I am from Texas. I am looking to buy a new car and from the dealerships I have talked they all show me spec sheet + any dealer plans + taxes/fees.
I am a first time new car buyer and need some tips.
1) what is total price I should be expecting for the vehicle in this market. I have been quoted from (38K-36K) so far. But some of their spec sheets show the car at 31 so I think the max I have to pay with taxes could be around 33/34K. Please tell me what’s reasonable
2) please help me in how negotiation could be done. Any big ticket items I should know of? Any other things to be aware of?
3) I have been looking around from last 2 months with no deposit down anywhere. Does putting a deposit down helps? Or going around and checking every 2 weeks is ok?
4) lastly, how can you tell it’s a good dealership?
I am trying to play safe and secure. But I don’t know the best and what is up with cars in this market right now. So any help would be appreciated. Thank you 😇

So, I took the rankings of this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvki8lFcH44 and made a list of The Beatles songs from least to most played per album. Enjoy!
​
- Please Please Me

1. Chains
   
2. A Taste Of Honey
   
3. There's A Place
   
4. Ask Me Why
   
5. Boys
   
6. Misery
   
7. P.S. I Love You
   
8. Baby It's You
   
9. Anna (Go To Him)
   
10. Please Please Me
    
11. Do You Want To Know A Secret
    
12. I Saw Her Standing There
    
13. Love Me Do
    
14. Twist And Shout
    

​
​
- With The Beatles

1. Little Child
   
2. Not A Second Time
   
3. Devil In Her Heart
   
4. I Wanna Be Your Man
   
5. Hold Me Tight
   
6. Money (That's What I Want)
   
7. Please Mister Postman
   
8. Don't Bother Me
   
9. It Won't Be Long
   
10. All I've Got To Do
    
11. You Really Got A Hold On Me
    
12. Roll Over Beethoven
    
13. Till There Was You
    
14. All My Loving
    

​
- A Hard Day's Night

1. When I Get Home
   
2. I'll Cry Instead
   
3. You Can't Do That
   
4. Any Time At All
   
5. Tell Me Why
   
6. I'll Be Back
   
7. Things We Said Today
   
8. I'm Happy Just To Dance With You
   
9. I Should Have Known Better
   
10. If I Fell
    
11. And I Love Her
    
12. Can't Buy Me Love
    
13. A Hard Day's Night
    

​
- Beatles For Sale

1. Honey Don't
   
2. I Don't Want To Spoil The Party
   
3. Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby
   
4. What You're Doing
   
5. Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey!
   
6. Mr. Moonlight
   
7. Every Little Thing
   
8. Baby's In Black
   
9. Words Of Love
   
10. I'm A Loser
    
11. Rock And Roll Music
    
12. No Reply
    
13. I'll Follow The Sun
    
14. Eight Days A Week
    

​
- Help!

1. Tell Me What You See
   
2. Dizzy Miss Lizzy
   
3. You Like Me Too Much
   
4. Act Naturally
   
5. Another Girl
   
6. It's Only Love
   
7. I Need You
   
8. The Night Before
   
9. You're Going To Lose That Girl
   
10. I've Just Seen A Face
    
11. You've Got To Hide Your Love Away
    
12. Ticket To Ride
    
13. Help!
    
14. Yesterday
    

​
- Rubber Soul

1. What Goes On
   
2. The Word
   
3. Wait
   
4. Think For Yourself
   
5. If I Needed Someone
   
6. Run For Your Life
   
7. You Won't See Me
   
8. I'm Looking Through You
   
9. Girl
   
10. Nowhere Man
    
11. Drive My Car
    
12. Michelle
    
13. Norwegian Wood
    
14. In My Life
    

​
- Revolver

1. Doctor Robert
   
2. I Want To Tell You
   
3. Love You To
   
4. She Said She Said
   
5. Tomorrow Never Knows
   
6. And Your Bird Can Sing
   
7. Good Day Sunshine
   
8. Taxman
   
9. Got To Get You Into My Life
   
10. I'm Only Sleeping
    
11. Here, There And Everywhere
    
12. For No One
    
13. Yellow Submarine
    
14. Eleanor Rigby
    

- Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

1. Good Morning Good Morning
   
2. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)
   
3. Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!
   
4. Lovely Rita
   
5. Fixing A Hole
   
6. Within You Without You
   
7. Getting Better
   
8. She's Leaving Home
   
9. When I'm Sixty Four
   
10. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
    
11. With A Little Help From My Friends
    
12. A Day In The Life
    
13. Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
    

- Magical Mystery Tour

1. Blue Jay Way
   
2. Flying
   
3. Magical Mystery Tour
   
4. Your Mother Should Know
   
5. Baby, You're A Rich Man
   
6. The Fool On The Hill
   
7. I Am The Walrus
   
8. Hello, Goodbye
   
9. Penny Lane
   
10. All You Need Is Love
    
11. Strawberry Fields Forever
    

- The Beatles

1. Revolution 9
   
2. Good Night
   
3. Savoy Truffle
   
4. Cry Baby Cry
   
5. Everybody's Got Something To Hide Excpet Me And My Monkey
   
6. Honey Pie
   
7. Long, Long, Long
   
8. Wild Honey Pie
   
9. Piggies
   
10. Don't Pass Me By
    
11. Yer Blues
    
12. Why Don't We Do It In The Road?
    
13. The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill
    
14. Revolution 1
    
15. Sexy Sadie
    
16. Mother Nature's Son
    
17. Birthday
    
18. Glass Onion
    
19. Martha My Dear
    
20. Julia
    
21. I'm So Tired
    
22. Rocky Raccoon
    
23. Happiness Is A Warm Gun
    
24. Dear Prudence
    
25. Helter Skelter
    
26. I Will
    
27. Back In The U.S.S.R.
    
28. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
    
29. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
    
30. Blackbird
    

​
- Yellow Submarine

1. Pepperland Laid Waste
   
2. March Of The Meanies
   
3. Sea Of Monsters
   
4. Sea Of Holes
   
5. Sea Of Time
   
6. Yellow Submarine In Pepperland
   
7. Pepperland
   
8. It's All Too Much
   
9. Only A Northern Song
   
10. All Together Now
    
11. Hey Bulldog
    

​
- Let It Be

1. Dig It
   
2. Maggie Mae
   
3. One After 909
   
4. For You Blue
   
5. Dig A Pony
   
6. I Me Mine
   
7. I've Got A Feeling
   
8. Two Of Us
   
9. The Long And Winding Road
   
10. Across The Universe
    
11. Get Back
    
12. Let It Be
    

​
- Abbey Road

1. Her Majesty
   
2. Polythene Pam
   
3. Mean Mr. Mustard
   
4. Sun King
   
5. The End
   
6. She Came In Through The Bathroom Window
   
7. You Never Give Me Your Money
   
8. Maxwell's Silver Hammer
   
9. Because
   
10. Carry That Weight
    
11. I Want You (She's So Heavy)
    
12. Octopus's Garden
    
13. Golden Slumbers
    
14. Oh! Darling
    
15. Something
    
16. Come Together
    
17. Here Comes The Sun
    

​
- Past Masters

1. Matchbox
   
2. Sie lebt dich
   
3. Slow Down
   
4. Bad Boy
   
5. Thank You Girl
   
6. I Call Your Name
   
7. The Inner Light
   
8. I'll Get You
   
9. You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)
   
10. I'm Down
    
11. Long Tall Sally
    
12. Komm, gib mir deine Hand
    
13. She's A Woman
    
14. Old Brown Shoe
    
15. Yes It Is
    
16. Rain
    
17. This Boy
    
18. The Ballad Of John And Yoko
    
19. From Me To You
    
20. Lady Madonna
    
21. Paperback Writer
    
22. I Feel Fine
    
23. We Can Work It Out
    
24. Revolution
    
25. Don't Let Me Down
    
26. She Loves You
    
27. Day Tripper
    
28. I Want To Hold Your Hand
    
29. Hey Jude
    

So I'm M34, my oldest just turned 13, and the only thing he wanted to do was go to the arcade. He's a good kid. He helps out with his younger sister, does his chores when asked, and keeps his grades up. I've never really had a problem with him. My wife (39) is the decision-maker of the family, and when she isn't, she gets really mad, so I just let her make the decisions about everything to keep her happy and our home balanced. His birthday was Monday, and a few days before we were talking about what he was going to do for his birthday, and he brought up the arcade. My wife said no because our youngest (9) is autistic and gets overwhelmed in places with a lot of people. The arcade is usually full, but if we went the next day or so early in the morning, we could've beat the crowd. He looked really disappointed and asked to go to this laser tag thing again, but mom said no because his sister wouldn't be able to play laser tag at home. He looked hella disappointed, and I felt very bad. We ended up going bowling because Mom felt he could still do something with the family and it would help his sister's motor skills. The day of his birthday, he didn't have that big smile he always had on. I felt so bad. So today I got paid and I wanted to treat him, so I picked him up for school and just me and him drove down to the arcade. We stayed there until we played every single game in the arcade; he had a blast and I felt happy. I also bought him a late birthday gift, which was just a simple Roblox gift card since he likes that game. We get home wife is upset. I disappeared all day. I explained to her that we went to the arcade, and she is absolutely furious. She goes on about how I'm leaving my daughter out and how it's unfair that she won't be able to experience this. I tried to get a word in, but she's stubborn, so I just waited until she was done yelling. I heard her on the phone with my mother-in-law, who said how I was mistreating her and leaving my daughter out. Now I feel like an absolute asshole. My mother-in-law called and gave me a lecture, and I feel even worse. AITAH? I apologize for making another account; my wife follows my main and I've got to be careful.

Another good quote along these lines, I think was by Swami Shri Yukteswar Giri, that said something along the lines of No one can disappoint me because I don't have expectations of anyone.
​
So many people today seem to want to get up in everyone else's lives and demand they think and feel the same way as they do. Each individual is unique and should be cherished in their uniqueness. It is okay to not feel or think the same as others. It is okay to express different opinions. A tapestry is only cherished if it is made from many different colors of thread.

They say men will only take a free woman to put her in a cage.
I used to run free in the fields behind my home, let the grass stain my light-coloured dresses, let the wet soils taint my bare toes and let the only thing touching my skin be the rays of the golden summer suns. I would run and run until my legs gave way. Then I’d find myself in the woods, the fresh smell of morning dew and the sound of calling birds welcoming me.
I liked the way the darkness of the greenery enveloped me, canopies acting like shields for all that tried to harm me, be it wind or storm or watchful, hungry eyes. Have you ever tasted on your tongue the humidity of the forest, the richness of the earth, the crunch of the branches fallen? It was a wild medicine to me. No matter how many times I’d be yelled at for the way the elements infused themselves in my hickory-brown, curly hair, turning it into an unruly mane, I never regret it.
I used to rush to the train in the rain every end of the week, watching as the monstrous locomotive thundered and squealed passed me with a wondrous anticipation glimmering in my russet eyes. The smell of the sour smoke was pleasant to me. I remember being breathless with my pale cheeks flushed, innocent and naive.
I looked forward to every weekend. My nerves were electrified with delight because I knew the coming train meant he would arrive, bringing summer with him. It meant seeing his beautiful face. It meant hearing the alluring promises he wove for me like fairytales jumping out of their pages. I was so, so excited.
Was.
They also say to love is to change, and sometimes love isn’t enough.
“Anya. Is the food not to your liking tonight?”
I open my eyes once more to see the silver ones staring at me from the end of the darkwood table, between us a row of golden candelabras overtop a maroon table runner, little flames dancing on top of the candle wicks illuminating the shifting emotions on his face. With every flicker of fire, the shadows twist his worry to frustration, to anger and finally to a placid, unwaveringly cold glare.
I used to love this face too. His silver eyes remind me of mercury, shining and always reflecting the colours of the outdoors within the quicksilver. His pale complexion is like that of a porcelain doll, so fragile yet smooth to the touch, easily painted with a rosy blush. Easily harmed. But it wasn’t just his face.
Since we were little, Mikhail has always had long, straight, inky hair which he often let me braid as a little girl; long hair that draped over his shoulders now and made his sharp face appear thinner, clashing against his high cheekbones. When I first saw him, I thought he looked like an angel. Ethereal, without cracks or imperfections unlike the dolls I’d played with when I was younger. Unlike anything I’d ever touched before. Unlike me.
“It is more than lovely, Mikhail. Especially the wine. Is it new?” I respond, giving him a light smile, tilting my head down and to the side in order to look up at him. I know my eyes light up reflecting the fire’s embers, making the colour glitter sweetly and with a practised innocence. Just how he liked it.
It’s hard to tell now how I feel. The warm, dim lighting makes him look so pleasant, and the wine sloshing inside me numbs the fire within yet makes the candle flames brighter, blinding even.
I thought loving him would change him, but he never did, and I stopped being able to tell the difference between love and hate a long time ago.
Maybe I still loved him. Maybe when I realised it wasn’t enough, I only focused on pleasing him.
Maybe it was his love that changed me. Or maybe I’d always been this way.
I’ve said I used to run free, but now that I think about it…are those memories or just silly dreams?
Mikhail lets out a low laugh. It’s a beautiful sound, it always has been. It sounds like taking your first deep breath out of the ocean when you’ve been drowning, head to the sky like in a thankful prayer. A wondrous feeling after you’ve been lost in a numbing uncertainty, like this dinner and this room.
“You say that so often, yet you know I have an extensive collection of these liquors. You helped me pick some of them out yourself. Are you sure you’re alright? You’re barely eating, my dear.” He says, and his voice sounds like silk as he speaks to me. Anyone else would have thought it simply enchanting. A husband talking to his wife out of a gentle, endearing concern over a fancy dinner table provided all by him.
I knew better.
There’s a warning in his tone and his questions are not questions, but demands.
Mikhail stands up from his chair, not abruptly by any means, but not silently either. He wanted me to notice. So of course I noticed.
In this domed room he commands the light and the shadows, especially at night where the gilded, lancet windows looping around us shed no luminosity. Not even the moon’s. The floor is teak wood and tiled without flaw, the walls are a smooth stone, along with the roof. It’s a spectacular room, but when he stands in it, it looks like nothing but a cheap dollhouse compared to his presence.
“I even had the cooks make you your favourite cake. Strawberry layered, with extra cream.” My husband tells me as he walks towards me, his loose, white blouse swaying with his arm movements, dark pants outlining his tall, thin figure. A ruby pendant hangs from his neck, and it reminds me of my own, cold against my chest.
“I know. I promise I appreciate it all.” I assure him as he reaches me and I turn to look up at him, my head twisting until he’s behind me and I can’t reach him any longer.
“Do you?”
“I do.”
“Anya, you forget I’ve known you for forever. You’re upset. Why are you upset?” Mikhail pleads with his questions. I feel his slender hands wrap themselves around my shoulders, one hand letting go only to push my hair away from my face, caressing it, holding me like I were glass.
“I’m not.” I insist.
“Then why aren’t you eating?” Mikhail repeats, and suddenly his grasp over my left shoulder tightens and he bends over me just slightly, staying behind me as his right hand extends for the cake on my plate I hadn’t yet touched.
I watch it all happen in slow motion, the way the spongy cake is squished between his fingers, white cream dirtying his hands and little, red strawberry slices wiggling about as he scoops out a piece of the cake. The rest of the piece is rather destroyed on the plate, oozing out its insides just barely holding on to its carefully created structure. The piece in his hands is no more appetising, but then Mikhail brings the cake to my mouth and brushes his fingers against my lips to part them, and I listen.
The sickeningly sweet smell of it reaches my nose before the cake is pushed into my mouth rather slowly, intimately, the sugary taste hitting my tongue immediately. The cream melts and makes my mouth water, the juice of the strawberry pieces squirting against my cheeks off my teeth.
It tastes like the summers I would enjoy with Mikhail such a long time ago, when we’d lay in green fields of bright red poppies; when the sun scorched our skin but leaving such a satisfying tingling sensation, more so than the fleeting touches of our fingers against each other’s. He had looked just as beautiful then, black hair shining, silver-white eyes taking the red of the poppies and reflecting its colours back in swirls in the summer sun. He looked at me so lovingly in those shared moments. He had assured me I’d know true freedom in his arms.
I fell asleep in them then.
The cake tells me to wake up and remember who my freedom belongs to. There are no more poppy fields. The summer strawberries aren’t wild but locked away by my jaw.
“Isn’t it good? Won’t you have some more?” Mikhail whispers in my ear and he leans over me again, this time to take the napkin beside my plate and wipe his hands on it. Once he does, he lets me go.
Though he lets me go, I still feel his touch on me, his weight and his hands. No matter how many times I try to forget, the memories are replaced with new, fresher ones.
Always.
I close my eyes once more as he walks back, but I find that I suddenly can’t breathe. The walls around me feel like they are closing in, the golden windows look like thick, caging bars, blocking even the stars. My hands grip the table as I double over, my head suddenly in searing pain.
“Anya?” I hear Mikhail’s voice calling out for me. I feel nauseous at the way it flutters my heart and causes a tsunami of anxiety that drowns out all my other senses. His voice turns to static, white noise, and my body suddenly feels so very hot. Like a fire is trying to consume me.
I want to make it stop.
A thought flashes through my mind. I imagine myself getting up and grabbing the nearest candelabra, looking Mikhail in the eye and watching his expressions change as I drop it. How would it look as the wood catches fire? As our table runner turns from crimson to a burnt, ashy grey, his perfect, porcelain face shattering against the heat. If I burn, I want him to burn too.
“Anya!” Mikhail snaps. My eyes flash open with a frenzy dying within them as he lifts me out of the chair and takes a hold of me, his silver eyes upon my face with a furious agony displayed in them. His hands press tightly against my face, cupping my cheeks.
I concentrate on his hands. Slender, calloused and strong. Chipped and carved like they were created by Michelangelo himself; that took such a liking to finding their way through my hair and tracing my lips, often lingering over them, haunting me.
My husband’s touch used to be gentle. Then autumn came. Birds no longer called for me. With the changes of the leaves, the bright orange and yellow shades blurring out the green until nature mirrored the evening sunsets, he changed too. No longer was his touch a gentle summer breeze, but a cold, eerie wind with the threat of winter; the threat of a beast created of violent flurries and freezing rain. The hands that caressed my face so tenderly left red marks that burned, and when they ran through my hair, they pulled at it like it was a punishment and I was the crime.
“Anya. You must be sick. Come my dear, let me take care of you. This is what happens when you don’t listen to me, don’t you see? Aren’t you so glad I found you all those years ago?” Mikhail drops his hands from my face to the back of my head which he holds tightly, like a puppeteer placing his hand inside his puppet to gain control over it again. He then presses me against him, and my head collides with his shoulder, a soft kiss placed on my crown.
They say men will only take a free woman to put her in a cage.

Hey guys, my partner and I are staying at an Airbnb we have booked for a month. We noticed on the first morning there was a leak coming from the toilet and contacted the hosts straight away. They responded and arranged for a plumber to come the following day. The plumber came, replaced the toilet and told us we can’t use it as normal for 24 hours. We did not use it across the following day as advised but noticed the leak came back. Once again, we contacted the host, who arranged for the plumber to return again the following day to fix the issue.
All of this has meant we have had to be present and stay in during the time people were on site and things were being fixed. Both jobs took several hours to complete and we have now been advised not to sit on the toilet for up to 3 days (this is the only available toilet).
Our hosts have been very responsive and good at handling this, I feel bad that they have had to manage this whilst having guests but also am a bit annoyed at the whole situation.
Any advice on what to do? Has anyone experience anything similar? Would we be entitled to some form of compensation?
Any help would be much appreciated
Thanks

Hello all. I’ll start with I have not been officially diagnosed yet, but fear it’s coming. Did my 1 hour glucose test last Thursday, felt fine. Got the call on Monday that I got a 189 on it. They gave me the option of the 3 hour test or just testing my blood sugar 4x per day. I chose to test my blood sugar 4x per day. Picked up my supplies on Monday afternoon, went to the grocery when I got off work to pick up healthy foods - no carbs, sugars, etc. Since then have been eating salads and roasted veggies. I’m a pescatarian so I don’t eat meat, but do eat seafood so diet is kind of wonky for me. So far my numbers have all been within range - fasting morning numbers have all been in the 80s, with the exception of today it was 95 which I wonder if it has to do with today being my off day so I didn’t test until 1030ish instead of my usual 6 when I’m working. 🤷‍♀️ Breakfast number was good even though I made a smoothie for breakfast. When I’m off I like to do a morning smoothie for my breakfast, so I did a modified one today, with less fruit than normal, 2hr reading was 97. Then for lunch I decided we would try to eat something more “normal” so we decided to get McAllisters- which all I got was a veggie sandwich and a side Caesar salad. After we ate we took a ~30 minute walk around the neighborhood. 2hr number was 146. 😳 So ever since then I’ve basically been spiraling, convinced that I have GD and that I will have to go on insulin. I see so many here talking about insulin not being the end of the world, but for me it brings major changes to my birth plan. I am planning on birthing at a birthing center with midwives. If you get diagnosed with GD and have to go on insulin, you are risked out of the birth center and forced to use the hospital that the birth center and midwives are affiliated with. I know this isn’t the end of the world - but to me it feels like it. I’ve done so much to prepare for my unmedicated birth at the birth center and the thought of that going away makes me so sad. I’ve had literally such an easy pregnancy. I’m 30 weeks tomorrow and I have nothing at all to complain about - except this. We had our last birth class tonight with the birth center and I was just so sad talking to the other women in my class, knowing there is a possibility that I won’t get to birth there. I know this is a lame complaint. But I’m just so stuck. I’m mad I can’t eat what I want. I’m upset I may have a much different birthing experience than I wanted. I’m sad that my easy pregnancy is now having issues. I don’t know what I’m writing all of this for - probably just to get it out. I just feel so defeated. I’m scared of what’s to come - I feel like we’re so close, but so much can change in that time. I could go on and on but I’ll stop there. Thanks to those that read this entire long complaint. 😭

Me and my boyfriend are expecting. Early on in my pregnancy I was really sick and always had morning sickness my boyfriend was really good to me and took care of me every way he could. I came along to my second trimester and tried to tend to him as best as I could, (cooking, cleaning etc.) just tried to let him know I appreciated the way he took care of me. Well recently I brought to his attention that sometimes when I talk to him about random stuff, or work things he makes it seem like he’s annoyed or irritated and is just rude about it. But when he’s talking to me about stuff I don’t care about or whatever I sit there and listen. No complaining or anything simply agreeing and hearing his rants. Well he flipped it over on me and said I’m always trying to fight with him and how I am always starting stuff, that it’s not a big deal he just won’t talk to me about stuff anymore. I feel like that’s so narcissistic. Any time I tell him about how he makes me feel it’s always turned around on me, and all of a sudden I’m the problem. Am I telling him at the wrong times? Am I saying it rude? Am I overreacting?

Good morning Asia,

Hey everyone.
So I was looking for someplace where I could talk to a bunch of strangers about this and whether I was stalked or not, and if I am blowing this out of proportion. Buckle up, it's kinda long.
So in August 2018 I met this guy in college, and he was pretty nice and we struck up a friendship - walk me to my dorm, study dates, hang out for hours, the type. This was early on but one day I was going in a different direction and he asked if I wasn't going to my class (it is offered in a different building each semester) in the building it was being held. I'd never told him what section I'm in, just mention offhand once that I have a calc class after our class together (there's like six calc classes offered at the school).
Three weeks in, he asked me to a hockey game and I said no. The day later (Saturday), he asked me to coffee and after a bunch of personal questions he asked me if I liked him romantically. Wanting to be honest I said yeah. He said he had a girlfriend and so I decided to be respectful and back off. Asked him about her, and he kinda waffled and didn't tell me anything other than that she had the same major as me and was in the same year as the two of us and had changed majors from econ (I too had changed majors, from engineering).
Following Monday I leave early from our shared class and try to avoid him (I was feeling kinda shitty). He runs down two flights of stairs to catch up with me and ask if we're good and if I am mad at him. I tell him I'm not, just need space. Wednesday that week, I leave early (feeling ill), he blows up my notifications in just two hours.
He starts being nice again, complimenting me and whatnot. Goes on for a month or two. Then my birthday rolls around (didn't tell him) - he wishes me first thing in the morning, then asks if I'm free (I planned to be studying that day for one of our classes). I tell him I have some time in the evening. He shows up, takes me to dinner, refuses to let me pay on my birthday, plays a song for me (kinda romantic) and asks if I like it. I say it was a nice song and leave it at that. He leaves in an hour or so cause he's late for work. He's a photographer and I was planning on joining the place where he worked (I eventually did but after he left, and had a great time working there). He tells me he'd love to photograph me for them.
Weeks go on like this and we leave for winter break. He doesn't speak to me at all. Then I return and he introduces me to his friends and tells them "how we met". He fixes his winter semester schedule to have as many common classes as we can have. He kept tabs of all my classes that semester, when I had exams for those classes, when I had assignments due. He spends hours upon hours at my dorm hanging out with me, only wants to be with me alone in shared building spaces, doesn't like that my friends come and stop by to talk to me in the dorm.
We're a pretty small dorm so everybody sorta knows everybody. And eventually, everybody in my dorm thinks he's my boyfriend to the point that they somehow let him in without him swiping his ID (we have restricted access to buildings here). He is never 5 minutes away from my dorm despite living a twenty minute walk away (but like I also lived across the library so fair). One of my friends asked if I was sure I wasn't being stalked and well, I had rose coloured glasses on so I said no, he's just being nice.
All this time, he supposedly has a girlfriend who is in my department in my year. Our department has 7 girls that year. Three are gay. Two have a boyfriend, one is me. And the last one isn't his girlfriend. I ask him about her eventually because I'm tired of going nuts with not knowing and he says they broke up months ago, because of me. Still doesn't tell me who she is, literally nothing about her, and I'm a fucking idiot who thinks she has a chance now so I don't probe. He still doesn't ask me out. All this time he's always next to me in class, whenever we're walking anywhere, always walks me back to my dorm. He tells me he's applying to the same internships I am and that he wants to show me around his hometown, and that he wants my opinion on how to remodel his fucking room back home. One of my friends shares a class with a roommate of his, and they think I'm his girlfriend.
He comes to visit me in the middle of polar vortex. He shows up to see me right after an exhausting ski trip, sits way too close to me all the time, keeps trying to reduce space whenever we are anywhere without making a move. And then when the academic year ends, ghosts me.
In the months since, he didn't speak to me till November of 2019, when I was on sabbatical from school. He asks where I am because he hasn't seen me anywhere on campus. I tell him I'm not there and soon block him for my own peace of mind and to move on. Since then, he checks my instagram once a month or two months.
August 2020, he meets a new person. May 2021, they get engaged. June 2022, they get married. All this time he has been checking in on me via my social media but has never once tried to talk to me. All this time, I've often gotten blank calls from different numbers from his area code and have stopped picking them up for the past two years. He still keeps checking up on my social media but has never, ever tried to talk to me since November 2019.
Am I blowing this out of proportion, or is something wrong here?
EDIT: added some missing details.

This is my 1st post in the community. Reddit helped me so much to plan this trip and I am paying it forward :) We just wrapped up a 3 night trip ( March 26-29) in MA and we are off to Arenal.

1. The MA national park is a must imo. We used a guide and he was super helpful. They helped us spot so many animals that we wouldn’t have seen otherwise. Learnings:
2. take your swim clothes as the private beach restricted to the park entrants only is beautiful.
3. hat, sunscreen, bug spray, your own water bottles ( no plastic and or food allowed) are must have items. Note: They do a detailed bag check at the entrance and confiscate food and plastic water bottles etc.
   
4. Manuel Antonio Beach. Overall the beach was beautiful, the ocean was amazing.
   
5. don’t book surf lessons online or through your hotel. We were quoted some ridiculous prices when I checked prices for a surf lesson for my 8 year old daughter.
   

• there are various surf schools with little huts on the beach. We used Glen Castro’s surf school. He is the only company with a Red hut. His service was excellent, price was less than 50% of what was quoted online, and my daughter actually stood up on the surf board and had a memorable experience. I highly recommend him. He also allows his surf boards to be used for the entire day after the lesson.

1. restaurants in this area are very expensive. We tried the bus restaurant (En Todas). It was a chill experience as it’s on the beach. The food was decent. Keep an eye on the items you order as they add up pretty quickly.

• try the Costa Linda bar and restaurant for food and drinks at excellent value. Locals recommended this place to us. We tried the beef fajitas which were great. Beers and cocktails were so much more cheaper than all the other restaurants. They also serve breakfast.
• we had a great experience at El Avion. I know some folks didn’t have the best experience with the food. It has great views, the airplane inside the restaurant provides that unique touch. We tried the Mahi Mahi dish and the shrimp Rice. Both were good.
• Mila Olas restaurant is a little gem in Quepos. It’s about a 10 minute drive from the MA beach. This place had the best we meal we had in MA. They have a great local chef who makes some amazing dishes. We tried the Octopus which was next level. The prices were lower than El Avion and the food was amazing.

1. When driving to MA beach the dudes wearing wests are on the road acting like traffic cops. They can be pretty aggressive as they walk to the middle of the road with whistles. Just be careful. I think it’s ok to pay them to ensure your car is looked after. We didn’t park on the beach as our hotel was a so close to the beach.

^{(NOTICE: I do not plan to cause a ruckus with this post. Just in case, this post does not go against any rules and is simply just another interpretation of Adam's astounding and heartfelt lyrics told in light of the perspective of a fellow brother in Christ (Christian}.))
I'm sure many will skip this post, but that's okay! I just felt like making a compilation like this for any that are interested!
Adam has said himself, " Stay in the Word. The moment you start letting go of that, you're on the road to compromise. Stay grounded, remain pure, keep your eyes fixed on Jesus." source and I think that is a beautiful example of what he has done. Whether you are Christian or not, you can't deny that his love for Christ is certainly what has kept him pure and staying true to himself even through his rapid entrance into fame! Anyways, without further ado, here is my list of his Christian lyrics that I find so absolutely heartening!
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Field Notes:

This one is pretty obviously Christian, but it took me many listens to really understand just how deep this song was!
The song is a modern retelling of the parable of Hidden Treasure in Matthew 13:44 which reads, "The kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field." -- I personally have fallen in love with the lyrics of this song after realizing it's like a 5 and a half minute long catchy parable!
It is also very personal to Adam I am sure. Sure he is certainly very well off compared to must of us due to his success, but he really did give away so many opportunities that could have made him SO much more popular and successful (we all know he could be VASTLY more popular than he is now and he deserves it!) but rather, he sold it all to keep "his treasure in heaven, not under the ground"! "You might call it foolish, but I call it faith! Trusting in God so gladly, you can't hardly wait!"
Adam spends time with God and His Word daily and understands the worth of the field (heaven) he has purchased. "Cause betting the farm is well worth the risk to carefully keep such a beautiful gift that is yours forever is a pretty good deal!"
He ends the song by saying the two things more valuable than wealth is your heart and soul. Adam is not the kind of guy to knock on your door and preach you fire and brimstone. xP kinda wish I had more friends in church like him!
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Sons of Thunder:

^{this one is loaded lol, sorry for such a big section.}
This song was honestly not one of my favorites when I first heard it. It took me quite a few listens to really understand it. Then I did some searching on my own time and found something really amazing! This song is about the rapture! (not mentioned by name in the Bible, just a name Christians gave to a very well known prophecy in the Bible) and it tells an amazing story of our imperfection being made perfect as we follow God!
Mark 3:17 reads, "And James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he surnamed them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder:" So when adam starts off the song saying "We are the new Sons of Thunder" He is telling modern day disciples (Christians) that they are the new James and John. Which honestly, if you think about it, doesn't sound that great concerning James was the first apostle to be killed for his faith and John died unjustly imprisoned on the Isle of Patmos 🙃. But I think this is definitely relevant and comforting still if you look at it the right way. True Christianity will never fit in with modern culture and I as a Christian have had my fair share of well, beatings from lovely classmates who disapproved though I would absolutely not claim those experiences to be as bad as being stabbed with a sword (James) or being worked to death in a prison camp (John).
ON A LIGHTER NOTE! 😂👉👈
this is a song of hope! And I think it is beautiful the way Adam portrays this hope and even calls back to an old hymn that my mom used to sing to me (it made this song very emotional to me for a few listens)
here is a small list of lines in this song along with verses they call out to or similar ideas
"And when we leave the Earth with a shower of sparks, we'll meet in the sky and we'll walk among the stars" - reference to being caught up in the sky as Christ returns for those who trust in Him.
"And with young unbroken hearts, we'll walk among the stars" - Revelation 21:4-5 “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful." that's just.. Wow. I love this ageless book. Adam is speaking of the new bodies we will have in heaven as mentioned in these verses. For the rest of eternity we will not experience the pain of loss, we will not experience broken bones or bruises, and we will have no heartache.
"We'll fly" -- I'll get to this later as this phrase is very personal to me 😌
"In the twinkling of an eye" -- 1 Corinthians 15:52 “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” this is probably the most explicitly stated of the lyrics. A very catchy way to allude to it though! "In the twiinlingg of an EEEYYYYEEEEE" come on, I know you've done it too! x3
"And even though we are strange and exquisitely scarred, we won't need to pretend to be anything we aren't" -- This is not a direct quotation, but it is alluding to the concept in Psalms 139:13-16 "For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. 14I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. 15My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. 16Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them." This verse talks about how our imperfection is what makes us unique. We are not expected to be perfect to live our best life, and by embracing his quirkiness, Adam has stayed true to this! I'm sure some of you hardcore fans like me have dug up some of his old youtube videos he uploaded with his school friends... The dude is a wacko!! XD but it really just makes him even more lovable doesn't it? And I don't think he would have the same wonderful imagination that brought us all to admire his work if he didn't embrace that part of him! ^{((I hear a lot of talk about how people don't like the weird ways to describe the listeners in this song, but in light of this line, it makes a lot more sense. He is just alluding to the uniqueness of humanity}))
"We're all too familiar with the fires of life, But we are resilient survivors. And one day we'll be free of nefarious schemes, of cruel twists of fate and evil kings and queens" -- as the idea has already been passed, I won't go into much detail. Just another glimpse of the sinless world heaven will be! A world with only one just ruler as shown in Revelation 4:2-3 "And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. 3And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald."
"You were made to run and not be faint" -- an allusion to Isaiah 40:29-31 "He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. 30Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: 31But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." essentially, those who rely and rest in God's comfort will find strength and energy even when life wears them out. As a college student, I can verify this verse rings true! xP
"So take heart, wild one, for there is a God who loves you to death no matter what you've done. So don't lose hope Cause He will lead you home!" -- a beautiful illustration of God's patience. This song is an absolute carnival ride through all of my favorite parts of the Bible and is absolutely convoluted with hints of God's love and understanding of humanities flaws! It is so well written for an audience that may not be listening for his Christian morals that even I took about an hour to write it all down slowly reading the lyrics to find all of these references ^^'
​
now for the part I said I would get to.. I don't know if it was intentional, but the phrase "We'll fly" reminded me of an old hymn that means a lot to me. It is one of the first Christian songs I remember hearing as a kid. It's pretty short, it goes:
Some glad morning when this life is overI'll fly awayTo a home on God's celestial shoreI'll fly away
I'll fly away, oh, GloryI'll fly awayWhen I die, Hallelujah, by and byI'll fly away
Just a few more weary days and thenI'll fly awayTo a land where joy shall never endI'll fly away
I'll fly away, oh, GloryI'll fly awayWhen I die, Hallelujah, by and byI'll fly away
Yeah, when I die, Hallelujah, by and byI'll fly away
It made me nearly cry when I made this connection because that song has been engraved in me as a young child and when I head Adam (my greatest inspiration under the sky) say it himself, I was just overwhelmed with a mix of emotion and longing for that day!
NEXT UP:
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The Tornado:

I'm sure a lot of you will agree with me when I say, I LOVE THIS SONG!!! Oh my goodness Adam's vocals make this song a thrilling adventure every time! Just as with most of Adam's songs, it is easy to pick out some hints of his Christianity. But when you look a little bit deeper, you see this is a story of answered prayer, a story of repentance and yet again, hope!
and of course, let's start with the most shocking part! xD
"It sounded like a freight train was draggin' me to Hell" -- "DiD aDaM yOuNg SaY hElL?!" Yes he did! 😂 Adam won't use it as a curse word (What the **) or take the authority to condemn people to it (Go to **), but he will definitely use it as a place as he and any Christian believes that Hell is a real place and the use of it fits very effectively here and really adds another dimension to the emotion in his voice! Hell is of course one of the two places the Bible says you will go (Or three if you count "Abraham's Bosom" in the Old Testament. (Charming name, right)? The use of this word clearly show that Adam was very scared in the moment. A loud and frightening whirlwind was shouting in his ears like a literal freight train dragging him to literal Hell. I'd be scared too! This also explains his usage of it in Field Notes: "Like there was Hell to pay" I don't personally use this phrase, but it is technically correct to use it that way. It essentially means his dog was barking very angrily like it was gonna tear into something or someone for wronging it.
"And this was my prayer 'save me from this terrible nightmare'" -- I can't speak for everyone, but I've had a few near death experiences of my own. Mostly as a kid that got myself into tricky situations in the woods (nearly falling down what I thought at that age was a mountain side to be saved by my Dad's catch and legitimately going unconscious (by suffocation not drowning, I did not inhale any water as far as I know) in a lake cos I decided to wear jeans while swimming but saved by someone and brought to shore) each of these times I distinctly remember going "Ok, I'm literally going to die, I better repent" cos I knew all too well where I was going at that point in my life, heh..
(melody) -- You can hear it in the music. He prays and suddenly peace comes, a pleasant melody plays even though the storm hasn't stopped yet. The beauty of this to Christians is enough to bring us to tears. At least for me. Jesus cleared literal storms in the Bible, but even when I pray and my metaphorical storm (trial or heartache) doesn't clear immediately, there's just this overwhelming peace I feel personally as I feel Him say "I see you". Adam not only has used His lyrics to show his faith, but even the way he plays his music, and this is just.. Wow, it's like a giant warm comforting hug!!
"That was when I saw my family with my eyes shut real tight. Would they know how much I loved them if this was how I died...?" -- Adam loves his family as we all know. He has written about them, and the respect he has for his parents is just so heartwarming! - So, in this section, as Adam's (or whoever this story is written as) peace sits in, he gets a vision of his family and is overwhelmed with love for them. Just as he was afraid of having anything wrong in him that would send him to Hell, he feared that maybe he hasn't done enough to show his family just how much he really loves them. You can take this with a grain of salt, but I would say that was imagery from God due to his prayer because this is the imagery that gives him the determination to keep "tankin' on" and get through the storm!
and the rest of the song speaks for itself!
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The Meadow Lark:

It takes a strong Christian to write a song like this.. You cannot write away this song as being spiritual propaganda by any means. As Adam said, "The point is that “Coco Moon” is a very Owl City album. It is quirky. It is odd. It is unapologetically myself. I made an album that is exactly the way it was supposed to be, not an album that popular culture, or algorithms, or analytics, or anyone else on planet Earth told me to make. I wrote me. Average, ordinary, weird me." Source This song is personal to Adam, the message is personal to him. The story may be for the sake of the song but the message.. No, that WAS for Adam.
The song plays like a dream; a dream of wartime. Enemy against enemy, foe against foe. War is terrible, it is heartbreaking. and it shows the worst of humanity.
Two enemies cross paths and the minute they take notice of each other, they aim. Ripped away from their families and drafted into, well, metaphorical Hell as you can put it, they hesitate. It's a standstill, but who will shoot first? Frozen by sight, the one from perspective of the writer hears that calm whisper I am all too familiar with. "My son, if my disciple be, show grace and love your enemy." Surely in the moment this sounded absurd! This is war! Surely this voice could not know better than me! But nonetheless, even if this kills me, I will trust in you. This is why this is a hard song to write and only the strongest of Christians can write a song like this. Whether you are a Christian or not, history itself shows Jesus Christ was an actual living breathing man put to death by Pontius Pilate and was doomed to the most brutal, slow, gruesome and painful death documented in history; Crucifixion. (read at your own caution.)
So, from a Christian perspective (This is not a preaching point, please do not misread, I am just explaining the importance of this to Adam as a Christian.), the Bible says that this was an intentional and necessary sacrifice. The perfect "Lamb of God" had to be the last sacrifice which ended the Old Testament method of animal sacrifice and the veil in the Jewish temple was torn signifying that God was no longer only available to the priests and that anyone could have a relationship with Him. You begin to see just how much this means to Christians like me and Adam, right? Putting down your weapon to spare the life of another is a mere inconvenience compare to the grace Jesus showed His church as He willingly stood silent in trial and took the most painful persecution in history that literally caused earthquakes.
"If I should live to see more days, I pray the Lord to guide my ways. With grace to love my enemy, for grace my Savior showed to me."
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My Muse:

this one is clearly about Abbey, and as they are a Christian couple making Christian vows, there's a lot in this song that you would expect. Marriage is described in the bible as an expression of how God loves the church and this idea is what has helped many Christian families stay closely knit and pure and undivided even with growing pressure to divorce quick and divorce often. I know this from experience in my church but here is even a non-Christian source (this is a phenomenal article and I highly suggest you read it.) This is what allowed Adam to make such a beautiful song about his unwavering commitment to his wife, Abbey, despite the struggles he has said that they faced.
However, there is one AMAZING section of this song that means so much to me!
"So I'll say it now before we're at the door that someday we'll walk through" -- Talking about one of them passing. "Till death do us part."
next he says, "and if I'm the only one left in the room, "There's nowhere else I'll rather be than HOME with you" -- I just can't! That's so beautiful!!! I mean sure, it's pretty obvious to say that you would want to be with your beloved especially once they pass, but there's something different here that I didn't notice till like, my 10th time listening. During other sections similar to this one, he always says "I'd rather be here with you" but here he didn't! He can't be "here" with her if she is in Heaven! Instead he says "I'll rather be home with you" He and Abbey know this world is not their home and someday they will be home eternally together and I don't think you can get any more heartwarming than that thought!
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the end ^^

Im 11 dpo and got my first positive at 9 dpo... vvvfl... definitely progression today and yesterday with fmu. I've been drinking all day and my pee was clear and I still took a test tonight for no good reason and the line was so faint it might as well have been a BFN. These are all pregmates. I completely lost it and ripped up the test and have been crying uncontrollably. I've had 2 miscarriages before and no living children and I just can't take it. Please reassure me that in the morning I will see a beautiful line for 12 dpo. I'm too scared to get betas right now.

Have to get ready for clg again 😮‍💨 I hate Mornings!!

I (29f) am an at home caregiver for a family who has an adult son with severe autism. His mom is technically my employer.
I’m constantly being taken advantage of (been told this by friends) and I don’t know how to say “no.”
For example, last week they needed extra help on Sunday (my day off) and I agreed to go in for 5 hours after being told that I’d either get to leave early Thursday, or I could come in later on Saturday.
I asked today which it’d be and his mom started telling me how difficult it is for them so they really need me to work my full shifts. ..I told her that Sunday is my only day off (I’ve worked 11 days in a row now) but I helped out anyways because I thought I’d be able to getting less hours later in the week. She again started saying that it’s hard for them.
I get it, but i don’t understand why she is going back on her word. I’m tired and wouldn’t have agreed to go in otherwise.. (I know it was only 5 hours, but it was early in the morning after I had a bday party the night before and the total commute is just over an hour.)
Things like this happen all the time. If he has a doctors appointment and can’t go to dayhab, or if his dayhab is closed, then they automatically assume I’ll come in hours before my normal shift. If I try to say no then they guilt trip me.
Ultimately she said that I can leave one hour early on Saturday but that really does nothing for me. At that point I’ll have worked 13 days straight for them.
I’m getting a really good raise (not from them but cause his benefits are changing) and would rather not leave, but I don’t know how to prevent this from happening again in the future.

Just moved to Chippendale near Redfern in November. Found a shockingly affordable one bedroom rental apt, walking distance to Victoria Park, great community and area for a single professional like myself. Apart from the abundance of street rubbish, living next to Redfern is nothing like the crime infested ghetto that my Australian friends prepared me for. I walk through Redfern every week to get coffee and these days it's very pleasant.
Unfortunately, the downsides have only become apparent the past few weeks: giant aggressive pitbulls with terrible problematic owners. This may have nothing to do with the neighborhood, but it wasn't as much of a problem where I used to live in the Inner West.
This morning, for the third time in as many weeks, we passed another guy struggling to control his gargantuan pitbull that was clearly ready to eat my little cocker spaniel mix. There is a standard look for these owners: neck tattoos or an overabundance of tattoos in some regard, less than a full shirt, vaping in crowded areas like outside of a coffee shop, very often gauged out ear piercings for some reason, flat brim hats are popular.
This guy was clearly very strong, but he was still barely able to hold his dog as it pulled to get closer to us while growling and drooling. Naturally, he had the cocky smirk of someone who thinks this situation made him look cool, instead of the more human-being acknowledgement that his dog is a problem and the embarrassment at having brought his attack dog to an area with other dogs and small children.
The worst part about these interactions is that the pitbull owners love to stand there pulling on the lead, putting the onus on everyone else to move away, instead of immediately taking his dog out of the area. It's like it's everyone else's fault not wanting to be attacked.
Unfortunately, after getting a coffee and taking a different route home I saw him again, this time struggling to get the pitbull into the front of his house only a block from my place. So we'll probably run into them again as long as I'm living here.
I wrote down his address and I'm going to report him as having a dangerous dog to whoever I can report it to. I'm also going to keep reporting him and every other similar dog I see as much as I can from now on. It's absolutely insane that I have to fear being attacked, not by stray dogs or wild animals, but by dogs owned by other people who deliberately choose to bring their dangerous animals to populated areas.
Let me be clear if you are one of these people: I will report you and your dog from now on without hesitation, and I hope your dog gets taken away. I do not give a flying fuck about you. The second you are putting myself and my dog in physical danger, and you don't give any indication that you understand the problem, you can get fucked.
When this guy was pushing his dog through his front gate with his knees, it almost got out. If that thing gets out, my dog is dead. Period. It would be over in 5 seconds.
Honestly, my pup is the only thing that keeps me going on some days. He's my whole world. If he was attacked by another dog and severely injured or killed, I really don't know if I could handle it. It's a nightmare to even think about, and this morning the only thing stopping that nightmare from becoming reality were the tattooed knees of some douchebag who thinks it's funny.
I'm not interested in any debate about pitties from the enthusiasts who want to insist there is nothing that can be done. You don't need to tell me it was "probably a staffie mix", it was a pittie. A big one with it's ears clipped. I'm not a moron, we all know what a pitbull is. And it really doesn't matter what the breed is. I've seen rottweilers and French mastiffs that are just as problematic. The issue is how to manage encounters with dangerous dogs, and the coincidence is that all of the ones I've run into in my neighborhood (and 99% of the ones I've run into throughout my life) just happen to look like pitbulls.
If you read this post and think to yourself that the real problem here is the stigma against pitbulls, then your problem is with the shitty owners like this who create the stigma, not the rest of us who just want to go about our day without fearing a violent attack. "It's the owners, not the dog." No shit. I'm not judging the dog's morals. For whatever reasons, there is a subset of humanity that thinks they are badass if they own a dangerous dog, and pitbulls happen to be their breed of choice. We all know which breed is filling up rescue centres, and which breed is the number one choice of dogfighters, and which breed every meathead with a TapouT shirt wants to own.
So what can I do to prepare when one of these monsters gets loose and does attack us? I've read that rubbing alcohol on a dogs nose will get them to release their grip, so I'm planning to carry a small bottle in my pocket. I've also learned that putting a dog in a chokehold will cause them to pass out and release the bite fairly quickly. Ideally, I'd like to know if there are any good tips for preventing the bite in the first place? Thanks.
TL;DR: What are some tips for keeping my dog and myself safe if & when we are attacked by a large, aggressive dog? I've heard rubbing alcohol and placing the aggressive dog in a chokehold can help stop an ongoing attack. Second to that, how good are animal control authorities or the police in Australia at dealing with reports of dangerous dogs? Is there anything else I can be doing now, before we get attacked, to help make the neighborhood and my dog a bit safer?

My experience of the world has changed as a result of the contact experience, and some days, I prefer to place the philosophizing on hold, put the material arguments away, and just assert – assert to know I still can. Not repeat, mind you – dogs, birds, fish, insects, blades of grass, all of them can repeat and repeat, all day long, live richly satiated lives as a result. Go ahead, quote a news story, send a link, describe what a character did on a show – sharing is good! Repetition breeds fluency! But now and then, be like the dream that changes your life, and mean something to the world by telling it a truth it wasn’t expecting. For example, in my awful little Florida Avenue apartment that was so dilapidated, the letter of record requested no damage deposit – the place was maximally damaged from the start, I guess. In that severely damaged place, I experienced a number of conspicuous metaphysical visitations of the sort that startle one into states of extemporaneous revelation, with an urgency bordering frenzy. Most won’t know what that last sentence is meant to express because it is difficult to depict in film or print – The Wizard of Oz skips past it with a song-and-dance number. 2001: A Space Odyssey overwhelms the screen with color. Stalker gives us the scene, puts its head down, roll credits. In 2011, I was startled awake in the night to an extraordinary cracking sound – the kind of splitting you sometimes hear at the beginning of a lightning strike, but all of it taking place right there in my bedroom with me. As I opened my eyes, I saw a broken box frame hit the floor across from my bed, right beneath where it had been hanging for more than a year. This occurred at 2am, the rest of the building dead quiet, the room lit blue by parking lot lights outside. I waited a beat to see if anything else would happen, then got up to investigate the mess. The pine box frame was broken in half along the top – a complete break, with the two ends of splintered wood visibly separated. The nail that had been holding the box frame in place was still where it was on the wall – I’d driven the nail into a place where there was wooden support on the other side. You do this by lightly tapping on the sheetrock with a hammer, listen for differences in sound. You could have hung a box of bricks from the nail I drove into the wall to hang that pine frame. Evidence suggested something had pulled down on the box frame with such irresistible force as to crack it in half on the way to the floor. The piece in the box frame was a laser print of a digital collage I purchased at the Artists Against AIDS benefit show, called Aladdin’s Cave. In the presence of the impossible, the mind’s first response is to deny it, as though our expectations wielded some secret veto power over the rest of reality. But sometimes, evidence that can’t be ignored opens the question up for debate – what is the nature of reality? The frame was clearly broken at the top, I saw it hit the floor, woke to the cracking of the timber – and in that moment, every cell in the stir knows: whatever the truth of the universe might be, no one teaches it in schools, states it in public, runs for office under its banner, manages a fundraising campaign around it. Truth, you swamp thing – where are you taking me?! Imagine one’s nearness to the truth of an experience like that is the opposite of what you might expect – the more you believe it, the more belief draws you to the edge of town, eyes fixed on the patch of ground in front of you, then into the country, over the mountains, and across the desert, until you are all but challenging the sun to a staring contest in service to a truth unknown. Was gravity altered beneath that box frame? Did claws of dark matter materialize around it to perform a feat of strength? Can the source of a cause and the target of an effect sometimes disconnect, like a crab from its claw or a lizard from its tail? The specificity with which the immaterial can wrap itself around all that we know, then coax us into taking our rest beside a miracle of missing wishes, sliding down a wall – are we but the disremembered thoughts that precede the waking? I dialect history will soon forget? I stood there in the blue, holding the frame in my hand as though it might tell me where it came from. I might have slipped a few splinters under an electron microscope, measured for traces of ectoplasm. I might have sought out a reputable reliquary with a help-wanted sign out front. Instead, I laid the burst frame back on the floor, thought of all those wishes gushed into the world, then headed back to bed, laid there with my eyes open for a spell. When I first woke – rising through sedimentary layers of sleep, following the sound of the wood splintering of its own accord, I felt my consciousness well up like the mane of a lion – not just awake but the sort of wakefulness that imagines a visitor is standing in the room. Even once I realized I was alone, the feeling did not go away, nor did it go away when I surmised that the rest of the wall art wasn’t likewise plunging toward the carpet. The feeling drew itself up and stood above my body, walked with me to the wall, picked up the remains of western imperialist philosophy or whatever, laid it back down. How many hands of fate are pulling box frames off walls in the halls of congress? How many around the Washington Monument? About the AIDS quilt rolled out now and then? When they cleared away the debris from the fallen twin towers, they used 7.5 tons of the recovered steel to forge the hull of a San Antonio-class amphibious assault ship for the navy, called it the U.S.S. New York. The ship’s motto is: strength forged through sacrifice – never forget. Every morning, the ship’s chaplain dedicates the morning prayer to a different victim of the tragedy.

42 year old male, 6'5" 260 lbs. Had my first night ever on CPAP last night. Woke up this morning feeling alert, refreshed, and deeply rested. Never realized how poor the quality of sleep I was getting was. Extremely thankful for a good physician who really had to goad me into getting one of these.