Rate me cell phone fwds

My ex-husband was a real piece of work, 25+ years and a wonderful current husband later and it is easy to laugh about some of his shenanigans. In polite company I would say we had different moral centers. In not so polite society I would explain he would "beep" anything with a hole that stood still long enough, could not tell the truth if his life depended upon it, and put most of my hard earned money up his nose.
A couple of examples: Our phone got turned off because he was making 900 and 976 (sex lines) calls. He tried to tell me someone had stolen his phone card (that was the thing at the time, most people did not have cell phones), but a friend worked for the phone company and gave me the phone records. I did not have a phone again until after we divorced and I moved to an area with a different phone company.
He told me he had used the rent money to buy me a mothers day present - he didn't. Another time he told me he had gotten mugged and they had given him a black eye and stolen all his cash - again the rent money. I knew there were holes in his story and later found out he actually had gotten caught with another fellas girl, and the other fella had given him the black eye. Assuming the rent money is what they were "partying" with before they were caught.
When we separated, we were receiving food stamps. I got custody of the kids and had gone to the welfare office with the court order to let them know what was going on and find out what I needed to do. I thought I had gotten it all sorted out, but I stopped getting any food stamps and never did again (once my money was not going up his nose, I discovered I did not need the food stamps anyway). I put in several inquires to welfare and about 1 1/2 years later the welfare office finally contacted me and I found out he had been getting all the food stamps! He claimed he had no idea those food stamps were for the kids.
Now for the petty revenge (aside from living my best life without him, while he ended up living (literally) under a bridge for a few years)-
Because I had been the only one working, he had been the one to get all our utilities turned on. Therefore they were all in his name. After I kicked him out, he called me one day and said he was having the gas deposit moved to his new place, I would have to repay the deposit to have the gas put into my name and he would give me half. Of course he never did, but I knew that was going to happen.
The electric bill, which was also in his name, apparently did not have the same requirement. Several months later I moved out of the rented unit we had shared into an area with a different utility company. The electric bill for our old place was still in his name, I had not paid it for several months when I moved out, and left as many things turned on in the unit as I could without creating a fire hazard.
A few months later and he calls me because the electricity had been turned off at his new place. He was furious, as he had been told that it was turned off because of the money owed on the place we had shared. Did not understand why I had not moved it into my name as I had done for the gas. I, or course, claimed I had no idea what had happed to him, but was internally and after I hung up the phone laughing so hard!
I have had a few other satisfing moments through the years, and many other "funny" stories of things he tried to get away with, but this is enough for one post!

Found out he's not technically licensed or insured even though his business cards say it and the website I built for him says it. I thought all union plumbepipefitters were licensed... He does commercial plumbing work for extremely big projects in Ohio, new construction but the side jobs would be evening/weekend residential repair and new installation upgrades. He doesn't want to pay taxes on the side jobs so he doesn't want to incorporate with an LLC so this is really challenging for me because in order to promote him or work with Google on targeted ads or do search engine optimization to get him clients I need some kind of business name as a title that he shows up as, whether in targeted Google ads or as one of the Google search engine results or in one of the many business directories for professional plumbers that I need to link his name and website and contact info to in order to make him a top Google search result.
I understand not wanting to pay taxes, especially when he is already in a high tax bracket from making $48 an hour at his regular 9-5 but taxes are a fact of life.. I don't like paying taxes either. Since he doesn't want to get an LLC I need to make sure the business name I use isn't actually registered so he doesn't get sued, I have to worry about whether or not Google and other platforms verify licensure and insurance and incorporation before allowing ads or being added to their directories, it's a frickin mess..
Have any of you guys had a side job business and managed to have your website at the top of Google without incorporating and being licensed and insured? He said he can get insured, that's not an issue but I don't understand why he isn't licensed...is it that hard? How do you make $48 an hour and a union journeyman with 20 years experience but not licensed? He definitely has the training, skill, experience...but years back he was addicted to heroin for a while and got a couple theft charges, does that prevent you from being a licensed plumber in Ohio? He's been clean for many years now...If that's the reason why, I don't know if he's ever checked into whether or not it's a deal breaker for lice sure. The licensing is up to a state board, right? It was a pretty long time ago now, since the theft... Seems like they would license him since he hasn't been in trouble since that fiasco if that were the issue.
But yeah, if anyone is familiar with what my brother is trying to accomplish with his side business or what I'm trying to accomplish helping to promote his side work through the website I designed for him and am looking to promote, any advice/info would be greatly appreciated.
Im not a tax accountant but I wish I could convince him to just get an LLC and just pay taxes, would certainly make it easier for me to promote this side business. It seems like he could easily be targeted by the IRS and he wouldn't have protection from getting sued and a lot of jobs wouldn't work out if they are jobs being paid for by insurance companies that probably require work to be done by licensed, insured, plumbers and by someone with a tax id/ with an llc.
Even though he would be paying a lot of tax money, it seems like he could take advantage of a lot of tax write offs. Wouldn't he be able to write off payments for his new truck, a portion of his mortgage payment since some of his house could be claimed as office space, cell phone bill for service calls, gas for service calls, etc? If you have info like that and know real numbers of the savings from tax write offs and real cost numbers of hiring an accountant and things like filing articles of incorporation that could help convince him to do all of this the legit way I would really appreciate it! Thanks.

It was a typical Wednesday night, and I was lounging on the couch with my three cats—Mittens, Shadow, and Ginger—when the emergency alert blasted through my phone, startling all of us.
“THIS IS A CDC EMERGENCY ALERT. DO NOT GO OUTSIDE. REPEAT, DO NOT GO OUTSIDE. AN UNKNOWN PATHOGEN HAS BEEN RELEASED.”
The message repeated in a loop, sending chills down my spine. My cats, sensing my unease, huddled closer. I bolted downstairs to the basement, where I had a small stockpile of supplies. We’d be safe here, I thought. We’d ride this out.
Days turned into a week, and the supplies dwindled. The eerie silence outside was unnerving. No sounds of traffic, no neighbors, not even birds. The world had gone quiet. My cats and I were growing hungrier by the day, and I knew I had to venture out to find food.
Covering my mouth with a makeshift mask, I cautiously opened the front door. The streets were deserted, an apocalyptic wasteland. Abandoned cars lined the roads, and trash was strewn about, but there was no sign of life. I moved quickly, staying alert for any signs of danger.
As I rounded the corner near the local grocery store, I froze. In the distance, a group of people in hazmat suits with CDC and unrecognizable insignia on their uniforms were gathered around a body. The figure on the ground had charred skin, a sight that turned my stomach. I tried to back away silently, but one of them spotted me.
“Hey! Get inside!” one of the soldiers shouted, his voice muffled through the suit. “Now!”
Panic surged through me as they began to run towards me, their weapons raised. My legs moved before my mind could catch up, and I sprinted back the way I came. Bullets whizzed past, the sound of gunfire echoing through the empty streets.
I darted into an alley, heart pounding, and ducked behind a dumpster. My breaths were ragged, and I clutched my chest, trying to calm down. Peeking out, I saw the soldiers sweeping the area, their movements methodical and precise. They were searching for me.
After what felt like an eternity, they moved on, their shouts and footsteps fading into the distance. I waited, paralyzed by fear, until I was sure they were gone. I needed to get back home, to my cats, and figure out what the hell was happening.
I made it back without further incident, collapsing inside and bolting the door behind me. My cats mewed softly, sensing my distress. I sank to the floor, trying to make sense of the chaos.
Days passed, and the hunger gnawed at us relentlessly. The hazmat soldiers were a constant presence, patrolling the neighborhood. Each time they passed, I held my breath, praying they wouldn’t discover us.
One night, as I lay in the darkness with my cats, I heard something outside. A soft scratching at the door. My heart leaped into my throat. I grabbed a knife from the kitchen and approached cautiously.
“Help… please…” a weak voice whispered.
I cracked the door open and found a woman, her skin marred by burns similar to the body I’d seen. She collapsed into my arms, barely conscious. I dragged her inside and locked the door again.
She looked up at me, her eyes filled with terror. “They did this… the soldiers. They’re not CDC. They’re covering up something… something worse than the pathogen…”
Before she could say more, she slipped into unconsciousness. I stared at her, my mind racing. The real threat wasn’t the pathogen—it was something far more sinister.
The soldiers returned that night, searching more aggressively. I knew we couldn’t stay here much longer. Gathering my cats and what little we had left, I prepared to leave. We had to find a safe place, a place where we could uncover the truth.
As I stepped into the night with my cats in tow, I knew there was no turning back. The world outside had become a nightmare, and the only way to survive was to uncover the secrets that the soldiers were so desperately trying to hide.As I stepped into the night with my cats in tow, I knew there was no turning back. The world outside had become a nightmare, and the only way to survive was to uncover the secrets that the soldiers were so desperately trying to hide.
We moved swiftly through the deserted streets, keeping to the shadows. Every rustle of leaves or distant sound of movement set my nerves on edge. The weight of the knife in my pocket was the only comfort I had.
I needed a plan, but first, we needed a safe place to rest. I remembered an old abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town, a relic from a bygone era. It wasn’t ideal, but it was our best shot. We reached the warehouse without incident, and I carefully pried open a side door that had seen better days. Inside, the air was stale, and the darkness was absolute, but it would do.
Setting up a makeshift camp, I turned my attention to the woman who had found us. She was still unconscious, her breathing shallow but steady. I cleaned her wounds as best as I could with the limited supplies I had. My mind raced with questions. Who was she? What did she know about the soldiers and their cover-up?
Suddenly, her eyes fluttered open. She looked at me, her gaze intense. "You have to leave," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "They're looking for you. They know you're here."
"Who are they?" I asked, desperation creeping into my voice. "What's really going on?"
She tried to sit up, wincing in pain. "They released something—something they can't control. The pathogen was just the beginning. They're trying to contain it, but it's spreading faster than they anticipated. The burns… they're from the inside out. It's like the body is burning itself."
My heart pounded as her words sank in. "What do we do?"
"We need to get to the CDC headquarters," she said, her voice gaining strength. "There's evidence there. Proof of what they did. If we can get it out to the world, we might have a chance to stop this."
It was a long shot, but it was a plan. I gathered what little supplies we had left and prepared for the journey. The CDC headquarters was on the other side of town, a perilous trek through an urban wasteland patrolled by hostile forces.
As we set out, I kept a vigilant eye on our surroundings, my cats close by. The streets seemed even more desolate, an eerie silence hanging in the air. We moved quickly, avoiding the main roads and sticking to the back alleys.
Halfway to our destination, we heard the distant hum of engines. We ducked into an abandoned building, peering out from the shattered windows. A convoy of military vehicles rolled by, soldiers scanning the area with flashlights. I held my breath, praying they wouldn't notice us.
Once they passed, we resumed our journey. The closer we got to the CDC headquarters, the more signs of destruction we saw. Burnt-out vehicles, collapsed buildings, and the occasional body lying in the street. It was as if the world had ended while we were hiding in our basement.
Finally, we reached the perimeter of the CDC compound. The building was heavily guarded, soldiers in hazmat suits patrolling every entrance. We needed a distraction. I spotted a gas station nearby and formulated a risky plan.
"Stay here," I whispered to the woman, handing her the knife. "If anything happens, run."
She nodded, her eyes filled with determination. I crept towards the gas station, my heart pounding. Breaking a window, I managed to find a few fuel canisters. I rigged a crude explosive with some rags and matches, praying it would be enough.
With a deep breath, I lit the makeshift fuse and tossed it towards the gas pumps. The explosion was deafening, a massive fireball lighting up the night sky. The soldiers scrambled towards the blaze, giving us the opening we needed.
We slipped through the perimeter and made our way into the CDC building. Inside, it was chaos. Alarms blared, and people in lab coats rushed about. We found a terminal and the woman began to download files, her fingers flying over the keyboard.
"Hurry," I urged, my eyes on the entrance. "They'll be here any second."
The download finished just as the first soldiers burst into the room. We grabbed the USB drive and ran, bullets whizzing past us. We burst through a side exit and into the night, the precious evidence clutched tightly in my hand.
Now we had the proof, but getting it out to the world would be another challenge. As we disappeared into the darkness, I knew this was just the beginning. The fight for survival had only just begun, and the truth was our only weapon against the horrors that had been unleashed.We ran through the night, the USB drive clutched tightly in my hand. The CDC soldiers' shouts and gunfire faded into the distance as we made our way through the abandoned streets. We couldn’t stop now. The evidence we carried was the only hope of exposing the truth and stopping this nightmare.
"We need to get to the old radio tower on Pine Hill," the woman said, her voice strained but determined. "It's heavily guarded, but it's our best chance to broadcast the evidence to the survivors."
The radio tower was a relic from the pre-internet era, now repurposed by the government for emergency broadcasts. It was located on a hill just outside town, a place that would be swarming with soldiers. We had no choice.
The journey to Pine Hill was treacherous. We stayed off the main roads, navigating through back alleys and abandoned buildings. Every sound made us jump, every shadow felt like a threat. My three cats, Mitten, Shadow, and Ginger, stayed close, sensing the tension.
As we approached the hill, the reality of our mission set in. The radio tower loomed ahead, surrounded by a high fence and a contingent of soldiers. Their hazmat suits and the strange insignia on their uniforms made them look more alien than human.
"We need a plan," I whispered, crouching behind a crumbling wall with the woman. "We can’t just charge in."
She nodded, her eyes scanning the area. "We need to create a distraction, something to draw them away from the main gate."
I thought about the explosion at the gas station. "If we can set off another explosion, it might draw enough of them away for us to sneak in."
We scavenged the nearby buildings, finding a few old fuel canisters and some rags. It wasn’t much, but it would have to do. We set up the makeshift bombs at a safe distance from the gate, rigging them to go off with a delay.
"Ready?" I asked, my heart pounding in my chest.
She nodded, her face set in grim determination. We lit the fuses and ran back to our hiding spot. Moments later, the night was torn apart by a series of explosions. Flames shot into the sky, and the soldiers at the gate scrambled towards the inferno.
"Now!" she shouted, and we sprinted towards the fence. The distraction had worked; most of the guards had left their posts. We cut through the fence with a pair of wire cutters and slipped inside, making our way towards the tower.
Inside the compound, we moved swiftly but cautiously. We encountered a few straggling soldiers, and a quick, silent takedown ensured they wouldn’t raise the alarm. The main control room was on the top floor, and we had to move fast.
As we ascended the stairs, the sound of footsteps echoed from below. More soldiers were coming. We reached the control room and barricaded the door behind us. The equipment was outdated but functional, and the woman immediately began setting up the broadcast.
"Keep them off me," she said, her fingers flying over the controls. "I need a few minutes."
I nodded, gripping the knife tightly as I stood guard. The door shook as the soldiers pounded on it, shouting orders. I knew it wouldn’t hold for long. My heart raced as I prepared for the inevitable confrontation.
The door burst open, and soldiers poured in. I fought with everything I had, slashing and dodging, trying to buy her enough time. The room was filled with chaos, the sound of gunfire and shouts echoing off the walls.
"Got it!" she yelled, just as a soldier lunged at me. I managed to dodge, and she hit the broadcast button, sending the evidence out over the airwaves.
The soldier caught me off guard, his gun aimed directly at my head. But before he could pull the trigger, the woman tackled him, knocking the gun from his hand. Together, we fought off the remaining soldiers, adrenaline fueling our every move.
The broadcast was live, transmitting to any survivors who might be listening. The truth was out there now, and there was no turning back. We had exposed the government's dark secret, revealing the horrors they had unleashed.
As the last soldier fell, we took a moment to catch our breath. The room was a mess, but we were alive. The woman looked at me, her eyes fierce.
"We did it," she said, her voice trembling with a mix of exhaustion and relief.
"What's your name?" I asked, realizing I never knew the name of the woman who had saved us all.
"Emily," she replied. "And you?"
"David," I said, offering her a weary smile. "What's next?"
"We find more survivors," Emily said. "We need to band together, stay safe, and figure out how to stop this once and for all."
As we left the radio tower, my cats trailing behind us, I knew the road ahead would be long and dangerous. But for the first time since the outbreak, I felt a glimmer of hope. We had taken the first step in fighting back, and we wouldn’t stop until we reclaimed our world.As we descended Pine Hill, the adrenaline from our successful broadcast still coursed throughour veins, we encountered a lone CDC soldier. He was younger than the others, his hazmat suit splattered with dirt and blood. He raised his hands in surrender, his eyes wide with fear.
"Please, don’t shoot," he begged, his voice trembling.
Emily and I exchanged glances. We needed answers, and he might be our best shot.
“Drop your weapon and get on your knees,” I commanded, keeping the knife at the ready. He complied, dropping his rifle and kneeling on the ground.
“Who are you?” Emily demanded. “And what the hell is going on?”
“My name is Sergeant Walker,” he stammered. “I’m just following orders. Please, you have to understand, it’s not what you think.”
Emily stepped closer, her eyes narrowing. “Then explain it to us. What have you released? What’s really happening?”
He swallowed hard, glancing around nervously. “They didn’t tell us everything at first. The pathogen was supposed to be a bioweapon, something to give us an edge in warfare. But it mutated… it’s out of control.”
“We already know it’s bad,” I said, tightening my grip on the knife. “Tell us something we don’t know, or I swear we won’t be as kind as we’ve been.”
His eyes darted between us, and he took a deep breath. “There’s a new variant,” he admitted, his voice shaking. “It’s worse than the first one. The mortality rate is 98 percent, and it’s incredibly transmissive. It turns the infected’s brain to jello, makes them mindless, driven by a desperate urge to consume others.”
I felt a cold dread settle in my stomach. “What do you mean, ‘consume others’?”
“They eat other infected,” Walker said, his voice barely above a whisper. “It’s like they’re trying to regain parts of their humanity, but it’s futile. They’re just spreading the infection further.”
Emily’s face paled. “How did this happen? How could you let this happen?”
“It wasn’t supposed to be like this,” he said, tears forming in his eyes. “We were just following orders. We didn’t know. By the time we realized, it was too late. The higher-ups tried to contain it, but it spread too fast. Now they’re just trying to cover it up, to hide their mistake.”
I looked at Emily, the horror of his words sinking in. “What do we do now?”
“We have to find more survivors, warn them,” she said, her voice resolute. “We need to band together and fight back, somehow.”
I turned back to Walker. “Thank you for telling us. Get out of here, go somewhere safe. But know this: if we ever see you again, and you’re still working for them, we won’t be as merciful.”
He nodded, tears streaming down his face. “Thank you. I… I’m sorry.”
We watched as he ran off into the night, his figure quickly swallowed by the darkness. The information he’d given us weighed heavily on our minds. The situation was far worse than we’d imagined, but we couldn’t let despair take hold. We had a mission, a purpose.
As we continued our journey through the desolate streets, my cats trailing close behind, I felt a renewed sense of determination. The world had become a living nightmare, but we had taken the first steps toward fighting back. We would find more survivors, we would uncover more truths, and we would stop this horror, no matter what it took.
The road ahead was fraught with danger, but for the first time, we had hope—and that was something they couldn’t take away from us.
As we watched Sergeant Walker disappear into the darkness, a sinking feeling settled in my chest. The weight of his revelations hung heavy in the air, and I couldn’t shake the sense of despair that threatened to overwhelm me. But before we could fully process what had just transpired, footsteps echoed behind us, and Walker’s voice called out.
“Wait! Please, don’t leave me!” he cried, his voice frantic.
Emily and I turned, startled by his sudden return. His hazmat suit was torn, his face streaked with dirt and tears.
“What do you want?” Emily demanded, her voice sharp with suspicion.
Walker stumbled forward, his hands trembling. “I can’t go back to the CDC,” he gasped, desperation evident in his eyes. “Not after what they’ve done. You said you need survivors… well, I’m one of them. Please, I’ll do anything. Just let me stay with you.”
I exchanged a hesitant glance with Emily. Could we trust him? After everything he’d been a part of?
“We can’t stay here,” I said, my voice low. “If you’re coming with us, you need to keep up.”
Walker nodded eagerly, his relief palpable. “Thank you. I won’t let you down, I swear.”
With that, we continued on our journey, Walker falling into step beside us. The night stretched on, the silence broken only by the occasional sound of our footsteps and the distant howl of the wind. We didn’t speak, each lost in our own thoughts, haunted by the horrors we’d witnessed.
As the first light of dawn began to creep over the horizon, we found ourselves on the outskirts of a small town. It was quiet, eerily so, but there was a sense of life here that we hadn’t felt in days.
“This is where we’ll start,” Emily said, her voice firm. “We’ll find survivors, gather supplies, and figure out our next move.”Walker nodded, determination shining in his eyes. “I’m with you,” he said, his voice steady. “Whatever it takes.”And so, with the dawn of a new day, our unlikely group set out into the unknown, united by a common goal:
survival. The road ahead would be long and fraught with danger, but together, we had hope—and that was something worth fighting for.
As the sun rose higher in the sky, casting its golden light over the desolate town, we knew our first order of business was finding hazmat suits. With the threat of infection looming over us, protection was paramount if we were to continue our mission.
Scouring the abandoned streets, we moved with caution, alert for any sign of danger. Emily led the way, her eyes scanning every building for a potential source of supplies. After what felt like hours of searching, we finally stumbled upon an old hardware store.
The door creaked open, revealing shelves lined with dusty boxes and debris-covered floors. We moved quickly, gathering whatever supplies we could find—flashlights, batteries, duct tape—anything that might be useful in our fight for survival.
But the real prize was the hazmat suits tucked away in a corner, their bright yellow material standing out against the gloom. We wasted no time in suiting up, grateful for the added layer of protection they provided.
Once we were fully geared up, we stood in the dim light of the store, our spirits lifted by the newfound sense of security. But our moment of respite was short-lived, as a noise from outside drew our attention.
Footsteps echoed in the distance, growing louder with each passing moment. We exchanged tense glances, our hands instinctively reaching for our weapons. Whoever—or whatever—was approaching, we were ready to defend ourselves.
The door swung open, and a figure stumbled inside, panting heavily. It was a young woman, her hazmat suit torn and bloodied, her face streaked with dirt and sweat.
“Please,” she gasped, collapsing to the ground. “Help me.”
Emily rushed to her side, pulling off her helmet to reveal a shock of red hair and wide, terrified eyes.
“What happened?” Emily asked, her voice gentle but urgent.
The woman took a deep breath, trying to compose herself. “I was part of a group trying to escape the city,” she said, her voice trembling. “But we were ambushed by infected. They came out of nowhere, tearing through us like animals. I’m the only one left.”
A chill ran down my spine as I listened to her story. The infected were becoming more aggressive, more organized. If we didn’t act fast, we could be next.
“We need to get out of here,” I said, my voice tense. “Now.”
With a sense of urgency, we helped the woman to her feet and gathered our supplies. The hardware store was no longer safe, its walls offering little protection against the growing threat outside.
As we slipped back into the sunlight, our hazmat suits offering a false sense of security, I couldn’t shake the feeling that our journey was far from over. The road ahead would be treacherous, filled with danger at every turn. But together, we would face whatever challenges came our way, united in our determination to survive.

Hi,
I recently recieved an offer to join a startup as their lead frontend developer mobile and web. The product is primarily an app that can run on phones and the web. Currently, the company has 3 shareholders with 50%, 25% and 25% of shares respectively. In addition, there is a small team of 2 developers and 1 designer. The company is still in it's infancy stages, however a product already exists to an extent and there are 100 customers paying at this early stage. These customers where funneled from the 50% shareholders large (>500k) instagram following. This shareholder has also invested 200k into the company which is being used to cover expenses for now.
I have recieved following offer Over 2 years a salary of 2.5k in year 1, 5k in year two. 8% equity, vested over 2 years with a 6 month cliff. My current salary is 110k / year in comparison, so I would be taking a significant paycut / pay under market rate.
I have following questions to ask / following things are unclear to me at this time: - Where is the breakeven point for the company? - How are the salaries to be set for the other employees for the next 2 years? - Could this be diluted in the future?
Are there any other questions I should be asking? When you see this offer, what comes to mind?

I took my exam yesterday (May 18) at home, and I found out today I passed 3AT! I did not believe I was going to pass. I absolutely thought I had failed and was planning on when to take the exam again. Like others, I thought I would share some of what I did and some recommendations especially if you are taking it at home. Of note, I used to work with college students and teach them how to improve their academic skills (not memorizing but mastering material, not freaking out at an exam, etc) so I wrote this with academic coaching in mind.
Things That Helped Me/My advice:

• Not believing all the "just take the test at a testing center" negativity. Taking a test at home (if you like your home) has some big benefits. This isn't to say everyone should do it, but if you want to do it, here is why it helped me:
  • I get it, lots of folks have bad experiences testing at home. A lot of things can go wrong and they aren't in your control all the time. But, I work from home 99% of the time and know my internet is reliable, I dont have interruptions, etc.
  • Theres a HUGE benefit in taking the exam in a place where you are very comfortable. If you have test anxiety, this is something to consider. I didn't have shoes on, I wore comfy clothes, I could control the temperature how I wanted, etc
  • Studying and taking your practice exam in the same environment as the actual exam can be another benefit, as this can help jog your memory! There is some science behind this.
  • You can use ALL of your break time. One of the things I saw in some posts where folks took the test at a testing center is the check in/out procedures ate up a chunk of their break time and sometimes the bathrooms seemed far. So they barely had a break. I actually chose to end my breaks early because I was able to relax and take the entire break as a break.
  • I had zero interaction from anyone at Pearson. No one sent me a chat (I didn't reach out either), I didn't have any issues while taking the exam, etc. This isn't good or bad, but just putting it out there that I felt like I was just taking an exam at my house like it was any other day.
• Learning Stuff!
  • Take practice exams...many, not the same one over and over though. Its ok to repeat them (I did) but dont take 1 practice exam 3 times and think you are ready.
    • As you get closer to the exam, take practice exams simulating the actual exam environment as much as you can - stick to the time limits, take 2 ten minute breaks, dont check your phone, etc
    • Review your correct and incorrect answers - know WHY the correct answer is the correct one. This is what can take the most practice because you have to think like the PMI wants you to think
  • Know the terminology - the SH+ games are great for this, specifically the Crossword but it wont capture all the terminology you need to know.
  • Use all the resources people mention here because one of the best things you can do is use different formats of learning to take in information - especially if it repeats itself!
    • Some folks learn best by writing things out, some learn best by hearing it, etc. Most people learn best by ALL of these things together. You probably didn't realize in K-12 that your teachers were using many modalities to teach you stuff. Think like a K-12 teacher and create a lesson plan with many different activities on the same topics and review it over and over (each review in different modalities that work for you)
    • Example - for one topic - Watch the videos folks suggest, and read through the notes from Third3Rock, make your own flashcards and talk it out
    • Talking it out is an underrated/under utilized learning modality. The purpose of this is acting like you are teaching someone else. Some of you might be able to teach another person like your roommate, partner, or child. But if you dont have a human or a pet to teach PMI topics to, get a plant, a pillow, a ghost, etc. Talk the topic out as if you are explaining it or having a conversation about it with another person. If you can't explain it to someone else, you dont know it enough.
    • I am someone who learns by writing things out. Not typing (although I do learn that way), literally writing. But if you are like this too, make sure to put it IN YOUR OWN WORDS. Dont just copy whats on the screen/paper on a index card.
    • Create your own visuals. Not of everything. Just the stuff YOU know you need to see/read again. There are some great visuals out there already too!
    • A few days before my exam, I re-wrote some of the main concepts I wanted to remember on larger pieces of paper (printer paper) with colorful markers. This included topics/questions I wasn't so confident on, important terminology, etc. I used a lot of paper...and then I taped them to the walls in my hallway. I didn't put them in my office because I knew I'd have to take them down before the exam and I didn't want that stress. So I put them in the hallway and would pause and read them, talk them out, dance while singing the topics, etc. Its like an information radiator for yourself and again, there's science behind how these things can help some people learn.
  • You dont need an expensive "bootcamp" or pricey course to learn this material. With the amount of free or cheap options out there (all the things you see mentioned in this subreddit), you dont necessarily need to shell out a lot of money for anything else. My work paid for an expensive bootcamp. I did it and wasn't impressed. It was like drinking from a firehose and the worse way anyone can learn information - hearing someone talk at you for 8 hours a day for 4 days in a row. I dont recommend this at all. I did not use my notes nor resources from this bootcamp for anything. There could be better bootcamps out there - I've had a few friends have better experiences. But we all used other free/cheap resources to learn in more detail.
    • If you really want a course, some of the courses folks have mentioned here (Udemy, etc) that are self-paced are likely far better to learn initial information just for the fact that you can go back and review the information in a lot of detail/re-watch videos, etc.
• There are differences between the PMI Study Hall practice exams and the actual exam. You're probably think, OBVIOUSLY there are differences! Here are the ones I observed:
  • The actual exam questions were not as wordy/long as the practice exam questions. They often had very little information in them and yet you had to make a decision as if you knew all of the context. But also dont assume anything!
  • Many of the questions had answer choices where 2 were extremely similar to each other and seemed correct
  • I only had 2 matching questions and no math/calculations
  • I felt like I failed the very first section. These questions were HARD right out of the gate. I dont think this section had any easy or moderate questions in it. I literally thought I had failed the whole exam because of this and was planning on when to retake it. Note that while this was my first section, it may not be in that order for other people. All the people saying, "there were no expert questions on my exam" - yeah, not mine! And I did relatively well with expert questions on the practice exam. I am aware that there are experimental questions on the exam which dont count in your score. Maybe these were it, I am not sure. But damn, this section was hard.
• Actual Exam Week/Day Prep
  • If you have been intensely studying for a bit, you need a break before your exam. This is even more true if you work full-time, have a family, etc. Your brain can literally only have so much energy and if you are exhausted going into the exam, you will not be functioning at your best.
    • The week of your exam, only do light review. This means, maybe one practice exam but like the beginning of the week. Or no practice exam. Review the concepts you miss a lot, review terminology. That's it.
    • Eat well for you. Dont push yourself with workouts unless thats your norm. Get good sleep in the days leading up to the exam. Drink a good amount of water not just the day of/day before the exam.
  • Schedule your exam at a time where you know you tend to feel more energized, and more relaxed, if at all possible. For me, even if I am more awake in the morning, I knew having an exam first thing would give me a lot of anxiety the night before and I probably wouldn't sleep then I'd do bad on the exam. I scheduled my exam at 1:15pm on a Saturday. I slept in a little, had some coffee and a leisurely breakfast, reviewed some things, then I was ready.
  • Talk nicely to yourself - with how much all of this can cost, and whatever other pressures you may have, there can be a lot of "I have to pass, like HAVE to pass!" pressure. Of course we all want to pass the first time and be done with it, but thats not to worry about right now. Talk nicely to yourself - make those encouraging sticky notes and put them around your house, or meditate, etc. but make sure to remind yourself how hard you have worked, and how capable you are. Your only focus is to do your best and thats all you can worry about right now.
  • If you are someone who reads out loud as you are reading questions, you need to practice not doing this. Its probably best to practice this before the week of your exam, but if you dont have that time you need to practice the week of your exam for sure.
  • Right before the exam/as the exam starts
    • The program will give you an intro to how it works. Like where is the timer, where are the buttons, how to highlight, etc. Do it. Do all of the silly things you probably already know how to use. As you are doing it, take deep breaths and exhale slowly at least 3 times. If your heart rate is going up, just pause and do some circle breathing (breath in deeply, hold 4 or more counts, breathe out SLOWLY like for 8-10 counts, then breathe in again, do it again). You do not have to rush into this exam. You have plenty of time.
    • Use the whiteboard tool to write stuff down that is just ruminating in your head. It should stay there through the exam. Get it out of your head because the more you try to hold it all in, the more stress that creates. Write triggers for yourself or draw your beautiful drawings you were practicing with. Again, this helps your memory noggin do its thing and can get out some of that anxiety you are feeling.
  • During the exam
    • Dont let hard questions get you down. This is challenging, even for me who generally does well with test taking. Know that not all questions actually count toward your score. If you have a hard question, do your best, mark for review, and move on. Dont let it cloud your confidence. I literally thought I failed the whole exam because of the first section it was so hard. But I ended up passing 3AT!
    • Take the breaks. Dont try to be a hero. Breaks can be a good reset for your brain! Take them, and take the whole time if you need. Drink water. Have a snackie. Do some breathing and stretches.
    • Watch the time. This is important so you aren't rushing at the end, and also why you dont want to waste a lot of time on a few hard questions. Regarding time, I purposefully went fast when I was practicing to make sure I could still answer correctly under duress (and also I didn't have a lot of time for 4 hour exams while practicing). Most of my practice exams I finished in 1.5 hours and I scored in the 70-80% with expert questions. In the actual exam, I took about 3.25 hours.

I hope this helps someone out there. Sorry it was long but glad you made it to the end!

I never thought I'd be somewhere like this.
I sit here and stare at my wall, not knowing if my life will see any change. So fucking frustrated wanting to do something, anything than just sit here and waste my time on my phone or playing stupid games. What a waste of precious time. I'm sick of the scrolling, I'm sick of finding ways to merely occupy my time. I want to do something, I want to make something of myself. I want to leave my house and just start running. I used to love running. But now I'm trapped in my own goddamn body that isn't capable of sitting up or standing without feeling like my heart is going to explode. I was a regular student. I had a job, I was working on a research project, I was attending classes. I loved going to school. I was chasing my dreams on the side, I had lovely friendships. I was making progress, real good progress, I was becoming someone and I was living my life. Until I don't know what the fuck happened. Took one prescribed pill for some back pain and my life changed forever. Suddenly I couldn't sit without my heart hitting 130bpm. I'd get winded just trying to stand. 150. 160. 180. Nothing but lying down would stop this. I never knew you could be so out of breath just trying to stand. Forget about walking, forget about leaving the fucking house, I lost everything. Final year of school, I had to drop out because I couldn't attend my fourth year seminars.
I laid there in bed watching everything that I had built crumble. I had no present, I had no future. Then by some miracle they diagnosed me and put me on meds to stabilise my heart rate. Twice a day, everyday for the rest of who knows how long. I'm able to move around my house, struggle with the stairs but I can at least move around. But like clockwork, at the 5th hour mark, my symptoms come back and I'm back to not being able to do anything. There are others with my condition who aren't even on meds that work full time jobs, have children to take care of, and seem to live their lives. Struggle but somehow manage. I can't. I am not as strong. I am weak. I am held prisoner by my weak mind and heart. I stopped partaking in life, the outside world, I sit in my house contributing nothing to the world. Yet I still dream. I dream about getting better, I dream about becoming healthy, I dream about walking outside and capturing the beautiful world with a camera. I dream about meeting people outside, hanging out with friends like everyone else. I dream about commuting and walking into a job. I dream about participating in society like a proper human being.
But my reality is me sitting at home, too afraid to leave, scared of fainting in the middle of the street, scared of the presyncope grossness that comes every time I stand up. Terrified of living. Knowing others in my exact circumstance are capable, but that I am not. I used to be terrified of dying but these days I almost welcome it, at least I'll be at peace. Life's too beautiful to stop witnessing it now, but I wish I could participate in its beauty. Some part of me thinks it's unfair to die without being given a proper shot at life. But I just can't.
I just want to be able to run again. Without fear of heart palpitations and being scared that this is the time that my heart won't calm down and I won't be able to move again. I'm stuck. I just want to be somebody. But I'm just a prisoner of my own mind and body. Am I just a coward too scared to test my fate? I don't know. All I know is I'm rotting away.

Hi all. I used to go lucid sometimes without trying when I was younger, but haven't tried or really even thought about it in years.
I usually keep a really good sleep schedule, up no later than 11pm, even on most weekends.
Yesterday (Saturday) I was feeling pretty crappy. I went to bed around 10pm, and woke up on my own at 12am. I really wanted to shower and it was the weekend so I thought who cares, and finished showering around 1am. After that, I got sucked down a youtube rabbit hole watching slightly creepy stuff, at least by my standards.
Lost track of time (was engrossed in 40min video after 40min video) and I think around 4:30am I realized how long I had been up and decided to go to sleep. At the time, I was feeling completely normal, maybe slightly tired and a bit on edge from youtube.
Real quick context - I am a male athlete who stays physically active. My natural metabolism is high though, so my resting heart rate is fairly quick, around 80. Also, I have this fan in my room. It's just white noise, I barely notice it anymore.
So I turn my phone off and I start feeling really strange. Honestly I can't remember exactly how I felt, just that something was wrong. I decide to close my eyes and the weirdness starts.
Couldn't have been more than half a second after I closed my eyes, and my whole body gets paralyzed; I have no feeling anywhere. At the same time, my heartrate speeds up really fast and gets really loud in my ears. I wasn't feeling fear or anything, but my heartrate increased nonetheless. Weirdest of all, I started hearing things. Every time I heard my heartbeat, it was like a switch was flipped. One beat, all I could hear was my quiet fan in the background. The next, there was a very loud sound of white noise. Similar to my fan, but not exactly the same, and a whole lot louder. So every time my heart beat, it switched between one of these two noises playing in my ears.
I don't really remember for how long, but I started fighting to snap out of it after I realized I couldn't move. Probably 10-30s later, I got out. My heartrate as well as the noises immediately went back to normal, and I could move fine.
I was really drowsy and didn't know what was going on, but I closed my eyes again and the exact same thing happened immediately. I was paralyzed, had a fast and loud heart, and a messed up hearing. The second time I snapped out much faster.
At that point things sort of went back to normal. I closed my eyes a third time. I could hear my heart beating fast again but sort of in the distance, like I was going to get pulled back in again, but I don't think I ever did. I don't remember anything else, pretty sure I fell asleep after that.
Like I said, I have no experience lucid dreaming. I looked up my symptoms online, but nothing quite matched this. From what I gathered it looks like sleep paralysis, where part of my body was asleep but the rest of it was not ready. Thing is, I have no clue how that happened. I pretty mentally and physically active last night, I showered and then I was watching youtube. It just doesn't make sense to me how that could have happened. I've also not seen any mention online of fast heartbeats and the type of auditory illusions that I experienced.
If any experts or anyone who has experienced something similar has any clue what happened to me, it would be greatly appreciated if you could let me know! It was a really freaky experience.

So I got this invoice I think I’ll probably take it but I am wondering if anyone has any thoughts. I am loosing the windshield pro warranty and I am trying to get them to remove the red alert (it’s a flashing light when breaking so people behind you see you are breaking)
The price difference is $580 for roof rack and door edge guards but I kind of like the magnetic grey more than the silver

I’m single man in I’m 6’3 in I’m 160 pounds. I live in iowa by a small town called Runnells, iowa but I was southwest Iowa called red oak, iowa I live there I was 3 years old in I moved. I have mild autism in mental health in also I have anxiety. But I don’t act like it but I do have. I like to go workout in shoot hoops at the gym. I like to go to the bars with my friends in cousin in also my step brother too. I like to do everything for fun. I’m interested into single girls are bisexual girls in also single girls are strippers are local in live in iowa in also I don’t mind for long distance relationships too. If you girls want to text me or follow me. My cell phone number it is +1-515-552-0429 or my Snapchat username it is Micahgrooms24 if you want to text me or follow me single girls I don’t mind.

I know it’s rare for someone to be in my position, and I understand strangers on Reddit can’t help me, but I just need to vent. I’m turning 33 years old in a couple months and I’ve never had a girlfriend before…I can’t even get a foot in the door to start the process; its been almost two year since I’ve even been on a date. I’m incredibly lonely, and just want to experience real love and companionship with the right woman.
Dating is hard for a lot of folks these days I’m sure, but it hurts me that I’m so behind my peers, and can’t do something so basic as to find a single woman within a 100 mile radius of my house, where we’re both mutually interested and attracted to each other to go one simple date and get to know each other.
I’m a normal, healthy, emotionally stable fully functioning adult in society: I’m self-aware, in therapy, good job, I’m fit and hit the gym 3-4 days a week, a plethora of active hobbies, and take care of my hygiene. I’m family oriented and would love to be a dad someday. Everyone tells me looks aren’t my problem (I am on the shorter side for a guy at 5’7), but people around me say I’m a funny and charismatic person to be around. I know I’m not automatically entitled to dates just because I think I’m a good man, but the reality is I don’t even get a chance to prove myself…ever.
My dating apps are a barren wasteland and don’t work for me. I never get matches, despite having my profiles reviewed several times right on here on Reddit and by friends. They all say I should be swimming in matches and it’s one of the better profiles they’ve seen. Alas its been almost two years since I’ve had a date or even a real match that wasn’t a scammer or bot. I’m not just relying on dating apps though, I’ve made a genuinely honest effort to put myself out there in real life and join hobbies and activities to meet people.
I’ve tried basically everything:
joining meetups, hiking groups, single events, board game nights, going out to bars with friends, dance classes, the cold approach, leaving my number on waitresses receipts, using the dating apps, rock climbing gyms, and even asking friends of friends if they know anyone they could set me up with. (Everyone is married so they all said they don’t know anyone). All of that and not a single date. Needless to say I did manage to make a few friends here or there which is awesome, but that’s about it…not even a phone number or social media handle to show for it. All I see is rejection and to date, I’ve legitimately never had a woman say yes to me in person before. Not even hyperbole, literally 100% rejection rate. I’m charming, smell good and take a genuine interest in people but it’s never mutual back. I feel like I’m missing some secret sauce or something; I’m at a complete loss why women are never interested in me back.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not desperate. I’m not going after Instagram models or have unrealistic standards, but I’m also not settling for just any woman for sake of being with someone.
Quite frankly I’ve done the single thing. I’ve spent my whole life single, I’ve put in the self-growth and effort. Now I want to experience the other side of life and know what it’s like to have a partner, to meet my special person who’s as excited about me as I am about them.
Loneliness is the worst imaginable pain I’ve ever experienced, and I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. This statement coming from someone who got 3rd degree burns from spilling boiling bacon grease on himself as a kid.
I don’t want to give up, but with zero successes, I don’t know what else to do. 😞

i'm flying out of louisville to LAX soon to make a cross-country drive back home, and we're gonna be spending a few days camping at the national parks. i was looking for the best and longest-lasting charging banks for me & my bf to bring along! we both will have our cell phones, and then i have a digital camera coming along, so if there's something i can use for keeping those batteries charged up, as well, that would be great!

Last year, my INTP husband of 15 years denounced me over a co-worker he had known for maybe 9months. One day he went to work like normal, then shortly before lunch, turned his phone off and clocked out early. He met this person at a local restaurant to slander me.
Some context: husband (45M) is his company's IT guy. She (40s) was a newer employee that started DM-ing him (personal cell) without provocation, so I was told. Hubby told me immediately and I wasn't worried. He seemed to dislike her. He said she was annoying. As time progressed they became kind of friends. Just work friends. I encouraged it initially b/c he has nearly zero friends and she seemed harmless enough. I think she was new to the area too. Then I noticed she started sending him selfies and even nicknamed him. What I gather is that he did not encourage this behavior. He also did very little to stop it. At one point I insisted that he ask her to stop calling him Clark Kent or Superman or Boo. He did, after MUCH reluctance. If I wasn't starting to worry by then, the next bit took my breath away. He was laying on the bed texting her. I knew this and asked what's up. He was about to jump in the shower and he HANDED me his phone to read the conversation. ... He had started to share secrets. Intimate secrets. Ones he was ashamed of. To put it into to context, the very last time we discussed topic X (need some anonymity) he called me a fucking bitch. Yet, she texted the very same thing, and....she wasn't belittled. This is when I started to put my foot down about boundaries. And this is the weirdest bit...sometime here she gets a "stalker". Someone is emailing or texting or both and she is "scared" and needs the IT guy to help. He tried a bit but told her to go to the police
We assumed she had... until one random day. She cornered my husband and told him it was me. She lied about me. I've never met this woman. She had no proof, and if she did, it was fabricated. She said it was either me or him harassing her and she was going to go to HR. I of course didn't know this. I didn't get a chance to defend myself. Instead of going to HR, he took her to a restaurant to smooth it ove talk it over. He believed her. Instantly. Enough to turn his phone off so I couldn't get a hold of him. Enough to clock out and leave work early... He's never done that for me once. Enough to not want to come home. He believed her and I don't understand why.
And to be clear, this wasn't a moment of weakness. This wasn't a one-time deal. He stonewalled me for 8 weeks. Treated me like I was diseased and was contagious. He locked me out of his phone (HE had a no password rule on our marriage and that worked for us).
We discussed the situation three or four times in that 8 weeks and just when I thought he believed me, he would go to work and come back renewed in lies and distain for me. Over. And over. The only reason this behavior stopped was because I started to move out.
I never was told what proof she had. He wouldn't tell me. One time he was so SURE I was lying because HER favorite song came on a YT music station. How the f*** should I know what her favorite song is?
None of this made sense. I really can't get over this. It's been months and i still cry about it. I have never ever harassed anybody like that. I've never threatened a stranger, that's just dumb AF. Like, that's not me. I am ESTP, 38F. He wants to act like it didn't happen. He wants me to move on but I'm not sure I can trust him again. And no, I didn't get an apology for none of it. Not a real one. What I got was, "yea that's what I'm sorry for, what you said."

As title states, this is a long shot! I remember back in the 2010’s reading on WebSleuths about a young man in Louisiana going missing. He lived with his mom possibly, no cell phone or car, they had gotten in a fight, went on a walk to blow off some steam and he was never heard from again. Pretty sure he had a child with his ex girlfriend, who happened to be dating the local mayor’s son or local sheriff’s son.
If anyone could possibly help me identify this, I would greatly appreciate it! TIA

I know the title sounds a little dramatic and it probably is. But this issue I have with my best friend has been going on for over a year now and I honestly don’t know how to feel anymore. I (23 female) and my best friend (29 female) have been friends for almost 4 years now. I understand that that is not a very long time, however there is a backstory here. 4 years ago I moved to the Boise area to get away from my past life and start new. I decided I didn’t want to go to school at the time and I had wanted to just figure life out as I headed into my 20s. I got a steady job, got my own apartment, and was really living on my own for the first time. The only thing that had sucked about moving was leaving all my friends behind. But this is when I meant my best friend, let’s call her Clara. Clara and I had met through work, and we had soon became close friends outside of work. We had clicked so fast, like no other friendship I have had before. Being on my own, and away from everyone I knew, it was so nice to feel comfortable around someone again. We would do everything together. Go to the movies, listen to music, hang out after work, ect. After a while we starting calling each other best friends, we were truly inseparable. That was until one day everything switched. Clara had told me she had started seeing someone, and I was so excited for her because it had been a minute since she was in a relationship and I knew how lonely she had been romantically at the time. She talked and talked to me about her partner for hours on the phone every night, and it was super fun getting all the details about their relationship. I was so thrilled for her, truly. But if I am being honest, I was starting to miss her. We had gone from talking everyday to only talking about her new partner whenever I was able to see her. I understand that when someone is in the honeymoon stage of a relationship they tend to put themselves all in at first, and I had assumed that that is what was happening. But I started to feel like I was invisible around her. I had mentioned this to her and had explained to her how happy I was for her and her new relationship, but I missed her, and I was hoping we could have a day where it was just us girls, and to maybe not focus so much on our love life, more specifically hers. At first she got a little defensive but then realized what my intentions were. She apologized for being so distant and explained that she was just really excited to have someone be so into her again. We had planned a day for it to just be us. I had bought movie tickets for this film she had been wanting to go see and we had planned on lunch and a nice afternoon out shopping. We both had the day off so it was perfect. I had gotten up that day. Got ready, did my hair, my makeup, got super cute for a fun girls day. I text Carla at around 11 since we had planned on meeting up at 12 and asked. “Hey I’m ready when you are, did you want me to meet you at your place? I had waited for about half an hour and no reply. I texted again. “Hey girl, everything okay?” Another 30 minutes went by and nothing. It wasn’t like her to not reply back, so I got worried. Thought something was up. I called her. Nothing. Another hour rolled by and she finally texted me back. “Hey I’m at “partners” house, maybe we can meet up later…” I was taken aback. I stared at my phone confused. Then it hit me. She was blowing me off. AGAIN. I huffed and texted back saying. “What about our plans?” No reply again for another hour. At this point I had lost all hope. We had missed lunch, and by this rate we were going to miss our movie. I cancelled the tickets. She texted me back hours later and said “hey I’m sorry bout today, I promise next time I won’t bail.” Oh but that’s just the start. She kept bailing. Every time I would plan something, she always found a way to skip out. Eventually her and her partner broke up. She only got more distance because now she was depressed. I didn’t want to abandon her because I knew she was hurting, but I was ALSO hurting and had been hurting for months. One night I went over to her place and we just talked about things, and the way life was treating us. I was honest with her and told her that I have felt abandoned completely by her while she was in her relationship, and now only after she was single again did she feel the need to come back to me. Instead of hearing my pain, she decided to get defensive. She told me that she didn’t need me and that I was too much for her sometimes anyways. The only time she genuinely felt happy within the past few years was when she was with her partner. This absolutely gutted me because at that moment it felt like she was telling me that our friendship meant nothing to her. That I never made her laugh, smile, and feel safe. I started to cry and she just stared at me. She got really overwhelmed and told me to leave. When I refused, because I wanted to talk about this, she rolled her eyes and said “fine, I’m going to bed” she went to her room and closed the door behind her. I felt like I just got punched in the chest. I know we hadn’t known each other as long as others, but when we met it was like we had known each other our whole lives already. And to go from that kind of connection to this. And over some person she was dating less than 6 months. I was so heartbroken. Me being the person I am, I decided to forgive her anyway, because I was so lonely, I was scared to take a step back in fear of being alone again. And for the past year now its like things have never been the same. We now live together and it feels like the issue has grown into something much larger than it was before. I started going to therapy to talk about my feelings with someone, and I suggested the same for Clara. But she didn’t want to do that. She has stayed in the same depressive cycle for the past year. Ignoring all friends and family and pushing everyone close away. Eventually I had had enough and exploded one day. I told her that she couldn’t just sulk for the rest of her life. I understand that life is hard, but eventually we have to move on. I figured some tough love would snap her out of it, but oh was I wrong. She actually told me that I was a terrible friend and was not patient enough with her. This coming from her really sent me over the edge. I exclaimed to her that I had had it. “I’m not patient enough? Are you kidding me! You have been sulking over the same things for over a year and through all of the push back and hurtful words, I stayed for you because I believed one day we would get back to how happy and fun we used to be. But I’m not patient enough?” I started to cry. “I’m a bad friend? For what? Staying by your side through thick and thin. And even though you had distanced yourself from me I had let you have your space because I knew that it was you needed at the time? But I have feelings too! Not everything is always about you Clara.” Her face got hot and she had started to shut down. She told me that she didn’t want to be my friend anymore and that I expected too much from her. If wanting basic communication and understanding from your best friend is too much, then I must be on the wrong planet. But there is a part of me that feels crazy too. Like am I really a bad person for wanting some recognition in this friendship too? For wanting my needs to be considered too? I don’t know if I am being gaslighted or not. I told her that I hated her, and I didn’t want to say it, but the words just left my lips without a thought. I was so hurt by her words, so I fired back, but regretted it immediately. She started to cry too. I didn’t want to hurt her, but a part of me was glad she was feeling how I had been feeling for months now. The truth is I don’t really hate her, I just hate the way she treats me. I probably should have said it that way instead, but I couldn’t help it. I am not sure what to do now. I don’t want to loose my best friend. Even if it has only been a few years, I truly feel like we are platonic soulmates at times. But then again, I feel like this friendship is obviously not as important to her as it is to me. If she cared as much as I did, she wouldn’t have put me in multiple situations where I would feel abandoned and under appreciated as such. I don’t know what to do, friendship break ups are so hard.

Okay, so this guide just started off with me trying to figure if Elijah's Advanced LAER was worth using on an energy weapons crit build (turns out it is), and kind of spiraled out of control. I decided to do the math on most energy weapons; at least the ones you'd consider long-term (inb4 Laser RCW, Alien Blaster, etc). Some ground rules about this post because I don't know how readable this is for other people:

• First we have the base damage which assumes you have 100 energy weapons and the condition is such that you aren't receiving a damage penalty (75%+). I went ahead and just included optimized ammo for my calculations because that's probably what you're using most of the time on an energy weapon build. It also includes Laser Commander bonus damage (if applicable) and any mods that increase damage.
• Crit damage is just what's listed online + the 50% bonus from Better Criticals. I couldn't find any confirmation online, but it seems that ammo type/perks other than Better Criticals do no affect crit damage, only base damage.
• Crit multiplier is a bit weird because some factors are affected by the crit multiplier and others just add a flat value:

Factors affected by weapon crit chance multiplier:
Luck, Finesse, Built To Destroy, Ulysses Duster, 1st Recon Beret
Factors that add a flat crit chance:
Set Lasers for Fun, Light Touch , Laser Commander, VATS (adds +5%, not include in any of the calculations

• If a factor is affected by a weapon crit chance multiplier, the correct value is displayed below (i.e. 10 luck with a 1.5x crit multiplier is listed as 15% below).
• I went ahead and assumed the player was stacking crit chance as high as possible, ignoring temporary effects like True Police Stories.
• To get average damage per shot, we take the calculated base damage + crit damage multiplied by crit chance.
• To then get average DPS, we just multiply average damage per shot by fire rate. This does not include any factors that would adjust fire rate (besides the Plasma Caster weapon mod).
• I then included a very succinct pros/cons list.
• I forgot about rank 4 of Camarader-E, which adds a flat +5 damage on to laser weapons. This improves the LAER and AER14 Prototype a decent amount, and is an insane boost to the already impressive DPS of the Gatling LaseSprtl-Wood 9700.
• Hopefully I didn't forget anything important and the information about flat crit bonuses vs crit chance multipliers are correct.
• Lastly, I want to say that you really don't need to min-max New Vegas that much. Even on Very Hard basically any weapon on this list can do the job.

AER14 Protype
52.325 (base damage + optimized MFC + Laser Commander) + 52.5 (crit damage w/ Better Criticals)
Crit Multiplier = 2x
20% (Luck) + 10% (Finesse)+ 6% (Built to Destroy) + 10% (1st Recon Beret) + 10% (Ulysses Duster) + 4% (Set Lasers for Fun) + 5% (Light Touch) + 10% Laser Commander = 75%
Average damage per shot = 91.7 (base damage * (Crit Damage * crit chance)
Average DPS = 275.1
Pros:
Low requirements
Very low spread
Easier to repair than most energy weapons
Cons:
Located in Vault 22
Requires Laser Commander to outperform the Q-35, which is easier to acquire
Uses 2 ammo per shot
Elijah's Advanced LAER
126.375 (Base damage + Optimized MFC + Laser Commander + prismatic lens) +22.5 (Crit damage w/ Better Criticals)
Crit Multiplier = 1.5x
15% (Luck) + 7.5% (Finesse) + 4.5% (Built to Destroy)+ 7.5% (1st Recon Beret) + 7.5% (Ulysses' Duster) + 4% (Set Lasers for Fun) + 5% (Light Touch) + 10% (Laser Commander) = 56% Crit Chance
Average Damage per Shot = 138.975 (base damage + Crit Damage * crit chance)
Average DPS = 385.98
Pros:
Extremely accurate
High damage per shot and DPS
Needs very little perk investment to perform
Very low weight
Cons:
Need to start OWB to acquire it
Very low item HP and difficult to repair without repair kits/Jury Rigging
Hardly benefits from crit perks/equipment
Pew Pew
112.125 (base damage + optimized EC + Laser Commander) + 75 (crit damage w/ Better Criticals)
Crit Multiplier = 2.5x
25% (Luck) + 12.5% (Finesse)+ 7.5% (Built to Destroy) + 12.5% (1st Recon Beret) + 12.5% (Ulysses Duster) + 4% (Set Lasers for Fun) + 5% (Light Touch) + 10% Laser Commander= 89%
Average damage per shot = 178.875 (base damage * (Crit Damage * crit chance)
Average DPS = 357.75
Pros:
Very high damage per shot
Very low weight
Holdout weapon
Cons:
Burns through ammo very quickly
Can only fire 2 shots per reload
Need to acquire 50 sunset sasparilla star bottlecaps to get it
Gatling Laser
19.435 (base damage + optimized ammo + laser commander + focus optics) + 15 (Crit damage w/ Better Criticals)
Crit Chance Multiplier = 0.02%
0.2% (10 Luck) + 0.1% (Finesse) + 0.0.6% (Built To Destroy) + 0.1% (1st Recon Beret) + 0.1% (Ulysses Duster) + 5% (Light Touch) + 4% (Set Lasers for Fun) + 10% (Laser Commander) = 19.56%
Average Damage per shot = 22.369
DPS = 671.07
Pros:
Highest DPS of all energy weapons
Lighter than Sprtl-Wood 9700 w/ CF frame
"Magazine" is amost 3x that of Sprtl-Wood
Benefits a lot from Rank 4 of Camarader-E
Plasma Caster
84.5 (Base Damage + Optimized MFC) + 97.5 (Crit damage w/ Better Criticals)
Crit Multiplier = 1x
10% (Luck) + 5% (Finesse) + 3% (Built to Destroy) + 4% (Set Lasers for Fun) + 5% (1st Recon Beret) + 5% (Light Touch) + 5% (Ulysses Duster) = 32% Crit Chance
Average damage per shot = 115.7 (base damage * (Crit Damage * crit chance)
Average DPS (including High Speed Electrode = 433.875
Pros:
High damage per shot/DPS
Cons:
Heavy
High skill/strength requirements
Difficult to get in the early game
Relatively high spread
Q-35 Matter Modulator
52 (base damage + Optimized MFC) + 91 (Crit Damage w/ Better Criticals)
Crit Multiplier = 2x
20% (Luck) + 10% (Finesse)+ 6% (Built to Destroy) + 10% (1st Recon Beret) + 10% (Ulysses Duster) + 4% (Set Lasers for Fun) + 5% (Light Touch) = 65%
Average damage per shot = 111.15 (base damage * (Crit Damage * crit chance)
Average DPS = 266.76
Pros:
Low requirements
Can be acquired very early in the game
Cons:
Damage output is worse than other late-game energy weapons
Damage is very reliant on crits
Tesla-Beaton Prototype (Elijah's Jury-Rigged Tesla Cannon performs very similarly)
167 (base damage + Optimized ammo + damage over time effect 25/s over 2 seconds) + 67.5 (crit damage + better criticals) 19.23
Crit Multiplier 2x
20% (Luck) + 10% (Finesse)+ 6% (Built to Destroy) + 10% (1st Recon Beret) + 10% (Ulysses Duster) + 4% (Set Lasers for Fun) + 5% (Light Touch) = 65%
Damage per shot = 210.875
DPS = 105.4375 (if you wait for the lingering damage to have full effect), 177.099 (if you fire as fast as you can)
Pros:
High damage
Despite consuming 6 ammo per shot, it has a higher damage to ammo efficiency compared to other non-Tesla Cannon weapons that use ECP ammo
Cons:
High requirements
Need to wait two seconds between each shot to get max value out of the lingering damage effect
Low Health
Difficult to repair without Jury Rigging
Sprtl-Wood 9700
23.92 (base damage + optimized ammo + laser commander) + 24 (crit damage + better criticals)
Crit Multiplier = 0.04x
0.4% (10 Luck) + 0.2% (Finesse) + 0.12% (Built To Destroy) + 0.2% (1st Recon Beret) + 0.2% (Ulysses Duster) + 5% (Light Touch) + 4% (Set Lasers for Fun) + 10% (Laser Commander) = 20.12%
Damage Per Shot = 28.7488
DPS = 574.9476
Pros:
Extremely high DPS
Benefits a lot from Rank 4 of Camarader-E
More damage per shot than regular Gatling Laser
Lower strength requirement than Gatling Laser
Slightly more accurate than regular Gatling Laser
Green Laser
Cons:
Fairly heavy/heavier than Gatling Laser w/ CF Frame
Lower DPS than Gatling Laser
Significantly smaller "magazine"
Struggles against armored enemies and needs Max Charge cells to be effective against them
Expensive
Cons:
Struggles against armored enemies and needs Max Charge cells to be effective against them, even moreso than the Sprtl-Wood 9700
Higher strength requirement than Sprtl-Wood
Burns through ammo very quickly
YCS/186
182 (base damage + optimized MFC) + 105 (crit damage w/ Better Criticals)
Crit Multiplier = 2x
20% (Luck) + 10% (Finesse)+ 6% (Built to Destroy) + 10% (1st Recon Beret) + 10% (Ulysses Duster) + 4% (Set Lasers for Fun) + 5% (Light Touch) = 65%
Average damage per shot = 250.25
Average DPS = 108.80 (reloads after every shot, base reload speed is 2.3 seconds)
Pros:
Extremely high damage per shot
Very low spread
Scoped
Cons:
Reloads after every shot
Uses 4 MFC's per shot
Can only acquire if you don't have Wild Wasteland
Oh, and if you made it this far, skimmed through or jumped to this part, here's what I believe the max DPS achievable with the Gatling Laser is:
Base damage + max charge ammo + laser commander + focus optics + Psycho + Slasher + Rushing Water + Camrader-E + Lord of Death = 1986.169 DPS (lmk if I forgot anything)
*

I am 25 years old and I finished my masters degree in 2023 and also had about 6 months of internship experience last year. I didn't get the full time employment after the internship, which kind of left me in a bad headspace for a while.
Last year during Aug-Sept-Oct, my mental health was so down. I wouldn't be able to anything except just mindlessly scroll on my phone. Cry to bed. Repeat. It used to get so bad that I would skip eating for about 2-3 days until I realise that I haven't had any food. And during this time I also kept getting rejected from my interviews. It happened twice so I mostly just stopped applying altogether. As if I had no aim or goal in life, idk what the fuck was going on.
Even those interviews that I got was from college placement cell. Anything that I did apply to(which wasn't much), I would get rejected. This went on till Nov maybe? Due to all of that, my mood was always fucked. And got into stupid fights with my stepdad(we don't get along). It usually doesn't bother me what he says or does. But this time, I had 2 panic attacks caused by him. My mum got scared too, so she suggested I spend some time away with nana-nani.
I came back after a week but again the question was what was I gonna do with my life. My career was literally in the sewers. And it was already Dec and I've been unemployed for 6 months now. During all this, I would try to distract myself with games to cope. While all this went down, I came across something about studying abroad in Germany. And for about the next 2 weeks, I researched everything, the goods, the bads. Everything. And it was looking promising too. Scary but promising. I put this idea to my mum, she listened to me and was onboard after 1 week of full discussion. I understood the challenges that will come from this but I feel this is one way to secure my future.
And idk what happened after that. As I was going thru my initial process of this entire masters abroad thing. I found a purpose to live for. I was genuinely finding something to live for which was quite different to what it was like last year when I used to just silently cry myself to sleep. So much so, that I basically refused to let anything affect my peace now. I ate better, I joined the gym ( I quit within 2 weeks bc fuck its painful lol) but I'm eating much better since. I have successfully done all my applications and am waiting on few more. I am quite optimistic that I will get an admit as my grades are pretty good.
All was going really well until May. Idk what's happening now. But I'm again down in the slumps, this time it's not to do with my mood but more the constant reminder that 'Look at all my ex classmates, working and all, and here I am taking such a massive risk and going for a 2nd masters at 25'. I'm not from a rich family but at the same time I don't really have huge responsibilities like taking care of siblings and such. My mum is okay with me studying too but she does keep reminding me of the fact that it'll take me another two years to 'settle'. I mean ik she means well.
I'm really scared about the fact that I'm gonna start over. In a different place. At 25. And it hurts even more to think that I'm not gonna get any younger whatsoever. And I know alot of people do a 2nd masters, but my god I legit feel like I'm an idiot to even think of this and should abandon this idea and just get a low lpa job here itself and not have any dreams.
I feel so unmotivated and scared because of all this. What do I do?

I miss bedtime, me making the bed and you brushing your teeth and washing your face... I say it's ready and we go to bed together, you play your game on your cell phone while I watch something on Instagram, on the weekends we'd watch a movie together, really miss. I miss waking up in the morning with you calling me, I get up a little disoriented and go to the bathroom, first pee of the day, then I go to the kitchen and make myself a coffee, you didn't like coffee. I miss hugging you while you were at home office. I miss sharing the details of life with you. My love. After all this time, and continuing

I’m going to omit many details on this as there is an ongoing HR investigation into the matter and I’m not trying to complicate things further.
I work at a cell phone provider. I have a coworker who to me is very obviously autistic. His parents never got him officially diagnosed or took him to therapy. I’ve begged him for his sake to see a professional to better understand how to navigate the workplace and his life generally.
To give an idea of him, he meets all the signs of being on the spectrum. Monotone voice, difficulty translating or detecting emotion, completely unaware of how customers he’s talking to are reacting to what he’s saying, seeming developmentally stunted (acts more similarly to a middle schooler instead of his age.) He himself has even stated he thinks he is autistic.
Thankfully he finally started going to a professional for help and just had his first session. Unfortunately, it seemingly was too late.
He has shown interest in trying to obtain relationships often. When he interacts with women he finds attractive, it very much reminds me of a middle schooler. He puts on an entirely different persona, tries to joke around more (although nobody can tell he’s joking because his intonation is flat and his jokes do not read like jokes), and tries to be “cool.” All has seemed relatively innocent though until now.
There was a woman who came into the store with her dad. My coworker found this woman who came in with her father to be attractive. The daughter bought a phone. As the phone was transferring data, my coworker (without telling the woman) went on the person’s phone and added himself on her Snapchat. He then snapped her with what he thought was a joke, which said “be careful who you leave your phone with” and had a picture of himself sent with it. I know this because my coworker told me after she left.
I laid into him for it, saying women have to deal with a lot right now socially and every single thing he did likely made this girl incredibly uncomfortable and even scared. I told him he heavily crossed boundaries and what he said to her made him look like he’s trying to scare her or worse, regardless of his intention to joke with her. He couldn’t see it as bad or negative. He believed everything he did was totally okay. I couldn’t convince him otherwise.
What he doesn’t know is I reported him to HR for this instance.
All this to say… was this the right thing to do? I have this pit in my stomach like I’m doing something wrong and should’ve better helped my coworker with his mental health so this sort of issue wouldn’t arise. I feel like a bad person simultaneously for feeling guilty because he did something that is unacceptable and I don’t want to feel like I’m coddling someone who displayed terrible behavior.