So I got a DUI in May 2023 in California(yes, I know its my fault for putting myself in this situation and now dealing with the consequences) and I hired an attorney right away. I was able to request a DMV hearing within the 10 day frame so I have a scheduled hearing coming up in July. I had my license taken from me and was given the temporary license(pink slip) then I was mailed a notice of a temporary license(issued by the California State Transportation Agency DMV Driver Safety Branch) that is valid until the result of my DMV hearing. This past Saturday June 3rd, 2023 I was involved in a car accident. I was not at fault and the other party has already accepted full liability. My policy with Geico covers me with a rental car of $35/day for 30 days. I showed up to Enterprise, showed them the paperwork and they told me they couldn't accept me. I was upset, but I understood I did this to myself and now have to deal with the complications. Anyways I left and then started searching for other rental providers. I called Budget and they told me they'd accept a temporary license. I schedule a reservation for today and they tell me they won't accept my temporary license. They told me they need the temporary license that looks like the one they issue you before getting your physical Drivers license in the mail. I leave again and then head straight to the DMV, explain my situation and why I'm trying to get a temporary license from them just until my dmv hearing and I'm told that they contacted the Driver safety office and they told them not to issue me a temp license. I leave the DMV and contact the Driver safety branch office and they tell me the decision is up to the DMV not them.
If I need to add any other information here please ask. I'm just trying to rent a car at this moment so I can get to work without borrowing someone elses car. Thank you in advance!

Sorry, I’ve never posted on Reddit before so forgive me if this is dumb or wrong I just felt like this was a safe space to get things off of my chest… (don’t read this unless you have nothing at all better to do, I didn’t realize how much I had to say… Lol)
My ex and I were together for 4 years… it’s been almost two weeks since we “broke up”… to me, the situation was small and stupid and I didn’t realize that she’d taken it serious, it almost feels as though she was reaching for a way out. We’ve dealt with so much together the fact that this was the end has me completely lost, hurt and confused.
We met in a virtual world (SecondLife) using avatars as people. Shortly after we met we exchanged numbers and instantly clicked. We were on the phone for HOURS and it stayed that way for about a year. I thought I’d finally found my person and she quickly became someone I’d considered my best friend. She came to visit me after about a year and it was perfect. I convinced my mom to let her come back to stay with us a few months later. It was AMAZING! I had my person with me all the time.
Unfortunately, things got a little rocky after living together for a while (my mini pet peeves: moving slowly, being lazy, not helping out around the house, seeing her butt crack constantly.. stupid things, lol) and she decided to go visit/take care of her grandma. After she left, we went back to long distance, phone calls/FaceTime and SecondLife. I appreciated the space but I still talked to her daily for hours. She ended up going back to her parents home because things weren’t so good with her grandma. After a while we broke up (might have lasted a week at most, it was over something so stupid I can’t even remember), during this week, her grandma passed away and once I found out we ended up going right back to how we were, on the phone/FaceTime/SecondLife almost like we never broke up. She was my person.
We kept it long distance for a while and during this time, I moved to another state for work. Things got rocky again and this involved virtual friends from SecondLife. Looking back, it is so dumb to have been able to affect us the way it did. We weren’t on the best terms but the fact that she was literally my best friend kept us together. We stuck together through everything. I invited her to come to my place for a while (the living situation wasn’t great at her parents place) hoping she could get on her feet and become independent… she came, it was cool but she never got on her feet. She was complacent sleeping on an air mattress in my living room (we were strained even more by this point). Her biggest complaint was my lack of affection… I thought it was due to the fact that she wasn’t trying to do better in life and that made it difficult for me to open up to her. (I later found out about a hormone imbalance that affected my libido and that was part of the problem that led to the lack of intimacy)
At the end of my contract, I decided I was moving back home and due to her living situation at her parents place I preferred for her to come back with me. I thought she’d have more opportunities to do better for herself (be in a safe and clean environment, get her GED, make more money, get on her feet, etc.) but after a year, that wasn’t the case. A few months ago, I gave up social media and SecondLife during a fast. She agreed to do the same so we could both focus on school and becoming better humans. Turns out, she was “sneaking” on SecondLife and Instagram hiding conversations with another girl…. It hurt… we fought and she agreed to let it go (her choice not mine) the next two months were amazing! We studied together, spent more time together, made plans for our future and were getting along really well and decided together we would go back to SecondLife. Part of our plans included me getting a health issue taken care of that would hopefully impact our intimacy in a positive way and I was looking forward to it. That was still her biggest complaint about our relationship.
One Saturday, she picked a fight because I didn’t say I love you too to a text she sent me. I told her that I wasn’t going to fight with her over something so stupid. I told her “I’m done, go if you want to go, stay if you want to stay idc” after this stupid argument, we literally went for ice cream together and everything was fine. Shortly after we got back from, an old friend reached out to her (related to the other girl she was having hidden conversations with) and suddenly everything switched. She asked me if I minded her getting online to hang with them and I didn’t understand why she asked when it was HER idea not to talk to them any further. I told her she made the choice to remove them and she cut me off stating that she only did that because of me. That made no sense to me because during the original argument I never suggested she did that by any means. The argument escalated in the dumbest way and she brought up my comment about her leaving earlier that day. I was confused because we were doing fine after all of that so I didn’t know why she brought that up. She asked me if I broke up with her and if I wanted her to leave and I sarcastically answered yes. She hung up with me and booked a plane ticket… I was livid because none of this made sense.
She then quit talking to me for the rest of the week. The night before her flight I reached out and asked was she happy to be going and she said yes. At that point I snapped. For the first time in 4 years I cursed her out. I felt she turned something so small and stupid into something so big. She didn’t deny anything, she agreed. I asked why a million times and she never answered. She left without saying anything the next morning.
We haven’t talked since. As soon as she was gone, she blocked me on all social media and removed me on SecondLife. The other day, someone sent me a screenshot of her Instagram post of her and another female avatar intimately on SecondLife …. I thought I was going to die…. She’d left me for a virtual person… that hurt to the core. It left me completely confused. I text her asking why again, she told me it didn’t matter, she didn’t want to talk and she was with someone else and happy. I kept asking why and she refused to talk to me and actually blocked my number too… (that sucks the most because the phone she’s using to communicate with the new girl is IN MY NAME and now I’m blocked from MY OWN PHONE) I feel like such an idiot and I just want to understand this. Idk what to do.
The surgery to handle the health issue is scheduled for this Thursday and I honestly hope I just die on the table. I miss her more than anything and I desperately want to understand why she discarded me so easily and quickly.

Completely.
It’s what makes me want to put a smile on as many faces as I see in a day.
It’s what makes me weap tears of sorrow even on a rooftop pool in the center of a major city my job sent me on on their dime.
Even in another country where beauty is found on every corner, and a statue of Christopher Columbus points back at U.S.
I am heartbroken because I stood in these places alone.
They wouldn’t listen. They didn’t care. But I knew it was out there.
I knew more about the world than my own home.
And my desire to heal and not become completely shattered is what made me leave and go alone.
People just don’t care. Looking back at history I take solace and knowing they never did.
True heads of household and kings and queens are servants to the people they reign over.
I see so many people wearing rings of commitment and insignias of brotherhood, just to shoot and put down the very people they swear loyalty to.
So many excuses for why they can’t.
I can’t let this be my story end.
Even if I’m alone, with a broken heart no one cares about, I promise to keep collecting my stories of joy and progress.
I promise, I’ll keep making the people in my path smile and not cry as I walk on.

After a long period of being single, I have been dating a guy for 5 months. He's honestly absolutely amazing and I can see a future with him. I went through some extreme avoidance but I took a chance and actually communicated with him and he was and is so understanding.
I finally felt able to open up and let down a wall (which has never happened before) after repeated positive conversations. Now I am feeling very clingy and anxious and feel like he is going to get bored and leave me, like he's losing interest, something is wrong. When he takes awhile to text me back it distresses me.
I hate feeling this way. I have logically analyzed our texts and recent interactions and nothing has indicated that he isn't interested. It makes me want to shut down and go back to avoidance but I don't want that either! I just want to feel stable.
I'm sure the solution is to communicate but I'm not sure how to explain exactly why I feel this way.

For the sake of privacy, all names are fake. I (25F) and my best friend Allie (24F) have been best friends for about 5 years. We met in college and have been inseparable. We’ve been with each other for a lot of trying times but also for the best times of our lives(she was a bridesmaid in my wedding). Allie and I clicked because we have been through a lot of similar traumas (example: cheating and/or abusive exes, family trauma, etc.). Her fiancée Greg(26M) and my husband Bob(29M) have also been friends and coworkers for a few years now and were very close. One night Greg asked me to set him up so I gave him Allie’s info and they clicked instantly. They have a great relationship which turned into an engagement. However, as their relationship grew, Allie became increasingly insecure and distant from me, which forced Greg to become distant from Bob and me. She was and still is always concerned that he’s cheating on her and that’s never the case. When she comes to me for advise, I’ve told her she needs to talk to him and tell him how she feels but when I say that, she becomes irritated and cold towards me. It’s gotten to the point of him cutting several friends who are women out of his life and quitting his job, making a move to her hometown and teaching a subject he has never taught before(going from HS Social Studies to JH Math). Fast forward to today. She confides in me that she’s concerned about a Lily (49F) who is the married teacher with 2 young kiddos across the hall from Greg. She texts him asking about his day in school, talks to him during the day and is overall a friendly person. She was Bob’s mentor and I’ve found her to be very friendly and nice. Allie’s claims she was hanging on him at a bar in town and being a flirty person, which is very outside of Lily’s nature. When she asked if I liked her, I told her she’s been nothing but nice to us but if it bothers her, she needs to talk Greg and set a boundary. She then blew up at me saying that I didn’t have her back because Lily has been nothing but good to us. I responded by saying that I gave her a solution that I saw as helpful but she was not having it. She told me numerous times that I wasn’t acknowledging her feelings and I wasn’t being a good friend to her by not agreeing with her, not bashing Lily. She said she’s so afraid of losing Greg. I told her that if she’s that afraid, why is she even getting married if she can’t trust that he’s in it for the long haul? Greg also never given any indication of cheating or wanting to leave. I have since came up with the theory that his big move to her hometown is more so she can control the women he’s around and keep a close eye on him. She hasn’t spoken to me in 3 hours. I’m starting to feel like I was too harsh. So AITA?
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This story is about the time my JNMIL lost my three year old son, Michael.A Little Background -Michael (3) went to preschool with his best friend, Jacob (3) in the local high school. My MIL also worked at the same school.The Story -It was the day before Thanksgiving, my husband took the day off, and we decided to go Christmas shopping while Michael was at preschool. We had rushed through the store at record speed to find exactly what we needed, flew through the checkout and were on our way to pick up Michael. Unfortunately, traffic was not on our side that morning, and we realized that we were not going to make it for Michael's 11:40 pick-up. My husband called the school, and was transferred to his mom (she was a secretary for one of the administrators). Conversation goes like this;Husband - "Hi Mom, Katie and I are stuck in traffic and won't make to the school in time for Micheal's dismissal. Do you think you could walk over and pick him up? If you can't, we understand, we could just call the classroom and have them hold him..."MIL - "Of course I can pick him up!Husband - "Thanks Mom! If you want we can all go for lunch after"MIL - "That would be great, see you soon"Short, sweet, no one seemed confused about what was needed or expected, and if that was the case, I wouldn't be writing this story...We arrive at the school a few minutes before noon. We go through security and arrive at his mom's office. His mom is on the phone, and gestures for us to come in, and we realize that Michael is not in her office! She hangs up the phone.MIL - "Well, where should we go for lunch?"Husband - "Mom, where is Michael!?!?"MIL - ??? "I wouldn't know!"My husband and I run out of her office and straight to the preschool / Childhood development classroom (literally two doors away). After interrupting the current class, we explain what has happened, and hope that Michael is just waiting for us in his classroom. Unfortunately, he was not. Security was called and they started pulling all the student teachers back to the classroom, to figure out where Micheal was at. While I waited for the students, my husband started driving around the neighborhood to see if Michael decided he would walk home. My MIL, did nothing to help, she stayed in her office.After the student teachers started coming down to the classroom, one tells me that Michael and Jacob were telling everyone that they were going to have a 'sleepover' at Jacob's house, and that when I wasn't in the dropoff/pickup line they thought that maybe the boys were having a sleepover.I immediately call Risa, Jacob's mom. No answer, but I leave a message. Call my husband and tell him Michael is with Risa and Jacob. He comes back to the school. MIL is now asking, why we would allow Michael to sleepover at a friends house the night before Thanksgiving. We ignore her. I continue to call Risa, but no one is answering. Michael has been missing for over an hour at this point.Risa calls back and explains that she was called into work and that her sister picked up Jacob. Risa's says her sister took the boys to McDonald's and they were at Risa's house now.As we were leaving, MIL says, "Hey, I thought we were going out for lunch!"We stopped asking MIL to do anything with our children and Michael has gone extremely low contact with her.Edit - MIL played victim after we blew up at her. Claiming she didn't realize that class was dismissed (I mean bells ring at the end of class, pretty hard to miss). Then when we weren't buying that BS, doubled down with, "I thought you were going to pick him up and take me to lunch!" Then again played victim, "I told all my friends that I was going out to lunch with my son, and now I look bad." The next day, Thanksgiving, we were very cold towards her, and at dinner she just blurts out, "It's all your fault, if you hadn't been late then none of this would have happened!" Then gets up and fake cries. We left right after dinner.

tl;dr: Unless the community is largely opposed, playrust will go dark on June 12th in protest of the upcoming API changes.
For those unaware, reddit is changing their API policy in a pretty big way. You can read more about it here. The short version is:

• 3rd Party Apps are becoming prohibitively expensive to run. Ad-supported tiers are getting banned outright and using Apollo as an example it would cost nearly $2 million per month (source). This will basically be the death knell for third party apps; if you currently access reddit through a third party app, you will no longer be able to do so.
• The NSFW API is getting shut down so the only way to access NSFW content is through the official App. This means that even if 3rd party apps survive, they only get 40% of the content. This also means that many of the bots and moderation practices that prevent, for example, someone that comments on gonewild posts from commenting on an teenagers selfie posts will break.

Why this matters to you

Many moderators use 3rd party apps to moderate because the official tools are largely worthless. Contrary to popular belief that we all live in basements, most of us have day jobs and a lot of moderation happens during our lunch breaks or downtime in our real lives. We do this work because we care about the community. The switch forcing moderators to use the official app would probably slow down moderation and force more of the work to happen on desktop. That means your posts and comments will sit in queue unseen longer, it will take longer to get back to modmails, and harmful content or users may remain visible and unbanned for longer.
In discussions with other mods, these changes will probably cripple most NSFW content on the website. It will become far harder to keep Child Sexual Abuse Content and Non-Consensual Intimate Media off the platform with their mod tools and practices crippled by the NSFW change. A lot of work has been put into this including parts of the NSFW community paying enterprise prices for access to private libraries that are meant to detect this kind of media.
Then, on a more basic level, those of you that are using 3rd party apps will have to switch to the official app to browse mobile as they are becoming unaffordable to maintain.

The Open Letter & The Blackout

The broader moderator community has been discussing this and has released an open letter here.
Part of this initiative will be a subreddit blackout in protest. There are far larger communities than ours preparing to join this movement. 500 communities have signed up for this in the last 24 hours. The moderator team wants to join that and hopes that you will join us too.
At this point we would like to open the topic for discussion. The mod team will be available for any questions or concerns regarding the matter. We hope that the community is ready to join us in standing up to some of the toxic practices coming from the reddit admins. If the community overwhelmingly is against the blackout, we will not force it down your throats and simply leave this pinned for the duration of the protest.
Signed, the playrust mod team

Hello! This is a post I decided to write in response to Matpat's newest FNAF theory, "I solved Ruin"
The first half of the video is not that bad. He gets GGY right for the most part. He correctly connected Greg from GGY to Gregory from SB. I do not have much to say regarding that matter. GGY is directly connected to SB, and there is no room for debate regarding that, and the fact that Gregory was under the control of Glitchtrap.
Granted, Matpat says that he was WORKING for Glitchtrap, though the way I see it, Gregory was more of a pawn. I don't think Gregory was himself at all. Security Breach even shows this. I don't think Gregory was lying in SB, he just had no idea what was going on, since for who-knows-how-long he was under the control of Glitchtrap.
We can use Vanny as an example. When Vanny switches back to Vanessa... well, Vanessa does not remember what she did as Vanny. The same could apply to Gregory. Also keep in mind that Gregory was EXTREMELY smart in GGY, saying very psychological statements all the time, which really screams "mimic!" to me.
Gregory obviously was taken over for a while, since he had a little trouble remembering his name in the beginning of Security Breach, meaning SB probably doesn't take place very much longer after Gregory somehow broke out of Glitchtrap's control.
Though I do have a problem with how he worded something, though. Matpat said that Gregory was working for "AFTON" which in itself is not correct. Tales show that "Afton" is no longer here, and that Glitchtrap is simply a mimic1 program developed around 1984.
And regarding Gregory being a robot... unfortunately, I think he kind of has to at this point. Heck, GGY indirectly shows that he likely is a robot.
GGY takes place at least a couple of years before SB. Gregory is 12 during the events of GGY, therefore making him 14-15 by the events of SB. However, he still looks 12 during SB.
Though at the same time, there is a problem with the statement I made: the robots in other books, such as the original novel trilogy, are able to grow like regular humans. So why not Gregory?
To be frank, I don't know. The book does say that Greg looks younger than he really is, so for all we know, he may actually be 14 in SB, but just looks younger. That is very much plausible too.
Matpat does have a point about the occasional Gregbot hints in GGY, though, and the evidence at this point is rather compelling.
Now, onto other things: The Mimic.
Firstly, he went over the story pretty well. One thing I will point out though is that Matpat says that what happened when Edwin beat up the Mimic was that he was essentially injecting Agony into it.
I am personally a bit mixed on that take. I think what happened was that after Edwin beat up the Mimic, it decided to Mimic that, as it had just learned violence. Also noticed how Edwin beat it up. The Mimic kills its victims in a way similar to how Edwin "destroyed" the Mimic. The Mimic kills its victims by tearing up their limbs and mangling them. Very similar to how Edwin beat up the Mimic.
I think more evidence points to the fact that Mimic simply learned violence rather than having to be injected with Agony to start harming people.
Though it could be both, though. Perhaps Mimic learned violence while also being injected with Agony. It could have gone down like that.
Let me be real, Matpat lost me when he began building a parallel between Edwin and Henry.
Sure, many aspects of them are different. But you are capable of having a parallel between two characters without it explicitly being two separate timelines.
For example, Glamrock Freddy seems like an obvious parallel to Michael Afton, though that doesn't mean he IS Michael Afton.
Edwin's dead kid, David, is not parallel to Charlotte. They don't even die the same way.
Charlotte is killed when William Afton murders her outside of a pizzeria. David dies after being hit by a car whilst chasing after his ball.
Sure, both are tragedies, but if we see a little kid get murdered and then a little kid being hit by a car, how do you expect to build parallel's here? They die in a completely different way.
Matpat once again tries to pull a parallel between Henry and Edwin and that Henry began the business back in 1983, and The Storyteller explains that The Mimic happened 40 years before... there is a major problem with this. A big one.
The Storyteller takes place in 2024 because The Mimic happened around 1984.
I know, saying The Storyteller is in 2024 sounds like a bit of a stretch because it does sound like it, because Fnaf 3 was believed to be set in 2023, and it does not make sense for Fnaf 3, Fnaf 6, Fnaf VR, Fnaf AR, and the entire construction of the Pizzaplex to happen in one year.
This does lead me to believe that Fnaf 3 in fact takes place in 2015, but this statement is not what this post is about, so if you want me to make a separate post on that, let me know.
Anyways, Matpat says the "40 years thing" to be a parallel to Henry and that his whole thing happened in 1983 and he came back in 2023... which makes absolutely no sense and is a major contradiction.
The way he explains The Storyteller as a story is weird.
The way he says it, he believes that David (Edwin's dead son, also the person who trained the mimic1 program) got infused into everything, and that is not the case. It's Glitchtrap. The mimic1 program is the same thing as Glitchtrap. Mimic1 is literally the canon name for Glitchtrap, similar to how Mimic is the canon name for Burntrap.
Edwin trying to talk to his son through the weird language David made does not mean David is present. It is a mimic program, not literally David.
Regarding the Charlie thing, sure, Charlie is very clearly present in the Pizzaplex, and I think the Tales story shows that her spirit is haunting the Pizzaplex. However, the mimic1 program is not the same as Charlie haunting the Pizzaplex. Charlie is present in the Pizzaplex, though the mimic1 program also is.
Anyhow, these are the big problems I had with his newest theory. I don't hate Matpat, I think he is a great person, but this theory was really a downhill spiral.
Leave your thoughts below! I would love to read them!

I am a 28M in a relationship for the last 10 years with 27F and living together for the past 5 years. I have never cheated and have done everything for my partner. I have been a very good boyfriend. However, two months ago, I found a few texts on my partner's phone from her co-worker. He was sending flirty texts, and although my partner didn't reciprocate, she didn't stop him either. They were talking every day until 2 or 3 am. I checked her phone regularly when she was sleeping, and I even checked her Google Pay and saw a few payments between them, mostly during lunchtime. This made me sure that they were spending time together in the office too. Most of the time they talked about random things, and sometimes the guy tried to flirt with her, but she responded with disinterest. However, one text caught my attention. He asked her out to a party on the weekend, and she didn't say yes but also didn't say no. So, I decided to go out of town and see what she would do when I wasn't there. I took a random solo trip for three days on the weekend and told her it was a work trip.
After coming back, I found a few videos of them partying together in her conversation, which were sent by the guy. This made me extremely angry, and I wanted to confront her about it, but I didn't say a single word. I wasn't brave enough, and this messed up my head. I decided to put myself out there and signed up on Bumble. I got a few matches on the very first day. I ignored a few who were looking for a relationship, but then I found this average-looking 26F who was into me and didn't want a relationship either. We went out on a date, got drunk, and made out in a bar. Then she wanted to go to my place, but I told her the truth that I am in a living relationship. I explained everything about my situation, but surprisingly, she didn't have any problem with it. That day, we checked into a hotel.
After coming back at night, I checked her phone again and saw a text where the guy was expressing his excitement to see my girlfriend at the office, and she replied, "Same here." This made me extremely angry. I told the girl from Bumble about this, and she advised me to break up with my girlfriend and kick her out of the house. However, I wanted my girlfriend to feel the same pain I was feeling. So, I made a plan with the new girl to invite her to my place in the evening, hoping that my girlfriend would catch us red-handed. We acted out the plan, and my girlfriend caught us in the action, she started shouting, crying, and threw things at us. The girl from Bumble then said this is what you get when you cheat on a guy I pushed my girl out of the room and closed the door after 5 minutes when bumble girl was leaving we came out I couldn’t see my gf at my place she took off somewhere after dropping the date I called my gf to check if she okay or not & called her to home we sat down I told her I know everything about your office affairs she denied that she is having an affair told me she was just talking to her nothing happened between them & she went out partying with few other people too from the office not just him she asked me about the girl where I met her what all happened between us I told her everything.
After that day, we didn't speak with each other often, but we continued living together under one roof. Despite everything, we both can't let go of each other. However, the Bumble girl I got involved with is now causing problems. She texts and calls me every day. I was ignoring her after the incident, but last Sunday, she showed up at my door. I opened the door, and she barged in. My girlfriend was also there, and the Bumble girl started making a scene, shouting at my girlfriend, asking why she was still here and if she wanted to see more. She was telling me to kick my girlfriend out. I managed to send her back, but before leaving, she threatened that if I didn't respond to her, she would show up again with all her stuff. I think she can actually do that.
Now, people of Reddit, please suggest what I should do. How can I get rid of her?

i feel empty, i don’t know what to do anymore. My relationship just goes from high to low in a blink of an eye. We have been fighting so much lately, we took a break not to long ago coming back only to fight even worse than before. I don’t feel loved, i don’t feel appreciated. I’m a bad girlfriend. he’s a bad boyfriend. But i love him more than anything and he knows that. He uses my emotions against me and belittles me any chance he gets when we fight. I get so insecure but i could never leave him. His power play is to ignore me and pretend i don’t exist cause he knows that’s what hurts me the most. Why does he do things that know will hurt me. He admits he doesn’t care, doesn’t need me, doesn’t care if we talk or not. “My life will keep going” are his words. My heart breaks almost everyday. i don’t know what to do. i’m so desperate. I have nobody. No friends. Nothing. He is all i have and it’s so easy for him to disappear on me. Why am i so easy to forget like that. “You’re the one who keeps coming back” “you’re the one who always needs to be with me” “you’re the one who always needs to talk” my heart hurts. He does nothing to make me feel loved. I don’t know why i stay, i can’t leave. I love him. but he will never love me the way i love him. I hate being desperate. Everything he does everything he says affects me so deeply. Meanwhile, he’s completely fine without me. I hate being ignored, i can’t handle it. i’m too sensitive to everything and i ruin everything. i’m all alone now. why does he do this to me. why cant i handle being alone. why cant i be normal and exist without him. why does everything have to hurt me and not hurt him in the slightest.

I am a 28M in a relationship for the last 10 years with 27F and living together for the past 5 years. I have never cheated and have done everything for my partner. I have been a very good boyfriend. However, two months ago, I found a few texts on my partner's phone from her co-worker. He was sending flirty texts, and although my partner didn't reciprocate, she didn't stop him either. They were talking every day until 2 or 3 am. I checked her phone regularly when she was sleeping, and I even checked her Google Pay and saw a few payments between them, mostly during lunchtime. This made me sure that they were spending time together in the office too. Most of the time they talked about random things, and sometimes the guy tried to flirt with her, but she responded with disinterest. However, one text caught my attention. He asked her out to a party on the weekend, and she didn't say yes but also didn't say no. So, I decided to go out of town and see what she would do when I wasn't there. I took a random solo trip for three days on the weekend and told her it was a work trip.
After coming back, I found a few videos of them partying together in her conversation, which were sent by the guy. This made me extremely angry, and I wanted to confront her about it, but I didn't say a single word. I wasn't brave enough, and this messed up my head. I decided to put myself out there and signed up on Bumble. I got a few matches on the very first day. I ignored a few who were looking for a relationship, but then I found this average-looking 26F who was into me and didn't want a relationship either. We went out on a date, got drunk, and made out in a bar. Then she wanted to go to my place, but I told her the truth that I am in a living relationship. I explained everything about my situation, but surprisingly, she didn't have any problem with it. That day, we checked into a hotel.
After coming back at night, I checked her phone again and saw a text where the guy was expressing his excitement to see my girlfriend at the office, and she replied, "Same here." This made me extremely angry. I told the girl from Bumble about this, and she advised me to break up with my girlfriend and kick her out of the house. However, I wanted my girlfriend to feel the same pain I was feeling. So, I made a plan with the new girl to invite her to my place in the evening, hoping that my girlfriend would catch us red-handed. We acted out the plan, and my girlfriend caught us in the action, she started shouting, crying, and threw things at us. The girl from Bumble then said this is what you get when you cheat on a guy I pushed my girl out of the room and closed the door after 5 minutes when bumble girl was leaving we came out I couldn’t see my gf at my place she took off somewhere after dropping the date I called my gf to check if she okay or not & called her to home we sat down I told her I know everything about your office affairs she denied that she is having an affair told me she was just talking to her nothing happened between them & she went out partying with few other people too from the office not just him she asked me about the girl where I met her what all happened between us I told her everything.
After that day, we didn't speak with each other often, but we continued living together under one roof. Despite everything, we both can't let go of each other. However, the Bumble girl I got involved with is now causing problems. She texts and calls me every day. I was ignoring her after the incident, but last Sunday, she showed up at my door. I opened the door, and she barged in. My girlfriend was also there, and the Bumble girl started making a scene, shouting at my girlfriend, asking why she was still here and if she wanted to see more. She was telling me to kick my girlfriend out. I managed to send her back, but before leaving, she threatened that if I didn't respond to her, she would show up again with all her stuff. I think she can actually do that.
Now, people of Reddit, please suggest what I should do. How can I get rid of her?

Hi all!
I am looking for some help/feedback with a situation I have never been in before.
I received an offer for a position in state government paying about 20k more than I am making in my current position. The job is in my area of expertise, offers a hybrid work schedule, good union benefits, and a work culture that does not require travel or being available outside of typical 9-5 hours. It seemed like a no brainier of a transition and I informed my current employer of my plan to take the new job.
Almost immediately I got a call from them stating they would match the salary, conditional on my planning to stay on board and move into a departmental leadership position in a year. I love my current role, but I am very hesitant about committing to transitioning into a leadership role which will come with additional responsibilities, after hours expectations, and supervising others. That role, however, will come with its own raise which would be more that the capped maximum I could earn at the state. This position also has a hybrid work schedule, but it requires multiple weeks of travel throughout the year.
I already felt badly about leaving, but was completely caught off guard by their offer to keep me on board. I've had a really good experience in my current role. I've been in positions before with (explicit or implied) after hours availability which burned me out and was why I left my last job after 10 years. I don't want to jump back into that level of stress, but the organization seems really committeed to keeping me and the compensation over time would be higher.
My gut is telling me to go with the state, but I can't shake the feeling that I'm abandoning this team and leaving money on the table.
Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated!

((This train wreck is a fanfic of "Nature of Predators" by u/spacepaladin15. Edit: Reddit please stop eating things like the who and when.))
​
FIRST//PREVIOUS//NEXT
Memory transcription subject: Yotul exchange subject Ouon.
Date [Human standard time]: August 22, 2136
I blinked at the human. “What do you mean history? Its just a train? I mean, I miss being on them a ton and think it's kinda speh how they took them all away, but they were old.” I pointed out as I watched the steam train run into a tunnel.
“Well. One thing you learn when building models of historical things is that each country- uhm- that is groups on Earth, have different styles and things they want their trains to do. America used to prefer the most elegant, rugged, and mass-producible of all back in the day while Japan in the 20’th century valued speed, reliability, and as smooth a ride as possible. Each time period also had their own trains.” He pointed to one of the big ones. “This is a 20th century American train called the EMD SD70ACe.” He rattled off a bunch of letters and more that meant almost nothing to me. “It was made to be far more durable than most others while focusing far more on efficiency.”
He then motioned to the train finally coming out of the huge tunnel. “This is an American classic. The 4-4-0. It's based on the Roy O. Disney No. 4. Its not set up the same as its real counterpart, but after a… discussion.” He Glanced at Sally who shrugged. “It was decided we would make it a luxury liner to still be able to showcase it.”
I blinked and rubbed my head a bit. “Wait… is that a human name? Was it named after someone famous?” I asked, watching its beautiful red and green snake through the mountains. “Well. It is actually running at a park on Earth right now to take people around.” Jack explained as he watched it move about. “And in fact it's a great example! It was named after one of the founders of the American mega-corp disney. It was bought and made to look beautiful to transport people around a big park. Really though it was there to look beautiful and be a big tourist attraction. It was very outdated for the time, but that was the point.”
What? “Wait, if it was outdated then why use it?” I asked, finally looking up to my human partner. “Simple: People liked how it looked and it reminded them of a very important time in America when we were growing into the superpower we are today. For some people, like me, America would not have existed without the 4-4-0, so we honor it whenever we can. For others, many MANY cool stories happen on or around 4-4-0 trains, so they keep coming up in movies. And some pay a TON of money to ride on them through mountains and stuff. Sure the cars are mostly more modern for safety and comfort, but people want to experience what it was like to live in those old days so they pay to ride in the outdated cars.”
He then pulled up photos on his pad of an American tour company operating in the mountains. I snatched the tablet the moment I saw the first few photos and started looking at them one by one. It…. it was my trains! I could see that ornate red carpet, the sleeper cars, the tiny bathrooms, the small chair I sat on for HOURS reading whatever speh I could get my paws on. It was all there! The price was… high, but you could ride it NOW! And the humans were FTL level!
I handed his tablet back to him and watched the train chug along. “Then… why did we have to get rid of ours? I mean. I never thought of what I worked on being important. Sure it was one of the heights of our tech pre-uplift, but I never thought about it being important to history.”
“The fact it was the last thing you all made should make it even more important. I don’t know why the feds did it-” Jack’s strong hand patted my shoulder. “-but maybe we could do something?” He looked over to Sally.
“I know what you are going to propose, and I am ALLLL for it!” She said as she held a thumb up. “But we gotta ask Leon too. I mean, I love kitbashing and all but you and Leon are the ones that are best at it. I just get the interior sparky shit to work.” She laughed a little before the door opened up again.
“Hey everybo-” A human with shoulder length blond hair walked in with a female Dossur head poking up out of his lab coat. The moment the Dossur saw Sally she hopped out and skittered up to her. What I had to guess was leon froze seeing the tilfish who stared back. He took a deep breath and I covered my ears expecting another scream. It seems humans were sca-
“YES!”
I jumped and looked at the human with my fur standing up. One: That was a very happy yell. Two: That was a very happy word. I looked at the other two humans and they looked at each other for a moment before moving their heads side to side.
“Yesyesyes an insectoid species! I was worried that all the aliens would be soft, cute mammalians! Nothingwrongwiththat but this is farrrrr more cool inmyhonestopinion!” His words were coming out fast and blending together in the translator as he walked up to poor, poor Xelo. She was rubbing her antenna before Sally passed her back the coins with a sigh before getting in Leon’s way.
“Alright alright. I knew you liked freaky things but this is a bit of a surprise.” She said trying not to step on the Dossur. “Give the girl her space and let her warm up to you. You know the drill by now. Poor thing was shocked when Freddie squealed at it.” My human let out a deep breath of air and crossed his arms. It was clear he didn’t like being reminded of what he had done.
“FIIINE!” Leon said lifting up his arms. “I will talk to her later.” He then looked over at me, waved, then stepped back from poor Xelo who was looking between us all.
“Hey! Tall lady! I’m Fige! Fee-d-je~!” The dossier called out from her feet. “Mind picking me up? Bit small!” Sally nodded and picked her up, lifting her up to her chest height in one hand. While Sally was looking down at Fige, the dossur was looking right ahead. What was she-ohhhh. Really?
“Heya Fige! I am sally! I read your kind were small but didn’t expect THIS small!” She said with a laugh. “Man. I just want to put you in my po-”
“If you are offering your chest pocket PLEASE!” The small female called up to the huge human. “I mean, it-” She rubbed one of her ears then shook her head. “Ah brahk it. I wanna ride against that comfy looking chest. I have never SEEN mammaries that big before!” She squeaked out motioning to the human’s chest. “I have dated lotsa females from lotsa species, but good grief! My fear left the moment I saw those things!”I thought I was a bit open. What the speh!?We all looked to Sally who laughed long and hard. “Oi! Freddie! Seems like we BOTH lucked out!” She said before moving the dossier towards her coat pocket, only to put her right on top of the “pair!” The dossur squeaked in surprise before squeaking in pure joy. “Ohhh yeah! Humans are just fine in my book!” She called out while Sally was laughing hard.
“Oh damn, this feels…. Weird. Still. Not gunna pass up a chance to connect with an alien species lesbian! Hell I like my women short but this is a new level for me!”Both Freddie and Leon shook their heads side to side while looking down. “And she fussed at me!” I heard Leon mutter while poor Xelo just looked around practically tugging her antennae off in confusion at the chaos in front of her.“Wait. what is this?” Fige asked before hopping down onto the table. While Xelo let out a clatter in protest fearing the stuff was fragile. It held up though thankfully.
She skittered about looking at the trains, poking at the wires that were carefully hidden, then tapping the tracks. “Fascinating! The trains must be powered through the tracks and controlled through it leaving enough room within for all this decoration! I didn’t expect predators like yourself to be able to work on such small and fragile electronics like this!” She then watched the cargo train roll by before hopping onto one of the flatbeds to ride around.
The humans didn’t protest. At all. In fact they took out their datapads and took as many pictures as they could! Fige, to her credit, ate up the attention and even posed some as she laughed enjoying the ride. Lucky little squeaker.
Still, after a while we all just sat together at a table they cleared off. Drinks and snacks scattered over what had been a workstation. “Alright. So now you all know what scale models are.” Freddie said with a smile. “And nobody had a… too big of a reaction to us so far! So far so good!” he laughed a bit as he sipped his soda.
​
“Now. Wanna help us make more?”
​
FIRST//PREVIOUS//NEXT

Email marketing is one of the most powerful and effective tools in a marketer’s arsenal. It is a tried-and-tested strategy that has stood the test of time and remains a cornerstone of any successful marketing campaign. In today’s digital world, where everyone is bombarded with countless messages on social media, email marketing provides a way to reach out to your audience directly, in a personalized and targeted manner. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced marketer, this beginner’s guide to effective email marketing will help you understand the key principles and best practices that will help you get the most out of your email marketing campaigns.

What is email marketing?

Email marketing is a digital marketing strategy that involves sending promotional messages and commercial content to a group of individuals via email. This marketing technique aims to increase brand awareness, promote lead generation, and drive online sales. To effectively implement an email marketing campaign, a business needs to have an email service provider like Trafficwave.
With the help of an email service provider, businesses can design and send emails that are tailored to their audience’s interests and needs. This helps to increase open rates and conversion rates, ultimately leading to more sales. Email marketing is a cost-effective way to reach customers and potential customers directly, without relying on third-party platforms like social media.
Overall, email marketing is an essential tool for any business looking to increase their online sales and engage with their customers on a more personal level. By leveraging the power of email campaigns, businesses can establish stronger relationships with their audience, drive traffic to their website, and ultimately boost their revenue.

The benefits of email marketing

Email marketing can have a significant impact on your business, and the benefits are numerous. First, email marketing is a highly effective way to generate leads. By sending targeted messages to your subscribers, you can attract potential customers to your website and encourage them to take action.
Another benefit of email marketing is that it can drive traffic to your website. By including links to your website in your emails, you can encourage subscribers to visit your site and explore your products or services further.
If you’re looking to increase online sales, email marketing is a great tool to help you do so. By creating email campaigns that are specifically designed to convert subscribers into customers, you can significantly increase your online sales and boost your revenue.
In short, the benefits of email marketing are clear. It can help you generate leads, drive traffic to your website, and increase online sales. So if you’re not already using email marketing to promote your business, it’s time to get started.

Understanding your audience

Before you can begin crafting effective emails, it’s crucial to understand who you’re communicating with. Knowing your audience will help you tailor your messaging to their needs and interests, ultimately increasing the effectiveness of your email campaigns.
One key element of understanding your audience is lead generation. This involves identifying potential customers or clients and capturing their contact information so you can continue to communicate with them through email. Lead generation can be accomplished through a variety of methods, such as offering a free ebook or white paper in exchange for a person’s email address, hosting a webinar or event and collecting attendee contact information, or simply having a sign-up form on your website.
Once you have a list of email contacts, you can begin to segment your audience based on characteristics such as demographics, location, and past interactions with your business. This allows you to tailor your emails to specific groups and increase their relevance and effectiveness.
By understanding your audience and utilizing lead generation tactics, you can create targeted email campaigns that resonate with your subscribers and drive engagement and conversions.

Building an email list

One of the most important aspects of email marketing is building a high-quality email list. After all, your emails won’t be effective if they aren’t reaching the right people. Here are some tips for building an email list that will deliver results:

1. Provide value: Offer something valuable to your audience in exchange for their email address. This could be a discount code, a free ebook or whitepaper, or exclusive access to content.
   
2. Use sign-up forms: Add sign-up forms to your website, social media pages, and other digital channels. Make sure they’re easy to find and fill out, and be transparent about what subscribers can expect to receive.
   
3. Run a contest: A contest or giveaway is a great way to encourage people to sign up for your email list. Just make sure the prize is relevant to your business and will attract your target audience.
   
4. Partner with other businesses: Collaborate with other businesses or influencers in your industry to co-promote each other’s email lists. This can help you reach a wider audience and build credibility.
   
5. Attend events: If you attend events, conferences, or trade shows, make sure you have a sign-up sheet available for people to join your email list. Be sure to follow up with new subscribers promptly.
   

Remember, building an email list is an ongoing process. Make sure you’re consistently adding new subscribers and engaging with your existing ones to keep your email list fresh and effective.

Crafting effective emails

Once you have a solid understanding of your audience and have built a quality email list, it’s time to craft effective emailsthat will engage your subscribers and encourage them to take action. Here are some tips for creating effective emails:

1. Keep it simple and concise: Your emails should be easy to read and understand. Avoid using jargon or complicated language and get straight to the point. Keep your emails short and sweet, with only the necessary information.
   
2. Personalize your emails: Personalized emails have been shown to have higher open rates and engagement levels. Use your subscriber’s name in the subject line or body of the email and tailor your message to their interests or past behavior.
   
3. Use attention-grabbing subject lines: Your subject line is the first thing your subscribers will see, so make it count. Use a subject line that is interesting, compelling, and relevant to the content of the email.
   
4. Include a call-to-action: The goal of your email is to encourage your subscribers to take action. Make sure you include a clear call-to-action in your email that tells them what to do next.
   
5. Use images and visuals: Including images or visuals in your email can make it more visually appealing and help break up text. However, make sure your images are high-quality and relevant to the content of the email.
   
6. Test and optimize: As with any marketing strategy, testing and optimization are key. Try out different subject lines, email content, and calls-to-action to see what works best for your audience. Use analytics to track the success of your emails and make adjustments as needed.
   

Crafting effective emails takes time and practice, but with the right approach, your emails can be a powerful tool for driving engagement and conversions.

Automating your email campaigns

One of the most appealing aspects of email marketing is its potential for automation. By setting up automated email campaigns, you can save time and ensure that your audience receives timely, relevant content without requiring constant attention from your team.
Automated emails can take many forms, from welcome messages for new subscribers to birthday greetings to abandoned cart reminders. To get started with automation, you’ll first need to identify the triggers that will prompt your emails to send. For example, a welcome email might be triggered when someone subscribes to your list, while an abandoned cart reminder might be triggered when a customer leaves items in their online shopping cart without completing the purchase.
Once you’ve identified your triggers, it’s time to set up your campaigns. Most email marketing platforms offer automation features that make it easy to create workflows for your automated emails. These workflows typically involve setting up a series of emails that will be sent at specific intervals, based on your trigger criteria.
When creating your automated emails, it’s important to keep your audience in mind. Make sure the content of each email is tailored to their interests and needs, and consider how each email will fit into the larger customer journey. By mapping out your email campaigns in advance, you can ensure that each message is relevant, timely, and impactful.
Of course, automation doesn’t mean you should set it and forget it. Regularly reviewing and tweaking your automated campaigns can help ensure they continue to drive results. Look at your open and click-through rates, and make adjustments as needed to optimize your campaigns for success.
Overall, automation is a powerful tool that can help you streamline your email marketing efforts and reach your audience more effectively. By investing the time and effort to set up effective automated campaigns, you can build stronger relationships with your subscribers and drive more revenue for your business.

Measuring success with analytics

One of the biggest advantages of email marketing is the ability to measure your success with analytics. Unlike other forms of marketing, you can see exactly how your emails are performing, and make adjustments accordingly. Here are some metrics to pay attention to:

1. Open rate – This is the percentage of people who opened your email. A low open rate may indicate that your subject line or sender name needs work.
   
2. Click-through rate – This is the percentage of people who clicked on a link within your email. A low click-through rate may mean that your call-to-action (CTA) isn’t compelling enough.
   
3. Conversion rate – This is the percentage of people who took the desired action (e.g. making a purchase, filling out a form) after clicking through from your email. If your conversion rate is low, consider optimizing your landing page or CTA.
   
4. Bounce rate – This is the percentage of emails that couldn’t be delivered to your subscribers. A high bounce rate could mean that your list needs cleaning up.
   
5. Unsubscribe rate – This is the percentage of people who unsubscribe from your emails. While it’s natural to feel discouraged by unsubscribes, it’s important to remember that a smaller, engaged list is better than a large, uninterested one.
   

By tracking these metrics, you can identify what’s working and what’s not, and make data-driven decisions to improve your email marketing campaigns. Just be sure not to get too bogged down in the numbers – ultimately, the most important metric is whether or not your emails are helping you achieve your business goals.

Best practices for email marketing

1. Personalize your emails: Address your subscribers by name and segment your list based on their interests to make sure the content they receive is relevant to them.
   
2. Keep your emails concise: People’s attention spans are short, so keep your emails to the point. Use short paragraphs and break up content with headings, bullet points, and images.
   
3. Make it visually appealing: Use high-quality images and graphics that complement your brand and message. Ensure your emails are mobile-responsive and easy to read on all devices.
   
4. Use a clear call-to-action: Encourage your subscribers to take action by using clear, compelling language and prominent buttons or links.
   
5. Test your emails: Use A/B testing to see which subject lines, content, and CTAs perform best. This will help you improve the effectiveness of your email campaigns.
   
6. Respect your subscribers’ preferences: Give your subscribers control over how often they receive emails and what type of content they receive. This will help you reduce unsubscribes and keep your list engaged.
   
7. Keep your email list clean: Regularly remove inactive or unengaged subscribers to ensure your email list is up-to-date and accurate.
   

By following these best practices, you can create effective email campaigns that engage your audience, increase conversions, and help grow your business.
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Hi. I had my sister print me some grates to place in my tea infuser. I bought these 1L pitchers that have a pocket inside for you to put coffee beans or tea leaves or whatever. Realized eventually instead of dealing with the mess of having to empty and clean that every time, I can just throw six teabags in the pitcher and get the same result. Problem is, they float on the top so I wanted them to be pushed down into the water to ensure all the bag is submerged.
So I drilled a hole in the cap and ran a stainless steel bolt down and bolted her tool. It's a circle about 2.75" wide with a bunch of holes to allow water to pass but not the bags:
https://i.imgur.com/QHY0Rb6.png
Works great. But we were concerned about food safety. I read you can use alcohol to sterilize, then let it air dry and store in a sealed container. I was thinking; why not just leave it in a tub of alcohol? But then I was afraid maybe the alcohol will eat the plastic. Will it? Does the percentage matter? I have them right now in a tub of 91% to sterilize.
We bought some epoxy to coat the discs, but she had second thoughts about whether or not she bought the right thing. Will this work to make them food safe:
https://i.imgur.com/iYpAm3N.png
? Thanks!

MATCH RESULTS

Winner	Loser	Match Finish	Stipulation
The Dyad and Ava	Diamond Mine	Hitting Ivy with the Schism mask
Blair Davenport	Dani Palmer	Falcon Arrow
Baron Corbin	Trick Williams	End of Days
Mustafa Ali	Joe Gacy	450 Splasha
Eddie Thorpe	Damon Kemp	German Suplex (Kemp's foot was on the rope)
Scrypts w/ Axiom	Dabba-Kato	Roll-Up after a distraction from Axiom
Thea Hail	~20 other NXT Women Superstars	Last Eliminating Dana Brooke and Cora Jade	NXT Women's Championship #1 Contender's Battle Royal

IMPORTANT NOTES

• Baron Corbin arrives backstage and demands an assistant to hit his music as he heads to the ring. Corbin said he thought he'd never step back through these doors once he got that call and went straight to the top. As he was main eventing Pay-Per-Views, as more people from NXT were called up and were hungry. Then something changed and the call-ups had an ego as they twiddled around the locker room. Now he walks around and sees trainees talking about their legacy and are on guaranteed contracts, living in the house that he built. Corbin says the OG's from FCW were the ones who made NXT what it is and sold out Barclay's Arena with 16,000 people and after seeing the last class of calls ups he knew a change had to be made. He says Carmelo Hayes represents the new NXT but he got a taste of main-roster reality last weeek when he held his title over his head. Ilja Dragunov comes out to confront Corbin and says he doesn't know who Baron is passing in the locker room but he isn't soft nor weak and after Battleground he should be first in line to face Carmelo Hayes. Baron says this is the ego he's talking about and says he's competed at 6 Wrestlemanias, retired Kurt Angle, and was the last person to pin Roman Reigns. Ilja tells him that Corbin wants to face Carmelo Hayes to make a statement and Ilja wants to face it because he earned. Ilja challenges him to a match tonight and says Corbin won't be as hard as Battleground was and lifts his shirt to show a large bruise on his stomach. Corbin warns him that once he's done with him he'll have plenty more. After Ilja leaves Trick Williams ambushes Corbin from behind and throws him to the outside.
  
• Thea Hail is leaving a gym as Duke Hudson finds her outside, Charlie Dempsey peaks out the door to tell Thea he better see her back there tomorrow. Duke wonders why Thea is evening training with them but Thea says if she doesn't like someone she just has to crunch back at them ever harder and says she needs the training for the battle royal tonight.
  
• Backstage Bron Breakker has beaten down Ilja and asks him if he likes pain and shouts at him.
  
• Stacks visits Tony D'Angelo in jail, Tony says he's doing well in here, his old friend Knuckles is in here, and he worked out the deal with the guards so he can watch Peacock and catch up on NXT the next day but he still needs to get out. Stacks says he's got their lawyer on it but isn't fully sure if it's Gallus behind things. Tony tells him to trust his guts and get some revenge because once he gets outta here there's going to be hell to pay. A guard tells Tony his time is up so he tells Stack that he's the underboss so he's gotta figure things out.
  
• Robert Stone tells Von Wagner he hopes this therapist works out because they've had trouble finding the right one. They flash back to Von telling a therapist to go f*** himself after he asks about his anger issues and physically threatening another one. Stone asks him to give this one a chance but after seeing someone else walk out of the office crying Wagner says he refuses to go in there and that his dad would never let him be seen crying like that. After the receptionist tells Wagner he's next, Von takes a liking to her and decides to give it a shot and tells Stone to wait outside as he winks at him.
  
• Dana Brooke arrives in the parking lot and says she heard about the battle royal tonight and wants to make her own opportunity by being the last woman standing.
  
• Tiffany Stratton is interviewed backstage, she says she isn't shocked that Dana wants a shot at her title and welcomes all comers. She says some people think a championship makes the superstar but she's making the title the most sought after on NXT. When asked about who she wants to win the battle royal she says Lyra Valkyria pushed her to the limit at Battleground but didn't have what it takes to be at the Tiffy-top.
  
• Nathan Frasier hosts Hard Hitting Home Truths. He says the landscape of NXT is constantly changing as he recaps himself and Dragon Lee stopping Noam Dar from winning the NXT Championship last week and welcomes his special guest and international correspondent, Dragon Lee. Lee speaks Spanish and Nathan says si. Lee lists off 5 names for Noam Dar's new group, calling them his rent-a-friends. Nathan calls out Noam and challenges him to a match for the Heritage Cup next week and Dragon says he'll be in his corner.
  
• Mustafa Ali says he's excited to be in NXT for a new level of competition. Wes Lee approaches and offers to hand Ali a shot at the North American Championship but Ali says he didn't come here to get things handed to him, he wants to earn a title match, that is if Wes is still champion.
  
• The Dyad attempt to ambush Mustafa after his victory but Wes Lee and Tyler Bate run in to even the odds and send the Schism packing.
  
• Backstage Maliq and Enofe tells Briggs and Jensen it's their fault that Hank and Tank fought and now Enofe wants to fight him. Briggs and Jensen show how close they are by answering questions about each others, Hank and Tank walk by and do the same and invite Briggs and Jensen to get some drinks. Maliq says it's clear they aren't on the same page when Gallus comes by and Joe Coffey says it doesn't matter if they're on the same page or not they'd never have a chance against them because it's Gallus boys on top. After Gallus leave Maliq says alright they can do this and Enofe tells him he'll see him in the ring next week.
  
• Noam Dar's entourage is interviewed backstage, Noam says he has to be surrounded by stars. Oro Mensah says Noam was the one who believed in him when he wasn't being used. He says Miss Jackson is bringing the action and Lash Legend is a future GOAT. Lash says the screen can't handle all this brightness and they're all trophies. Noam says he's never losing this cup and there's no stopping The Metaphor, check please.
  
• Gigi Dolin is on the phone with her brother saying that the staples in her head won't stop her from winning the battle royal tonight and says she'll talk to him later. Kiana James comes by and tells her that the after phone call will just be disappointment just like their whole lives up until then. Gigi says their upbringing doesn't define them and she'd rather be where she's at from where she came from than some stuck up elitist like Kiana and can't wait to throw her over the top rope.
  
• Following the match Dabba Kato beats down Scrypts before grabbing Axiom and slamming him on top of Scrypts.
  
• Backstage Joe Gacy is ranting about Wes Lee and Tyler Bates phony friendship and vows to expose them next week. Fowler says at least they were able to defeat Diamond this week. Joe says he is letting the Schism down and needs time to reflect. Ava tells him one root can not hold up an entire tree on its own.
  
• Backstage Mustafa Ali thanks Bate and Wes for their help last week and Bate says next week in the 6 man tag they'll rip out Schism by the roots. Mustafa Ali says there's some real magic between Wes and Tyler and everyone would love to see them go one on one, so after their tag match next week they gotta figure out when the two of them will face off.
  
• Following the main event Bron Breakker is in the parking lot and says he attacked Ilja because he won't allow him to say he's the most intense guy in WWE and he's going to start holding people accountable. He takes issue with Seth Rollins calling himself the workhorse of WWE and asks him to prove it by having the first NXT Champion show up to NXT to meet the most intense NXT Champion of all time!
  

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I come from an Indian household so that probably explains a lot. This happens a lot amongst Asian parents. So when I was 17 years old, I really didn’t know what to major in and I really didn’t care about school. I didn’t exactly leave with the best GPA. I almost got kicked out of the house because I didn’t know what to major in, and looking back, I still haven’t forgiven them for it. So I’m sure everyone’s heard of that stereotype where kids have to pick a specific major and it’s usually the one that pays good. Asian parents want doctors or lawyers. This was before I found out I didn’t even have to pick my major right off the bat, I could’ve went general ed but being from a immigrant family meant you’re just as ignorant as your parents. At least I was. So I picked computer engineering. Did I know anything about it? No but I did it for them. Then they’ll tell me that they did it for me. I genuinely think they’re pricks for flipping the narrative. Then I got rejected from a lot of 4 year colleges because I didn’t have a good GPA. I remember how mad my parents got. Just like they were when they found out I had no idea what to do with my life. So I got accepted to a community college, and did computer engineering there. I ended up dropping out and I was hardly showing up to class anyways. I thought about enlisting in the military but my parents didn’t approve. I figured, I had no discipline and no structure. I was a sheltered mommas boy who never experienced any hardship, why not get some life experience and a modicum of character. Obviously was turned down. My biggest regret was not lying to them sooner and joining the military to escape my toxic Asian parents. I was so fixated on getting them to agree with it, I joined at the age of 20 and wasted 17-19 trying to figure life out. Can you blame me after having the cancerous reputation of being a momma’s boy? I always wonder how successful I’d be by now. My ignorance left me vulnerable and impressionable. College requires self-discipline, unlike high school. Your hand is held throughout high school and then my mom raised me to depend on her. Is it really a shock that I came out lazy, sheltered, and no drive for anything? If you’re Asians, feel free to chime in. I feel like you’ll understand my pain the most. If you’re other races, love to listen about how you were forced to go to college. That does more harm than good.

No one cares about shopping carts. everyone has to work those kind of tough jobs like the cart wrangler but nowadays that job pays like 14 an hour. It’s crazy how many people today think this kind of behavior is cool to just go around acting like that or admiring it. There’s a balance… sometimes i’ll put away a cart, sometimes someone j leaves their’s. I don’t get why people praise this kind of negativity though. U just don’t treat people like that.

I’m not sure if I’m doing something wrong but whenever I close out the app on my iPhone it gives me an alarm and says the alarms are not available. Then I have to open it scan again, and leave the app open and running on my iPhone. Why can’t I close the app? It’s running in the background. Also, it is not gathering data without me scanning it. I was told by the doctors this was a CGM. Not a scan and dump system. I got a free sample of this and the dexcom to try over the next few months. So far I hate this freestyle. Does anyone have any advice as to make my experience better or does this one just suck all around?

Have you ever wanted to get off opiates so badly you'd be willing to do anything?
Summer, 2017. Orange County, California
I park my car in another part of the same neighborhood. I don't bother to check my surroundings. I pick a water bottle up off the floor, get my works ready, and prep an extremely strong shot of furanylfentanyl for myself. My heart is racing, I'm shaking, I'm sweating, I feel sick to my stomach. How is it possible that I feel this sick and terrible so soon after my last shot?
I'm in trouble.
I use the seatbelt to crudely constrict blood flow to my arm. I inject the furanylfentanyl and cap the needle. I open my car door and lean my head towards the opening, in case I have to vomit.
The rush hits too quickly. My heart slows. My muscles relax. My stomach does a backflip. I try to cling to what pleasurable sensations I can, but nausea overwhelms me and an encapsulating weakness dulls the entire experience. I start to salivate, a sure sign that I am about to throw up. I start to feel very dizzy.
"NO!" I scream. "Don't overdose! don't overdose!" I yell, slapping myself in the face. The sudden movement of slapping myself causes my nausea to worsen. I let my head hang over the opening in my car door to the asphalt below.
"Stay awake. Stay awake. Stay awake," I yell, out loud, to keep me engaged. I hear a dog bark and do my best to look up from the asphalt. There is a woman walking her dog away from me. Did she see me? Does it matter?
If she calls the cops, does it matter? I try to keep watching her as she continues to walk away. Does anything matter? Does anyone even see me? Am I just a ghost, stuck on this hellish plane with my only relief being small chunks of fake feelings that I buy for hundreds of dollars and shoot into my veins, until my body finally breaks down and dies on me?
Something snaps within me.
This has to end – NOW.
Later that night.
"Ok, Bryson sent you here, and he always sends good people, so we can just do all the intake stuff tomorrow. Your bed is upstairs. Hey, Logan!" the chunky, tan, toothless house manager turns and yells towards the living room of my new flophouse, at the two 20-somethings playing Call of Duty on a gigantic HDTV.
"What," one of them snaps, quietly and unenthusiastically, not looking away from the TV. All I can see is the Boston Celtics flat-brim hat that he has on backwards.
"Can you show the new guy here to his bed? It's in your room," the house manager says.
"What? Why is he in my room?" Logan asks, irritation plain in his voice.
"Because I said so," the house manager says, walking towards them now, as if he is going to get in front of the TV and block their view of it.
The kid with the Celtics hat gets up suddenly and starts to walk towards me. He strides past me, not even looking at me.
"Thanks," I say to the house manager, before turning away from him to follow the lazily bobbing Celtics hat upstairs.
"See you tomorrow morning! Don't forget to come see me in the morning!" the flophouse manager calls after us. Despite not having me fill out any paperwork or giving me a drug test, I will be able to start living here right away because I have private health insurance. I might as well have swiped my health insurance card at the door of this flophouse hotel.
Logan walks like he can do no wrong and the world owes him something, which makes me hate him instantly. He leads me to the first bedroom at the top of the stairs, which is indistinguishable from any other middle-class suburban single-family home. It is smaller than my childhood bedroom, with two twin beds maybe 5 feet apart, two small nightstands that practically touch each other, and one dresser.
"This is my bed. Don't touch any of my stuff. That dresser is mine," he says, pointing to the indiscriminate wooden dresser against the wall opposite our beds. I feel a flash of anger.
"Nah. There’s only one dresser. We'll split it up tomorrow," I say. He turns towards me and looks me in the eyes. He’s taller than me, with long dark hair and a lean frame. I stare at him, my jaw clenched in rage, daring him to touch me, so I can take my anger out on something besides myself. I don't care if he knows how to fight and whips my ass right now, I'm at the absolute end of my rope with living on this Earth. He scoffs and walks out of the room. I sit on the twin bed that is now ‘mine’. It feels brand new. New beds means that a new flophouse has arrived in Orange County.
I wish I didn't have to precipitate my withdrawal, but this has to end sometime, and there is no time but now. I have four somas, six xanax bars, and half a naltrexone pill - 25mg - in my pocket. I pull the loose pills out of my pocket and look at them.
Six xanax bars is definitely not enough to make me black out. Six xanax bars isn't even enough to fully get rid of the restlessness, let alone cause me to sleep through the night, but at least I have 4 somas. The muscle-relaxing somas will have to do some heavy lifting, but I know they can do it.
Somas absolutely wreck me. I haven’t taken one in a long time, but I know I respond strongly to them. Taking six xanax and four somas would ordinarily be enough to cause me to black out for a full day, but I don’t know if they will even work through 25 milligrams of naltrexone.
Just thinking the word ‘naltrexone’ causes my stomach to drop and my heart to start racing. I am absolutely petrified at the thought of taking this naltrexone.
Well, it’s time to nut the fuck up and do it, Lonnie. You decided to go on your little furanylfentanyl binge, now you have to take this naltrexone. You made your shitty flophouse bed, now you have to lay in it. You’re going to be sick either way by the time the morning comes.
I try to swallow, but my mouth is dry with anxiety. How much do somas contribute to respiratory depression? I can’t remember off the top of my head. I don’t remember what the median lethal dose is, what the mechanism of action is, or even what receptors it interacts with, aside from the same GABA receptors that xanax acts upon. I wonder if there is an increased risk of respiratory depression from combining soma with xanax.
I pull out of my phone, so I can google just how sedating the soma is when combined with xanax, to make sure I am not going to stop breathing during the procedure.
You’re wasting your time, Lonnie. You have to be conscious in the morning and able to talk to the house manager. You’ve overdosed 3 times in the past few weeks. If you can inject enough fentanyl to kill 5 people, you can take 4 somas with 6 xanax. It isn’t going to kill you – and if it does, who cares? Either way, it’ll finally be over.
This has to end. I’d rather die than keep doing this, anyway.
I walk into the bathroom, the pills clenched in my fist like a loaded revolver, and close the door. I turn on the sink and put all 4 somas in my mouth. I stick my head in the sink and part my lips slightly, drinking from the stream as if I had a straw in my mouth. I swallow the pills and then put all 6 xanax in my mouth. I turn the tap off and start to chew.
My mouth fills with the incredibly bitter taste of the xanax. I used to watch people do this and nearly throw up at the mere sight alone. Now, my mouth salivates with excitement as the bitterness overwhelms me.
I hate how much my brain loves the bitter taste of chemicals. I wish my brain hated the bitterness, like normal people. I hate being a drug addict.
I swallow a few times to clear my mouth out and then drink more from the tap. I look at the orange half-pill of naltrexone in my hand. I sigh. This is going to suck.
Hurry up and swallow it, bitch boy. You don’t want to black out and start throwing fruit around before the withdrawal kicks in, like you did at Amelia’s house.
I can’t look away from the orange half-pill.
Just take it and get it over with. Put the naltrexone in your mouth and swallow it.
I know this is going to make me sick within 3 minutes of taking it. I might as well swallow dynamite – in fact, I would prefer to swallow dynamite. The taste of the xanax lingers in my mouth. I have to take the naltrexone. There is no avoiding it.
I put the pill in my mouth and drink from the tap again. I swallow the naltrexone, turn off the sink, and go back to my new flophouse bedroom, my heart pounding with overwhelming anxiety, feeling like I just made the worst decision I have ever made in my life, which is saying something. I turn off the lights, close the door, and get into the bed. I lay down on my side and close my eyes firmly. I am going to sleep, right now.
5 minutes into self-induced ultra-rapid detox.
My stomach is cramping. It hurts so bad that I can’t move my hands away from it. It feels like I swallowed poison. There is an odd sensation of electricity attached to the pain that is coming from the back of my neck. I am curled in the fetal position because my stomach hurts so bad, but everything else hurts too. How did it hit this hard and this fast? It wasn’t supposed to hit this hard or this quickly.
I throw the blanket off of me. It’s so hot, I can’t bear to have that blanket anywhere near me. The heat is so intense, I can feel it radiating off my skin. I am covered in sweat.
Why does my stomach hurt so bad? It has never hurt this bad before. I can barely breathe through the pain.
9 minutes into the procedure.
It’s so cold, my sweat feels like prickly ice water. I reach for the blanket and wrap it around me as tightly as I can. I move my feet, so the blanket is wrapped completely around them. I can feel my toes writhing back and forth, my legs moving uncontrollably. I am shaking uncontrollably, so I shake intentionally. Where is the xanax? Please, kick in. Please. Please.
God, if you’re listening, stop playing with me and kill me or let that xanax through my first-pass metabolism and into my bloodstream. I chewed it. It should be kicking in and making these symptoms milder.
T+ 14 minutes.
I feel an electric zap in my stomach that becomes a cramp. I hold my abdominals and try to massage them to stop the cramp, which is so painful I can’t breathe. I have the sudden need to use the bathroom. I jump out of bed and powerwalk to the bathroom. Luckily everyone is still downstairs playing video games or not home yet. At least this flophouse doesn’t have a curfew.
I sit down on the toilet and try to sit still. I cannot stop my body from moving for even one second. It feels like my insides are on fire. This is discomfort beyond anything I have ever experienced or imagined.
T+ 20 minutes.
It is so hot. I can’t believe how overheated I feel. I must be on the precipice of brain damage. I lay on the bed, curled in the fetal position, drenched in sweat, forcing myself to shake as vigorously as I can so that I can pretend that I am complicit in this. The xanax has to be kicking in any second now. I should be nearly unconscious right now.
A fresh electric cramp hits my stomach, driving the air from my lungs. I get up from the bed, power walking back to the bathroom, doubled over with pain. I sit down on the toilet and feel the urge to scream. I leave my body bent forward because I can’t sit up straight with this cramp. I see the trash can right across from me. My stomach is so fucked up, maybe I just need to throw up.
T+ 1 hour.
I inhale. I exhale. I inhale. I exhale.
I am not asleep, but I am not awake. I can tell that horrible things are happening in my body and brain, but I am too sedated now to be able to maintain full awareness. I am scared that I will be aware of the moment when I stop breathing – that I will suffocate while I am fully conscious, since that is exactly what I deserve.
I am no longer panicking, but my stomach is beyond fucked. I have been getting up every 5 minutes to go to the bathroom, and now my roommate is in here. It is 12 AM. I have 6 hours left to go.
The soma has all but gotten rid of the cramps. I can now lay still. The temperature swings aren’t nearly as bad – it almost seems as if they’re happening to a body that I can feel but is not mine.
You’re going to do it, Lonnie. You’re outsmarting addiction. Before you know it, you’re going to be getting the naltrexone implant, and then you’ll be back to training hard for college basketball.
I get up from the bed. I walk back to the bathroom, now having to walk carefully, my arms outstretched. The combination of the xanax and the somas has me extremely uncoordinated. I walk towards the bathroom, closing one eye to combat the double vision I have now. I slowly reach for the door and open it. I close it behind me, carefully and slowly. I walk to the toilet and sit on it as quickly as I can, due to the growing urgency of the signals from my stomach. I put my head in my hands and my elbows on my knees. One of my elbows slip immediately, and I almost fall off the toilet.
I fix my seat and put my head back in my hands, more carefully this time. Though I feel physical sensations of pain and discomfort, they are being sent through a deeply dizzying diversion. The discomfort is distant. I can’t be bothered to worry about it right now.
Stay awake, Lonnie. You can’t pass out on the toilet. You’ll get caught and kicked out or taken to a hospital. I cradle my head. I’ll get up in a second.
I hear a loud crashing sound and open my eyes. I’m sandwiched between the toilet and the wall. I reach up for the toilet and successfully pull the seat down after several failed attempts, so I can use it to help me up. Slowly and carefully, I get up from the floor. I pull the seat up and sit back down on the toilet.
I stand up from the toilet and start to walk out of the bathroom. Before I even make it to the door, I feel the need to sit back on the toilet.
This is not good. The soma probably relaxed everything too much. I might have to sit on this toilet for the rest of the night, shitting my brains out. I cradle my head in my hands, so I can relax on the toilet.
Don’t relax too much, Lonnie. You might fall asleep on the toilet. Just keep breathing. You’re probably not breathing very much. You should NOT be conscious right now. Just because the naltrexone is painful enough to force you to maintain consciousness doesn’t mean that your body isn’t barely clinging to life.
I inhale. I exhale.
I feel myself slipping off the toilet. Fuck, I need to get up. I need to do something to stay awake. I can take a shower; I just have to get up from the toilet. Give it another second, though.
I can just wait here for one more second.
​
I woke up 3 days later in the ICU as they were pulling the breathing tubes out of me