Hotel near johor kastam

I (14 f) am writing this in the early hours of the morning at 2 o'clock. I don't know what to do and I am scared. My father (50m+) came home around 12 o'clock when me and my siblings were sleeping. He banged on the door for twenty to thirty minutes before he broke it down. I was awake at the time but didn't open the door. Then he went to my mom's room to scream at her and shout. He then punched a hole in her drawer and kept shouting. At this point I went to her room to try defuse the fight or atleast protect mom. Then he turned his anger on me and started shouting at me. At this point I was in her bed crying because one he was shouting really loud, telling my mom to f off and go to hell at the same time punching and breaking her drawer.(I know this is a long post but, I don't want to make a part 2). It now been an hour of him swearing at her and it going back and fourth. I genuinely thought the next thing he might punch is me. He then said he was going to a hotel but then started making himself comfortable in the room like all he said earlier didn't happen. But our neighbour then told him to shut the fuck up and go to sleep. Honestly wish she said this sooner. The bastard had the balls to go on a rant about how my mom wants to disgrace him infront of our 'useless' neighbours when he had been banging and shouting for nearly an hour at the top of his voice. I really wish he would go to the hotel like he said but he's staying night to leave tomorrow because it will be too expensive to book a hotel at this time of night(£185). We'll thus is all I have to say for now buy thanks for the listen , just writing had made me feel much better now.

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This situation started a few years ago. We are both now 30+f.
My friend got married to a guy I did not like. I couldn't pin point why so I stayed silent especially as she was so happy and I couldn't say I was just getting a vibe. Over time my suspicion grew as she was always made out he was great but at the same times cancelled meet ups last minute and struggled post having a child but working full time (mind you he did not work full time).
After a few years one day she called me to tell me she's leaving him. He cheated on her, financially and physically abused her. I was sorry for her especially as she had a child and I always tended to her calls, took her out for a girls night and met up whenever I could knowing it must be so difficult for her. I admit at many times I struggled and couldn't help her out in some situations which I know was my fault.
We over this time had small arguments where I would find out anything and say something about him but she'd take it as an insult to her. I also hated that I became the one who all the trauma was dumped onto but if I criticised him she'd take it as I was criticising her for marrying him.
However one day (3y post seperation), she called me to tell me her court case re sole custody (under the case of abuse) wasn't working in her favour because unknowest to me she had been secretly meeting up with him this whole time but she assured me everytime she only asked him how could he do this to her and just got upset but he then he had collated evidence of them meeting at Hotels. I was very shocked having been told by her that she was going therapy and that he was stalking her and she was avoiding him and they had no other relationship.
I got very angry and told her she should have at least thought about her kid when it came to this. That caused a massive argument where she claimed I did not understand narcistic abuse and I should take her side. I told her whereas that's true she acted selfishly and lied to me.
We did not speak for a few days after this until it came to my birthday and she dropped a gift off for me albeit coldly and said shes dropping it off because she had prepared it advance. Her birthday was shortly after and i messaged to say let's meet for dinner and I've got your gift and let's talk things over. I sent this message a few times to no response so I assumed she no longer wanted anything to do with me.
6m later I get a message saying she was so hurt that I never sent her a gift (although she doesn't care about it) or a card or a proper message and I hurt her when she was already low. I sent her the messages I sent her and she said that's so manipulative and I'm making out that she's a liar. Unfortunately the conversation went back and forth until it once again ended. During this time some v. Hurtful things were said about my personal life so I had to end it.
I knew she was lonely (as she didn't have a lot of friends) so I reached out to her a few weeks later after seeing a post. She once again got upset. I realised at this point that in the way I sent messages too it would not have been nice to someone suffering either. We both ended up understanding each other's side and apologising. At this point we hadn't met in nearly a year and I ended it with saying maybe one day we could meet up talk about it when we are ready and she said yes she would love that and I never got in touch with her again.
I still have her on my socials and I feel sorry for her at times. I understand our arguments were petty and hurtful things were said to each other as a result but do I even reach out or there is no point as I'm worried we will start arguing again.

I’ve been talking with friends about going on vacation, i’m really scared to have a flare up and don’t know even what area to suggest for vacation ? i really just want to relax and get away from the city but will going put me into a flare or make me feel worse?? i’ve been doing infrared saunas every day and binders but i’m still super early in my recovery. I want to go near the ocean to be near water but i know that the buildings have way more mold (probably?) down south? i know the things like look for a newer hotel and things like that but i don’t want to just live in fear of mold forever and not go on vacations

I know this was stupid, and I made a mistake. When I leaned back against my headboard, the moisture from my hair turned it white. I didn't realize it was from the moisture or that it would slowly dissapear, so I had tried scratching it off since I thought it was some kind of residue. There are now two small areas with visible white scratches on the headboard.
The hotel itself isn't too high end - the room I was in already had some scratches on the headboard (not nearly as visible though), there were cigarette holes in the comforter, chipped parts of the nightstand and a lot of scratches on the dresser. Based on this, if they were to charge me, how much would it estimated to be?

Hi! My bf and I are looking for suggestions and feedback on our rough itinerary to Japan.
It is our first time in Japan and we are super excited!
We are big foodies and we have NO allergies!
We also like history! If anyone has any latin night recommendations please let us know!
Languages we speak: ENGLISH & SPANISH
May 24 - FRIDAY
Arrive in Osaka
May 25 – SATURDAY
OSAKA
- Go to Shitenno-ji Temple in the morning
- Then go to the Osaka Castle
- Midday Rest at Hotel
- Nightlife in DOTONBORI

May 26 – SUNDAY
- Spend most of the day at Universal Studios
- Dinner in the DOTONBORI neighborhood or WHISKEY HOUSE

May 27 – MONDAY
- Arrive at 8am at Sumiyoshi Taisha
- Go to the Ichiba Market & Sennichimae Doguyasuji Shopping Street
- Dinner &Nightlife in Dontobori
(This day is pretty open so I am open to suggestions)
May 28 - TUESDAY
KYOTO
- Head over to the train to take it from Osaka to Kyoto @ noon
- Explore Hotel area & get Lunch
- Go to the Sannenzaka Path
- Go back to Hotel & RelaX

• Get Dinner

- Night walk through Gion area (tour through viator)

May 29 - WEDNESDAY
- Head to Fushimi - Summit of Mt. Inari
- Lunch around the area
- Go to Philosopher’s path
- Head back to hotel and relax
- Head to the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest (Go during sunset)
- Get dinner Gyukatsu Kyoto Katsugyu/ Teramachi-Kyogoku
- Kyoto Nightlife near Hotel

May 30 – THURSDAY
TOKYO
- Get breakfast
- Check out and head to trains station at 11am to go to TOKYO
- Arrive to Tokyo and head to Hotel
- Mall/Shopping @ Shibuya & head to Shibuya (Shibuya crossing)

• Go to Nintendo store

- Visit Yoyogi Park
- Dinner time near hotel (Shinjuku City)

May 31 – FRIDAY
- Leave to go to Meiji Jingu (Shrine) & Togo Shrine
- Get Lunch around the Area
- Head back to Hotel and rest
- Get Dinner @ 6pm
- Head to the bar crawl through Viator company
Evening before bar crawl is free & open to suggestions

June 1 - SATURDAY
- Head out to the Sensoji Temple @ 7:30am
- Get Lunch @ noon
- Head to Ueno Park and visit the Tokyo national museum
- Head to Ameyoko Shopping District
- Head to the Tokyo Skytree @ 5 or 6pm.

June 2 - SUNDAY
- Go to Hie Shrine at 8am
- Then go to Chidorigafuchi Park/Imperial palace
Evening is free & open to suggestions
June 3 - MONDAY
Leave Japan

I went to stay in a hotel in Singapore for Christmas New year of 2023 / 2024. I chose a really nice hotel by the Clark Quay so I could access all of the restaurants and bars near to the hotel.
The first few days I was there were okay but the spookiness started to happen around day three. I got back to my hotel after a day out at Takashimaya shopping mall, and the only way I can describe how I felt was like my brain was all Spacey... I started to settle in for the night, the light in the room kept on flickering. I didn't think anything of it, but when I went to sleep that night... It was as though something kept touching my head... As soon as I started to drift off, it would keep happening... To the point where I had no sleep that night. I shook it off and thought oh no it's just anxiety.. I mean I was travelling alone as a single woman.
The following day I went to the lifts I was going off to the Singapore zoo...The lift stopped... I was in there for about five minutes with no movement by myself. I immediately went down to reception and told them that my key mustn't be working so they gave me a new one.
I went out to the zoo and had a good day didn't think anything of the night before but I was so tired. I got back, and to my surprise the hotel door was left open... Now, hotel doors are very heavy doors they literally slam shut behind you..I thought maybe I just left the latch in the spot of where the door was closing... I started to settle in for the night, as soon as I turned the light off to go to sleep the same thing kept happening... My head and neck were being touched by something. I got up out of bed and went in to wash my hair - I thought a shower might relax me...I started to blow dry it and to my surprise the brush flung back and hit the mirror and cracked it. 🤯
At this point I only had one day left of my trip and when this kind of thing happens to you you just kind of write it off as anxiety and I didn't say anything to anyone about it. The same thing happened for the remainder of the trip and I had no sleep. On my way to the airport I started googling, and on trip advisor I found stories of the same nature. The hotel was built on a Japanese warzone. People had reported seeing prisoners begging for help in the hallways, and all kinds of paranormal experiences. I was completely spooked and so glad to be out of there.
When I arrived home I believe it came home in my suitcase with me 😓. Because for two weeks following my trip I had the same experience at home. I went for two spiritual healings I cleansed my room with sage I cleansed my room with holy water... One night when I was drifting off to sleep about two weeks later a little Japanese boy showed up next to my bed. I never saw him again after that because I sent him on peacefully and asked him to go to the light.

This took place back in the 90’s, I was part of the wedding party of a good friend, having the role of an usher for the groom’s side. I was in my mid 20’s and had been very good friends with the groom since we met at sixth form college aged 16.

The Groom was from a small town of just over 3,000 people, in a very rural area in the south of England, the kind of place where everyone knows each other, and it is rare for them to mix with any outsiders. He had been a hard partying wild man, whose main interests were Football, music, and beer. When I was away at university, he saw the light, put his old ways behind him and became born again. Gave up his job and became a missionary. Whilst away doing missionary work, joined by the youngest son of his Baptist minister, the groom met the bride. I nice young girl from the north of England who was also very religious.

After six months of dating, they got engaged, he had moved up to be close to her, got a job and they got a house, although she stayed living with her parents until the wedding.

The stag do was uneventful, the Groom came back down for a weekend for it, and the best man follow the instructions he had been given. A round of golf, the out for a meal then to the Grooms old local pub for the evening. The best man and me where the only ones who where not religious, when I noticed that the where 13 of us for the meal my last supper joke did not go down well. Even the Grooms mother joined us in the pub after the meal. Not the wild night of decadence I would have through his stag do would have been only a few years before.

That’s the boring bit over, now to the Wedding…….

The day before the Wedding my job was to pick up the youngest son of the local Baptist minister first thing in the morning, he was the other usher on the groom’s side, and drive him the length of England to the North of England near the Scottish boarder. The groom had been stressing out as we are both nice easy-going blokes, but we do both have a well and truly earned reputation for being a bit flaky. I’m due to pick him up at 9am, I wake up at 9:40am. Panic, get showered and dressed and run to my car. I get five minutes down the road and then turn around and return to my home to get my wedding suit. I get to the Baptist ministers’ home at 10:40am, I am knocking and ringing the doorbell until I wake the other usher at 11am. He showers and gets dressed whilst I wait in the kitchen for him, his father the minister comes home and me and him chat, he says that he would have loved to have gone to the wedding, but unfortunately, he is performing a wedding ceremony the next day for another couple we all know. Other usher comes down and says that he will make sandwiches for the journey, so we don’t have to stop. We finally get on the road at mid-day three hours late. We drive past my home soon after and I realise that I could have picked up my suit on the way.

The journey was uneventful apart from multiple texts from the best man asking when we would arrive, as the groom has an important job for us to do when we get there. Me and other usher had known each other for years and get on well so we chat and have a good laugh, this is when I found out the news that the wedding his father is doing the next day for the lad and his girlfriend, we all know, it had the same guest list as the groom’s side of the wedding we are going to. The guests had the choice of going to a wedding that most of them could walk to, and the rest would have a five-to-ten-minute drive, or one which would need them to take a day off work and a whole weekend to go to. The groom’s side for this wedding was just, his family, us two ushers, and five people the bride and groom had been missionaries with. When we start to get hungry the other usher looks for the sandwiches he made, only to discover that he has left them on the kitchen counter back at his parents’ house. This is the last time we screw up.

We get to the bride and grooms’ home at 8pm, as we walk to the door it swings open and we are nearly knocked over as the mother of the groom, his two twin sisters, and two brothers storm out of the house. The best man then greets us with the hunted look of a Vietnam veteran with a 1,000-yard stare. The other usher asks where the other missionaries are, the best man says that they are upstairs and other usher quickly disappears to see them. I walk in, the groom is hugging the bride, I say hello, they do not acknowledge me. The best man hands me a cup of tea and we go to the living room and close the door. We can hear the bride howling in tears just the other side of the door as the groom tries to claim her. Me and the best man are both British males, we know full well what to do in this kind of situation, our grand parents lived through the blitz, we drew down into our guts and invoked the Dunkirk spirt, we kept our stiff upper lips like any true Englishman, completely ignored the situation and made small talk about football, sipping our tea. The bride took about 45 minutes to stop crying.

After the wedding I found out , what had gone on, this was the first time the bride was meeting the grooms family, first the groom had asked his two 19 year old sisters to bring their dresses for the wedding along so he could approve them, now I do not know much about women, but one of the few things I do know this that you do not tell your sisters what they can and can not wear, as they will openly and honestly tell you what you can do with that request. Then the mother of the groom gave the couple a lucky horseshoe for there wedding, they refused to accept the gift as they are strict Christians, and the lucky horseshoe is a pagan symbol. Then the father of the groom, who was divorce for the mother of the groom decided to spring a surprise on everyone, he announced that he was bringing his new girlfriend and her toddler to the wedding. This is when the excrement well and truly hit the fan. The new girlfriend the groom also knew well, during his wild times he had known her in the biblical sense on more than one occasion. She was a very friendly and giving young women, in fact most of our friend group had known her biblically as well, some of them knew her in the biblical way two at a time. Thankfully looking at the time line unless it was a two-and-a-half-year pregnancy the toddler was not the grooms. The groom’s mother had openly called the grooms fathers new girlfriend a wh**e, which I feel is unfair, she didn’t ever charge, she was not a professional, she was just a very keen amateur. Over the next few minutes of shouting, it was made clear to the groom’s father that his girlfriend would not be invited to the wedding and there would be trouble if her brought her.

After everything had calmed down, we then drove over to the brides’ parents’ home. Where we had been given the task of blowing up ballons to decorate village hall the reception was taking place in, I was confused at why the groom was so stressed at us being on time so we could do this job. Then when no one else was about the groom gave us our real roles and responsibilities for the next day. Basically, we had the job to be his fathers’ minders during the reception, his father, was a violent, aggressive, alcoholic, and our role was to try and keep him away from other guests, try to stop him from insulting anyone, and if he starts a fight then to get in the middle of it and break it up. Now, I grew up playing Rugby, the sport which American football evolved from, except the only protection we wore was a gumshield and a cup (Known as a cricket box in the UK). I may not be the tallest but at the time I had spent a year working as a builder’s labour (construction worker for the Americans) and had the body I still think in my mind I still have, until I see myself in the mirror when I get out of the shower and realise that I currently have a body that resembles a dropped lasagne. Other usher was sporty, but stick thin, and I doubt that he had ever taken a punch in his life, I knew which of the two of us would be getting in the middle to break up any fight.

The Wedding Day……….

We had stayed in the same budget hotel chain as the groom’s family, except his father. My first responsibility of the day is to drive the mother of the groom to the wedding, along with the youngest brother and other usher. Oldest brother and twin sisters are being driven by oldest brothers’ best mate who was not invited to the wedding but came anyway.

In the morning of the wedding, I am in the hotel’s carpark decorating my car with the traditional white ribbons for wedding cars. The mother of the groom leans out of her ground floor room window and calls me over to the window. I walk over and just as I get there I see over her shoulder and freeze in shock. Both the grooms twin sisters and in the background getting ready for the wedding, one has just a towel wrapped around her, the other is only wearing a thong. They both see me, freeze, then scream and run into the room’s bathroom. I am extremely embarrassed, the groom’s mother, who is very east London just shouts at them,
‘Don’t be so stupid girls, you ain't got nothing he ain't seen before’.
We then go over what time we should leave for the wedding.
Knowing both the groom, and his father are very protective over the twins, even though it was a total accent, this incident could have landed me trouble with them both.

I am so paranoid about being late to the church that we arrive so early that the church is still locked, over the next few hours people arrive. For some strange reason they had decided to go with the traditional bride’s side sitting on one side of the isle, and grooms side sitting on the other. This led to a few issues, on the groom’s side, there were on the first pew, six members of his family, on the second pew, the five missionaries plus me and other usher, and brother of the grooms best mate. On the brides’ side, there where all her friends and family, plus every member of her parents’ church. I suggested that we just filled the empty pews on the groom’s side with guests, but the two ushers on the brides’ side, the bride’s brothers wouldn’t even consider it. Me and other usher had no-one to usher to their seats, as it had started raining, we decided to grab a couple of umbrellas and meet and greet guests as they parked and shield them from the rain. We also started to set out extra seats for the bride’s side as all the pews on that side of the church had been filled, there was over 150 on her side, even though on the groom’s side only two pews had anyone sitting in them and only 14 people.

Then the final guests arrive, they are very elderly, from the church the parents of the bride belong to, they decided to park right in front of the door to the church, I asked them if they could move, they explained that they were not going to the reception and were leaving for a holiday right after the ceremony, so they wanted to leave quickly. I pointed out that they had parked in such a way that the bride would be forced to squeeze down a foot and a half gap between their mud-covered car and a brick wall whilst it was raining to get into her own wedding. They did not see anything wrong with that. There was some back and forth between us, but finally I found a parking spot which they could easily leave early from and was out of the way, they reluctantly moved their car to that spot. Just as the car carrying the bride and her father drove into the carpark.

The ceremony went off without any drama. After the ceremony it is the photos, as each set of photos are done the people leave to go to the reception. The last set to be done are the newly married couple and the groom’s mother. We get to my car, and we realise that no-one has told us where the reception is. There is one last car with wedding guests in leaving at the same time as us, the only other car is the best man’s car, and he is taking the bride and groom. I quickly follow the car that is leaving hoping that they are going to the reception. This is the 90’s, the only two people who have mobile phones are the best man, and me, him as his work supplied him with one, and I had got one as I did not want to be talking to my, at the time recently ex-girlfriend (I broke it off with her a week before and that is why other Usher got to share my hotel room with me as I had already booked and paid for two people for two nights, I had just changed the booking to a twin room) whilst in the same room as my parents on their landline. The best man calls my phone, asking if we know where the reception is, we don’t but we are following a car that might be going there. Groom and Bride do not drive and do not know the way to the reception. Other usher has my phone, he is describing landmarks to best man who is about two minutes behind us, so he can find his way. After 20 minutes of driving thankfully the car I am following is going to the reception and two minutes after we arrive the bride and groom arrive.

We go to our assigned tables for the meal, I am sitting next to the friend of the oldest brother of the groom, opposite him is the oldest brother of the groom, directly opposite me is the only wearing a towel sister of the groom, next to her is the other twin who I saw too much of earlier that day. And next to me is the boyfriend of the maid of honour. I try to make small talk with the boyfriend of the maid of honour, but he is staring daggers at the best man, who is sitting at the head table talking to and looking, like he is really hitting it off with the maid of honour. Boyfriend of maid of honour is not happy, he is in silence for most of the meal but at some points during the meal sounds like he is growling. I later found out that best man and maid of honour both had the same job and just talked shop the whole meal, the only other person best man had to talk to as he was on the head table was youngest brother of groom who was six years old, and as she was at the end of the head table there was no-one on the other side of her, the boyfriend of maid of honour made me feel about as welcome as a ginger haired step son.

The best man speech was interesting, as he had been given strict instructions on what he could say and what he could not say. The stories about the groom stopped at the age of 12, and then jumped to when he became born again. More than half his life had to be skipped over.

Due to the father of the groom, the decision was made to have a dry wedding, apart from a glass of sparkling wine each to toast the bride and groom. Somehow towel sister of the groom managed to get a few glasses of sparkling wine and started to get very flirty with me, as she was rubbing her foot up and down my leg under the table, I moved my leg away, I looked her in the eye and gave a firm shake of the head, thankfully she got the message. The other twin sister, who is very shy and studious, couldn’t even look me in the eye due to embarrassment from the morning.

On the lighter side, the bride who had been starving herself for months before the wedding, ate so much that she burst the zip at the back of her dress, she saw the funny side of it and her mother and sisters all used safety pins to pin it back up so she could then eat some more.

It then comes time for the first dance, this wedding was on a tiny budget, this was before we could burn CD’s at home, so the groom had made a mix tape for the dances, as they were half way into the first dance, the tape player ate the tape. No more music.

Me and other usher spent the rest of the time basically standing in front of father of the groom, who had brought his own bottle of whiskey. We knew that a guaranteed why to provoke violence was to try and take the bottle off him. We became the absorbers of his bile, we bit our tongues as we listened to his racist, anti-Semitic, anti-Islamic, sexist ranting, saying about how the world is against him and none of his problems are his fault. Each time one of his children or his ex-wife came within earshot her would try to provoke them, but they remained stoic.

It then came time for the bride and groom to leave for their honeymoon, I had supplied the oldest brother of the groom and his friend with a can of shaving foam to decorate the wedding car in the traditional manner, they did not disappoint.

Once the bride and groom had left, the rest of the guest all left, no music, no booze, no food there was nothing to stay around for, so the wedding was over by 7:30pm.

I drove the mother of the groom, Youngest brother of the groom and other usher back to the budget chain hotel we were staying in. after dropping them off I went and brough myself a lot of beer, went to oldest brother of the grooms room, as the England football team had been playing a world cup qualifier game that day and had set up a video recorder to record it and we watched the game. Half way through the best man turned up, again with a 1,000 yards stare.

Later I found out what had happened next. The best man had driven the newly married couple to the hotel where they were having their honeymoon. As he was driving back, he got a phone call on his mobile phone, asking hm if he had the keys to the married couples’ home, as the five missionaries are all staying there for the weekend. He does not have the keys, the only person who has the keys is the groom. The best man turns around and drives back to the hotel. There is no way that he is going to disturb the married couple on their wedding night, the very religious couple on their wedding night, the groom might not have saved himself for marriage during his wild years, but it had been made very clear to everyone that the bride had saved herself for marriage. The best man gets the front desk to ring up for him, no answer. In the end a manager goes up and knocks on their room and gets the keys.

The next day we all drive back south and try to get over the experience.

Over 25 years later:

The groom and bride and still together, and still very happy together, they have four children.

Towel sister of the groom is happily married with three children.

Embarrassed sister of the groom, went to University, became a teacher and is no longer extremely shy, she came back from Uni full of confidence. I bumped into her last year in our local supermarket when she introduced me to her two teenage daughters as the first guy who to got to enjoy her boobs. I was just as embarrassed as her daughters.

Oldest brother of the groom spent so much time in the job centre that he ended up getting a job there.

Youngest brother of the groom is a lovely lad with a great girlfriend, their wedding is next year.

Mother of the groom is still hoping that oldest brother of the groom will meet someone nice sometime and move out, no-one else thinks that is going to happen.

Father of the groom is currently living in a hostel for the homeless. None of his three sons will have anything to do with him, his two daughters take it in turns to do his washing and give him enough food for the week. They do not give him any money.

Me and best man are still very close. We helped each other move into our first homes and decorate them. He was my best man at my wedding, and I was best man at his. I am godfather to his son, he is the named trustee in my will. We supported each other through our divorces. We support each other with our elderly parents and their mad erratic decisions. The only reason we are not meeting up this weekend for a beer and a catch up, is because he is currently dealing with the family drama around his mother in her late 70’s deciding to elope with someone she has only known for two weeks.
I have been to many weddings over the years, this is still the only one I can remeber all of the details of.

Hello.
My father's heritage is 100% Irish. He has never been to Ireland, yet. For his 60th birthday, I wish to treat him on a father-son trip and I would love your help.
I have never been to Ireland, and am slowly finding ideas on what to do, but I am not sure if it is best to book a hotel in the center of the country near a train, or stay in Dublin, or stay somewhere else, or to stay in one location for a few days before moving to the next. What is your expert opinion?
As of right now, I would enjoying doing the following with my dad (hopefully this provides context on where we should stay): 1. Cliffs of Moher 2. Rugby match (does not matter who, unless you think it does) 3. Guinness factory/tour house 4. Irish whiskey museum 5. Day trip to Galway (unless 12 hours is not enough time in this amazing city?) 6. A few nuseum tours 7. Fill in the blank for me please, ___ 8. Here too, ____ thank you kindly 9. This will be our last one, ______ 10. Got you, my mom thinks I'm hilarious. ______
Jokes aside, I want this to be the trip of a lifetime for my dad, as he has given me so much. I would rather not say my budget but I will say we do not plan on staying somewhere luxurious, and public transit will be our best friend (unless the locals think this is a bad idea?).
Again, thank you in advance & slàinte!!

We have a Princess cruise scheduled for 2025 leaving Southampton, England.
There are two direct flights from our home city...one that arrives at 12:10 pm and one that arrives at 1:20 pm.
Is there enough time to do the Princess authorized transfer from Heathrow to Southampton for either flight?
And god forbid, what if the plane is delayed and arrives late?
We've traveled to London before and stayed a couple of days prior to our cruise out of Southampton, but not sure I want to add on a couple more days again, pay for transit to London and to the bus port in London to Southampton.
An other option would be that we arrive a day early at Heathrow and book a hotel near the airport. But what will we do for 3/4 of a day besides sleep? And can we catch the bus transfer to Southampton from Heathrow the following day (the normal ship departure date).
I'm obviously nervous about missing the cruise departure.

I got approved for Medicaid and I know with phallo the recovery time is like a month and it’s gotta be near the hospital. I’m in upstate NY and bottom surgery would be with mount sinai in NYC and I’m not sure if insurance covers all the travel costs and hotel stays? Also anyone know how long the wait times are going out for mount sinai?

We are debating staying in a room with shared bathroom in Paradise Inn vs different hotel which 50mins away in Ashford with a private bathroom. We are planning to hike to different trails during our time there (Jul 1 - 3).

1. How bad are the shared bathrooms?
2. Is it easy to park near Paradise Inn?
3. Are hikes walkable from Paradise Inn so we don't have to worry about parking inside the park?

I’m 8+2 today, had our intake yesterday and my husband and I are so excited. His family is from the UK, and we are going to visit next month right after our NIPT. I have a fantastic relationship with his side of the family, they respect boundaries and are helpful and kind and good people. My family, not so much. They live out of state, but have anger issues and cross boundaries and make their opinions known and push for it to be their way or the highway. We have a conversational arms length relationship, but they’ve hardly been involved in my life unless it’s convenient for them, or benefits them until now with their first grandkid on the way where suddenly they want to be involved.
My parents called me earlier to ask about how our exam went and about when we will find out gender. As my husbands family doesn’t get to participate in a ton being international, we decided to do a bit of a gender reveal while we are over the pond with his family as we get results that week we are there, and my family threw a fit, my dads reaction was an angry “REALLY?!?” acting like they were absolutely pissed they won’t be involved and like it’s outrageous we are “favoring” my in-laws. I offered to face time them in but my mom is just pissed we won’t wait until later in pregnancy to find out so she can be there and so I ended up hanging up on them and sending my first boundary text, telling them I won’t tolerate this behavior and the jealousy and unwanted opinions are only going to push me away, that this is my pregnancy so I will be calling the shots and if they don’t like it they can take a hike.
I know this is going to be a recurring competitive theme going forward, and I’m trying to figure out how to sedate the flames considering both families are already planning to be here for birth (we both have decent sized families) and we can’t host everyone so I’m thinking I’ll tell everyone they need to get an Airbnb or hotel near us since we are not hosting any family the first month.
My mom already thinks she is coming to stay with us during third trimester through to a few months after birth, when in reality I can hardly handle a weekend visit with her. I don’t mind a few days here and there, but I don’t want the stress of having her around and her overbearing opinions. However, my MIL also has offered to come live in for part of next year to help us and be hands on and we are really open to that, considering I have a demanding job I will need to get back to and we know she will genuinely be helpful. I can see it already, once I tell my family about this it will be a massive fight that I’m allowing my MIL, but not my mom to stay long term.
I’m exhausted already thinking about it and I’m not even through 1st tri. Any family advice for setting boundaries with one side so they don’t feel left out but it’s not more than you can mentally handle?

We are debating staying in a room with shared bathroom in Paradise Inn vs different hotel which 50mins away in Ashford with a private bathroom. We are planning to hike to different trails during our time there.

1. How bad are the shared bathrooms?
2. Is it easy to park near Paradise Inn?
3. Are hikes walkable from Paradise Inn so we don't have to worry about parking inside the park?

I just turned 30, male, only child. Parents divorced my whole life.
I'm no contact with my family because they've never helped or supported me and I spent way too long thinking they were on my team, so to speak.
for the past 2 years, I've been traveling to different countries living off savings and veterans disability monthly payment.
It was fun at first, but overtime I isolated myself more and more. I'd have a bad experience, isolate myself more, maybe move, then try to do things again and then repeat. Lately I don't do anything. I used to stay in hostels , I was optimistic and liked meeting people, now I just feel old even though I'm not, and many people in their 30s are in hostels. I used to go out and drink sometimes, and just be comfortable alone at a bar and striking up conversation, but i don't feel that way anymore, and I'm tired of being alone.
I think I've just re-quarantined myself, with all the mental effects that came with it. except now im in a foreign country and have been away from the US for awhile, with nothing and no one familiar to me to try to climb out of it.
I don't know what to do, I go to the gym and go grocery shopping, thats it. I'm tired of figuring out foreign countries alone and by myself. I'm tired of traveling, but I have to travel as I cant get a visa to stay anywhere really long enough (3-6 months max)
I dont have any purpose, or any reason to be in a foreign country except that its more affordable to live in than the United States and I have no ties to the U.S . About 6 months ago I was thinking of just going back to the U.S just cause it would be easier to have a social life than it is now, even if my cost of living is much higher, i could even get a job like a server or something, and atleast have a coworker group to interact with.
But I don't even have a foothold in the U.S to get started, I could pick anywhere in the U.S but I have no reason to pick one place or another, Id might as well just throw a dart at a map, as I have 0 friends or family apparently.
I'd have to just stay in hotel rooms and put in applications, i don't even have a car. I reached out to my Uncle who I stayed with for a few weeks last summer, who is in the restaurant industry, just asking how the market is near him, if he thinks I would be good at it etc, i made it clear I wasn't asking to stay with him, or needed any support from him, but he still left me on read.
(Ive kept in touch every few months, as he was one of my family members i thought viewed me favorably and he never did anything to me, and he knows I can support myself, and when I stayed with him I cleaned his whole house and had no problems at all, I know how to live with other people) Anyway,
I want to get a dog and have somewhere to be everyday. But its hard to travel internationally with a dog, and its quite the committment for the lifestyle im forced into. And I dont have anything to do, and I dont know what to do. Im just kind of numb at this point and I feel like nothing its going to change. im in purgatory.
I used to be very outgoing but overtime ive just become jaded I guess. I want to volunteer or get a job or something but thats difficult as a foreigner. I want to make other friends traveling but honestly I live kind of a different life than them, because I have more money and not traveling to a different place every week, its fleeting. The foreigners I could meet, like expat retirees,are you know, retirees, older than me, and theyre great I get along, but its just different generations.. but theyre nice and I should seek them out when I go to new places to help me understand new countries
I wish my relationships in the U.S went better, would be a lot of fun to travel with a partner. I'm not out of shape or ugly, the easy thing seems like to just get on a dating app in these new places, but I don't have good photos, im not a photo guy, my vibe and attractive qualities dont seem to translate well in the selfie photos that I take. Plus, dating apps aren't necessarily the best way to get good experiences... I've been thinking of hiring a local photographer for some photos to get done... but its all so much, and i wont even have like activity photos. I dont even have photos of my travels cause I've been alone. and then I have to get outfits... and its really just hard doing everything alone. I wish I had a sister
I just need to break out of this mindset to get back to my old self but I cant do it alone, I need to find some forced activity to meet people and regain my confidence. I just don't fit in anywhere and I always feel out of place nowadays. I don't have anything to be good at, or do, that makes me feel like me, like no feedback from the world. Im just here. If i put in a good day at work or my coworkers liked me, or I had a girlfriend to create inside jokes with, i wouldnt be feeling this way.

Hi all,
I’ve been in a messy situation with our property management company for the last bit. We’ve had reoccurring mold issues with a litany of other things. Long story short, the LL refused to break our lease sans penalty even though they failed to rectify the mold situation in under 10 days, per AZ law. I have a toddler in the home, which is why I’m even considering going to court. As far as I understand, we are legally in the clear to walk away from our lease, as the company has already voided it with their noncompliance.
Do we have a leg to stand on with this? I’ve copied a draft of an email detailing everything out that we will be sending to a lawyer officially and to the local LL office. We literally just want our lease done and our deposit back. They offered us a single night in a hotel and to finish the work in 3 days. However, an ozone treatment alone takes 7 and they have to remove several walls, a shower, and the toilet to start to rectify this.
We have all our work orders, medical documents and bills, and photos of the home assembled and ready to go.
All this to say, besides addressing our lawyer with this and praying, what next? We’re staying with family ATM and we are no longer in the home to limit the exposure. I figured I would ask here because I’m going out of my mind and I needed some loose answers.
—-EMAIL DRAFT——
(PROPERTY MANAGERS),
We tried to reach _____ on 5/10/2024 via phone and were not able to get through.
After learning that breaking our lease on the grounds of mold hazards was denied, we want to reach out again to detail the severity of the safety and environmental issues in the home we rent from (property company).
Over the last year, beginning one month after move-in, our daughter has had asphyxiating episodes severe enough that her lips turn blue. After the first incident, we immediately took her to the ER, where an EKG and several tests on her lungs were conducted. As all tests came back clear, we were advised the issue may be environmental. Since that consultation, our daughter experiences persistent hives all over her body, some the size of a hand. Treatments for various skin diseases have been unsuccessful. She had a full allergy panel run this week, which came back negative. She has been placed on antibiotics, steroids, and homeopathic remedies, all of which failed to stop the hives and the chronic congestion and ear infections. After several rounds of failed tests and treatments, pediatricians and nurses have supported the initial assessment of environmental causes.
The hives and blue lips only stop when we are outside of the home. I left home last month with my daughter. All issues resolved immediately and for the entire two weeks we were out of the home. Upon our return, the issues, including hives and breathing episodes, immediately returned. Our pediatrician will be examining her again next week to confirm environmental causes. We all have persistent congestion, headaches, and fatigue.
We conducted an air quality test on 05/09/2024, which confirmed the presence of mold in the home, further corroborating that the home is causing our daughter’s illness.
We have worked to bring attention to the mold issue from the time of the move-in consult, which at the time was only visible in the shower area. A formal work order was processed for the base of the shower on 03/22/2023 for “discoloration,” and it was not completed until 05/09/2023. That is 48 days between the request and completion of the work order. The moldy caulk replacement request was submitted 04/17/2023 and completed 05/17/2023, coming to 30 days for remediation. The request to repair drywall, which was soft-to-touch, was submitted 04/17/2023, and was not completed until 06/21/2023, which is 65 days between request and completion. We deep clean the bathrooms weekly, dry the showers thoroughly after every use, and open windows and run fans to provide proper ventilation. The repair provided by (property company) was insufficient to prevent mold recurrence.
On May 10, 2024, the mold remediation technician confirmed extensive water damage and mold growth in both bathrooms upstairs. He confirmed that several walls, the shower, and the toilet would all have to be removed and replaced. This consultation came 6 days after it was scheduled, which was an additional 10 days after we submitted the work order, coming to 16 days from notification to consultation, and nearly double the legal requirement of 10 days from notification to remediation.
Unfortunately, mold remediation is not the only repair in our home that we have waited unreasonably long for. Persistent issues include:
-Oven: When the gas technician arrived at the home to turn on utilities, the technician refused to connect the gas line, as the stovetop ignition took an extended amount of time to light. He provided a paper warning notifying us of the hazard. When (property company) was notified, it took 7 work orders from 2/8/2023 to 3/24/2023 (44 days) to receive a replacement oven.
-Dryer Vent: Upon move-in, the dryer vent was clogged and we were cautioned not to plug in our dryer, as this was a fire hazard. (property company) was notified on 2/7/2023 of the issue. Work orders were repeatedly canceled for this issue. 4 work orders were placed before a technician was sent on 3/24/2023 (45 days). This was improperly completed, and the issue persisted. We paid for a Samsung technician to come to our home to verify the dryer was functional, and he confirmed again the dryer vent was the issue. 08/15/2023 (189 days) another work order was submitted, and these orders were canceled, nearly daily. (A property company technician) would show up to our house, only to let us know the work order was not approved repeatedly. After speaking to the head of maintenance and several property managers, the work order was pushed through on 09/07/2023 (212 days). The dryer vent remains a persistent issue to the point that we clear it weekly.
-Windows: 6 windows in the home do not remain open. It became a safety issue when our 21-month-old daughter began to pull at them and they started slamming shut. I notified (property company) on 2/27/2024. The work orders are open as of 5/10/2024 (93 days), with only three windows repaired. Nearly all the windows in the home had missing or damaged screens upon move in, which we documented.
We cannot trust that (property company) will complete the mold remediation within 3 days, as quoted to us 5/10/2024, due to the history detailed above. One night in a hotel will neither safely accommodate us until the remediation of the hazardous mold issue, nor repair the damage done over the last 15 months to the health of us and our daughter.
Similarly, we cannot trust that the damage will not continue upon our return to the property, given the track record for repairs stated above.
We as tenants have performed our due diligence both to request reasonable repairs through (property company) and to exhaust every avenue of medical intervention for our daughter. Every step of the way we have acted in good faith and have not only maintained the property, but increased its condition. Since we have video of our initial walk through, two days before move-in, we’d be happy to invite you in to show the positive difference we have made on the property. Furthermore, you’ll be welcome to see the extent of the hazardous mold situation first hand.
We are reasonably requesting a termination of our lease agreement, sans penalty, and the return of our security deposit for now. We are within our legal right to request this, as we are well outside of the state-mandated, ten-day timeline for total remediation. (See Arizona Landlord and Tenancy Act, A.R.S. 33-1324 and A.R.S 33-1361, which specify the mold must be remediated by the landlord within ten days of formal notice by the tenant, or the tenant reserves the right to terminate the lease without penalty).
As the quoted mold remediation costs over $2,000, we are unable to fix it on our own within the bounds of the law. Arizona law dictates repairs must be 1/2 a month’s rent or less than $300 for a tenant to pay for and invoice the property owner. Otherwise, we would have conducted repairs properly a year ago.
We would prefer to resolve this matter peacefully and conclude this chapter of our lives. If you would like to further discuss this matter, please reach out to (myself and husband). We are requesting all communication be through email at this point.
If we are unable to reach an agreement on our lease, our lawyer is prepared to reach out and handle the case moving forward.

Hi all,
Here’s my planned itinerary so far. Would love to get opinions and recs and thoughts! Appreciate it! This is my second time in Iceland (but never been to the west fjords). It’s going to be my partner’s first time in Iceland!
We are not sure if we should go to the golden circle earlier or go later. We also have some gaps of open time and would love some recs! We will have a 4 wheel drive car. We will have camping equipment but definitely want some nights at lodging!
7/20- Get to Keflavik airport at 10:30pm. Get a night’s sleep in Reykjavik hotel.
7/21- Get breakfast in Reykjavik.
Drive to West Fjords and stay overnight in Patreksflojour.
7/22- Drive to Isafjouror and stay overnight there.
7/23- Take the Isafjouror ferry to Hornstrandir. Stay camping/base camp in Hornstrandir.
7/24- Hiking and camping in Hornstrandir area. Stay overnight there by camping/base camp.
7/25- Take ferry back from Hornstrandir to Isafjouror. Drive from Isafjouror to ____??
7/26- Drive to ___??
7/27- Golden circle all day and stay overnight in Golden circle area. See Kerio crater, Thingvellir, Geysir geothermal area, Gulfoss, Fluoir and mushroom farm, Hrunalaug Hot Spring, Frioheimar restaurant.
7/28-Golden circle all day and stay overnight in Golden circle area. See 7/27 itinerary (whatever we don’t finish seeing on 7/27, we’ll see on 7/28 in golden circle).
7/29-Go to Grindavik and grab food and drinks (breakfast). Then go to hike to Fagaradalsfjall Volcano. After that, go to Blue lagoon (which is near grindavik). Then fly out of Keflavik and back home!

I've just come across this fantastic article from Sports Illustrated, 1956. Aside from some wonderful 1950s prose, I think it also has quite a bit of interest to anyone interested not just in Patterson but in that era of boxing, its expectations and its place in society.
Do read it all, but for those who don't have time here's a few highlights:
On Patterson's Professional Position Prior to Winning the Title

• "it is now as clear as anything can be in the future books of boxing that a lithe young Brooklyn Negro named Floyd Patterson—who celebrated his 21st birthday this month by challenging Rocky Marciano—will be the next heavyweight champion of the world."
  
• recently "outclassed" the #5 heavyweight in the world to the point where the referee stopped the fight (a rarer thing back then!)
  
• had 9 fights in 1955, all of the KO or TKO wins
  
• Ray Arcel calls him "best young fighter of any weight in the world", and will "outclass" all heavyweights within a year
  
• Patterson's own trainer (who also trained Jersey Joe Walcott) speculates about a Moore fight (which of course ended up happening, after Marciano retired in part to avoid fighting Patterson): "It'd be no contest" (which was true!)
  
• Same trainer, about how older fighters get tired in the ring: "if you get tired in there against Patterson, then God help you... I've trained 500-600 fighters and I've never seen anything like this boy."
  
• "There is still a gangling, faintly schoolboyish air about him, but he fights with the expressionless eye and violent gracefulness of a large cat hunting its dinner."
  
• points out that Patterson's only loss was a close decision to former world champion Joey Maxim, when Patterson was only 19. Maxim says "he had my tail dragging after the fourth round".
  
• the biggest problem for Patterson is his weight. His handlers were "tormented" by the fear that he might stop growing too soon - "the awful struggle" for more poundage, requiring a diet of yams. By 1956 he was nearly 180lbs.
  
• Constantine D'Amato is cited as only his "manager", not his "trainer" (who is someone else, the guy who also trained Walcott). Given the mystique around Cus as this genius of boxing who personally devised and taught every facet of peekaboo technique to Floyd, Jose and Mike, I thought that was interesting!
  

On Patterson's Character and Private Life

• Patterson is "a fellow who sleeps a lot", according to D'Amato (which he approves of). He sleeps in the dressing room before fights (partly to deal with nerves) - something the writer says was also true of Louis and Tunney. He also sleeps every morning after his run.
  
• Patterson keeps in shape by running 2-5 miles in "heavy army shoes" in Prospect Park in Brooklyn (followed by a cup of tea and sleeping until noon). He then watches a movie every day, before training at D'Amato's gym.
  
• he also studies fights by use of "kinescopes" he replays on his home projector in his flat. He also has a film splicer, allowing him to study himself frame-by-frame.
  
• however, despite having been given free entry at will to Madison Square Garden, he doesn't watch live boxing, because he feels the crowd gets emotional and distracts him from the details of the technique on display
  
• "occasionally" he invites his girlfriend to a film on a saturday night. She's 3 years younger than him, and they've known each other for several years, having been "introduced". [spoiler: they married a month after this article, but divorced ten years later when Floyd refused to stop boxing; she took their four children with her. Floyd remarried and stayed married for another 40 years, with 3 more children by his second wife and one adopted. Fun fact: his first child, Seneca, was born the night he became world champion]
  
• "a shy and sensitive youth"
  
• not just few friends - few acquaintances. "You get an acquaintance and, the first thing, they start doing things for you—favors for you—and the next thing they want to borrow."
  
• he lives in "a lackadaisically furnished bachelor den in Brooklyn's rugged Bedford-Stuyvesant section, just a few hazy dreams away from riches and world fame, and just a few blocks from a crumbling Old Law tenement where his father, a hard-working garbage truck driver, and his mother live with nine of their 11 children."
  
• attends late mass on Sunday mornings. Otherwise "keeps to himself", mostly "holed up" in his flat
  
• "enjoys a heady solvency", and "contributes heavily to the support of his family"
  
• despite reclusiveness, he's "a youth with a secret inclination toward dudishness; he cultivates sideburns and treats himself to good clothes"
  
• owns a pet monkey called Connie, a "lively beast" that lives with his girlfriend, where it "runs up and down the curtains, takes the telephone off its cradle, turns on the family television set and, if not restrained, dabs itself with lipstick"
  
• occasionally attends a "rock-and-roll session" at the Apollo Theater in Harlem
  

On Patterson's Upbringing

• As a boy in the asphalt jungle, Patterson was a lonely, disturbed and defiant being—the third in a family of 11 children, whom his parents, for all their toil, could barely feed.
  
• broke into a store with a gang, truant from school, ran away from home
  
• "virtually refused to talk"
  
• "refused to learn"
  
• at 12, could not read or write (despite attempts of school). Something he had in common with Liston, who never went to school and never learnt to read.
  
• once stole a truck - he used to start the trucks parked opposite the school and sometimes move them back and forth a bit, but on one occasion a man started chasing him so he drove it all the way home
  
• liked to skip school to go to Coney Island. Not to go on the rides, but "to watch people going on the rides"
  
• his mother believed in early intervention: "the twig is bent early".
  
• his mother committed him to "an institution for problem children" (others say it was usually used as an alternative to jail for young offenders, but apparently they also took 'voluntary' students)
  
• Patterson thought the school would have bars on the windows, but instead he was allowed to "roam the woods" in an atmosphere of "kindness and understanding". This had a miraculous effect on him; he returned to New York two years later, by which point he had become a model student, a "star pupil and the school hero". At 21 he was still regularly phoning his teachers, and had donated a silver cup as a trophy for the students.
  
• fascinating that this sort of "enlightened", "modern" intervention was already being practiced by semi-penitential schools in the late 1940s. And Patterson, who went from criminal miscreant to pillar of the community, seems like a brilliant demonstration of how it can succeed. Fascinating to compare the lives of Patterson and Liston - both were introverted loners who felt marginalised, didn't want to attend school and got involved in petty crime. Patterson had that moment where he was put back on a positive track... and Liston didn't.
  
• D'Amato's gym happened to be a few blocks from his school. "There is a hole in the entrance door, patched by chicken netting, and when the gym is locked a vicious dog peers through, growling horribly at all callers. Only four people—D'Amato, two trainers and Patterson—are privileged to "know the dog" and the place cannot be entered until one of them arrives and ties the beast up in a back room. The space inside is bare except for a ring, two heavy bags, a light bag, a shelf with an opened jar of vaseline, a rubbing table, some cracked mirrors (for shadow boxing) a few folding chairs, a shower and some steel lockers. The grimy windows are kept tightly closed, the air is close and hot and the stench of sweat overpowering."
  
• ""I let any boy come in here and train," says D'Amato. "It costs them nothing. We teach them. They don't have to fight. But if they do, then they're my fighters. I'm like a prospector and here is where I look for gold—for a fellow like Floyd."
  
• Patterson boxed in the Golden Gloves (as a welterweight!) and was in for a shock: "I was surprised," he says. "I hit him and he fell down. I thought it was a lot harder to knock somebody out. I used to see lots of shoot-'em-up movies and those cowboys used to hit each other with their fists and break chairs over each other's heads and fall over the table and never seemed to get hurt. But it was easy."
  

-"This fellow had me on the ropes and he was hitting me and the lights started to go dim and I couldn't hear the crowd any more. Then I remembered that if a fellow's hitting you in the head you must throw a flurry to his belly. I did and he backed up and I knocked him out."

• At the Olympics: "One boxer, a Frenchman of excessive caution, stayed upright for three rounds, but he all but decapitated a Rumanian, a Dutchman and a Russian. He was fully as sensational when he mounted a dais to receive the victory award—he put one hand on his stomach, the other against his back, and gave the crowd a deep dancing-school bow."
  
• So, it seems D'Amato trained him as an amateur, but after he turned pro he got a new trainer for "advanced instruction", Dan Florio. Florio is implicitly not impressed by D'Amato's training, as Patterson "had to learn everything". Aside from not keeping his hands up, he "hopped around all the time. He bounced like a kangaroo".
  
• Patterson recalls a nasty experience against a tough, bigger fighter (175lbs). The man bullied him in the clinch, physically and mentally, repeating "why don't you punch me?" every time they were close. Patterson narrowly won a decision, but immediately began training infighting for the first time. In the rematch, Patterson insisted on infighting the entire match, while D'Amato yelled at him to box. "In the tenth round I said something to him. I said, 'Why don't you punch me?' He didn't say anything. Then I knocked him out."
  
• D'Amato: "Floyd is learning—he went to a lunch with the Mayor of New York a few weeks ago and I was proud of him. I try to make him independent of me. He decides how much work to do now, when he is training, and I accept his ideas about how to fight, unless I know he is absolutely wrong. Floyd is usually right."
  
• Talks about the importance of Charles Schwefel, owner of the Gramercy Park Hote. Schwefel had helped set up the schools for "backward boys" that Floyd attended after he made it back from the semi-penitential school, and was so impressed by Floyd that he "all but adopted him". He pressured Floyd into working at his hotel between fights until he was financially stable, and in 1956 was still employing all Floyd's sparring partners so that they would always be available for him. He was also Floyd's PR guy - he pressured the borough presidents of Brooklyn and Manhattan to attend Floyd's 21st birthday party, along with other politicians, journalists and "telecasters".
  

On Boxing in 1956

• "Fighters, like most other athletes, do not reach their peak of physical efficiency until they are mature, grown men (an Irish fighter, according to ring legend, may not develop fully until 25, 26 or even 27—Latins and Negroes are generally expected to mature at around 23)."
  
• it is generally agreed that the "big men" of the heavyweight division at at their "most efficient" at around 185lbs
  

On Boxing in Society

• when attending the Apollo Theater, he is given free tickets and always introduced to the (presumably Black) crowd, "which cheers vociferously".
  
• "professional boxing, for all its seamy background, its haremlike jealousies and its pitiful human flotsam, can be a power for good in shaping the character of young males—not all of whom are born for the ministry, atomic science or Wall Street" ["haremlike jealousies and pitiful human flotsam" seems like a great description of a lot of modern boxing social media...]
  

On the Patterson-Marciano match that never happened

• ""He looks sloppy in the ring. But he is a good fighter, a real good fighter. There are lots of ways you could fight him. I could make him miss—but Joe Walcott made him miss for almost 13 rounds. I think there is only one way. They say Marciano is the fighter who can't be hurt. But if you want to beat him you have to fight him and make him back up."
  
• *"I think of Rocky Marciano a lot." He smiled, faintly. "Maybe," he said, "Rocky Marciano thinks of me." [Marciano retired three months later, leaving Patterson to demolish Moore for the title]
  

On Patterson's Ambitions

• He hopes to buy his father and mother a house in the suburbs and to get his younger brothers and sisters out of the slums; he also hopes to make a million dollars and buy a farm. "I want to raise horses," he says. "I'd like to have a farm and animals." [spoiler: he did all those things]

Anyway, do read the whole thing - it's really well written and a great insight into the man and the era.

Hello everyone!
We're thinking of attending the Noir City film festival at the Grand Lake Theater for a week in January. Coming from Michigan and unfamiliar with the Bay area.
The film festival program, judging by this past January's, seems to run from 1pm to 11pm, so it appears that we will have ample time for sightseeing in San Francisco and the general area, too.
Two middle-aged sister. I don't see us renting a car, but you never know. Probably use taxies or rideshare. Would be very grateful for any hotel recommendations, areas to seek out, areas to avoid, other advice, as we plan our trip. In general would prefer a nice hotel with a restaurant/bar, or at least one handy to dining options.
Is the business district around the Grand Lake Theater someplace that features restaurants and bars we could dine at between films? Would it be better to stay on the other side of the bay and commute to the film fest? How far would that be?
Thank you so much for any advice! -- Melissa

I'm 24F weighing 205 lbs (93.5kg) with a height of 5 ft. 5 inches (165cm). This is the highest I have ever weighed in my life. My ideal weight is 125 lbs (57 kgs).
I was a skinny kid till the age of 8-9. I remember my mom being worried about me being too skinny. She would try cooking different dishes to get me to eat more. Any time I ate more than my usual appetite, she would be so happy that she would go around telling people about it. I loved the attention. I thought eating more is a good thing. The more you eat, the better.
I started becoming conscious of my weight around the age of 13. I was normal or maybe slightly overweight, just not skinny. I don't remember how it began but I started associating thinness with beauty very strongly. I decided to lose weight. I barely had any idea about weight loss. I stuck to eating home-made food and exercised a lot. It worked, I lost 7-8 kgs and felt great about myself. Few months later, almost double the weight returned. This cycle went on for 10 years. The first three times I lose weight, it was around 10-12 kgs. My most "successful" weight loss attempt was during 2020 when I lost 20kgs in 8 months. Kept it off for 2 years. This is the best shape I have been in, my entire life.
Last year, I gained 30 kgs. Around the start of the year, I was nearing the end of my Master's degree. I felt like my student life was ending and I deserved to enjoy as much as I could so I stopped exercising, and went out all the time. When I started my first job, the first month was constant traveling from one place to another. I was living in hotels for a month straight. With buffets available for every meal in the day, I gained weight like crazy. Even when I returned to my base location, I wasn't able to fix my eating habits or get back to exercising. I kept making attempts but wasn't able to stick to anything.
I am facing a lot of health issues right now. I haven't gotten my periods in 7 months. Been visiting the gynac every month but there is no explanation other than the weight gain. I'm having hair loss and the dermat says it's the hormonal imbalance due to poor lifestyle choices. My mental health is really affected. For the past month, there is not one day I haven't cried.
I don't understand what to do. I just feel so hopeless. I dont know. I just don't feel like exercising AT ALL. I don't even feel like going for a walk or something. I try eating healthy and then just throw it all away when I get back from work. I just feel I will never be able to get back into shape. I cannot explain how debilitating it is to have been in amazing shape just a year back, but having to face fat jokes and comments on my body now. The last time I lost weight, I thought that was it. I had finally overcome this battle. However, I have been feeling just defeated the past few months.
If anyone can help with how I can try building good exercise habits and healthy eating patterns, I would really appreciate your suggestions. I will not be able to run, jog or exercise too much with jumping exercises at this point because I weigh a lot and I have flat feet. So they get swollen. Other than that, please do feel free to drop ideas of the exercises that I can get started with.
Thank you for reading, I would love to hear any advice for getting back into shape.

Hi credit cards gurus! I have a tricky question. I have a chase sapphire preferred and used it to book flight tickets from A to B and B to C. (A,B and C are outside USA and I will be traveling there!)

• A to B happened on June 7th
• B to C happened on June 8th

But now I am informed at this point that A to B will be cancelled on June 7th. The airline switched my flight from A to B to June 8th. But this will cause me to miss B to C, because when the new flight to B arrives the other flight will have taken off!!
So basically the airline company will give a hard time and I should seek every way possible to ask for more accommodation and compensations if any. But also given the fact the flight ticket is bought by CSP card. And technically original flight was cancelled (or delayed by around 24h if you count automatically switched flight for free as the "same " flight). I am wondering if I am eligible for CSP trip delay or cancel benefits?
I am asking here, because I think I have some unfavorable situations despite being delayed/cancelled:

• This notification was super early(near a month ago). Not the typical sense ad hoc cancel or delay when you arrive at the airport
• I technically haven't made relevant hotels purchases yet at place A and B due to my procrastination. If I talk to Chase at this time, I am afraid they will push back by saying something "Sir this is early and you can change your plan accordingly"). But I do know I will be staying one more day at place A therefore more spending.

What do you think is my best move at this point?

• What should I ask for my airline company?
• How much extra money do you think I can spend at place A that will be reimbursed by Chase as travel inconvenience insurance?
• What kind of paperwork should I begin preparing?

Thanks!