I don’t know if this is allowed, but I’ve recently become interested in doing a DNA test for fun. For myself, my partner and my daughter. As far as I know, I have British (English and Scots, my father recently found out a family rumour was true and he’s related to clan Bell) and Dutch ancestry (my mum’s side, her grandmother was Belgian but other than that we know nothing about her side of the family). My partner is Black American and based on pics of his mum (they do not have a relationship) we assume she may have some native American ancestry. He’s also more interested in finding out which part of Africa his ancestors came from. I think it would be so cool for my daughter to see all the different parts of the world she’s connected to. I guess I’d just like to know which test would be best for us (23 and me or Ancestry) and if all three of us should take a test or not. I also keep seeing things about updates here, so I’m wondering if you need to buy the test and then pay for a subscription? Hope someone’s willing to answer even if these are stupid questions 😄

The world was dark, there was no sense of touch, and there was nothing to see. A sense of touch manifested, a cold and wet floor could be felt. A sense of hearing developed, a deep ringing could be heard. A sense of thought sprung from a mind. "Where am I?" A sense of sight had been acquired, he was in a room, white as far as the eye could see Movement was now possible as the man stood up, he realized that he was standing on water, so pristine and clear and yet there was no reflection.
He could hear his heart beating loudly almost like it was going to leap out of his chest for a reason that he did not know.
After a few minutes, when his body calmed down, the ringing brought by the silence was broken by a voice that said: ”Greetings” The voice sounded distorted, like it was from a broken radio. He turned around and then looked in all directions, it was only a white room that seemed to stretch for hundreds or maybe thousands of miles, not a source of the sound was seen. "Hello? ” The man asked. ”Hello, you aren't supposed to be awake right now, but since you are let's have chat” The man observes his surroundings and said "Am I in heaven?" "No" It said The man felt like the voice was in his head, like telepathy.
Before he could ask anything more, darkness rapidly engulfed him, he felt weightless like he was on a rapidly descending plane which made him fall to the ground and pass out.
A conversation could be heard, yet the world was in darkness ”Do you know what to do Su?” a man said ”Yes” a voice replied. ”Then do it.” the man said while a woman was screaming in the distance, another voice could be heard, but it was unintelligible and suddenly, a loud thud echoed as if someone had jumped off a building.
The man woke up and felt a rough and prickly sensation. ”Is this grass?” He said as he opened his eyes he saw that he was in an field with hills as far as he could see the sky was incredibly blue, too blue to look real in fact, it was peaceful, too peaceful.
There was a strange pale yellow, reddish object in the far distance, as the man took a closer look, it was a house with yellow walls and a red roof.
After wandering for a few minutes, he decided to begin to approach the house, but it seemed like the more he walked towards it, the further away the house seemed. After a few hours of walking, the house was entirely gone and suddenly, as if somebody covered the sun, it was pitch black and It felt cold, there was a mysterious singular speck of light seen in the distance, the grass also changed and was just a cold and hard surface. ”Could it be freedom?” He thought as he looked at the speck of light in the distance. After a while in there the man was restless the darkness was sickening, the silence was unsettling the light also flickered until it was gone. ”Any sound or anything would be better than this.” He thought. That thought was wrong, because the darkness would be much better than the things that would happen. The thing that happened was a presence and it was behind him and he froze from just it's presence, it's unimaginable what it would look like.
He suddenly unfroze and ran from it with it's footsteps following, it felt like he would die if he turned around, his legs felt numb but his mind kept pushing through like an instinct of self preservation.
He continued running and running and running for what seem an eternity even when the entity's presence was gone, he continued running even when his energy was utterly depleted. Eventually he reaches the speck of light and it was a window, he stopped and turned around but the being was already gone long ago. He walked closer to the window, but his legs gave way and he slowly fell to the ground panting in exhaustion and darkness consumed him again.
When he was conscious again he was in an extremely dark place and he had a bad headache, it was like his head was going to split A few minutes later his eyes adjusted to the darkness and he looked around and he only realized that it reeked of a rotten smell, most likely rotten meat, he also realizes that he was hanging upside down and tied up he only noticed now because he couldn't think of anything else from so much pain his body was in, he inspected that he was in some sort of shed his light source being an incredibly dim moon through a small window that even disappeared when it was covered by clouds, suddenly he fell to the ground and fortunately he didn't land headfirst.
When he got himself in a sitting position he tried to struggle out of the ties but he didn't feel his arms almost as if he was injected with anesthesia. He concluded that the anesthesia wasn't that strong because he could still feel the rest of his body.
The smell was still there but the clouds had covered the moon so he couldn't see where the smell came, but he was certain it was close to him because of its strength. The moon reappeared and he thought that the smell came from behind him, then he saw- "Ah!" He shouted in horror, it was a pair of dismembered arms, the bones were visible and blood was gushing out. There was a warm feeling on his side, like warm water, the moon passed by and shined brighter and it fully revealed that the warm fluid on his side was... Blood, he was not numb in his arms... because they were no longer there. Because of the overwhelming shock and all the other things that happened, he fainted.
The man woke up again in the white room that he first woke up in, it still felt warm the only thing that changed was that there was a barrier surrounding him and it was quite blurry and behind that was a humanlike figure, that figure was a woman. Because of the barrier the woman was quite hard to see, the way he knew it was a woman was because of her voice.
”You're an interesting fellow.” she said ”Ask away while I process your data, don't make it too long though.” The man thought for a few seconds, thinking what to say and asked ”anything?” ”Not really, but I can still answer most things.” She said ”Then what place is this?” He asked ”An interliminal space known as the testing area” The man thought of another question to ask but before he did the woman said ”The data is done, you may proceed” ”To wher-”
Before he could finish his sentence the seemingly endless white room materialized to what looks like a school ground, it seemed empty and the sky felt oddly artificial.
He went to the gate, it was made of slightly rusty iron and the wall was made of brick. Outside looked like a desolate wasteland but he was quite unsure since it was quite blurry, like there was a barrier. He tried to open the gate but it did not budge and the wall was too high to climb. Then he noticed that the entire place was utterly quiet, almost as if abandoned but the whole place was too clean to be, but not even a chirp of a bird was heard. The man goes to what seems like the dorms, not a soul was there too.
A weight was felt in his pockets, he reached into it and discovered that it was a key that had a tag saying.
”Room 13”
The dorm looked normal, with the exception of looking a bit old but well maintained. He eventually found the room of the correct key and unlocked it.
The room that he thought that was his was actually theirs as he noticed that there was a girl on top of the bed bunk, probably asleep. "That's the first person I've seen in this place." He thought ”The first normal one I guess.”
He approached the bed and sat on the bottom bunk, he felt an intense fatigue and laid on the bed and slept.
A woman and a man could be seen talking, the woman was wearing a sky blue dress that flowed magnificently and the man was covered in a dark miasma ”I have told you, I am not a” -bleep- ”So I am unaffected.” a man said ”Then why do you need a se” -bleep- ”stal?” a woman's voice said There were constant high pitched sounds that bleeped certain words in the conversation. ”Either way I will not give you one.” The woman said. The man withdrew a sword which shattered into hundreds of pieces. ”If you will not give me the crystal, then you are of no use to me.” he said as he pointed the hilt of the sword to her, suddenly the shards vibrated and shot straight towards the woman.
As soon as that happened the world went dark and silent.

Husband of 20 years is probably cheating on me. So here it goes, sll of my dirty secrets.
I, 45f been married to my husband 46, male for over 20 years to a man I met in my early 20’s. We have been very best friends since the day we met but it has been a rocky relationship. I am from an abusive alcoholic family and I was for a time blissfully an alcoholic along with the family. This of coarse was problematic when looking for a date. More than one boyfriend broke up with me because I drank too much, partied too hard and studied too little. Cue in my dream man, he’s responsible, well educated and a heavy drinker. We partied all night and he got up the next day, no matter how hungover and went to work. My mom said that this is normal, it’s how it’s supposed to be. If a man makes it to work everyday then he’s not an alcoholic. By her definition, only a man who misses work can be accused of drinking too much.
I married this replica of my father and for many blissful years we were married and we partied and drank. We’d drink a bottle or two of wine a few nights a week and on weekends we’d stay up all night, often having parties at our home. It was grand fun, until we had kids. All of the sudden I had to handle night feedings and morning diaper changes while tipsy, drunk or hungover. It didn’t take me long to quit, I had already quit for 9 months while pregnant and I had gotten the idea that life is better sober. But my partner didn’t agree. He was drunk most nights while I was pregnant. When I got annoyed and asked him to quit he hid the bottles. I had a second child with him in spite of the drinking (I wanted a matching set), not my best decision but I don’t regret it. When I was at the hospital he looked exhausted so I sent him home to rest. He went home and drank himself into a stupor. My mom had to drive me home from the hospital and when we got home, he was passed out on the living room floor. He slept for another 10 hours like that and he was drunk the entire first week of my daughter’s life. I had to ask my mom to help care for her since I’d had complications with the birth and had over 30 stitches.
His drinking went on for years with me going from kicking him out of the home to drinking with him. Often I would plead with him to quit and he’d refuse. On 4 occasions we separated, each time selling our home and dividing the property. But he’d get sober and he was always very sorry. At this point we had two kids and I needed the help.
Over time things got better and he went years and years without drinking. I had quit altogether after our first child. In fact things go so much better that he asked to start drinking again. He rationalized that he had been sober for 5 years and that he can handle one of two drinks a week. I agreed under the following terms, he can have up to two drinks with dinner once a week. I know this is a terrible decision, I think it’s fair to say that there is a pattern here of gawd awful decisions on my part. This 2 drink agreement lasted a few months but of course two drinks turned into 3, then it turned into a couple nights a week. I saw it was getting out of hand and I banned drinking again.
In the meantime my partner has gotten substantially better looking. It’s through a combination of favourable genetics, some recent work done and some excellent supplements. He aged well going from a 6.5 in his 20’s to a current day 8.5. More than that he’d recently opened a business and it was booming. For the first time in our married life he started to out earn me. For the first 20 years I was the primary wage earner, but now he’s making the more than me (this is temporary as my wage is about to pick up). The woman are noticing him and It’s not lost on me or him. We went to Mexico last year and women were practically following him around and throwing themselves at him. We go out to eat and woman hit on him. They hit on him at the grocery store and they hit on him at work. To his credit he does not respond to this in front of me or the kids. Nor have I ever heard of him hitting on somebody.
I’m a solid 7 - 7.5. I’ve aged okay, I look decent, I’m maybe a little heavier as size 10. But I’m not a hot young thing giggling at him. I am a wife and a mother, so not always sexy, but still quite a lot prettier than average. But realistically on the open market, I’m probably not attracting an 8.5 that earns his kind of money.
About 8 months ago he started coming home from work drunk. He was hiding it but I could smell the booze on his breath. He claimed it was heartburn but I knew better and I ignored it. I just wanted everything to be okay. There was a woman he was working with, he claimed to hate her, she seemed overly interested in him. There were a few incidents, that made me suspicious but he claimed he hated her. He was never home late from work. She moved away and he seemed fine and I was relieved. But a few months after this the drinking started, along with my denial. I guess I kinda figured that who cares if he cheated, she moved away. Now we can get on with our lives.
Recently he’s coming home from work late, but not too late. It’s an hour late here and there. Sometimes he’d claim that he’d have to stay an extra hour. A few times he went completely missing and claimed to have fallen asleep at the office. The problem is that I don’t really know his hours, it’s possible he’s done earlier. For context, he is self employed and rents a space. But other people rent spaces there too,
He’s been coming home drunker and drunker lately while still denying he’s been drinking. I’m ashamed to admit it but I ignored it to the point where I let him drive the kids a few times like that. I was just so far into denial, but I knew somewhere deep down that he was drunk.
He’s normally off work at 5pm and in the car by 5:10pm. But lately he’s not in the car until 5:45pm, ignoring my calls and sometimes coming into the house as late as 6pm. I mean it’s only 45 minutes right? A few times he’d go missing until 7:30 or 8pm and he’d say that he hate a late client appointment and had told me but I forgot. Strangely he’s never hungry when he gets home, in spite of being at work all day. In fact he’s not hungry 2 - 3 times a week. He told me that his stomach is bothering him.
Last night he went missing so I went to his office to look for him. I found him asleep in his office alone with an empty bottle of hard alcohol on his desk. I checked his office drawer and it was full of empty bottles. The office is a disaster, messy and all that. I’m not sure how he sees clients in a room like that and I’m worried that he’s taking appointments drunk. His business is doing really well and building it up was a joint effort. I’m worried that his drinking will destroy everything we built.
I woke him up and he was visibly drunk. He told me that he wants to stay at the office to sleep it off and that no he doesn’t want to talk about it and he didn’t come home. It’s been 6 hours. The thing is, that he hates sleeping in his work clothes and his office is desperately uncomfortable. I just don’t see him staying there overnight alone.
When the drinking flared up 6 months ago, it was just him drinking alone. But when he was sober he was still my best friend. But over time he’s stopped responding when I speak. He tells me that he drinks because he can’t stand to listen to my problems anymore. If I ask him about his day I get a one word answer. More and more he looks at me with contempt while drinking. But even stranger, he wants sex more often, I don’t know why this is. But he’s weird about it and hounding me. He’s going on and on about how to wants to try a sex position we’ve never done, talking about how much he likes it. He’s also looking over my shoulder and checking my phone, which is new. it’s intrusive as I don’t even know his passcode and feel no temptation to check his phone.
He gets paid in cash and has a drawer full of it at the office so I can’t check his cards.
Now I know what you are going to say. He’s definitely cheating, I mean he probably is. But we live in a no fault place so what does it matter if I get proof or not? Also I have two kids to think of and we aren’t in a financial position to leave. I will need time to pay down our joint debt and I need a new job. I’m thinking that the best course of action is to stay silent and improve my situation so that I can support my kids and myself. I think this works for him too as he doesn’t want to get stuck with all sorts of child support or alimony. Giving me time to get back on my feet and improve my financial position works for both of us.
The thing is that if I even bring up getting divorced or separated he says that I am the light of his life. He says that he loves me and that I’m his best friend. He says that he doesn’t want to leave. Then I feel so badly. If I even broach the topic of separating, he’ll shut it down so quickly. He’s overwhelming and persistent and he out talks me. I think there’s no use in talking it out and I don’t see us living together well under some sort of “arrangement”.
Do you have any advice on what to do next? Do you have any idea why he’s acting this way? If he wants to separate why not just do it? Also what’s with the increased sex drive?
One of the oddities is that I’ve been doing really great lately. I’ve lost some weight, my hair is looking good. My business sucks but I’ve been taking on new gigs and retraining. I’m becoming a person that I’m really proud of and every day seems to be getting better. But the better I do, the more contempt he seems to have for me. I can see the bitterness in his drunkenness. And he gets drunks on nights when I have to work and when I have something important going on. He blames the drinking on me. He says that I only talk about myself (maybe I do, I’m trying to improve). He says that I ask too much of him and that I make him contribute to the house too much but I do 100% of the grocery shopping, cooking, lunches, school stuff, homework and kids activities. He comes home and goes straight to bed while complaining that he’s doing too much. Meanwhile I’m breaking myself trying to make the home perfect enough.
Is there any chance that he’s just old and tired and not cheating? I mean he’s only missing for 45 minutes a day? I should mention that he’s stopped answering my calls during the workday and stopped reading my texts.
The weird thing is that I felt relieved to find him surrounded by booze bottles and I’m glad he’s done tonight. I’ve spent the majority of my adult life begging him to be sober. Tonight I could see the contempt in his eyes towards me. I just don’t know that I can move past it. I think I just want to be free from this now.
Do you have any advice? I’ve never been through anything like this and I could use some support and guidance.
I think that taking 4 - 6 months to resolve the situation might be best. This gives me time to find a new job and to pay down some debt and bolster savings.

Hi Everyone,
First time posting as I wanted to share our experience of duodenal atresia and found this sub incredibly helpful when I was preparing for our little one to undergo surgery and be in the NICU. As duodenal atresia is fairly rare, I wanted to share our experience as the few stories I did read were incredibly informative.
For context, I was 32 weeks pregnant when at our third trimester scan a ‘double bubble’ was spotted on the ultrasound. My OBGYN thought it was most likely duodenal atresia and spoke to myself and my husband about further genetic testing as the condition is linked to Downs Syndrome. He also advised that our baby would need an operation soon after birth and I would likely develop a condition called polyhydramnious which would make early labour a possibility. All of this information was shocking and sudden as I had a fairly uneventful pregnancy up to this point.
My amniocentesis showed negative for Down Syndrome however, the double bubble persisted on my future scans so we prepared for a duodenal atresia diagnosis at birth.
I had a c-section at 37+4 (due in part to polyhydramnios) and our son was born weighing 8lbs 2oz. He was immediately taken to the NICU and we were able to go and see him later that day. Seeing him needing oxygen and with wires was something I had not fully prepared for but the NICU nurses were incredibly supportive and talked us through our son’s care in the lead up to his operation.
Our son had his operation on day three - the surgeon said his duodenum was larger than average post surgery - so we would have to wait to see how quickly he would progress. This was the most challenging part as until our son’s digestive system showed signs of working, he would not be able to come home. We were assured that this would take time but it didn’t make the wait any easier.
Our son began breast milk feeds on day four post surgery. He began on 3ml every three hours with the intent to gradually increase. His aspirate levels were checked at feeding times and he had a TPN line to ensure all his nutritional needs were met. This was a slow process and we needed lots of patience whilst celebrating the small victories of his feeds increasing and his aspirate reducing.
Ultimately, it was not until day eleven that he had a motion. However, this proved to be the turning point in his recovery and his progress rapidly improved. His aspirate began decreasing and within five days was almost at 0. His surgeon and paediatrician increased his milk levels in the morning and evening. Twenty one days after he was born and eighteen days after surgery, our son was consistently being fed 50ml eight times a day, having regular motions and no longer needed TPN or additional fluids. Finally it was time for him to come home.
For any parents facing a diagnosis of duodenal atresia, having your baby have major abdominal surgery so soon after birth is an incredibly challenging experience. I was assured by the high success rate of the surgery and valued the posts I found from other parents who had been through the experience. Happy to answer any questions from parents facing something similar.
Our baby is now four weeks old and thriving at home!

Quotes About Adventure

1. "Life is an adventure, not a guided tour."

2. "The best journeys in life are those that answer questions you never thought to ask."

3. "Adventure awaits where the pavement ends."

Quotes About Exploration

4. "Exploration is really the essence of the human spirit."

5. "To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries."

6. "Exploration is curiosity put into action."

Quotes About Nature

7. "In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks."

8. "Nature always wears the colors of the spirit."

9. "The mountains are calling, and I must go."

Quotes About Courage

10. "Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it."

11. "It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are."

12. "The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today."

Quotes About Challenge

13. "The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it."

14. "Challenges are what make life interesting. Overcoming them is what makes life meaningful."

15. "Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations."

Quotes About Freedom

16. "Freedom lies in being bold."

17. "Freedom is the open window through which pours the sunlight of the human spirit."

18. "The secret of happiness is freedom, the secret of freedom is courage."

Quotes About Persistence

19. "Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts."

20. "Persistence can change failure into extraordinary achievement."

21. "The only way to do great work is to love what you do."

Quotes About Discovery

22. "The biggest adventure you can ever take is to live the life of your dreams."

23. "Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all."

24. "The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience."

Quotes About Camaraderie

25. "The joy is in the journey, not the destination."

26. "Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, 'What! You too? I thought I was the only one.'"

27. "The only way to have a friend is to be one."

Quotes About Resilience

28. "You are stronger than you think."

29. "Tough times never last, but tough people do."

30. "Fall down seven times, stand up eight."

Quotes About Passion

31. "Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you."

32. "The only thing standing between you and your goal is the story you keep telling yourself as to why you can't achieve it."

33. "Do what you love, and you'll never have a problem with Monday."

Quotes About Independence

34. "Independence is happiness."

35. "Don't let the fear of losing be greater than the excitement of winning."

36. "The only person you should try to be better than is the person you were yesterday."

Quotes About Vision

37. "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."

38. "Your imagination is your preview of life's coming attractions."

39. "Believe you can and you're halfway there."

Quotes About Adversity

40. "Adversity introduces a man to himself."

41. "The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials."

42. "Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths."

Quotes About Empowerment

43. "Empower yourself. You control your destiny."

44. "You have within you right now, everything you need to deal with whatever the world can throw at you."

45. "Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle."

Quotes About Gratitude

46. "Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions."

47. "The more you are grateful for, the more you will have to be grateful for."

48. "Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life."

Quotes About Achievement

49. "Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful."

50. "Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm."

51. "The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today."

Quotes About Exploration

52. "The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance."

53. "The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page."

54. "Adventure is worthwhile."

Quotes About Passion

55. "Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."

56. "Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors where there were only walls."

57. "Passion is the genesis of genius."

Quotes About Resilience

58. "The only way out is through."

59. "Life doesn't get easier or more forgiving, we get stronger and more resilient."

60. "Life is tough, but so are you."

Quotes About Freedom

61. "Freedom is the oxygen of the soul."

62. "The secret to happiness is freedom... And the secret to freedom is courage."

63. "Freedom is the will to be responsible to ourselves."

Quotes About Adversity

64. "Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass but learning to dance in the rain."

65. "Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths."

66. "Adversity causes some men to break; others to break records."

Quotes About Courage

67. "Courage is grace under pressure."

68. "What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?"

69. "Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it."

Quotes About Persistence

70. "Persistence is the twin sister of excellence. One is a matter of quality; the other, a matter of time."

71. "Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm."

72. "The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will."

Quotes About Teamwork

73. "Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much."

74. "Teamwork makes the dream work."

75. "Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success."

Quotes About Determination

76. "The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today."

77. "The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack in will."

78. "Determination today leads to success tomorrow."

Quotes About Inspiration

79. "The only way to do great work is to love what you do."

80. "The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step."

81. "Don’t watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going."

Quotes About Motivation

82. "It's not about how bad you want it. It's about how hard you're willing to work for it."

83. "Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success."

84. "The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today."

Quotes About Success

85. "Success is not in what you have, but who you are."

86. "The only way to do great work is to love what you do."

87. "Success is not the destination, it's the journey."

Quotes About Adventure

88. "Adventure is worthwhile."

89. "Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all."

90. "The biggest adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams."

Quotes About Nature

91. "In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks."

92. "The earth has music for those who listen."

93. "The mountains are calling, and I must go."

Quotes About Freedom

94. "Freedom lies in being bold."

95. "Freedom is the oxygen of the soul."

96. "The secret to happiness is freedom... And the secret to freedom is courage."

Quotes About Resilience

97. "You are stronger than you think."

98. "The only way out is through."

99. "Life doesn't get easier or more forgiving, we get stronger and more resilient."

Quotes About Courage

100. "Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it."

Conclusion

Off-road adventures are more than just physical journeys; they represent the spirit of exploration, courage, and perseverance. These inspiring quotes encapsulate the essence of off-roading, reminding us to embrace challenges, seek adventure, and never lose sight of our dreams.

FAQs About Off-Roading Quotes

1. Are these quotes only for off-road enthusiasts? These quotes can inspire anyone who seeks adventure, challenges, and personal growth, not just off-road enthusiasts.
2. Can I use these quotes for my social media posts? Absolutely! Feel free to share these quotes on your social media platforms to inspire your friends and followers.
3. Are these quotes from famous personalities? Yes, some of these quotes are from renowned authors, adventurers, and thinkers who have embraced the spirit of exploration and adventure.
4. How can I apply these quotes to my everyday life? You can use these quotes as daily affirmations or as reminders to stay motivated, resilient, and adventurous in your pursuits.
5. Do you have any additional resources for off-road enthusiasts? Yes, there are many online communities, forums, and blogs dedicated to off-roading where you can find more inspiration, tips, and information about off-road adventures.Quotes About Adventure

1. "Life is an adventure, not a guided tour."

2. "The best journeys in life are those that answer questions you never thought to ask."

3. "Adventure awaits where the pavement ends."

Quotes About Exploration

4. "Exploration is really the essence of the human spirit."

5. "To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries."

6. "Exploration is curiosity put into action."

Quotes About Nature

7. "In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks."

8. "Nature always wears the colors of the spirit."

9. "The mountains are calling, and I must go."

Quotes About Courage

10. "Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it."

11. "It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are."

12. "The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today."

Quotes About Challenge

13. "The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it."

14. "Challenges are what make life interesting. Overcoming them is what makes life meaningful."

15. "Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations."

Quotes About Freedom

16. "Freedom lies in being bold."

17. "Freedom is the open window through which pours the sunlight of the human spirit."

18. "The secret of happiness is freedom, the secret of freedom is courage."

Quotes About Persistence

19. "Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts."

20. "Persistence can change failure into extraordinary achievement."

21. "The only way to do great work is to love what you do."

Quotes About Discovery

22. "The biggest adventure you can ever take is to live the life of your dreams."

23. "Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all."

24. "The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience."

Quotes About Camaraderie

25. "The joy is in the journey, not the destination."

26. "Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, 'What! You too? I thought I was the only one.'"

27. "The only way to have a friend is to be one."

Quotes About Resilience

28. "You are stronger than you think."

29. "Tough times never last, but tough people do."

30. "Fall down seven times, stand up eight."

Quotes About Passion

31. "Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you."

32. "The only thing standing between you and your goal is the story you keep telling yourself as to why you can't achieve it."

33. "Do what you love, and you'll never have a problem with Monday."

Quotes About Independence

34. "Independence is happiness."

35. "Don't let the fear of losing be greater than the excitement of winning."

36. "The only person you should try to be better than is the person you were yesterday."

Quotes About Vision

37. "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."

38. "Your imagination is your preview of life's coming attractions."

39. "Believe you can and you're halfway there."

Quotes About Adversity

40. "Adversity introduces a man to himself."

41. "The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials."

42. "Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths."

Quotes About Empowerment

43. "Empower yourself. You control your destiny."

44. "You have within you right now, everything you need to deal with whatever the world can throw at you."

45. "Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle."

Quotes About Gratitude

46. "Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions."

47. "The more you are grateful for, the more you will have to be grateful for."

48. "Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life."

Quotes About Achievement

49. "Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful."

50. "Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm."

51. "The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today."

Quotes About Exploration

52. "The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance."

53. "The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page."

54. "Adventure is worthwhile."

Quotes About Passion

55. "Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."

56. "Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors where there were only walls."

57. "Passion is the genesis of genius."

Quotes About Resilience

58. "The only way out is through."

59. "Life doesn't get easier or more forgiving, we get stronger and more resilient."

60. "Life is tough, but so are you."

Quotes About Freedom

61. "Freedom is the oxygen of the soul."

62. "The secret to happiness is freedom... And the secret to freedom is courage."

63. "Freedom is the will to be responsible to ourselves."

Quotes About Adversity

64. "Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass but learning to dance in the rain."

65. "Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths."

66. "Adversity causes some men to break; others to break records."

Quotes About Courage

67. "Courage is grace under pressure."

68. "What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?"

69. "Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it."

Quotes About Persistence

The world was dark, there was no sense of touch, and there was nothing to see. A sense of touch manifested, a cold and wet floor could be felt. A sense of hearing developed, a deep ringing could be heard. A sense of thought sprung from a mind. "Where am I?" A sense of sight had been acquired, he was in a room, white as far as the eye could see Movement was now possible as the man stood up, he realized that he was standing on water, so pristine and clear and yet there was no reflection.
He could hear his heart beating loudly almost like it was going to leap out of his chest for a reason that he did not know.
After a few minutes, when his body calmed down, the ringing brought by the silence was broken by a voice that said: ”Greetings” The voice sounded distorted, like it was from a broken radio. He turned around and then looked in all directions, it was only a white room that seemed to stretch for hundreds or maybe thousands of miles, not a source of the sound was seen. "Hello? ” The man asked. ”Hello, you aren't supposed to be awake right now, but since you are let's have chat” The man observes his surroundings and said "Am I in heaven?" "No" It said The man felt like the voice was in his head, like telepathy.
Before he could ask anything more, darkness rapidly engulfed him, he felt weightless like he was on a rapidly descending plane which made him fall to the ground and pass out.
A conversation could be heard, yet the world was in darkness ”Do you know what to do Su?” a man said ”Yes” a voice replied. ”Then do it.” the man said while a woman was screaming in the distance, another voice could be heard, but it was unintelligible and suddenly, a loud thud echoed as if someone had jumped off a building.
The man woke up and felt a rough and prickly sensation. ”Is this grass?” He said as he opened his eyes he saw that he was in an field with hills as far as he could see the sky was incredibly blue, too blue to look real in fact, it was peaceful, too peaceful.
There was a strange pale yellow, reddish object in the far distance, as the man took a closer look, it was a house with yellow walls and a red roof.
After wandering for a few minutes, he decided to begin to approach the house, but it seemed like the more he walked towards it, the further away the house seemed. After a few hours of walking, the house was entirely gone and suddenly, as if somebody covered the sun, it was pitch black and It felt cold, there was a mysterious singular speck of light seen in the distance, the grass also changed and was just a cold and hard surface. ”Could it be freedom?” He thought as he looked at the speck of light in the distance. After a while in there the man was restless the darkness was sickening, the silence was unsettling the light also flickered until it was gone. ”Any sound or anything would be better than this.” He thought. That thought was wrong, because the darkness would be much better than the things that would happen. The thing that happened was a presence and it was behind him and he froze from just it's presence, it's unimaginable what it would look like.
He suddenly unfroze and ran from it with it's footsteps following, it felt like he would die if he turned around, his legs felt numb but his mind kept pushing through like an instinct of self preservation.
He continued running and running and running for what seem an eternity even when the entity's presence was gone, he continued running even when his energy was utterly depleted. Eventually he reaches the speck of light and it was a window, he stopped and turned around but the being was already gone long ago. He walked closer to the window, but his legs gave way and he slowly fell to the ground panting in exhaustion and darkness consumed him again.
When he was conscious again he was in an extremely dark place and he had a bad headache, it was like his head was going to split A few minutes later his eyes adjusted to the darkness and he looked around and he only realized that it reeked of a rotten smell, most likely rotten meat, he also realizes that he was hanging upside down and tied up he only noticed now because he couldn't think of anything else from so much pain his body was in, he inspected that he was in some sort of shed his light source being an incredibly dim moon through a small window that even disappeared when it was covered by clouds, suddenly he fell to the ground and fortunately he didn't land headfirst.
When he got himself in a sitting position he tried to struggle out of the ties but he didn't feel his arms almost as if he was injected with anesthesia. He concluded that the anesthesia wasn't that strong because he could still feel the rest of his body.
The smell was still there but the clouds had covered the moon so he couldn't see where the smell came, but he was certain it was close to him because of its strength. The moon reappeared and he thought that the smell came from behind him, then he saw- "Ah!" He shouted in horror, it was a pair of dismembered arms, the bones were visible and blood was gushing out. There was a warm feeling on his side, like warm water, the moon passed by and shined brighter and it fully revealed that the warm fluid on his side was... Blood, he was not numb in his arms... because they were no longer there. Because of the overwhelming shock and all the other things that happened, he fainted.
The man woke up again in the white room that he first woke up in, it still felt warm the only thing that changed was that there was a barrier surrounding him and it was quite blurry and behind that was a humanlike figure, that figure was a woman. Because of the barrier the woman was quite hard to see, the way he knew it was a woman was because of her voice.
”You're an interesting fellow.” she said ”Ask away while I process your data, don't make it too long though.” The man thought for a few seconds, thinking what to say and asked ”anything?” ”Not really, but I can still answer most things.” She said ”Then what place is this?” He asked ”An interliminal space known as the testing area” The man thought of another question to ask but before he did the woman said ”The data is done, you may proceed” ”To wher-”
Before he could finish his sentence the seemingly endless white room materialized to what looks like a school ground, it seemed empty and the sky felt oddly artificial.
He went to the gate, it was made of slightly rusty iron and the wall was made of brick. Outside looked like a desolate wasteland but he was quite unsure since it was quite blurry, like there was a barrier. He tried to open the gate but it did not budge and the wall was too high to climb. Then he noticed that the entire place was utterly quiet, almost as if abandoned but the whole place was too clean to be, but not even a chirp of a bird was heard. The man goes to what seems like the dorms, not a soul was there too.
A weight was felt in his pockets, he reached into it and discovered that it was a key that had a tag saying.
”Room 13”
The dorm looked normal, with the exception of looking a bit old but well maintained. He eventually found the room of the correct key and unlocked it.
The room that he thought that was his was actually theirs as he noticed that there was a girl on top of the bed bunk, probably asleep. "That's the first person I've seen in this place." He thought ”The first normal one I guess.”
He approached the bed and sat on the bottom bunk, he felt an intense fatigue and laid on the bed and slept.
A woman and a man could be seen talking, the woman was wearing a sky blue dress that flowed magnificently and the man was covered in a dark miasma ”I have told you, I am not a” -bleep- ”So I am unaffected.” a man said ”Then why do you need a se” -bleep- ”stal?” a woman's voice said There were constant high pitched sounds that bleeped certain words in the conversation. ”Either way I will not give you one.” The woman said. The man withdrew a sword which shattered into hundreds of pieces. ”If you will not give me the crystal, then you are of no use to me.” he said as he pointed the hilt of the sword to her, suddenly the shards vibrated and shot straight towards the woman.
As soon as that happened the world went dark and silent.

I need to pick one by Tuesday, but if anyone has a question comparing the two I can try to answer. I bought the 4090 for the 16GB vram for video game development, but Best Buy incorrectly had the 4090 listed with the IPS display (which I was excited for).
The 4080 has 16GB ram, IPS display 165 Hz 500 nits, and the animatrix back
The 4090 has 32GB ram and miniled display 165 Hz 600 nits
I play games, and the 4080 kills it. I can play Helldivers 2 at 4k with 80% of graphics options set to max and usually get 50 - 60 fps. Some dips to the 40s, but very rare, and usually due to environments, so during fights it's fine. I usually play on difficult 7 or 8, getting 400 - 500 kills a match now.
I bought both open box, although I swear the 4080 was 100% new - everything was sealed.
Battery
The main thing I want is a long battery life in linux. If anyone has a battery life test, lmk. Using GHelper Silent + Eco + 60 Hz + 10% brightness + windows battery saver on both (multi zone off on the 4090), the 4080 discharge seems to be around 6.2 watts with a low of 5.2, while the 4090 discharge is more like 6.8 with a low of 6.2. I might notice this, since most of what I do is edit text. I'm surprised the difference is so high. If you average 9 - 10 watts battery use, it seems like the 4090 is using 0.5 - 1 watt more power -> 6 to 11% more power use -> assuming 8 hours of battery, you get 29 to 48 minutes less battery.
OH! But the 4090 has a 2nd stick of RAM. I'll try another stick in the 4080 and see what happens, but for now I'll assume the miniLED eats less than 25 minutes of battery. Which is "fine", since I usually have a laptop-capable battery bank on me anyways.
I just enabled multi zone, and the discharge of the 4090 has been hovering at 6.2 - 6.5 watts (I'm not using it - just firefox, GHelper, and a settings menu are open). So disabling multi zone seems to have no effect. I'm typing this on the 4080, same things open, and the 4080 is at 6.1 watts.
After finishing writing this review: I've been writing this review and browsing the net a bit on the 4080, and I've only used the 4090 to toggle multizone and move the mouse some, and they are draining at the exact same rate - both are down exactly 20%. So fwiw, the 4080 under light use matches the 4090 at nearly full idle (screen on)
Display
The displays look very similar, honestly. I program in a font size too small for many people to read. I have great vision, and I don't like bright lights, so I thought I'd hate the miniLED blooming. The IPS display has better color accuracy, which is something I notice since I tend to run a solid grey desktop. A solid grey on the miniLED looks liked you washed it with your reds - there's just like other colors mixed in to it (multi zone is disabled atm)
display test: https://www.eizo.be/monitor-test/
I haven't tried games yet, but I might return the miniLED simply on color accuracy. I've been doing more design-heavy web development, and matching colors is a pain, I don't need another variable in that equation. This is weird - on the display test for the full black screen, the mouse cursor becomes a shade of gray.
So - the miniLED does much much closer to black - but it's not able to compensate and make the white mouse cursor white. Very interesting - and kind of amusingly bad. So, you get "blacker blacks" by sacrificing your "whiter whites"? You're not achieving a higher contrast ratio, you're just inverting the problem. Shame I'm not a youtuber so I can't break this news with a spicy title.
When miniLED multi zone is off, the mouse cursor displays fine (white is white, instead of grey). However, greys look much better when multi zone is on.
The miniLED gets a bit brighter, of course, and the colors pop a bit more. The miniLED gets a little dark towards the edges (not evenly lit); the IPS is very evenly lit. I've seen people complain about backlight bleed here, but my panel is near perfect.
The miniLED is less comfortable to look at. Like I said, I don't like bright lights, but even on low brightness the miniLED is less comfortable than the IPS. Maybe this is related to blooming - but tbh, I don't see much blooming - I feel like it's something to do with how the light is emitted. (Or maybe I'm tired and overthinking it.)
I think for pretty games or movies, many people might prefer the miniLED. But for everything else, the IPS is far superior. It's so funny to me now that everyone is complaining about not getting miniLED, when imo it's a bit of a failure that they passed off at a high price. Maybe later generations will be better.
What type of display is this miniLED? Is it also IPS?
I'm leaning heavily towards the 4080 for color accuracy... but I really wanted 16gb vram and 5 more fps in helldivers :( I'm joking about helldivers - I wanted vram for unreal engine, but I don't think I can work with these colors
Apologies for typos. I rewrote parts of this as I went, and I don't feel like spell-checking. And thanks u/ModrnJosh for all the research you've done and shared here.

Long story, got a "broken" GTX 970 ti for less than $50, being the card that I've always wanted when I didn't have the money to get it, I said why not, at best it'll work at worse it'll be a nice display piece.
The seller told me that the card had artifacts leading to crashes, classic faulty VRAM, reflow old GPU right? Well...
The first day I installed it on my computer shows me the said artifacts on the boot screen (TUF logo still visible, the artifacts are around the logo), then a low-res screen 800x600, the DVI is connected to the card, I can navigate and stuff, after 10 mins the screen blinks and "turns on" the proper resolution, I install drivers, everything goes alright, I restart and no visible artifacts! They're gone like magic, I click "debug mode" just in case and I try some games, everything works flawlessly, temps go as low as 20c and to 50c while gaming (Arkham Knight, Fortnite, Lol, all on max)
I said "fuck yes" and I turned my PC off, next day I turn it on and everything's alright too, no artifacts not even while booting, I game all day, turn it off in the night, but here's the thing the next day I take off the card from my PC to replace the pads (pad, the Strix 980 ti only comes with one)
I replace it and I put it on my PC again, then the artifacts are back again, and the Windows logo appears, it completely crashes, I install my RX 570 again to uninstall the drivers with DDU, then I put the 980 ti and the low res screen is back, but now after 30 mins it doesn't do the magical "blink" that it did before, the screen stays in that low resolution and if I try to install drivers, the screen is filled with artifacts and it crashes, error 43 appears when I put my RX back again to see what happened
Maybe AMD drivers are causing a conflict? I uninstall everything, nothing changes.
Then I took it to some tech repair service, they connect the card to two PSUs because they don't have a 500/600w (Idk how to use two PSUs for one PC but heh)
No artifacts while booting, it goes to Windows in the proper resolution (no low-res home screen) Sadly they wanted to charge me over $100 for a proper testing/troubleshooting
Coming back home I put it on my PC, artifacts again, I left it for two days until I said let's do again, why not, boom, the card turns on flawlessly, same deal as before, check the temps, all ok, game again, it crashes.
So here's what happens, after plug and remove dozens of times randomly the card will boot and everything will work alright if I turn on "debug mode" if I don't, the card despite running and installing drivers will crash, but also the card will show artifacts and will refuse to even start windows randomly, or so I thought...
Because I tried to NOT remove the card from the Motherboard, and instead fiddle with the PSU cables (pigtail cable with 2x 8 pins)
Guess what, changing positions/plugging/removing will give different results, sometimes it'll show artifacts, or will run great, or it'll show "half" artifacts, or it'll not even boot
So what's going on with this card? right now it's working, and I can even turn the PSU off and when I turn it on the card works normally, but if I disconnect the PSU cables/remove the card from the Motherboard, EVEN if I turn the PSU off for hours it somehow will trigger the random artifacting/crashes, even if I don't swap places of the PSU cables
How it is possible? How the card "knows" when I remove it from the PC even when I completely turn it off? And what is causing the random artifacting? because it is working perfectly now, not a single dot in the screen, and all temps are great, and when I went to the tech repair it showed no artifacting even when he plugged in and out may times? It is my PSU causing this? Because I've read everywhere that artifacting is 100% a GPU's problem and a PSU can't cause artifacting, yet it appears/dissapears when I randomly plug in/out the PSU cables, (PSU: EVGA 500W bronze, working flawlessly with my RX 570 for years, but the RX only uses a single 8pin connector, the 980 ti uses two)
I'm really curious about how the card detects that I removed it from the PC even without any kind of electricity on the PC or the card even unplugging the power cable, like the card knows that I took it off.
(For the record, I'm not in the States, prices are astronomically different here, 4x more even in used hardware, an used 980 ti costs $200 not kidding, a 1050 ti costs $180, the lowest RTX costs $450, virtually no difference between used or new hardware for how expensive it is. Buying online isn't an option due to absurd taxes from a corrupt government, be thankful for every day that you spend living in the US of A)

Score to Beat: This week is 8/10!
For those new it's your knowledge vs the combo team of a 10 year old and a 13 year old. Typically you crush them! Bi weekly podcast is available anywhere and consists of all 4 rounds and a Two Truths and a Lie. Hope you enjoy.
Round 1: Five An earthworm has 5 hearts, 5 vowels in the English language, David had 5 pebbles when he defeated Goliath. And this round has 5 questions.

1. Who is on the nickel?
2. What is the fifth planet from the sun?
3. What are the five senses?
4. What does the five second rule commonly refer to?
5. Name 3 of the 5 largest lakes in the world?

Answers: Five

1. Thomas Jefferson, our 3rd president, our 5th president was James Monroe. Thomas Jefferson was one of our founding fathers and the principal author of the Declaration of Independence.
2. Jupiter, the biggest planet in our solar system and it has 80 moons.
3. Touch, Hearing, Sight, Taste, Smell. In typical human fashion people are now arguing about adding senses (Vestibular and Proprioception) I got one for you, a sense of humor.
4. Food is ok to eat if you pick it up in 5 seconds or less, scientists did test this and it’s not recommended advice, bacteria can attach to food pretty much instantaneously.
5. Caspian Sea, Lake Superior, Lake Victoria, Lake Huron, Lake Michigan. The Caspian Sea is so large it's called a sea, but it's a lake. It's 5 times bigger than Lake Superior.

Round 2: Birds Birds fall into many categories, raptors, wading, waterfowl, etc.

1. This bird has the largest wingspan in the world?
2. The fastest bird in the world is?
3. What is the term used for the process of birds shedding old feathers and growing new ones?
4. What is the only bird known to fly backwards?
5. What is the name of the legendary bird that is said to burst into flames and be consumed by its own fire upon death, only to be born again from the ashes?

Answers: Birds

1. Albatros, specifically the Wandering Albatross at 12.1 feet, pelican and others close at 12. The Wandering Albatross really wanders, spending most of their life in the air, even sleeping while gliding.
2. Peregrine Falcon. When they go into their dive they reach 240 miles per hour! A living animal reaching 240 miles per hour! It has an extra eye lid to protect itself in these dives.
3. Molting. Most birds molt once or twice a year. Apparently molting is very strenuous on birds so be nice to molting birds.
4. Hummingbird. One of the most fascinating creatures in the animal kingdom, they weigh less than a nickel.
5. Phoenix. The earliest stories of Phoenix’s come from ancient Egypt. The city of Phoenix was given its name by its founders because it had sprung from the remnants of the ancient Hohokam community.

Good morning everyone ! I just wanted to ask some questions when it comes to my sleep study that I was hoping you guys could answer!

1. So my insurance pre authorized my sleep study does that mean they are gonna pay for it? (For about 1800 left till I hit my deductible )
   
2. When I was there my tech told me that if I met the criteria he would come in and try out a nasal mask for the cpap 2 hours in , I overheard him and a second tech saying if breathing was reduced 30 times in 2 hours to go in and try ,
   
3. After putting the nasal mask on and just letting my lungs and breathing do their thing I fell back asleep and man in 6 hours of a test I feel better than my usual 8-9 hours of rest at home . Is this pretty conclusive evidence that u have sleep apnea
   

4.does medical insurance pay for sleep apnea equipment or is that out of pocket?

1. I currently have a appt in July for my follow up appointment , do you think they will bump it up if it comes back that I do have sleep apnea?

Thank you for taking the time to look out for me by reading, I hope you and your family have a wonderful day :) (context: 28 y old with family history of sleep apnea )

Hello everyone. My name is Matthew, I'm 22 and I have no idea what the f is happening to me. I'll be brief. Since this February I've been dealing with (what i think at least) Neuropathy-like symptoms. Such as tingling, shooting pain,very mild numbness but a very annoying and frightful (to me at least) burning sensation. Now I want to point the attention to the burning sensation. It's literally everywhere in my body but it's very sporadic. It's sometimes in my eyes,on my fingers,on my toes around my lips on my back but mostly in my arms, very rarely in my legs. It was also in my tongue and even...yes down there in my privates,At the beginning it was 8-9/10 and it was driving me crazy, because I was freaking burning alive but there was nothing on my skin. Of course I immediately went to the doctor and he gave me blood tests and stuff to do. Blood test perfectly normal; No sing of inflammations, no sings of any possible tumor. All normal. So I booked a neurologist. Crazy enough he found nothing remotely similar to a never damage especially because i was able to do everything he asked me (at the visit) with my eyes closed. He told that he found no need for TCs, MRI scans or EMG, whatsoever, because ,as I told him, my burning sensation isn't localized and comes and goes sporadically. He therefore told me me I'm dealing with a psychosomatization of anxiety and sent me to a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist gave me Xanx and Sertraline. I've been taking them but i had to stop because Sertraline sent me to the hospital because i literally was vomiting my soul out. Had to stop immediately. As for Xanx i gradually stooped but the does wasn't high at all. Literally 10 drops: 5 in the day 5 before sleeping. The burning sensation unfortunately didn't cease but i have to say that now it's a lot more manageable and milder. Heck,it was literally a 8-9/10 and now it's a 4-5/10, but it's still here. Huge Mistake, searching on Google, that's why I'm here. I am terrified. Needless to say i booked another neurologist in short hopefully this time i get a clearer answer. Although i did hear anxiety can cause literally any sort of symptom, I find it very wierd that such a symptom like mine (random and not localized burning sensation) can be related to anxiety. Yet,what my base doctor told me was "If you truly were to have a neuropathy the symptoms would get worse and worse and not even Xanax or Sertraline helped you" Now, Maybe he's right but I'm still here..."burning". My biggest fear is to suddenly collapse and find myself in a hospital bed with the diagnosis of an underlying tumor,MS or something even more serious and be paralyzed head to toe or lose a foot or whatever of deadly i can think about. Yes, I'm highly hypochondriac, but i can't help it. I'm too scared. Then again,so far nothing too concerning happened to me and the burning sensation got even more bearable,as i said. I'm still able to walk,jog,run,swim, drive, haven't lost my strength and can do everything I normally could do throughout these four months. And yet I still..."burn". I'm seriously scared. I have to see my psychiatrist as well this week, and given I'm off the meds he's probably gonna tell me i need CBT. As for the neurologist, that's gonna take some more time because i live in Italy and Healthcare in Italy isn't the absolute best. But that's not the point. Guys, what do you think i should do, besides what I'm already doing? Do you think i have a sort of misdiagnosed incurable Neuropathy that is slowly killing me or do you think I'm overreacting? I'm noticing asking for a diagnosis or anything else like that. I just want to know whether I should be seriously afraid or not.

***ads play and podcast starts at 1:47
Intro (Timestamp: 1:47) - Rachel: Welcome back to another episode of Rachel Goes Rogue. This is your host, Rachel Savannah Leviss. Today, we are talking about part three of the Vanderpump Rules reunion. - Rachel: It has finally come to an end, season 11. It's been a long time coming, and we're here to react. I have my producers with me, and as usual, they will be asking me some questions to get my perspective on what we just watched during the reunion.
Well, first of all, I want to start off with asking you just your overall thoughts on the reunion, watching it. How do you feel? (Timestamp: 2:19) - Rachel: Overall, I just feel tired at this point. I don't enjoy watching this show, and (Rachel starts to get emotional) I'm just happy that it's over. It was good that they didn't talk about me very much this last episode, part three. - Rachel: That's great, but it's been really difficult watching each week. And I feel like I can finally start to move on from all of this, because it's been really difficult. It was really heavy and sad. - Rachel: And I think everyone on that cast is struggling. And I would be too if I was there. I mean, I'm struggling just watching it from the sidelines, so I can only imagine what it's like being on that stage.
So you're getting really emotional right now. Where is this emotion coming from? (Timestamp: 3:28) - Rachel: It's coming from a place of feeling like I haven't had much room to go. Feeling like stuck between a rock and a hard place, so to speak. Because this entire time, I have been preparing for them to slander my name, to paint me in the worst light. - Rachel: And my goal with this podcast was to be able to represent myself, to defend myself, to share what I've learned through my time that I took away and my recovery, and just to shed more light on the situation. - Rachel: And it hasn't been easy. It's been an extreme rollercoaster of emotions in a lot of different phases, getting sucked back into it, and then feeling like all consumed by all the comments and everything, and then completely cutting off communication with the outside world and living in my own reality in the moment. It's all about that balance, and it has not been easy to move on. - Rachel: I don't think it's been easy for any of the cast to move on rehashing it and talking about it and having other people tune in. It's not typical. It's not normal. And the day has finally come that the show, season 11, is over, and it's a relief to me because I don't have to keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. - Rachel: I don't have to think about what lies they're going to spread about me, and I don't have to think about what I need to defend myself about. And then following week, I feel like I can finally start to live my life again.
And so you're kind of talking about the boundaries that you've been setting by staying away and cutting people off, which obviously boundaries was a really big topic at the reunion. You obviously set some really strong ones by not returning to the show. What's your take on this discussion of boundaries? Do you agree with Lala or do you side more with Ariana when it comes to boundaries when it's in regard to filming the show? (Timestamp: 5:40) - Rachel: I could see both of their points of view. Setting a boundary for yourself is not an easy thing to do. And when other people are upset that you set a boundary for yourself, that's usually a telltale sign that that person is using you in some way and is not happy that you have this new boundary because it's not serving them. - Rachel: So, I can see why Ariana upholded her boundaries by not speaking to Tom, even though she actually did film with Tom this whole season, or for the later part anyway. But she refused to have that conversation with Tom at the end of the show, and I commend her for it because it would have been a fake conversation. You could tell that Tom, his only motive to having that conversation with her is for camera purposes and storyline purposes. - Rachel: Therefore, it's not an authentic conversation. It would have been crocodile tears, the whole thing. And I completely understand Ariana walking away. I walked away too, and people weren't happy about that either. - Rachel: For Lala's point of view, I can understand her perspective in wanting to have a good TV show for her livelihood and the longevity of her career. If you're going to commit to filming, then I can see why Lala is upset, because you are not only committing to filming with this person, I can see her point in that she is living under the same roof as Tom. - Rachel: They're living together, they're filming together, yet in Lala's eyes, Ariana is being stubborn by not filming with Tom, or that one scene. Who even cares about that one scene? I don't know. - Rachel: It's all so silly to me, but boundaries are important. I was in a place where I didn't have boundaries, and I was really trying to appease production and put on a good show. That became my priority season 10.
And where do you think the line needs to be drawn, you know? When at the end of the day, this is a paycheck and this is a job, versus this is someone's real life. You've talked a lot about wanting to live in reality. Where do you think that line should be drawn? (Timestamp: 8:32) - Rachel: I think that's an impossible question to answer when you're filming a reality TV show, because the line is so blurry, it's impossible to know what's real and what's not. And the more I'm out of it, the clearer I can see that. We see it with Tom Sandoval when he talked about production. - Rachel: He did the New York Times article, and he stopped talking mid sentence when a plane flew over or a truck drove by, whatever it was, because the audio, typically when we're filming a show and a plane flies by, you stop talking so that the audio can pick up normally without the distraction in the background. - Rachel: So it's like programmed in your mind to think a certain way, to act a certain way, to talk a certain way, to pursue certain things, where it becomes a part of your patterning. We also see the lines get blurred with Scheana and the comment section, and what is real life and what is not, what is her own true motivation for doing certain things, and what is influenced by outside commentary. - Rachel: That gets so blurry, and when you're all consumed in the perception of yourself, how can you really be sure that you're operating from a place of an inner knowing? That's a boundary that's blurred. With Lala, she clearly prioritizes the success of the show because she wants to secure her paycheck, and when people are setting boundaries for themselves and it's conflicting with what she wants and what is successful in her eyes, that sparks an anger within her. - Rachel: And it's all fabricated to a certain point because the bottom line is this show. So, I think it truly is impossible to live a real life and be on a reality TV show.
So, do you think it's fair for Lala to direct that anger towards Ariana? Or do you think she should be directing it more towards the show? (Timestamp: 11:12) - Rachel: Oh, no, not at all. I don't think that it's fair that Lala is directing that anger towards Ariana because Ariana has been very clear with her boundaries since the very beginning and…
I guess if she's feeling this way, do you think maybe she should have upheld her boundaries more if she was feeling so resentful towards someone doing the same? Do you think she's feeling like she regrets things that she had said in the past? (Timestamp: 11:35) - Rachel: I think she did uphold her boundaries. I think that she feels like she hasn't been supported the same way that Ariana is being supported. And it's probably not a good feeling, but she maneuvered differently than Ariana has. And Lala doesn't extend the same empathy towards others. So it's harder to support her, I believe.
She does make a point to say, many times, that she feels like things are not being honest on camera. She points out Tom and Ariana’s relationship being one of those things. Katie has a flashback moment where she also calls it out. Do you agree that things are not always honest on camera? (Timestamp: 12:12) - Rachel: Totally. Yeah. I think the point that Lala is making is that Tom and Ariana haven't been honest about their relationship on camera. - Rachel: And I think people are getting caught up in Lala being hypocritical because she wasn't honest about her relationship with Randall. Okay, yes, that might be true. But the point is that Tom and Ariana haven't been good for quite some time. - Rachel: And their relationship that was portrayed on camera for fans to see was not an accurate representation of their relationship. I see the frustration because I agree with that too.
Even on your part, how does it affect you as someone on the show when people aren't fully honest on camera? How does that affect the rest of the cast? (Timestamp: 13:21) - Rachel: Yeah, it affects everyone when people aren't fully honest on the show. I mean, I wasn't fully honest the season 10 reunion. I was still covering up for Tom Schwartz. - Rachel: I was still covering up for Tom Sandoval. I was still going along with that narrative, and it would have been much better to just be open and honest about it. But of course, Tom was like, no, that wouldn't be good for business. - Rachel: It wouldn't be good for Schwartz and Sandys if people knew that the Schwartz kiss wasn't authentic and we need that to seem real. So it does affect everyone when you're not being honest, because it portrays a certain picture that isn't reality, and the whole point of reality TV supposedly is to be real, following these real people's lives. - Rachel: So honesty would be like the most important value characteristic you would think that everyone on this show should have. But it seems like nobody does.
Well, speaking of honesty, Ariana kind of called out Tom and his motives behind wanting to apologize on camera. He finally does get that moment during the reunion to apologize to Ariana. He has some words when he does, he calls the affair something he regrets every day. He says that he wears it like a badge of shame. On your end, how did that feel watching that? (Timestamp: 14:46) - Rachel: It's hard to tell if Tom is being honest or not. Even in the Secrets Revealed episode, when he was asked how many girls he had sex with since me, and he had to pause and think about if he was going to be honest or not, he's just been caught in so many lies that it's hard to tell if he's being truthful. - Rachel: But hearing Tom say that he regrets getting involved with me every single day, I regret it too, so it is a little bit painful, but it's also like maybe something is registering for him. - Rachel: I don't know. But then again, his actions speak a lot louder than his words. He knows what words to say, and then it seems that he fails to follow through with meaningful action. And that's where true amends come into play.
There was just, I feel like, a lot of pain in the room all around. You kind of acknowledged that at the beginning of this episode. What do you think that this pain, and even Lala saying that she was okay seeing some of those friendships end, what do you think that means for the future of this group? (Timestamp: 16:07) - Rachel: I don't see much of the future for this group. It looks pretty shattered. It looks like these friendships are not healthy friendships. - Rachel: The dynamic between Lala and Scheana is not a healthy dynamic. It seems to be like a power imbalance. It seems like Scheana is trying to appease Lala to make sure she's secure, and she's getting certain needs met in that friendship because Ariana hasn't been around for Scheana the way that she's used to. - Rachel: Yeah, you could tell that Scheana’s struggling with coping with that. It seems like Lala's really on a wavelength of not effing with anybody on the cast right now. It seems like her friendship with Katie isn't strong because Katie's gotten really close with Ariana. - Rachel: It seems like even her friendship with Scheana is a little rocky. I think she sees Scheana as someone that's not...How do I want to say this? - Rachel: And I hate saying this word, because I don't want to like categorize somebody as something, especially because I've been called this before too. But I think seeing how Lala reacted to everything and how Scheana was trying to be the fixer and appease Lala, and it just didn't seem like enough for Lala. I think Lala sees Scheana as someone who is weak, perceived weakness. - Rachel: I'm not saying that Scheana is weak. And I think that there's a lot of alliances and manipulation happening, and none of that is healthy for our friendship dynamic. I can see why the show is taking a hiatus, because it just seems so fractured
Well, it definitely seems like at the very end of the episode, Scheana was very sure to get that last word in. I felt like she was looking directly at Lala and almost begging for her to hear her out that she was on her side. And it really did seem like the very end, Scheana had to choose. Is she Team Ariana or Team Lala? Do you think she made the right choice? Do you think she needed to make a choice, or do you think that she's putting this pressure on herself? (Timestamp: 18:21) - Rachel: Ooh, that's a good question. I think she feels a lot of pressure from the outside perspective, and she doesn't want to, obviously, like burn bridges with Ariana or anything. And I think Ariana has been very gracious towards Scheana. Do I think that she needed to choose sides? I don't think so. I don't know. - Rachel: I can see Lala's frustration probably because I'm sure Scheana and Lala have had conversations about the whole situation. And without Ariana there, I'm sure Scheana’s singing a much different tune than what we're hearing at the reunion, and that's sparking some frustration in Lala. And I'm sure that was a similar feeling when she called out Katie about it too. - Rachel: So yeah, I think that Lala feels pretty isolated, I want to say, in her feelings. And now that it's aired, and I did check Reddit for the first time in a very, very long time, it seems like the majority of people are hating on Lala right now. I'm human. - Rachel: I do hold some resentment towards Lala for the way that she's treated me over the years. I do empathize with her a little bit because all the hate online is just a little bit ridiculous. And I think also people are afraid to speak a differing opinion than the team Ariana side because people are just ruthless online and they don't want to hear a differing opinion. - Rachel: And if you do, then you get shunned out, too. It's very, my therapist calls it tribal shaming, where if you're not following the rules of the tribe, spoken or unspoken, then you're cast out and you're shunned.
***ads play and podcast resumes at 23:24
I mean, it does feel like the fans have had more of an impact on this season than ever. Would you agree with that? (Timestamp: 23:24) - Rachel: Yeah, especially because as they were filming this show, the fans were boots on the ground. We're going to production, we're going to filming, and we're going to take photos and document what we saw and all that stuff. Like it was very interactive in a way. - Rachel: I think with after show this year, it was a little bit different because some things have changed since the ending of filming last summer. One of the things was me starting my own podcast and speaking freely about my experience and my opinion and the after show gave the cast an opportunity to rebut what I was saying and it provided more of a context. - Rachel: And I think with more time passing from the end of filming last summer to, you know, early January, February of this year, when they filmed the after shows, cast dynamics shifted because as we all know, now watching the finale, Lala and Ariana did not end on a good note whatsoever. - Rachel: And so, you know, she had some choice of words to say during the after shows. And it seemed like she really got Sheena to support her with that.
Speaking about the fracturing of this cast, something about her did recently open. Not many cast members were in attendance to this opening. What's your take on that? (Timestamp: 24:56) - Rachel: Interesting. Do you know who went? - iHeart Lady: I know Schwartz went - Rachel: It seems a little telling that maybe Sheena and Lala aren't on the best terms with Ariana right now, because they went to like the Broadway opening that Ariana did for Chicago. And they also went to Dancing with the Stars. But this is all before they knew that she didn't watch the show. And so that was all before the reunion and everything. So yeah, it seems like maybe they're not on the best of terms right now.
What are your thoughts on production holding the last five minutes until the reunion to show to everyone? (Timestamp: 25:47) - Rachel: I wonder if they got word that Ariana wasn't watching the season. And they did that as a way to ensure that they would get a reaction from her, kind of like forcing her hand a little bit, forcing her into a situation that she did not want to be in. It was very strategic in that way. And it was something new. Like, we've never done that before. It was creative, for sure, on production's part.
Do you think it was fair to Ariana? (Timestamp: 26:27) - Rachel: There's a commitment, and part of that is watching the show and having an opinion on what's happening besides your own story that you're sharing. So in a way, it's like ensuring that Ariana did have an opinion on it. So very eye opening, to say the least.
I want your take on Tom's final words. He says, I love it. It's good for me. A lot of people in the room were very shocked by that. Tom even has a reaction to it, where he shakes his head no. They didn't even really press him on what he meant by that either. What's your take on all of that? (Timestamp: 26:49) - Rachel: I wish they pressed him on what he meant by that a little bit more. And Ariana was pretty much the only person that called him out on it too. She caught it. - Rachel: She was like, that exactly proves my point, that you are doing things for the audience, for the production value, and for his own story purposes. I guess in Tom's eyes, having Ariana refuse to film and walk off was good for him because he felt like he completed his job and fulfilled his duty with what production was asking from him. And Ariana was not. - Rachel: And I think selfishly, he probably thought that it would give him a better chance of having more of a redemption story. - Rachel: Because, ultimately, production is the one picking and choosing what they're going to share on the show and edit and put certain music behind certain scenes to make it seem even more of a certain way. Tom knows how to play into that. But I would have loved to hear what his explanation for that comment would be.
Why do you think they didn't press him? (Timestamp: 28:34) - Rachel: I think that they're protecting him, like they always have been.
We did see something interesting at the very end with Lisa stepping up and taking Ariana's side, which is kind of a different tune. You've talked about this before, where she seems to protect the guys a lot of the time, but then she changes her tune at the very end of the episode and takes Ariana's side. What are your thoughts on that? (Timestamp: 28:39) - Rachel: I think Lisa is very strategic with what she puts out there as well. And she knows what people are saying about her, with her always supporting the guys. So that could have been a motivation behind her changing her tune and supporting Ariana in that way. Yeah, I don't know. It's hard because I think also Lisa is very aware of who the fan favorites are. It's her show. - Rachel: She's an executive producer on this show. So she's not a dummy when it's coming to that. I think it helps her if she is supporting Ariana because she'll praise Ariana for walking away and end up holding her boundaries. - Rachel: But then when it comes to me, I don't even remember what she said about me. But when it comes to me walking away and setting a boundary for myself, I've been told that I'm a coward and I'm running away from my problems. - Rachel: So that part for me gets a little frustrating because it's like, and also the fans praising Ariana for upholding her boundaries and walking away and supporting her and telling her like, you know, she's outgrown this show. - Rachel: She should move on and do something even better with her life. And she's finding out now that these aren't her true friends and like good for her for upholding her boundaries and walking away from this situation. And I've done the same thing and it has been met with scrutiny.
Lala compares her situation with Randall to Ariana a lot throughout this reunion. Do you think the two are similar at all? (Timestamp: 30:37) - Rachel: I don't think that the relationship that Lala had with Randall is comparable to the situation that Tom and Ariana were in. It's hard to get on Lala's side with some of the things that she's saying, because the way that she spoke about her relationship with Randall is like bragging about doing BJs for PJs and getting gifted a Range Rover very early in their relationship and not being honest about who she was seeing and the situation that was happening basically. And it just seemed like she was in it for the money and like to secure her success and fame. - Rachel: So it's hard to get behind that, especially when she's been so outright about it. Unfortunately, Randall wasn't the stand up guy that she was selling him to be. We weren't buying it. - Rachel: In Ariana's case, viewers got to see that relationship develop over the years, whereas with Lala's, he wasn't around, like it was secret for a while. And, you know, it's harder to develop feelings towards a person or a relationship when you're not seeing it play out on camera. I think Lala has a lot of anger, maybe even towards herself, for the situation that she allowed herself to be in. And I think she might be taking that out on Ariana.
How hard is it to be really honest when you're in this position? And do you think certain cast members have an easier time doing this? (Timestamp: 32:22) - Rachel: So this is like where your own values come in. Like, are you an honest person or are you not? Because there are people in this cast that are not, and we know who they are, and they have no problem lying, and it doesn't bother them when they lie. - Rachel: And for me, I'm working towards living a more authentic, honest life. And part of that is being honest with my emotions, thoughts, and feelings, and expressing that, and doing that in a way that is still respectful, because I'm not trying to hurt people in the process. And I am trying to express myself honestly and be true to myself. - Rachel: So I think it just depends on who you're asking. I mean, it's definitely not easy. It's definitely hard because you're on this platform, this public arena where you're opening yourself up to scrutiny. - Rachel: And if other people have differing opinions than you do, or if your opinion is the minority, you're basically going to be harassed and scrutinized. And so sometimes for people, it's easier to not be fully honest with their thoughts and feelings in order to save face or in order to go with more popular opinion because it's perceived to be safer that way. But I don't know. - Rachel: At this point, it's like your words aren't going to hurt me. You can say whatever you want to say about me online, and I've survived this far. So whatever else you say about me is not going to affect me any more than it already has. - Rachel: I've developed thick skin through this process, and I've come to the point where I value my friendships that are real in the sense of I interact with these people in real life. I care more about people's perception of me when they actually meet me and interact with me and the vibes I give off that way. So you get to a certain point where it's almost your duty to show up for yourself and be honest with how you feel and how you think about a certain thing in that moment. - Rachel: And your opinions can change with time too and with more information. It's not like I'm going to say this one thing and I'm always going to feel this way. It's always changing, it's always developing, we're always getting more information, and we're always experiencing new things that change our perspective on life. - Rachel: So it's just your duty to represent yourself in the most authentic way so that your people will find you.
***ads play and podcast resumes at 38:08
Well, I think there was one kind of shining moment, I'll say, even though it was a really emotional moment. But the moment between, and this is a little bit of a pivot, but the moment between Schwartz and Katie, I found really interesting, where Andy was asking about their relationship. It seemed like this season, they had a little bit more of a playful dynamic. But Schwartz gets really emotional, saying that he doesn't regret how their relationship ended. But you can kind of see in his eyes that he tears well up. He gets really emotional. What did you make of that moment? (Timestamp: 38:08) - Rachel: We don't think we've really seen a moment like that between Tom, Schwartz, and Katie. It really seems like they've come to terms with how the relationship ended, and that it was for the best. But it seemed like there was a lot of fond memories and just appreciation for one another, that I don't think I've really seen that dynamic between them before. - iHeart Lady: To me, it seemed like in a season where there was a lot of hurt, that seemed like the one moment of maybe seeing two people that are going through the process of healing. - Rachel: Viewing that, it did seem like they were both coming from a place of healing, because they weren't throwing insults at each other or trying to bring each other down. It was very respecting one another and appreciating the moments that they did have together while it lasted. And that's refreshing to see on this show.
Lala said something at the very end where she said it was really hard for her to show up to season nine reunion, I believe it was. You know, she didn't want to talk about certain things, but she showed up. Ariana said the same thing where she could say the same about the season 10 reunion. She didn't want to be there. You could probably say the same thing about the season 10 reunion. You didn't want to be there as well. Is it fair to say everyone's been in a position where they didn't want to be somewhere, but they did anyway? (Timestamp: 39:44) - Rachel: 100%. Yeah, totally. And that's like the part of committing to this show. It's a commitment. And even though you don't quite know what you're signing up for, you know that it's not going to be necessarily easy. And there's a challenge in that. - Rachel: And I think, just speaking for myself, there was an opportunity for growth for me in that. Yeah, I think we've all been in a situation where we didn't want to show up for something and felt, I don't think obligated is the right word, but we made a commitment to being there, and we followed through with our commitment. And it's hard.
You started this episode off by acknowledging that there was a lot of healing that this cast needs to do. As someone who has taken a step back from filming, you've had this time to kind of come back to your own reality. What can this cast expect when you have that moment to kind of breathe and have that separation and you rejoin reality for a minute? (Timestamp: 41:07) - Rachel: Oh, okay. That is a loaded question. Because I think that there's a little bit of fear with not being the current topic of conversation. - Rachel: I think addiction is the wrong word, but there's a little bit of the dopamine hits that you get when you're being talked about on a reality TV show and the fear of that going away permanently could be a scary thing. But taking time off and re-centering with yourself, I think is like the best thing for this cast right now, because we don't want to be forced into situations that we don't want to be in. That's not living an authentic life. - Rachel: I mean, I've been worrying about scenes and storylines, and I haven't even been a part of this show, but now it feels good not to worry about that. And I do have to say, just like reading all the comments on Reddit right now, it's like hardly anybody is talking about me, which is a great feeling. It's just so much more freeing when you're not living your life for somebody else's entertainment anymore. - Rachel: It just feels like you get your life back a little bit. It's so complex, and I think it's hard to understand if you haven't been through being on a TV show for millions of people to comment on and judge your life. I don't think humans are meant for that, and there's no way that that's healthy. - Rachel: Yeah, I said that I think the cast, we have a lot of healing to do. We, as in, I still do too, and part of that is coming back to reality. And I really don't think that we've had a minute this whole season. I think it's going to be good for everyone.
Has this year though felt different to you? I feel like you're like half in, half out (Timestamp: 43:42) - Rachel: Oh, yeah, it's felt so different. But I think like a large part of that has to do with going to the meadows and really reconnecting with myself and learning about my issues and how it was showing up for me and really coming to terms with like, what is this piece of external validation and how is that motivating me? And is it even real? - Rachel: And just like really re centering back into myself and gaining a lot more perspective with that. Without the meadows, I would not be where I am right now. There's no freaking way. So it is. I'm living a new life. I really am. - Rachel: And I feel like I haven't really been able to truly have the opportunity to live my new life to the fullest because this show has been holding me back. And I know that that's partially my fault too because I'm indulging and speaking about it, but I'm really looking forward to the days when I can truly move forward and evolve into something even more magnificent.
Outro (Timestamp: 45:02) - Rachel: Thank you so much for listening to Rachel Goes Rogue. Follow us on Instagram and TikTok for exclusive video content at Rachel Goes Rogue Podcast.
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Just a bit of contect he was never involved in my pregnancy since we broke up when I was 10 weeks pregnant I let him know when we was born and he message me when can I see her.
I arrange for him to see her when she was 5 days old he didnt seem that interested in her at all he never looked at her he held her one during the few hours he saw her. He came again when she was about 2 weeks old and that when the problems started.
He constantly picked fights saying I wasn't allowing him to see her and I was a horrible mother that she's not his as she looks nothing like him etc.
When she was 3 weeks old he tried to end it twice it go that bad the police had to drag him back to the hospital, I said thats since his mental health isnt the best that's its not the best idea for him to be seeing her and we can arrange somthing for when his mental health was better I still messaged him sent in photos and we still ft when he could.
2 weeks later I got a letter though for mediation I message him and he said that his mental health was better and that even if he and said anything I would allow him to see her ( which I never did the planning wasn't the best as when he was buzy I was free amd when I was buzy he was free so him seeing her was difficult to arrange) after I decline he stopped messaging me
8 months later I put in for child support he got his sister to message me to tell me I'm a horrible person for putting in for CS when I don't allow him to see her (i never said he couldnt see her) so I message him to see if he wanted to see her and I would arrange somthing so that he wasn't on his own with her so like at a visitation centre.
We went back and forth for a few days then I asked him it not message me everyday (as all it was is him asking is she was OK and constantly comparing her to his family but when i said oh she gets that from my side of the family he would accuse me of pushing him and his family out and that im trying to turn her against him she was 9 months old at the time) he flipped out on me.
Saying how can I help and support my child if you don't allow me to message. I put back I'm not saying not message just not every day and I might be the arsehole for this but I said that asking how she is amd comparing her to your family isn't helping or supporting her.
Then he went on a rant about how much of a horrible person I am and then demanded to see her or he would take me to court to I Just put fine see you in court then during the conversation he kept trying to argue with me but I had tried to remain civil
A day later I got a call from CS as he had denied being her dad and we had to go wait for a DNA test and I had to answer some question. His family however kept messaging me about the case it was like a message or two a day which I had ignore I ended up closed the CS case as his family kept on harassing me about the DNA test
So aita for stopping him from seeing his child?

I got hurled rude insults at when I received a supposedly " Lab grown diamond" I took it to three different Jewelers who all said it was fake. This was supposedly certified lab-grown diamond. The certification is from the company itself, not an actual diamond certification. He is not accepting the returns for the full amount. He said if I send it off to a lab and get it graded it'll come back as a real diamond, which I highly doubt. I was told from three different Jewelers that the diamond is fake and the gold on the ring is probably fake as well. It tested moissanite under the pen reader, and he said that they aren't reliable and that they're garbage and that he'll reimburse me over $2,000 if I sent it off to gemologist and get it graded. By that time I'm another $100 in as well as it takes a whole month or so to get it graded, but also there is no actual commitment on his end. He could probably just dip and close his shop. I paid about $800 for the ring in total and it was definitely my fault that I thought I could get a true lab-grown diamond one carat for that price. He's got amazing reviews and I can't help but think in my mind he's scamming several other individuals who are completely unaware. Besides that, the quality of the job I was told is just completely awful as well. The prongs are sharp and she'll cut her hand on them and the ring super light compared to the real ring I just bought. I will be fighting this but I just wanted to make sure that I was correct. He also at first pretended to not know what moissanite was and then backpedaled saying he would never sell it. Started getting super defensive when I took photos and a video of what the jeweler said. He was also saying that the testers can't be used for his rings because of how high quality they are. But we put a lab-grown diamond on the tester and it came back. It's a real diamond while his came back as a moissanite. So far he's only offered to refund me half. I will find a way to get my money back regardless if I have to do a chargeback or not.

Edward Snowden has been blasted at us by the Media, News, TV, Movies, and probably over 100 interviews. But when was the last time you saw him photographed in Russian media? Well, I can tell you, 2014.
Since the end of the failed Russian Reset, and after invading Ukraine in 2014, Edward Snowden has NEVER been seen inside Russia.
You’ll hear about some stories you are fed to believe. The John Oliver interview is convincing, but you never see him outside. What you also likely didn’t know is HBO and nearly his entire crew (if not all) knew NOTHING about the Edward Snowden interview until John Oliver came back with the recordings. Souce
Tucker Carlson is the newest shill in the Edward Snowden coverup. He swears that he met with Edward Snowden, in a Moscow hotel, in 2024. But Edward Snowden was so shy, he didn’t want his picture taken. And wants privacy… But he has 0 issues doing talk shows every week. CIA probably gave him this so Tuck could crap on the deep state a little bit.
Here’s a quote Edward Snowden wrote before becoming a “whistleblower”.
“Years later, when characterizing his experience as a CIA TISO, Snowden would write that he was ‘specially selected by [CIA’s] Executive Leadership Team for [a] high-visibility assignment’ that ‘required exceptionally wide responsibility.’ Souce

• Edward Snowden was born on June 21, 1983, in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. His family moved to Maryland, near the NSA headquarters at Fort Meade.
• Geneva Assignment: Snowden was posted to Geneva, Switzerland, in 2007 under diplomatic cover as a systems administrator at the U.S. Mission. Here, he gained insight into the inner workings of the CIA and U.S. intelligence operations.
• The Media, including television and film, have had a very heavy influence in the perception about Edward Snowden.
• He would claim he looked for Aliens in his book, but i believe that is just misdirection.
• The Guardian reporter, Glenn Greenwald, was the “Snowden leaker” but didn’t reveal any facts that resulted in any substantial change at the NSA or with American civil rights. Look into his resume, and tell me he doesn’t seem like a CIA asset. Souce Source Source

This started with Obama and the Russian Reset. In 2013, Russian and USA relations were not as strained as they are today. During that time, Russian media frequently posted pictures of Edward Snowden, like this one: . However, since 2014, these sightings have disappeared. It’s been a decade since Edward Snowden was seen outside in Russia.
Have you ever wondered how Edward Snowden is paying for living in Russia? Do you really think Russia would pay for some helpdesk employee to tweet for a decade and not be used by Russian Propaganda? He supposedly have to give back his $4m book advance, but we know that’s theater.
It has come to light recently that the CIA withheld information from Trump. Even Jack Smith presented the court with altered documents than what the defense provided. Here is a recent quote from a tweet from a undercover reporter: Source
Amjad Fseisi, is caught on undercover cameras implicating the highest levels of the intelligence agencies, including “The executive staff. We’re talking about the director and his subordinates,” former CIA Directors “Gina Haspel….And I believe Mike Pompeo did the same thing too,” “kept information from him [Trump] because we knew he’d fucking disclose it.” Amjad reasons “There are certain people that would…give him a high-level overview but never give him any details. You know why? Because he’ll leak those details…He’s a Russian asset. He’s owned by the fucking Russians.”
If the CIA is willing to lie about Edward Snowden, they likely provided Trump with fake intelligence that they know he would leak. I bet you the low detail intel briefs with lots of pictures and graphs was just a psyop against Trump to avoid him leaking material. And the stuff he did leak I bet was manipulated by our own government against a sitting president. But at least the CIA hasn't assassinated any more US presidents recently.
Have you ever seen a “whistleblower” do more talk shows than Edward Snowden? They even made a movie about him in a few years. The media is treating Edward Snowden very differently than any other whistleblower in the intelligence community.
I don’t believe we’ve had a real intelligence whistleblower in a long time. Edward Snowden is just trying to misdirect us. There might be aliens, but i would not take the word of an ex CIA agent about that.\
CIA did not expect Russia to go so off the rails so quickly, so you won’t see him in Russian media ever again until he decides he wants to answer questions in USA, like a real whistleblower would do like that hero in Australia exposing war crimes.
What are the true motives behind his tweets and interviews? Does the CIA want to secretly help make our private data more secure? /s

English: for section 1 question a on paper 1 use pqe, point quote explain, nake one point use a quote to back it up and explain, leave extra space after each point incase you have extra time to spend on it,alternatively a kind commentor added fhe following:Can I add one to English, from an English teacher. Instead of PQE, use PEEL . Point, Evidence, Explain and Link (to the next paragraph/back to the question). Will boost C mark.
Question b of that same question make sure if you write the text of a speech the whole text is said speech and if you have to for example write the text of a speech from a famous person you never step out of character. Your opening line should be basically a rephrasing of the question eg:write an article for the local newspaper, you should say "I am writing for the x newspaper to tell you about...", even if its unrealistic they still look for this in regard to your purpose mark.
For the composing:make sure there are famous people you can talk about a lot, also just a few topics that youve got some bit of knowledge on e.g ai might be handy
personal essay: use anecdotes even if they're made up
Short story:I'm avoiding this personally but make sure you show don't tell and alsondont leave plot holes, from what I've heard people who do this already have things like settings, characters and storylines planned out before the exam
Opinion essay: chose for or against and be strongly for or against, if im not mistaken you can be neutral but it's a lot harder
For the single text your first quote shouldn't be from act 1 scene 1 or your texts equivalent,your answer shouldn't be a summary
For hamlet: have lots of quotes, back in as many points as possible with quotes, remember the word regicide and antic-disposition, if the question asks about Claudius' role as villain if must only be his direct wrong doings (laertes, elder hamlet) and not the ones he indirectly caused by making hamlet mad (ophelia, polonius etc).
Comparative:constantly compare your 3 texts,(this next tip only applies if parf of your comparative course is never let me go) MOST of the time if you are doing the question 1 which is split up into a and b where a is in relation to 1 text and b is 2, never let me go will be in part a as it is hard to compare to other texts, this obviously depends on the question but if in doubt do that
Unseen poetry:I'm absolutely useless at this but on my mock I completely misunderstood the poem and got 17/20, waffle with confidence, don't spend too long on it as 20 marks is sweet fa in your English paper and the difference between spending 20 mins and 25 mins is no more than 3 marks. As a kind commentary added(soz days are long cba tagging everybody) backup using any poetic technique you can
Poetry: have one poem you can talk for days about no matter what, they will more than likely come up. Have 3 more you understand to be able to answer a question, then your perfectly covered. If you want to be more confident you can learn 2 poems to perfect 50/50 but from here to Thursday time management is important
History: if your a slow writer like me learn a metric fuck tonne of good quotes they're the quickest way to pick up marks, here's a few if you want them
Oh little sputnik flying high/with made-in-moscow-beep/you show the world its a commie sky/and uncle Sam's asleep-mennen Williams,democratic governor of michigan
The United States would provide political, military and economic assistance to all democratic nations under threat from external and internal forces-the turman doctrine
We are kings men and well be with you to the end -james Craig (not precisely a long one but so many essays it could be used in)
I want dr king to know that I didn't come to selma to make his job difficult, I really did come thinking I could make it easier. If the white people realise what the alternative is, perhaps they will be more willing to here dr king-malcolm x
Also know the 3 document essays off by heart as one will defiently come up,somebody mentioned about knowing every case study off by heart and learning information rather than essays but that's more long term advice than last minute, still tho
Geography: from here to friday dedicate 10 minutes to aerial photography, it's 8 marks waiting to be claimed. Nows probably too late for flashcards but if it isn't fucking use them for srps
Maths: nows not too late to print off a mock or past paper, see what needs the most work and make sure you fully understand them
Irish: if your like me and haven't done a scratch there's still more than a week, predictions are your best friend, learn one essay, one poetry notes, one story notes and one play notes and let God decide how well he wants you to do
French:be able to write about the Olympics as if your fluent, its probably going to come up. Know your tenses and your subjunctive. Learn off a few proverbs they add marks to any essay. "Je suis tout à fait d'accord avec le declaration Ci dessus","il est neccesaire de pesser le pour et le contre", "n'oublions pas le proverbe" and "a Mon avis" fit into most opinion pieces, know them(get correct spelling aswel mine was affected by autocorrect). Also if your down to the wire learn diary phrased, even if you write a bad diary you will get marks for the phrases.
Somebody has pointed out its the 70 year anniversary of the d day bombings so bare that in mind too
Accounting: final accounts will come up,know 2/3, learn all your ratios and all the theory they will come up, know either budgeting or costing as one of each will come up, that leaves the second 100 marker, it will most likely be suspense as that comes up every second year but it could be a 60 marker, I wouldn't even bother worrying about anything else until ratios,final accounts, budget/costing and suspense are up to the grade your hoping for but if all that is sorted learn off maybe 3 other possible 100 markers, that any you have 4 which includes the 80% likely suspense and 2 will come up, the accounting exam is probably the easiest to predict, and for the love of God know your theory. Keep doing exam questions of your struggling, every time you correct one write down your mistakes and have the list of mistakes next to you when doing the next one, then tear it and make a new list of mistakes
Biology: If you know photosynthesis and respiration off from the back of the hand, you are good to go because there is a very high chance one or the other will be asked in some form (could even be a full 30-mark question if you are fortunate enough).
Business: Be 100% familiar with the ABQ strands (the comprehension can help you out a bit in finding the information for each question but you need to know the material that goes along with it from the heart). For Section 3: Defo know Strand 1 or 2 as that comes up as a question 1 or 2, Ratios as that can come up (caught me off guard when I did LC and made the difference between H1 and H2 for me unfortunately) and then would recommend preparing either strand 6 or 7 (or both if you wish for the final question you decide to attempt) Think if I recall you have to do one from Part A, one from Part B and then one other question from either part. Section A is an easy way to pick up marks so if you are struggling bank on Section A and B to get you going and make a decent stab at Section C and know section 1-3 inside out
This is all my experience, I will add any good advice for these subject or other subjects that are provided in the comments, all of these are for higher level except for maths, good luck,don't panic and think about the pint that's instore once this is all over

TW: Mention of pregnancy losses.
Apologies in advance for my lengthy post but necessary for history;
I just miscarried my first euploid from my first egg retrieval/transfer cycle and I'm devastated to say the least. I've now had 2 miscarriages at 7 weeks, 1 ectopic, and 2 chemical pregnancies.
A week or two before my miscarriage, a lot of weird things were going on with my body. I had an allergic reaction and my eyes blew up with hives up and down my arms. We could not narrow down what the reaction came from.. I continued all my meds and I was fine and it didn't happen again.
A few days later, at 5w5d I noticed swelling in my ankles around lunch time at work and I sit all day, so I thought that was odd.. I kept an eye on it all day and it progressively got worse. Spread to my feet first, then up both legs. My calves were literally double their normal size. I went to urgent care and they sent me to the ER to rule out a blood clot because the swelling was so bad. I was fine, no blood clot but no answers either.
I remembered this happened to me slightly (just feet and ankle swelling, and it went away with elevation) during my first pregnancy that I also miscarried at 7 weeks. I knew I took a picture to send to my husband so I ended up finding the picture and checking the dates, I was exactly 5w5d.. the same as this time and I miscarried a week later also.
My Dr thought that was more than just a coincidence and immediately said "We need to turn over every stone and make sure you don't have an autoimmune disease" Our appointments go fast and there's always so much info being thrown at me that I usually get to my car and think of 100 questions I should've asked.
If you saw a Rheumatologist after recurring pregnancy loss, what did they check for? Did you test positive for anything? Did it help with your protocol and end in a live birth?
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TLDR; Multiple losses, being referred to Rheumatology.

So I have had massive hair loss in the past few 2 weeks and am about 90% sure its due to nutritional deficiencies(was iron deficient as per my last blood test 2 years ago and have been taking iron supplements since). Furthermore, I couldnt eat proper food for 2 weeks 1.5 months ago since I had just gotten my bracos. Thereafter, i thought I was gonna go bald cos I already had hair loss for like 2 years due to weightloss so I naturally hopped on reddit and bought 5% topical minox. Todays my third day applying and somehow I lost really little hair(less than 100] so was thinking if I could stop using minoxidil ? Also I’m 18f. I also may have AGA as both my parents have hair loss. My dad had been bald since he was 28 and my mum has had thinning hair for years. Any advice is appreciated and I cant go to a derm cos it’s really expensive where I live.

here is the situation i am an older guy, joined a team not played in a few years, went to first open practice, strained my calf within 15 minutes, pretty bad., that was a month ago. been doing TONS of self rehab, massage, single leg raise, double leg, hops, tib raises, weight training etc. etc. everything feels fine then i go to warm up last night and just have a nagging feeling this is not good. so took myself out of the game before it started in disappointment. what to do when i can feel good up to the point of running and starting to play? I can do all rehab and tests up to the point of running...., anything to get over the hump? i know the answer is 'more time / rest' but for calf strain you don't want 100% rest you need to get the capacity up too...

I need advice regarding my relationship and decision that I’ve made. I want to know if I made the right decision. I (21f) met my (25m) bf at a tobacconist. He approached me and was very polite and asked for my number and if he could take me out. I asked him about his age and if he works because these are important things for me to know before even giving out my number. He answered and said he wasn’t working at the moment because he just got out of house arrest and I asking him if he’s not working, how will he take me out? He told me money isn’t an issue he’s just not employed. I got what he was trying to say. He took me out on a date and it was perfect. He was polite, sweet and a gentleman. It felt like love at first sight for me. We began dating and then he got arrested near my street when he came to drop off a motorcycle to someone and then came to see me. At this point, I knew him for 5 weeks in total and we spoke about a lot of things and I told him hypotheticallly if he was to be locked up again I would hold it down for him. I don’t think he believed me at the time I told him but when the situation arised, it wasn’t even a question for me and I did hold him down. It took a few weeks for him to get processed and call me. I wasn’t sure if he even wanted to be with me anymore. Right after his arrest, I tried to track him down to which jail he was at and sent him letters with words of encouragement and reassurance that I am here for him as promised. In those three weeks of no contact, I also got his BPAY details to put money in his account and have been this whole time. Around $30-$50 per week. He usually spends that money to call me twice a day for 15 minutes per call. Sometimes he calls me 3 times a day. In the weeks where I couldn’t send him money, he never asked for money but I realised the calls were only once a day as he was trying to space out the calls for the week as he was low on money. Still, he never asked me for anything. He’s always given me reassurance during the 6 months he’s been inside and speaks to me kindly and gently. When we do have issues, usually on the first call he will say something that’s not quite right and upset me but always fix it by the second call when he’s had time to think about it. I’ve felt lucky af to have him because he’s been the most sweetest and romantic person I’ve been with yet. All of his friends know bout me and message me when it comes to important information regarding his trial. His mum has also confided in me for the last 6 months and has told me that I’m like a daughter to her (although in the last 1 month she’s ghosted me). I had a face to face visit with him last month because his mum took me with her and it felt amazing to be able to see him and hold him. He has lied to me about a few things starting off with his ethnicity. When I met him he told me he was two different ethnicities but I later came to find out drop his mum that he’s actually 100% Indian and doesn’t have any roots of those other two ethnicities. His mum showed me her entire family as proof and his dad’s family. His mum has also warned me numerous times to break up with him because he’s been in and out of prison since he was 20 and every time he says he will change but he doesn’t. He’s also gotten expelled from school so he never finished school either. He has never had a normal job but has been making money in other ways so money isn’t an issue. I also think he might be addicted to drugs but I am not sure. He has gotten people to transfer different amounts of money into my account and for me to transfer them to other accounts. I did become suspicious of what’s going on but I kind of turned a blind eye to it and told him he better not be making me do something I shouldn’t be doing. He’s always told me if i don’t want to do it it’s totally fine and he can get someone else to do this for him. I am confident I am the only girl he’s talking to as I can book visits every week and I can tell other people are not really visiting him except his sister and mum sometimes and his mum’s also given me reassurance that he is talking to me only me and that when it comes to relationships he is soft hearted. I also do think he is soft hearted. I have experienced a lot of adversity from people and people definitely have looked down on me and have told me all sorts of negative things but I tried to stay strong and stay in the relationship. I have always brought up with issues and we have fixed them. Anyways, he gets out in 10 days and last week I went on to reddit to read peoples posts about dating someone that’s in prison and it scared tf out of me when I saw that all this sweet romantic talk is just “prison talk” and that they will switch up once they come out. I have sent him lots of pics of me too and I saw other people talking about how they sell and trade photos of women and I think I know him enough to know he respects me to not do that to me but all of these things just freaked me out. I am really scared of getting hurt so I tend to withdraw from relationships because the other person can leave me or hurt me to leave him. I know it’s something I struggle with but I have held it down for 6 months even though I only knew him for 5 weeks prior. I have tried to support him in every way I can and I have never missed a call from him. I am not strong enough to break things off over the phone because the calls are timed and I am afraid that if he does give me reassurance over the phone rn it’s probably “prison talk.” I would never ghost him or not give closure so I sent a message to be passed to him to his friend. In the message I basically talked about the reason why I’m leaving is because i don’t think he loves me and probably only feels so strongly about me because he’s in jail and all he’s got is time so now he’s infatuated with me but when he comes out that may change. I don’t want to hold him to promises he’s made while being in there and I don’t want to subconsciously force him to be with me I did write all that in a panic state. Anyway, I think he got the message. He did try to call me a few times after he got the message and I didn’t pick up. I love him a lot so deep down I do want him to try and prove me wrong and give me reassurance that it’s not just prison talk and that he does love me and want to be with me. He’s always made it clear he loves me over the phone. Do you guys think I made the right choice and that if he truly does love me, he will understand how I have been feeling on my end? It’s very difficult to be a loved one of someone that is incarcerated. You feel lonely and always in an emotional roller coaster. I stuck through and didn’t abandon him during his sentence but now that he’s coming out, I’ve kind of just set him free so he doesn’t feel guilty about treating me differently when he comes out if he realises his feelings are not as strong as they were once he was locked up.