How to get hud bid results and statistics

Hello,
Quick question for anyone knowledgeable on MetalLB/k3s. I'm working on setting up a simple standalone cluster, and I'm a bit stuck on how to configure MetalLB to work the way I want it to (if possible). From what I've read, I'm not sure if this is possible. Note, I'm working on Rocky Linux 9.
I'd prefer to have two network interfaces on the machine - one untagged for management, and another tagged interface for serving applications to my lab. Here are the steps I've taken so far:

1. Set up my VLAN interface on the machine - here are the interfaces (minus MAC addresses). The first is the untagged management interface, the second is the VLAN, and the third is the VLAN bridge.

​

eno1:  mtu 1500 qdisc fq_codel state UP group default qlen 1000 link/ether brd ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff altname enp0s31f6 inet [192.168.3.3/29`]` eno1.40@eno1:  mtu 1500 qdisc noqueue master vlan40-bridge state UP group default qlen 1000 link/ether brd ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff vlan40-bridge:  mtu 1500 qdisc noqueue state UP group default qlen 1000 link/ether brd ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff scope link valid\_lft forever preferred\_lft forever \ 

1. Installed MetalLB using the following:
   kubectl apply -f https://raw.githubusercontent.com/metallb/metallb/v0.14.5/config/manifests/metallb-native.yaml
   
2. Applied the following MetalLB with kubectl
   apiVersion: metallb.io/v1beta1 kind: IPAddressPool metadata: name: first-pool namespace: metallb-system spec: addresses:
   

   - 192.168.4.2-192.168.4.5

   apiVersion: metallb.io/v1beta1 kind: L2Advertisement metadata: name: example namespace: metallb-system spec: ipAddressPools: - first-poolapiVersion: metallb.io/v1beta1 kind: IPAddressPool metadata: name: first-pool namespace: metallb-system spec: addresses:
   

   - 192.168.4.2-192.168.4.5

   apiVersion: metallb.io/v1beta1 kind: L2Advertisement metadata: name: example namespace: metallb-system spec: ipAddressPools: - first-pool
   
3. Create a deployment with a simple image and expose it
   kubectl create deployment nginx --image=nginx kubectl expose deployment nginx --type=LoadBalancer --port=80
   

I can see that my service is running withkubectl get svc as such:

NAME TYPE CLUSTER-IP EXTERNAL-IP PORT(S) AGE nginx LoadBalancer 10.43.238.174 192.168.4.3 80:32753/TCP 10s 

I've gotten this far, but I am not able to curl the external IP address assigned. I'm trying to curl this from my "controller" PC on a different network - here's the traceroute if you will:

My PC (192.168.16.2) -> Router (192.168.16.1) -> External IP (192.168.4.3) 

I will note that I can get to 192.168.4.1 from My PC (that's the router interface for that network). When i do the curl from my PC, I see the following on from tcpdump -i eno1.40, but I'm not 100% sure how to troubleshoot the ARP issue.

21:17:10.217715 ARP, Request who-has 192.168.4.3 tell 192.168.4.1, length 42 21:17:11.237301 ARP, Request who-has 192.168.4.3 tell 192.168.4.1, length 42 21:17:13.286311 ARP, Request who-has 192.168.4.3 tell 192.168.4.1, length 42 21:17:17.317196 ARP, Request who-has 192.168.4.3 tell 192.168.4.1, length 42 

Does anyone have a similar setup to this, or have any tips on installation? I've searched through Google results for this for about a day now, and figured it was time to ask someone else.
Thanks for the help.

Cat, She's around 10 give or take 2 years, spayed, (very)longhair munchkin mix, 10-12lb(will weigh her shortly and update)
not really sure on the age because I rescued her from a blackberry bush behind the house I lived at at the time. When I caught her she was absolutely horribly infested with fleas and seriously underweight, probably wouldnt have made it much longer. I was able to get that all cleared up on my own with some flea meds and good food. (would have taken her in but had $0 because I was legally unable to work at the time). I was going to say she's been extremely skittish and fearful since I got her but that's not exactly the case. She typically lives 100% of the time in the bedroom and when I'm in here she will paw at me and bunt me constantly for attention. Unfortunately my other cat was raised alone for a long time and bullied her for quite a while. I got my dog around the same time as bully cat and he just passed away a couple of months ago, since then they have slowly started getting better with each other. They do still have spats when one of them goes to the tub to get water (I leave it running slightly because they love it and dont drink enough otherwise) and the other is already there.
So in the days before dog had to be put to sleep, I layed him down in the grass outside to enjoy the sun. I'm pretty sure that's where the fleas I've been fighting came from. I gave both cats liquid flea medicine between their shoulder blades almost a week ago now and the other one is fine, but the longhair is seriously scaring me. First, a day or two after giving the medicine, I come home and there are 7-8 piles of vomit with food on the bed. She seemed to be her usual self at the time but I saw her vomit twice more about 30min-1hr apart after that. No more vomiting since then. I am not sure but I think she probably also peed on the bed, something she's done in the past as a result of the other cat attacking her in the litter box. I waited until the next day to wash the mattress protector, sheets, blankets pillows etc thinking shed probably throw up/pee more. It's a king bed so she had plenty of un-vomited space to be in. I was a bit worried and checked the back of her neck where I applied the medication. Absolutely no trace of the crusty spot I'm used to seeing after applying this stuff. She was fighting me the whole time I was trying to apply it and as I said VERY long hair so I think I applied it too low and she was able to lick it off. (Only vomiting, no foaming at the mouth or drooling)
The next day I went to wash everything and didnt want her peeing or throwing up on the bare mattress so I put her in a cat carrier on the bedroom floor with a shirt over the front, towel on bottom, and some food and water. She was in there a total of 3 hours, unlikely absolute maximum of 4. She has zero carrier experience so was having a pretty sad time in there. When I put her in she was acting normal. I put the mattress protector, blankets and pillows back and let her out. Water dish had been knocked over into the food, and had definitely been like that for a while. She ran and hid under the bed or something when I let her out which I thought nothing of.
Next day, as far as I could tell, she spent the entire day laying in the doorway to the bedroom. This was odd but I was gone most of the day and couldn't really tell if she was literally not moving or had been back and forth from the bed. I found it unusual that she let me step over her without freaking out like she usually does.
Next day she is laying in the bathroom next to the toilet. I didn't worry too much at first but noticed she's not running away like she usually does when I walk in on her in the bathroom, or trying to get attention. Or really doing anything. Just laying there with her head on her paws. I figure she's just tired and being weird from the carrier. Worry is definitely growing at this point though.
Next day I realize it's been at least 24-36 hours since I've seen her in the bedroom, she's been laying on the bathroom floor the entire time. I'm out of the house for 14+ hours every day lately and I am not sure what she does when I'm not there though. She's acting very lethargic, haven't seen her eat or drink but I believe she has albeit a bit less than normal, isn't pushing into my hand when I pet her or seeking attention, opening her eyes 60-80% of normal, haven't heard her meow one time since the crate and she's usually talkative. What really freaked me out was as she was laying on the bathroom floor, bully cat walked right past her and didn't even look at her as she went to the tub. THAT made me start thinking emergency vet as this is Saturday around 4-5. I would have taken her already but I'm in a major financial bind and have no way to be sure I'd even have enough money to pay the vet when all is said and done. Even the minimum that they charge would be coming out of June rent. I'll absolutely take her if it is necessary but I don't want us all to lose our house if it's not.
Today I come home and bully cat is laying on the floor a foot from her in the bathroom. They have begrudgingly laid next to each other on the bed before because they both wanted to be with me, but never alone. I'm kind of freaking out now and am very unsure what to do because she really isn't having any symptoms other than the vomiting which has passed days ago and the lethargy. I've poked and prodded all over her and she's not hurt anywhere. Feels like it's possible she lost a pound but throwing up 10 times will do that to a cat I'm sure. Should mention almost all of the vomit had food in it. The food isnt suspect but I changed it and washed the bowl just in case. I've lifted her up and made her walk to see how she does and she can definitely was but doesn't seem to want to. I brought her back to the bed and set her down and she laid down where I put her. After sitting with her for 15ish minutes she did get up and relocate. Doesn't feel hot but I'm not exactly sure how to take a cats temp. The flea medication was a knockoff of advantage 2 called advecta with the same amounts of the same active ingredients. I've looked into symptoms of ingestion and what to do and everything I'm seeing lines up with the vomiting but not her current behavior. Every source I've checked has also said even if the cat does drink an entire tube of it, they'll likely be totally fine. So I've been trying not to worry but she just seems like she's either suddenly horrifically depressed/traumatized by the carrier, or something else is going on. If she had any other symptoms I would have already taken her in. It's currently Sunday and if she hasn't improved I'm going to take her in on Monday unless advised to watch her longer by someone qualified. As I said, vet bill will likely be at least half of and probably all of next months rent, if I can even pay it. I'm about to go to the store and get some wet food and maybe chicken to see if she will eat it. Thank you all for reading this book of a post and thank you for any advice you may have.

So I sometimes drink before bed and once this resulted in my sending him a text about how I’m ashamed to have him as a father and it took me a day to get him to talk to me again.

Did i have you by using this tittle? lol. To be clear, I love everyone’s comments, it’s really fun to see what they tend to express. Not what they’re really thinking, but how they respond. I can be annoying by considering I have mind reading superpower. Don’t hit me lol. Or leave a hate comment so I can get off again (jk). I don’t physically attracted to human being or other creature. It gives me rational thinking, peaceful minds, won’t be jealous or offended, even if you try hard. My Body count is growing, skills are improving. I’m surprised to see all my physical examination results are perfectly fine… when nurse ask me how many partners in past few months, I always say 3. Actually the number is 2 digit. Then they’ll tell me everything looks healthy. I low key thought “ thank you God!” Looks like Luck has always been on my side, I’m not afraid of saying it out loud will jinx it or not, cuz sharing my experience is making a positive difference to my SL. One simple post is hard to cover it all, people skills, observations, topics picking, responses, and physical attraction, many aspects are involved in a good relationship. I’m excited to see a merrier world and happier people. Especially my SDs, I’m all here for you.

I have always felt like the odd one out in every social circle I've ever had. Not saying I didn't like these people or they didn't like me but I have always felt different enough where it's noticeable. These differences ranged from minuscule insignificant things to major ethical/personality differences.
Here are some examples.
I grew up outside my home country and kept moving around to different countries. My parents didn't teach me my native language or culture. As a result, I'm always getting comments from family about how I don't understand the culture or don't speak the language and how it's a shame. Even for people who aren't family, the confusion, disappointment, and judgment is always visible on their faces. I try to ignore it as much as I can but every now and then some poor soul will do or say something that will set off years worth of pent up frustration.
With my friends, I've always just been different. This isn't so much problematic as it is lonely. We may share common interests but they're also different at the same time. For example, we all like playing video games, but I'll never be into the games that the rest of the group plays so I feel left out at times. I don't want to spend money on a vacation since I've traveled plenty already and I'm kinda over it but this is met with something along the lines of "OOH rich kid over here too cool for vacations"
My girlfriend and her family are from the same country I am originally from but immigrated to the US a while back. I get similar comments from them about me not speaking the language or knowing the culture. At least my gf makes an effort to teach me about the culture and language but even sometimes she gets frustrated and gets that same look on her face. She also doesn't seem to get me on many things like not wanting to go out and spend a lot of money and save and invest it instead. Whenever I tell I don't want to do this or that, she doesn't out right say anything but again I know her enough to know when I'm being a buzzkill for her.
I'm super strict about my diet and workout regimen. I track my calories and macros, record my gym progression things like that. While I'm not looking for approval from people for this, I am met with comments like "How can you eat like that" or "As long as you're happy, I could never do that". It makes me feel much more alien to the people around me.
I'm not the type of guy to be super inquisitive about other people's lives. Never have been tbh. I just figured if someone wants to share they'll tell me. That's what I do anyway. My girlfriend will sometimes get angry with me if I don't ask her family/friends about their lives and says I sometimes checkout of conversations. For example, we were hanging out with her friends and one of them mentioned they're going on a trip somewhere. I responded with "Cool! That sounds exciting" and didn't really ask any questions beyond that because in my mind I felt like I got the full story.
I just wish I could find someone that thinks like me. LIkes the things I do in the same way I do, wants to achieve the same things I do. Socializes like I do. It's not like I don't have friends or a social circle, it's just that I don't have anyone around me who's like me and it's a very alienating and lonely feeling that I've dealt with throughout my life, from family to friends to relationships. It leads to me isolating myself sometimes. Even enjoying my own company over that of others.
I don't know why in 27 years on a planet of 8 billion people I haven't found a single person that thinks like me. Maybe I have some condition like autism or something. Who knows, the only thing I know for sure is that I'm tired.

Flew into LA two days ago and had such a great time in the in between (quite literally aged 10 years on the flight to LA from Austin though).
Just checked Turbli for my flight back to Austin and the tracker shows moderate turbulence inching towards strong turbulence. Felt my stomach drop when I saw that. I was in an airplane accident as a kid and have severe anxiety every time I step on a plane.
Anyone tracking the flight or just telling me how bad they think the turbulence will feel would help me a lot. Literally considering leaving the airport a few minutes before boarding and either driving tomorrow or getting on a flight with better turbulence statistics. Not the first time I’ve decided to drive cross country but just disappointed in myself for reacting this way every time. :(

Hi, I have been thinking about getting my ears pierced again. I remember last time I had earrings was when I was 7 years old, and how my ear started to get really infected which resulted in me not wearing earrings after that. It was very painful and I got high fever because of the infection. I am to this day unsure whether it was just infection or nickel allergy that caused it. Hence, I naturally feel a bit hesitant to get my ears pierced again. Now you all seem experienced about piercing and the risk of getting piercings. Is it worth trying it again ? How "dangerous" can it even be ?
Thank you in advance!

Hey ladies, so I’ve had VP for as long as I can remember and quite badly, my entire inner labia is covered in the bumps and it’s never bothered me but recently (as I’m now sexually active) the irritation has become really bad and it’s bothering me a lot.
I really want to get them removed however I’m unsure about my options, every time I Google it I just get results about how it’s nothing to be worried about which I understand, however I want them gone lol.
Has anyone gone through with removal or know anything about the different methods, I have a gyno appointment scheduled but I want to be educated on the issue before going into it. ANY insight is greatly appreciated. Thank you!

My LO was a great either with a big appetite, and then turned 2 and eliminated all but fruit pouches, milk and peanut butter sandwiches (even peanut butter & jelly was dismissed). As a result we try to get those things in as-healthy-as-they-come versions.
LO’s healthy though: growing like the WHO lines predict it’ll happen, does energetic zoomies multiple times a day, etc.
Both of us parents have been told by our parents we were exceptionally picky and “eventually” overcame it but no details. Did anyone here go through it recently? Did your kid used to love spaghetti then hate it then eat it again when they matured? How does it happen?

This is my second ever time going to SNM. I wrote up about my first time and how magical it was and I'm so glad I got to go again because let me tell y'all I somehow managed to have an entirely new experience this time.
I got the Oz Guest ticket to ensure I got an Ace card, and I was the first one off the elevator. I was dropped off on the 5th floor, alone, which was quite creepy with all the hospital beds and tubs and the forest. There was no one for several minutes, and I was disoriented and couldn't find the stairs or any way out. I drifted between the tub room and the forest, and eventually a nurse appeared in the tub room. I observed her wringing clothes in water, and draping them across the tubs, staging them like they were people. This process was slow and I heard a noise in the distance so I followed that into the forest, where I saw one other guest watching the cottage in the forest. I noticed finally that there was actually a nurse inside, eyes closed, only visible from one angle so I hadn't seen her when I passed earlier.
With nothing else to do, I stood there watching for what seemed like ages. Surely, at some point, she would do something? It was so long that I thought for sure I was missing a lot of the show. I wondered if it was worth it. I wondered what the other guest was wondering. A few others passed us, but no other characters for the longest time. Then a bell chimed, and the nurse finally opened her eyes. She looked out at us, stood, and....closed the window. At this point I was sure I had just wasted my time. I was debating leaving. But no one else was moving. But surely, this was a waste of time. I turned to leave, and suddenly the nurse from the tub room appeared, crying, and the nurse inside the cottage opened the window to observe her. I must say the lighting here was excellent, but then the lighting in this show continuously impresses me. I have never been a lighting nerd but this show has made me realize how impactful lighting can be to a show. It's used masterfully in many scenes.
But back to the show. The nurse finally came out, and touched hands with the other nurse. They walked. I walked. We all wove through that forest, until the tub nurse ran suddenly, and we were running too, and then we were locked out from a gate. The tub nurse appeared in a window to the tub room, and danced as we watched. This small dance seemed to me like she was on the edge of a cliff, and her grief took her over as she fell suddenly off the edge. Not fell, leaped. I read this scene as a woman tortured by grief taking her own life, while a friend? Colleague? Observed.
Then my cottage nurse turned and walked slowly back to her cottage. She opened the door a crack, and turned, staring at me. I stepped closer. She opened it further. Cautiously, I stepped inside. She closed the door behind us. What transpired next was a magical experience I will not soon forget, with the taste of tea on my lips and whispered words about a moon like decayed bark and a sun like a wilted sunflower and stars like flies pinned to place. Blood will have blood...
I left and there was no one outside the cottage or indeed in the forest at all. I made my way through it and the tub room and finally found another hallway. I'm going to be honest, I do forget where I wandered then, and I may definitely be mixing up the order in which the following scenes happened because the night was a fever dream. But I witnessed scenes I did not see the first time I went last month. Somehow, by luck, other than the ending scene and the rave I did not see any duplicate scenes.
I saw the porter - who I don't think I ever encountered last time - and his dance in the hotel lobby is my new favorite. It's so full of raw joy, and though he was clearly an older man he danced with boyish jubilance that was infectious. More than a few of us observers were absolutely dancing along with him as we watched. I also found his interactions with the Boy Witch fascinating and their choreography at the telephones was my favorite by far.
The Boy Witch was another character I only saw in the ballroom and the rave last time, but who I witnessed several scenes with this time around. He's far too fast for me to follow, but I was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time several times throughout the show. It was the same actor as last time, and I have to saw I think he plays the character really well. He's clearly sought after by everyone he encounters, seducing and drawing people in. I loved every scene with him almost as much as the Porter. Also, is the snake tattoo his or his characters? It's really beautiful, either way.
I saw two very intimate scenes with the Bald Witch, who I wondered how I missed last show but found out I didn't - she wears a wig through part of the show 😅 The little room she cleans up in a few times throughout the show off the side of the lobby is where I encountered her most. Once solo, and I felt almost bad I stepped into the room with her because I'm not small and I know I partially blocked the view of people outside of the room but fortune favors the bold right? I did try to squeeze myself into a corner, which only resulted in another person coming in to fully block the view from the hallway. That person caught the eye of the bald witch instead of me (I should have just stayed out blocking them 😤) and was allowed to touch her head in a very intimate moment.
The second time I caught her in there was by following a woman whose character name I don't know, after the ballroom scene where the two of them move the trees and then embrace. This time I did not care if I blocked people, me and one other person were in the room and watched the two women clean themselves up and reapply makeup. When the other woman left, I stayed with the bald witch (now wearing a wig), who fascinated me.
At some point I ended up in the rave bar before the rave began. I didn't know the "Hell Here" sign changed to "Hello There" before the rave! Every time I had seen it previously it had the o and t unlit. I saw Hecate readying for the rave. The music changed, and she danced, and eventually she made gasping sounds. Each gasp seemed to be a summoning. A ritual, drawing the other characters towards her. Her scream initiated the rave, and this time I had front row view from a different angle than I had previously, so it was like seeing it new all over again. Every bit as incredible, but different enough to feel like a brand new experience. And again, the lighting, seriously I'm a lighting whore after this show. I will forever judge theater experiences by their use of lighting compared to this show now. I hope whoever is in charge of lighting design is paid handsomely because seriously their work really drives the story. The music too, but I'm more impressed by the lighting tbh.
After the rave, I debated trying for the Hecate 1 on 1 since I knew what triggered it from last show, but I wanted to try new experiences this time so I tried to follow the Boy Witch instead. But I couldn't keep up, and there were too many people, and the next thing I knew I was by myself wandering empty halls again.
I can't remember if this happened before or after the rave, but I saw Agnes in the hall with all the shops. She went into a bedroom, and lay to sleep, where the tailor (not sure that's the characters actual title?) snuck in through the closet and put her capelet over her as she slept. When he left, she woke, and she locked the door to the room. I watched her put on makeup, and then go into the closet. Me and the 3 others watching kind of looked at each other, wondering if we should follow. Two of them tried the door, to find it's locked. Once I knew that I plowed into the closet and had a delirious thought about going to Narnia but no, I just ended up back in the shops hallway, where I saw Agnes meet the man who had covered her when she slept, and together they went into the clothier, and danced as he presented her with fabrics to choose from, and when he left she stole his money, and he brought her flowers, and then she went back to her room. She went next to the detective agency, and wrote a letter which I couldn't read despite trying over her shoulder (I'm a creep, this show makes me feel like such a voyeur lol).
At some point I ended up back in the lobby, watching the porter and the Boy Witch and two women and I think MacBeth? Dancing on the lobby desk, which was wonderfully choreographed again. Instead of following the others I stayed with the porter and situated myself in front of him as he made a tiny boat out of a card. Then Agnes was there, ringing the bell for the porter, and I realized then we'd had a reset because I had seen this scene already. I went to take the boat origami, but as I reached for it another guest snatched it away - like literally, she had been pressed to my side the entire scene, her fingers twitching so she clearly knew the opportunity would be coming. I thought that was a little uncalled for, but whatever, I'd already had a few very special moments today I wasn't going to let one instance sour anything.
I left to find another scene as I had watched this one already, and ended up back at the Manderlay bar by accident. Took that opportunity to use the restroom and grab a quick drink because a woman was singing and she had a lovely voice. Listened until her song was done and when I went to leave, the guy who was the greeter at the start of the show asked if I want to enter a different way, and took me in through the "main" entrance which somehow I had never gone in through before?? This deposited me in the lobby of the hotel of course, and I wandered until I encountered two people running towards each other and embrace, sobbing. The man went on, and far too many people followed him so I followed the woman, who went into the room with the lit cross where Duncan(?) body is. She unwrapped him and used true loves kiss to bring him back to life. Together they went to the ballroom and danced, which was beautiful. Then she left, and I followed our resurrected Duncan because I had NO IDEA he came back to life at any point from last show so I was like bro what are you gonna do with your new life??? Well, he decided to retrace his steps of course, clearly confused and slowly remembering what had happened to him as he went first to the cross room, then to the place of his murder, then through to the room he dances in before his murder, and then he went running. I tried keeping up but well, I am not a runner.
Somewhere along the way I end up back in the ballroom, having followed someone I encountered in the hall. I thought oh great, banquet again, let me wander and see if anything else happens elsewhere since I have already seen this? But as I went to leave, the Porter and a woman came in, and positioned themselves in the back of the ballroom. I had not seen this before as I'm usually at the front, so I decided to stay and see if they do anything interesting. And this is when I realized the show was ending, because the banquet turned into a hanging, and we were then all ushered out.
Second time going to this show, and I feel I saw a whole new show having witnessed so many scenes I hadn't seen last time. I wonder how many more I am missing? I hope to see it once more next month, and maybe finally see the entire show and put together the pieces of plot. I definitely feel that this time I was able to absorb more, and found myself actually applying motives and thoughts and words to scenes that had none. I love that there are very few spoken scenes - it leaves the experience up to the beholder to interpret, and I know from reading others recaps that we all kind of notice different inflections that mean different things to us and change how we view a scene. I'm only sorry i waited so long to see this show - I wish I could have seen it more often to truly capture all of it.
But, I may have another chance next month! Until then, I for one will definitely be getting a good nights sleep after all that walking today 😂

Hello, I’m From New York, I work at a bakery, and unfortunately, my father has fallen ill and he’s been in the hospital for quite some time so now I’ve become the breadwinner for my family. Unfortunately, with all the amounts of stress and breaking down at work from all the stress I requested to have four days max. I had a whole month of that then my manager asked to talk to me about why aren’t I my bubbly self and I told her because of all of the issues at home and how I have to be the main provider now. I don’t have enough money to pay for the bills and my dad’s company is not running right now, I’m under a lot of stress and I try my best to leave it out, but I wasn’t aware that gloom has been affecting my colleagues. After that, I had a whole week of work with better results. Then on Sunday, I found out that I’m not working at all. I asked her why and she says it’s because I’m looking for another job and we have new people to train meanwhile on a different side of the store where we already have our crew, I am part of that crew prom that she was going to give me more days to work with that part of the store to prevent me from stressing out and having panic attacks at work so in the end, I didn’t work last week and now I don’t have any work for next week. Is this legally OK? I even spoke to the owner of the store and she chose to ignore my question on why I didn’t have much work days and that I’ve been working on cleaning up houses because I need some kind of money to help my family, and all she offered was, she can get more houses to clean. I am hurt from all of this and I need help.

apologies in advance. i just really need help. 29 F, was in therapy (4ish years on off total?) diagnosed social anxiety and on lexapro for a year-ish, weened off due to feeling like my anxiety was “removed” but i still didn’t feel right/ felt blank, stagnant, no sex drive whatsoever, ate a lot, didn’t care and didn’t work out
i’ve been off for about a year but i just feel so different. mentally paralyzed. unable to make a change because ive tried in the past and they resulted in me failing. i constantly mourn who i should be but cant. as i get older i get so much more lonely and have no true closeness with anyone except my partner.
i cannot workout anymore. when i do, i physically feel like i weigh 500 pounds and the amount of mental effort it takes me to get my shoes on is debilitating. im 15ish lbs over my goal weight, if that, and it feels like im 500 pounds overweight. during covid i ran 2-3 miles and lifted daily. i cant imagine doing that now
almost everything feels like it takes enormous amounts of effort to do. cooking equates running a marathon. shower requires a pep talk. i am constantly questioning what the best order of things to do is to get optimal output of my actions. run washer first to get it going so it runs throughout the rest of my tasks, wash dogs bowls so they’re ready after his walk, make any dreaded, dreaded phone calls during dog walk so i dont have to be back in the house during dreaded phone call.. etc. constantly filling every minute with something to have “chill time” later which never comes.
i cannot stick with anything longer than twice. i try different means of exercise and/ or hobbies , either fall in love with them and try them twice before stopping forever or i never get that loving feeling to begin with.
i have no confidence. i used to be so smart and driven and now i just have no personality hobbies or interests. i have a shit job that makes me dumber by the day and gives me no drive. i have no friends of my own and am with a man who for some reason loves me to death, but has a trait of finding the good in everything to a fault. i.e. why i don’t deserve him and im confident everyone around us believe it as well. (everyone makes fun of him for liking terrible movies shows etc, this is an actual thing i make myself we wear a scarlet letter for? does that make sense?)
i have a horrible, horrible memory. i joke that i can watch the same movie, for the first time, ten times. i don’t remember anyone’s name or face. i don’t remember really anything about my childhood or teen years or 20s. i feel like im meeting everyone for the first time no matter how many times ive seen them.
when im at places with a lot of noise, i noticed a specifically at parties with my boyfriends friends or at restaurants, i CANNOT hear the person speaking to me. i hear every other sound and spoken word smashed together in a mush instead of being able to digest the person speaking to me.
whenever i try to meditate or do anything that i find helps lessen my issues, i cant stick with it as long as i should. i give up on everything which gives me no confidence in myself
i exhaust myself just by thinking. i’m constantly constantly thinking. daydreaming a life i wish i was able to give myself , lots of dreading usually upcoming social events (they could be like 5 months out and im still filled with dread about them) im always “thought tornado-ing” as i call it
i feel like i have no control. i’m so determined to be miserable, stagnant, bland, cuz im scared of trying something new because i just know ill fail. no faith in myself bc i forget everything and can’t stick with anything positive. it never fucking stops.
please help. what should i do? what the hell is wrong with me

I just completed my freshman year of college. I came into college as a bio chemistry major on the pre-PA track but I left on the predental track but I’m starting to wonder am I pursuing dentistry for the right reasons. I was interested in becoming a physician assistant because it was only a masters degree program I would have the ability to switch specialties whenever I want without having to go through any sort of specialty residency program and I would have many of the same responsibilities as a physician (diagnosing,treating,prescribing,referring,etc.). However after shadowing a PA I realized I do not want to become one. PA’s are handed the less complicated medical cases while physicians take on complex patients. I also don’t like the idea of working under someone else for the rest of my life. I also became really interested in surgical specialties but as a PA I would only be a first assist in surgery I would never be able to perform surgery independently.
A couple of months ago I got my wisdom teeth removed though. My oral surgeon was black and as a black man this was really shocking most of my dentists have been either white or Asian so it was cool to see a black man in such a cool position. He asked me what I was in school for and what I wanted to do as a career. I told him I wanted to become a PA. He says that is a cool profession but why not go to medical school instead. I couldn’t come up with a good reason so I just said the schooling for physicians is really long. He responds and says whether I am working as a PA or still in residency time will go on. I knew this before but hearing it from an actual medical professional made it Actually mean something.
At the time I was still reconsidering pursuing PA school so I started researching dental school for some reason and like the prerequisites and other requirements. Dental schools actually have a lot of the same requirements as PA school which I thought was cool so I wouldn’t have to take any extra classes/classes outside of my major. I also started looking up day in the life of dentists and oral surgeons and like what dental professionals actually do which is when I really started to get interested in the dental profession.
I didn’t realize how many diseases and conditions can be prevented just by seeking dental care. The mouth is also not as simple as I thought before and it would be cool to learn more about the mouth. Also dentists are basically surgeons for your mouth. If I went to PA school or medical school there is still a chance I could end up in a non-surgical specialty like pediatrics or family medicine. But if I go to dental school I will be a guaranteed surgeon when I graduate. Dentists also have many of the same responsibilities as physicians and PA’s, they all diagnose,treat,refer and prescribe medications. Dentists also have the benefit of not having to work under anyone. It’s also really cool how most of the time dentists can treat a condition right then and there rather than having to wait for results.
The thing is I’m not sure if I am even pursuing dentistry for the right reasons. Before this I had never been interested in becoming a dentist. The thought of touching all inside of people’s mouths disgusted me but now it interests me for some reason which is very confusing. The main reason I actually looked into becoming a dentist is because I saw another black man in the field for the first time which I thought was cool and inspiring. Before this I was all about pursuing PA if someone would’ve asked me about becoming a dentist I would’ve said ewww and ran.
I’m sorry this is so long but I can’t get the idea of becoming a dentist out of my head now. I was supposed to get my EMT certification this summer but I dropped out of the program after I became interested in becoming a dentist and have been thinking about getting my Dental Assistant certification instead.
I’m not sure what exactly I want out of this post. I just want to see am I pursuing dentistry for the right reasons? And what reasons did yall decide to pursue dentistry?

I just posted my Pi AI "chat", where I did a fun exercise to create a Dwarf Fortress board game from the basis of Dwarf Fortress.
I posted in dwarffortress, boardgames, boardgame design. Wanted to see how people unfamiliar with AI would react. I expected a good natured "wow", "this is interesting", "neat" reactions.
Here's what I got in responses:
Unethical AI software should never be the answer for uninspired wannabe designers.
Terrific. Now you too can get a collection of statistically related words!
Imagine actually posting this.
You're using stolen property and are trying to lean on 'civility' to shield your shitty actions. Go fuck yourself, you talentless hack.
I mean you show up with AI dogshit, can't see anyone upvoting you, asshole.
Why not? Because it isn’t your intellectual or legal property and you aren’t making anything. The ai is cobbling together everyone else’s original ideas through history you bottom feeders can act like inventors, artists, designers, and game theorists. You’re an armchair laze with no sense.
And, yes, my posts were DELETED from those subreddits. Because apparently posting AI chat to help develop a board game is not allowed.
What are your experiences of sharing AI stories or using AI on other non AI related subreddits? Do you even do so? I do not think I will, the hate is just too much.

Chat GPT was already very good, but it was admittedly getting predictable after a while, tending to write stories in the same sort of obvious way and often missing details, resulting in stories that were impressive, but rarely completely satisfying, and always ending on a "and then everything turned out alright and everyone was happy". It meant you had to add a lot of detail to the prompt to get it to actually put effort in.
4.0 in my opinion is a big improvement. It really tries harder to vary how it writes stories. I gave it the prompt "Write a story about Gilderoy Lockhart attempting to learn the spell Peskipiksi Pesternomi." and it was genuinely really stunning how it immediately learned the character's smarmy personality, how it had the character reference his "achievements", while mentioning that those "achievements" were falsified, and even writing it in the style of the books. It didn't go down the predictable la-di-da route where "Oh, first it was hard, then he got better." No, it actually learned, instantly, that Peskipiksi Pesternomi is a non-existent spell, one he invented in desperation that of course failed and exposed him as an incompetent buffoon. So, throughout most of the story GPT generated, it repeatedly fails, only working on the very last attempt, and even then, only a little.
So yeah, GPT 4.0 is noticeably better to me. Really, really cool to watch your ideas come magically to life with a simple prompt, and now it's trying even harder to do more with what you give it.

Hi, David here!
Let's first clarify that by a polarizing personality I don't mean that you should be purposely divisive, blatantly harsh or rude. However, while you should not purposely try to offend, you should at the same time not be afraid of offending by simply being who you truly are.
You may be wondering why being too agreeable can be a bad or unattractive trait? Isn't it good to be nice to other people? Sure, it's good to be a nice person, as long as it's not only the result of one of the following two reasons.
The first reason being when a person is only being agreeable because they lack the confidence or strength to stand up to even the slightest confrontation or controversy. Thus acting agreeable is simply a coping mechanism.
The second reason is when a person only acts agreeable in order to try to get something back from another person. This is the typical "nice guy" who wrongly believes that he can barter or buy another person's affection solely via the way he treats them.
Imagine an attractive woman who is used to every guy trying to please her in order to win her over. The one guy who in turn is not desperate for her approval will likely be the one that she finds the most intriguing. Only through first sensing that he is not afraid to lose her approval can she then actually trust anything that comes out of his mouth.
Being polarizing is not about purposely getting into arguments. It's about stating your opinions honestly, and not qualifying your opinion or changing it if the other person disagrees. A person who is very confident and self-secure with themselves and their beliefs does not need to feel that everyone else agrees with them. This of course does not preclude having the willingness to change one's mind when presented with new evidence.
Most people play not to lose instead of playing to win. Thus they hold back in conversation out of fear of saying the wrong thing. More often that not, more attraction will be created through your willingness to be disagreeable than lost due to a difference in opinion.
Don’t actively try to be disagreeable. Rather, simply remove your filters, speak honestly and do not be afraid to say something that others may disagree with. Give others the opportunity to actually get to know the real you.
​
Adding to that, I just finished putting together my dating eBook "How to Date Any Girl" version 4.0 and would LOVE to get some honest feedback from you!
I decided to give it away for free for the time being.
​
The eBook is 27 pages long and gives you a practical step-by-step solution to meeting women (15+ years of knowledge put into it).
You can get the eBook by clicking here!
​
This book is the result of going out and socializing with girls for over a decade. I have put in there all the fundamentals I have learned over that time so I would really appreciate all the feedback I could get!!
​
What are your thoughts? Do you have any tips to add?
Let's discuss in the comments :)
Thanks for reading and have a GREAT day!
Coach David

Fuzzy expressions, articles that don’t make sense and obscure teachers 🥲 . In the IB there isnt a more elusive subject to score a 7 in than among English (maybe Physics!). As a student I never scored above 14 on my papers and tbh I just never really took English lessons seriously (if* I’ve spoken it all my life so I should be good right?)*. I’m sure you can also relate that the subject also just felt really fluffy and to me; unlike sciences or maths with a detailed syllabus and clear way to progress.
Until one perspective shift transformed my English grades, allowing me to eventually score 19/20 in my final exams:
In Biology, you don’t get marks for describing the lungs as the “breathing organ”, you need to use the actual terminology “lungs”. Along with that, you also need to understand its function, how it relates to the rest of the body, etc.
This is how you progress in IB English, through an effective mastering of the Literary Devices. These are the incremental building blocks, the ammunition you use to attack whatever random unseen text they throw at you in the exam. Similar to studying the lungs in biology, you must learn to Recognise, Explain, Link and Draw implications of using different literary devices in different contexts. How does it reveal authorial choices, and why it is effective for that specific issue being conveyed? This extends to both the IO and Paper 2 aspects as well!
I promise that if you focus more on HOW a text is written (authorial choices) more than WHAT it is about (only the messages), you will see your writing improve dramatically from poor retelling essays to analytical and insightful arguments.
TLDR;
If you feel stuck or unable to progress in IB English, change your approach from just understanding the text for what it is into actually explaining WHY and HOW it is written, using the literary techniques as your building blocks for arguments.
P.S. If you'd like to know more in how I achieved these results in IB, message me for more info or visit my website ibmentors.com!
Scoring 19/20 English Paper 1 and a 45

Me and my partner , both mid 30s, Like everyone else, we had some commitments so never tried to have babies earlier. Sine we are in mid 30s,it was her idea to get full body checkups before we plan to have a baby. We both were kind of reluctant about it and wanted to try naturally before visiting the doctor, though she insisted and we both agreed. Her egg counts and other factors are good however as per doctor, my results are not good enough to have a baby. As per result, all other factors like count, motility are good but the morphology is less than 1 percent (normal 4-14 percent) We have never tried before and we want to try naturally before we opt for other methods like IUI/IVF. So wanted to hear from the couples, individual who were in same situations like us. How do we make sure the changes in Morphology? Is it possible to have a baby with lower morphology and having other factors normal?

Welcome back once more, for our final discussion of Armadale. I apologize again for the discussion being late. Last week, my excuse was that I had to spend time with my sister's family, including a labradoodle. This week, I am dog-sitting my mother's beagle, who has separation anxiety and gas. I am horribly sleep-deprived because this dog insists on sleeping next to my bed every night, snoring loudly and farting. Speaking of people breathing in poison in their sleep, let's get to the recap:
Allan has just set off for the Adriatic, with his cash converted to gold, obviously the result of Manuel's suggestions. Lydia and Ozias have been transferred to Turin by Ozias's employer, and Lydia pretends to have gotten a letter from her mother, asking her to come home, so she has an excuse to go back to London. Once there, she checks the newspaper for any articles or obituaries indicating that Allan has died. She also finds Mother Oldershaw's new address, but decides not to visit her.
After a few days, she finally gets the news she's been hoping for. Allan's yacht sunk off the southern coast of Italy, and everyone on board perished. Her next step is to write to Bashwood:
My dearest Bashwood,
I desire you... I mean, I desire to *meet with you... to apologize for my previous behavior towards you. I have foolishly made the mistake of marrying an immature child. If only I had married a real man (realness not necessarily extending to his teeth and hair)!*
Please, do not show this letter to anyone. Let us meet clandestinely.
Sincerely,
Lydia Armadale (note the last name)
Lydia then considers the marriage certificate, and realizes a glaring flaw in her plan: Ozias's handwriting looks nothing like Allan's. In a panic, she decides that her only option is to get advice from Mother Oldershaw. Unfortunately, Mother Oldershaw appears to have found God, and no longer wants anything to do with Lydia's plans. (Of course, she refuses to give Lydia the signed paper that she was going to use to extort money from Lydia if her plans succeeded.)
While leaving Oldershaw's, Lydia runs into Dr. Downward... excuse me, Dr. Le Doux, totally legitimate sanitarium owner. She realizes that he may be able to advise her, and asks to meet him later at the sanitarium. The sanitarium is basically what you'd expect a 19th-century sanitarium to be: creepy old house with shelves containing jars of preserved "creatures," a "galvanic apparatus" for providing electric shocks, etc. No patients yet, though.
Lydia tells the doctor her story, leaving out the worst details (he doesn't know that she's the reason the yacht sunk, or that her husband goes by the fake name "Ozias Midwinter"). Downward agrees to assist her by claiming to be a witness to the marriage... for a fee of six hundred pounds. Lydia agrees, and he assists her in sending a letter to Thorpe Ambrose, claiming to be Allan's widow.
The next day, Lydia gets a visit from Bashwood, who delivers the news that Neelie is beside herself with grief, and Mr. Darch is handling the matter of the inheritance, which was going to go to Allan's cousin, before Lydia announced her claim.
Bashwood returns a few days later with a shocking letter from Yugoslavia: Allan is alive! This is where I'd normally try to write a funny version of the letter, but nothing I could possibly write would be funnier than the actual letter's opening line: "I have been the victim of a rascally attempt at robbery and murder." Yes, "rascally." Oh, Allan, never change. One of the would-be murderers took pity on Allan and didn't securely board up his cabin, so he was able to escape instead of sinking with the yacht.
Lydia turns to Downward for help.
Downward: What if we trap Allan in the sanitarium?
Lydia: And murder him?
Downward: WTF, no. We get him to agree to not press legal charges against us.
Lydia: And then we murder him?
Downward: I have so many regrets about teaming up with you
Lydia: How do we catch him?
Downward: You could get Bashwood to lurk around the train station and intercept him before anyone else sees him. Have him tell Allan that Miss Milroy was sent here because she was driven insane by her grief for him.
Lydia: Can we murder Allan and Miss Milroy?
Downward: I am running an unlicensed sanitarium under a false name, and even I think you're unhinged.
Lydia: Gwilty as charged
Downward: But wait, what if he doesn't agree immediately, and we have to keep him here for months? What if I have actual patients at the time, and they report us?
Lydia: What if...
Downward: ...please don't say "murder"
Lydia: ...what if he had an accident?
Downward: Oh. Well, if it was an "accident," that would be okay. I don't know how an accident could happen, though, if you aren't an inmate here.
Lydia: I'll think about it
Meanwhile, Bashwood keeps vigil at the train station, until one day he sees... Ozias, who is searching for Lydia because she's stopped writing to him. While they talk to each other, Bashwood can't contain his shock at hearing that Lydia is Ozias's wife, and accidentally calls her "Mrs. Armadale," which understandably makes Ozias suspicious, so he follows Bashwood to see where he goes, which of course leads him straight to Lydia. Lydia pretends she was never married to Ozias, and Ozias faints from the shock.
Lydia heads straight to the sanitarium, tells Downward she's going to be an inmate, and asks for a sleeping draught. Downward prepares the draught, but first places yellow liquid in a purple flask. He then informs Lydia of what he thinks they should say at the inquest after Allan dies: The two of them knew he hadn't drowned, but when he arrived in England, they decided to trap him in the sanitarium because, shortly after his marriage to Lydia, Allan had starting having a delusion that he was engaged to Neelie. Once in the sanitarium, Downward diagnosed Allan with an incurable and fatal brain ailment, and that's what killed him.
Downward has scheduled a "Visitors' Day" so that people will witness Lydia as an inmate in the asylum. The visitors are mostly women, because life as a woman in Victorian England was so boring, they had nothing better to do than go to sanitariums to gawk at the mentally ill people and see where they will eventually live when the hysteria finally drives them mad. (I am only barely paraphrasing. The actual quote is "In the miserable monotony of the lives led by a large section of the middle classes of England, anything is welcome to the women which offers them any sort of harmless refuge from the established tyranny of the principle that all human happiness begins and ends at home.")
Downward shows them around the sanitarium and explains how it will be run, including only allowing novels that make people feel comfortable. (I assumed this was an intentional satire of Wilkie's critics, and the notes in the Oxford World's Classics edition confirmed this.)
But then Downward gave a sales pitch that damn near sold me on his sanitarium. "I throw up impregnable moral intrenchments between Worry and You. ... Will ten minutes’ irritation from a barking dog or a screeching child undo every atom of good done to a nervous sufferer by a month’s medical treatment? There isn’t a competent doctor in England who will venture to deny it!" Considering I almost couldn't post last week's discussion because of a few hours' exposure to two loud children and a labradoodle, I'm about ready to self-diagnose with hysteria and deranged lunacy.
He also explains that while the bedrooms lack fireplaces, they're heated with hot water. This impressed me because I've read about Victorian insane asylums not having fireplaces in the bedrooms (since the inmates might burn themselves), but I always assumed this meant that the inmates were cold in the winter. But wait... the bedroom also has secret controls that let him open, close, and lock the window and door from the outside, and a vent that lets him pump gas into the room. Whaaat? I rescind my diagnosis of hysteria and deranged lunacy. I want nothing to do with this.
After the tour is finished, Downward demonstrates to Lydia how to prepare the poison, and then breaks the bottle so that his assistant (who doesn't know about the purple flask) will think there's no more of that chemical in the house.
Meanwhile, Ozias is stalking Bashwood at the train station. He thinks Lydia is cheating on him, and Bashwood is waiting for Lydia's lover. But then he sees Bashwood with Allan. After confronting the two of them, he learns Bashwood's story about having to take Allan to Neelie in the sanitarium. Realizing that Lydia is probably still behind Bashwood's actions, Ozias insists on going with the two of them. On arriving at the sanitarium, Allan is informed that Neelie cannot see him until the morning, but he and Ozias are welcome to spend the night: Allan in Room Four, and Ozias in Room Three.
Lydia sets Bashwood up to spy on Allan's door from a room with a grate in its door. She tells him to make sure Allan stays in his room all night. Later, watching from the grate, Bashwood observes Ozias leave his room and examine the fumigating apparatus connected to Allan's room. Then Ozias stuffs his handkerchief in the grate, blocking Bashwood's view, before going into Allan's room and convincing Allan to switch rooms with him.
Later that night, Lydia returns and asks Bashwood if anything happened. Too afraid to tell her about the handkerchief, he tells her nothing happened, and she dismisses him to bed. After almost convincing herself to not go through with it, she then starts the process of pouring the poison at five minute intervals. While waiting for one of the intervals to pass, she notices Ozias's handkerchief and realizes that Bashwood lied to her. She checks in Room Three, and finds Allan asleep where Ozias should be.
In a panic, Lydia rushes into Room Four and drags the unconscious Ozias out. She then continues to pour the poison, writes a last letter to Ozias, and locks herself in the room.
We end with an epilogue that rapidly ties up all the random loose ends. Lydia has been buried in a nearly unmarked grave. The doctor is apparently still running his sanitarium. Allan and Neelie will be married in the spring. Mrs. Milroy doesn't have much longer to live, but she's undergone a personality change for some reason and she and the Major are happy for once. Ozias is recovering and living with Allan. Mother Oldershaw is a religious speaker, apparently. Bashwood has gone insane. Manuel drowned.
But wait, one last thing: Wilkie has something to say to us. He wants us to know that he intended the dream to be left up to interpretation. Thanks for handing me a discussion question like that, Wilkie. He also shares a weird-ass story about how, after he'd finished the rough draft and while the story was in the middle of serialization, several people were poisoned in their sleep on a boat called The Armadale. Okay, Wilkie. Thank you for that incredibly weird anecdote.

So I have played until blacklist 8 so far and I don't get why Most Wanted (2005) is hyped so much, especially in comparison to Carbon.
Everything feels extremely samey. Every race and every blacklist member is just the same. Every car feels the same.
Cars have different stats but by the time I slap upgrades onto them, they are basically the same.
For every beaten blacklist member I just get their car or buy the best available at the store, upgrade it to the max, and repeat. I could not tell you what cars I owned and used because it is extremely irrelevant.
The races are borderline boring and useless because I feel like rubberbanding is what makes 80% of the whole race. Even if I fuck up the bots will slow down and allow me to catch up resulting in a high time to beat the race and I still win. If I drive near perfect then the bots are faster too and they are always on my ass resulting in a low time to beat the race. So the bots just drive 30 seconds faster or slower in the same races.
And then the whole balancing is very weird. There are races that I can basically not lose no matter how hard I try and then there are some few races that are just incredibly hard for no reason. Those mostly are speed traps.
Every blacklist member is easier than the races before them. Most of the time the normal bots have cars that are in higher tiers than the blacklist member (I think it was around 11 or 12 when I saw a Porsche which only gets unlocked after 10).
I appreciate the story that is set up at the beginning. It is cheesy but enjoyable but a bit frontloaded. There are a ton of cutscenes at the beginning and after that nothing. So far literally nothing has happened in the story after the beginning.
The cops are incredibly bad to the point where I hate doing anything related to them. It is just a slog to finish some milestones when they are killing themselves or just outright get lost. I have to drive around slowly on purpose to not lose them so I can finish the milestones and it takes ages to get a few police cars stacked up. On the other hand cop cars often just spawn out of nowhere even in the player's field of view. Roadblocks are so incredibly bad I have to go out of my way to take stupid turns to drive into one to finish the milestones.
I know that heat increases the difficulty of cops but the core design of changing the car every blacklist member resets it to zero.
and if you have high heat it is extremely frustrating to get to a car dealer or parts job. Constant police makes it impossible to drive anywhere resulting in the best option just being to jump to the event directly via the blacklist menu.
The car modification is ok. I'm wondering why there are so many rims and no body parts or body part customization. Also, the vinyls are awful. Even for a game back then the resolution of those is ass. I never feel like any car is mine like I tuned or modified it. They just feel so cookie-cutter to be discarded in the next 30-40 minutes anyway.
The driving itself is good but on its own not interesting or varied enough. For an arcade racer, there are very few elements to the racing. Just drive and nitro. All the different types of races are the same. The only different one is drag racing which feels like a tutorial for how to shift.
I have played through the first 2 blacklist members and was like "That is it? that is the whole game?"
By blacklist member 8 now it just feels grindy. I have gotten through less than half of the game and there is nothing new or evolving while the gameplay itself just becomes boring. I bet that the last guy is just the same as every other blacklist challenge before him.

I have had this unhealthy habit where I don't ask women out until I'm fairly certain I have a chance with them, which usually means I get attached to them before even asking them out. As a result, getting turned down tends to shatter me for a while. Not this time, though. I made a personal ad a while ago and have been chatting with someone who responded to it for a week. We've been having some nice conversations but I noticed I was falling into the same pattern again so I somehow managed to gather my courage and actually asked her out on a date.
This is a pretty big deal for me, because I'm not attached to her yet in any way, we're just going to meet up for coffee or drinks or something (details TBD) and see how things go from there. I've never been on a casual date like that before and honestly I'm pretty proud of myself for asking and happy she said yes. I'm looking forward to it and even if it doesn't work out, I'll have something positive to take away from this.
Suck it, AvPD.
The one concern I have is that I'm not sure I'm 100% over my last failed attempt at romance, but considering how long that's been going on I think I might not get over it until I move on and try to date someone else.