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2013.01.07 01:14 Wishta Üvverall jitt et Fans vum FC Kölle
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2024.06.01 16:20 HotTaste9027 Deciding to take charge of my dental health (+tips)
Holy crap, I made a post asking how everyone's dental health was an it exploded! Apparently people with ADD really struggle with their oral health.
I'm 21 and have had receding gum line for years. I've also had 4 fillings. I don't want to lose my teeth and am deciding to finally work on this part of my sensory issue and executive dysfunction. Here are some things I'm going to do (sharing in case it'll help anyone)!
-Im leaving a container of saltwater in my bathroom in a visible spot, and I'm going to swish whenever I go to the washroom
-order fluoride paste to paint onto my teeth, do it every once in a while
-buy floss picks and keep them at my desk, purse and bedside table (this was a tip from a comment in the original post, I can't find the comment again but take credit in the comments here if this was you!)
-bring out a manual toothbrush for when my electric toothbrush is too much that day (another tip from the comments) --THIS is a big reason I will skip brushing
-also loved this tip from the comments: dental wipes on the bedside table for when you cant even use the manual brush that night (tysm to whoever gave all these tips <3 definitely going to order some)
I'll keep you guys updated on any tips I discover and progress I make!
submitted by HotTaste9027 to adhdwomen [link] [comments]
I'm 21 and have had receding gum line for years. I've also had 4 fillings. I don't want to lose my teeth and am deciding to finally work on this part of my sensory issue and executive dysfunction. Here are some things I'm going to do (sharing in case it'll help anyone)!
-Im leaving a container of saltwater in my bathroom in a visible spot, and I'm going to swish whenever I go to the washroom
-order fluoride paste to paint onto my teeth, do it every once in a while
-buy floss picks and keep them at my desk, purse and bedside table (this was a tip from a comment in the original post, I can't find the comment again but take credit in the comments here if this was you!)
-bring out a manual toothbrush for when my electric toothbrush is too much that day (another tip from the comments) --THIS is a big reason I will skip brushing
-also loved this tip from the comments: dental wipes on the bedside table for when you cant even use the manual brush that night (tysm to whoever gave all these tips <3 definitely going to order some)
I'll keep you guys updated on any tips I discover and progress I make!
2024.06.01 16:18 babydollanganger I am really struggling with full time work right now
I am not in the best financial situation so I don’t feel I have many options right now. I have a student loan debt from an arts degree that I don’t use. Plus my husband and I just bought a house, which we can afford as long as we’re both working full time.
I started a job in the medical field that I thought was going to be great for me. The hours are 8-4:30, M-F. Decent pay, full benefits, PTO, etc. Before this, I was stuck working in retail and restaurants so I would have to work weekends, holidays, and odd hours. So I spent a lot of time looking for this job. I hired a career coach and everything. I was so happy when I accepted this position.
I didn’t expect it to take up all my time. I have a 40 minute commute each way and when I get home, I have 3.5 hours until I have to go to bed. Two days off is nowhere near enough. Plus having to mask all day is soooooo tough on me but I have to do it- I’m working closely with my coworkers and patients. They all love me but masking really takes all my energy.
I’m only a month in but I can feel myself slipping into a deep depression. I’m terrified of burnout- if I quit, we wouldn’t be able to afford our mortgage or our bills. I also have to go on antidepressants just to be able to deal with it all.
I just feel lost and unsure of what to do. I have never been able to work full time and I thought it would be different this time. I actually somewhat miss this simplicity of restaurants/retail as I’d usually work about 30 hours a week. But as I mentioned, part time work is not really an option and the pay at those jobs was terrible. I also would HATE to financially depend on my husband, we don’t have the best marriage, and I need my independence. I just don’t know what to do.
submitted by babydollanganger to AutismInWomen [link] [comments]
I started a job in the medical field that I thought was going to be great for me. The hours are 8-4:30, M-F. Decent pay, full benefits, PTO, etc. Before this, I was stuck working in retail and restaurants so I would have to work weekends, holidays, and odd hours. So I spent a lot of time looking for this job. I hired a career coach and everything. I was so happy when I accepted this position.
I didn’t expect it to take up all my time. I have a 40 minute commute each way and when I get home, I have 3.5 hours until I have to go to bed. Two days off is nowhere near enough. Plus having to mask all day is soooooo tough on me but I have to do it- I’m working closely with my coworkers and patients. They all love me but masking really takes all my energy.
I’m only a month in but I can feel myself slipping into a deep depression. I’m terrified of burnout- if I quit, we wouldn’t be able to afford our mortgage or our bills. I also have to go on antidepressants just to be able to deal with it all.
I just feel lost and unsure of what to do. I have never been able to work full time and I thought it would be different this time. I actually somewhat miss this simplicity of restaurants/retail as I’d usually work about 30 hours a week. But as I mentioned, part time work is not really an option and the pay at those jobs was terrible. I also would HATE to financially depend on my husband, we don’t have the best marriage, and I need my independence. I just don’t know what to do.
2024.06.01 16:17 sabbah Palestine Railways ad - 1922
 | submitted by sabbah to Palestine [link] [comments] |
2024.06.01 16:12 sabbah Palestine Railways ad - 1922
| | submitted by sabbah to Palestinians [link] [comments] |
2024.06.01 15:50 rheannahh Therapist falsified information in clinical documentation after destroying the last of my sanity (long)
I had an abusive therapist in 2021 whom I recently, and so kindly, made a review page for on RateMDs (Canada); turns out a lot of people feel the exact same way about her, and one person claimed they are reporting her to the ethics board due to her verbal attacks.
My next therapist in 2022 was abusive, even worst than the last. It was so bad I ended up reporting to the ethics board, and the therapist is now doing coaching for the time being. If I had recorded the sessions it would have been game over for that therapist. It killed me for a long time that I didn't record the sessions.
I later sought out a new therapist; my friend warned me that the one I chose had "crazy eyes" and it was red flags all over (based on their PP profile). I should have listened.
This new therapist, Alex, almost killed me, again. He was awful. The second I walked in the room, I warily mentioned my past experience with the abusive therapist. In response, Alex started accusing me of having "destructive" behaviours - despite that I didn't tell him anything about my behaviours yet. I hadn't told him anything at all, just that I was anxious due to a past experience. I think he has issues with younger women.
I saw Alex from August 2023 - April 2024. In this time, he was immediately convinced of his own assumptions - never asked me to explain my experiences or thoughts or anything like that - confronted me constantly for things he pulled out of thin air (he would twist anything I said and then confront me for some alleged bad behaviour or cognitive distortion), and was entirely unwilling to try a different approach despite my (at first) gentle attempts to communicate that his approach wasn't working and was making me very unwell. I can gladly provide examples but it'd end up being a long ass post if I do that, so bear with me. He couldn't handle me even trying to talk about my past therapy abuse, because it was assumed to be my fault. Any dissent was "resistance" or rigidity. He refused to do trauma work despite that being the foundational problem.
He refused to let me "free associate" (psychodynamic therapy) because he was convinced it would cause me some wild regression (as if his current approach wasn't fucking me up). That is, he refused to let me speak my mind.
There was nothing for me to work with in the therapy. It wasn't grounded in reality; it was just all about how awful I am, yet not even in a way that was tangible - he could never explain himself. I was already hanging on a thread from my past abusive therapists, and I pretty quickly developed a substance use disorder (prescription) to try to cope. Began to vape nicotine constantly to try to stabilize myself. I began to isolate myself. By December 2023 I stopped going out at all - again. You know, almost died from the therapist in 2022, my life was almost ruined, and couldn't go out at all, and there I was basically back in the same place.
I never missed a single session. I even opted to increase to twice a week session in an attempt to resolve whatever was going amiss. I continuously tried to establish a working relationship with him. My self-confidence and sense of reality and self were devastated.
Anyway, March 2024 comes around and it comes out Alex diagnosed me with BPD and that was why he was so confrontational (and frankly pulling horrible things out of thin air). Now, I'm pretty darn sure I have either schizotypal or a psychotic disorder. I was under the impression he was treating me for this, as he himself said he dx'd me with schizotypal. But I was also very confused because being confrontational with the kinds of populations I fit into is exactly not what you're supposed to do and has been proven to fuck them up. It's one of the reasons I stayed so long; I just dissociated into oblivion. Not to mention the CPTSD.
I end up sending Alex an email detailing my experiences, which was hard to do. He never asked me about my experiences before (it was all about his assumptions of me), and I thought I needed to try to put an end to this, to again try to establish a working relationship.
The next session, Alex immediately begins to apologize, tells me how he misdiagnosed me, that he's been treating me for a Cluster B disorder when he should have been treating me for a Cluster A, that the "treatment" not working wasn't my fault. He also was convinced that this is what went wrong in my past therapies; that they misdiagnosed me with BPD when the issue was schizotypal, and that it just so happens that applying the confrontational treatment for BPD to schizotypal can basically end the schizotype. (TBH he was way too generous to these past therapists; all him saying that proved to me was that he never believed me in the first place.) He told me he "failed me" and that I "humbled him." He was almost crying he seemed so sorry.
I was already looking for a new therapist, but I was grateful that at least it seemed like things were set straight with Alex. I mean, I now had a substance use disorder and all the more therapy trauma, but I'm pretty happy with little. It was mutually agreed upon that the termination was due to the ways in which the misdiagnosis made the treatment inhospitable for me. It was ended amicably but I noticed he began to act weird around me, very distant, etc. I didn't think much of it, figured maybe he was more emotionally involved when he thought I had BPD for whatever reason.
Found a new therapist at the beginning of April - a formally trained, internationally-based psychoanalyst out of all things (was getting desperate) - and things are going well, finally. No therapy abuse; no issues that even closely resemble the issues I've had with the abusive therapists, etc. Things are finally "easy" with a therapist; the sailing is as smooth as it can be. Also it's entirely free association and it hasn't caused me any issues, contrary to Alex's conviction that letting me speak freely would be devestating to my wellbeing.
Well, two days ago I contacted Alex as I wanted to go to a boutique treatment centre for my prescription substance use issue and they were requesting recent past therapist notes. I thought what a better option than to have Alex send his notes with an explanation that he misdiagnosed me, that he thinks I have been misdiagnosed continuously in past therapies and that's why I've been "treatment resistant," and so on and so forth. Also, given that I developed the issue because of the stress from Alex, this way my story would be corroborated.
Alex was adamant sending his notes was a bad idea, and that the ethics board actually recommends that psychologists write summary letters of the treatment instead. I thought that was nice that Alex was looking out for me. I explained to Alex what I'm looking for in the letter (with the central focus being on the misdiagnosis issue), and that my main goal is to help prove my eligibility for the program (they only take "highly motivated" clients; it's more relaxed in terms of restrictions and what not). I agreed to pay Alex around $400 for his time. I really thought Alex and I were making further amends and that it was so nice he could have my back on this.
Alex gets back to me with the worst letter imaginable. All about how the treatment failed because of ME, how we never made any progress because of ME, that the "lack of consensus on treatment goals and methods" was a massive barrier, and that this all happened despite that the frequency was increased to twice a week (which he failed to mentioned only occurred because I requested it, in an effort to save the therapy!). He made no mention of the fact that I never missed a single therapy session or any fact that would make me sound good, not to mention that he didn't even so much as touch on the fact that the therapy failed because of HIS misdiagnosis. He made it sound like the termination occurred because of how treatment resistant I was.
He also downplayed my trauma (I asked him to speak out this in the letter), saying only how I have a family history of "neglect" and being "scapegoated." My mother would scream at me, like to the point her lungs were going to burst, as a small child until I blacked out, this continued up until I was kicked out at 18, and I have serious CPTSD. I was even diagnosed with PTSD at one point. Like? Alex is supposed to be a specialist in trauma.
So I read the letter and was confused. Got back to him assuring that I'd still pay him, but suggested maybe he remove some parts of it if he can't revise them. Told him I disagree with the reasons for termination and why the treatment didn't work out, and reminded him of the fact he misdiagnosed me. I was honestly very confused and thought maybe he forgot. Told him it's probably not helpful to minimize my trauma.
Cue a minute after I send that email, and it suddenly dawns on me. The pathetic excuse of a therapist never recorded his fuck up in my clinical file. He obviously maintained his delusional narrative within his notes, presumably to cover his ass in case I reported him or sued him for malpractice (unlikely anyway), given that his misshapen and misapplied "treatment" caused me a ton of harm due to his incompetence.
I was seeing red and sent him another email informing him that I actually recorded our final sessions in light of what happened with my previous therapist (and Alex knew about my regret of not recording those sessions, and I'd often leave my phone out during our sessions). It's one-party consent in Canada, and Alex at the very beginning told me he was fine if I recorded the sessions anyway. So yeah, I emailed Alex whilst appalled telling him all about how I recorded him stating he misdiagnosed me, was treating me for the wrong disorder, that therapy not working wasn't my fault, and so on.
Told him he can either write me a letter based on facts - facts I can corroborate given my session recordings - or I'm not paying him for shit. Told him to not even bother replying if he isn't willing to write me a letter grounded in reality. Shockingly, he never got back to me.
And now he'll never know if I was bluffing and he gets to spend the next few months in terror that I'm going to use session recordings to report him for knowingly putting false information in clinical documentation.
What the hell. He could have at least TRIED to make me sound decent in the letter given that he knew what he was saying was bullshit. I guess dissonance is a real bitch. I also don't for a second buy that if I had BPD, his shit-tier "treatment" would have magically worked. It was gaslighting and abusive. You can't just make horrible assumptions about people or create a false reality, shove that in the person's face, then gaslight them all the more when the person is fucking confused and, eventually, distraught.
What a gaslighting loser. I should legitimately report him. Leaving him a bad review as we speak.
(I have had many legitimate delusions myself and don't find the term "delusional" as a pejorative to be offensive. LMK if I should edit it out though.)
submitted by rheannahh to therapycritical [link] [comments]
My next therapist in 2022 was abusive, even worst than the last. It was so bad I ended up reporting to the ethics board, and the therapist is now doing coaching for the time being. If I had recorded the sessions it would have been game over for that therapist. It killed me for a long time that I didn't record the sessions.
I later sought out a new therapist; my friend warned me that the one I chose had "crazy eyes" and it was red flags all over (based on their PP profile). I should have listened.
This new therapist, Alex, almost killed me, again. He was awful. The second I walked in the room, I warily mentioned my past experience with the abusive therapist. In response, Alex started accusing me of having "destructive" behaviours - despite that I didn't tell him anything about my behaviours yet. I hadn't told him anything at all, just that I was anxious due to a past experience. I think he has issues with younger women.
I saw Alex from August 2023 - April 2024. In this time, he was immediately convinced of his own assumptions - never asked me to explain my experiences or thoughts or anything like that - confronted me constantly for things he pulled out of thin air (he would twist anything I said and then confront me for some alleged bad behaviour or cognitive distortion), and was entirely unwilling to try a different approach despite my (at first) gentle attempts to communicate that his approach wasn't working and was making me very unwell. I can gladly provide examples but it'd end up being a long ass post if I do that, so bear with me. He couldn't handle me even trying to talk about my past therapy abuse, because it was assumed to be my fault. Any dissent was "resistance" or rigidity. He refused to do trauma work despite that being the foundational problem.
He refused to let me "free associate" (psychodynamic therapy) because he was convinced it would cause me some wild regression (as if his current approach wasn't fucking me up). That is, he refused to let me speak my mind.
There was nothing for me to work with in the therapy. It wasn't grounded in reality; it was just all about how awful I am, yet not even in a way that was tangible - he could never explain himself. I was already hanging on a thread from my past abusive therapists, and I pretty quickly developed a substance use disorder (prescription) to try to cope. Began to vape nicotine constantly to try to stabilize myself. I began to isolate myself. By December 2023 I stopped going out at all - again. You know, almost died from the therapist in 2022, my life was almost ruined, and couldn't go out at all, and there I was basically back in the same place.
I never missed a single session. I even opted to increase to twice a week session in an attempt to resolve whatever was going amiss. I continuously tried to establish a working relationship with him. My self-confidence and sense of reality and self were devastated.
Anyway, March 2024 comes around and it comes out Alex diagnosed me with BPD and that was why he was so confrontational (and frankly pulling horrible things out of thin air). Now, I'm pretty darn sure I have either schizotypal or a psychotic disorder. I was under the impression he was treating me for this, as he himself said he dx'd me with schizotypal. But I was also very confused because being confrontational with the kinds of populations I fit into is exactly not what you're supposed to do and has been proven to fuck them up. It's one of the reasons I stayed so long; I just dissociated into oblivion. Not to mention the CPTSD.
I end up sending Alex an email detailing my experiences, which was hard to do. He never asked me about my experiences before (it was all about his assumptions of me), and I thought I needed to try to put an end to this, to again try to establish a working relationship.
The next session, Alex immediately begins to apologize, tells me how he misdiagnosed me, that he's been treating me for a Cluster B disorder when he should have been treating me for a Cluster A, that the "treatment" not working wasn't my fault. He also was convinced that this is what went wrong in my past therapies; that they misdiagnosed me with BPD when the issue was schizotypal, and that it just so happens that applying the confrontational treatment for BPD to schizotypal can basically end the schizotype. (TBH he was way too generous to these past therapists; all him saying that proved to me was that he never believed me in the first place.) He told me he "failed me" and that I "humbled him." He was almost crying he seemed so sorry.
I was already looking for a new therapist, but I was grateful that at least it seemed like things were set straight with Alex. I mean, I now had a substance use disorder and all the more therapy trauma, but I'm pretty happy with little. It was mutually agreed upon that the termination was due to the ways in which the misdiagnosis made the treatment inhospitable for me. It was ended amicably but I noticed he began to act weird around me, very distant, etc. I didn't think much of it, figured maybe he was more emotionally involved when he thought I had BPD for whatever reason.
Found a new therapist at the beginning of April - a formally trained, internationally-based psychoanalyst out of all things (was getting desperate) - and things are going well, finally. No therapy abuse; no issues that even closely resemble the issues I've had with the abusive therapists, etc. Things are finally "easy" with a therapist; the sailing is as smooth as it can be. Also it's entirely free association and it hasn't caused me any issues, contrary to Alex's conviction that letting me speak freely would be devestating to my wellbeing.
Well, two days ago I contacted Alex as I wanted to go to a boutique treatment centre for my prescription substance use issue and they were requesting recent past therapist notes. I thought what a better option than to have Alex send his notes with an explanation that he misdiagnosed me, that he thinks I have been misdiagnosed continuously in past therapies and that's why I've been "treatment resistant," and so on and so forth. Also, given that I developed the issue because of the stress from Alex, this way my story would be corroborated.
Alex was adamant sending his notes was a bad idea, and that the ethics board actually recommends that psychologists write summary letters of the treatment instead. I thought that was nice that Alex was looking out for me. I explained to Alex what I'm looking for in the letter (with the central focus being on the misdiagnosis issue), and that my main goal is to help prove my eligibility for the program (they only take "highly motivated" clients; it's more relaxed in terms of restrictions and what not). I agreed to pay Alex around $400 for his time. I really thought Alex and I were making further amends and that it was so nice he could have my back on this.
Alex gets back to me with the worst letter imaginable. All about how the treatment failed because of ME, how we never made any progress because of ME, that the "lack of consensus on treatment goals and methods" was a massive barrier, and that this all happened despite that the frequency was increased to twice a week (which he failed to mentioned only occurred because I requested it, in an effort to save the therapy!). He made no mention of the fact that I never missed a single therapy session or any fact that would make me sound good, not to mention that he didn't even so much as touch on the fact that the therapy failed because of HIS misdiagnosis. He made it sound like the termination occurred because of how treatment resistant I was.
He also downplayed my trauma (I asked him to speak out this in the letter), saying only how I have a family history of "neglect" and being "scapegoated." My mother would scream at me, like to the point her lungs were going to burst, as a small child until I blacked out, this continued up until I was kicked out at 18, and I have serious CPTSD. I was even diagnosed with PTSD at one point. Like? Alex is supposed to be a specialist in trauma.
So I read the letter and was confused. Got back to him assuring that I'd still pay him, but suggested maybe he remove some parts of it if he can't revise them. Told him I disagree with the reasons for termination and why the treatment didn't work out, and reminded him of the fact he misdiagnosed me. I was honestly very confused and thought maybe he forgot. Told him it's probably not helpful to minimize my trauma.
Cue a minute after I send that email, and it suddenly dawns on me. The pathetic excuse of a therapist never recorded his fuck up in my clinical file. He obviously maintained his delusional narrative within his notes, presumably to cover his ass in case I reported him or sued him for malpractice (unlikely anyway), given that his misshapen and misapplied "treatment" caused me a ton of harm due to his incompetence.
I was seeing red and sent him another email informing him that I actually recorded our final sessions in light of what happened with my previous therapist (and Alex knew about my regret of not recording those sessions, and I'd often leave my phone out during our sessions). It's one-party consent in Canada, and Alex at the very beginning told me he was fine if I recorded the sessions anyway. So yeah, I emailed Alex whilst appalled telling him all about how I recorded him stating he misdiagnosed me, was treating me for the wrong disorder, that therapy not working wasn't my fault, and so on.
Told him he can either write me a letter based on facts - facts I can corroborate given my session recordings - or I'm not paying him for shit. Told him to not even bother replying if he isn't willing to write me a letter grounded in reality. Shockingly, he never got back to me.
And now he'll never know if I was bluffing and he gets to spend the next few months in terror that I'm going to use session recordings to report him for knowingly putting false information in clinical documentation.
What the hell. He could have at least TRIED to make me sound decent in the letter given that he knew what he was saying was bullshit. I guess dissonance is a real bitch. I also don't for a second buy that if I had BPD, his shit-tier "treatment" would have magically worked. It was gaslighting and abusive. You can't just make horrible assumptions about people or create a false reality, shove that in the person's face, then gaslight them all the more when the person is fucking confused and, eventually, distraught.
What a gaslighting loser. I should legitimately report him. Leaving him a bad review as we speak.
(I have had many legitimate delusions myself and don't find the term "delusional" as a pejorative to be offensive. LMK if I should edit it out though.)
2024.06.01 15:19 Few-Impress2487 My GMAT FE journey from 475 in official mock 1 to 665 in first attempt
Hi all I recently completed giving my GMAT FE first attempt and scored 665 (V81,Q86 , DI 82) When I had given my first mock I had scored a 475 and was quite disappointed , especially with my Quant score but then decided to power through it and realised I probably needed some mentoring / coaching / test preparation course
I realised while I wanted to be done with the exam quickly, I also had to invest a certain amount of time in order to make right decisions for myself and to address the gaps. I’m outlining my entire journey here and I hope it can help someone else in their prep as well.
Firstly I took a couple of trials of different courses available to see what fits best for me and I actually found the second company that I tried checked all the boxes I was looking for. They had a self paced course , a good question bank and plenty of mocks to practice and I really found their content very helpful and detailed.
For verbal , I realised through both the course and practice that, what was integral for me was to be able to visualise the argument in case of CR and the passage in case of RC. When I started immersing myself in the scenario and imagining what would happen, it became easier to understand what was the assumption or what could explain a paradox or strengthen a scenario. This is especially important for Hard / Medium- Hard questions because it feels like the answer choices are very close and a lot of times we are able to narrow down to last two answer choices but still not get the correct one. In the beginning i wasn’t too concerned with the time , I was more worried about understanding the logic and getting my answer correct and sometimes it took me lot longer to solve the question but ultimately i think that’s what helped me get the accuracy as well. Once I was comfortable with the visualisation, it became second nature and naturally the speed also improved .
Coming to quant, I am from a tech background so it wasn’t the concepts that were a challenge or even the actual problem solving. Common faltering point for me was missing to read what the GMAT question language was actually asking. I would miss on Must be True / Could be True , if there was a hidden constraint saying the given number is a positive integer and I would take 0 also in the solution… common things like that and once I started paying attention to the question language and not be in a rush to solve , it greatly made a difference in accuracy. Maintaining an error log helped me greatly here.
Lastly Data Insights , this was the most dreaded section for me but I think once I was done mastering verbal and quant , DI is actually pretty easy , because the level of difficulty for the math part is much easier and same goes for non math question also. I would say that the calculator is tempting and initially I was using it very often to solve but this was leading to me spending 7-8 minutes on a question sometimes. I realised that the GMAT isn’t testing calculations so I need to be vary of using calculator , instead most questions test your inference skill , so I tried to formulate an approach and infer what I could from the data given. This helped me solve the question correctly in the prescribed amount of time. Paying attention to the data and the question stem and drawing inferences from data helps a lot before just jumping into solving.
I attempted 3 mocks in the 10 days before giving my final exam and my scores were as follows Mock 1 : 615 ( prep company ) Mock 2: 565 ( prep company ) Mock 3: 605 ( official mock 2)
With the mock scores it did not seem very likely that I would be able to get 90 percentile but here are my three biggest learning’s which I think is crucial for anyone going to give the exam and wants to see an improvement from mock scores
To anyone who read till the end of the, thanks a lot and I hope you were able to gain some helpful insight.
Good luck to anyone who’s giving the paper. I know it’s hard , but you can do it 😊
submitted by Few-Impress2487 to GMAT [link] [comments]
I realised while I wanted to be done with the exam quickly, I also had to invest a certain amount of time in order to make right decisions for myself and to address the gaps. I’m outlining my entire journey here and I hope it can help someone else in their prep as well.
Firstly I took a couple of trials of different courses available to see what fits best for me and I actually found the second company that I tried checked all the boxes I was looking for. They had a self paced course , a good question bank and plenty of mocks to practice and I really found their content very helpful and detailed.
For verbal , I realised through both the course and practice that, what was integral for me was to be able to visualise the argument in case of CR and the passage in case of RC. When I started immersing myself in the scenario and imagining what would happen, it became easier to understand what was the assumption or what could explain a paradox or strengthen a scenario. This is especially important for Hard / Medium- Hard questions because it feels like the answer choices are very close and a lot of times we are able to narrow down to last two answer choices but still not get the correct one. In the beginning i wasn’t too concerned with the time , I was more worried about understanding the logic and getting my answer correct and sometimes it took me lot longer to solve the question but ultimately i think that’s what helped me get the accuracy as well. Once I was comfortable with the visualisation, it became second nature and naturally the speed also improved .
Coming to quant, I am from a tech background so it wasn’t the concepts that were a challenge or even the actual problem solving. Common faltering point for me was missing to read what the GMAT question language was actually asking. I would miss on Must be True / Could be True , if there was a hidden constraint saying the given number is a positive integer and I would take 0 also in the solution… common things like that and once I started paying attention to the question language and not be in a rush to solve , it greatly made a difference in accuracy. Maintaining an error log helped me greatly here.
Lastly Data Insights , this was the most dreaded section for me but I think once I was done mastering verbal and quant , DI is actually pretty easy , because the level of difficulty for the math part is much easier and same goes for non math question also. I would say that the calculator is tempting and initially I was using it very often to solve but this was leading to me spending 7-8 minutes on a question sometimes. I realised that the GMAT isn’t testing calculations so I need to be vary of using calculator , instead most questions test your inference skill , so I tried to formulate an approach and infer what I could from the data given. This helped me solve the question correctly in the prescribed amount of time. Paying attention to the data and the question stem and drawing inferences from data helps a lot before just jumping into solving.
I attempted 3 mocks in the 10 days before giving my final exam and my scores were as follows Mock 1 : 615 ( prep company ) Mock 2: 565 ( prep company ) Mock 3: 605 ( official mock 2)
With the mock scores it did not seem very likely that I would be able to get 90 percentile but here are my three biggest learning’s which I think is crucial for anyone going to give the exam and wants to see an improvement from mock scores
- Make an error log and use that to see patterns. I was extremely detailed while making my error log and I used that to derive a check list of things where i commonly falter and which I should revise day before the exam
- There is no point in revising till the last moment or doing questions till the last day. It is more important that you are able to get rest and go with a calm peaceful mind so you can process information while giving exam. A lot of people giving the exam are out of the student phase and it has been years since you sat and gave an exam for 3 hours , so go with a well rested mind and body.
- Work on building mental resilience and strategy to attempt the paper through your mocks. Start with strongest section first so you feel comfortable while giving the paper. Take it one question at a time , one section at a time. I had started with verbal but I was unable to complete it due to nerves, and normally that would send me into panic and jitters but I learnt through my mocks to stay focused and calm and just put all my attention to next section , this helped me finish both DI and Quant with a couple of extra minutes to spare.
To anyone who read till the end of the, thanks a lot and I hope you were able to gain some helpful insight.
Good luck to anyone who’s giving the paper. I know it’s hard , but you can do it 😊
2024.06.01 15:14 RyanMorholt Forest Grove Settlers: First Day Fallout Fan Fiction - A Short Story
“I told you there would be nothing in that military check point,” Barrett said. He cleaned his hands from bloodbug residue. “Only abandoned cars and empty cigarette machines.”
“Okay, I was wrong!” Simon admitted. “Is it my fault that I have hope?”
“No one ever knows out here,” Kevin chimed in.
Simon affectionally grabbed his youngest brother by the shoulder.
“See, Barrett, this is what a supportive brother sounds like.”
Barrett grunted.
The three brothers continued to follow the broken asphalt road. In time, the sky above them disappeared behind the ruins of an interstate highway. Its massive concrete columns towered over the horizon. It had cast a long shadow over their route.
Kevin stopped his brothers.
“Is that an elevator?” He pointed to the yellow cable lift that ran up to the overpass.
“I’m not using that,” Barrett quickly responded. He touched his stomach unconsciously, cognizant of his size and weight.
“Yeah, that might be an adventure for another life time,” Simon said, noting the precariousness of the cables that rose up to the ruins of the highway overpass.
Kevin pursed his lips with a modicum of disappointment. As the youngest and smallest of the three, he possessed more daring than his brothers combined. Perhaps this difference was due to the inexperience of his age or the simple fact that Kevin had a different mother than Barrett and Simon. His courage may have been a genetic inheritance that the others lacked.
“House!” Simon spotted the wooden building before his brothers, who still focused on the elevator and the possibility of ascending it.
“Let me guess, there’s going to be treasure inside of it,” Barrett said sarcastically.
“There could be!” Simon replied.
As the young men approached the building, it became apparent it had been apart of a long abandoned settlement. From their higher-ground perspective, they could see the ruins of several buildings roll down the landscape and into the consuming waters of the Charles River. The houses closest to the river had flooded and slowly rotted in the river’s murky water.
“We got a lot of work to do,” Barrett said. His siblings could hear the smile in his words. They knew that there would be at least one piece of worthwhile loot among these buildings. Barrett, however, wanted more than the natural greed of survival. The big man itched for a real fight.
“Raiders, Ghouls, or Mirelurks,” Kevin asked.
“Five caps on raiders,” Barrett said. His hand dropped to the pipe pistol holstered to his thigh.
“Five for mirelurks,” Simon said.
“I guess, I take ghouls.”
The three men moved closer to the first building. The residence, once a beautiful suburban home, had decayed over the two hundred and twenty years since its owners died in the nuclear fallout. Yet, despite the age of home, its door seemed to have been freshly repaired.
Simon, as per usual, approached the entrance with military tact. Barrett positioned himself behind his older brother. He placed one hand on Simon’s shoulder and the other around his pipe pistol. Kevin checked their flank and readied his pipe rifle.
Simon lifted his hand. He counted silently with his fingers.
One. Two. Three.
He grabbed the door and yanked it open. Barrett entered the building, his pipe pistol scanning the interior of the house.
“Clear!”
Simon followed Barrett. Kevin slowly backed into the building. He closed the door behind him.
“Stairs,” Barrett said to his brothers.
Immediately, the big man took the lead, scanning the floor above him with his pistol at eye-level. Simon followed in the wake of his larger brother, keeping his eyes straight to the top of the landing. Kevin stayed on the first floor. He found a corner, pressed his back into it, and crouched. He kept his eye on the front door.
“Clear!” Barrett’s voice rang through the structure.
“Nothing for nobody,” Kevin said, standing from his position and letting his rifle hang limply in his hands. He thought at least one ghoul would be hiding in the house. Their fraternal bottlecap wager would have to wait another house.
“Cheer up! Better luck in the next building.” Simon said as he walked down the stairs. “Right now, we have some time to loot.”
The brothers began the careful examination of the residential building.
Despite two centuries of rain and snow the building seemed to be in good condition. Clearly, since the bombs fell, a series of squatters had made improvements and adjustments over the years. In fact, the house seemed almost luxurious compared to the standards of the Wasteland. The floors had been redone with new planks of wood. The walls had been scraped of their original wallpaper and painted a light seafoam green. Although the glass from the windows had been long destroyed, curtains hung over the wooden shutters that secured the windows from the exterior world.
“Ooo!” Barrett exclaimed upstairs.
“What’d you find?” Simon called out. He stood at the bottom of the staircase and waited for a sign.
“Caps stash!” Barrett appeared with a grey tin can. He shook it and a number of caps inside of it pleasantly jingled.
“And you thought there wouldn’t be any treasure?” Simon laughed to himself.
“And the fridge is full!” Kevin called.
Barrett rushed down the stairs and joined his brothers at the fridge. Together, they drank a bottle of mostly clean water, each taking sips and passing it to the others. Then, they finished a plate of crispy squirrel bits.
“Almost fresh,” Barrett said, shoving a large handful into his mouth.
Simon continued his perusal of the house as he chewed his last portion of squirrel meat. He went to the living room section of the main floor and rummaged through a chest of drawers.
“Women’s clothing?” He lifted a dress from the chest of drawers and showed his brothers. The light green dress seemed to be in relatively good condition. The clean herbaceous smell of carrot flowers wafted into his nose.
“Someone might still live here,” Barrett said, looking at a bouquet of fresh hubflowers on the table.
Kevin looked from one of the windows. “I think he’s just arrived.”
Before Simon and Kevin could arm themselves, the door opened. An old man entered with two buckets of water. At the very moment he saw these three men, he dropped the buckets on the floor and rushed out of the building. One of the buckets spilled its contents across the floor, slowly dribbling down the front steps. Meanwhile, the old man pressed his back against the exterior wall of the building.
“What are you doing in my house?”
“We didn’t know!” Simon shouted back. “We didn’t mean to trespass!”
“Well, you did. Now, what are you going to do? Kill an old man and take his home?”
“Not if you let us leave unharmed!”
“How do I know that you’re not raiders?”
“You can’t,” Simon shouted back. “You can only make a leap of faith.”
“And why would I that?”
“Well, for one thing, there are more of us than there are of you.”
“Send one man out.”
“No!” Simon responded. “How do I know you’re not just going to shoot him the moment he leaves the building?”
“You can’t,” the old man shouted back. “You can only make a leap of faith.”
Simon felt bested by the old man’s negotiating skills.
“I’ll go,” Kevin said to his brothers.
“No, I will.” Barrett put his hand on his younger brother. He would gladly die in his place.
“There’s less of me to hit,” Kevin bantered.
Barrett grunted, but he could not stop himself from smiling.
Simon thought about dissuading his brothers, telling them that no one was going to leave the house, but this show of trust needed to be made. If things went well, there could be a chance that the three of them could profit from this encounter. Perhaps, they could spend the night sleeping inside a warm house and finally be able to get a proper night’s rest.
“I’m coming out,” Kevin shouted to the old man.
“Unarmed. With your hands up! If I see so much as a big iron on your hip, the deal is off.”
Kevin placed his pipe rifle and his switchblade on top of the chest of drawers.
Simon stepped close to his brother and embraced him.
“If he harms you, I will make sure he suffers until his very last breath,” Simon whispered.
Kevin squeezed his brother tightly and went to the door.
“I am approaching the door now,” Kevin shouted. “My hands are up.”
Kevin stepped over the spilled water bucket and crossed the threshold of the house.
“Keeping going,” the old man commanded.
Once Kevin descended the front stairs and reached the hard ground, he felt the old man sweep behind him and check for weapons.
“Do we trust each other?” Kevin said, letting the old man pat down his sides. “I’m alive, so I know I can trust you, but there are still two men inside of the house.”
“Two, huh? I thought there’d be more of you.” The old man met Kevin gaze. His face was wrinkled, freckled, and scarred. His neck-length beard, once nearly black in colour, had become streaked with grey. His moustache faired slightly better, but it too had begun to pale in his old age. Overall, the old man seemed hardened by his experiences in the wasteland, but, despite this hardness, Kevin noticed a softness behind his eyes. They reflected no bitterness or resentment.
“Now what?” Simon called from inside of the house.
“I’m going to come inside with your friend as collateral.”
The old man drew his 10mm pistol and pressed into Kevin’s lower back. Kevin straightened his posture with a reflexive fear. He climbed up the stairs and back into the house, the pistol never losing contact with his spine.
“Welcome to my home, gentleman,” the old man said. “The name is Duncan. I hope you make yourselves comfortable, although, by the looks of yesterday’s dinner, it seems as though you already have.”
Barrett glanced back at the empty porcelain plate. He wiped his greasy hands on his pant legs.
“Watch it, big guy,” the old man said. “You don’t want to make too many sudden movements.”
Barrett looked into his brother’s face. Kevin seemed calm on the surface, but Barrett could see the fear beneath his composure.
“My name is Simon. This is Barrett, and the man you currently threatening is our brother Kevin.”
“Pleasure, gentlemen.”
“We’re travellers. We’ve no particular destination. We’re just trying to survive.”
“Yes, that always seems to be the story. Why aren’t you getting comfortable in Diamond City or Goodneighbor?”
“We’re new to the Commonwealth,” Simon replied.
“Just arrived,” Barrett added.
“Boys, I’m happy to be your first experience in these here parts, but you’re going to have to leave. I can’t risk any trouble.”
“We won’t be any trouble,” Kevin said, looking behind his shoulder.
“Truly, I would like to believe you boys, but you best be going.”
Duncan stepped aside and positioned himself to the side of the room. He tilted his head toward the door with a quick gesture, encouraging Simon and Barrett to leave.
“Now, please.”
“Can we at least get Kevin’s weapons over there?” Simon asked.
“I’ll toss them to you once you’re out of the door. Just go.”
Simon and Barrett complied. They walked out of the house and down the steps. Duncan led Kevin from his house, allowing the young man to move away from the pistol.
“Grandpapa!”
The men turned to see group of three women approaching the house. Two of them carried heavy bags of harvested food, while the third held a tactical submachine gun in her hands. The three of them kept staring at their grandfather, who kept his pistol held toward the brothers.
The woman with the submachine gun lifted the stock to her shoulder. She knew that with her large drum magazine, she could cut down these three intruders without the need to reload.
“We had a small misunderstanding, ladies,” Simon said with a winning smile. He looked at the woman with the submachine gun. Her short dark brown hair swooped over one of her eyes. She flipped her hair out of the way. “We’ll be on our way,” Simon continued, “once your grandfather hands us our weapons.”
“How about you head on out without them?” the woman with the gun said.
“That’s not fair,” Kevin said. He stepped forward as he said it, causing the woman to swivel her sights on him.
“On more step and you’ll have lost more than your weapons.”
“Woah, woah. Okay, message received,” Kevin said, putting his hands back into the air. “Let’s go, guys. It’s okay. We can find kinder hosts somewhere else.”
“Or, at least, a better fight,” Barrett said with a sniff of his nose. “An old man and three little girls hardly constitute a challenge.”
“I can wipe the floor with you, big boy,” said the woman with the machine gun.
“Audrey!” Duncan reprimanded.
“I’d like to see you try, girlie. Unarmed, one-on-one, you stand no chance,” Barrett said. As he spoke, he took a deep breath and inflated his already imposing figure. The muscles beneath his shirt could be seen flexing.
“Want to try me? Or are you scared of losing to a girl?” Audrey responded.
Barrett roared with laughter.
“Audrey, that’s enough!” the old man said. “Do not aggravate them. They’re on their way.”
“Wait!” the smallest of the three women called to her grandfather. “Can’t they stay? If they wanted to hurt us, they would’ve already.”
“It’d be too risky!” Duncan replied.
“But you’ve always said that people need to come together and rebuild this world,” she said.
Duncan flashed her a quick scolding look.
“Sylvie’s right,” the third woman added. “They can help us around the property.” Her eyes danced over Barrett’s large figure. While her middle sister seemed ready to harm him, she merely wanted to be held by him.
“Audrey, talk some sense into your sisters!” Duncan exclaimed. “You ladies know that we can’t invite people at random!”
“We’d be happy to help,” Simon interjected.
Kevin locked eyes with his young counterpart. Sylvie broke eye contact and looked at her feet.
“Yeah, we can help,” Kevin said a little absent-mindedly. He continued to admire the woman before his eyes.
“Wait a minute,” Barrett said, “This guy pulls a pistol on you and you want to help him? What are you going to do? Fetch him water?”
“We made him to spill it,” Kevin said with a shrug.
“Are you guys out of your mind? How can we trust them? What if the old man and these she-devils are planning to kill us in the middle of the night.”
“Oh, now you’re afraid of me!” Audrey teased, loosening her grip on the submachine gun.
“I ain’t afraid of anything,” Barrett snapped.
Simon bursted in laughter. “Buddy, you know you’re agreeing with the old man, right? He doesn’t want you around because he thinks your going to do to him what you think he’s doing to do to you.”
Barrett squinted his eyes, trying to parse the sentence.
“I don’t like it,” Barrett said.
“Neither do I,” Duncan agreed.
“Well, they’re not staying in the house,” Audrey said. She tilted her swooping hair out of her eyes again. “Give them the rotting house.”
Duncan stayed silent. Everyone looked at him as though it was his decision which made everything final.
“Fine, but I’m standing guard during the night. If one of these boys come creeping in the night, I’ll make sure our walls get a nice new shade of red.”
Barrett nodded his head in agreement. “And I’ll take first watch at our place.”
Audrey turned to her sisters. “Morgan, Sylvie, take the food inside. I’ll show these men their residence.” She adjusted the tactical submachine gun in her arms.
Her sisters did what they were told.
“Gentlemen,” Audrey said, leading the men down the slight hill, “Your new abode.” She kicked the front door, which broke free from its hinges. The wood from the door had rotted from the moisture in the air. Wet dust flew from the ground and an acrid smell spewed from the interior of the building.
“Enjoy.”
Audrey left the three brothers and returned to her home.
The three of the brothers exchanged uncomfortable glances and looked at the building. Kevin approached the doorway and peered into the darkness.
“Ghoul!” Kevin shouted.
His brothers ran into the building with their weapons drawn. Kevin threw his arms around his brothers as they looked at remains of a feral ghoul. It had died a long time ago.
“Pay up, boys!” he said with a smile. “Five caps each.”
submitted by RyanMorholt to RyanMorholt [link] [comments]
“Okay, I was wrong!” Simon admitted. “Is it my fault that I have hope?”
“No one ever knows out here,” Kevin chimed in.
Simon affectionally grabbed his youngest brother by the shoulder.
“See, Barrett, this is what a supportive brother sounds like.”
Barrett grunted.
The three brothers continued to follow the broken asphalt road. In time, the sky above them disappeared behind the ruins of an interstate highway. Its massive concrete columns towered over the horizon. It had cast a long shadow over their route.
Kevin stopped his brothers.
“Is that an elevator?” He pointed to the yellow cable lift that ran up to the overpass.
“I’m not using that,” Barrett quickly responded. He touched his stomach unconsciously, cognizant of his size and weight.
“Yeah, that might be an adventure for another life time,” Simon said, noting the precariousness of the cables that rose up to the ruins of the highway overpass.
Kevin pursed his lips with a modicum of disappointment. As the youngest and smallest of the three, he possessed more daring than his brothers combined. Perhaps this difference was due to the inexperience of his age or the simple fact that Kevin had a different mother than Barrett and Simon. His courage may have been a genetic inheritance that the others lacked.
“House!” Simon spotted the wooden building before his brothers, who still focused on the elevator and the possibility of ascending it.
“Let me guess, there’s going to be treasure inside of it,” Barrett said sarcastically.
“There could be!” Simon replied.
As the young men approached the building, it became apparent it had been apart of a long abandoned settlement. From their higher-ground perspective, they could see the ruins of several buildings roll down the landscape and into the consuming waters of the Charles River. The houses closest to the river had flooded and slowly rotted in the river’s murky water.
“We got a lot of work to do,” Barrett said. His siblings could hear the smile in his words. They knew that there would be at least one piece of worthwhile loot among these buildings. Barrett, however, wanted more than the natural greed of survival. The big man itched for a real fight.
“Raiders, Ghouls, or Mirelurks,” Kevin asked.
“Five caps on raiders,” Barrett said. His hand dropped to the pipe pistol holstered to his thigh.
“Five for mirelurks,” Simon said.
“I guess, I take ghouls.”
The three men moved closer to the first building. The residence, once a beautiful suburban home, had decayed over the two hundred and twenty years since its owners died in the nuclear fallout. Yet, despite the age of home, its door seemed to have been freshly repaired.
Simon, as per usual, approached the entrance with military tact. Barrett positioned himself behind his older brother. He placed one hand on Simon’s shoulder and the other around his pipe pistol. Kevin checked their flank and readied his pipe rifle.
Simon lifted his hand. He counted silently with his fingers.
One. Two. Three.
He grabbed the door and yanked it open. Barrett entered the building, his pipe pistol scanning the interior of the house.
“Clear!”
Simon followed Barrett. Kevin slowly backed into the building. He closed the door behind him.
“Stairs,” Barrett said to his brothers.
Immediately, the big man took the lead, scanning the floor above him with his pistol at eye-level. Simon followed in the wake of his larger brother, keeping his eyes straight to the top of the landing. Kevin stayed on the first floor. He found a corner, pressed his back into it, and crouched. He kept his eye on the front door.
“Clear!” Barrett’s voice rang through the structure.
“Nothing for nobody,” Kevin said, standing from his position and letting his rifle hang limply in his hands. He thought at least one ghoul would be hiding in the house. Their fraternal bottlecap wager would have to wait another house.
“Cheer up! Better luck in the next building.” Simon said as he walked down the stairs. “Right now, we have some time to loot.”
The brothers began the careful examination of the residential building.
Despite two centuries of rain and snow the building seemed to be in good condition. Clearly, since the bombs fell, a series of squatters had made improvements and adjustments over the years. In fact, the house seemed almost luxurious compared to the standards of the Wasteland. The floors had been redone with new planks of wood. The walls had been scraped of their original wallpaper and painted a light seafoam green. Although the glass from the windows had been long destroyed, curtains hung over the wooden shutters that secured the windows from the exterior world.
“Ooo!” Barrett exclaimed upstairs.
“What’d you find?” Simon called out. He stood at the bottom of the staircase and waited for a sign.
“Caps stash!” Barrett appeared with a grey tin can. He shook it and a number of caps inside of it pleasantly jingled.
“And you thought there wouldn’t be any treasure?” Simon laughed to himself.
“And the fridge is full!” Kevin called.
Barrett rushed down the stairs and joined his brothers at the fridge. Together, they drank a bottle of mostly clean water, each taking sips and passing it to the others. Then, they finished a plate of crispy squirrel bits.
“Almost fresh,” Barrett said, shoving a large handful into his mouth.
Simon continued his perusal of the house as he chewed his last portion of squirrel meat. He went to the living room section of the main floor and rummaged through a chest of drawers.
“Women’s clothing?” He lifted a dress from the chest of drawers and showed his brothers. The light green dress seemed to be in relatively good condition. The clean herbaceous smell of carrot flowers wafted into his nose.
“Someone might still live here,” Barrett said, looking at a bouquet of fresh hubflowers on the table.
Kevin looked from one of the windows. “I think he’s just arrived.”
Before Simon and Kevin could arm themselves, the door opened. An old man entered with two buckets of water. At the very moment he saw these three men, he dropped the buckets on the floor and rushed out of the building. One of the buckets spilled its contents across the floor, slowly dribbling down the front steps. Meanwhile, the old man pressed his back against the exterior wall of the building.
“What are you doing in my house?”
“We didn’t know!” Simon shouted back. “We didn’t mean to trespass!”
“Well, you did. Now, what are you going to do? Kill an old man and take his home?”
“Not if you let us leave unharmed!”
“How do I know that you’re not raiders?”
“You can’t,” Simon shouted back. “You can only make a leap of faith.”
“And why would I that?”
“Well, for one thing, there are more of us than there are of you.”
“Send one man out.”
“No!” Simon responded. “How do I know you’re not just going to shoot him the moment he leaves the building?”
“You can’t,” the old man shouted back. “You can only make a leap of faith.”
Simon felt bested by the old man’s negotiating skills.
“I’ll go,” Kevin said to his brothers.
“No, I will.” Barrett put his hand on his younger brother. He would gladly die in his place.
“There’s less of me to hit,” Kevin bantered.
Barrett grunted, but he could not stop himself from smiling.
Simon thought about dissuading his brothers, telling them that no one was going to leave the house, but this show of trust needed to be made. If things went well, there could be a chance that the three of them could profit from this encounter. Perhaps, they could spend the night sleeping inside a warm house and finally be able to get a proper night’s rest.
“I’m coming out,” Kevin shouted to the old man.
“Unarmed. With your hands up! If I see so much as a big iron on your hip, the deal is off.”
Kevin placed his pipe rifle and his switchblade on top of the chest of drawers.
Simon stepped close to his brother and embraced him.
“If he harms you, I will make sure he suffers until his very last breath,” Simon whispered.
Kevin squeezed his brother tightly and went to the door.
“I am approaching the door now,” Kevin shouted. “My hands are up.”
Kevin stepped over the spilled water bucket and crossed the threshold of the house.
“Keeping going,” the old man commanded.
Once Kevin descended the front stairs and reached the hard ground, he felt the old man sweep behind him and check for weapons.
“Do we trust each other?” Kevin said, letting the old man pat down his sides. “I’m alive, so I know I can trust you, but there are still two men inside of the house.”
“Two, huh? I thought there’d be more of you.” The old man met Kevin gaze. His face was wrinkled, freckled, and scarred. His neck-length beard, once nearly black in colour, had become streaked with grey. His moustache faired slightly better, but it too had begun to pale in his old age. Overall, the old man seemed hardened by his experiences in the wasteland, but, despite this hardness, Kevin noticed a softness behind his eyes. They reflected no bitterness or resentment.
“Now what?” Simon called from inside of the house.
“I’m going to come inside with your friend as collateral.”
The old man drew his 10mm pistol and pressed into Kevin’s lower back. Kevin straightened his posture with a reflexive fear. He climbed up the stairs and back into the house, the pistol never losing contact with his spine.
“Welcome to my home, gentleman,” the old man said. “The name is Duncan. I hope you make yourselves comfortable, although, by the looks of yesterday’s dinner, it seems as though you already have.”
Barrett glanced back at the empty porcelain plate. He wiped his greasy hands on his pant legs.
“Watch it, big guy,” the old man said. “You don’t want to make too many sudden movements.”
Barrett looked into his brother’s face. Kevin seemed calm on the surface, but Barrett could see the fear beneath his composure.
“My name is Simon. This is Barrett, and the man you currently threatening is our brother Kevin.”
“Pleasure, gentlemen.”
“We’re travellers. We’ve no particular destination. We’re just trying to survive.”
“Yes, that always seems to be the story. Why aren’t you getting comfortable in Diamond City or Goodneighbor?”
“We’re new to the Commonwealth,” Simon replied.
“Just arrived,” Barrett added.
“Boys, I’m happy to be your first experience in these here parts, but you’re going to have to leave. I can’t risk any trouble.”
“We won’t be any trouble,” Kevin said, looking behind his shoulder.
“Truly, I would like to believe you boys, but you best be going.”
Duncan stepped aside and positioned himself to the side of the room. He tilted his head toward the door with a quick gesture, encouraging Simon and Barrett to leave.
“Now, please.”
“Can we at least get Kevin’s weapons over there?” Simon asked.
“I’ll toss them to you once you’re out of the door. Just go.”
Simon and Barrett complied. They walked out of the house and down the steps. Duncan led Kevin from his house, allowing the young man to move away from the pistol.
“Grandpapa!”
The men turned to see group of three women approaching the house. Two of them carried heavy bags of harvested food, while the third held a tactical submachine gun in her hands. The three of them kept staring at their grandfather, who kept his pistol held toward the brothers.
The woman with the submachine gun lifted the stock to her shoulder. She knew that with her large drum magazine, she could cut down these three intruders without the need to reload.
“We had a small misunderstanding, ladies,” Simon said with a winning smile. He looked at the woman with the submachine gun. Her short dark brown hair swooped over one of her eyes. She flipped her hair out of the way. “We’ll be on our way,” Simon continued, “once your grandfather hands us our weapons.”
“How about you head on out without them?” the woman with the gun said.
“That’s not fair,” Kevin said. He stepped forward as he said it, causing the woman to swivel her sights on him.
“On more step and you’ll have lost more than your weapons.”
“Woah, woah. Okay, message received,” Kevin said, putting his hands back into the air. “Let’s go, guys. It’s okay. We can find kinder hosts somewhere else.”
“Or, at least, a better fight,” Barrett said with a sniff of his nose. “An old man and three little girls hardly constitute a challenge.”
“I can wipe the floor with you, big boy,” said the woman with the machine gun.
“Audrey!” Duncan reprimanded.
“I’d like to see you try, girlie. Unarmed, one-on-one, you stand no chance,” Barrett said. As he spoke, he took a deep breath and inflated his already imposing figure. The muscles beneath his shirt could be seen flexing.
“Want to try me? Or are you scared of losing to a girl?” Audrey responded.
Barrett roared with laughter.
“Audrey, that’s enough!” the old man said. “Do not aggravate them. They’re on their way.”
“Wait!” the smallest of the three women called to her grandfather. “Can’t they stay? If they wanted to hurt us, they would’ve already.”
“It’d be too risky!” Duncan replied.
“But you’ve always said that people need to come together and rebuild this world,” she said.
Duncan flashed her a quick scolding look.
“Sylvie’s right,” the third woman added. “They can help us around the property.” Her eyes danced over Barrett’s large figure. While her middle sister seemed ready to harm him, she merely wanted to be held by him.
“Audrey, talk some sense into your sisters!” Duncan exclaimed. “You ladies know that we can’t invite people at random!”
“We’d be happy to help,” Simon interjected.
Kevin locked eyes with his young counterpart. Sylvie broke eye contact and looked at her feet.
“Yeah, we can help,” Kevin said a little absent-mindedly. He continued to admire the woman before his eyes.
“Wait a minute,” Barrett said, “This guy pulls a pistol on you and you want to help him? What are you going to do? Fetch him water?”
“We made him to spill it,” Kevin said with a shrug.
“Are you guys out of your mind? How can we trust them? What if the old man and these she-devils are planning to kill us in the middle of the night.”
“Oh, now you’re afraid of me!” Audrey teased, loosening her grip on the submachine gun.
“I ain’t afraid of anything,” Barrett snapped.
Simon bursted in laughter. “Buddy, you know you’re agreeing with the old man, right? He doesn’t want you around because he thinks your going to do to him what you think he’s doing to do to you.”
Barrett squinted his eyes, trying to parse the sentence.
“I don’t like it,” Barrett said.
“Neither do I,” Duncan agreed.
“Well, they’re not staying in the house,” Audrey said. She tilted her swooping hair out of her eyes again. “Give them the rotting house.”
Duncan stayed silent. Everyone looked at him as though it was his decision which made everything final.
“Fine, but I’m standing guard during the night. If one of these boys come creeping in the night, I’ll make sure our walls get a nice new shade of red.”
Barrett nodded his head in agreement. “And I’ll take first watch at our place.”
Audrey turned to her sisters. “Morgan, Sylvie, take the food inside. I’ll show these men their residence.” She adjusted the tactical submachine gun in her arms.
Her sisters did what they were told.
“Gentlemen,” Audrey said, leading the men down the slight hill, “Your new abode.” She kicked the front door, which broke free from its hinges. The wood from the door had rotted from the moisture in the air. Wet dust flew from the ground and an acrid smell spewed from the interior of the building.
“Enjoy.”
Audrey left the three brothers and returned to her home.
The three of the brothers exchanged uncomfortable glances and looked at the building. Kevin approached the doorway and peered into the darkness.
“Ghoul!” Kevin shouted.
His brothers ran into the building with their weapons drawn. Kevin threw his arms around his brothers as they looked at remains of a feral ghoul. It had died a long time ago.
“Pay up, boys!” he said with a smile. “Five caps each.”
2024.06.01 15:14 RyanMorholt Forest Grove Settlers: First Day Fallout Fan Fiction - A Short Story
“I told you there would be nothing in that military check point,” Barrett said. He cleaned his hands from bloodbug residue. “Only abandoned cars and empty cigarette machines.”
“Okay, I was wrong!” Simon admitted. “Is it my fault that I have hope?”
“No one ever knows out here,” Kevin chimed in.
Simon affectionally grabbed his youngest brother by the shoulder.
“See, Barrett, this is what a supportive brother sounds like.”
Barrett grunted.
The three brothers continued to follow the broken asphalt road. In time, the sky above them disappeared behind the ruins of an interstate highway. Its massive concrete columns towered over the horizon. It had cast a long shadow over their route.
Kevin stopped his brothers.
“Is that an elevator?” He pointed to the yellow cable lift that ran up to the overpass.
“I’m not using that,” Barrett quickly responded. He touched his stomach unconsciously, cognizant of his size and weight.
“Yeah, that might be an adventure for another life time,” Simon said, noting the precariousness of the cables that rose up to the ruins of the highway overpass.
Kevin pursed his lips with a modicum of disappointment. As the youngest and smallest of the three, he possessed more daring than his brothers combined. Perhaps this difference was due to the inexperience of his age or the simple fact that Kevin had a different mother than Barrett and Simon. His courage may have been a genetic inheritance that the others lacked.
“House!” Simon spotted the wooden building before his brothers, who still focused on the elevator and the possibility of ascending it.
“Let me guess, there’s going to be treasure inside of it,” Barrett said sarcastically.
“There could be!” Simon replied.
As the young men approached the building, it became apparent it had been apart of a long abandoned settlement. From their higher-ground perspective, they could see the ruins of several buildings roll down the landscape and into the consuming waters of the Charles River. The houses closest to the river had flooded and slowly rotted in the river’s murky water.
“We got a lot of work to do,” Barrett said. His siblings could hear the smile in his words. They knew that there would be at least one piece of worthwhile loot among these buildings. Barrett, however, wanted more than the natural greed of survival. The big man itched for a real fight.
“Raiders, Ghouls, or Mirelurks,” Kevin asked.
“Five caps on raiders,” Barrett said. His hand dropped to the pipe pistol holstered to his thigh.
“Five for mirelurks,” Simon said.
“I guess, I take ghouls.”
The three men moved closer to the first building. The residence, once a beautiful suburban home, had decayed over the two hundred and twenty years since its owners died in the nuclear fallout. Yet, despite the age of home, its door seemed to have been freshly repaired.
Simon, as per usual, approached the entrance with military tact. Barrett positioned himself behind his older brother. He placed one hand on Simon’s shoulder and the other around his pipe pistol. Kevin checked their flank and readied his pipe rifle.
Simon lifted his hand. He counted silently with his fingers.
One. Two. Three.
He grabbed the door and yanked it open. Barrett entered the building, his pipe pistol scanning the interior of the house.
“Clear!”
Simon followed Barrett. Kevin slowly backed into the building. He closed the door behind him.
“Stairs,” Barrett said to his brothers.
Immediately, the big man took the lead, scanning the floor above him with his pistol at eye-level. Simon followed in the wake of his larger brother, keeping his eyes straight to the top of the landing. Kevin stayed on the first floor. He found a corner, pressed his back into it, and crouched. He kept his eye on the front door.
“Clear!” Barrett’s voice rang through the structure.
“Nothing for nobody,” Kevin said, standing from his position and letting his rifle hang limply in his hands. He thought at least one ghoul would be hiding in the house. Their fraternal bottlecap wager would have to wait another house.
“Cheer up! Better luck in the next building.” Simon said as he walked down the stairs. “Right now, we have some time to loot.”
The brothers began the careful examination of the residential building.
Despite two centuries of rain and snow the building seemed to be in good condition. Clearly, since the bombs fell, a series of squatters had made improvements and adjustments over the years. In fact, the house seemed almost luxurious compared to the standards of the Wasteland. The floors had been redone with new planks of wood. The walls had been scraped of their original wallpaper and painted a light seafoam green. Although the glass from the windows had been long destroyed, curtains hung over the wooden shutters that secured the windows from the exterior world.
“Ooo!” Barrett exclaimed upstairs.
“What’d you find?” Simon called out. He stood at the bottom of the staircase and waited for a sign.
“Caps stash!” Barrett appeared with a grey tin can. He shook it and a number of caps inside of it pleasantly jingled.
“And you thought there wouldn’t be any treasure?” Simon laughed to himself.
“And the fridge is full!” Kevin called.
Barrett rushed down the stairs and joined his brothers at the fridge. Together, they drank a bottle of mostly clean water, each taking sips and passing it to the others. Then, they finished a plate of crispy squirrel bits.
“Almost fresh,” Barrett said, shoving a large handful into his mouth.
Simon continued his perusal of the house as he chewed his last portion of squirrel meat. He went to the living room section of the main floor and rummaged through a chest of drawers.
“Women’s clothing?” He lifted a dress from the chest of drawers and showed his brothers. The light green dress seemed to be in relatively good condition. The clean herbaceous smell of carrot flowers wafted into his nose.
“Someone might still live here,” Barrett said, looking at a bouquet of fresh hubflowers on the table.
Kevin looked from one of the windows. “I think he’s just arrived.”
Before Simon and Kevin could arm themselves, the door opened. An old man entered with two buckets of water. At the very moment he saw these three men, he dropped the buckets on the floor and rushed out of the building. One of the buckets spilled its contents across the floor, slowly dribbling down the front steps. Meanwhile, the old man pressed his back against the exterior wall of the building.
“What are you doing in my house?”
“We didn’t know!” Simon shouted back. “We didn’t mean to trespass!”
“Well, you did. Now, what are you going to do? Kill an old man and take his home?”
“Not if you let us leave unharmed!”
“How do I know that you’re not raiders?”
“You can’t,” Simon shouted back. “You can only make a leap of faith.”
“And why would I that?”
“Well, for one thing, there are more of us than there are of you.”
“Send one man out.”
“No!” Simon responded. “How do I know you’re not just going to shoot him the moment he leaves the building?”
“You can’t,” the old man shouted back. “You can only make a leap of faith.”
Simon felt bested by the old man’s negotiating skills.
“I’ll go,” Kevin said to his brothers.
“No, I will.” Barrett put his hand on his younger brother. He would gladly die in his place.
“There’s less of me to hit,” Kevin bantered.
Barrett grunted, but he could not stop himself from smiling.
Simon thought about dissuading his brothers, telling them that no one was going to leave the house, but this show of trust needed to be made. If things went well, there could be a chance that the three of them could profit from this encounter. Perhaps, they could spend the night sleeping inside a warm house and finally be able to get a proper night’s rest.
“I’m coming out,” Kevin shouted to the old man.
“Unarmed. With your hands up! If I see so much as a big iron on your hip, the deal is off.”
Kevin placed his pipe rifle and his switchblade on top of the chest of drawers.
Simon stepped close to his brother and embraced him.
“If he harms you, I will make sure he suffers until his very last breath,” Simon whispered.
Kevin squeezed his brother tightly and went to the door.
“I am approaching the door now,” Kevin shouted. “My hands are up.”
Kevin stepped over the spilled water bucket and crossed the threshold of the house.
“Keeping going,” the old man commanded.
Once Kevin descended the front stairs and reached the hard ground, he felt the old man sweep behind him and check for weapons.
“Do we trust each other?” Kevin said, letting the old man pat down his sides. “I’m alive, so I know I can trust you, but there are still two men inside of the house.”
“Two, huh? I thought there’d be more of you.” The old man met Kevin gaze. His face was wrinkled, freckled, and scarred. His neck-length beard, once nearly black in colour, had become streaked with grey. His moustache faired slightly better, but it too had begun to pale in his old age. Overall, the old man seemed hardened by his experiences in the wasteland, but, despite this hardness, Kevin noticed a softness behind his eyes. They reflected no bitterness or resentment.
“Now what?” Simon called from inside of the house.
“I’m going to come inside with your friend as collateral.”
The old man drew his 10mm pistol and pressed into Kevin’s lower back. Kevin straightened his posture with a reflexive fear. He climbed up the stairs and back into the house, the pistol never losing contact with his spine.
“Welcome to my home, gentleman,” the old man said. “The name is Duncan. I hope you make yourselves comfortable, although, by the looks of yesterday’s dinner, it seems as though you already have.”
Barrett glanced back at the empty porcelain plate. He wiped his greasy hands on his pant legs.
“Watch it, big guy,” the old man said. “You don’t want to make too many sudden movements.”
Barrett looked into his brother’s face. Kevin seemed calm on the surface, but Barrett could see the fear beneath his composure.
“My name is Simon. This is Barrett, and the man you currently threatening is our brother Kevin.”
“Pleasure, gentlemen.”
“We’re travellers. We’ve no particular destination. We’re just trying to survive.”
“Yes, that always seems to be the story. Why aren’t you getting comfortable in Diamond City or Goodneighbor?”
“We’re new to the Commonwealth,” Simon replied.
“Just arrived,” Barrett added.
“Boys, I’m happy to be your first experience in these here parts, but you’re going to have to leave. I can’t risk any trouble.”
“We won’t be any trouble,” Kevin said, looking behind his shoulder.
“Truly, I would like to believe you boys, but you best be going.”
Duncan stepped aside and positioned himself to the side of the room. He tilted his head toward the door with a quick gesture, encouraging Simon and Barrett to leave.
“Now, please.”
“Can we at least get Kevin’s weapons over there?” Simon asked.
“I’ll toss them to you once you’re out of the door. Just go.”
Simon and Barrett complied. They walked out of the house and down the steps. Duncan led Kevin from his house, allowing the young man to move away from the pistol.
“Grandpapa!”
The men turned to see group of three women approaching the house. Two of them carried heavy bags of harvested food, while the third held a tactical submachine gun in her hands. The three of them kept staring at their grandfather, who kept his pistol held toward the brothers.
The woman with the submachine gun lifted the stock to her shoulder. She knew that with her large drum magazine, she could cut down these three intruders without the need to reload.
“We had a small misunderstanding, ladies,” Simon said with a winning smile. He looked at the woman with the submachine gun. Her short dark brown hair swooped over one of her eyes. She flipped her hair out of the way. “We’ll be on our way,” Simon continued, “once your grandfather hands us our weapons.”
“How about you head on out without them?” the woman with the gun said.
“That’s not fair,” Kevin said. He stepped forward as he said it, causing the woman to swivel her sights on him.
“On more step and you’ll have lost more than your weapons.”
“Woah, woah. Okay, message received,” Kevin said, putting his hands back into the air. “Let’s go, guys. It’s okay. We can find kinder hosts somewhere else.”
“Or, at least, a better fight,” Barrett said with a sniff of his nose. “An old man and three little girls hardly constitute a challenge.”
“I can wipe the floor with you, big boy,” said the woman with the machine gun.
“Audrey!” Duncan reprimanded.
“I’d like to see you try, girlie. Unarmed, one-on-one, you stand no chance,” Barrett said. As he spoke, he took a deep breath and inflated his already imposing figure. The muscles beneath his shirt could be seen flexing.
“Want to try me? Or are you scared of losing to a girl?” Audrey responded.
Barrett roared with laughter.
“Audrey, that’s enough!” the old man said. “Do not aggravate them. They’re on their way.”
“Wait!” the smallest of the three women called to her grandfather. “Can’t they stay? If they wanted to hurt us, they would’ve already.”
“It’d be too risky!” Duncan replied.
“But you’ve always said that people need to come together and rebuild this world,” she said.
Duncan flashed her a quick scolding look.
“Sylvie’s right,” the third woman added. “They can help us around the property.” Her eyes danced over Barrett’s large figure. While her middle sister seemed ready to harm him, she merely wanted to be held by him.
“Audrey, talk some sense into your sisters!” Duncan exclaimed. “You ladies know that we can’t invite people at random!”
“We’d be happy to help,” Simon interjected.
Kevin locked eyes with his young counterpart. Sylvie broke eye contact and looked at her feet.
“Yeah, we can help,” Kevin said a little absent-mindedly. He continued to admire the woman before his eyes.
“Wait a minute,” Barrett said, “This guy pulls a pistol on you and you want to help him? What are you going to do? Fetch him water?”
“We made him to spill it,” Kevin said with a shrug.
“Are you guys out of your mind? How can we trust them? What if the old man and these she-devils are planning to kill us in the middle of the night.”
“Oh, now you’re afraid of me!” Audrey teased, loosening her grip on the submachine gun.
“I ain’t afraid of anything,” Barrett snapped.
Simon bursted in laughter. “Buddy, you know you’re agreeing with the old man, right? He doesn’t want you around because he thinks your going to do to him what you think he’s doing to do to you.”
Barrett squinted his eyes, trying to parse the sentence.
“I don’t like it,” Barrett said.
“Neither do I,” Duncan agreed.
“Well, they’re not staying in the house,” Audrey said. She tilted her swooping hair out of her eyes again. “Give them the rotting house.”
Duncan stayed silent. Everyone looked at him as though it was his decision which made everything final.
“Fine, but I’m standing guard during the night. If one of these boys come creeping in the night, I’ll make sure our walls get a nice new shade of red.”
Barrett nodded his head in agreement. “And I’ll take first watch at our place.”
Audrey turned to her sisters. “Morgan, Sylvie, take the food inside. I’ll show these men their residence.” She adjusted the tactical submachine gun in her arms.
Her sisters did what they were told.
“Gentlemen,” Audrey said, leading the men down the slight hill, “Your new abode.” She kicked the front door, which broke free from its hinges. The wood from the door had rotted from the moisture in the air. Wet dust flew from the ground and an acrid smell spewed from the interior of the building.
“Enjoy.”
Audrey left the three brothers and returned to her home.
The three of the brothers exchanged uncomfortable glances and looked at the building. Kevin approached the doorway and peered into the darkness.
“Ghoul!” Kevin shouted.
His brothers ran into the building with their weapons drawn. Kevin threw his arms around his brothers as they looked at remains of a feral ghoul. It had died a long time ago.
“Pay up, boys!” he said with a smile. “Five caps each.”
submitted by RyanMorholt to FalloutFanFiction [link] [comments]
“Okay, I was wrong!” Simon admitted. “Is it my fault that I have hope?”
“No one ever knows out here,” Kevin chimed in.
Simon affectionally grabbed his youngest brother by the shoulder.
“See, Barrett, this is what a supportive brother sounds like.”
Barrett grunted.
The three brothers continued to follow the broken asphalt road. In time, the sky above them disappeared behind the ruins of an interstate highway. Its massive concrete columns towered over the horizon. It had cast a long shadow over their route.
Kevin stopped his brothers.
“Is that an elevator?” He pointed to the yellow cable lift that ran up to the overpass.
“I’m not using that,” Barrett quickly responded. He touched his stomach unconsciously, cognizant of his size and weight.
“Yeah, that might be an adventure for another life time,” Simon said, noting the precariousness of the cables that rose up to the ruins of the highway overpass.
Kevin pursed his lips with a modicum of disappointment. As the youngest and smallest of the three, he possessed more daring than his brothers combined. Perhaps this difference was due to the inexperience of his age or the simple fact that Kevin had a different mother than Barrett and Simon. His courage may have been a genetic inheritance that the others lacked.
“House!” Simon spotted the wooden building before his brothers, who still focused on the elevator and the possibility of ascending it.
“Let me guess, there’s going to be treasure inside of it,” Barrett said sarcastically.
“There could be!” Simon replied.
As the young men approached the building, it became apparent it had been apart of a long abandoned settlement. From their higher-ground perspective, they could see the ruins of several buildings roll down the landscape and into the consuming waters of the Charles River. The houses closest to the river had flooded and slowly rotted in the river’s murky water.
“We got a lot of work to do,” Barrett said. His siblings could hear the smile in his words. They knew that there would be at least one piece of worthwhile loot among these buildings. Barrett, however, wanted more than the natural greed of survival. The big man itched for a real fight.
“Raiders, Ghouls, or Mirelurks,” Kevin asked.
“Five caps on raiders,” Barrett said. His hand dropped to the pipe pistol holstered to his thigh.
“Five for mirelurks,” Simon said.
“I guess, I take ghouls.”
The three men moved closer to the first building. The residence, once a beautiful suburban home, had decayed over the two hundred and twenty years since its owners died in the nuclear fallout. Yet, despite the age of home, its door seemed to have been freshly repaired.
Simon, as per usual, approached the entrance with military tact. Barrett positioned himself behind his older brother. He placed one hand on Simon’s shoulder and the other around his pipe pistol. Kevin checked their flank and readied his pipe rifle.
Simon lifted his hand. He counted silently with his fingers.
One. Two. Three.
He grabbed the door and yanked it open. Barrett entered the building, his pipe pistol scanning the interior of the house.
“Clear!”
Simon followed Barrett. Kevin slowly backed into the building. He closed the door behind him.
“Stairs,” Barrett said to his brothers.
Immediately, the big man took the lead, scanning the floor above him with his pistol at eye-level. Simon followed in the wake of his larger brother, keeping his eyes straight to the top of the landing. Kevin stayed on the first floor. He found a corner, pressed his back into it, and crouched. He kept his eye on the front door.
“Clear!” Barrett’s voice rang through the structure.
“Nothing for nobody,” Kevin said, standing from his position and letting his rifle hang limply in his hands. He thought at least one ghoul would be hiding in the house. Their fraternal bottlecap wager would have to wait another house.
“Cheer up! Better luck in the next building.” Simon said as he walked down the stairs. “Right now, we have some time to loot.”
The brothers began the careful examination of the residential building.
Despite two centuries of rain and snow the building seemed to be in good condition. Clearly, since the bombs fell, a series of squatters had made improvements and adjustments over the years. In fact, the house seemed almost luxurious compared to the standards of the Wasteland. The floors had been redone with new planks of wood. The walls had been scraped of their original wallpaper and painted a light seafoam green. Although the glass from the windows had been long destroyed, curtains hung over the wooden shutters that secured the windows from the exterior world.
“Ooo!” Barrett exclaimed upstairs.
“What’d you find?” Simon called out. He stood at the bottom of the staircase and waited for a sign.
“Caps stash!” Barrett appeared with a grey tin can. He shook it and a number of caps inside of it pleasantly jingled.
“And you thought there wouldn’t be any treasure?” Simon laughed to himself.
“And the fridge is full!” Kevin called.
Barrett rushed down the stairs and joined his brothers at the fridge. Together, they drank a bottle of mostly clean water, each taking sips and passing it to the others. Then, they finished a plate of crispy squirrel bits.
“Almost fresh,” Barrett said, shoving a large handful into his mouth.
Simon continued his perusal of the house as he chewed his last portion of squirrel meat. He went to the living room section of the main floor and rummaged through a chest of drawers.
“Women’s clothing?” He lifted a dress from the chest of drawers and showed his brothers. The light green dress seemed to be in relatively good condition. The clean herbaceous smell of carrot flowers wafted into his nose.
“Someone might still live here,” Barrett said, looking at a bouquet of fresh hubflowers on the table.
Kevin looked from one of the windows. “I think he’s just arrived.”
Before Simon and Kevin could arm themselves, the door opened. An old man entered with two buckets of water. At the very moment he saw these three men, he dropped the buckets on the floor and rushed out of the building. One of the buckets spilled its contents across the floor, slowly dribbling down the front steps. Meanwhile, the old man pressed his back against the exterior wall of the building.
“What are you doing in my house?”
“We didn’t know!” Simon shouted back. “We didn’t mean to trespass!”
“Well, you did. Now, what are you going to do? Kill an old man and take his home?”
“Not if you let us leave unharmed!”
“How do I know that you’re not raiders?”
“You can’t,” Simon shouted back. “You can only make a leap of faith.”
“And why would I that?”
“Well, for one thing, there are more of us than there are of you.”
“Send one man out.”
“No!” Simon responded. “How do I know you’re not just going to shoot him the moment he leaves the building?”
“You can’t,” the old man shouted back. “You can only make a leap of faith.”
Simon felt bested by the old man’s negotiating skills.
“I’ll go,” Kevin said to his brothers.
“No, I will.” Barrett put his hand on his younger brother. He would gladly die in his place.
“There’s less of me to hit,” Kevin bantered.
Barrett grunted, but he could not stop himself from smiling.
Simon thought about dissuading his brothers, telling them that no one was going to leave the house, but this show of trust needed to be made. If things went well, there could be a chance that the three of them could profit from this encounter. Perhaps, they could spend the night sleeping inside a warm house and finally be able to get a proper night’s rest.
“I’m coming out,” Kevin shouted to the old man.
“Unarmed. With your hands up! If I see so much as a big iron on your hip, the deal is off.”
Kevin placed his pipe rifle and his switchblade on top of the chest of drawers.
Simon stepped close to his brother and embraced him.
“If he harms you, I will make sure he suffers until his very last breath,” Simon whispered.
Kevin squeezed his brother tightly and went to the door.
“I am approaching the door now,” Kevin shouted. “My hands are up.”
Kevin stepped over the spilled water bucket and crossed the threshold of the house.
“Keeping going,” the old man commanded.
Once Kevin descended the front stairs and reached the hard ground, he felt the old man sweep behind him and check for weapons.
“Do we trust each other?” Kevin said, letting the old man pat down his sides. “I’m alive, so I know I can trust you, but there are still two men inside of the house.”
“Two, huh? I thought there’d be more of you.” The old man met Kevin gaze. His face was wrinkled, freckled, and scarred. His neck-length beard, once nearly black in colour, had become streaked with grey. His moustache faired slightly better, but it too had begun to pale in his old age. Overall, the old man seemed hardened by his experiences in the wasteland, but, despite this hardness, Kevin noticed a softness behind his eyes. They reflected no bitterness or resentment.
“Now what?” Simon called from inside of the house.
“I’m going to come inside with your friend as collateral.”
The old man drew his 10mm pistol and pressed into Kevin’s lower back. Kevin straightened his posture with a reflexive fear. He climbed up the stairs and back into the house, the pistol never losing contact with his spine.
“Welcome to my home, gentleman,” the old man said. “The name is Duncan. I hope you make yourselves comfortable, although, by the looks of yesterday’s dinner, it seems as though you already have.”
Barrett glanced back at the empty porcelain plate. He wiped his greasy hands on his pant legs.
“Watch it, big guy,” the old man said. “You don’t want to make too many sudden movements.”
Barrett looked into his brother’s face. Kevin seemed calm on the surface, but Barrett could see the fear beneath his composure.
“My name is Simon. This is Barrett, and the man you currently threatening is our brother Kevin.”
“Pleasure, gentlemen.”
“We’re travellers. We’ve no particular destination. We’re just trying to survive.”
“Yes, that always seems to be the story. Why aren’t you getting comfortable in Diamond City or Goodneighbor?”
“We’re new to the Commonwealth,” Simon replied.
“Just arrived,” Barrett added.
“Boys, I’m happy to be your first experience in these here parts, but you’re going to have to leave. I can’t risk any trouble.”
“We won’t be any trouble,” Kevin said, looking behind his shoulder.
“Truly, I would like to believe you boys, but you best be going.”
Duncan stepped aside and positioned himself to the side of the room. He tilted his head toward the door with a quick gesture, encouraging Simon and Barrett to leave.
“Now, please.”
“Can we at least get Kevin’s weapons over there?” Simon asked.
“I’ll toss them to you once you’re out of the door. Just go.”
Simon and Barrett complied. They walked out of the house and down the steps. Duncan led Kevin from his house, allowing the young man to move away from the pistol.
“Grandpapa!”
The men turned to see group of three women approaching the house. Two of them carried heavy bags of harvested food, while the third held a tactical submachine gun in her hands. The three of them kept staring at their grandfather, who kept his pistol held toward the brothers.
The woman with the submachine gun lifted the stock to her shoulder. She knew that with her large drum magazine, she could cut down these three intruders without the need to reload.
“We had a small misunderstanding, ladies,” Simon said with a winning smile. He looked at the woman with the submachine gun. Her short dark brown hair swooped over one of her eyes. She flipped her hair out of the way. “We’ll be on our way,” Simon continued, “once your grandfather hands us our weapons.”
“How about you head on out without them?” the woman with the gun said.
“That’s not fair,” Kevin said. He stepped forward as he said it, causing the woman to swivel her sights on him.
“On more step and you’ll have lost more than your weapons.”
“Woah, woah. Okay, message received,” Kevin said, putting his hands back into the air. “Let’s go, guys. It’s okay. We can find kinder hosts somewhere else.”
“Or, at least, a better fight,” Barrett said with a sniff of his nose. “An old man and three little girls hardly constitute a challenge.”
“I can wipe the floor with you, big boy,” said the woman with the machine gun.
“Audrey!” Duncan reprimanded.
“I’d like to see you try, girlie. Unarmed, one-on-one, you stand no chance,” Barrett said. As he spoke, he took a deep breath and inflated his already imposing figure. The muscles beneath his shirt could be seen flexing.
“Want to try me? Or are you scared of losing to a girl?” Audrey responded.
Barrett roared with laughter.
“Audrey, that’s enough!” the old man said. “Do not aggravate them. They’re on their way.”
“Wait!” the smallest of the three women called to her grandfather. “Can’t they stay? If they wanted to hurt us, they would’ve already.”
“It’d be too risky!” Duncan replied.
“But you’ve always said that people need to come together and rebuild this world,” she said.
Duncan flashed her a quick scolding look.
“Sylvie’s right,” the third woman added. “They can help us around the property.” Her eyes danced over Barrett’s large figure. While her middle sister seemed ready to harm him, she merely wanted to be held by him.
“Audrey, talk some sense into your sisters!” Duncan exclaimed. “You ladies know that we can’t invite people at random!”
“We’d be happy to help,” Simon interjected.
Kevin locked eyes with his young counterpart. Sylvie broke eye contact and looked at her feet.
“Yeah, we can help,” Kevin said a little absent-mindedly. He continued to admire the woman before his eyes.
“Wait a minute,” Barrett said, “This guy pulls a pistol on you and you want to help him? What are you going to do? Fetch him water?”
“We made him to spill it,” Kevin said with a shrug.
“Are you guys out of your mind? How can we trust them? What if the old man and these she-devils are planning to kill us in the middle of the night.”
“Oh, now you’re afraid of me!” Audrey teased, loosening her grip on the submachine gun.
“I ain’t afraid of anything,” Barrett snapped.
Simon bursted in laughter. “Buddy, you know you’re agreeing with the old man, right? He doesn’t want you around because he thinks your going to do to him what you think he’s doing to do to you.”
Barrett squinted his eyes, trying to parse the sentence.
“I don’t like it,” Barrett said.
“Neither do I,” Duncan agreed.
“Well, they’re not staying in the house,” Audrey said. She tilted her swooping hair out of her eyes again. “Give them the rotting house.”
Duncan stayed silent. Everyone looked at him as though it was his decision which made everything final.
“Fine, but I’m standing guard during the night. If one of these boys come creeping in the night, I’ll make sure our walls get a nice new shade of red.”
Barrett nodded his head in agreement. “And I’ll take first watch at our place.”
Audrey turned to her sisters. “Morgan, Sylvie, take the food inside. I’ll show these men their residence.” She adjusted the tactical submachine gun in her arms.
Her sisters did what they were told.
“Gentlemen,” Audrey said, leading the men down the slight hill, “Your new abode.” She kicked the front door, which broke free from its hinges. The wood from the door had rotted from the moisture in the air. Wet dust flew from the ground and an acrid smell spewed from the interior of the building.
“Enjoy.”
Audrey left the three brothers and returned to her home.
The three of the brothers exchanged uncomfortable glances and looked at the building. Kevin approached the doorway and peered into the darkness.
“Ghoul!” Kevin shouted.
His brothers ran into the building with their weapons drawn. Kevin threw his arms around his brothers as they looked at remains of a feral ghoul. It had died a long time ago.
“Pay up, boys!” he said with a smile. “Five caps each.”
2024.06.01 14:58 ThrowRAmelonminer Who is the aggressor? Me 44M or Her 35F?
Hi, anonymous account due to privacy.
I'm at my wits end, I have been having these types of arguments with my now ex gf for the best part of 8 years. I come away feeling like an abusive monster, my self confidence battered, my entire personality in question. I need advice about whether she is right about the way I am, or if she's the one with the issue.
For the last 8 years or so these types of arguments started at least once a week and can last 3 to 5 days. This is a shorter one but the general feeling of this argument is identical to all others before it. Sure, there have been arguments before where I've been at fault, and her clearly at fault. I will admit to it if i do something wrong.
Please can someone settle my mind, one way or the other, and tell me if I'm really the monster she makes me out to be.
[01/06, 11:03] Me: Promised [son] I'd take him down seafront tomorrow and park. So can you make sure his earphones are packed, and if poss some suncream just in case? Hope you're OK
[01/06, 11:03] Her: Shit. This is what I’ve been explaining that I’m going to keep him away from!
[01/06, 11:03] Her: The noise
[01/06, 11:04] Her: This is why we are in today. He isn’t going to cope with the show. I took him last year and it was so awful for him
[01/06, 11:05] Me: Oh. OK. X
[01/06, 11:06] Me: Oops sorry
[01/06, 11:06] Me: I won't then.
[01/06, 11:06] Her: No I’m sorry it’s not you it’s the stress I’ve had trying to sort out my family staying away and not dragging us down
[01/06, 11:06] Her: If you want to take him, then you take him
[01/06, 11:06] Me: He was quite excited about it the other day.
[01/06, 11:07] Her: Just will 100% make sure that I’ve packed his headphones, blankies and that
[01/06, 11:07] Me: But I understand. It's fine.
[01/06, 11:07] Her: Yeah sorry I am a bit stressed this morning
[01/06, 11:07] Her: No [myname] if you want to take him, that’s alright, he’s your son too
[01/06, 11:07] Her: I don’t make all the rules and run everything
[01/06, 11:07] Me: No I didn't want to make it harder for you dealing with it before or after.
[01/06, 11:08] Her: You got a brain….Just make sure he’s actually alright down there and not struggling with the sensory. It’s because it’s crowded and then on top of that with the plane noise
[01/06, 11:08] Her: They practiced yesterday and he shit himself here
[01/06, 11:08] Her: I asked him if he wanted to see the planes and he said no
[01/06, 11:08] Her: No I don’t want you to think I’m just telling you what to do
[01/06, 11:09] Me: No need to say things like I've got a brain, it isn't about that at all. I just said I won't take him because I'm trying to be considerate to you after you've said it'll screw him up. Again trying to come from a place of goodness and somehow I get it wrong
[01/06, 11:09] Her: I’m not at all. I probably didn’t explain it in the best way. Just had [son] going at me all morning. Fucking foul mood. He don’t want to go out.
[01/06, 11:10] Her: No I didn’t mean it like that
[01/06, 11:10] Her: Sorry I’m not doing this. I’ve just bloody explained how I didn’t mean anything by any of that
[01/06, 11:12] Her: No I know you’re coming from a place of kindness. But
[01/06, 11:12] Her: I’m not going to feel like I’m bossing you about, because of the way I wrote my message
[01/06, 11:13] Me: Can't you stop and think for a second that I wrote that WHILE you were writing
[01/06, 11:13] Her: Yeah
[01/06, 11:13] Her: I said sorry.
[01/06, 11:17] Me: You've just made me out to be horrible again, saying things like "not doing this". When all I did was try to be nice. And when I try to reply you send a dozen messages and everything just gets mixed up. I wasn't being horrible or anything in the first place. I'll leave you be, but please bear in mind i wasn't being horrible or funny or anything at all and I wasn't "doing this". Hope you manage to settle down a bit and he behaves better.
[01/06, 11:17] Her: I’m sorry I didn’t mean to
[01/06, 11:18] Her: I think some times that’s a anxiety response
[01/06, 11:18] Her: Yeah and you know what else.. I am me. I send a lot of messages. I own that. Certainly won’t change
[01/06, 11:19] Her: That’s good you’ve probably got other people to talk to now as well. Pleased for you.
[01/06, 11:20] Her: Also can I just say, your message, is a pure example of what I went through last year. When I didn’t say anything wrong.. and I got told very often that you’re not ‘doing this’ now. Hard isn’t it when you read that? Welcome to the world I lived in last year.
[01/06, 11:20] Her: Funny isn’t it, when you’re wanting to talk to me and be with me.. you made sure you were messaging about [son] frequently. Now your head is turned, you’ve not really asked
[01/06, 11:38] Me: Pardon? I do ask about [son]. I've been busy as hell at work as it's half term, haven't been able to ask much at all. I asked yesterday about him. I saw him the day before that but asked about him that evening. I haven't really had a chance today because when I messages about tomorrow a different discussion started. So I don't know where you get your idea of that from. I didn't do anything at all tbh.
[01/06, 11:38] Her: I did say, that I didn’t mean to come across like that. You chose not to listen
[01/06, 11:39] Her: No no that’s fine
[01/06, 11:39] Her: I see what’s going on here tbh. It’s just so you. Find someone else to talk to, instead of healing and that, suddenly change energy and moan to other person about me 👌🏻
[01/06, 11:39] Her: That’s fine do what you want. If it’s true cool, if it’s not, okay 🤷🏻♀️
[01/06, 11:40] Me: It's actually a bit hurtful that you said about me not asking about [son].
[01/06, 11:40] Me: Huh what are you talking about
[01/06, 11:40] Me: You've completely lost me. What I'm doing here? What?
[01/06, 11:41] Her: It really dosent matter
[01/06, 11:41] Me: It's so me? I am utterly lost. You're making me out to be doing something and I really don't know what
[01/06, 11:41] Her: Yep course it’s hurtful. Everything what comes out my mouth is hurtful to you.
[01/06, 11:41] Her: I read energy
[01/06, 11:41] Her: You got someone else to talk to
[01/06, 11:41] Her: Hence why I don’t hear from you no more
[01/06, 11:41] Me: Have i? Who?
[01/06, 11:41] Her: Good for you
[01/06, 11:42] Me: What?
[01/06, 11:42] Her: Probably some woman who thinks you’ve been done wrong by me
[01/06, 11:42] Her: And she’ll tell you all the ways that you weren’t in the wrong. And I’ll be slagged off. Which is fine by the way.
[01/06, 11:42] Me: I haven't spoken to anyone other than my mum on messenger! And it's been super busy at work so I've not been on my phone!
[01/06, 11:42] Her: 🤷🏻♀️
[01/06, 11:42] Her: Just saying
[01/06, 11:42] Her: Didn’t say I was right
[01/06, 11:43] Me: My mum came down here yesterday on a coach trip and I met her at lunchtime
[01/06, 11:43] Her: That’s really nice I’m pleased
[01/06, 11:43] Her: I’m glad you saw ur mum
[01/06, 11:43] Her: Is she ok
[01/06, 11:43] Me: No you're not bloody right. But you're making me out to be doing something that I'm not.
[01/06, 11:43] Her: I did just say.. I could be wrong
[01/06, 11:43] Me: You're telling me what I'm doing. When you're wrong.
[01/06, 11:43] Her: Fair enough
[01/06, 11:43] Her: Listen to me
[01/06, 11:43] Her: I said I could be wrong
[01/06, 11:44] Her: I did originally say I’m sorry I didn’t mean to sound d like I was telling you what to do with [son]. But you managed to make something out of it by saying I didn’t need to speak like that. I’m well aware.. hence the messages before of me apologising..
[01/06, 11:45] Her: What annoys me is.. you having such a shit reaction to me saying I’m not doing this now. When I really did get laid into when I got upset for saying the same thing last year??
[01/06, 11:47] Me: Right so like I said before, I was writing my message out WHILE you were writing more messages. Hence me never being able to get any point or explanation across to you because by the time I say something you've already said more so what i say is either irrelevant or misunderstood.
[01/06, 11:48] Her: Okay
[01/06, 11:48] Her: Same
[01/06, 12:03] Me: I always try to read what you say. But it's not my fault if i can't write a relevant reply back before you've written multiple messages since I started. I had absolutely no issue with you at all and I've just been made out to be doing all sorts this morning and it's just not fair because I haven't done anything.
[01/06, 12:04] Her: I have adhd. I’m not explaining myself again
[01/06, 12:04] Her: I said you hadn’t done anything
[01/06, 12:04] Me: Not asking yourself to. Just explaining what it's like my position. Or am I not allowed?
[01/06, 12:04] Her: I just said I felt bad for coming across bossy. I dunno you apologise for the way you are, and it’s still not enough 😎
[01/06, 12:06] Her: Can we just stop
[01/06, 12:06] Her: We’ve both explained
[01/06, 12:06] Her: We both understand. Let’s not keep trying to get our last word in
[01/06, 12:06] Me: I know I apologise for the way I am and it's not enough. Never is. I understand you apologised.
[01/06, 12:06] Her: See now you repeating my messages back to me. Heal your shadow self.
[01/06, 12:06] Me: Yes I'd like to stop.
[01/06, 12:06] Her: Trust me
[01/06, 12:06] Her: Ok. I won’t message you again then
[01/06, 12:07] Me: Huh? You literally just said I apologise and it's not enough. I was just agreeing.
[01/06, 12:07] Me: This has nothing to do with healing myself I literally haven't done anything wrong.
[01/06, 12:12] Me: Fine, blame me for it all and blank me as if im the evil monster. Have a nice day. I didn't do anything wrong in the first place.
[01/06, 12:17] Her: Oh okay
[01/06, 12:17] Her: I haven’t blamed you for anything mr.
[01/06, 12:18] Her: I just apologised for perhaps coming across agressively. I’ve just spoken to [son], we are going to listen to the places from outside the front door. I mentioned about tomorrow with you, and he got a bit worried about the planes. So perhaps give me some credit for trying to encourage him to try. I do give you a lot of credit, and it’s often missed and forgotten about
[01/06, 12:19] Her: This whole way of you messaging is completely different tho to the person I spoke to the other day 🤔 just different eh
[01/06, 12:27] Me: How am I different? I'm just me. But you are the one that started this thing off by borderline insulting me and I'm supposed to just lie down and take it? Then I'm a shit person for trying my best to explain myself? I havent said a single bad thing about you yet I'm getting accused of being different? When I've explained to you, work has been super busy. I get the feeling, and have pretty much had it spelled out that you don't want to hear from me anyway so I can't exactly keep bombarding you with messages can I? Because then I'll just be annoying and you'll get pissed off hearing anything from me. I have literally done nothing wrong this morning. I react to your messages which are semi aggressive and your accusations towards me and I get told I'm being shit basically. All I wanted was to ask about [son] about tomorrow and I even said I hope you're OK. Was not being any different to anything, at least until i started having to explain myself.
[01/06, 12:31] Her: Honestly is that the best you have? I apologised. You’ve just kicked in back in my face. I choose not to engage in this back and forth. You need to learn to read, and also take knowledge in what I say to you.
I told you I apologised.. I said I am very stressed this morning. Very. But still you have told me yet again I was agressive.. we know? I’ve said that? Why keep telling me? My apology not good enough?
[01/06, 12:31] Her: Ending this conversation now tbh. I don’t need to be continuously told that I’m such an awful person. I’m really not. Not at all. I’m one of the good ones :)
submitted by ThrowRAmelonminer to relationship_advice [link] [comments]
I'm at my wits end, I have been having these types of arguments with my now ex gf for the best part of 8 years. I come away feeling like an abusive monster, my self confidence battered, my entire personality in question. I need advice about whether she is right about the way I am, or if she's the one with the issue.
For the last 8 years or so these types of arguments started at least once a week and can last 3 to 5 days. This is a shorter one but the general feeling of this argument is identical to all others before it. Sure, there have been arguments before where I've been at fault, and her clearly at fault. I will admit to it if i do something wrong.
Please can someone settle my mind, one way or the other, and tell me if I'm really the monster she makes me out to be.
[01/06, 11:03] Her: Shit. This is what I’ve been explaining that I’m going to keep him away from!
[01/06, 11:03] Her: The noise
[01/06, 11:04] Her: This is why we are in today. He isn’t going to cope with the show. I took him last year and it was so awful for him
[01/06, 11:05] Me: Oh. OK. X
[01/06, 11:06] Me: Oops sorry
[01/06, 11:06] Me: I won't then.
[01/06, 11:06] Her: No I’m sorry it’s not you it’s the stress I’ve had trying to sort out my family staying away and not dragging us down
[01/06, 11:06] Her: If you want to take him, then you take him
[01/06, 11:06] Me: He was quite excited about it the other day.
[01/06, 11:07] Her: Just will 100% make sure that I’ve packed his headphones, blankies and that
[01/06, 11:07] Me: But I understand. It's fine.
[01/06, 11:07] Her: Yeah sorry I am a bit stressed this morning
[01/06, 11:07] Her: No [myname] if you want to take him, that’s alright, he’s your son too
[01/06, 11:07] Her: I don’t make all the rules and run everything
[01/06, 11:07] Me: No I didn't want to make it harder for you dealing with it before or after.
[01/06, 11:08] Her: You got a brain….Just make sure he’s actually alright down there and not struggling with the sensory. It’s because it’s crowded and then on top of that with the plane noise
[01/06, 11:08] Her: They practiced yesterday and he shit himself here
[01/06, 11:08] Her: I asked him if he wanted to see the planes and he said no
[01/06, 11:08] Her: No I don’t want you to think I’m just telling you what to do
[01/06, 11:09] Me: No need to say things like I've got a brain, it isn't about that at all. I just said I won't take him because I'm trying to be considerate to you after you've said it'll screw him up. Again trying to come from a place of goodness and somehow I get it wrong
[01/06, 11:09] Her: I’m not at all. I probably didn’t explain it in the best way. Just had [son] going at me all morning. Fucking foul mood. He don’t want to go out.
[01/06, 11:10] Her: No I didn’t mean it like that
[01/06, 11:10] Her: Sorry I’m not doing this. I’ve just bloody explained how I didn’t mean anything by any of that
[01/06, 11:12] Her: No I know you’re coming from a place of kindness. But
[01/06, 11:12] Her: I’m not going to feel like I’m bossing you about, because of the way I wrote my message
[01/06, 11:13] Me: Can't you stop and think for a second that I wrote that WHILE you were writing
[01/06, 11:13] Her: Yeah
[01/06, 11:13] Her: I said sorry.
[01/06, 11:17] Me: You've just made me out to be horrible again, saying things like "not doing this". When all I did was try to be nice. And when I try to reply you send a dozen messages and everything just gets mixed up. I wasn't being horrible or anything in the first place. I'll leave you be, but please bear in mind i wasn't being horrible or funny or anything at all and I wasn't "doing this". Hope you manage to settle down a bit and he behaves better.
[01/06, 11:17] Her: I’m sorry I didn’t mean to
[01/06, 11:18] Her: I think some times that’s a anxiety response
[01/06, 11:18] Her: Yeah and you know what else.. I am me. I send a lot of messages. I own that. Certainly won’t change
[01/06, 11:19] Her: That’s good you’ve probably got other people to talk to now as well. Pleased for you.
[01/06, 11:20] Her: Also can I just say, your message, is a pure example of what I went through last year. When I didn’t say anything wrong.. and I got told very often that you’re not ‘doing this’ now. Hard isn’t it when you read that? Welcome to the world I lived in last year.
[01/06, 11:20] Her: Funny isn’t it, when you’re wanting to talk to me and be with me.. you made sure you were messaging about [son] frequently. Now your head is turned, you’ve not really asked
[01/06, 11:38] Me: Pardon? I do ask about [son]. I've been busy as hell at work as it's half term, haven't been able to ask much at all. I asked yesterday about him. I saw him the day before that but asked about him that evening. I haven't really had a chance today because when I messages about tomorrow a different discussion started. So I don't know where you get your idea of that from. I didn't do anything at all tbh.
[01/06, 11:38] Her: I did say, that I didn’t mean to come across like that. You chose not to listen
[01/06, 11:39] Her: No no that’s fine
[01/06, 11:39] Her: I see what’s going on here tbh. It’s just so you. Find someone else to talk to, instead of healing and that, suddenly change energy and moan to other person about me 👌🏻
[01/06, 11:39] Her: That’s fine do what you want. If it’s true cool, if it’s not, okay 🤷🏻♀️
[01/06, 11:40] Me: It's actually a bit hurtful that you said about me not asking about [son].
[01/06, 11:40] Me: Huh what are you talking about
[01/06, 11:40] Me: You've completely lost me. What I'm doing here? What?
[01/06, 11:41] Her: It really dosent matter
[01/06, 11:41] Me: It's so me? I am utterly lost. You're making me out to be doing something and I really don't know what
[01/06, 11:41] Her: Yep course it’s hurtful. Everything what comes out my mouth is hurtful to you.
[01/06, 11:41] Her: I read energy
[01/06, 11:41] Her: You got someone else to talk to
[01/06, 11:41] Her: Hence why I don’t hear from you no more
[01/06, 11:41] Me: Have i? Who?
[01/06, 11:41] Her: Good for you
[01/06, 11:42] Me: What?
[01/06, 11:42] Her: Probably some woman who thinks you’ve been done wrong by me
[01/06, 11:42] Her: And she’ll tell you all the ways that you weren’t in the wrong. And I’ll be slagged off. Which is fine by the way.
[01/06, 11:42] Me: I haven't spoken to anyone other than my mum on messenger! And it's been super busy at work so I've not been on my phone!
[01/06, 11:42] Her: 🤷🏻♀️
[01/06, 11:42] Her: Just saying
[01/06, 11:42] Her: Didn’t say I was right
[01/06, 11:43] Me: My mum came down here yesterday on a coach trip and I met her at lunchtime
[01/06, 11:43] Her: That’s really nice I’m pleased
[01/06, 11:43] Her: I’m glad you saw ur mum
[01/06, 11:43] Her: Is she ok
[01/06, 11:43] Me: No you're not bloody right. But you're making me out to be doing something that I'm not.
[01/06, 11:43] Her: I did just say.. I could be wrong
[01/06, 11:43] Me: You're telling me what I'm doing. When you're wrong.
[01/06, 11:43] Her: Fair enough
[01/06, 11:43] Her: Listen to me
[01/06, 11:43] Her: I said I could be wrong
[01/06, 11:44] Her: I did originally say I’m sorry I didn’t mean to sound d like I was telling you what to do with [son]. But you managed to make something out of it by saying I didn’t need to speak like that. I’m well aware.. hence the messages before of me apologising..
[01/06, 11:45] Her: What annoys me is.. you having such a shit reaction to me saying I’m not doing this now. When I really did get laid into when I got upset for saying the same thing last year??
[01/06, 11:47] Me: Right so like I said before, I was writing my message out WHILE you were writing more messages. Hence me never being able to get any point or explanation across to you because by the time I say something you've already said more so what i say is either irrelevant or misunderstood.
[01/06, 11:48] Her: Okay
[01/06, 11:48] Her: Same
[01/06, 12:03] Me: I always try to read what you say. But it's not my fault if i can't write a relevant reply back before you've written multiple messages since I started. I had absolutely no issue with you at all and I've just been made out to be doing all sorts this morning and it's just not fair because I haven't done anything.
[01/06, 12:04] Her: I have adhd. I’m not explaining myself again
[01/06, 12:04] Her: I said you hadn’t done anything
[01/06, 12:04] Me: Not asking yourself to. Just explaining what it's like my position. Or am I not allowed?
[01/06, 12:04] Her: I just said I felt bad for coming across bossy. I dunno you apologise for the way you are, and it’s still not enough 😎
[01/06, 12:06] Her: Can we just stop
[01/06, 12:06] Her: We’ve both explained
[01/06, 12:06] Her: We both understand. Let’s not keep trying to get our last word in
[01/06, 12:06] Me: I know I apologise for the way I am and it's not enough. Never is. I understand you apologised.
[01/06, 12:06] Her: See now you repeating my messages back to me. Heal your shadow self.
[01/06, 12:06] Me: Yes I'd like to stop.
[01/06, 12:06] Her: Trust me
[01/06, 12:06] Her: Ok. I won’t message you again then
[01/06, 12:07] Me: Huh? You literally just said I apologise and it's not enough. I was just agreeing.
[01/06, 12:07] Me: This has nothing to do with healing myself I literally haven't done anything wrong.
[01/06, 12:12] Me: Fine, blame me for it all and blank me as if im the evil monster. Have a nice day. I didn't do anything wrong in the first place.
[01/06, 12:17] Her: Oh okay
[01/06, 12:17] Her: I haven’t blamed you for anything mr.
[01/06, 12:18] Her: I just apologised for perhaps coming across agressively. I’ve just spoken to [son], we are going to listen to the places from outside the front door. I mentioned about tomorrow with you, and he got a bit worried about the planes. So perhaps give me some credit for trying to encourage him to try. I do give you a lot of credit, and it’s often missed and forgotten about
[01/06, 12:19] Her: This whole way of you messaging is completely different tho to the person I spoke to the other day 🤔 just different eh
[01/06, 12:27] Me: How am I different? I'm just me. But you are the one that started this thing off by borderline insulting me and I'm supposed to just lie down and take it? Then I'm a shit person for trying my best to explain myself? I havent said a single bad thing about you yet I'm getting accused of being different? When I've explained to you, work has been super busy. I get the feeling, and have pretty much had it spelled out that you don't want to hear from me anyway so I can't exactly keep bombarding you with messages can I? Because then I'll just be annoying and you'll get pissed off hearing anything from me. I have literally done nothing wrong this morning. I react to your messages which are semi aggressive and your accusations towards me and I get told I'm being shit basically. All I wanted was to ask about [son] about tomorrow and I even said I hope you're OK. Was not being any different to anything, at least until i started having to explain myself.
[01/06, 12:31] Her: Honestly is that the best you have? I apologised. You’ve just kicked in back in my face. I choose not to engage in this back and forth. You need to learn to read, and also take knowledge in what I say to you.
I told you I apologised.. I said I am very stressed this morning. Very. But still you have told me yet again I was agressive.. we know? I’ve said that? Why keep telling me? My apology not good enough?
[01/06, 12:31] Her: Ending this conversation now tbh. I don’t need to be continuously told that I’m such an awful person. I’m really not. Not at all. I’m one of the good ones :)
2024.06.01 14:26 LoveScoutCEO Fool Proof Real Life Dating Plan For Guys Who Don't Want to Pay For Dating Apps, Singles Tours, or Matchmakers. This works! If you are in you twenties and looking to get married, have kids, join the PTA, and coach little league - this will work for almost anyone who tries.
So, I get MANY DMs from guys who want some coaching. That is fine. I enjoy it and I never can quite work myself up to charge for it.
I try to get them to tell me the basics: who old they are, where they are from, what they do for a living, roughly what their long term earning potential appears to be, and what their relationship goals are. I probably should flesh this out a little more because I really need to know how ambitious they are and how they handle conflict and disagreement.
There Is No One Size Fits All Approach
My basic advice varies by who the man is, what his life experience has been, and what his relationship goals actually are. It really depends on a lot of variables.
For very confident guys with a lot of international travel experience - particularly guys over 35 - I tend to encourage them to just go back. If they want to sign up for an app, so be it. But those guys can usually do well overseas without much help at all. A good many of these guys are small business owners or military vets.
Often I am not sure why these guys are even asking me for advice. They don't need any help. Many have been to Ukraine or the Philippines before and they had a great time then. They are going to succeed.
For guys over 35, particularly if they have a track record of difficulty with women or in many cases rarely or ever date, I usually encourage them to consider AFA. A lot of these guys are IT professionals, lawyers, doctors, CPAs, and sometimes even trust fund heirs.
Many are in the 1% for intelligence, but have some issues with social skills. One was worth maybe $20 billion dollars. I didn't figure that out right away, because he did not tell anyone he was ridiculously wealthy.
Anyhow, these guys are the ones I have absolutely no problems urging to take an AFA tour. Meet some interesting women in real life. Many of these guys never meet a single woman in real life. A lot of them work mostly alone or in all male settings. A few - particularly those working in Silicon Valley - don't speak to women at their workplace, which was the traditional place that men like this met their mates starting in the 1970s, because HR has terrified them with sexual harassment "training."
For them an AFA tour often seems like a miracle, and I get a lot of positive feedback from them, but this leaves out at least half of the guys I who reach out to me.
The Other Guys
The other guys are more challenging to help. Sometimes going overseas is a real challenge. Sometimes guys are young and I rarely encourage guys under thirty to start international dating. Many do and I know it can and does work out sometimes, but sometimes it is more of a challenge.
Sometimes guys simply are not financially able to do international dating. It does take a certain amount of upfront capital - at least a few thousand dollars for a plane ticket and a week in a hotel somewhere.
Occasionally, I get the vibes that a guy is not emotionally ready for international dating or in fact ANY dating. I have had guys reach out to me a week after their wife moved out and left them nothing but a letter from her attorney saying she was filing for divorce. They are not in the right place in life.
A very few guys seem unbalanced and I try to encourage them to get some professional help before they start dating. At the very least read some self-help books about handling stress, relationships, and so on. This is pretty rare, but there are guys who are not ready for a relationship with a dog much less a woman.
What Do I Recommend?
For normal guys, particularly normal guys following a regular middle class career path, living in an American city that is at least a couple of hundred thousand people are larger who are under 35 here is my approach.
First, consider taking a college class. There are always more women than men in college classes these days, especially if you opt for a class that historically has higher female participation. Art history, psychology, and sociology are all great ideas. You will meet women - generally younger women - some of whom will be single.
Second, join a cross fit gym or something similar. Headphones have basically destroyed regular gyms as a social place. No one talks to anyone. That sucks and is a big part of the rise of cross fit because they are very social. Plus, you will get in shape and that is a positive.
Third, and this is probably the best advice. Start going to church. Look, in the United States in most mid-sized cities there are a huge range of churches. If you are conservative this should be incredibly easy, because the US is awash in conservative churches, but there are other choices.
Most large cities have some very accepting denominations like Unitarians and certain varieties of Lutheran, Episcopal, Presbyterian, and others. Heck, the Methodist church just blew itself apart over how conservative it should be. Just start going to churches until you find one that you find OK or better. If it helps you focus on you goals and improving how you treat others it is probably going to help you grow as a person.
Church Singles Groups
They will usually help you improve your dating life, because almost every church will help you meet single women. In the smallest church it might not be formalized, but most churches that are moderately sized have singles groups which normally have FAR more single women than single men. But don't trust me about it. Here is a whole article that explains the gender imbalance in churches.
I am focusing on Christian groups because that is what I know best, but this advice probably holds true in other religions too. I know it was true in the large synagogues in Los Angeles at one time, because I had one Jewish buddy who raved about it and I believe met his wife through a synagogue group.
So, your chances of success are very high. Essentially, the people who lead these groups are matchmakers and like all good matchmakers most of them are very invested in helping their members succeed.
And it works for a ton of people. Here is a longer article by some relationship coach about how to find a church singles group that works for you. It has some interesting information, but there are also large Christian dating groups not tied to one church - especially if you live in a large metro area. This article is tied to someone trying to earn a buck, but I have nothing against that, and it looks like a pretty good resource too.
Change Is Hard
So, I know there are some guys who have million reasons why this won't work for them before they have read down to here. Maybe it won't. Who knows? But if you want to change your life you have to take risks.
Change is hard and uncomfortable. But each of these suggestions do work regularly for certain singles. Why not you?
submitted by LoveScoutCEO to MailOrderBrideFacts [link] [comments]
I try to get them to tell me the basics: who old they are, where they are from, what they do for a living, roughly what their long term earning potential appears to be, and what their relationship goals are. I probably should flesh this out a little more because I really need to know how ambitious they are and how they handle conflict and disagreement.
There Is No One Size Fits All Approach
My basic advice varies by who the man is, what his life experience has been, and what his relationship goals actually are. It really depends on a lot of variables.
For very confident guys with a lot of international travel experience - particularly guys over 35 - I tend to encourage them to just go back. If they want to sign up for an app, so be it. But those guys can usually do well overseas without much help at all. A good many of these guys are small business owners or military vets.
Often I am not sure why these guys are even asking me for advice. They don't need any help. Many have been to Ukraine or the Philippines before and they had a great time then. They are going to succeed.
For guys over 35, particularly if they have a track record of difficulty with women or in many cases rarely or ever date, I usually encourage them to consider AFA. A lot of these guys are IT professionals, lawyers, doctors, CPAs, and sometimes even trust fund heirs.
Many are in the 1% for intelligence, but have some issues with social skills. One was worth maybe $20 billion dollars. I didn't figure that out right away, because he did not tell anyone he was ridiculously wealthy.
Anyhow, these guys are the ones I have absolutely no problems urging to take an AFA tour. Meet some interesting women in real life. Many of these guys never meet a single woman in real life. A lot of them work mostly alone or in all male settings. A few - particularly those working in Silicon Valley - don't speak to women at their workplace, which was the traditional place that men like this met their mates starting in the 1970s, because HR has terrified them with sexual harassment "training."
For them an AFA tour often seems like a miracle, and I get a lot of positive feedback from them, but this leaves out at least half of the guys I who reach out to me.
The Other Guys
The other guys are more challenging to help. Sometimes going overseas is a real challenge. Sometimes guys are young and I rarely encourage guys under thirty to start international dating. Many do and I know it can and does work out sometimes, but sometimes it is more of a challenge.
Sometimes guys simply are not financially able to do international dating. It does take a certain amount of upfront capital - at least a few thousand dollars for a plane ticket and a week in a hotel somewhere.
Occasionally, I get the vibes that a guy is not emotionally ready for international dating or in fact ANY dating. I have had guys reach out to me a week after their wife moved out and left them nothing but a letter from her attorney saying she was filing for divorce. They are not in the right place in life.
A very few guys seem unbalanced and I try to encourage them to get some professional help before they start dating. At the very least read some self-help books about handling stress, relationships, and so on. This is pretty rare, but there are guys who are not ready for a relationship with a dog much less a woman.
What Do I Recommend?
For normal guys, particularly normal guys following a regular middle class career path, living in an American city that is at least a couple of hundred thousand people are larger who are under 35 here is my approach.
First, consider taking a college class. There are always more women than men in college classes these days, especially if you opt for a class that historically has higher female participation. Art history, psychology, and sociology are all great ideas. You will meet women - generally younger women - some of whom will be single.
Second, join a cross fit gym or something similar. Headphones have basically destroyed regular gyms as a social place. No one talks to anyone. That sucks and is a big part of the rise of cross fit because they are very social. Plus, you will get in shape and that is a positive.
Third, and this is probably the best advice. Start going to church. Look, in the United States in most mid-sized cities there are a huge range of churches. If you are conservative this should be incredibly easy, because the US is awash in conservative churches, but there are other choices.
Most large cities have some very accepting denominations like Unitarians and certain varieties of Lutheran, Episcopal, Presbyterian, and others. Heck, the Methodist church just blew itself apart over how conservative it should be. Just start going to churches until you find one that you find OK or better. If it helps you focus on you goals and improving how you treat others it is probably going to help you grow as a person.
Church Singles Groups
They will usually help you improve your dating life, because almost every church will help you meet single women. In the smallest church it might not be formalized, but most churches that are moderately sized have singles groups which normally have FAR more single women than single men. But don't trust me about it. Here is a whole article that explains the gender imbalance in churches.
I am focusing on Christian groups because that is what I know best, but this advice probably holds true in other religions too. I know it was true in the large synagogues in Los Angeles at one time, because I had one Jewish buddy who raved about it and I believe met his wife through a synagogue group.
So, your chances of success are very high. Essentially, the people who lead these groups are matchmakers and like all good matchmakers most of them are very invested in helping their members succeed.
And it works for a ton of people. Here is a longer article by some relationship coach about how to find a church singles group that works for you. It has some interesting information, but there are also large Christian dating groups not tied to one church - especially if you live in a large metro area. This article is tied to someone trying to earn a buck, but I have nothing against that, and it looks like a pretty good resource too.
Change Is Hard
So, I know there are some guys who have million reasons why this won't work for them before they have read down to here. Maybe it won't. Who knows? But if you want to change your life you have to take risks.
Change is hard and uncomfortable. But each of these suggestions do work regularly for certain singles. Why not you?
2024.06.01 13:40 samacora Official - Weekend Free Chat Thread
Good Morning Patriots
__
Free place to chat and a good place to discuss whatever you like with other sub users
__
submitted by samacora to Patriots [link] [comments]
__
Free place to chat and a good place to discuss whatever you like with other sub users
__
2024 Opponents Set.
__Patriots front office tracker
__Meet New England’s 2024 Rookie Class.
Patriots updated depth chart
__New England Patriots News Catchup Links - OTA observations: Solid day for young rookies; QB throwdown
- Evan Lazar shares five observations as rookie QB Drake Maye and WR Javon Baker impress in second open OTA practice. 1. A ‘little things’ throw by Maye gets kudos from Jacoby.
- Mike Dussault finds Brian Belichick back where he’s happiest and grateful to be back coaching the Patriots safeties despite significant turnover across the rest of the staff and roster.
- Press Release: The Patriots and Beasley Media Group’s 98.5 The Sports Hub announce multi-year broadcast extension.
- Press Conferences: Jerod Mayo - Bailey Zappe - Chad Ryland - Jacoby Brissett - Jabrill Peppers - Deatrich Wise - Bryce Baringer - Brian Belichick - Dont’a Hightower - DeMarcus Covington - Jeremy Springer.
- Patriots Playbook: Takeaways from recent OTAs, Rookie expectations, potential changes to offseason schedule. (2 hours)
- Taylor Kyles’ Observations from Day 2 of open OTAs: Young offensive weapons made some big plays; Keion White assuming larger role in year 2; More.
- Mike Kadlick’s Patriots OTA Notebook: Tyquan Thornton is having another impressive spring; Maye’s footwork continues to be slower than the likes of Jacoby Brissett and Bailey Zappe, but the focus on honing in that part of his craft is there; Chad Ryland finished practice hitting 4 of 5 field goal attempts; More.
- Tom E. Curran and Phil Perry’s Wednesday OTA observations: Drake Maye starts slow, finishes strong; QB snap breakdown; More.
- Doug Kyed’s Patriots OTA Notes: Rookie WR Javon Baker impresses, Drake Maye sees more work; Sidy Sow’s lack of participation saw some reshuffling on the offensive line. Atonio Mafi and veteran guard Michael Jordan saw an increase in reps; More.
- Chris Mason gives us 7 takeaways from OTAs: Zappe over Maye in QB reps; Strong day for Tyquan; Guard rotation continues; More.
- Alex Barth’s OTA notebook: Spreading things out on offense; Cadence work; Hangtimes; Attendance; More.
- Nick Stevens notes rookie WR Javon Baker highlights a solid day for Patriots offense at OTAs
- Tom E. Curran and Phil Perry share their observations of QB Drake Maye from yesterday’s OTA practice session. “I’d give him an A-, B+ relative to what I would expect from him.”
- Matt Dolloff’s Mayewatch: Rookie QB Drake Maye looked solid in his latest open OTA practice, despite appearing to remain behind in the pecking order.
- Doug Kyed reports how Jacoby Brissett’s familiarity with the Patriots offense gives the entire unit an advantage.
- Karen Guregian says it isn’t a big deal why Drake Maye is still getting reps behind Bailey Zappe.
- Tom E. Curran and Phil Perry discuss Bailey Zappe’s role with the Pats, noting that Zappe has received more reps than Drake Maye this spring.
- Mike D’Abate observes QB Bailey Zappe “having fun” while competing for a spot on the depth chart.
- Andy Hart says the elephant in the QB room is the question of where Bailey Zappe fits on the QB depth chart.
- Alex Barth reports second-year defender Keion White was an early ‘surprise’ for Jerod Mayo.
- Chris Mason highlights kicker Chad Ryland eager to attack 2024 after a trying rookie season. “I’m no coward to a challenge.”
2024.06.01 13:02 AutoModerator [General Discussion] REGIONALS WEEK: Part III (2024)
/collegebaseball General Discussion Thread - REGIONALS WEEK: Part III (2024)
— Rules
— Guidelines
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— Inline Flair List
— Line Score Template
Regionals Week Games
| Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | Mon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28th | 29th | 30th | 31st | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
2024 Postseason Top 25
Mean+Median 3-Poll Composite| Rank | Team | Conference | D1B | BWA | USAT | Prev. | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tennessee Volunteers | SEC | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — |
| 2 | Kentucky Wildcats | SEC | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | — |
| 3 | Texas A&M Aggies | SEC | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | — |
| 4 | Arkansas Razorbacks | SEC | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | ↑1 |
| 5 | North Carolina Tar Heels | ACC | 6 | 4 | 5 | 6 | ↑1 |
| 6 | Clemson Tigers | ACC | 3 | 6 | 6 | 4 | ↓2 |
| 7 | Oregon State Beavers | Pac-12 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 7 | — |
| 8 | Florida State Seminoles | ACC | 9 | 7 | 8 | 8 | — |
| 9 | Georgia Bulldogs | SEC | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | — |
| 10 | Duke Blue Devils | ACC | 12 | 10 | 10 | 17 | ↑7 |
| 11 | Oklahoma Sooners | Big 12 | 8 | 14 | 11 | 11 | — |
| 12 | ECU Pirates | American | 14 | 13 | 12 | 10 | ↓2 |
| 13 | Virginia Cavaliers | ACC | 18 | 11 | 13 | 12 | ↓1 |
| 14 | Oklahoma State Cowboys | Big 12 | 16 | 12 | 14 | 18 | ↑4 |
| 15 | NC State Wolfpack | ACC | 11 | 15 | 15 | 14 | ↓1 |
| 16 | UCSB Gauchos | Big West | 13 | 16 | 16 | 15 | ↓1 |
| 17 | Wake Forest Demon Deacons | ACC | 19 | 18 | 17 | 19 | ↑2 |
| 18 | UC Irvine Anteaters | Big West | 21 | 17 | 18 | 13 | ↓5 |
| 19 | Arizona Wildcats | Pac-12 | 15 | 19 | 20 | 21 | ↑2 |
| 20 | Mississippi State Bulldogs | SEC | 17 | 20 | 19 | 16 | ↓4 |
| 21 | Indiana State Sycamores | MVC | 20 | 22 | 21 | 20 | ↓1 |
| 22 | Dallas Baptist Patriots | C-USA | 25 | 21 | 22 | 25 | ↑3 |
| 23 | Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns | Sun Belt | 22 | NR | 23 | 22 | ↓1 |
| 24 | Southern Miss Golden Eagles | Sun Belt | 23 | 24 | 24 | NR | ↑2 |
| 25 | LSU Tigers | SEC | 24 | 23 | NR | NR | ↑ |
| NR | Nebraska Cornhuskers | Big Ten | NR | NR | 25 | NR | ↑ |
| NR | San Diego Toreros | WCC | NR | 25 | NR | NR | ↑ |
D1B – D1Baseball
CBW – National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association
USAT – USA Today
2024 Division I League Champions
| Conference | Regular Season | Tournament |
|---|---|---|
| ACC | North Carolina | Duke ᴀꞯ |
| America East | Bryant | Bryant ᴀꞯ |
| American | ECU | Tulane ᴀꞯ |
| A-10 | Saint Louis | VCU ᴀꞯ |
| ASUN | Austin Peay, FGCU, & Stetson | Stetson ᴀꞯ |
| Big 12 | Oklahoma | Oklahoma State ᴀꞯ |
| Big East | Connecticut | St. John's ᴀꞯ |
| Big South | Presbyterian | High Point ᴀꞯ |
| Big Ten | Illinois | Nebraska ᴀꞯ |
| Big West | USCB ᴀꞯ | ɴᴏɴᴇ |
| CAA | Charleston | UNCW ᴀꞯ |
| C-USA | Louisiana Tech | Dallas Baptist ᴀꞯ |
| Horizon | Wright State | Northern Kentucky ᴀꞯ |
| Ivy League | Columbia | Pennsylvania ᴀꞯ |
| MAAC | Fairfield & Niagara | Niagara ᴀꞯ |
| MAC | Bowling Green | Western Michigan ᴀꞯ |
| Missouri Valley | Indiana State | Evansville ᴀꞯ |
| Mountain West | Air Force | Fresno State ᴀꞯ |
| NEC | Sacred Heart | Long Island ᴀꞯ |
| Ohio Valley | Little Rock | Southeast Missouri ᴀꞯ |
| Pac-12 | Arizona | Arizona ᴀꞯ |
| Patriot | Army | Army ᴀꞯ |
| SEC | Kentucky & Tennessee | Tennessee ᴀꞯ |
| SoCon | UNC Greensboro | Wofford ᴀꞯ |
| Southland | Lamar | Nicholls ᴀꞯ |
| Summit | St. Thomas | Oral Roberts ᴀꞯ |
| Sun Belt | Louisiana | Southern Miss ᴀꞯ |
| SWAC | Texas Southern | Grambling State ᴀꞯ |
| WAC | Grand Canyon ᴀꞯ | Tarleton State |
| West Coast | San Diego | San Diego ᴀꞯ |
2024.06.01 12:49 TFVooDoo A Note About Strength Training
Given the recent discussion of Shut Up And Ruck’s strength programming, I thought it might be appropriate to address a few lingering comments.
First, we’re not immune to criticism. It is perfectly reasonable to criticize whenever and whoever you want, even me. Clearly, the anonymity of the internet provides ample license to do so. I’m not infallible and I make at least one mistake every fiscal year. I get downvoted all the time and I recognize that many things that I say are taken as gospel based on my years of providing accurate information. I don’t take this leniency lightly. I’ve earned this gift and I don’t look gift horses in the mouth. I certainly don’t shy away from criticizing others, but I always seek to do so from a position of best intentions of the outcome. But if you think that it’s appropriate to draw conclusions like “He definitely doesn’t know what he’s talking about”, “It violates basic principles”, or my favorite “It looks like he stole this from X, Y, or Z” and you’re basing that on one tiny screenshot of one sample day of one singular domain absent of context of the entirety of the programming then you must be special. I wish I had that sort of clairvoyance.
Second, our programming is not a mistake. Is it aggressive? Absolutely. Is it wrong? Absolutely not. It is deliberate and intentional. A few points to consider:
-The higher percentages and rep ranges occur at the end of each cycle. You don’t start off at the high end, you finish there. The passage cited is 9 weeks post 1RM testing. At a minimum the higher % come 5 weeks after testing. You get stronger and the programming reflects that.
-Just because you’ve never done anything like this doesn’t mean much. We follow the evidence, and the literature clearly indicates that our recommendations are appropriate. Aggressive, but appropriate. Here are 6 sources, including some meta-analyses that bring the body of knowledge to several hundred; there are many more.
Source 1
Source 2
Source 3
Source 4
Source 5
Source 6
Your experience not withstanding, our programming is entirely valid. This is especially true given the other variables. 1) we prioritize intensity and we manifest that through heavy weights 2) you only lift each exercise 2 times in every 5 day cycle - plenty of time for macro recovery 3) you are resting up to 4 minutes between sets - plenty of time for micro recovery 4) you are only doing 3 lifts in a day and only one for that domain - you aren’t doing 3 sets of barbell bench, then 3 sets of incline, then 3 sets of decline, then some cable cross-overs, then some dumbbell flys, then finishing with some drop sets on the Smith machine. 1 exercise, at maximal intensity. No need to pace yourself. 5) we are seeking to balance strength and endurance. It’s impossible to fully address both simultaneously. There will inevitably be friction. 6) we are seeking to challenge you, not accommodate you. 7) we emphasize self-reflection, data analysis, and agency. If you are struggling to meet the listed criteria then we encourage you to program accordingly. It’s foundational to our approach.
But allow me to let you in on a little secret. Even though we cite no small amount of literature, you can find lots of literature that argues against our programming. In fact, there is so much ‘literature’ out there that you can find supporting information for damn near everything and anything. So, back to my first point, you are welcome to criticize. But you should at least provide some counter-evidence beyond “in my experience”. In the Taxonomy of Information, anecdotal testimony is the least rigorous. We have presented our arguments, you are invited to present yours. Or be a little more graceful in your criticism.
We are well aware of Prilepin’s optimal reps (for powerlifting), and the NASM 5 Phase Optimum Performance Training Model (which we follow) and the NSCA Performance Pyramid (which we follow). We don’t disagree that they are to be well considered. We did a full and complete survey of the information environment. But we stated in our introduction and made available for free our philosophy…we have no interest in preserving the credentialed protectorate of the fitness industry. SFAS is different, so shall the programming be.
Third, we didn’t “steal” another program and stack it on top of our own stuff. That’s not how this works. If you survey all of the programs and methodology out there, you will find a ton of overlap. If you follow established principles and seek consensus, then you end up looking a lot like the other stuff. Did we look at other programs? Yes, dozens of them. Did we steal them? No. The fact that we favor a more intense program that most programs don’t should make this argument moot. This is a serious accusation and should be reserved for the most egregious circumstances. You might not have experience with this type of programming, you might not be familiar with recent literature, and you are only seeing a very minuscule event absent of any of the other programming and ancillary elements.
Fourth, and finally, I want to address the unhinged discussion of cost. We’re particularly sensitive to this topic because we know that our target population skews younger and likely less affluent, so cost matters. And I don’t like calling guys out necessarily, but u/Certain-Exam-2577 and u/Potential_Presence67 ? You two can go fuck yourselves. You anonymous peices of shit decided from your castles on top of Mount Holy that we are looking for a “money grab”? I could have charged hundreds, I could put all of my content behind a paywall, and I could simply pump and dump and walk away to stack cash. But that’s not the case.
What do you two fucking genius economists think would be appropriate for 8 months of daily programming for strength, conditioning, rucking, mental prep, mobility, skills, recovery and much more? We charge 60 dollars. Let’s take a very small survey the prep environment and see where we stack up:
Evoke - 3 months, requires additional programming prerequisites, $65
Performance First - 3 months, $90
18A Fitness - 4 months, $179
Gritty Soldier - 3 months, $30
Mountain Tactical - 12 months, $329
Blue/Green Training - 11 weeks, $129
We’re looking pretty competitive given these numbers. And these are the better programs. We mostly like them (and others) and we have tremendous respect for their creators and coaches. We don’t think they are as good as ours, especially our ruck programming, but they’re in the ballpark. Many guys in this sub have used them and speak highly of them. There are also near endless shit programs out there. AI generated, generic, point-of-sale trash with slick marketing and zero support.
We are a complete program that covers every single domain, and we have well established our expertise for SFAS. But we don’t rely on reputation, we deliver. We research, analyze, synthesize, and present the most comprehensive program out there. For just 60 bucks. Hell, you’ll spend over half that on a blank journal…we’ve recommended this excellent journal many times. But that’s just a cool journal. Zero programming. So we think we’re not “grabbing” too much.
Our resident pricks go on to say that RUSU wasn’t worth $50. Good thing we only charge $40. And perhaps you’d prefer the 15+ year old, lack-luster competition? They’re in the same price range. They even take a cheap shot at our Muster events as just a ‘wAlK iN tHe wOoDs tHaT yOu cOuLd do for FrEe’ or ‘info you could probably find online’. Our “competition” is $750 and one of the programs isn’t even taught by a military guy, much less a Green Beret. You two retarded laureates haven’t even attended an event, so your opinion is irrelevant.
And I should put a pin in all of this money grab, predatory, grifter talk by reminding them that this is all voluntary. You don’t have to spend a single dime if you don’t want to. Lots of guys don’t do anything extra and they get Selected all the time. But if a guy wants to be compensated for his hard work and another guy wants to allocate the cost of a night out drinking, then maybe your keen criticism could be stymied a bit. I offer plenty of free advice and commentary every day. I note that neither of you provide anything of value.
So, that’s my assessment of the situation. You don’t have to be a part of the conversation, but I thought that I should let you know how I see it. I endlessly tell you about the importance of foot care, so it’s only fair that I weigh in on this important topic. I should note that there was also some very reasoned comments and lots of guys understanding the intent of the programming AND of the program. And the OP reached out via DM and we had a very reasonable and productive discussion. He gets it. And the number of guys commenting is <1% of the number of guys reading the actual full program. I like that guys are passionate about this stuff. If you get 10 Green Berets in a room you’ll get 11 different opinions on damn near every topic. You know what they say about opinions…
submitted by TFVooDoo to greenberets [link] [comments]
First, we’re not immune to criticism. It is perfectly reasonable to criticize whenever and whoever you want, even me. Clearly, the anonymity of the internet provides ample license to do so. I’m not infallible and I make at least one mistake every fiscal year. I get downvoted all the time and I recognize that many things that I say are taken as gospel based on my years of providing accurate information. I don’t take this leniency lightly. I’ve earned this gift and I don’t look gift horses in the mouth. I certainly don’t shy away from criticizing others, but I always seek to do so from a position of best intentions of the outcome. But if you think that it’s appropriate to draw conclusions like “He definitely doesn’t know what he’s talking about”, “It violates basic principles”, or my favorite “It looks like he stole this from X, Y, or Z” and you’re basing that on one tiny screenshot of one sample day of one singular domain absent of context of the entirety of the programming then you must be special. I wish I had that sort of clairvoyance.
Second, our programming is not a mistake. Is it aggressive? Absolutely. Is it wrong? Absolutely not. It is deliberate and intentional. A few points to consider:
-The higher percentages and rep ranges occur at the end of each cycle. You don’t start off at the high end, you finish there. The passage cited is 9 weeks post 1RM testing. At a minimum the higher % come 5 weeks after testing. You get stronger and the programming reflects that.
-Just because you’ve never done anything like this doesn’t mean much. We follow the evidence, and the literature clearly indicates that our recommendations are appropriate. Aggressive, but appropriate. Here are 6 sources, including some meta-analyses that bring the body of knowledge to several hundred; there are many more.
Source 1
Source 2
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Your experience not withstanding, our programming is entirely valid. This is especially true given the other variables. 1) we prioritize intensity and we manifest that through heavy weights 2) you only lift each exercise 2 times in every 5 day cycle - plenty of time for macro recovery 3) you are resting up to 4 minutes between sets - plenty of time for micro recovery 4) you are only doing 3 lifts in a day and only one for that domain - you aren’t doing 3 sets of barbell bench, then 3 sets of incline, then 3 sets of decline, then some cable cross-overs, then some dumbbell flys, then finishing with some drop sets on the Smith machine. 1 exercise, at maximal intensity. No need to pace yourself. 5) we are seeking to balance strength and endurance. It’s impossible to fully address both simultaneously. There will inevitably be friction. 6) we are seeking to challenge you, not accommodate you. 7) we emphasize self-reflection, data analysis, and agency. If you are struggling to meet the listed criteria then we encourage you to program accordingly. It’s foundational to our approach.
But allow me to let you in on a little secret. Even though we cite no small amount of literature, you can find lots of literature that argues against our programming. In fact, there is so much ‘literature’ out there that you can find supporting information for damn near everything and anything. So, back to my first point, you are welcome to criticize. But you should at least provide some counter-evidence beyond “in my experience”. In the Taxonomy of Information, anecdotal testimony is the least rigorous. We have presented our arguments, you are invited to present yours. Or be a little more graceful in your criticism.
We are well aware of Prilepin’s optimal reps (for powerlifting), and the NASM 5 Phase Optimum Performance Training Model (which we follow) and the NSCA Performance Pyramid (which we follow). We don’t disagree that they are to be well considered. We did a full and complete survey of the information environment. But we stated in our introduction and made available for free our philosophy…we have no interest in preserving the credentialed protectorate of the fitness industry. SFAS is different, so shall the programming be.
Third, we didn’t “steal” another program and stack it on top of our own stuff. That’s not how this works. If you survey all of the programs and methodology out there, you will find a ton of overlap. If you follow established principles and seek consensus, then you end up looking a lot like the other stuff. Did we look at other programs? Yes, dozens of them. Did we steal them? No. The fact that we favor a more intense program that most programs don’t should make this argument moot. This is a serious accusation and should be reserved for the most egregious circumstances. You might not have experience with this type of programming, you might not be familiar with recent literature, and you are only seeing a very minuscule event absent of any of the other programming and ancillary elements.
Fourth, and finally, I want to address the unhinged discussion of cost. We’re particularly sensitive to this topic because we know that our target population skews younger and likely less affluent, so cost matters. And I don’t like calling guys out necessarily, but u/Certain-Exam-2577 and u/Potential_Presence67 ? You two can go fuck yourselves. You anonymous peices of shit decided from your castles on top of Mount Holy that we are looking for a “money grab”? I could have charged hundreds, I could put all of my content behind a paywall, and I could simply pump and dump and walk away to stack cash. But that’s not the case.
What do you two fucking genius economists think would be appropriate for 8 months of daily programming for strength, conditioning, rucking, mental prep, mobility, skills, recovery and much more? We charge 60 dollars. Let’s take a very small survey the prep environment and see where we stack up:
Evoke - 3 months, requires additional programming prerequisites, $65
Performance First - 3 months, $90
18A Fitness - 4 months, $179
Gritty Soldier - 3 months, $30
Mountain Tactical - 12 months, $329
Blue/Green Training - 11 weeks, $129
We’re looking pretty competitive given these numbers. And these are the better programs. We mostly like them (and others) and we have tremendous respect for their creators and coaches. We don’t think they are as good as ours, especially our ruck programming, but they’re in the ballpark. Many guys in this sub have used them and speak highly of them. There are also near endless shit programs out there. AI generated, generic, point-of-sale trash with slick marketing and zero support.
We are a complete program that covers every single domain, and we have well established our expertise for SFAS. But we don’t rely on reputation, we deliver. We research, analyze, synthesize, and present the most comprehensive program out there. For just 60 bucks. Hell, you’ll spend over half that on a blank journal…we’ve recommended this excellent journal many times. But that’s just a cool journal. Zero programming. So we think we’re not “grabbing” too much.
Our resident pricks go on to say that RUSU wasn’t worth $50. Good thing we only charge $40. And perhaps you’d prefer the 15+ year old, lack-luster competition? They’re in the same price range. They even take a cheap shot at our Muster events as just a ‘wAlK iN tHe wOoDs tHaT yOu cOuLd do for FrEe’ or ‘info you could probably find online’. Our “competition” is $750 and one of the programs isn’t even taught by a military guy, much less a Green Beret. You two retarded laureates haven’t even attended an event, so your opinion is irrelevant.
And I should put a pin in all of this money grab, predatory, grifter talk by reminding them that this is all voluntary. You don’t have to spend a single dime if you don’t want to. Lots of guys don’t do anything extra and they get Selected all the time. But if a guy wants to be compensated for his hard work and another guy wants to allocate the cost of a night out drinking, then maybe your keen criticism could be stymied a bit. I offer plenty of free advice and commentary every day. I note that neither of you provide anything of value.
So, that’s my assessment of the situation. You don’t have to be a part of the conversation, but I thought that I should let you know how I see it. I endlessly tell you about the importance of foot care, so it’s only fair that I weigh in on this important topic. I should note that there was also some very reasoned comments and lots of guys understanding the intent of the programming AND of the program. And the OP reached out via DM and we had a very reasonable and productive discussion. He gets it. And the number of guys commenting is <1% of the number of guys reading the actual full program. I like that guys are passionate about this stuff. If you get 10 Green Berets in a room you’ll get 11 different opinions on damn near every topic. You know what they say about opinions…
2024.06.01 12:48 thefirstuwu being stood down for standing up for my self
I'll try to keep it short and simple I am Asian Vietnamese for anyone who's curios and we have one of classmate we can call E. E and I have a really saulty past mostly because she is a racist and she plays rugby the rugby part will be important later for some added context we have a classbook for those who dont know what that is its basically its where you get in school stood down if your name go on it. I live in NZ and rugby is one of the most played sport here and one of our dean mr E is a family friend of E and a rugby coach for her team so on thursday we have a sub for english and she was back to saying racist stuff to me and I just snaped and insult her in every way i know how to she started complaining to the subs that oh shouldn't i be written in the book and he said no he said that he even back me up if I get in trouble and here is the problem on friday E told my actual english teacher and in social study I get call out of class saying that I was being racist to her I told the dean that even the sub saw it he just get pissed and told me that I was antagonizing the sweet and innocent E and stop playing the victim so now I will be stood down for the fifth period how do I deal with this.
submitted by thefirstuwu to teenagers [link] [comments]
2024.06.01 12:28 InLawsWantMeGone My (32M) sister in law and her husband told my partner (30F) to consider breaking off our 10 year relationship. We have a meeting later today to discuss this drama. How can I navigate this uncomfortable conversation?
tldr; while my partner was visiting her sister last weekend, my sister in-law and her husband told her to break up with me. Now I don't trust them. We have a meeting today to discuss how to move forward. Help!
Background:
My (32M) partner (30F) and I met in 2011 at university. We kissed for the first time, and started a relationship in 2012. It was beautiful, so so beautiful. We were two inseparable love birds. The amazing memories from those years will last me a lifetime. In 2015 we started facing challenges in our communication. We failed to resolve them and ultimately broke up/reconciled twice between 2015 and 2018.
During the breakup we tried to live our lives, forget each other, meet other people. She even moved to another country and had a great time there. We had minimal communication while broken up: sharing only major milestones like graduation, or the random message when she got a tattoo etc. Eventually she moved back to the same country. We started talking again and agreed that we would fight to make our relationship work. We worked out our issues. Since 2018, we've been learning and growing together. We've had arguments, especially when adjusting to living together. Things are still not PERFECT but I was convinced they are good, until last weekend.....
The issue:
My GF visited her sister (35F), the husband and their 2 daughters. When she came back, she wasn't in a good mood. She started picking a fight with me about dishes, laundry and other small things. I was shocked. We didn't see each other for a weekend, and this is the hello I got. I had actually done 3 loads of laundry that weekend. I cleaned her lunch boxes and pots from the previous week that had started developing mould. The fight was very unreasonable. Ultimately she told me that she was doubting/confused about our relationship. I'm thinking: WTF!!
It's not the first time we fight after she talks to her sister. So I dug and she eventually told me that in laws wanted her to reflect on breaking up with me. It went far. They offered her a place to stay if she would need a few months to process the breakup. I became more confused the more details I learned. At family events they are always friendly. When I got the impression that they don't like me, my partner assured me that they all thought I'm a great guy. Well, it's now clear that although I'm a great guy, just not the right guy for their "little sister." I've known this woman much longer than the sister has known her husband. The arguments they made are along the lines of: I'm holding her back from her dreams, I have no direction in life, cultural differences. A suggestion was made (not sure if by my GF or them) that I may be manipulating her. As a result, I find it hard to discuss with her now because, will she just say I'm manipulating her when I share my views? According to my gf, they reiterated that I'm a nice person, just not the person for her. Part of it could be financial. I'm not close to f.e. having enough savings to purchase a house (which I know is her dream, it's mine too, I'm just not there yet).
Anyway, we're meeting later today, all four of us. I don't trust them anymore. I don't feel comfortable with my partner visiting them. I don't want to visit them either. I don't think I even want to talk to them at family events anymore. I feel angry, disgusted, humiliated, and stabbed in the back. I have so many questions. Who else did they talk to? Other siblings, the parents? How long have they been thinking this? Is my girlfriend telling me the full truth or is she protecting her family by withholding certain information? (she's done this in the past) It's a mess.
Some other context:
The truth is, if I could, I would never talk to them again, I miss nothing in my life by avoiding them. But how do I ensure that i don't push my GF from her family and create more resentment either towards me or the sister?
If you read this far, I appreciate it, and happy to hear your thoughts!
submitted by InLawsWantMeGone to relationship_advice [link] [comments]
Background:
My (32M) partner (30F) and I met in 2011 at university. We kissed for the first time, and started a relationship in 2012. It was beautiful, so so beautiful. We were two inseparable love birds. The amazing memories from those years will last me a lifetime. In 2015 we started facing challenges in our communication. We failed to resolve them and ultimately broke up/reconciled twice between 2015 and 2018.
During the breakup we tried to live our lives, forget each other, meet other people. She even moved to another country and had a great time there. We had minimal communication while broken up: sharing only major milestones like graduation, or the random message when she got a tattoo etc. Eventually she moved back to the same country. We started talking again and agreed that we would fight to make our relationship work. We worked out our issues. Since 2018, we've been learning and growing together. We've had arguments, especially when adjusting to living together. Things are still not PERFECT but I was convinced they are good, until last weekend.....
The issue:
My GF visited her sister (35F), the husband and their 2 daughters. When she came back, she wasn't in a good mood. She started picking a fight with me about dishes, laundry and other small things. I was shocked. We didn't see each other for a weekend, and this is the hello I got. I had actually done 3 loads of laundry that weekend. I cleaned her lunch boxes and pots from the previous week that had started developing mould. The fight was very unreasonable. Ultimately she told me that she was doubting/confused about our relationship. I'm thinking: WTF!!
It's not the first time we fight after she talks to her sister. So I dug and she eventually told me that in laws wanted her to reflect on breaking up with me. It went far. They offered her a place to stay if she would need a few months to process the breakup. I became more confused the more details I learned. At family events they are always friendly. When I got the impression that they don't like me, my partner assured me that they all thought I'm a great guy. Well, it's now clear that although I'm a great guy, just not the right guy for their "little sister." I've known this woman much longer than the sister has known her husband. The arguments they made are along the lines of: I'm holding her back from her dreams, I have no direction in life, cultural differences. A suggestion was made (not sure if by my GF or them) that I may be manipulating her. As a result, I find it hard to discuss with her now because, will she just say I'm manipulating her when I share my views? According to my gf, they reiterated that I'm a nice person, just not the person for her. Part of it could be financial. I'm not close to f.e. having enough savings to purchase a house (which I know is her dream, it's mine too, I'm just not there yet).
Anyway, we're meeting later today, all four of us. I don't trust them anymore. I don't feel comfortable with my partner visiting them. I don't want to visit them either. I don't think I even want to talk to them at family events anymore. I feel angry, disgusted, humiliated, and stabbed in the back. I have so many questions. Who else did they talk to? Other siblings, the parents? How long have they been thinking this? Is my girlfriend telling me the full truth or is she protecting her family by withholding certain information? (she's done this in the past) It's a mess.
Some other context:
- My partner has been feeling low energy for a while and recently shared with her sister that she sometimes has suicidal thoughts.
- My partner and all her family are white, EU. I am black, non-EU.
- Their native language is my FIFTH language. I speak relatively well, although I am uncomfortable in a family context with fast-paced group conversations. I am usually quiet during family gatherings unless I have a 1-1 conversation.
- I am currently not working, I'm receiving unemployment benefits which isn't much money but enough to cover my basic expenses. GF is doing quite well financially.
- I'm not actively looking for a job but rather completing a 7 month, full-time data science bootcamp, accredited by government, working on real use cases with real companies, career coaching etc so I'm confident in securing a job in the coming months when the training is complete.
- GFs sister recently had kids and has shared her desire for GF to start having kids too so their kids can grow up together (I want to wait with kids until I secure a job after my training and have a better financial circumstances)
- When we got back together after 2018, we decided to move in together and I applied for a family reunion through my gf (better possibilities for me in terms of access to the job market). I live in EU for 18 years but have no nationality.
- My partner says that she's 99% sure about us (i can live with the 1% doubt lol)
- Partner is willing to go low contact with sister but I feel bad because she loves her nieces and actually 3 weeks ago, her and her sister had a heart to heart where they both cried and reaffirmed their sibling love for each other
- we are having a call to discuss how to move forward with our relationship, all four of us.
The truth is, if I could, I would never talk to them again, I miss nothing in my life by avoiding them. But how do I ensure that i don't push my GF from her family and create more resentment either towards me or the sister?
If you read this far, I appreciate it, and happy to hear your thoughts!
2024.06.01 11:52 bestbettingid Indian Cricket Teams Start practicing for world Cup 2024
 | Betting IDIndia had their inaugural training session before the 2024 T20 World Cup Betting id and it is reliably known that coach Rahul Dravid is not a happy man with the “average” facilities provided to the team in Cant ague Park. Rohit Sharma and Co. gathered for a midday session on Wednesday and worked off three of the six practice pitches that have been put down at the temporary venue.https://preview.redd.it/p2en59ttmx3d1.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=cc09bba5513c1a4e3037a41eb5e7b561a0240b30 “Everything is temporary – pitches and other arrangements. I will say everything is very average everything. The team has voiced their concerns,” adds the source. Betting ID ProviderCricket Next reached out to the International Cricket Council (ICC) for their reaction to coach Dravid’s comments and the world body said “no team has as yet expressed any concern or issue regarding practice facilities at Cant ague Park”.Besides the facilities, it is understood that arrangements for feeding the players at the venue were also not proper. Media covering the game were fed in boxes and players were also not pleased. The issue of feeding was also flagged by the BCCI. Cricket Betting idIndia takes on Bangladesh in their lone warm-up game on June 1 and will utilize the facilities at Cant ague Park until that date. Even thereafter, it will be the sole training base for the Men in Blue as they will play three of their four group matches – vs Pakistan, USA and Ireland – in New York – before heading to Florida for the final game against Canada.The Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York offers no practice facilities and the modular venue will be used only for the games. The world body has designated Cant ague Park as the official practice venue for teams and the ground is quite a distance from the stadium. For Online Betting id on cricket tournaments, you have a cricket id to do it. We are best Betting ID provider with lots of features like self-withdrawal, self-deposit and 24x7 support. We offer a vide variety of betting id options to user according to their interest. https://preview.redd.it/qh0ogi3vmx3d1.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=b2ebe0b532ddcfe614539f5bb60c626329a08ce6 Live Betting IDThe build-up to the 2024 edition of the World Cup has not been ideal as there is no excitement whatsoever about the event. Besides the issues of the temporary facilities, weather too has not been friendly. Rain played in some parts of New York and storm in Dallas has also caused damage to the venue for T20 World Cup.Visit our official website:bestbettingid.com Visit Our Social Links: Facebook :https://www.facebook.com/Betkaro247 Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/betkaro247 |
2024.06.01 11:39 AdEffective7894s What is love
ta - ta ta ta ta ta - ta- ta ta ta ta ta - ta -ta ta ta ta ta -taSo a user who I cannot name due to the sub rules asked me what i think love is.... and I was stumped.
Not suprising considering I am a 30 year old hlkl virgin
That doesn't mean that i haven't ever fallen in love, but if i were to express what that felt like I am sure the mean old tooth lady would come along and talk about how childishly banal that concept of love is and only people who have been in mutual relationships would know what love is..... which i cant really refute.
Trying to recall what it felt like to 'love' someone, was like trying to look through smudged glass - the details are distorted and it feels like i was observing a stranger.
Best as i can tell, there seems to be a base attraction that was present most of the times I ever felt like i was in love. It feels like a physical force, inevitable like gravity. An inexorable pull dragging me and my eyes towards the other person. I felt more alive simply being around them. I wanted to know more about them, i was realy interested, but understanding them wasn't the goal. IN one specific case everything she did turned me off but the draw was persistent and all consuming. Truly, i would have agreed with anything she said to have her touch me, to breath the scent of her skin, to lose myself in her curls... it was at once uncomfortable and the best feeling in the world.
In another instance i felt the very same draw and i liked who she was as a person too.... It made the intensity stronger
She was stunning, and i was me. We were similar people, both wearing masks of the perfect son and the perfect daughter, but every now and then i saw a shift in her eyes that made me acutely aware that she was hiding herself. We became friends. She confided in me about her terrible life at home, the restrictions, the abuses, and it made me desperately sad. My heart hurt, i wanted to be there. I would have done anything to be her sanctuary. .... I listened to songs that reminded me about her. I used to look at her and try to memories the lines of her face to remember her exactly as she was when i was not with her.
As it turns out she was using me as an excuse to get out of her house. I was a smart kid and her parents wanted her to do well so going to my house for coaching was something her parents would agree with. She would leave early and hook up with a mutual friend of ours. I was stunned when i found out, but i didn't begrudge her the happiness. She was in a tough spot and if she needed to use me to get her happy ending, so be it ( they got married by the way, good for them)
Then there were relationships which were devoid of lust ( the draw) . These people were my friends. I cared deeply about them. I don't know if it was platonic or romantic but i would have done anything to make them happy.
One girl was pretty clear that we could be nothing but friends, so when i felt myself falling in love I was going to confess, but i saw her face. We were both pretty good friends so i could see that she didnt want me to confess, just as she could see that i was going to. I just smiled and shook my head, and she sighed with relief. I burried my feelings for her and got over it. I never felt like she was trying totake advantage of me or use me for attention, so i stayed friends with her without any reservations
the other girl ... she was over weight, and in a bad place. She felt unattractive and was crying in front of me. calling herself ugly. i was grieving there with her. I normal pride myself on being honest, and normally i would have tried cheering her up telling her about her positive qualities that had nothing to do with her looks.( that would have made it worse i am sure). At that moment i lied to her. Funny thing is it didnt feel like a lie at all, to me she was the most precious girl in the world. I pulled her close and held her, telling her that she was the most beautiful girl in the world while she sobbed into me. After 30 seconds she jerked herself out of my grasp and asked me to leave. We stayed friends but it stayed awkward after that. I took it to mean she didn't want me to be the one to call her beautiful.
What i am saying is that i think i know what love feels like. Both without sexual attraction, and with it.
In the present I have mutilated my own personality to stop feeling as shitty as i did and in the process i may have torn out some parts that made me capable of loving someone. I have never met a new woman worth knowing in the last 3 years. ... i don't see how i can ever fall in love if i want nothing to do with them....
I think a big part of my method of loving someone is to be able to empathize with them, to literal feel heartbroken when they are sad to feel elated when they are happy.....and now that i have stripped myself of it / or drilled into myself that i will never empathize for another person again, I think i may have destroyed my ability to love.
As an incel this is a good thing.
Love, breeds desire and desire breeds entitlement. Nothing worse than an entitled incel after all. Worse than rapists and abusers and all that.
But in-spite of accepting that conclusion , I am curious. I feel like an ant trying to gain self awareness. Gaining self awareness changes nothing for an ant, it will get crushed underfoot just as easily as it would without being self aware. But as useless as understanding love might be for an incel, i would like to know.
What is love to you people? Red-pillers, Blue-pillers, Sex-havers, whatever you are. Tell me what you think love is. For posterity sake.
Caveat -
Redpillers - I don't want to hear about chemical reactions in the brain. All emotions are chemicals in the brain. We don't disregard frustration and anger the way we disregard love as chemicals. Give an honest answer. Please. Just do me a solid
Women - if you bring up the man needing to have things that point to stability and ability to provide, i am sorry but i am gonna say that it isnt love but rather opportunism.
Also i may get uncomfortably jealous of your lives and express as much to you.
2024.06.01 11:38 Short_Voice_4233 I finally got my first period 1 year into recovery!
Hiii :) I am writing because I am partly excited that I got my first period in almost 5 YEARS!🥳 but it took a while (1 year of recovery) and a lot of weight to gain. I am also a bit scared that I am going to have to gain even more weight, if getting my period back is only the first sign of my body healing. I overshot all the way into the “obese” BMI category and it doesn’t seem like this weight gain is going to stop anytime soon, no matter how much or little I eat. I am still really hungry (I wouldn’t say I am extremely hungry, but the hunger it still strong) and I struggle to honour it because even when eating 3 meals a day, I gain. My last blood test results showed that I have high cortisol levels and I’m assuming that has something to do with my body gaining and holding on to the weight. I don’t have the possibility to work with an ED specialised dietician or coach so I have to figure things out mainly on my own (with the help of a lot of reading and research). I guess what I would like to ask you is what do you think a first period in recovery is a sign of? That it’s still a long process to come? Or that my body is at a point where it trusts me more? Because I feel like up until now all my body did was store fat without using it for healing. Anything you consider would be helpful for me to know, I would really appreciate your input! Hugs 🤗
submitted by Short_Voice_4233 to fuckeatingdisorders [link] [comments]
2024.06.01 11:38 Phantom42CBM Need Advice from 23 24 Droppers
So i got around 95%ile in Mains and scoring around 90 Marks ( as per FIITJEE answer key)...well i am considering to take drop and not having any double thoughts about it..I will take PW Infinity Batch ( my offline coaching betrayed almost all my intial faculty got replaced in 2 yrs ..no good offline coaching here)..Please can you guide me how can i give Part wise tests ( mathongo do not have it ,, allens test structure is not for me)...also please help me about how to solve doubts and stuff onine any platform or such.
submitted by Phantom42CBM to JEENEETards [link] [comments]
2024.06.01 11:03 n22rwrdr This tournament isn't "Belgium's golden generation's" last chance
I've seen several people saying once again that this is Belgium's golden generation's last chance to do something but I don't really understand why.
It's quite widely known that this "golden generation" started at the 2014 WC and peaked at the 2018 WC. There are only 4 players left in the squad from 2014: Vertonghen, Witsel, De Bruyne and Lukaku. From 2016 you can add Carrasco and Meunier and from 2018 we have Tielemans and Casteels (who barely or didn't feature at all).
That means 17 of our players were not even part of the team when the golden generation peaked, how could they even be part of it? Even if you extend to our squad from the last Euro you can add Sels, Trossard, Castagne and Doku. That's still more than half of our squad who weren't there when it was already considered our "last chance to win something".
Honestly I feel like it's a lazy narrative that we'll continue to hear at every tournament until De Bruyne retires because it makes no sense to call our current squad the golden generation when most players have less than 20 caps. I can see an argument for the 2022 world cup because we still had the same coach and the likes of Hazard, Mertens or Alderweireld were still there but now? Definitely not.
submitted by n22rwrdr to euro2024 [link] [comments]
It's quite widely known that this "golden generation" started at the 2014 WC and peaked at the 2018 WC. There are only 4 players left in the squad from 2014: Vertonghen, Witsel, De Bruyne and Lukaku. From 2016 you can add Carrasco and Meunier and from 2018 we have Tielemans and Casteels (who barely or didn't feature at all).
That means 17 of our players were not even part of the team when the golden generation peaked, how could they even be part of it? Even if you extend to our squad from the last Euro you can add Sels, Trossard, Castagne and Doku. That's still more than half of our squad who weren't there when it was already considered our "last chance to win something".
Honestly I feel like it's a lazy narrative that we'll continue to hear at every tournament until De Bruyne retires because it makes no sense to call our current squad the golden generation when most players have less than 20 caps. I can see an argument for the 2022 world cup because we still had the same coach and the likes of Hazard, Mertens or Alderweireld were still there but now? Definitely not.
2024.06.01 09:22 theonecpk How to increase angles? Do I even need to?
TLDR: I struggle to hit the pocket with more than 4º of angle but am otherwise highly accurate. Is this is a serious problem or nah?
Background: I am a strong intermediate to weak advanced bowler with about 15 years of total competitive experience, but only 1 month of said experience in the last 20 years. When I quit back then I was holding a 215 average. I currently bowl a doubles house-pattern league (currently 200 average and climbing) and a challenge-pattern singles league (currently 195 average and climbing).
I currently bowl at a quirky, ancient bowling center (though recently remodeled) with extreme environmental issues. Lanes 1-14 (the "low side") have low ceilings and extreme problems with humidity. The doubles league is on the low side. Lanes 15-32 (the "high side") are built over a parking garage and the lane surface is extremely cold in the winter and hot in the summer. The challenge league is on the high side. The high side also has Specto available (the ceilings are too low on the low side).
As a result of the challenging environmental conditions and a lack of enthusiasm for competitive bowling in my part of the country, 200 is considered a good average (I am in the top 10 in the doubles league and the top 20 in the singles league).
How I bowl: Thanks to Specto availability, I know my speed/rev profile: average 17.5 mph and 375 RPM. This puts me as balanced to mildly rev-dominant. This is a shock because before I was made aware Specto was available at this center, I was quite sure I was speed dominant given the way my ball reacts. I may have chosen the wrong arsenal as a result: IQ Tour Edition, Sublime, Hellcat XLR8, Black Venom, and Hammer Axe. All are 14# and generally drilled in the neighborhood of 5x4x3, though the Sublime is 4x4x2. I have slightly lower-than-average axis rotation and tilt.
As a result of my arsenal choice and having to adapt to the screwy environmental conditions of my home center, I tend to prefer the outside track; typically 15 foul, 12 arrows, 8-9 breakpoint. However, when I look at my results on Specto, I struggle to exceed 4º of impact angle. I understand that 6º would be a lot better. I suspect I get higher angles at other houses, but this is the only center I am aware of locally that provides Specto, so I wouldn't know.
There's two concerns I have:
What will this mean when I start exploring tournaments later this year? Will high accuracy but poor angles be an advantage or disadvantage? Should I hire a coach to work on my ability to identify and exploit them, maybe at another center with more favorable conditions? Maybe I need a massive honking pearl like Magic Gem or Journey? Or should I just continue to improve my accuracy and play to my current strengths?
submitted by theonecpk to Bowling [link] [comments]
Background: I am a strong intermediate to weak advanced bowler with about 15 years of total competitive experience, but only 1 month of said experience in the last 20 years. When I quit back then I was holding a 215 average. I currently bowl a doubles house-pattern league (currently 200 average and climbing) and a challenge-pattern singles league (currently 195 average and climbing).
I currently bowl at a quirky, ancient bowling center (though recently remodeled) with extreme environmental issues. Lanes 1-14 (the "low side") have low ceilings and extreme problems with humidity. The doubles league is on the low side. Lanes 15-32 (the "high side") are built over a parking garage and the lane surface is extremely cold in the winter and hot in the summer. The challenge league is on the high side. The high side also has Specto available (the ceilings are too low on the low side).
As a result of the challenging environmental conditions and a lack of enthusiasm for competitive bowling in my part of the country, 200 is considered a good average (I am in the top 10 in the doubles league and the top 20 in the singles league).
How I bowl: Thanks to Specto availability, I know my speed/rev profile: average 17.5 mph and 375 RPM. This puts me as balanced to mildly rev-dominant. This is a shock because before I was made aware Specto was available at this center, I was quite sure I was speed dominant given the way my ball reacts. I may have chosen the wrong arsenal as a result: IQ Tour Edition, Sublime, Hellcat XLR8, Black Venom, and Hammer Axe. All are 14# and generally drilled in the neighborhood of 5x4x3, though the Sublime is 4x4x2. I have slightly lower-than-average axis rotation and tilt.
As a result of my arsenal choice and having to adapt to the screwy environmental conditions of my home center, I tend to prefer the outside track; typically 15 foul, 12 arrows, 8-9 breakpoint. However, when I look at my results on Specto, I struggle to exceed 4º of impact angle. I understand that 6º would be a lot better. I suspect I get higher angles at other houses, but this is the only center I am aware of locally that provides Specto, so I wouldn't know.
There's two concerns I have:
- I have no freaking carry. I almost never see messengers and I am constantly leaving 7 pins--in fact, 7 pin leaves are more common than flat 10s. I also seem to get a lot of ringing 10s and solid 8s.
- If I try to open up my angles, I can't seem to get back to the pocket and wash out, or I break too early and go through the nose. This could be caused by environmental issues. It could also be a bad arsenal configuration.
What will this mean when I start exploring tournaments later this year? Will high accuracy but poor angles be an advantage or disadvantage? Should I hire a coach to work on my ability to identify and exploit them, maybe at another center with more favorable conditions? Maybe I need a massive honking pearl like Magic Gem or Journey? Or should I just continue to improve my accuracy and play to my current strengths?
2024.06.01 09:16 NoUsb Discovered a niche but feel it is 'not a real occupation' how do I join the dots?
After years of working in project management, I have recently written books and started a small youtube plus podcast etc and discovered that is what I actually like. I have been made redundant and having no luck getting another job decided to think about coaching and organisational development consultancy.
I have just realised that what I am best at is designing websites, creative projects, writing etc. Is this a viable thing to offer? Should I offer this as part of a bigger OD offer? I am hugely qualified in management/law, so I don't want to throw this away.
submitted by NoUsb to careerguidance [link] [comments]
I have just realised that what I am best at is designing websites, creative projects, writing etc. Is this a viable thing to offer? Should I offer this as part of a bigger OD offer? I am hugely qualified in management/law, so I don't want to throw this away.