Smart and final store hours today

TLDR: fiance hungout with random women and partied on his work trip struggling with his mental and physical health for many months, never told me about one woman he's now connected to and inappropriately flirts with her through text and probably in person one on one. What do I do? I'm pregnant with our first and we're buying a house.
I'm (26F) 12 weeks pregnant, closing on buying a house with my (27M) fiance, started a new job for better pay for us 3 weeks ago, and my fiance went on a business trip but wasted most of his time going to casino and clubs partying, with a random woman we "knew of from Facebook and through mutuals, but never officially met (until he did while there).
This is our first baby to be together. After 4 and a half years together, we're finalizing home ownership at the end of the month. I felt this was all about us growing together now but the way hes acting lately it's like he wants a snippet of the single life with partying with random people, beautiful women, including one on one time with said other women for dinners and more casino time. His partying behavious has increased for the last several months. He owns his own business, and it's expanded so much while we've been together into making a few million a year, a bigger team, and expanding to another town whoch adds to his pressure and work stress. He has random people from our town and neighboring towns that we "know of" (small territory) on social media for advertising reach, but this one woman he ended up deleting since she annoyingly posted a lot, I'll call her Valene. He went to the city for 3 weeks to pick up products and get one of our dogs neutered, so because of the surgery, he stayed 5 days longer.
He went to the casino/clubs around 5-10 times at least, on weekends and week days, including when the trip was extended for our dog's neutering. During this he caught up with an old friend(23F) I'll call her Lisa that we both know from highschool also an ex of his, no feelings leftover, just platonic but very beautiful woman and into fitness. His time with her, he was letting me know ahead of time when they were going to hang out and got food, most times with another guy friend of his as well. Including over a weekend air bnb rental in the next city but she ended up going home when they got into a dumb drunken fight (from the sounds of it) while also all binge drinking and doing drugs together all night before that weekend.
He saw the younger woman Valene (23F) that he had on facebook but deleted because she posted so much, at a party casino his first night and they recognized eachother, he told me that she was looking and walking with a drink staring at him and accidentally walked into some other person. They didn't have eachother online for a month or 2, but then recently I saw her reacting and commenting on his posts like they know eachother, after he told me he already deleted her the first night he mentioned to me he saw her. Now they're connected online again a couple weeks after his trip. I found that odd, and he never mentioned anything to me about her. He told me he was struggling in pain physically and mentally more so during his trip which is why he was partying. His flight was delayed for 2 days since the airline didn't accept the original kennel our dog was shipped with (too small, they never said anything from here) so he had to buy a new one.
I know it isn't right to snoop in your partners phone, but I wanted to know why they were connected and he didn't mention anything to me, I figured that they ran into eachother one night out again and that was it but they did more like exchanging numbers, texted the next day, went for food and to the casino until 2am again, she texts him like they're long time friends but with some flirting, that I'll get into more detail about.
He told her his flight was moved for an extra couple days, said let's do something, that he'll take her out to eat and tried getting her when he was at a restaurant already, she said "atleast give me 4 hours i look like shit". She has an almost 1 year old from a cheating ex that she left last year so she needed to arrange a babysitter ahead of time as well, and asked if he could pay, he responded "never even fucked yet and I'm already paying your babysitter hahahaha. That was a joke though <3" which i feel has crossed a line. She said "your dime my time" "hahaha I can say the same thing" "Okay until midnight?" he said,"2am lets go casino again" "I got one for all night" "trying to sleepover? Hahaha. " "No, I don't want to wake my baby up in the middle of the night you wish." "hahaha actually, I dont, but it was a joke." Then they ended up hanging out, and he picked her up, and I can tell that he dropped her off around 2am by their following texts.
A couple weeks later she was messaging him every day to every few days until just over a week ago, she was saying things like "sup fuck" "hey how's it going you make it back up" "Good morning" "hey" "have you seen my dad up there? He doesn't talk to me anymore. Reinstated daddy issues lol" "What do you mean? " "nvm" she also asked if he has snap, he said he does, but he doesn't use it. She said "well?" "And I'm not going to use it."
She seems to initiate all their convos, they kinda catch up, but since they don't hang out now, it's minimal. But she also messaged. " I have a question for you. You told me you're allowed to have female friends, but you told me you didn't tell your wife about meeting me. Why?" He said "yea so, idk lol" "okay" "you can tell her idc" "that would be the dumbest thing as a woman" and he went off on his rant saying "I meet so many people everywhere I go I don't discuss everything, I hungout with a ton of people when I was there male female it's normal life. Plus, most times, we hung out to party or go eat idk it's no big deal. I did get confused having to pay for your babysitter, haha, but you're a student all good. How come u ask haha" she said "idk" then changed the topic.
There's been more frequency of him having no patience for me, and he gets very upset and angry when i try to talk and communicate my needs in our relationship, but I'm hurt that he can pretend to be all nice with these other random women,, pay for their babysitter, take them for food, party with them in a whole different city. I wanna let him know if his flirting is too much for me (I let him flirt with other women many times while we we're out together but I was there and went home with him). He always defends that attraction to other people is natural, flirting is sometimes good for his business or getting deals etc. If this woman wasn't attractive, he wouldn't even have hung out with her and now be "friends". It's not like they're long time friends she's a random new woman from the bar from a month ago.
How do I bring it up, if at all, with his anger problems? Any advice is welcome. I'm anxious about dealing with this only now that I'm pregnant with him, so confused with my feelings and what to do. Would personal or couples therapy help us through this? I thought of saying, "I noticed her commenting. Did you end up meeting with her?" Or something along the lines to not push him into anger. Or should this be a conversation at all initiated by me?

I’m 43. Matched with someone on Bumble who was 42 two days ago. She had a nice body, decently cute face but not eye-catching or anything. For her age, I found her attractive enough to date. No major red flags in her profile. She lives less than 5 minutes from me, has a daughter the same age as mine (15), etc. Professional, owns a home, works from home.
She msgs and wants to meet for coffee immediately. No txting at all. I said “no I can’t right now but how about tomorrow?” It was a bit off-putting for me because I need to know that we match on some qualities before wasting my time, but she’s only down the street so I figure why not. Maybe between now and the date we’ll have a chance to txt a bit.
She says ok to reschedule. Next day comes, she can’t do it, so we reschedule for today. We txted a bit about family, past relationships, etc, but very light and short.
Today I text her and ask when she’s free to meet. After a few hours I get a reply and she says “how about 4:30?” and I said sure (it was just 30 minutes from that time). I asked her if she has a favorite spot for coffee? If not, Starbucks is always good.
She immediately replies and says “I’m not feeling too excited so I guess the chemistry isn’t there. Best the luck on your search” and immediately cancels the date.
She swiped on me first. She asked me out. She gives me the time to meet (30 min prior). She doesn’t txt hardly at all and says “guess the chemistry isn’t there”.
Like WTF… I’m already compromising (in my view) by doing vanilla dating and giving someone who I find less attractive physically a chance. And I still have to put up with the flakiness and bullshit that I dealt with in dating back in my 20’s ANYWAY.
Why I decided to give vanilla another chance I don’t know…

My daughter has been doing pointe for 1.5 years now, she also dances 5 other hours a week. She has been having some numbness after Pointe but resolved quickly. Friday her tap teacher noticed an issue with her toes, they were numb and it took a long time to get them back. He is an older seasoned professional dancer and we took it seriously. We had a competition this weekend and she was fine. Today in gym, while running, she had the numbness again. She told her gym teacher who advised her to see the pediatrician. She was seen today and the one we saw basically said we were there for no reason and she couldn’t do anything. I booked an appointment tomorrow at an orthopedic. Any other advice or specialists that would help? She was fitted the last two years by a professional and does not feel it is her shoes.

Story time folks, as it's taken me some time to come around to writing this. I am feeling a big urge to write a post. I was at one point 365+ days gambling free and relatively active on this subreddit. Within the past month, I pick up sports betting again, won a little more (how it always begins), and couldn't stop. I ended up losing 3k, placed a 3k bet on one blackjack hand to chase my losses, which I of course lost, and then was down 6k. I cooled off for a little bit then in the past few weeks started up again but this time more into the casino, slots to be exact. I won, lost, lost, won 4k last night, lost it all last night, and lost 2k this morning.
I'm frustrated at myself for going down into this rabbit hole again. I have been way less productive at work, gambling during working hours, and even during one-on-one meetings. It has been a rocky road. I had enough today after these losses. and after losing 8 grand in just under a month. I'm getting back on the horse here and am taking it one day at a time. I know life is better when I'm not holed up glued to my phone or a game score or the casino in the palm of my hand. I don't have the ability to stop. I knew that but still fell back into old habits. I'm in a position where I can "afford" to forget about 8k, which to me makes it even more important that I stop now because those resources will only deplete further and further.
The apps are gone and accounts frozen, I'm blocking again every time some stupid gambling account appears on my instagram feed of someone winning some ridiculous jackpot. I've learn that that is a big trigger for me.
So here we are again, Day zero. I've been here before, I really hope to not be here again. Ugh. Thanks for listening. ODAAT

Holy crap I honestly just wanna die, I'm tired of dealing with this (not in a suicidal way but just like I need a break). My mom hates me at this point. I'll give the whole backstory so this'll be a long post. Here is where the actual question is and info on that: paragraph 6 and on
Growing up my father was a narc and was very emotionally, physically and sexually abusive with me. He left when I was 13 and because of the way he was, my mom was perfect compared to that. But now I realize you can be better than someone without being good. That's my mom. She's way better than him, but that doesn't mean she is what people would consider a good parent.
My mom used to hit me a bunch, but it was always justified as me not listening to all the warnings and she had no other choice. So I'm like oh, ok, I guess I suck. My mom found out abt the sexual abuse in October and even now she still says I'm just like my father (which hurts so much in the first place, but now she's literally saying that I'm the same as someone who sexually abuses children). When I was 15 I was self harming cause I wasn't allowed therapy and I had trauma nightmares every night to the point that I barely slept, I lived with my grandparents, like life was really hard at the time and I had no one to talk to and that was a way I could get out my emotions. At 16 I told my mom and she said that no one will sleep with me and then she walked away. That hurt so much and she never apologized.
Last night we were fighting and she said she's never been hurt this much in her life (I was slow to help clean up a small flood and it was my birthday so I had a friend over or dinner. I came upstairs and said 'I cannot believe her. Like I just am so done. I'm not even hungry anymore so now my whole birthday dinner is ruined (that I made) and she's worried about being 30 minutes late to see her bf (long term and he's always late so it's not a big deal) and eat her dinner when my birthday is a bit ruined'). She asked me what I'd do if roles were reversed and I was trying to come up with an excuse but I couldn't so I said 'I'd be sad and then let it go' and she got mad. I said that she's hurt me way more before, she said if I don't have an example then I'm lying. I mentioned the sh thing and she was like 'ok I'm sorry if I said that'. Yay. Then today she said 'Like I know I'm not the best parent, but I try my best. Even with the sh thing like I've never dealt with that before so obviously I didn't know how to react (I think saying no one will have sex with you is something you avoid saying in this situation) and like how was I supposed to react when I found out you were cutting your thigh for pleasure. Like I never knew you were just cutting yourself for fun. And so that hurt a bunch too cause she said that it was just fun, like yes, I love having scars all over my thigh and being stressed to wear swim suits! That is so fun!
So yeah, still not really saying sorry. And so yesterday she was saying how she just wants me out, she can't live with me anymore, she's so close to kicking me out, like she wants to just kick me out. I said 'can I have a max of 5 more months? I can apply to -- and move there by the end of summer' and then she got so mad saying she bought this house for me, she bought me a car, she works so hard cause this is where I said I wanna go to school (I never wanted to go to school here, she kept pushing me and this whole time I've been coming up with other schools to go to. I never wanted a car, since I was a child I wanted to buy my own first car cause it's a pride thing and so I kept saying I'll just take the bus but she didn't feel safe with that.) And so then I packed a bag to stay with a friend last night. but 4 hours later at 9 my mom asked me to come home so I did.
-------here is where the actual question starts------
Now she's saying that I'm not a bad person at all, we all do bad things but one thing doesn't define us after she literally said I'm just like my father and she's never been hurt this bad in her whole life. She's like 'if you wanna move away for school then go for it, I just want you to be happy, like we can figure this out!'
But my issue is that my current school is a shit school. The only other schools I can afford (in terms of rent) are shit schools. Otherwise I can only go to Toronto and that's too expensive cause rent for a room is usually $1000-1200 a month and that's just not possible for me. Ottawa is $600-700 utilities included. Uottawa is a good school, but I'm in Social work and they only offer it in French which I don't speak. So I only have Carleton (if you know the school) and that's similar ranking to my current school. Plus right now I'm already accepted to social work at my current school, but at any other schools the deadline passed so I'd have to do honours psych for the first year, hope my grades are good enough to then get into social work for the second year.
So it doesn't make a lot of sense but I also think I need to get away from my mom but then I feel really bad and I'm so confused. This whole thing is so confusing and like idk if she supports me. If I leave she'll likely never speak to me again and idk if that's good or bad and idk what to do and I'm so confused. Like she pretty much kicked me out but then when I actually left she started apologizing and wanted me back and now I'm getting convinced that I'm a horrible person and I am just like my dad and I suck and I'm conceited and manipulative and I don't know what to do so please give me advice.
I'm sobbing while writing this so sorry if it doesn't read the best.

Hey... I've finally blocked my Ex with BPD (diagnosed) and i feel defeated.
She broke up with me for the 5th time in december, but always reached out to me... Typical push/pull.
"I love you, i hate you, come back, leave me".
We had 2 weekends together in January, 1 Weekend in february and this weekend. She lovebombed me like she never did before this weekend but blocked me yesterday.
Today i noticed her unblocking me, but not saying anything so I reached out to her, asked her whats up with her blocking/unblocking games.
She told me - "I love you, but i we can't be in a relationship ever again" - and blocked me again.
Nothing new to me and im not surprised tbh... But this is the first time i blocked her back and i'm changing my numbers tomorrow.
I feel horrible... This was the last straw... I'm suicidal because of her...
She can't hoover me again... I got no social media, i'm getting a new number and i'm moving next month... We have no mutual friends (because of her smear campaign) and there is no way she can contact me.
She's out there, having fun with my old friends, meeting new "guys" while i'm alone with no one left because she pushed everyone away from me while isolating me during our relationshit.
I feel defeated and alone... I should be glad that she's gone because some people wish they're discared this early (2 years in)..
knowing that this is the end, hurts more than the push/pull dynamic because im so alone.
But i'm also relieved... No more mindgames, no more push/pull... i can focus on myself.
​
The healing journey can finally begin.
​
ps- sry for my bad english :)

I called out today because I am sick. And I rarely call out. Apparently the number 7 is going around?? But not saying if it’s been since I started or this year which it definitely isn’t for this year. Cause that’d mean it had to be at least once each two weeks and I know that isn’t it. I’ve been there for almost 1.5 years, calling out 7 times but never late on an opening shift (5am) when most people are with a coffee in their hand, doesnt seem bad to me. Knowing my manager is talking about how many times I called out to my other coworkers makes me uncomfortable. I’ve always given at least 5 hours in advance (when we only gotta give an hour advance per policy). Are they allowed to tell other people why I called out and how many times I’ve had?

I had heard about people falling asleep to Kitboga but I was always scared to do it because I was scared of waking up to a scammer yelling "DON'T REDEEM!" Today I finally had a chance to do it because it was a shorter stream so there probably wouldn't be a break with clips of Steve or Abel, and also because redeems haven't been common lately. The funny thing is I fell asleep right around the time they called him Kitboga and I woke up hours later to the same scammers still talking to him and apparently they gave him a bank account. It was a great nap and it was fun to just continue listening to the stream after waking up and seeing how the story ended.

My boyfriend is a relatively newly-qualified Solicitor and was working for a central London firm but was let go today.
The first months were rocky (he lost his Dad the week the job started) and due to train strikes and contracting long Covid, he was in the office less than expected, but he still made it in 3x a week most weeks and worked from home (as all do in the firm).
At his three-month mid-probation meeting they said he wasn’t “on the ball” enough and needed to work on communication skills. They also detailed some mistakes he had made (one was missing two emails) but conceded that they know they do not support new colleagues well or solicitors at the start of their careers, and that he hasn’t been mentored.
Three months later, they have not made reference again to the targets. He was worried about losing the job but had to ask for a probation meeting which he had today. He was told, during a half hour meeting that he wasn’t been kept on because he was progressing but not quickly enough.
I am inexperienced and don’t work in the best career (I’m a teacher) but I feel this isn’t brilliant treatment. He wasn’t given explicit warning about being let go and also only had this meeting because he had to ask for it.
Is this actually quite a normal and acceptable way for things to operate?
While he knows he won’t get the job back, is there a best course of action here?

Checking in day#3 This evening i’ve been feeling pretty messed up. Like my emotions stopped working don’t feel like talking, answering, pick up the phone, I just want to lie down and sleep for 50 hours straight
On the otherhand i went to the library today and did 4 hours of studying without getting distracted. Pure hyperfocus, kinda impressed by myself ngl How about you guys, how was your day?

​
A rule breaking truck driver takes a forbidden detour.
​
Don't Feed the Pumpkins
I'm typing this as a record of what has happened to me. If someone should find me out here, where ever here is, this is what happened and who is responsible. Also, out of the dozens of vehicles bogged down in this field, mine is the Blue Jay 2013 Freight Liner. If I should die and it is recoverable, it should go to my son, John Grainger in Antioch, Illinois.
I left Litchfield Illinois around 2pm on Halloween with a last-minute load of pumpkins destined for the Antioch Walmart. Despite the fact I was once that told Illinois is the #1 pumpkin producer in the country the itself state appears to be in the midst of a shortage. I was due in about 8pm, but I was trying get in by 6pm and after unloading, I was going to visit my wife Carly and my son for Halloween. It was going to be the first Halloween in my son's life that I was going to be there for trick o treating. My wife was making a big deal out of it and John was 10 now, so, she said he would be “scarred with disappointment” if I didn't show now. So, I probably should have gotten better sleep the night before and sue me, I was gear jamming and popping go-pills like popcorn. Don't look down on me, don't be fooled, this is just the nature of the trucking industry. Everyone does it and I'm not afraid to tell it like it is.
Just after Normal on 39 I hit a wall of traffic. I could hear on the CB that there is a hazmat incident up ahead and they require special teams to clear it off. I, like the other truckers, get to gabbing on the radio, looking for shortcuts. To my surprise, after scrutinizing this route several times before, I was informed about a “gutshot” shortcut just ahead that could get in me into my destination at least an hour earlier, even with the fact I had sat in the backup for at least 45 minutes at this point. A second comrade in gears piped in and stated that the shortcut was closed. The first driver contradicted him and stated, he had used it two weeks ago, it was wide open country land you could go 70 the whole way, and the only town along the way had burned down in an industrial accident 30 years ago. The second trucker chimed in again. He said it was closed for tonight and only tonight and not to use it. I disregarded the second trucker, exited the interstate and followed the directions of the first trucker.
Well, Carly, you always said it would be this way. You always said, I needed to learn how to follow directions to not cut so many damn corners all the time. You always told me didn't put in the work, and the funny thing is, for the first time, on this drive, get there, I did. Sure, I cut all the corners, but I wanted to to put in the work. But you're right, I never put a second of effort in, and if this is how it ends, I suppose you're right, I never will. But I guess, one way or another, you're getting what you've wanted, what you text me, what you don't tell me about, and what I didn't care about. I was coming home for him and damn it, I know it won't hold up in court but I want my boy to get the damn truck!
Anyway, I found the road, 2 lanes clear to the sky, surrounded by corn and then pumpkin fields forever. My straight shot, I pushed 80 the whole way flying on cracked asphalt, diesel, and go-pills. Ahead, there were barricades and I applied the brakes and barely stopped in time. I got out and saw they were chained up with a padlock to concrete posts in the ground. In theory, I could blast through them but I would sustain serious damage. The ground was a bit wet so I didn't think I could cross the ditch and field and not get stuck either. The barricades were not official in the least. They had a sign on them made out of it mailbox stick-on letters which said: “Do Not Feed The Pumpkins”. As far as I could see from my cab and binoculars, there was absolutely nothing wrong with the damn road. I said hell and I knew it would take hours to reverse course and get back in time – in time to even unload much less make it in time to go trick o treating.
And I said it wasn't worth it. I didn't bother to call. I'd just show up now. Because it wasn't my fault. So I started back, turning around with great difficulty. I traveled back 2 miles and saw small signs for a rest area. I must have missed it the first time, too deep into the zone I suppose now. I needed to pee and probably eat a bit before starting a roundabout way back, so I stopped. It was a little old 2 story joint with a small dinner on the 1st level and looked like 4 or 5 small motel rooms on top and oddly an outhouse for a restroom. I want to emphasize the outhouse because that is how you'll find and catch this guy, the guy who did this to me. It was Bill Shaw of Shaw's Shack, who did this to me. It had a sign with the building, it too was made of stick-on letters and vaguely resembled a huge ransom note. It read “Yes! We are open! We are the only rest area for 67 miles and 1 of 2 “tombstones” for the late great town of Pumpkin Grove Illinois – the former pumpkin capital of Illinois. Ask Your host, Bill Shaw about the Pumpkin-beef-bean stew!
The parking lot had three vehicles in it, not including my own, a silver Prius, a grand cheeroke with wood panels, and an older model chevy pick up truck. I went inside. The dinner was small, set in a rustic décor with old license plates nailed to the walls. The cafe had eight counter seats and two smaller tables near the two windows. There were two witnesses to what happened that night, to what Bill Shaw did – at least partial witnesses. There was the older man with stringy white hair and octagonal glasses – unfortunately, I didn't get his name. There was that irritating millennial – All I remember is the metal crap in her ears and lip. Hell, if I die and John starts ever pulling that crap, I'll come back and haunt the crap out of both of you. Anyway, now, I wish I could remember their names or something else about them to put here. I didn't care about either one of them enough to remember.
I guess that goes for Shaw too. He was a bit taller as sometimes I couldn't see his face while sitting at the counter because of the low lights in the ceiling blocking his face. He had gray hair. Hell. That's it. Anyway, the old man said he was part of a historical society, said he spent the better part of his past two years tracking down anyone or anything about Pumpkin Grove. The college student – of course – it was college student said she was from the school newspaper, looking for a spooky story. When she asked me where I was from, I didn't respond.
Shaw came from the kitchen with two big bowls of the famous Pumpkin-beef-bean stew for first two. He seemed taken back by my presence for a bit before saying “howdy” and trying to get real friendly with me. He asked what media I was from. I told him I wasn't from no media and I was trying to get through the barricade up ahead. Neither of the other two seemed to know about the barricade. Shaw said he didn't know anything about it either. I was suspicious of him then because of the lettering on the signs. But I didn't push it. I wanted to eat and he said my choice was the stew or stew. So the stew seemed fine. He said he wished he had more time to chat with me but he promised to tell the story of Pumpkin Grove to the two others but I was welcome to listen and ask questions. I didn't say it but I couldn't care less, I was going no where fast and I needed to eat.
He started off by saying he and his wife are among a handful of survivors of the fire that consumed the town of Pumpkin Grove some 30 years ago on Halloween night. Then his story descended into a cross between a rambling fading nightmare and a ghost story. He said, without hesitation, fear of consequence or remorse that he was accessory to a murder in his childhood. Specifically, some 40 years ago, again on Halloween, he was friends with a small group of young men including one named Donnie, who was a little slow and had a slightly misshaped head. He was picked on a lot by the Gerst Brothers, notorious town bullies and teenage thugs of a bad seed thanks to their neglectful alcoholic single father. Long story short, he said, the Gerst Brothers lured Donnie, himself and another 2 boys out to a pumpkin field where they gave back Donnie's missing dog. Apparently they kidnapped the dog and wrapped every inch of it in duct tape a few days ago. They watched us try to peel and pull the duct tape off while the weakened, hungry, and thirsty dog whimpered away its last in the field. Unbeknownst to any of us, Donnie had a pocket knife and he lost it as the Gerst Brothers cackled around him and the dead dog. He leaped up as they laughed and sliced the vein on their necks. One of the Brothers died quickly while Donnie and the two others fought the other to death. Shaw said he just stood there, covered in arterial blood splatters, watching Donnie and the others finish off the Gersts.
Much of the town was shockingly grateful to hear the Gerst Brothers were dead and everyone was all too happy to sweep it under the rug rather than have 4 of their sons incarcerated for decades when they were needed to help with the town's bread and butter – the Pumpkins. So, they buried the Gerst Brothers in that field and grew pumpkins on their corpses and no one really talked about it. The town paid off their father, who was too inebriated most of the time to care and he gleefully drank himself to death on the payoff only about a year later.
I didn't have much of a reaction to the story. The historian on the other hand, was hesitant to stay and keep writing and he made a brief protest concerning whether or not the story was true and whether or not he could legally listen to it. Shaw said it was both true and legal. After all, there was nothing left of the town and the remains were long gone and he himself, would not bare witness to himself. The college student's dumb metal encrusted mouth was agape in a mix of horror and disbelief.
I was waiting, patiently, might I add, for my stew. Shaw promised it would be up soon. He continued the story, stating that the fields produced abnormally well afterwards and 10 years later he was visiting his parents with his girlfriend for the annual Pumpkin fest. It was just that the pumpkins weren't just more numerous and larger, or more resistant to the rains and the fungus, they were alive and nothing could keep them tame or from spreading wider and wider. And everyone thought this was great at first, the profits were never higher but then weird things began to happen. Equipment went missing and two farm hands were crushed by a wagon full of pumpkins tipping over onto them in what was at first called a freak accident. Shaw recounted how he took his girlfriend through one of the patches and the vines seem to wind and grapple her legs, of course, Shaw's folks passed it off as her not being used to the mud but Shaw said he knew better.
Shaw continued to describe that over the days that led up to Halloween, the Jack O Lanterns on people's porches and elsewhere began to do some unusual things. Things like seemingly move by themselves from dusk to dawn, changing the carvings of their faces slightly, or appearing to “jump” off a table onto the porch without damage or apparent cause. On the morning of Halloween, Shaw said that he found his black cat, Lucky, incinerated in front of a jack o lantern as if it had breathed fire on to it from its mouth though they had long ago blown out the candle inside.
After the cat burning, the elderly man from the historical society tossed his spoon in his bowl. Shaw asked if something was wrong. The elderly man got up to leave and he said it tasted like bitter cold bull and his story was bull and thanked him for nothing. After checking the remaining contents of his bowl of stew, Shaw chased him out of the door, to his car, asking him what direction he planned to go home. When he peeled out of the parking lot he was headed southwest. Shaw came back in and threw up his hands.
I tell nothing but the truth, he said, most people can't handle it. Part of me wanted to go, but I was cozy there, it was warm and the story, while bull to me at the time, was entertaining enough. The SJW sitting down the way looked exhausted, barely keeping her eyes open as Shaw finished out the story. In short he said, Donnie approached him at dusk on Halloween while he and his family sat on the porch eagerly awaiting trick o treaters. Donnie said the Gerst Brothers are alive in the pumpkins and that they planned to burn the whole town down tonight. Donnie said, he had to tell Shaw because Shaw wasn't supposed to die, he was supposed to watch.
I rudely stopped him and demanded more stew. I was still hungry and the stew was somehow unsatisfying. When he returned, he finished the story, stating the town was suddenly engulfed in flames and their house in particular with Donnie on the porch, flash burned to the ground like napalm from an exploding pumpkin. He escaped with his family and his future wife in the pick up truck sitting outside now.
The college student said she felt like she needed to lay down, that she didn't think she could make back to the campus to the north. Shaw attended to getting her one of the rooms upstairs. I stayed down stairs and went to the back for more stew. I rubbed my eyes intensely and felt as if I too should stay for the night. But in the tug of war between fatigue and dexrine, the dexrine was slowly coming out ahead.
Next to the stew was a cutting board and a knife and on it was some bluish whitish powder which I found peculiar. On floor was a bottle of medication. It was Insomnex – a sleeping pill I use when I'm coming off of dexrine. The stew was dosed.
I ran to my truck and pulled out my dexrine and my revolver. As I climbed out of the driver's side, I could see Shaw running out of the dinner with a huge kitchen knife. I ducked under the trailer and back out on his side and pointed the gun at him.
What the hell I asked as I slowly advanced on him with my snub nose pointed at his head. He dropped the knife. He said, I just wanted to puncture your tires, I had to do something to stop you. I know you want to go north and I know you might be crazy enough and your truck tough enough to smash the barricades but I can't let you. I can't let anyone else go through, he said hysterically. I asked the dumb question about whether or not he set the barricades and just as I previously suspected, he did.
I'm supposed to watch, Shaw cried. No one can get through tonight, no can be allowed to. I told him to shut up as he rambled on about how he and his wife took it upon themselves to ward off travelers on Halloween Night. Its a cursed road tonight, he said, we're cursed to stay here and this is the best we can do to stop it from spreading. Its been calling us for 30 years, he went on, we tried to walk away but it kept on spreading, the pumpkins, he said gritting his teeth in anguish.
Maybe it was the dexrine and the insomnex working together, hell maybe it was the stew by itself but I just started to laugh as I guided Shaw back into the dinner and proceeded to duct tape him down to the dinner chair to make sure he could not cause anymore harm to anyone else until the police arrived. I had some cash on me, I wasn't a criminal, I wasn't going to make it seem like I tied him up and dinned and dashed, I was in the right, I was doing the lawful thing. So I left him exact change, no tip for the food. In the process of making change for myself, I found the padlock key in the cash drawer, I was certain of it at the time as I waved it in front of Shaw and he gasped and thrashed behind the duct tape the hardest.
I got into my truck and gunned it north towards the barricades, which, as I suspected was easily opened with the key I confiscated from Shaw. I got on my CB and started making emergency calls to the State Police, I gave them my name, the location of the diner, and Shaw's name. I was in the middle of nowhere so it didn't surprise me when I got static and no acknowledgment. I had no bars on my cell phone either but that is typical of central Illinois.
I was going along about 70. The sun was almost down but I hadn't seen the moon yet. I turned on the radio and found a classic rock station. The song was Born on the Bayou from CCR. The opening riff perked me up and reassured me that I had done everything all well and all good. If things held, there was a chance, I could get my freight unloaded and see John tonight. I was eagerly tapping the steering wheel waiting to bust into “When I was just a little boy...” But just as the lyrics should have entered, the radio station seemed to have accidentally reset the song, it just started over.
The sun faded away entirely and yet no moon came up. The sky was so dark but I didn't remember seeing any clouds or expecting any for that matter. The song continued restarting itself, the same opening again and again. I flipped through the other stations and all of them had it playing. Eventually, the digital clock on my dash began to spin wildly like the LCD numbers on the tuner while in scan mode. The truck buffeted and shook side to side despite my headlights showing no cause for it.
To my shock, ahead, in the distance was single traffic light. It was went from green, to yellow, and red, as any other traffic light but there were no lights or towns on this road. I slowed to 40, then 35 then to 30 as I entered an unnamed densely populated area with small buildings, stores, and houses and one traffic light. I came to a stop at the light and I looked around, locked my doors and tried to glimpse where I was. Where ever I was, I felt, I felt like I shouldn't be there. There were dim orange lights in some of the rooms of the houses at the edge of the intersection.
I looked up at one of the windows and I saw a figure with large head in the window. I couldn't believe my eyes at least not until the figure turned to face outward. It was a jack o lantern, a classic one with a black glow where the eyes, nose, and mouth sat. It was held up right by a thin vine structure that seemed to grow and stretch as it stuck its head out of the window and let out a barely audible shrill whistle and stared directly at me.
I gunned it. I blew the red light as the town seemed to collapse into nothing by dark green swelling pumpkin vine and a sea of glowing jack o lanterns in my side view mirrors. I hit the radio off because all I could hear on it was that whistle filtering through. I drove and the mass of jack o lanterns grew in the mirrors. I glimpsed the left and right windows and the plains were glowing black with more pumpkins rolling and creeping towards the road.
The road began to warp and bend as I started to red line my truck. The buffeting side to side became difficult to control as the engine groaned. I couldn't explain how the road began to shift nor how the moon, blood orange began to circle around me from horizon to horizon. Aside from the moon, I thought I was making progress as I couldn't see the vines nor the hundreds of blacklight pumpkins swirling after me.
The moon slowed and dipped down and I started climbing a hill. As I crested, the moon filled the entire windshield and more. It spun and then settled on a black light pumpkin face and bore down on the cab.
I don't know what happened next but I woke up in my cab. The was engine smoking. All I could see was mud and putrid rotten pumpkins as far as I could see. My Blue Jay was sunk up to the cab down in mud, vines and rot. It wasn't going anywhere in it without some serious assistance. To my right and left I saw dozens of other vehicles, most of them at least ten years old, also up their doors in mud and rot. Swarms of flies were visible all around in the boiling midday sun. I'm not really sure how long it has been or what time it really was because the clock on my phone is broken and simply reads as 99:99. I don't know what day it is. I have no cell signal and no radio.
Carly, I need to be honest with you. I cheated on you. Maybe a dozen times. I did it before I thought, before I knew you were doing it to me. I can't live by the rules of trucking, or marriage or anything. It is the road and you command it and that is the only rule. But now, I'm worried I've broken my last rule. I have no food and no water. There is no road here. There is only rule of a blazing sun with jack o lantern face that never sets. I fear that in time, unless I find help or help finds me, I will be feeding the pumpkins.
​
Theo Plesha

REMEMBER THAT EVERYONE HAS A DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE/FEEL
Today I got my Mirena inserted and I’ll be expressing every detail there is on how I personally felt. I’m a university student that is sexually active with my partner and I have HMB (Heavy Menstrual Bleeding). My gynecologist recommended me Mirena due to my HMB and I haven’t given birth. They called me a week later to have the IUD inserted.
I went into the room, laid down and the gynecologist asked me if I really wanted this IUD and I said yes. As the gynecologist told me about the process while doing it, the nurse would also talk to me to distract myself. At one point she even held a cotton ball that contained alcohol so that I smell it (just in case I would pass out). The process was done, they congratulated me for how I was with composure and told me to stay as long as I want to make sure I don’t pass out. The pain is as if you’re on your 1st day of your period (have in mind I have HMB). It’s a manageable pain and it goes away as soon as the process is done (which is 5-10mins).
TIPS!

• Ask absolutely anything and everything to your gynecologist! They’re there to provide only the best for you! (If your doctor isn’t cooperating with you, please change doctors)
  
• Educate yourself about Mirena (or any IUD you’ll get), the insertion process and how it progresses while you’re using an IUD to see if you’re truly fit for it.
  
• Eat beforehand (not to the point of extremely full, but well maintained).
  
• Take ibuprofen or acetaminophen an hour before the insertion process (I took 2 Advils Dual Action).
  
• Practice breathing techniques to calm your heart rate.
  
• Close your eyes as you breathe so that you can only concentrate on yourself.
  

You can do this! You’re taking care of yourself <3

I am (26M) and there is a person (25F) that I really like, but I can’t really tell if they like me back. I’ll try to keep this short and simple because I don’t want to drag it out, but I’ll give as many details as I can. Last fall I went through a pretty rough breakup with a person who I was with for 5 years. It wasn’t an easy transition back into the single life and I wasn’t really focused on dating anyone. Around the same time, the person who I was interested in (we will call her M) had just ended things with her partner of a year because he was constantly cheating on her and she had enough. Me and M had been friends for about 3 years around this time and we had even gone out with some mutuals several months prior. When she posted vaguely about the breakup on her socials, I reached out to her in a PM asking if everything was okay. We then started talking back and forth and through talking I found out that we both found each other physically attractive at some point in the past. After that I asked her for lunch that same day, and we had lunch, and I went back to her place. We cuddled and then kissed, but nothing else happened after that. Fast forward to present day, and since that moment we’ve become really close friends. We FaceTime often and we’ll hangout together whenever we have the time for it. She’s goofy, smart, creative and I don’t have to mask around her like I usually do others, which is a relief. However, I can’t help but feel like every time we hang out, there’s sexual tension (and it could totally be one sided) between us. Last weekend we went out for her birthday and the tension got even more intense, and it’s been like this for the last few months. We’re both neurodivergent people with ADHD and we are Ambiverts(Extroverted Introverts) and we have a lot of the same thought processes and personality traits. But it seems like there’s been a sort of weird dance going on and I don’t know how to finally gather the strength to ask her if she likes me. Since my last serious relationship, it’s been difficult to express how I feel due to self esteem issues (Therapy and medication has helped) and I want to find out. Should I just ask her on a date? Should I sit down and talk to her about it? I’m perfectly okay with just being friends because her friendship means everything to me, but I am afraid of losing someone I care about again. What should I do?
TL;DR: I am heavily interested in somebody and I can’t tell if they like me back, and it’s been this way for months.

​
Iman Gadzhi Agency Navigator for 25 USD
There’s also an Iman Gadzhi 7 courses bundle on our store
Hello & welcome to my online website :
www . Genkicourses .com (remove spaces)
I am the owner of the site and am using reddit platform to reach out to any potential buyers who are interested in paid courses for cheap.
Today’s course is Iman Gadzhi - Agency Navigator 2022 Updated.
The course has all the sections from the original. And also has an updates section that also includes the iman gadzhi Q&As videos & the attachments in form of PDFs.
Here's the list of the bundle :
​

• Iman Gadzhi – Pen To Profit Membership
• Iman Gadzhi – Agency Incubator
• Iman Gadzhi – Six Figure SMMA
• Iman Gadzhi – Influencer Ignited 2.0
• Iman Gadzhi – Copy Paste Agency
• Iman Gadzhi – Agency Navigator

If you purchase the bundle I'll provide
​

• Iman Gadzhi – Kaizen Cure

as a free extra

Our nanny's husband was laid off about a year ago when Rice Epicurean shut down their grocery stores. He had worked with them for over 25 years as a produce manager, and was a self-employed truck driver before that.
He's now in his 60s, not very computer literate (knows how to call/text, though) and is having a pretty difficult time applying to jobs as everything is done online now. I've helped him a bit with brushing up his resume and filling out some apps on ZipRecruiter, but I don't have the bandwidth to help fully manage the process for him.
He's mainly looking for any sort of warehouse job so long as it's full-time hours (ideally around Katy/Cypress/west-Houston). He's in good physical shape, totally clean record, knows how to operate forklifts/pallet jacks/etc and has a class B CDL.
Does anyone know of resources that might be able to help him? (And obviously any leads are appreciated, too!)

Hey guys finally got this thing🙄 here’s the short version of how we got to this point:
Note: I should’ve received direct deposit long time ago which I qualified for so mind you it’s been hell trying to get straight answers. I actually started the review process back in late December but that apparently didn’t transpire so they opened a new review for me early jan.

1. Was in review for several weeks started early january.
2. Review finished 3/10 and they told me they released the info to money network to get me my debut shipped out
3. Today 3/21 received the debit card in the mail.
4. Activated the card
5. Then immediately made the online account
6. Transferred the full 350.00 to my bank account
7. Says it be about a business day for the transfer to complete.

Note: u gotta activate the card first if u plan on transferring your money to your bank or else you’ll run into a “invalid account status” error when you try to transfer so make sure you activate card first. I wouldn’t recommend using the card due to several complaints of ppl running into major issues. So transferring seems to be the best option.
Hang in there folks for those who are still waiting. My other relative is in the review process, so they should be wrapping that review up so soon. So yeah shitty process but you will get your money.

Hello everyone, im going to be storing my truck for about 2 months and just wondering what everyone else does when they store vehicles. I recently had the oil changed and i just topped off the tank today before i parked it. Biggest question is is it worth it to put some seafoam in the tank or should i not bother?

I (30+F) have been interested in microdosing and psylocibe mushrooms as medicine since I’ve read about its amazing effects on depression, anxiety, and in particular, alcohol dependence, all I’m having issues with. I’ve been having hardships with AUD since I had my first beer ever and after all these years I’m now determined to put an end to this family curse. MDing helped but not to the extent i’d hoped.
After some troublesome events in my life (also alcohol related, in the family) I had to take some off days from work and decided this was the chance to try and ask for some higher guidance, even though I was sure anyone would advised against it in the way i was.
As a complete beginner in tripping or any psychedelics at all, but not a complete beginner in meditation, I’ve educated myself on hundreds of tripreports and scientific articles. I kind of had an idea of the tools and mindset I needed, and after appx 35 hours of fasting (accidental, due to above mentioned unforseeable events), slowly chewed that handful of truffles, and washed them down with lemon water at around 10pm. No problem, they were like kinda off walnuts to me.
I sat down to play some Hogwarts Legacy but soon felt lightheaded and at loss of my physical capabilities. I began feeling very weak, I just assumed it had to do with my not eating for almost 2 days. I turned my PC off and said goodnight to my BF just before 11pm. I laid down in my room (yeah we have separate rooms but that’s how it works for us bc of mismatching circadian rythms and sleep issues on my side) and put on some binaural relax beats with „forest creek” sounds.
Tried to meditate for what felt like hours, but didn’t feel a thing. Put down my headphones and gathered my weighted blanket and other comfort-stuff and cuddled in, lights still on, and started to fiddle with my phone. 11.40pm.
A few minutes might have passed until I realized I have insane nausea and can’t really see what I’m reading, so put the phone down and tried to comfort myself with things like „i have felt worse and I’m OK now” or „bad things have happened to me and I’m still here now” or „I’m here for guidance and wherever it may lead I must let it come, accept it and learn my lesson”. With these thoughts, I slowly began dissociating, like the stuff in my room was unrecognizable, foreign, distant, and just overall, not „there” in a certain sense. And I began losing sense of my body as well, felt as if I was just a brain without a body, then just a mind without a brain, then just a single hair of thought without even a mind.
Some mild hallucinations came up, like when drifting in and out of dreams, with every few seconds I closed my eyes i experienced dozens of lives, emotions, situations, states and beings, all with beautiful imagery and etheric music, but nothing I could describe in detail. Felt a thought coming up, ’this is just playing around’. And it was, me learning that I can drift in, and I can drift out to anchor into ’reality’ if I wished, but it’s not what I came here for. I came for guidance.
By this time, I totally lost contact with my body and some troubling imagery came up as well.
This felt really scary, I’m sure I’ve had moments (probably only seconds) when I was crying and wailing silently for help and said I’d accept anything, I just want some help, and if I have to die so be it, they would know I tried so hard to cope with everything.
I realized what I’d read in many reports, that you really have to let the guidance come, come what may. So I decided to let it come.
I felt very small. Very useless. Frail and insignificant. A shadow came above me, a shadow of a vengeful Bison God, wanting to gobble me up.
I cried and woke. I was very afraid but couldn’t help not drifting back.
I was weak, a newborn calf, I saw the sky above, smelled the grass beneath myself, smelled milk i couldn’t have, and had an overlooming feeling of being small and feeble, and knew I was about to die. And I let it come.
I cried really badly then, and woke again for a few seconds. It was midnight on the dot. Felt like whole lifetimes had passed. But I thougt I’d died already and yet I was there again, so let’s see where we go next. Turned the bedside lights off and turned on my back from the baby pose I’ve been huddled up in. Darkness immediately made everything go deeper and I felt some kind of power beginning to surge.
I was a huge bison. My muscles bulging. I knew that I had to die so that someone else can have my muscles to grow large and strong on. And although dying still felt scary, there was a certain calm, natural acceptance to it.
Then the power really began to surge, I felt like I was running on all fours with a certain speed only panic and fear can induce, I felt my muscle fibers contract and that I had to run as fast as I could, if I had to die anyway, I might even fight to live for another day. Then felt pain in my neck.
The animal I was on all fours now, had a huge chest, strong thighs, bulky traps, claws, and I ran as fast as I could, with all my muscle and nerve fibers engaged, I ran in a way only need can induce, that I had to kill if I don’t want to die anytime soon.
Then something very strange happened. Those strong muscles I’d been feeding transformed to feel more human. I was, or in the same way, was not, a Native American shapeshifting shaman who seemed to have no gender nor age, and they were the one who came to help me and showed me the trials of the Grass, the Calf, the Bison, the Deer and the Cougar.
They told me that being nurtured by grass, bison and deer, I must be strong enough now.
And I was, I felt glowing and growing.
Growing into something dark and threatening I tried to validate. I tried rationalizing that this kind of power can be harnessed too, and that it wasn’t that bad, but inside I knew it was a lie. I tensed and was throwing myself left and right on my bed and I wanted to scream and shout and roar.
All of a sudden, when my muscles just wanted to rip, I saw the whole thing from the outside, and the Shaman, the Cougar, the Deer and the Bison came forth, then my BF, and my cat, even my therapist. And the demon that was so strong it could’ve killed me, was nothing but a mere glass bottle now.
And I screamed at it, „you said you would help but I don’t need you know! I don’t need you anymore! You could make small (me) believe that I did, but I have help now, I am strong now, I’ve got the Bison and the Deer nurturing me, and I do not need you anymore, get out of my life, get out of me!”
I remember mouthing this, I am just hoping that I wasn’t really shouting.
I don’t know how long I screamed and yelled, but after a while I grew very very tired and spent.
I slowly gained control of my limbs and began noticing my breath, my sore muscles, my bed and the cool rough linen sheets on my skin.
I said thanks to the Shaman, the guiding animals and spirits, and of course the mushrooms for helping and teaching me today, and laid idle for a few minutes (not sure about that tho) wondering whether I had anything else to do there.
When I came to, I still was dizzy and shaky, but I got up as soon as I could, to write the first draft of my report in my journal. Took a leak, almost freaked out by my huge pupils in the mirror, then ate the juiciest, tartest, tastiest apple of my life and journaled. Almost fainted into sleep at some minutes short 4am.
Since then, I had the luck to talk this experience over with my amazing therapist, who was really open-minded and understanding, not to mention knowledgable on the topic.
I understood that I am loved; linked with all the grass, deer, bison and everything, that I have helpers, and that I am never again giving so much power to something so deceptive as alcohol. I now have tools to help relax, I have people and spirits around me to guide me, I have people around me who love me and deserve that I learn to love them and myself just as dear.
Even though this wasn’t SUCH a big dose, the trip was very intense, lively and vivid. I am happy I had a clear intention to begin with and immensely grateful to have received such a clear guidance.
I am happy.
TL;DR: title
note 1: in the recent months, I have gravitated towards a ketovore diet, consisting mainly of organic grass-fed beef and sustainably hunted wild deer (friends as reliable sources, as my luck would have it) so I even felt kind of silly that I got this trip. Still, this way of eating has helped tremendously with my gut and autoimmune issues so it might have something to it, I’m feeling notably better.
note2: few days prior to this trip I’d watched a trailer of a new animated movie relating to Native American mythology which felt very intense. Might be related as well.
2 weeks later
I’ve had an integration session with my therapist about this experience. The Calf, the death of the Calf, I just didn’t, couldn’t understand; no matter how much I meditated on it, I just felt that its death was in vain. During that guided meditation my therapist led me in, I revisited that feeling. All those spirits came up to me and I asked them why they came in the first place; I knew I kind of understood them all but the calf. And then the calf showed me all that frail feeling, how does it feel when you’re waning out of life, and how the whole herd stepped above them, how crows and coyotes and bugs and snails came to integrate that small body that once me, the calf was. I realized that the death of the calf was part of the cycle as well, but on a different level.
I now know that weakness and feebleness has a place in the whole picture. I am just unable to accept my smallness yet. My feelings of being meek, small, weak, left, inapt. And it hurts a lot. And this is my weakest point.
wrap-up
it’s been 20 days since, and I’ve had 15 dry days. A score that hasn’t happened in years. I’m grateful. But yearning to learn. Looking forward to my next experience, even though I am not ’called’ by another trip rn.
This was an extremely interesting trip. I've had very clear intentions and I felt confident with letting it come. All as a story, a very vivid dream, almost like written and directed, as much so it even feels unreal, or silly. I often have very interesting and dramatically „written” dreams but this was something else. I see it as a very suprising and uncommon element, that I felt everything in my muscles. EVERYTHING in my physical, mortal, biological dirtbag of a body.
Shrooms are medicine. to be respected. And a powerful ally. I am grateful for all I have around me.

Basically, my girlfriends friend asked me ”why didn’t you acknowledge her today” in the hallway while me and my friend were walking. I don’t mean to do that because I get zoned out quickly and it’s hard to notice if people say hi or walk by me. I had a message written but I thought I should tell her in person. So I sent her a message asking if she wanted to hang out during lunch tmrw and she just left me on seen. Thing is she usually responds and she didnt this time. Even today it looked like she wasn’t in a great mood and looked like she tried to look away from me completely, I didn’t even get a chance to say hi.
Idk if she’s gonna respond to the message and hang out with me at all so should I just message her the thing I wrote for her now? I’ve been on seen for about an hour.