cushion that last 6 months seems like a cruel joke to many, who are having problems stocking a week’s food. But it’s never been more essential, because every social problem ripples into job losses in the end. Social unrest? Weather events? War in another part of the world? Changes in the tax code? It all affects someone’s bottom line, and long gone are the days when businesses would take the hit and protect their workers. Now workers are the first things cut. And that won’t change anytime soon. All I can suggest is, partner with neighbors to share money saving ideas, put every penny you can into whatever savings you can manage, do group buys to cut costs and have supplies on hand, and know about every social support system out there. SNAP was a lifesaver for a lot of people during the pandemic peaks. Food pantries exist in many towns and will save you money. Learn to trim electricity usage to the bone. Fight to keep medical insurance as long as you can, because there’s not many calamities worse than have to choose between skipping critical medical treatments and poverty. -- Folk will note that I didn’t list climate change. Yes, I think it’s very real. But for just about everyone, the problems show up indirectly. The southwest US is drying up, and that won’t change in your lifetime – but you’ll see it in increased water costs (inflation) and grid issues. Food choices will change – sooner or later, meat will become a luxury item and food costs in general will rise further. Diseases may spread more easily and evolve faster as climate migrations of both people and animals create new mixes of pathogens. It’s not that people will drown as oceans rise up overnight, but more areas will become more expensive to live in, as weather damage increases, insurance rates go up, more electricity gets used to compensate for temperature extremes… in the US, climate change is an economic problem... at least at first. Folk will note that I didn’t list rising fascism, which is becoming a measurable trend worldwide, and the US is in no way immune. I don’t have a prep for this: all you can do is vote, or, ultimately, move if you can. These things come in waves and all I can do is hope this one passes before we trigger much worse problems than we already have. As much as social unrest is on everyone’s mind and politics has started driving violence in the US, the prep is to get on with your life, live peaceably with your neighbor regardless of his politics or skin pigmentation, disconnect from disinformation, and vote for people who don’t tell you who you should hate. Troubles don’t come if no one starts them. Folk will note I didn’t add disinformation to the list. I actually think this is a major concern and that most people have no idea how much chaos it causes. Disinformation campaigns over Covid cost (at my own estimate) 300,000 unnecessary deaths in the US. They’re feeding extremism and causing people to turn their back on democratic institutions, like elections. In a very real way, it’s the biggest problem facing the US today, but… the only prep is don’t listen to the bullshit. And I’ve come to the conclusion that there are simply a lot of people who love to listen to bullshit and have no way to determine when they’re being lied to and manipulated. So I don’t have a prep for this. Online I block people to seem to embrace bullshit, but the problem is still out there, and I’ve come to the conclusion that people who are swept up in it, wanted to be swept up in it and there’s no cure for that. Haters gonna hate. All I can suggest is, spend more time in the garden and less online. Vegetables don’t hate anybody.

From last Thursday: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12124351/Nurse-Lucy-Letby-murdered-babies-parents-went-rest.html

Mr Johnson then asked: 'The departure of (Baby) H's father gave you the opportunity to sabotage her, didn't it…?'
Letby replied: 'No'.
The barrister continued: '…Just as you did with B, C, E, I, M, N, O and P – all cases where they deteriorated shortly after their parents left'.

​
I thought I'd put these all in one place.
Child B:

It was 'shortly after shift change-over' at 8pm when the parents returned to the neonatal unit and had had very little sleep. The other family members had left the unit for rest.
This was the first time since that none of the family members were by Child B.
It was shortly afterwards when a nurse came in to say: "You need to come now"

​
Child C:

She was woken up at 11.20pm by one of the nurses, having been contacted by one of the neonatal nurses to go there "immediately".
She arrived to see CPR being performed on Child C. "He had stopped breathing without any warning.
"This was sudden and unexpected."
The mum told her husband to come to the neonatal unit.

​

He said Child C had continued to do well, and was at home when he was called by the mum to come to the hospital "right away".
When he arrived, the mum was waiting for her and he was informed Child C had collapsed and stopped breathing.

​
Child E (via Dr. Harkness):

The court is shown Dr Harkness's note from 10.10pm on August 3, which says 'asked to see patient [Child E] regarding gastric bleed.
'Large, very slightly bile-stained aspirate 30mins ago.'
The note adds: 'Sudden large vomit of fresh blood and 14ml aspirate.'

​
Child H:

The father says he was able to see Child H soon after, and saw she was on an incubator, with breathing assistance.
He recalls being woken up on September 26 and being called to the hospital, and seeing "a lot of commotion going on". He remembers Lucy Letby being there, doing chest massaging.

​

The parents had just gone to bed when staff knocked on the door. They said Child H was "not responding".
The parents were met with an "almost identical scene" as Child H was surrounded by medical staff. "Fortunately" this collapse did not last as long.

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Child I (this wasn't clear from mum's statement, pulling from an article from last Thursday):

The prosecutor accused Letby of attacking another baby girl, Child I, when her mother left the nursery.
He said she tried to kill the infant on September 30 by force-feeding her milk and air while Child I's mother had left the unit to pick up her other children from school

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Child N:

Child N had haemophilia and on June 15, the parents were informed the baby boy had had a bleed. The parents were informed to attend hospital as soon as possible.
Child N was in intensive care, and on arrival Lucy Letby was there with other people.
They were told they had tried to intubate Child N between 4-8am.
Child N had two collapses that day - the parents were told to go out and get some fresh air in between the two collapses. While they were out, Child N had his second collapse.
A 'spur of the moment' baptism took place. Lucy Letby stayed beyond the end of her shift, and Child N was transferred to Alder Hey, where he recovered quickly over the following couple of days.

​
Child O:

On June 23, the mother was in the ward and still struggling to walk. About 10-15 minutes after the father had been to the unit, he came back with a consultant doctor, who informed her Child O's stomach had swollen and 'needed a little help to breathe, so a tube had been put down his throat'. He was calm and said this was normal.
The mother was put into a wheelchair, and upon arrival at the nursery, she said: "By the time I got there, it was a scene of chaos". A lot of doctors and staff surrounded Child O.

​
Child P:

The following day, they went to the neonatal unit and were informed by a nurse the two boys had "been like angels", behaving all night and feeding regularly.
The mother recalled having breakfast and freshening up.
She then heard voices and saw a midwife was present and advised to go to the neonatal unit, as Child P was unwell.